The relationship between Jiyin and the Heavenly Fiend Gang was highly subtle.

On one hand, both sides guarded against each other, always wary of the other's hidden malice.

On the other hand, each required the other's unique strengths.

Jiyin needed the Heavenly Fiend Gang to gather various spirit herbs for him and to abduct literate youths in their early teens.

The Heavenly Fiend Gang, meanwhile, used Jiyin's reputation as an immortal to intimidate powerful martial artists and the Qian Kingdom's imperial court, ensuring they would not dare take rash action against the gang.

In his pursuit of cultivation, Tang Liang had once tried to eavesdrop on Jiyin's morning lectures. However, he had only caught fragments of words, never grasping the true method.

As for those youths who failed to successfully draw Qi into their bodies, they were all disposed of under Jiyin's direct supervision. This had completely strangled Tang Liang's hope of extracting a cultivation method from them.

Tang Liang's expression grew gloomy, his eyes burning with resentment.

"What mortal doesn't dream of becoming an immortal? But how can immortal fate be obtained so easily?"

Gou Hang let out a heavy sigh. "If an exceptional figure like you, Young Gang Leader, cannot even touch the fringes of immortal fate, then a minor lackey like me stands no chance at all. Yet, a common street beggar somehow stumbles into immortal fortune while you are left out. This immortal fate is truly a fickle thing."

Tang Liang's brow furrowed deep. "What street beggar?"

"Young Gang Leader, you haven't heard?" Gou Hang asked. "Elder Jiyin has taken a personal disciple, and the boy used to be nothing but a little beggar."

Tang Liang scoffed with utter disdain. "And here I thought some wretched beggar had struck gold and found an immortal scroll. Elder Jiyin has had plenty of personal disciples over the years. As for how they all turned out... hehe."

"This time is different," Gou Hang urged. "Elder Jiyin seems to have truly accepted this one. The boy is allowed to freely enter and leave the Heavenly Fiend Gang compound. Elder Jiyin's previous disciples couldn't even step out of his courtyard."

Tang Liang raised an eyebrow. "Is this true?"

"How would I dare deceive you, Young Gang Leader?" Gou Hang said. "The boy is named Song Wen. I was the one who brought him into the gang in the first place-you can verify it with a single inquiry. In fact, I crossed paths with him just a moment ago."

"Move! Lead me to him."

Tang Liang's interest was thoroughly piqued. He didn't dare cross Jiyin, but could he really not handle a mere teenager?

Gou Hang's face stiffened, and he hurriedly pulled back Tang Liang, who had already marched a few steps forward.

"Young Gang Leader, what are you planning to do?"

"Find him and demand the cultivation method, of course," Tang Liang replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Young Gang Leader, we must not act rashly. What if that Song Wen is ungrateful and refuses to hand it over?"

Gou Hang's true aim was never to help Tang Liang obtain an immortal path, but to completely erase the threat that Song Wen posed to his own life.

If Song Wen simply handed over the manual and survived, Gou Hang's scheming would be all for nothing.

Tang Liang glared at him. "He wouldn't dare!"

"Even if he does hand it over," Gou Hang countered, "what if he runs back and reports the matter to Elder Jiyin? How will you handle it then, Young Gang Leader?"

Tang Liang fell into a brief silence. "You make a fair point. I never noticed before, Gou Hang, but you actually have a brain on your shoulders. Speak, then-what do you propose?"

Gou Hang lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Naturally, we must operate in the shadows. We kidnap Song Wen, wrench the cultivation method from his mouth, and silence him permanently. That way, it will be done without a trace. Before we move, however, we should test his strength."

After a moment, Tang Liang nodded in approval. "If this succeeds, you can stay by my side from now on. That head of yours is quite useful."

"Thank you for your favor, Young Gang Leader!"

Gou Hang's eyes shone with immense excitement. It was a perfect stroke of killing two birds with one stone-not only would he eliminate the threat of Song Wen, but he would also secure a place in the Young Gang Leader's inner circle.

Entirely unaware of the plot against him, Song Wen left the street stall and returned straight to Jiyin's small courtyard.

Back in his quarters, he crossed his legs and began meditating.

Now that he possessed a potential countermeasure against Jiyin, he had to intensify his cultivation. The greater his strength, the better his chances of surviving any sudden crisis.

Four days passed in a flash.

During this time, Song Wen did not step foot outside the courtyard, dividing his hours entirely between daily cultivation and tending to the spirit herbs.

Having tracked the days carefully, Song Wen knew that today was the deadline to receive the antidote.

Early in the morning, he climbed up to the second floor. He knocked lightly on the door a few times, but before he could speak, Jiyin's voice rasped from within.

"Wait outside."

Song Wen could only stand quietly at the door. It was a full quarter of an hour before the door finally swung open.

Jiyin cast a fleeting glance at him, clearly aware of his purpose, and tossed over a small porcelain vial.

"This is your antidote for this week."

With that, Jiyin brushed past him and headed downstairs.

"Thank you for the medicine, Master," Song Wen said respectfully to the old man's retreating back.

He felt that Jiyin's mood was exceptionally foul today, as though something had gone entirely against his wishes.

What Song Wen did not know was that up until today, not a single one of the newly recruited youths had succeeded in drawing Qi into their bodies.

Returning to his room, Song Wen uncorked the vial to find a single, dark-red pill resting inside. After a brief moment of hesitation, he tilted his head back and swallowed it.

He had originally considered delaying the dose to see if his newly enriched blood essence and that mysterious, vitalizing energy could withstand or neutralize the poison.

But after weighing the risks, he abandoned the idea. There was no need to gamble his life on a whim.

If the poison erupted with violent intensity and killed him on the spot, he would be far too dead for regrets.

The pill went down without any remarkable sensation, feeling no different from an ordinary medicinal pellet.

Even so, a weight was lifted from Song Wen's chest. At least for the next seven days, he would not have to worry about the fatal effects of the Seven-Day Heartbreak Pill.

By the hour of the Rooster.

Having spent days in grueling cultivation, Song Wen decided to go out for a stroll and grab some dinner along the way.

"Song Wen, where are you going?"

Just as he stepped out of his door, Jiyin's voice echoed down from the second floor.

Song Wen looked up and saw Jiyin leaning over the wooden walkway.

"Reporting to Master, I am merely heading out for a walk."

Jiyin nodded slowly. "Return early. Yancheng is not safe after dark. You have only just begun your cultivation; your internal spiritual power is meager and you know no techniques. If you cross paths with a reasonably strong martial artist, you will be no match for them."

"Thank you for your concern, Master."

With a bow, Song Wen walked out.

He knew perfectly well that Jiyin's sudden display of care was not out of genuine concern for his well-being, but rather the fear of losing a high-quality medicine slave.

Nevertheless, Jiyin's words held truth. Yancheng at night was indeed a den of heightened danger.

Song Wen picked out a decent-looking tavern a short distance from the Heavenly Fiend Gang compound.

Not long after he sat down, the attendant served up a spread of fine dishes.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Song Wen stepped out of the tavern, only to find Gou Hang walking straight toward him.

"Young Master Song! What a coincidence to run into you here today."

Song Wen looked at the approaching Gou Hang, a thread of suspicion rising in his mind.

During their last encounter, Gou Hang had clearly been trying to avoid him. Why was he acting with such uncharacteristic warmth today?

Furthermore, his appearance here was entirely too convenient.

Keeping his expression perfectly smooth, Song Wen smiled. "Master Dog, what a coincidence indeed. Have you eaten? If not, allow me to treat you."

"How could I let you spend your coins, Young Master Song?" Gou Hang replied quickly. "Come, let me take you to the entertainment quarters to listen to some music."

Song Wen had been looking for a secluded spot to quietly dispose of Gou Hang, but now that the man had delivered himself directly to his lap, it felt entirely wrong.

Back when they first met, Song Wen had been thoroughly sold out by this very man. He would never make the mistake of underestimating Gou Hang just because he looked like a common street ruffian.

Sensing an odd shift in Gou Hang's demeanor, Song Wen realized something upon closer inspection.

Today, Gou Hang was completely alone. The two burly thugs who usually flanked him like shadows were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are those two enforcers of yours?"

A flicker of panic crossed Gou Hang's face. "They... they had other matters to attend to today, so they couldn't accompany me."

He had come specifically to lure Song Wen into a trap; the fewer people who knew about this, the better. He certainly wasn't going to bring along two useless thugs who might ruin the scheme.

Catching that subtle flash of unease, Song Wen instantly came to a decision.

"I appreciate the offer, Master Dog, but Master strictly instructed me before I left that I must return before nightfall. I will have to decline your kind invitation."

Song Wen cupped his hands in a polite farewell, stepped past Gou Hang, and walked briskly down the street back toward the Heavenly Fiend Gang.

Gou Hang stared at Song Wen's retreating back. A momentary look of frustration washed over his face, quickly morphing into venomous malice.

Though night had not fully fallen, the sun had already slipped beneath the horizon. The sky was a heavy, darkening grey, and the flow of pedestrians on the street had thinned to a scattered few.

Striking by force was no longer out of the question.

He raised his right hand, making a sharp throat-slitting motion toward the shadows.

Song Wen continued down the main thoroughfare for several dozen Zhang. Up ahead on his right, a dark side-street branched off, leading into a dim, narrow alleyway.

Sensing nothing amiss out of the ordinary, Song Wen kept walking.

Yet, the moment he stepped abreast of the opening, three figures clad in tight black garments erupted from the gloom of the alley.

Their heads and faces were entirely masked, leaving only their cold eyes exposed.

The assailant closest to him lunged forward, throwing out a hand to seize him.

By the time Song Wen sensed the ambush, the reaching hand was already less than two Chi from his chest.