Qin Fang steadied himself, let out a long breath, and suppressed the shock and unease in his heart before looking at Xiao Qi.

Xiao Qi asked hesitantly, "Master Qin, outside..."

"I don’t know what happened either."

After speaking, Qin Fang paused for a moment and asked, "Xiao Qi, have you... ever taken a Qi Blood Pill?"

Xiao Qi looked at Qin Fang in confusion, but then shook his head. "Monkey mentioned it to me. He said you told him there might be a problem with the Qi Blood Pills and to wait and see... After hearing that, I gave up on the idea."

"Then you killed those people from Ganlu Hall, so I figured there must be something wrong with Ganlu Hall... and I was even more afraid to take them."

Xiao Qi’s answer was a great surprise to Qin Fang. He narrowed his eyes. "You trust me that much?"

Xiao Qi said seriously, "Even though I haven’t known you for long, you’re the most capable person I’ve ever met. I’m not that smart, but I know one thing... A capable person is definitely smarter than me. Since you said there’s a problem, you must have discovered something I didn’t."

Qin Fang looked at Xiao Qi with surprise in his eyes. ’I didn’t expect my standing in his eyes to be... so high?’

In the end, he didn’t say anything more and just lightly patted Xiao Qi’s shoulder.

He looked at the sky and sighed softly. "Alright, I’m glad I ran into you today, but it’s getting late. You should head back, or your family will worry... I’ll probably be staying here for a while. If Xile is here, I most likely haven’t left. If you need anything, you can find me here. Oh, and while I’m here, my surname is Jiang... Don’t forget."

Xiao Qi’s eyes lit up. He took a deep breath and said respectfully, "Yes. I’ll remember."

Qin Fang nodded.

Xiao Qi bid his farewell and called for Xiao Jiu.

Xiao Jiu was hugging Xile. When she heard they were leaving, she reluctantly stroked Xile’s head.

Xile seemed to like this new friend too, sticking out its tongue to lick her fingers.

Xiao Jiu let out a chuckle, but in the end, she reluctantly stood up and followed Xiao Qi out, looking back with every step.

After watching them leave, Qin Fang looked at the sky... ’I was planning to explore the cave again today, but running into Xiao Qi delayed me. If I go now, it’ll probably be afternoon before I get there, and who knows when I’ll be back.’

After some consideration, he decided to set out tomorrow instead.

Besides, he was also quite concerned about the situation outside. He walked out of the courtyard and returned to the fish market.

He found that the bodies were gone. A few members of the Fish Dragon Gang were directing some villagers to wash the ground with water.

Qin Fang asked around and learned that the bodies of the dead had been taken away by their fellow villagers. As for the killer’s body... because it was too bizarre, Jiang Xin had decided to go all the way, stuffing it in a sack and sinking it in the river.

Qin Fang was speechless...

’Such a crude way of handling things...’

’Well, that’s Jiang Xin’s style, all right.’

’...That guy hates trouble more than anything.’

But clearly, the incident had caused a massive stir in Wanshui City. Everyone was fervently discussing it, with all sorts of theories floating around, from mass hysteria to demonic possession.

Right now, the news was just spreading throughout Wanshui, but he believed it wouldn’t be long before it reached other places...

After a moment of thought, Qin Fang sighed softly.

Because he realized that he was truly powerless in this matter.

A sense of helplessness washed over him—the feeling of having discovered a problem but being unable to do anything about it...

’Ultimately, I’m still too weak.’

’Otherwise, if I could just go directly to Ganlu Hall’s headquarters, I refuse to believe I wouldn’t find any clues...’

Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on it anymore and turned back to the courtyard to cultivate.

’...Strength is the root of everything!’

The next morning, before dawn, Qin Fang was already up. He gathered his bee-luring equipment, told Xile to watch the house, and headed for Old Ox Back.

The journey was much more familiar the second time. An hour later, he arrived at Old Ox Back.

After his Inner Refining, he could feel that his current stamina had seen a significant and massive improvement!

Nourished by Anjin and the Five Qi Pill, his internal organs had grown stronger. His breathing had become extremely long and steady; he could hold his breath for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn without any problem.

His heart had also become exceptionally strong. He felt that his heartbeat now seemed to have slowed down a bit...

And he’d heard a saying in his past life: the slower the heartbeat, the longer the life...

’No idea if that’s true or not.’

Beyond that, he was now full of vigor and Spirit every day. He basically only needed to sleep for two to four hours to be bursting with energy...

’...This was the effect of his strengthened kidneys...’

In short, Qin Fang felt that since truly starting Inner Refining, it was as if his entire being had entered another, indescribable stage.

Unlike Mingjin, which was simply about great strength and a tough body.

Anjin, on the other hand, seemed to elevate a person to an unprecedented stage in every aspect...

His control over his own body was as easy as looking at the lines on his palm; every change was clear in his mind.

This state... 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

...was, simply put, better than he could have ever imagined.

Similarly, his five senses had also undergone a qualitative leap during this period of Inner Refining.

His hearing grew more and more sensitive; the rustle of grass in the wind dozens of meters away at night could not escape his ears. His eyesight also grew sharper, especially his night vision, which had improved immensely... He couldn’t claim to see the night as if it were day, but it was far beyond what it had been before.

If the World before had been in 720p quality in his eyes, then now... everything before him had transformed into ultra-high-definition 1080p...

Perfectly clear.

This distinct sensory enhancement was a more tangible improvement than merely getting a little stronger or a little faster.

...In any case, he was becoming more and more addicted to the thrill of constantly growing stronger.