Back when he was in the Blood Tempering Realm, his senior brother had the audacity to stake out and hunt down long-famous masters of the Refining Viscera Realm.
After breaking through to the Refining Viscera Realm, his name became a regular fixture on black market bounty lists both at home and abroad.
Soon after he entered the Refining Force Realm, his flamboyant style attracted the attention of several infamous overseas organizations, who joined forces to encircle and kill him...
He had a very clear memory of that day.
When their Master received the news, his hair and beard stood on end in fury. He even took out the Fierce Weapon he hadn’t touched in years, his killing intent soaring to the heavens.
However, his senior brother was his senior brother, after all—unimaginably formidable. The meticulously planned siege failed to take him down; instead, he fought his way out and escaped far away.
For years now, his senior brother had been operating overseas, supposedly to "collect on his debts."
"I’m off." Zhai Jia shook himself from his reverie and waved. His departing figure looked carefree, yet tinged with a hint of loneliness.
Soon, the low growl of a car engine starting up came from the alley’s entrance. The roar faded from near to far, eventually disappearing.
Wan Ze stood in place, mulling over the secrets of the Refining Viscera Acupoints that Zhai Jia had taught him that day. Only then did he compose himself and turn to go back inside.
He took out a sheet of coarse sandpaper, removed his shirt, and began his daily training regimen.
The sandpaper scraped against his skin, a fiery, stinging pain.
His Horizontal Training Technique had now reached the Special Level, bringing him ever closer to completing its Ultimate Form. Wan Ze eagerly anticipated what sort of physical transformation the Ultimate Effect of this body-forging Technique would bring.
From the initial Steel Bones to the later Energy Absorption and Rebound, the extent of his physical development had exceeded his expectations time and again.
He recalled the day he and Jie Zhengyang had fallen from the sixth floor.
’Even Brother Jia praised that guy’s Five Viscera and Six Bowels... By that logic, even though my own Five Viscera and Six Bowels haven’t undergone systematic Refining Viscera tempering, after so many comprehensive Attribute boosts, they’re probably far stronger than those of an ordinary Blood Tempering Realm Martial Artist, right?’
The thought stirred something within him.
The motion of him rubbing his body with the sandpaper didn’t slow.
After three hundred repetitions, his chest, back, and even his arms were a shocking shade of crimson.
Completely oblivious to the pain, Wan Ze stood firm and assumed the opening stance of the Taming the Tiger Vajra Skill’s Pile Skill.
With his eyes slightly closed, he silently activated the Thunderbolt Breathing Technique, and the surging qi and blood within him began to slowly circulate...
...
「Early the next morning.」
Wan Ze first went with Miss Ling to pick up their car from Dragon Eagle, then they headed straight for An City.
Along the way, Wan Ze kept most of his attention on Miss Ling, observing her.
He was trying to determine if "that woman" had taken over her body. However, during the drive, they were repeatedly cut off by other drivers. Miss Ling would complain softly, but as soon as one of the burly drivers glared back at her, she would timidly look away...
Wan Ze knew then... ’That woman’ hadn’t appeared. Otherwise, she would have definitely pulled out a gun and blown those guys’ heads off.
The journey was unexpectedly peaceful.
They encountered no trouble on the road, nor did they run into anyone from Lingyun Manor.
Perhaps Zhai Jia’s investigation had spooked them, or maybe Dragon Eagle’s reputation was too formidable. Even after they arrived in An City, their pursuers showed no signs of appearing.
A little before ten in the morning, with Miss Ling leading the way, they parked the car on the side of a road in An City’s old district. Just like the road to Master Ge’s shop, this one also required going into a small alley.
Without wasting any time, the two of them got out of the car and proceeded on foot.
After searching for over half an hour, they finally arrived at Jiao Yuheng’s old home.
The courtyard gate was ajar.
Pushing the gate open, they saw an old woman with a full head of silver hair sitting on a small stool, knitting a sweater.
Hearing the noise, she looked up.
After a moment of studying them, a look of pleasant surprise spread across her face. "You’re... that... young lady from Mr. Ling’s family?"
"Hello, Granny Sun. It’s me," Miss Ling said, stepping forward quickly to take the old woman’s hand. She gently explained their reason for visiting.
Granny Sun was very welcoming and nodded repeatedly. "I’ve kept all of Yuheng’s things for him. They’re right in the house."
As she spoke, she led them into the house. After pushing open the room’s door, she shakily got up to pour them some water.
Miss Ling and Wan Ze exchanged a glance and thanked the granny.
The room’s furnishings were simple: a bed, a desk, and an old-fashioned wardrobe. Everything was meticulously arranged, and the floor and desk were spotless. It was clear Granny Sun took great care of the place.
The two of them split up and began to search carefully.
Drawers, hidden compartments in the wardrobe, under the bed, even between the pages of books... they didn’t miss any place that could possibly hide a key or a clue.
However, after a thorough search, they found no trace of the Copper Key, nor any record of the painting.
Miss Ling had no choice but to go back out into the courtyard and ask Granny Sun, who was boiling water. She took out her own basement key.
"Granny, have you ever seen a key that looks like this one?"
Granny Sun took the key, brought it close to her eyes, then held it further away, squinting as she examined it carefully. She muttered, "A key... this key... I think I remember... Yuheng’s keys, he usually kept them in that tin box on his desk..."
Saying this, she put down the kettle, went back into the room, and took a somewhat rusty, square tin box from the desk drawer. Her hands trembled as she opened it.
Inside were indeed several ordinary keys—for doors, a bicycle, and so on—but there was nothing that resembled the Copper Key in Miss Ling’s hand.
"Huh? How can it not be here?" Granny Sun grew anxious. She dumped the contents of the box onto the desk and sifted through them with her hands. "I remember it so clearly, it was here... Yuheng told me to keep it safe... I’ve never touched it, how could it be gone?"
Miss Ling’s heart sank. It seemed the final lead had gone cold.
She subconsciously looked at Wan Ze beside her.
Seeing this, Wan Ze took a step forward and comforted her in a steady voice, "Granny, please don’t worry. It wasn’t anything important."
Miss Ling snapped out of it as well, forcing a smile as she followed Wan Ze’s lead to console Granny Sun. "That’s right, Granny. Please don’t overthink it."
It took a great deal of persuasion from both of them to calm down the self-reproaching Granny Sun.
They chatted with the old woman for a while longer, politely declined her invitation to stay for lunch, and then took their leave.
「A moment later.」
Once they left the courtyard, Miss Ling could no longer hide her thoughts. Frowning, she mused, "The key... someone must have taken it. But who could it be?"
"Definitely not that group of assassins," Wan Ze mused.
Miss Ling paused, then it dawned on her, her eyes lighting up. "You’re right. If that group had stolen the key, they would have already retrieved the painting by now... But who could it be? The person who put the painting in the basement... And how did they manage to tell me to get the painting through a dream? Wan Ze..."
Her voice trembled on his name.
Wan Ze looked at her.
Miss Ling said, word by word, "Do you think... there really are... supernatural things in this world? Or extraordinary powers?"
"Don’t let your imagination run wild," Wan Ze reassured her. "In psychology, there are masters who can use subtle suggestions in the most ordinary daily interactions to perform hypnosis on a target without them ever noticing. It’s not impossible."
Miss Ling was taken aback. "Are you saying... I was put under hypnosis?"
Wan Ze nodded, giving her a complicated look. In truth, he really wanted to say, ’The person who put you under hypnosis was yourself.’
But the words died on his lips; he didn’t say it out loud.
Given Miss Ling’s current situation, knowing the truth might not be a good thing.
"Don’t think too much about it... If the person who took the key and placed the painting meant us harm, they could have just given the painting directly to those assassins, or used a more dangerous method to lure you into a trap. But they didn’t. They chose this... roundabout way to let you ’discover’ the painting. Perhaps they have their own concerns, or maybe they want to achieve some goal through you. Now that the painting is in your hands, maybe... they’ll reveal themselves and contact you soon."
Listening to Wan Ze’s analysis, the panic in Miss Ling’s heart subsided considerably.
She had an almost instinctual trust in Wan Ze.
She nodded and mused, "Then... do you think... they are... friend or foe?"
"From the looks of it, at least not a pure enemy," Wan Ze judged. "Otherwise... wouldn’t it have been simpler to just give the painting to the assassins, or design a more lethal trap?"
"That’s true..." Miss Ling let out a small sigh of relief, her tense nerves relaxing slightly.
Just then...
SCREEEEEECH—!!!