The congratulatory banquet finally concluded. He Quanxin and his brother had maintained broad smiles throughout their time at the Cheng residence, but the moment they were a few hundred meters away from the estate, their expressions tightened with gravity.

Everyone understood that the Lin family sending a contingent to celebrate Elder Cheng’s birthday, along with such a grand gift, carried an undeniable air of demonstration. From this day forward, anyone thinking of opposing the Cheng family would have to seriously consider the presence of the formidable Linlang Lin family.

This was a colossal clan; perhaps they wouldn't meddle in the petty affairs of Taicang County, but if the Cheng family ever faced a life-or-death crisis, they certainly wouldn't stand idly by.

The thought of the Cheng family inexplicably gaining such a powerful ally weighed heavily on the hearts of the He brothers.

They rode in silence. Upon returning home, He Quanxin commanded everyone to rest; matters concerning the Cheng family would wait until they could report to the Elder back at the main manor.

Even within the county seat, the younger generation of the He family members lived in separate households.

As soon as He Yiming entered his room, he blew out the lamp and lay down fully dressed on the bed. Moments later, once all outside sounds had ceased, he quietly opened his door and slipped out.

His movements were exceptionally subtle, and he had deliberately avoided the areas where the elders resided, ensuring no one noticed him at all.

He vaulted the wall with ease and arrived at the woodshed where the corpse was hidden.

As expected, no one was there at this hour. He Yiming dared not linger; he hoisted the body and fled towards the outskirts of the city with all possible speed.

His Qingshen Gong (Lightness Skill) might not have been supreme, but backed by his powerful internal energy cultivation techniques, a long-distance sprint was no issue.

Soon, he reached a stretch of dense forest, dug a hole, and buried the corpse. After tamping down the last mound of earth, he paused, then bowed three times respectfully before the unmarked grave.

Having completed everything, a sense of relief finally washed over him, and he hurried back the way he came.

Even traversing the city wall for the second time presented no real obstacle; the low walls of the county seat were effortlessly navigated—perhaps not quite "as if walking on flat ground," but certainly with ease. The only thing that gave him pause were the occasional patrolling soldiers on the ramparts.

However, these soldiers all looked utterly exhausted, their eyes half-open, leading He Yiming to suspect that even if he walked directly past them, these good sirs would likely fail to notice him.

By the time he returned home, dawn was approaching. Soon after he closed his door and lay down, he heard the voices of his uncle and the others stirring in the courtyard.

He Yiming sprang up as if fitted with springs. After a hasty breakfast, his uncle, along with Yi Tian and Yi Hai, immediately left the city to return to He Family Village.

Since the three siblings rarely visited the city to reunite with their parents, He Quanxin allowed them to stay a few extra days.

Time spent together as a family was precious, and He Yiming cast aside all other concerns, opening his heart to enjoy the simple joy of kin with his parents and siblings.

They dispersed only after dark, having enjoyed themselves fully.

Back in his room, He Yiming finally took out the items he had obtained from the black-clothed man.

He was far more composed now than he had been previously. It was precisely this newfound steadiness that allowed him to forcefully suppress his burning curiosity until this very moment to examine yesterday’s spoils.

The black-clothed man naturally carried silver, possessing four ten-tael gold ingots and a good amount of loose silver. But this unexpected wealth was not what drew his attention.

Besides the silver, He Yiming found three small vials. These vials were carved from a type of jade—not a precious stone, but one known for its sturdiness; even if dropped accidentally, it wouldn't shatter easily.

In addition, there was a thin booklet. Upon opening it, He Yiming discovered it was a manual on the art of disguise, Yi Rong Shu.

He Yiming had no way of knowing how skilled the techniques within were, but it detailed several methods of disguise he had never heard of, some even involving the synthesis of medicinal compounds. If what the book claimed was true, the value of this Yi Rong Shu was certainly not negligible.

After briefly setting those items aside, He Yiming finally retrieved the object that held his greatest interest.

It was something wrapped in oiled cloth. Carefully unwrapping it, he confirmed it was a handwritten martial arts manual.

He Yiming’s wrist gave a slight tremor, nearly making him drop the book. His heart immediately began to pound twice as fast.

Before acquiring this book, he could never have imagined it would be this specific manual. At this moment, his expression shifted countless times, and his heart swelled with immense relief.

It was fortunate he was only viewing this text now; had he hurriedly glanced at it yesterday, his expression would surely have betrayed him, inviting suspicion.

Though young, he was reasonably well-informed about the three great clans of Taicang County.

Each of the three clans maintained a library or similar repository where they housed all the Five Elements cultivation methods of the family.

Generally, given the strength of these three clans, the collected methods were mostly ordinary, with even the best ones being only slightly superior to standard techniques.

However, the Xu family possessed two extremely rare, top-tier internal energy cultivation methods.

Although He Yiming had never seen them himself, his uncle and father had mentioned them many times, openly admitting that in their youth, they had suffered under the power of these techniques, leaving a profound impression on them.

The fire-element primary method, Lie Huo Gong (Fierce Fire Skill), and the wood-element primary method, Ku Mu Gong (Withered Wood Skill).

These two techniques were undoubtedly the Xu family’s greatest treasures and their most powerful trump cards.

Gently stroking the copied manuscript in his hand, He Yiming still found it unbelievable that his luck had turned so fortunate.

He meticulously recalled the conversation between the black-clothed man and the drunkard and finally reached a conclusion.

The drunkard, this mole within the Xu family, must have infiltrated their ranks through some method. That was undeniable, and He Yiming was certain he must have concealed his true strength to get in.

Otherwise, an expert at the seventh or eighth layer of internal energy, if truly willing to join the Xu family, would have surely received treatment no worse than the family's second-generation disciples; why would he grovel and play the subservient lackey behind a few young Xu family members?

Behind both the black-clothed man and the drunkard, there was an unknown manipulating hand. Everything was covert, and it seemed the connections were strictly single-line.

Furthermore, he was positive that the manual the black-clothed man hadn't finished copying must be the other top-tier wood-element primary method, Ku Mu Gong, which was on par with Lie Huo Gong.

After a moment of thought, he decided to put the matter aside entirely.

In any case, the black-clothed man was dead, and now there was no one left to corroborate anything; no one would suspect him. And given his current unique physique, as long as he consistently used his Gold-element combat techniques in front of outsiders, he certainly wouldn't invite any trouble.

Closing his eyes, He Yiming slowly calmed his state of mind.

Since he possessed such a precious manual, how could he not study it?

He Yiming sat peacefully for an hour, finally bringing his mind to its optimal state. Then, he slowly opened the Lie Huo Gong manual and began to scrutinize it carefully.

Lie Huo Gong was a fire-element primary cultivation method, vastly different from the Gold and Water element techniques he had practiced before.

When He Yiming began cultivating according to the book’s instructions, wherever the internal energy flowed, it generated a strange sensation, warm and hot. He marveled inwardly—truly worthy of being a top-tier fire-element primary method; the feeling it imparted was distinct.

At that moment, he even recalled his battle with Xu Yucai a few days prior. He vaguely understood that what Xu Yucai used then must also have been some form of top-tier combat technique.

While not as terrifying as a Xiantian (Innate) combat skill, its destructive power was far beyond comparison to ordinary techniques.

The cultivation of Lie Huo Gong proceeded smoothly for He Yiming as well.

Since this was his first exposure to a fire-element technique, He Yiming maintained the highest degree of caution. He meticulously examined every character in the manual, fearful of missing even the slightest detail.

Consequently, the time he spent studying the manual far exceeded the time spent actually cultivating it.

On the first night, he only managed to cultivate the first five layers.

He was not entirely satisfied with this pace, but if this speed were reported to the Xu family, it would surely cause their ancestors to climb out of their graves and die again.

As a top-tier technique, while immensely powerful and superior to common methods of the same level, its difficulty in cultivation naturally increased exponentially. Even the most gifted individuals required several years to reach the fifth layer. For He Yiming to reach the first five layers of a top-tier primary method in a single night was absolutely unprecedented.

During the day on the second day, He Yiming continued to spend time with his family, enjoying a harmonious day, and returned to cultivation that night.

Of course, he exercised extreme caution while practicing, wary of any minor error leading to disastrous consequences. Even so, by the third night, he had successfully cultivated Lie Huo Gong to the ninth layer.

At this point, his internal energy ceased to advance and stabilized above the ninth layer.

Concurrently, he briefly reviewed the Yi Rong Shu book and learned the purpose of the three jade vials. They contained cosmetic powders used for disguise, refined from common medicinal herbs, containing nothing unusual.

Ps: Yesterday, I saw comments asking where the heroine is.

Well, considering the Martial God is only fourteen years old right now, looking for a partner at this age...

It seems a bit too early, doesn't it? Puppy love isn't a good thing, and it doesn't align with national policy.

If I were to write about romance, love, or lust now, White Crane would likely be detained tomorrow ^_^

Regarding the update volume, currently, it's two updates totaling over 6,000 characters daily, with three updates totaling over 9,000 characters on Mondays. For a public release, that isn't exactly meager, sweat...

When the book goes on sale next month, White Crane will still be striving for Monthly Tickets, and the updates will accelerate then, reaching over 10,000 characters daily.

However, White Crane declares here: I only aim for the top three; I won't fight for first place.

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