Seeing that he was about to be captured, Song Wen retreated half a step, narrowly avoiding the black-clothed man's grasping hand.

Realizing their sneak attack had failed, the three masked men abandoned all concealment and rushed out from the alley. Their movement techniques were exceptionally nimble; one blocked Song Wen's front, another cut off his retreat, while the closest one pounced directly at him.

Lacking actual combat experience, Song Wen instinctively circulated his spiritual power and threw a punch straight at his attacker.

The man didn't take Song Wen's counterattack seriously at all.

They had already conducted a secret investigation through the guards outside the Jiyin courtyard. Just a few days ago, Song Wen had only barely managed to draw Qi into his body. No matter how miraculous the laws of cultivation were, it was impossible for someone to gain immense strength within a mere few days.

The man neither dodged nor evaded, continuing his grab toward Song Wen.

Boom!

The punch landed squarely against the black-clothed man's chest.

Crack!

A crisp sound of breaking bones rang out.

The man was sent flying more than a Zhang away, slamming heavily onto the ground. He sprayed a mouthful of blood, instantly soaking through his black face veil.

"Young Gang Leader!" the other two black-clothed men cried out in panic.

"Grab him! Don't let him escape!"

The one knocked down by Song Wen's punch was precisely Tang Liang, the Young Gang Leader of the Heavenly Fiend Gang.

He struggled to stand up, but Song Wen's punch had shattered several of his ribs, and the broken bones were now piercing his lungs, making it impossible for him to move for the time being.

Before coming here, he had thoroughly investigated Song Wen. As a second-rate martial artist himself, backed by two trusted lackeys of equal strength, he believed that capturing Song Wen-who had cultivated for less than ten days-would be effortless.

A second-rate martial artist was considered a reputable expert in the mortal Jianghu.

Who would have thought that due to his own carelessness, he wouldn't even be able to take a single punch from Song Wen.

Tang Liang had considered seeking help from the first-rate experts within the gang, but the Heavenly Fiend Gang only had a handful of them. None were particularly close to him, and involving them carried a high risk of leaking his secrets.

Seeing that Song Wen was far more difficult to handle than expected, the remaining two black-clothed men drew cold, gleaming short swords from their waists before charging again.

Knowing he was no match for both of them, Song Wen dove into a donkey roll across the ground, tumbling right next to Tang Liang. In a swift motion, he drew the dagger from his boot and pressed it against Tang Liang's throat.

"Back off! Or I'll kill him!" Song Wen barked fiercely.

The two black-clothed men froze instantly, at a complete loss for what to do.

"Young Master Song, stay your hand. We only wish to acquire the methods of cultivation; we have no desire to make an enemy of you," one of them whispered.

The commotion had already drawn the attention of nearby passersby. In these chaotic times, the common people had long developed an instinct for survival, and they all quickly scattered to a safe distance.

Since the area was clear, the black-clothed man didn't mind speaking their purpose aloud.

Song Wen sneered. "If you want cultivation techniques, go find Jiyin. Why come to kidnap me? You can't handle Jiyin, so you decided to pick on a soft persimmon like me instead."

Lying on the ground, Tang Liang finally managed to catch his breath and barked, "I am the Young Gang Leader of the Heavenly Fiend Gang! If you dare touch me, you won't escape either! Hand over the cultivation methods obediently, and we will guarantee your safety!"

Since his subordinate had already blurted out his identity earlier, he didn't bother hiding it any longer and openly admitted who he was.

Song Wen wasn't about to believe his nonsense. Given Tang Liang's status as the Young Gang Leader, the fact that he still couldn't obtain a cultivation method meant Jiyin guarded them like treasures and refused to teach anyone else easily.

If he were to leak the technique and Jiyin found out, the old monster would likely disregard his value as a medicine tester and kill him on the spot just to vent his rage.

"Even if I die, I'll make sure you go before me. If you don't believe me, we can find out."

With a ferocious expression, Song Wen ripped off Tang Liang's black veil to memorize his face, then delivered a brutal slap across his cheek.

Pfft!

Tang Liang spat out another mouthful of blood, along with two teeth.

"Move back!" Song Wen bellowed.

The two black-clothed men exchanged glances and slowly retreated.

Soon, they had backed away several Zhang.

"Keep going! Faster! Back off fifty Zhang!" Song Wen shouted.

When the two men had retreated about forty-some Zhang, Song Wen suddenly bolted without warning, running at top speed toward the depths of the Heavenly Fiend Gang compound.

As for Tang Liang, Song Wen didn't actually kill him.

If he truly executed the Young Gang Leader, he worried the gang leader would go completely insane. At that point, even Jiyin might not protect him.

The two black-clothed men saw Song Wen flee, but the distance was simply too great for them to give chase. Powerless to stop him, they could only hurry to Tang Liang's side, support him up, and quickly leave the area.

Song Wen ran wildly, not stopping until he entered Jiyin's courtyard.

Panting heavily, he slowly walked toward the small building.

'Heavenly Fiend Gang, Tang Liang... just you wait!' Song Wen thought venomously.

At the same time, he resolved never to leave this small courtyard easily again. At least within these walls, he was safe for the time being.

As Song Wen reached the base of the small building, Jiyin's figure suddenly appeared on the second-floor corridor.

"Song Wen, what happened to you? Why are you gasping like that?"

"Uh... Reporting to Master, it's nothing. I was just running to get some exercise."

Song Wen hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to hide the truth.

Tang Liang had come for the cultivation techniques. Informing Jiyin would certainly make the old monster target Tang Liang, but whether he would actually kill the Young Gang Leader was highly uncertain, since Jiyin still had uses for the Heavenly Fiend Gang.

Tang Liang might not die, but Jiyin would absolutely suspect whether Song Wen had leaked the techniques. When that time came, forget about moving freely around the courtyard-he probably wouldn't even be allowed out of the building, and might even face severe torture and interrogation.

Jiyin didn't press further and simply turned back into his room.

......

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, Song Wen had consumed his fourth detoxification pill.

This meant the new batch of youth had already been here for a full month.

During this time, Song Wen noticed that Jiyin's temper was growing increasingly volatile. Out of the entire new batch, not a single person had successfully drawn Qi into their body. Jiyin was infuriated by the waste of his considerable time and effort.

"Song Wen, here is a detoxification pill. Your master will be entering secluded cultivation for a period of time. Take good care of the medicinal garden."

Jiyin had originally intended to spare Song Wen's life and stop using him to test medicine, as Song Wen managed the medicinal garden exceptionally well and saved him a lot of trouble. But now, seeing this entire batch fail to cultivate, he was gradually losing his patience.

He intended to restart his alchemy furnace. As for Song Wen's fate, it could only be left to the heavens.

If Song Wen died during the medicine testing, it could only be blamed on his own poor luck.

Song Wen watched Jiyin's figure disappear behind the closing stone door of the alchemy room, narrowing his eyes.

'It seems I need to kill a few people and devour their Qi and blood.'

Song Wen couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. This secluded cultivation would be his absolute best opportunity to escape Jiyin's control.

The essence blood he had obtained from killing the little beggar and Biao Ge had already been fully absorbed. Though he didn't know exactly where that essence blood had gone, he was certain of one thing: his physical body had been strengthened to a noticeable degree.

The next day.

Having stayed inside the courtyard ever since Tang Liang's ambush, Song Wen finally stepped out of the Heavenly Fiend Gang's main gates once more.

He wandered the bustling, crowded streets for half an hour. After confirming that no one was tailing him, he made his way toward Number 25, Copper Gong Alley.

Copper Gong Alley was clearly a neighborhood for commoners, filled mostly with low, dilapidated old houses.

Walking into the alley, Song Wen realized the buildings didn't have any number plates.

He had no choice but to stop a passing older woman to ask for directions.

"Auntie, could you tell me how to get to Number 25, Copper Gong Alley?"

The woman glanced at Song Wen, a flicker of disgust appearing in her eyes. "Don't know!"

Seeing her expression, Song Wen knew she definitely recognized the house and knew Gou Hang lived there. She clearly held a deep resentment toward Gou Hang, and by extension, she now detested him just for asking. That was why she refused to give directions.

"Auntie, I'm not a bad person. I just have some business with Gou Hang."

The woman looked him up and down with utter disdain. "Look at that fair-skinned face of yours. You don't look like you're from a decent family. What proper young man grows up looking that pale and clean?"

Song Wen's mouth twitched. He wasn't even exceptionally fair-skinned. It was just that this woman lived at the bottom of society and only knew impoverished laborers weathered by the sun and rain. To her, Song Wen's clean appearance made him look like a gigolo or someone engaged in shady, unsavory trades.

Seeing that the woman was completely uncooperative, Song Wen had to resort to a reliable trick.

Reaching into his robes, he held out one Qian of silver in front of her.

"Tell me where Number 25 is, and this silver is yours."

The woman was quick-eyed and swift-handed, snatching the silver away instantly. She bit it and examined it carefully. Once she confirmed there was nothing wrong with the metal, a warm, radiant smile bloomed across her face.

"Oh, what a handsome young man. One look and I can tell you're a kind-hearted soul!"

She pointed toward a house not far away. "Right over there, that's Number 25."

Then, lowering her voice, she added, "But that little whelp doesn't live there anymore."

Song Wen frowned slightly. "Little whelp? Are you talking about Gou Hang? When did he move?"

At the mention of Gou Hang, the woman's face twisted in disgust again. "Who else could it be but that wretched creature? Even the chickens and dogs hate him. He moved away over twenty days ago."

"Do you know where he moved to?"

The woman shook her head. "Now that, I wouldn't know."

She quickly stuffed the silver deep into her clothes, looking terrified that Song Wen might try to take it back.