The technique passed down by Chong Heihu was called the "Smoke and Cloud Qi Absorption Method." It was a cultivation technique that involved gathering the morning mist and evening clouds to shed one's mortal shell.
While not particularly outstanding, it was a decent method nonetheless. After all, beggars can't be choosers.
Jiang Ming immediately began practicing, but for some reason—whether it was due to the different laws of this world or something else—Chong Heihu and his companions seemed to recover their power very slowly. Despite practicing all morning, Jiang Ming didn't feel a thing.
Seeing how Chong Heihu had already stepped into the Ninth Rank in a single day, Jiang Ming almost suspected that the technique was a fraud.
By late morning, Jiang Ming discussed it again twice, then took Chong Heihu out with him.
Today, Jiang Ming's goal was to investigate the identities of those who had followed him a few days ago. From a brief glance, he had noticed a man with a tiger head tattoo on his arm. It matched the description of the ruffians from the teahouse that day. If Jiang Ming could figure out who this person was, he would likely know who had been targeting him.
They arrived at Niu Ma Alley, the livestock market within the Eastern Capital, where countless cows, horses, pigs, and sheep gathered. The place reeked terribly, and most people avoided it, which made it a haven for thugs and hooligans. A lot of shady business took place there.
As they passed a street corner, two more people joined them—Fei Zhong and You Hun. They had changed into different clothes and, under Jiang Ming's guidance, entered a courtyard. The last thousand taels Jiang Ming had were also taken by them.
"Luckily, Uncle Fu knew of this place," Jiang Ming thought to himself. "From now on, Fei Zhong and You Hun are citizens of the Jin Dynasty."
The courtyard, rumor had it, belonged to the brother-in-law of a junior official in the Ministry of Revenue. He specialized in forging household registrations. Many of the death warriors kept by the capital's powerful families had their identities established here.
Of course, to be safe, Jiang Ming planned to have them visit a few other registration forgers and avoid using their real names, Fei Zhong and You Hun.
For the time being, the two of them were temporarily free. Jiang Ming had given them only one task: to climb as high as possible, as fast as possible.
After watching them enter the courtyard, Jiang Ming left with Chong Heihu, heading to find Zhu San'er, a local ruffian, to ask a few questions.
The stench of animal dung was overwhelming, and Jiang Ming had to cover his nose.
Suddenly, a loud shout rang out, "Get out of the way! The ox has gone mad!"
A large water buffalo, seemingly provoked by something, charged down the alley.
Jiang Ming was about to dodge, but Chong Heihu stepped forward, eyes wide and radiating an overwhelming aura of power.
In an instant, the water buffalo's eyes filled with fear, and it stumbled and fell. Nearby, the other animals locked in pens throughout the alley all collapsed to the ground as well.
Jiang Ming, seeing this, blurted out, "Conqueror's Haki?"
Chong Heihu turned to Jiang Ming with a puzzled expression.
At that moment, a man ran over, out of breath, shouting, "Who killed my ox? Pay up!"
Jiang Ming frowned and looked at the man. As their eyes met, Jiang Ming's mouth curled into a grin—this guy was still alive?
It was none other than Zhao Laoliu, the man who had tried to scam Jiang Ming days earlier. His fake-death technique was impressive indeed, even fooling the headless ghost doll. Somehow, he'd escaped with his life.
Zhao Laoliu recognized Jiang Ming at once and immediately tried to run, but a hand as large as a fan grabbed him tightly.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Zhao Laoliu looked like he was about to cry. He had barely escaped with his life, and the five hundred taels promised by Yinsheng Gambling House were now out of reach. Worse yet, Ahu, Ruo Tianlin's henchman, had been killed, and rumor had it they were looking for him.
Zhao Laoliu had planned to lie low in the countryside, maybe buy a cow to slaughter, but now he had fallen right into Jiang Ming's hands.
They dragged him into a nearby alley, their faces menacing.
"You gonna talk, or should we make you?" Jiang Ming asked.
Zhao Laoliu immediately became obsequious. "Ask me anything, sirs. I'll tell you everything."
"Who were the people with you that day?" Jiang Ming asked.
"They're from Yinsheng Gambling House. They work for the young master, Luo Tianlin. They made me scam you, sir. I had no choice! Luo Tianlin has a lot of thugs under him, and I didn't dare disobey!"
Zhao Laoliu wasted no time in selling out Yinsheng Gambling House.
"So, it was Luo Tianlin. He conned me out of three thousand taels. At first, I thought it was just about the money, but now it seems there's more to it. The ten-day gambling wager... they want the teahouse!"
Jiang Ming quickly connected the dots in his mind, and with the mastermind identified, many of his questions were now answered.
There were only two days left before the repayment was due, but Jiang Ming had never intended to repay. Uncle Fu had borrowed three thousand taels to cleanse Chong Heihu's body, two thousand of which had gone to buy demon blood. The remaining thousand had been given to Fei Zhong and You Hun. Now, the teahouse had no money left.
"Sir, can I go now?" Zhao Laoliu asked quietly.
Jiang Ming looked at him. This guy's fake-death skill had even managed to fool the ghost doll—quite a unique talent.
"Go? You think you can walk away after crossing me? Not until you write something down for me first."
Before long, Jiang Ming had a signed document in his hand, while Zhao Laoliu lay on the ground, pale and despairing, muttering, "Too ruthless... I've lost my honor, my reputation. How can I ever face my ancestors again?"
Leaving him behind, Jiang Ming and Chong Heihu returned to Taihe Teahouse to rest up. Tonight, they would make their move.
Meanwhile, at Yinsheng Gambling House, the gamblers continued to lose themselves in the frenzy, but the bodyguards and servants were walking on eggshells. Since the visit from a Demon Slayer Guard yesterday, Luo Tianlin's temper had exploded, and he had already beaten three servants to death.
Was he furious over Ahu's death? Of course not. A trusted subordinate could always be replaced, but Ahu had died before completing his mission, and worse, Jiang Ming had only been detained for a day before being released.
The day after tomorrow was the deadline for their wager. If the bet concluded, Luo Tianlin would lose his opportunity to take over the teahouse without arousing suspicion.
He was certain that Jiang Ming had made a lot of money and could repay the three thousand taels. What Luo Tianlin didn't know was that not only had Jiang Ming never planned to pay, he couldn't even scrape together three hundred taels, let alone three thousand.
Luo Tianlin was determined to see this through. As long as the contract stood, he was guaranteed to win.
With the stakes so high and neither man fully informed, both Jiang Ming and Luo Tianlin were hatching plans, their thoughts unknowingly aligned.
"If that's how it is, then don't blame me. Once I get my hands on that thing, I'll leave the Eastern Capital. No grand scheme is more important than my own life!" Luo Tianlin resolved, opening a hidden passage beneath the gambling house. He had learned that murder, though brutal, was the simplest solution.
The corpse fiend from last time must have been an anomaly. This time, Luo Tianlin would go in person to make sure everything went smoothly.
As night fell, strange figures crawled over the high walls of Yinsheng Gambling House, vanishing into the darkness.
Back at Taihe Teahouse, Jiang Ming had changed into a black outfit, donned a mask, and slung the large gourd over his shoulder. Chong Heihu was similarly dressed, though his size made him stand out.
Just as they opened the door to leave, Jiang Ming spotted a few figures climbing over the courtyard wall.
What the hell? People sneaking into my house in the middle of the night?
Luo Tianlin, also catching sight of Jiang Ming's bizarre attire, thought, "What's with these people trying to outdo me in sneaking around?" Too bad no one would be leaving here alive tonight.
"Kill!" he shouted.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several grotesque creatures scurried toward Jiang Ming and Chong Heihu. Chong Heihu charged ahead, grabbed a corpse fiend, and smashed it into the ground.
Uncle Fu, hearing the commotion, was about to step out when a claw nearly tore his heart out.
Jiang Ming knew better than to get too close—he hadn't even entered the ranks yet. Muttering an incantation, he opened the lid of the gourd. In an instant, black smoke poured out, forming a massive net that enveloped the air above.