"I..." Shen Yu heard Chu Ming say this, his heart finally at ease, "I only found out a few days ago."

"Did you find out during the robbery of Ye Heifeng Village?" Meng Zhen asked.

"Yes," Shen Yu nodded, "The mysterious expert you suspected is indeed Chu Ming."

"As expected." Meng Zhen had already suspected it.

Chu Ming looked at the two, sat back at the table, and picked up the pen and ink to write.

The Merit Officer Goong, County Magistrate, County Magistrate, Prison Chief were all dead. The letter reporting the Blood Vine Castle’s raid on the mines could only be written by him.

The hall fell into silence; Shen Yu and Meng Zhen seemed to be contemplating something.

After a moment.

Shen Yu suddenly sighed, "Chu Ming, yesterday’s mine disaster, today’s Blood Vine Castle bandits’ robbery, the mine has suffered severe losses..."

He did not continue, the three present all understood.

The mine’s severe losses and reduced output were inevitable. If Qin Capital blamed them, this crisis would be hard to get through.

The hall fell into silence again.

Approximately half an hour passed, someone came in from outside.

"Lord Shen, the mine guards have been deployed."

The person was Ye Hong, a Refining Organ Realm expert protecting Shen Yu.

"Thank you, Lord Ye." Shen Yu clasped his hands.

"Lord Shen, there’s no need for such words..." Ye Hong’s gaze flickered.

"Does Lord Ye have something to say?" Shen Yu asked upon seeing this.

Ye Hong paused, entered the hall, closed the door, and then spoke in a low voice, "Commander Meng, I inspected the bodies of the Blood Vine Castle bandits, and didn’t find anything unusual, but..."

He hesitated.

"Lord Ye, feel free to speak."

Ye Hong’s expression became serious, "Three bodies were exceedingly unusual; the Blood Evil Qi was astonishing. I suspect they are members of the Blood Evil Sect."

"Moreover, these three bodies have already nurtured their organs, just a step away from Refining Organ Perfection..."

He stared at Meng Zhen and clasped his hands, "I’m not doubting your strength, Commander Meng, but these experts nearing Refining Organ Perfection, three of them at that, Commander Meng wouldn’t be able to defeat them, right?"

"It’s that mysterious individual," Meng Zhen tactfully responded.

"The mysterious expert who eliminated Black Pockmarks that night?"

"Yes." Meng Zhen nodded.

Ye Hong’s face immediately became serious, he remained silent, then said, "Commander Meng, those three of the Blood Evil Sect working together are definitely not weaker than Refining Organ Perfection, defeating them isn’t something below Refining Organ Perfection could accomplish."

"Even achieving Refining Organ Perfection, the chances of defeating them aren’t high."

"So, Commander Meng, I suspect that the mysterious individual’s strength has surpassed Refining Organ Perfection!"

Ye Hong voiced his greatest suspicion.

"It’s possible." Meng Zhen feigned agreement.

"Meridian Unlocking Realm!" Veins suddenly throbbed on Ye Hong’s forehead, and he thought of someone.

The guardian of the Commandery Mansion, his master, Xiao Jianxin.

County Magistrate Xiao must not have felt assured, ostensibly having him escort, but secretly had his master protect him.

"Lord Ye, it’s getting late; Old Meng fought the Blood Vine Castle bandits for a day and is surely tired."

Shen Yu timely interrupted Ye Hong’s continued speculation.

Ye Hong wanted to say more, but thought again and decided against it.

"Old Meng, Chu Ming, you two should rest."

Shen Yu and Ye Hong left the mine.

Chu Ming didn’t leave; with such an incident at the mine, he, the Chief Clerk, certainly needed to stay and manage things.

Late night.

In a room behind the mine.

This house was originally Salt Captain Song Yan’s place of Jingyan Guard, now temporarily used as Chu Ming’s resting spot at the mine.

The house was large, decorated luxuriously, and even had servants.

Shen Yu had two clean rooms prepared, one for Chu Ming to live in, another for himself, and then sent all the servants away.

Inside the room, candlelight flickered.

The Sword Gourd Spirit spread out, ensuring no eavesdropping.

On the table were several items, The Medicine Maniac’s notebook, a black stone and core obtained from eliminating evil, and the returning Primordial Qi Jade Pendant.

Chu Ming first picked up the notebook, flipped through it casually, then sent it to the candle flame.

The fire roared, the notebook turned to ashes.

The contents Chu Ming had long memorized, optimizing more medicinal formulas, it was unnecessary to keep.

Next, he picked up the Primordial Qi Jade Pendant and the Evil Core, a smile flashed between his brows.

"Divine Mystery Bureau... Primordial Qi Warrior... Jin Yu..."

If guessed correctly, the bald, fair-faced fellow Jin Yu spent most of his time at the Divine Mystery Bureau, making him under-experienced and naive...

Too easy to deceive...

He gently shook his head, pocketed the two Primordial Qi Objects, finally focusing on the black stone.

The black stone was irregularly shaped, the size of an infant’s fist, but weighed over ten pounds.

Chu Ming reached out a finger, gently touched the stone, and an icy sensation immediately came.

At the same time, the peculiar feeling of conscious control surged up again.

"Primordial Artifact Material..."

He muttered, his Primordial Consciousness wrapped around the black stone from all directions.

Clang, clang—

The stone slightly shook, emitting weak sounds!

Chu Ming’s eyes sparkled, surprise shooting from them.

Primordial Consciousness can indeed control this object!

His heart stirred, more Primordial Consciousness enveloped the black stone.

Whish—

The black stone suddenly floated upwards, crashing towards the roof.

Just a finger-width away, the stone abruptly stopped.

First-time controlling inexperience, the stone nearly crashed into the ceiling.

With such momentum, he felt it could smash through a hole directly.

Chu Ming’s brows raised, Primordial Consciousness controlled the stone to gently lower.

"Void Control..."

This feeling was truly mystical.

"It’s a pity it’s just a stone; if refined into a short blade, a dagger..."

"Perhaps it really can be as Jin Yu said, kill someone from a thousand miles away."

A thousand miles is not possible for now, and he doesn’t need it, as long as the reach of the Sword Gourd Spirit is covered.

Retracting his Primordial Consciousness, the pitch-black stone fell into the palm of his hand, Chu Ming’s gaze intense.

Before this stone can be refined into a Primordial Artifact, it can only be used as a remote blunt weapon.

It has deterrence but is not enough.

"It seems more thought is needed on how to obtain the refining method for Primordial Artifacts..."

"..."

"Hmm?"

Just then, he suddenly looked up, sharp brilliance like arrows shooting from his eyes.

During his contemplation, the Sword Gourd Spirit sensed a familiar aura.

"The Medicine Maniac, back again."

The opponent was clearly scared away by him, why would he return?

Chu Ming frowned slightly, locking Sword Gourd Spirit onto the Medicine Maniac.

At the edge of the mining site, the Medicine Maniac in a dark green long robe used the cover of night, moving swiftly and silently towards Mine Shaft No. 1.

In a moment, he reached Mine Shaft No. 1.

The mountain cast in silver, the Medicine Maniac hid in the shadows motionless, just looking up at the starry sky.

When the clouds obscured the moonlight, when the starlight faded, he moved.

His figure moved with the wind, lightly falling like a leaf to a certain spot.

Precisely there, where yesterday’s mine tunnel collapsed, the entrance blasted out by Meng Zhen.

The Medicine Maniac stayed at the entrance barely a moment and then jumped into the tunnel.

Within the tunnel were collapsed rocks scattered everywhere, his deeply furrowed wrinkled face showed no expression, staring at a few miners moving rocks ahead.

Swoosh—

"Who’s there?"

The miners were instantly terrified.

However, before they could locate the source, they suddenly felt dizzy, followed by collapsing forward.

"Near my life’s end, this old man’s heart has changed," the Medicine Maniac walked over next to them, his tone low, "If this were before, you would already be dead."

He murmured a sentence, then walked to a giant stone beside the left wall, retrieving a bag of powder with a flip of his hand.

The powder poured out, and the giant stone began to melt like ice encountering fire.

Not just the stone, the wall that the powder touched followed in melting.

As more powder poured, the melting speed increased.

Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a gap had melted in the wall.

The Medicine Maniac crawled into it, continuing to pour out powder.

The gap turned into a passage, continuously extending underground.

Approximately two hours later, the passage depth reached nearly three hundred meters.

"That should do it."

The powder exhausted, the Medicine Maniac held nothing back, forming a fist with his fingers, and slammed forward.

No earth-shaking roar, the mountain ahead crushed like fragile tofu, revealing an open underground space below.

Squeak—

In the next instant, shadows darted through the underground space like phantoms.

"Hehe, little thing, don’t be so agitated. This old man discovered the Seven-Star Divine Flower thirty years ago, back then, you might have been just a small ground rat."

The Medicine Maniac stepped into the underground space, his right hand forming a Void Control Grab, revealing a grey ground rat the size of a small cat.

The grey rat’s eyes were crimson, clawing frantically with icy light flashing.

Its spine bristle like steel needles stood erect, two large incisors chopping like shears, seemingly wanting to crush whatever held it.

"Alright, stop making a fuss, let me give you something good to eat."

The Medicine Maniac pinched the grey rat’s neck, fingers forcing its bloody mouth open, a medicine pill flew inside.

"Get lost to the side."

The grey mouse was tossed to the ground like rubbish, rolling and squealing in pain.

The Medicine Maniac merely glanced and moved towards another place.

His speed was quick, before long, seven points of light appeared upfront, like seven stars linked together.

The Medicine Maniac’s delight was immediate, quickening his pace to get closer.

Looking closer, two knife-cut steep stones housed a peculiar flower between them.

Thin roots entangled and embedded into the stones, the main stem as thick as a willow sprout covered in thorns.

Upon the main stem grew an extraordinary flower, seven petals extending around the flower heart, each petal tip like starry points.

Seven petals, seven starry points.

"Seven-Star Divine Flower!"

"Matured!"

The Medicine Maniac’s expression was ecstatic, carefully donning snow-white gloves, subsequently taking out a dark red box, gently approaching.

Picking the flower, placing into the box.

Simple yet stirring one’s emotions.

"Haha..." The Medicine Maniac closed the box, finally laughed relaxedly.

The Seven-Star Divine Flower is the essential Treasure Medicine to refine the Seven-Star Yuan Continuation Pill, crucial for extending his life by ten years.

The Medicine Maniac glanced at the residual stem and roots, the excitement slowly fading from his face.

"Time to leave."

His figure flickered, racing towards the exit.

Squeak—

In the darkness, the tragic sound of the grey rat echoed.

"Stop squealing, the old man is in a good mood, I’ll give you a quick end."

The Medicine Maniac again squeezed the exotic beast Jingyan Mouse, fingers combining force.

Crunch—

The exotic beast capable of killing those in the Refining Organ Realm died right within its domain.

"Exotic beast carcasses are valuable, mustn’t waste."

The Medicine Maniac collected the large grey mouse, preparing to emerge from the underground space.

However, before reaching the passage, a suffocating sensation swept through the void.

The Medicine Maniac instantly alarmed, his form retreating sharply.

Bang—

Just landing, the mountain shattered, scattering fragmented rock.