Lin Nan cautiously made his way past Chu Qiguang, watching him the entire time. Only after confirming that Chu Qiguang truly had no intention of stopping him did he leave.

"Big Head, track his scent," Chu Qiguang instructed with a faint smile as he watched Lin Nan get away.

"So he's a fox," Qiao Zhi mused. "That explains it. Foxes are extremely skilled at disguising themselves as humans, so it's no surprise I couldn't sense his fiendish aura."

He then recalled the two withered bodies that he had seen in the cellar of Lin Nan's steamed bun shop, and a look of realization crossed his face as he continued, "Also, foxes are able to cultivate by absorbing the life force of humans, so that's why he had those two people tied up in his cellar. If you ever fight a fox fiend, make sure you don't come into contact with their blood. Their blood has a strong arousing effect, and it's used as an ingredient in many aphrodisiacs."

Chu Qiguang nodded, but at the moment, his attention was elsewhere.

After sending out some dog fiends to track Lin Nan, he stepped into the room, which was filled with bodies.

He and Chen Gang examined the bodies one after another to verify that there were no survivors.

When they reached Hao Yongnian, his eyes fluttered open weakly, and he pleaded in a whisper, "Help... Help me..."

Chen Gang was startled, but a sinister grin appeared on Chu Qiguang's face.

He glanced at the large hole torn through Hao Yongnian's abdomen, then asked, "Do you remember who I am?"

Hao Yongnian hesitated at the question. Recognition flickered in his eyes, but he couldn't recall Chu Qiguang's name.

Chu Qiguang wasn't bothered.

He fixed a cold gaze on Hao Yongnian and said, "If you want me to save you, then apologize and beg me."

Hao Yongnian's eyes widened in fury. Never in his life had he been threatened like this by someone so far beneath him.

A cruel sneer appeared on Chu Qiguang's face as he dug a finger into Hao Yongnian's wound, causing him to spasm in agony.

"Your intestines are spilling out. You'd most likely already be dead if it wasn't for your physical constitution as a third-state martial artist," Chu Qiguang remarked. "However, you're still going to die unless you're taken to the Daoist temple immediately. Right now, I'm the only one who can take you there."

Hao Yongnian shut his eyes tightly, overwhelmed by fury and humiliation. In his mind, he imagined tearing Chu Qiguang to shreds once he recovered from his injuries. However, for now, he could only swallow his pride and lower his head to Chu Qiguang.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong. Please take me to the Daoist temple."

Chen Gang's eyes widened in shock at the sight of Hao Yongnian submitting to Chu Qiguang's will, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face.

Chu Qiguang simply smiled and stood where he was, watching Hao Yongnian with a derisive sneer.

Hao Yongnian was furious, but he was also horrified, and he yelled frantically, "Please save me! I can give you a lot of money and—"

"At this rate, you'll bleed out very soon," Chu Qiguang interrupted. "However, I'm not going to finish you off as that could risk leaving evidence behind. The best thing for me to do now is to simply watch you die."

Hao Yongnian trembled with rage, which only worsened his injuries.

Chu Qiguang sat down and said, "Rest assured, I'll avenge you and kill that fox demon."

Hao Yongnian turned to Chu Qiguang with a puzzled look, while the latter continued, "Your death will send massive shockwaves through the entire county, and your clan and the county office will surely investigate and hunt down your killer. Well, it just so happens that I know who your killer is.

“After I avenge you, I'll be able to establish ties with the Hao Clan, and I can secure a recommendation from them to take part in the martial examinations. Isn't that perfect? I'll make sure I pass the examination so that your sacrifice won't be in vain."

Hao Yongnian opened his mouth and coughed up a large mouthful of blood. His life force was rapidly fading, yet even in his final moments, he continued to glare at Chu Qiguang with all the resentment that he could muster.

Chen Gang stared at Chu Qiguang, his eyes full of admiration.

I wanted to make a name for myself in the world as a hero, but it seems like being a villain is much more fun!

At this moment, Chu Qiguang appeared more terrifying than ever in Chen Gang's eyes, but at the same time, there was also a strange sense of allure and charisma about him.

After making another round to confirm that everyone was dead, Chu Qiguang walked over to the body of Hao Yongnian's personal servant and fished out the five taels of silver.

He wiped the blood off the silver, then tucked it into his pocket. A pleased smile appeared on his face as he took a deep breath, savoring the metallic scent in the air.

"Are you feeling better now?" Qiao Zhi asked.

Chu Qiguang nodded. At the moment, his mind was in a state of bliss, and the symptoms of his condition had vanished completely.

He could feel his mental state had improved significantly, and that it would be easier for him to enter a state of meditation.

So that wasn't my imagination. Alleviating the symptoms of my condition really does improve my mental state. The enhancement effect from killing Hao Yongnian was far greater than when I beat up Chen Gang. Wouldn't it be even more effective if I could kill Ding Daoxiao during a flare-up?

Seeing Chu Qiguang take silver from Hao Yongnian's personal servant, Chen Gang decided to loot the other bodies as well, but Chu Qiguang stopped him.

"What are you doing?" Chu Qiguang asked with a cold glare.

"T-Taking their silver," Chen Gang stuttered.

"Who gave you permission to do that? Did I tell you to take their money?" Chu Qiguang asked.

"N-No," Chen Gang replied.

"Only do what you're told, and don't do anything without my permission," Chu Qiguang reprimanded. "We're here to kill people today, not to commit robbery, so we can't take any of their money, got it? The five taels of silver that I took from that man were given to him by me in the first place. All I'm doing is taking it back."

Chen Gang was immediately convinced, nodding as he replied, "I understand. This is a matter of principle."

"It takes a meticulous professional to kill, and any slight mistake could result in catastrophic consequences," Chu Qiguang continued. "If I see you being careless and doing things without my permission again, then you can go back to the Wang Clan Village and work in the fields for the rest of your life."

"I'm sorry, Brother Chu," Chen Gang hurriedly apologized. "I'll do whatever you say, and I'll make sure not to do anything without your permission from now on."

From there, Chu Qiguang, Qiao Zhi, and Chen Gang examined the scene to ensure that no evidence was left behind before departing.

"What do we do next, Brother Chu?" Chen Gang asked anxiously.

Chu Qiguang glanced at the trail of blood left behind by Lin Nan, then replied, "I'm sure that fox is exhausted by now, and his injuries must've worsened even further in his hurry to get away, so let's go pay him a visit."

Following the trail left behind by the tracking dog fiends, they were quickly able to find where Lin Nan was hiding.