After evenly coating both hands with the Wood-Refined Snake Venom Ointment, Fu Juemin manipulated the Poisonous Evil Qi Threads within his Hand Three Yin Meridians, causing them to course between his palms.

His hands grew as hot as branding irons. He could clearly feel the ointment’s medicinal power seeping into his flesh as the Poisonous Evil Qi Threads grew, little by little...

An hour later, Fu Juemin opened his eyes, scraped off the hardened residue of the ointment from his hands, applied a fresh coat, and continued to absorb it.

After repeating this process several times, he could distinctly feel that the Poisonous Killing Qi in his Hand Three Yin Meridians had grown several times stronger.

"This fast?!"

Even Fu Juemin himself was shocked.

He couldn’t help but marvel at the nature of Evil Techniques. As long as one wasn’t afraid of death and was willing to risk it all, their cultivation progress would be far beyond what any normal person could imagine.

Having absorbed too much Poison Force at once, Fu Juemin once again began to show symptoms of poisoning, such as chest pain and blurred vision. Dark blood even started to gush from his nose.

He picked up a nearby handkerchief, casually wiped away the nosebleed, and circulated his body’s Innate Primordial Qi. Soon, the various symptoms of poisoning slowly subsided.

Without a moment’s rest, Fu Juemin continued to apply the ointment and cultivate.

He ended up using the entire one-month supply of Wood-Refined Snake Venom Ointment in a single night.

...

「Five days later.」

In the Fu Family’s training hall.

Fu Juemin’s hands were at his sides, holding a short blade. He stood ten paces away from Li Tong, facing him.

The air in the room was thick and still, filled with an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Suddenly, Fu Juemin’s figure exploded into motion.

With a shift of his feet, he raised his blade. His entire body instantly became a streak of white light as he slashed viciously at Li Tong without any warning.

Li Tong stood perfectly still. The moment the arc of light was about to reach him, its originally sharp and fierce momentum suddenly turned sinister and bizarre.

A faint, dark-green gleam appeared at the tip of the blade’s light. Accompanied by a soft hissing sound, SSSS, it was as if a venomous python had bitten through Li Tong’s body.

CLANG—

The two figures crossed paths. Fu Juemin stood behind Li Tong, sheathing his blade as he came to a stop.

"As expected of the Small Success Pharmacist Skill."

Li Tong formed a scissor-like shape with the fingers of his right hand and flicked them at his sleeve. A piece of charred black cloth drifted lightly to the ground.

He turned around, a complex look on his face as he gazed at Fu Juemin. "Young Master, your progress is much faster than I anticipated..."

Fu Juemin’s expression remained unchanged as he asked, "Uncle Tong, do you think my current Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique is enough to break through the external Qi Membrane of that scar-faced brute under Song Lin?"

"I’m afraid it’s still not quite enough."

Li Tong shook his head, but then his tone shifted as he added:

"However, if you combine it with the Foreign Gun Skill you’ve been practicing so hard, and if all the conditions are perfect—the right time, place, and people—then dealing with him... isn’t impossible."

Hearing Li Tong’s words, Fu Juemin’s expression seemed to relax, and he nodded with a hint of satisfaction.

But Li Tong immediately continued, "I must remind you of one thing, Young Master.

To kill a Tongxuan expert, breaking through their Qi Membrane Defense is only the first step. What’s even more important than that..."

Li Tong looked at Fu Juemin and added meaningfully, "...is being able to withstand their counterattack."

Fu Juemin’s eyes narrowed as he slowly nodded.

"Take your time to comprehend this on your own, Young Master. I won’t disturb you any further."

Li Tong left these words behind and departed the training hall, his hands clasped behind his back.

Lately, it was unclear what Li Tong was plotting. He was nowhere to be seen all day, his movements unpredictable.

After Li Tong left, Fu Juemin’s expression clearly relaxed.

He looked down at his hands, an indescribable and peculiar look on his face.

What Li Tong didn’t know was that in the test slash just now, Fu Juemin had used less than a tenth of the Poisonous Killing Qi he had cultivated.

No one knew how insane he had been for the past five days, working almost ceaselessly day and night. He had used up countless jars of Wood-Refined Snake Venom Ointment and had temporarily exhausted all of his Innate Primordial Qi.

Now, the Poisonous Killing Qi circulating in his Hand Three Yin Meridians had grown to be nearly as thick as his little finger!

’If my Innate Primordial Qi hadn’t been depleted, at this rate, I’m afraid I could have formed the Snake Phase Poison Seed in one go.’

The Poisonous Killing Qi cultivated at the Entry Level of the Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique was a consumable; every thread used was a thread lost. But once a Poisonous Seed was condensed, it would become a self-regenerating, inexhaustible source.

Just now, Fu Juemin hadn’t been holding back solely to hide his strength; he was also trying to conserve his Poisonous Killing Qi.

’Great poison is great nourishment. This intense training session even raised my [Attack] by a point...’

In the past few days, Fu Juemin’s [Attack] Attribute had risen by another point, reaching a high of 20.

As a result, his body—which had been reshaped to be slender and well-proportioned by the Small Success Pharmacist Skill—was starting to look slightly more robust again.

Judging by his now-powerful Qi Blood, Fu Juemin estimated that he had likely entered the mid-stage of the Blood Refining Realm.

He wasn’t far from the Blood Barrier!

Suddenly, he felt a warmth in his nose. Fu Juemin sniffed hard and reached up to touch it, finding his two fingers stained scarlet.

He wasn’t sure if it was because his training had been too intense, or if the residual poison in his body couldn’t be cleared out in time after his Innate Primordial Qi was depleted, but he kept getting uncontrollable nosebleeds lately.

Fu Juemin shook his head. Just as he was about to call for a servant to bring him some clean water and a hot towel, a servant rushed in to report.

"Young Master, Miss Xu is here."

"Miss Xu?!"

Fu Juemin pressed a hand to the side of his nose and frowned. "Which Miss Xu?"

"The Second Miss Xu from Lord Xu Shirong’s family."

’Xu Xinyi?’

Fu Juemin was momentarily stunned, then quickly nodded. "Alright, I understand."

When Fu Juemin, having cleaned up and changed his clothes, arrived in the front hall, he saw Xu Xinyi sitting on the sofa with his stepmother, Lin Wanrong. The latter was consoling her in a half-hearted, absentminded manner.

"Brother Lingjun!"

As soon as she saw Fu Juemin, Xu Xinyi immediately stood up and ran toward him.

Fu Juemin saw that her eyes were red and swollen—she had clearly just been crying. Not only that, but there also seemed to be a red handprint on her left cheek from being slapped.

"What’s wrong?"

Fu Juemin placed a hand on Xu Xinyi’s shoulder and asked coolly.

The Xu Family had returned the marriage certificate long ago. Moreover, Fu Guosheng had briefly mentioned a few days prior that while the Fu Family was selling off assets to fund a military contribution, the Xu Family’s shadow was behind almost every group that swooped in to buy the assets at drastically reduced prices.

The decades-long friendship between the Fu and Xu Families seemed flimsier than a sheet of paper in the face of disaster. Not only did the Xus fail to offer any help, but they were even suspected of looting a burning house and climbing to the top by stepping on the Fu Family’s "corpse."

The only reason Fu Juemin didn’t throw Xu Xinyi out immediately was that he was genuinely curious about what this woman was planning.

Xu Xinyi had apparently intended to throw herself into Fu Juemin’s arms, but seeing his cold and distant attitude, she could only force herself to stop.

But when he asked his question, Xu Xinyi could no longer contain the grievances welling up inside her and began to explain the reason through her tears.

"...I heard my father canceled the engagement between you and my sister, Brother Lingjun, so I happily went to find him.

But at the door of his study, I heard him and my sister saying... saying some bad things about the Fu Family.

So I burst in and had a huge fight with them. Father got angry and hit me... I ran away from home, but I had nowhere else to go, so I could only run to you, Brother Lingjun..."

As Fu Juemin listened to Xu Xinyi’s jumbled account, he more or less pieced together what had happened.

But he was still puzzled. "My engagement with your sister was canceled. What were you so happy about?"

Xu Xinyi’s gaze immediately became evasive, and her voice was as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz. "Father... Father said before that I should marry into the Fu Family in my sister’s place...

When I heard your engagement was canceled, I thought... I’d urge him to come and propose the marriage sooner..."

Xu Xinyi’s voice grew softer and softer until her face was almost buried in her chest, and she was blushing all the way to the roots of her ears.

’Good grief...’

Fu Juemin was stunned by Xu Xinyi’s explanation, and then he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"Xinyi, do you have any idea what situation our Fu Family is in right now?"

Fu Juemin thought for a moment before asking Xu Xinyi with a serious expression.

Xu Xinyi looked up and said stubbornly, "I know. Father, my sister, and many others all say the Fu Family is finished...

But what does that have to do with me marrying you?"

Her own words seemed to have emboldened her. Xu Xinyi suddenly mustered her courage, looked Fu Juemin straight in the eye, and said with a firm tone despite her blushing face, "I like you, Brother Lingjun! I’ve liked you since we were little, and I want to marry you.

In the past, everyone saw you and my sister as a couple, so I didn’t dare say anything.

Now there’s no one standing in my way, and I just want to be with you, Brother Lingjun.

So what if the Fu Family is gone? The two of us can start over! I have money...

I—I brought my entire dowry!"

With that, Xu Xinyi pattered back to the sofa. Only then did Fu Juemin notice she had come with luggage. One of the bundles fell open, and with a great CLATTER, a pile of jewelry, gold, and silver spilled out.

"Brother Lingjun..."

Xu Xinyi walked back up to him, her eyes red, and gently tugged on Fu Juemin’s sleeves with both hands. "Don’t reject me. I don’t need anything else right now, I just want to be with you..."

Looking at Xu Xinyi’s pitiful, pleading expression, Fu Juemin fell silent.

At the side, his stepmother, Lin Wanrong, opened her mouth to speak several times but always stopped herself.

Just then, a servant rushed in to report, "Young Master, Madam.

The Eldest Miss Xu has arrived. She says she’s here to take the Second Miss Xu home."

Hearing Xu Leyi’s name, Xu Xinyi immediately ducked behind Fu Juemin like a frightened rabbit, clinging tightly to his arm. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"I’m not going back, Brother Lingjun! Quick, tell her I’m not here..."

Fu Juemin pondered for a long moment before finally speaking. "Have her wait at the door... I’ll bring her out in a moment."