My Martial Arts Level Never Drops

Chapter 198: Chapter 122: Thunder

But there hadn’t been any more madmen like that one... As for everyone else, apart from getting thirsty easily, there didn’t seem to be any other surprising changes.

’So what exactly is that Qi Blood Pill?’

He previously thought it was some kind of parasitic monster egg, but on second thought, that didn’t seem right either...

Moreover, he’d heard its effect on cultivation was quite good; a large amount of Qi Blood would indeed surge forth after taking it... The only drawback was that it made one thirsty.

...If it weren’t for the matter of the Mysterious Power, Qin Fang would have probably considered it a good thing too.

Compared to an increase in Qi Blood... what kind of fucking drawback was getting a little thirsty?

But now, he wouldn’t be caught dead eating that stuff.

Forget eating it, he didn’t even plan to touch it!

...He’d even stopped taking Huichun Hall’s Qi Blood Pills, now relying solely on Bee Meat to sustain his cultivation.

Fortunately, the Bee Meat was actually more effective than the Qi Blood Pills...

’Life would be good, if not for the hidden danger of the Mysterious Power...’

Qin Fang sighed.

「In the blink of an eye, July arrived.」

The sun blazed high in the sky. Rainfall had decreased significantly recently, and the intensity of the heat left Qin Fang in a slight daze...

’It seemed that without him even realizing it, he had been in this World for over a year.’

A few days ago, his senior brother had sent someone over to inform him of a few things.

For example... the news that his senior brother had successfully secured the position of City Gate Guard.

Qin Fang was very happy about this... This position was on a completely different level from his previous one as a forensic doctor. It held real power!

The next time Qin Fang wanted to enter True Martial, it would be much more convenient.

...All he’d have to do is announce that he was looking for Zhou Xing... At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about having his identity checked at the city gate anymore.

However, the message also contained news that made Qin Fang’s heart sink.

Namely...

A month had passed, and his senior sister... still hadn’t sent a letter back!

Qin Fang’s expression flickered at this news.

’...No letter back?’

’Could it be... something happened to Senior Sister?’

’Or... has some kind of trouble really broken out in the Prefecture City?!’

His senior brother’s letter tried to reassure him, saying their master was still working on a solution and that he should try to be patient for the time being.

Qin Fang stared at the letter, but in the end... what could he do but wait?

A few more days passed in a blur. One day, he was strolling through the market, buying bait to lure the bees for the next day.

Suddenly, he heard a loud wail of despair.

”Please, I’m begging you! If any of you know Chen Kuo, if you know where he is, please tell him! The lives of everyone in our village depend on him now! Tell him to come back to the village, just for a visit, please...”

The person wailing was a burly, middle-aged man, but right now his face was haggard as he cried helplessly.

Many people stared curiously, wondering what was going on and muttering amongst themselves.

’Chen Kuo?’

Qin Fang frowned for a moment before he quickly recalled...

’Isn’t Monkey’s real name Chen Kuo?’

His eyes glinted, and he blended into the crowd to observe, his expression unchanging.

A kind soul next to him asked the burly man for details, but the man just cried and shook his head. He refused to say anything else, only repeating his plea for someone to pass a message to Chen Kuo if they knew him.

Someone said, exasperated, ”This is ridiculous. You just give us a name and expect us to pass on a message... You won’t say anything specific, so how are we supposed to relay it? We can’t even ask around for you if we wanted to help.”

The burly man finally snapped out of it and hurriedly said, ”His real name is Chen Kuo, but his nickname is Monkey! He used to be a member of the Fish Dragon Gang over in Fisherman City! He’s from Mentougou!”

Hearing this, a few members of the Nanhe Gang who were watching the commotion had a sudden realization. ”Oh, you mean Monkey? ...His real name is Chen Kuo?”

At these words, the burly man immediately looked over, his voice filled with excitement. ”You... you know him?”

”Sure, we know him. We’re all in the gangs, and Fisherman City and Wanshui are so close, how could we not? We’ve crossed paths a few times,” one of the gang members said with a laugh.

”Then... then do you know where he is now?” the burly man asked, his voice trembling with excitement and hope.

”Now that, I don’t know.” The gang member shook his head. ”Didn’t the Fish Dragon Gang disband after Xu Meng died? What are you looking for him for? And what’s all this about the lives of your whole village being in his hands? What’s going on?”

But as soon as he heard they didn’t know Monkey’s whereabouts, the burly man was utterly crestfallen. He just stood there, dazed, and wouldn’t answer any more questions, only shaking his head and staring blankly into space...

Qin Fang, however, already understood everything.

His gaze darkened.

’...So they finally came for Monkey after all.’

’If I hadn’t moved Monkey’s sister ahead of time, once this news reached him... he would have been forced to make an impossible choice.’

’I just didn’t expect them to spread the news this way...’

’...Are they really that brazen?’

’Openly threatening the lives of an entire village?’

But then again, thinking of that unfathomable power they were up against, Qin Fang could only fall silent...

He glanced at the burly man’s crestfallen, pitiful-looking state.

But when he recalled the way Monkey had gritted his teeth while recounting his past, Qin Fang shook his head...

An image surfaced in his mind: this same fleshy-faced man, feasting and laughing boisterously before Monkey’s mother’s memorial altar, gloating as he plundered the last of their family line.

With that, Qin Fang stopped paying attention and turned to leave.

For the next few days, the burly man returned to the market every day, growing visibly more haggard.

But a few days after that, he was never seen again...

But Qin Fang had no intention of going to Mentougou Village to find out what had happened.

He was still waiting...

But the longer he waited, the more his heart chilled...

’It’s been almost two months!’

His senior sister still hadn’t written back.

’...Did trouble really break out in the Prefecture City, too?’

It was July, but Qin Fang felt a chill run through his whole body.

「Before he knew it, August arrived.」

One day, after finishing his cultivation, Qin Fang was staring blankly at the Chujiang River from his courtyard. A series of footsteps reached his ears, and he subconsciously looked up. A moment later, a figure appeared at the courtyard gate.