Five men in camouflage uniforms stood before the medicinal pot, their forms obscuring a significant portion of the sunlight.

"At least I'm still alive," Chen Feiyu replied without looking up, lightly fanning the flames beneath the pot with a tattered paper fan. "I will not traffic narcotics. Don't even bring up my sister; if that girl knew the money for her treatment came from drug trafficking, she would kill herself."

The man in the center of the camouflage group, whose shoulder bore the insignia of a Federal Second Lieutenant, smiled broadly as he squatted down, waving his hand to disperse the smoke Chen Feiyu had fanned towards him. "It's been nearly three years since you arrived at Langnan Tower, hasn't it?"

Chen Feiyu nodded, offering no denial. For an organization at the General level, investigating such matters was trivially easy.

"Three years..." The Second Lieutenant murmured, almost to himself. "That's no short time. Three years ago, you were already at the Five-Star Peak, and three years later, you are still at Five-Star Peak. Aside from your combat skills becoming more refined, your actual strength has seen almost no improvement."

"So what?" Chen Feiyu's expression remained unchanged as he maintained the frequency of the Shandong furnace fire. "It's limited by my innate talent. A Five-Star martial artist like me truly isn't worth General Wang sending people here daily with invitations."

Qin Fen's thick eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly twice. He sensed that the moment Chen Feiyu mentioned the three years of stagnant strength, the frequency of this man's heartbeat had clearly deviated from the norm.

"Heh, perhaps so," the visitor didn't argue, nodding in agreement. "In truth, I also believe your talent is limited, but our General is determined to have you. To that end, the General has specially prepared a Marrow-Washing Pill."

Qin Fen looked at the visitor with some surprise. Although reports suggested Wang Hao was generous, facing the reality of the situation was still somewhat unexpected compared to reading the file.

The Marrow-Washing Pill (Tuotai Dan) was different from the Berserker Pill (Kuangbao Dan) and the Ironclad Pellet (Tiejia Wan).

As a martial artist cultivates and improves their strength, the probability of encountering a bottleneck grows increasingly high. Some individuals, after entering the Meteor-level, can never break through their limits. Others might be fortunate enough to reach Comet-level strength before hitting a wall.

When people face a bottleneck, and no amount of diligent practice or meditation can break the obstacle, they begin to consider using external forces for assistance.

Thus, some fixed their sights on Biotic Beasts, while others turned to elixirs.

The Marrow-Washing Pill is a concoction created by thoughtful individuals for when a martial artist faces a persistent bottleneck and cannot break through.

It is a medicine akin to purifying the marrow and washing the bones. Every single pill requires an immense consumption of costly raw materials to synthesize.

It is somewhat ironic that as technology advances and people can achieve highly precise tasks through various technological means, they still cannot create elixirs like the Marrow-Washing Pill.

Countless people have tried using ultra-precise instruments to craft the pill with the utmost accuracy.

The result? Every single one of them failed. Conversely, it is the apothecaries, those who rely only on their hands and eyes for observation, who can produce this elixir with a measure of luck.

It can be said that the cost of a Marrow-Washing Pill is in no way inferior to that of a high-grade Biotic Beast.

Yet, even so, the Marrow-Washing Pill does not guarantee a 100% success rate for bottlenecked martial artists to achieve a breakthrough. It merely increases the probability of success by a certain margin.

Moreover, once a martial artist reaches a sufficiently high realm, the Marrow-Washing Pill holds no value or significance for them.

Naturally, the Marrow-Washing Pill is significantly less impactful for a Comet-level martial artist than it is for one at the Meteor level.

The exorbitant price buys a chance at a breakthrough in strength. This is why the martial power of children from wealthy families often surpasses that of those from ordinary households.

The power of money is undeniable; affluent heirs can simply stack money to achieve their goals. After all, for truly wealthy families, if one Marrow-Washing Pill fails to yield a breakthrough, they can use a second, a third.

Of course, this is all predicated on being able to acquire them in the first place.

A single Marrow-Washing Pill—this gesture is not a small sum even for a trafficker like Wang Hao. After all, he is only the leader of a newly rising faction, not an established power with deep reserves.

Qin Fen caught a slight twitch in the muscles behind Chen Feiyu's ear with his peripheral vision.

"I appreciate General Wang's generosity," Chen Feiyu finally looked up at them. "I truly will not traffic drugs."

The Lieutenant was momentarily stunned. The Marrow-Washing Pill held immense appeal even for martial artists who had not yet encountered a bottleneck.

No one could guarantee they wouldn't face such an obstacle in the future. For a martial artist who had been stuck at the bottleneck for at least three years to remain so composed when presented with the pill was something the Lieutenant had never even heard of someone achieving.

"Won't you reconsider?" the Lieutenant pressed, unwilling to give up. "Our General doesn't require you to work for him forever. Just make a commensurate contribution, and you can leave. By then, even if you want to support your sister by going to a place as brutal and bloody as 'Bloody Frenzy,' the bonuses you earn for reaching higher tiers will be substantial..."

"Thank you, but no need."

Chen Feiyu picked up the medicinal pot, gently stirring the dregs floating on the decoction with a spoon, adopting a posture clearly indicating he was seeing them out.

The Lieutenant sighed, cupped his hands in farewell, and said, "Very well, we'll meet another time."

After the five men were gone, Chen Feiyu let out a wry sigh and murmured, "Girl, if you knew I was fighting in [Bloody Frenzy], earning money by killing people just so you could get treated, I believe you wouldn't even drink the medicine. Trafficking drugs? That would be equivalent to killing you, my sister."

Qin Fen watched Chen Feiyu's back silently. The man was not immediately likable upon first meeting; the killing intent radiating from him on the ring stage was colder than any other fighter.

Now, however, that back was filled with profound paternal love.

Qin Fen couldn't help but let out a soft sigh; seeing a person clearly in all aspects was too difficult.

"Bitter?" Chen Feiyu looked concernedly at his sister, who had just sipped the herbal medicine.

"Not bitter," the girl’s sallow face flushed slightly as a smile appeared. "The medicine Brother brewed is sweet."

Chen Feiyu took a piece of rock sugar from a jar. How could herbal medicine be sweet? The sharp, bitter smell was evident even from the boiling process.

Qin Fen glanced through the aging window as if checking the time outside, then stood up and said, "It’s getting late; we should head back now."

"Leaving already? Stay for dinner," the girl offered hospitably.

"No thanks," Qin Fen said with a smile. "Next time."

"Brother, see them out."

Chen Feiyu stepped out the door and whispered again in Qin Fen's ear, "Remember, for your own safety. Nothing about the men in black today ever happened. You never saw them."

"You should have taken her to a proper major hospital for treatment," Qin Fen said, looking ahead and exhaling deeply. "That would have been being a truly responsible big brother."

Chen Feiyu’s steps slowed. His expression shifted rapidly for a second before he shook his head and sighed. "Some things aren't as simple as you think."

"I knew a pair of half-brothers..." Qin Fen walked alongside Chen Feiyu. "That older brother was more qualified than you; at least he never pretended to be great."

Chen Feiyu stopped dead still, silent for several seconds. The hesitation in his eyes was quickly extinguished. "I have never been great, nor have I ever been qualified. Thank you for the reminder."

Without further exchange, Chen Feiyu turned and walked back into the house.

After rounding the street corner, the silent Lin Ling suddenly spoke, "They are not biological siblings."

Speaking without prior warning, her statement slightly startled Qin Fen. What was happening with this woman who never gossiped and rarely spoke?

"Any intelligence gathered here should be exchanged mutually," Lin Ling explained her reason for speaking, then continued. "That sick girl is named Feng Ying. She has had poor health since childhood and rarely left the house, having no friends her own age. One day, when she was fourteen, she saw someone collapse outside the courtyard gate of her home. Out of kindness, she provided the person with water, food, and two pills for high fever. That person was Chen Feiyu."

"Not long after, the Feng Ying family home suddenly caught fire, and both parents perished inside. Chen Feiyu rushed into the inferno and rescued her. The two rented a small room in South Specialty City and lived a simple life." Lin Ling hooked her arm through Qin Fen’s, leaning her body close to him. "They lived there peacefully for several months. Chen Feiyu was responsible for earning money to cover her medical expenses and support them. One day, the son of a local dignitary entered the room while Chen Feiyu was out, intending to sexually assault Feng Ying. Chen Feiyu returned home, discovered the assault in progress, and killed the young degenerate on the spot."

"So, they fled here?" Qin Fen was surprised. Chen Feiyu was willing to become an outlaw just to care for Feng Ying because of the kindness of a single meal and drink.

"Yes," Lin Ling recounted all this without any trace of emotion or personal opinion. What might have sounded like a passionate tale from someone else’s mouth now sounded like a literary report. "The official’s influence was vast; if they hadn't left, both would have died, and the police had even issued a warrant for their arrest. Feng Ying's citizen status was revoked, forcing her to flee here."

"My conversation with Chen Feiyu was straightforward," Qin Fen adopted Lin Ling's concise style. "Wang Hao's attempt to recruit Chen Feiyu was rejected, and the temptation of the Marrow-Washing Pill also failed. Also, Chen Feiyu demanded that we forget about the men in black; to remember nothing at all."

"Does Wang Hao know Chen Feiyu? That might be exploitable," Lin Ling stated her opinion briefly, pausing slightly before adding, "The men in black—Feng Ying mentioned that before the house fire, she saw some men in black near the courtyard. The police found no trace of any men in black, assuming it was her hallucination."

Qin Fen stopped walking, looking at Lin Ling. "Are you saying Feng Ying was implicated by Chen Feiyu?"

"I don't know. Matters outside the scope of the mission are not my concern."

Lin Ling held up her hand and hailed a taxi.