After finishing his meal, Xiao Hai paid the bill and slowly walked back to the courtyard. By the time he arrived, the night had already deepened. A bright moon hung quietly in the sky, its pale light spilling across the rooftops and stone paths, giving the silent courtyard a calm, silver glow.
Xiao Hai pushed open the door to his room and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Huh… what should I do now?" he muttered to himself. "I'm bored… and I don't feel like practicing Dou Techniques tonight."
For a moment, the room fell silent, with only the faint chirping of insects outside the window.
Then, as if something had just crossed his mind, Xiao Hai suddenly sat up.
"Oh… right. I can read those scrolls."
Without wasting another second, he focused on his palm. Soon, a strange black liquid slowly seeped out from the pores of his skin and gathered in his hand, condensing into a small, pearl-like sphere. The dark pearl pulsed faintly, carrying a mysterious aura.
This was the Devouring Pearl he had obtained from that old man in the Xiao Family market.
With a single thought, the pearl shimmered slightly. The next moment, two ancient scrolls suddenly appeared on the bed with a soft thud.
Both scrolls looked extremely old, their thick bodies nearly as wide as a man's thigh, as if they contained an immense amount of knowledge accumulated over countless years.
On the surface of the first scroll were four bold characters:
"Myriad Herb Collection."
The second bore a similarly imposing title:
"Myriad Beast Collection."
"Haha… now this is something worth reading," Xiao Hai said with a faint smile.
With a single thought, the Devouring Pearl in his palm dissolved once more into a stream of black liquid. It quietly seeped back through the pores of his skin, disappearing as if it had never existed.
After putting it away, Xiao Hai gently pulled the thick scroll titled "Myriad Herb Collection" closer to him. The ancient parchment felt heavy in his hands, carrying the faint scent of old paper and herbs.
Slowly, he unrolled the scroll.
Rows upon rows of neatly recorded herbs appeared before his eyes—each entry describing their appearance, properties, medicinal effects, and the environments where they could be found.
Xiao Hai's gaze sharpened.
Without wasting a moment, he began reading carefully, absorbing every word like a thirsty traveler finding water in a desert.
Time quietly flowed in the stillness of the night…
…
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of Qing Shan Town, within the temporary camp of the Imperial Soldiers, the atmosphere was far less peaceful.
Inside a large command tent, several figures sat around a wooden table lit by flickering lantern light. The air was tense.
Commander Mo sat at the head of the table, while the leaders of the two major mercenary groups—Mu She and Xue Zhan—sat across from him.
"Commander Mo," Mu She said with a faint smile curling on his lips, "we've already completed our objectives. The beast tide has been suppressed. Although it ended a little faster than expected… it's still a good outcome for both us and the civilians of Qing Shan Town."
His tone sounded polite, but the smile on his face carried a trace of coldness that made it look unsettling.
Seeing that smile, both Xue Zhan and Commander Mo felt their anger quietly rise.
During the battle against the beast tide, it was their forces that had suffered the heaviest casualties. Many soldiers and mercenaries had died holding the defensive lines.
Meanwhile, Mu She's mercenary group had lost far fewer men.
However, the real reason for their anger wasn't simply because Mu She's group had suffered less.
It was because they knew the truth.
Many of the heavy losses suffered by their forces were caused by the actions of Mu She's own mercenaries during the chaos of the battle. The deliberate delays, the suspicious retreats… all of it had forced the others to bear the brunt of the beast tide alone.
And now, seeing Mu She sit there with that faint, mocking smile only made the atmosphere in the tent grow colder.
"Fine. Since the beast tide has already been suppressed, there is no reason for us to linger here any longer. We will return tomorrow morning."
Commander Mo spoke in a heavy voice. As the words left his mouth, he let out a slow breath, as if trying to release the frustration that had been building in his chest.
"Good."
Mu She stood up from his seat, the same cold smile still hanging on his face.
"Then I'll take my leave. I need to inform my brothers about the return."
With those words, he turned around and walked out of the command tent without another glance.
The tent flap swayed slightly as he disappeared into the night.
Xue Zhan stared at Mu She's departing back, his fists clenching tightly. The veins on his forehead faintly bulged as anger surged through him.
After a moment, he turned toward Commander Mo.
"Commander Mo, are we really going to let this go?" he said through gritted teeth. "It was because of his group that we suffered so many unnecessary casualties during the beast tide."
The lantern inside the tent flickered slightly, casting shifting shadows across Commander Mo's stern face.
Hearing Xue Zhan's angry words, Commander Mo slowly shook his head.
"We have no practical evidence," he said calmly, though a trace of helplessness lingered in his tone. "As an Imperial Commander, I cannot take action against anyone without solid proof."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"If I act without evidence, people will only believe that the Imperial Army is oppressing innocent mercenaries. Rumors would spread quickly… and in the end, it would tarnish the reputation of the Jia Ma Royal Family, making them appear as tyrants who abuse their authority."
Commander Mo lowered his gaze slightly, his expression turning colder.
"That is why… even if I want to deal with him, I cannot take any action against Mu She right now."
After hearing Commander Mo's explanation, Xue Zhan fell silent.
He understood that continuing this matter would lead nowhere. Without evidence, any accusation against Mu She would only create more trouble rather than justice.
Letting out a frustrated breath, Xue Zhan cupped his fists toward Commander Mo.
"Since that's the case, I'll take my leave, Commander."
Commander Mo nodded slightly.
Soon after, Xue Zhan turned and left the tent, returning to his own mercenary group as the quiet night once again settled over the camp.
…
…
The next morning.
Just like any other day, Xiao Hai woke up early.
Since this was not his home, he did not waste time on unnecessary comforts. After getting out of bed, he simply stretched his body for a moment, loosening his muscles before beginning his daily training.
Standing in the middle of the courtyard, Xiao Hai slowly took a stance.
Then, without hesitation, he threw out a punch.
Bone Breaking Fist.
His small fists shot forward one after another, striking the empty air with sharp force. Each punch carried a fierce momentum, as if it possessed the power to shatter bones and crush defenses.
Yet Xiao Hai knew clearly—this was only the illusion created by momentum and technique. Without sufficient Dou Qi and strength behind it, the true destructive power of the technique had yet to fully manifest.
Still, his punches did not stop.
After completing several sets of Bone Breaking Fist, Xiao Hai suddenly shifted his footwork.
His body moved lightly across the courtyard as he activated another technique.
Flowing Steps.
While continuing to throw punches, Xiao Hai's feet began gliding across the ground like flowing water. His body twisted, stepped, and shifted constantly as he attempted to merge the fierce offensive power of Bone Breaking Fist with the agile movement of Flowing Steps.
He was trying to make both techniques function together in harmony.
If successful, he would be able to maintain both attack and mobility during equal battles.
However, combining two Dou Techniques was far from easy.
After several failed attempts—where his rhythm broke and his movements lost balance—Xiao Hai finally stopped punching.
Instead, he focused entirely on his footwork.
His figure began moving faster and faster across the courtyard.
In the early morning light, faint afterimages of his body started appearing and disappearing across the stone ground, as though multiple shadows of him were flickering in and out of existence.
This was the sign that his Flowing Steps had already reached Peak Perfection.
After a long time, when the gentle warmth of the morning sun slowly began turning hotter, Xiao Hai finally stopped.
His body came to a halt in the middle of the courtyard, faint traces of sweat covering his forehead and neck.
"Hah… hah… finally."
Breathing heavily, he walked toward a nearby stone chair and sat down. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to calm his breathing after the intense training.
For a moment, the courtyard was filled only with the sound of the morning breeze and his steady breaths.
After resting for a short while, Xiao Hai slowly stood up again.
This time, he sat cross-legged on the ground, his back straight and his palms resting gently on his knees. His eyes gradually closed as the restless energy in his body began to settle.
Soon, his breathing became slow and rhythmic.
Following the circulation method he had practiced countless times before; Xiao Hai began guiding the surrounding Heaven and Earth energy toward his body.
Thin strands of invisible energy quietly gathered around him before being absorbed through his pores, slowly flowing into his meridians.
With calm concentration, Xiao Hai officially began his daily Qi cultivation, allowing the quiet morning to pass in silent training.