When the two successfully Broke Through to the Refining Tendon Realm, Chu Yi suddenly noticed a mysterious change in the yi points on his panel—the remaining 【41】 points had quietly increased to 【297】 points, a total increase of 256 points.
Chu Yi's gaze slightly condensed, and his slender fingers gently stroked his chin as he carefully recalled every detail of the yi points' change.
Suddenly, a flash of realization crossed his eyes.
"So that's how it is..." he murmured, a smile involuntarily curving his lips.
These newly added 256 points were precisely the total yi points previously spent on Chu An and Chu Yue.
Even more miraculously, this number was still increasing at an extremely slow rate.
"Changing the fate of others can bring feedback..."
A sharp glint flashed in Chu Yi's eyes. He realized this was just the beginning—as long as Chu An and Chu Yue existed, they would, like ripples, continuously affect the destinies of more people.
At that time, a continuous stream of yi points would surely converge.
Thinking of this, the smile on Chu Yi's face grew even wider.
In the morning light, his figure appeared exceptionally tall and straight.
As long as he had enough yi points, he could constantly Break Through his limits, and one day...
"Big Brother?" Chu Yue's clear voice interrupted his thoughts.
"What are you smiling about?"
Chu Yi snapped back to reality, looking at the two siblings who had undergone a complete transformation, and chuckled, "Nothing, just thought of something interesting."
He stood with his hands behind his back, his clothes gently swaying in the morning breeze.
In the distance, a red sun was slowly rising, casting long, long shadows of the three.
...
Ping An County, Beggar Clan branch headquarters.
Over a dozen Beggar Clan Disciples sat in a circle, but were distinctly divided into two factions:
One side wore coarse linen clothing, patched upon patched, with shiny, worn cuffs;
The other side wore neat clothes, though not silk, they were clean and well-washed.
These two groups were the Beggar Clan's unique Wuyi (Black Clothes) faction and Jingyi (Clean Clothes) faction.
What was surprising was that despite the vast difference in their attire, the Disciples of these two factions got along surprisingly well.
They silently stared at the corpse on the straw mat in the center—Chen San Gou, a five-pouch Disciple who had been missing for many days.
Chen San Gou's death was extremely tragic and terrifying.
His head was like a melon smashed by a heavy hammer, deeply caved in and deformed, with the skull fractured and collapsed, forming irregular sunken pits.
Red and white mixed filth oozed from the cracks in his shattered skull, clinging to gray-white hair and broken scalp, congealed on his face and the straw mat beneath him, emitting a strong smell of blood and putrid decay.
His only remaining right eye (his left eye was already blind) had completely burst, leaving only a bloody, fleshy black hole.
His right knee was bent backward at a strange angle, with stark white bone fragments piercing through the flesh, exposed to the air.
His right wrist bone also showed a comminuted twist.
The entire corpse lay limp on the straw mat, like a puddle of mud, with only the extreme fear and disbelief congealed on his mutilated face silently narrating the violence and despair he encountered before death.
On the ground beside the corpse, several broken bamboo pieces and a cast-iron incense burner were scattered. The bottom of the incense burner had a concave area covered with congealed bloodstains and fragments of gray-white brain tissue.
Wang Ye knelt on one knee, his rough fingers slowly caressing the seven cloth pouches at his waist, his eyes slightly narrowed, a hint of alarm and surprise flashing deep within his pupils.
He stood up, his boot tips carefully avoiding the large patches of dried, blackened blood and splattered filth on the ground.
His sharp gaze swept over the incense burner and broken bamboo pieces next to the corpse.
"Blunt force trauma to the head, a single blow to kill, clean and precise, yet... extremely brutal."
Wang Ye's voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of imperceptible chill,
"Looking at this incense burner, it's the murder weapon. This is definitely not an injury that could be caused by an ordinary fight. The killer's strength... is astonishing, and... he's ruthless."
He squatted down, carefully examined the broken bamboo pieces, sniffed them closely, and a look of understanding and solemnity flashed in his single eye: "Soul-Chasing Powder... was triggered!"
Zhao Si hunched his back, forcing himself to approach despite the urge to vomit, his monkey-like face full of fawning smiles, yet also tinged with deep fear and uncertainty: "Branch... Branch Master, this matter... this matter is too strange.
This manner of death... I'm afraid... I'm afraid it was done by those three Chu family cripples?
A few days ago, that brother and sister suddenly disappeared, and the cripple's broken leg brace was still lying in the straw pile in the temple corner..." He pointed to a dilapidated wooden brace in the corner of the wall.
A greater commotion arose among the crowd, filled with whispers of surprise and disbelief.
Upon understanding, they all knew that the three Chu family siblings were merely cripples who couldn't even be considered Martial Artists—one lame, one with a severed arm, and a little girl. How could they have used such cruel and brutal methods to kill Chen San Gou, who was at Skin Refining Great Perfection?
Even if he was old and frail, with declining Qi and blood, he was still a Martial Artist. His tendons, bones, and flesh were far from what ordinary people could easily damage to such an extent!
Not to mention causing such horrifying comminuted skull fractures, and having the strength to smash the Soul-Chasing Powder bamboo tube! This was simply inconceivable!
But Chen San Gou's death, especially the triggering of the Soul-Chasing Powder, meant that the killer had been marked, which forced them to investigate.
—And because behind him stood a person, the Personal Disciple of the Yan Yang County Beggar Clan branch master, Chen San Gou's Genius nephew—Chen Feng.
In Ping An County, beggars and Beggar Clan Disciples had clear distinctions.
Those without a certain Aptitude for the Martial Dao could only become the lowest-level beggars, begging for food daily along the streets, and still had to hand over a fixed amount of money.
If they couldn't beg enough, they would be severely beaten, or in serious cases, have their limbs broken—after all, the more miserable they were, the easier it was to gain pity from others and thus beg for more.
The Chu family siblings' disabilities came from this.
And Chen San Gou, relying on the influence of his nephew Chen Feng, monopolized the lucrative job of collecting protection fees, raking in a lot of money, to the point where he didn't even put Wang Ye, the branch master, in his eyes.
Now that he was dead, in such a terrifying state, and the Soul-Chasing Powder had been triggered, Wang Ye felt a twisted sense of satisfaction (that old dog finally got his retribution) mixed with unprecedented fear and urgency—if that nephew Chen Feng were to investigate, seeing his uncle's death, in his rage, he, the Ping An County branch master, would likely be in deep trouble!
More importantly, the Soul-Chasing Powder had been triggered, leaving a mark on the killer, which was the best clue to catch the killer and give Chen Feng an explanation!
"Search!" Wang Ye suddenly roared, a cold glint flashing in his single eye, filled with urgency, "Dig three feet deep, and drag those three little beasts out for me!
I want them alive, or their corpses dead! The Soul-Chasing Powder has been activated, they can't run far!
Immediately release the 'Scent Hounds' and track them by their scent!
Focus on the direction towards the county city, especially Cang Lan Post! Hurry! Everyone move!"
In an instant, the Beggar Clan, the most well-informed organization, driven by the branch master's strict orders and fear of Chen Feng's influence, began to operate like whipped tops.
Several specially trained "Scent Hounds" were led to the ruined temple site, frantically sniffing the faint, fishy scent lingering in the air, imperceptible to ordinary people.
...
The setting sun was sinking, and the Cang Lan River sparkled, reflecting the last hint of crimson glow in the sky.
This was Cang Lan Post, the only way from Ping An County to Cang Lan County, and a gathering place for all sorts of people, Jianghu heroes, and vagrants.
The post station was built by the river, with a wooden pier extending into the water. Several merchant ships were docked on one side, boatmen shouting as they unloaded cargo, and laborers shuttling back and forth carrying sacks, their coarse clothes soaked with sweat.
The open space in front of the post station was filled with various vendors.
Those selling wine, meat, herbs, and even Jianghu fortune-tellers and diviners, all shouted to attract customers.
Several bare-chested swordsmen sat around a greasy wooden table, tearing at roasted lamb legs with big bites, and as their wine bowls clinked, spilled wine left winding trails on the table.
The river wind, carrying moist air, rustled the wine flags hanging high on the bank.
The clamor of Cang Lan Post grew even livelier in the twilight.
On the second floor of the post station's inn, at a window seat, three figures were particularly eye-catching.
At first glance, they were three youths of extraordinary temperament.
The elder one, appearing to be sixteen or seventeen, had a face like jade, dressed in a cloud-patterned green robe, with silver threads meticulously embroidered with flowing cloud patterns on the cuffs, further highlighting his elegant demeanor.
At this moment, he sat there, his slender fingers tapping lightly on a teacup, his gaze leisurely directed towards the distant river, an ethereal, detached aura subtly enveloping him, as if all the worldly clamor had nothing to do with him.
Opposite the green-robed youth sat a slightly younger youth, dressed in a black martial outfit with a dark iron belt around his waist, every movement exuding sharpness and efficiency.
Between his brows, a hint of resolute determination was faintly revealed. At this moment, he held a wine bowl, tilting his head back to drink heartily. As his Adam's apple constantly moved, amber-colored wine slowly trickled down his chin, shimmering with tiny glints under the flickering candlelight, adding a touch of heroic spirit.
And most eye-catching of all was a young girl sitting in the middle, the youngest of the three.
She wore a white dress, as pure as snow, with delicate ice crystal patterns embroidered along the edges, as if formed from frost and snow.
A three-foot green sword lay horizontally by the table, with scattered cold stars on its scabbard. At first glance, she looked like a cold and ethereal swordswoman.
However, at this moment, she had puffed cheeks, heartily devouring the delicacies on the table, a sight that completely destroyed any sense of her coldness.
These three were, of course, the Chu Yi siblings, who had traveled for a day from Ping An County to reach this place.
"Eat slower,"
Chu Yi said with a helpless expression, gently pushing a cup of clear tea towards her, "No one's snatching it from you."
Looking at the table, it was abundantly filled with a dazzling array of dishes.
A plate of crystal-clear drunken shrimp, each shrimp still adorned with sparkling amber wine dew on its shell, just looking at it made one's mouth water;
A basin of steaming river perch soup, with emerald green scallions scattered like stars on the milky white surface, exuding a fragrant aroma;
Golden crispy fried spring rolls, neatly arranged on an exquisite celadon plate, emitting an inviting fragrance;
And a cage of freshly steamed crab roe soup dumplings, with the faintly visible flowing filling beneath their cicada-wing-thin wrappers, as if a gentle touch would cause them to burst.
Chu Yue mumbled a response, her left hand tightly gripping a crispy roasted duck leg, her cheeks bulging as she chewed, while her right hand's chopsticks eagerly reached for the basin of fish soup.
The jade pendant hanging from her waist also gently swayed with her movements, appearing even more warm and lustrous against her pristine white dress.
This entire outfit was custom-made by Chu Yi for the three siblings, using yi points.