One more catty, one more attribute point

Pure Yang Skill Level 8 (Special Effect: Pure Yang True Qi)

Su Heng had heard about the concept of True Qi from his bargain-master, Ning Zhibai.

Simply put, True Qi is the physical manifestation of the body's spirit, qi, and mental strength. Only when one's body is robust, spirit full, and all attributes peak can a Grandmaster possibly sense the presence of True Qi within their body. However, Su Heng's current state was somewhat different; he could not only distinctly feel it but also was able to utilize it.

"Hoo..."

With a prolonged breath, Su Heng's chest expanded, pushing against the corners of his loose robe.

As the True Qi circulated within his body, his temperature rose rapidly. Thick, crimson veins surfaced on his bronze skin. Sweat secreted from his pores and evaporated upon absorbing heat, so much so that visible mist formed around his body.

This mist twisted the sunset, swirling continuously, looking from a distance as if a rampant flame was burning on his body. The edges of Su Heng's black robe moved without wind, fluttering up and down!

Swish!

As Su Heng exhaled a breath of turbid air, he opened his eyes.

His once pitch-black pupils now seemed to have torch fires burning within them, giving off a scorching dark red hue.

In the middle of the courtyard where he was, there was an ancient tree that two people could barely wrap their arms around. Its species was unknown, as was the number of years it had grown there, but it was lush with branches and leaves.

Bang!

Su Heng threw a punch.

The fist wind tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistle.

The ancient tree was as if hit by a cannonball, erupting with a loud noise, as a mass of withered branches and leaves fell rustling down.

Su Heng embraced the air in front of him with both arms, inhaling and exhaling with deep breaths, gradually dispersing the Pure Yang True Qi and returning to a normal state.

He looked down at the ancient tree beside him, his pupils slightly narrowing.

There, where his punch had landed, a basin-sized crater had appeared.

Moreover, its edges were pitch black, with wisps of white smoke emerging, showing clear signs of charring. Being able to break an ancient tree with a bare body was barely within Su Heng's comprehension, but charring living wood with a single punch was a bit fantastical.

Before he could unravel the mystery, a clamorous noise from outside the wall interrupted Su Heng's thoughts.

"Quick, quick, quick, hurry up, stop dawdling!"

"The Xu Family is truly unlucky this time; over a hundred members of the entire family are gone, with only some Protectors and servants remaining alive."

"The Xu Family!?"

Even through the noise and across the courtyard wall,

Su Heng could still clearly hear the conversation outside. He was initially stunned, then the somewhat goofy smile of Xu De appeared in his mind. His face turned cold, he pushed open the gate, and began parting the pedestrians blocking his path as he hurried toward the Xu Family's house.

...

By the time Su Heng had crossed two streets and reached the Xu Family's gate,

there were already quite a few people gathered there.

On the open ground in front of the Xu Family's door lay body after body, well over a hundred, neatly arrayed. The air was filled with an eerie scent of decay.

The crowd had gathered, some silently watching, some Xu Family servants looking dazed and foolish, and government officials holding sabers to maintain order by keeping the crowd at bay. Two elderly coroners were frowning deeply, squatting beside the bodies, inspecting them for possible causes of death. However, judging by the coroners' continuous shaking of their heads and intermittent sighs, the examination was clearly not going well.

In the crowd, Su Heng also saw his father, the Su Family elder, with a vacant expression and eyes revealing a hint of fear.

In Changqing County, the power of the Su Family and the Xu Family was not much different, and their residences were only separated by two streets.

Yet, over the course of a single night,

a grand and wealthy clan had been wiped out to the last.

This gave the Su Family elder a profound sense of crisis.

The thought of the recent water spirit attack at home compounded the old master of the Su Family's fear, making his noticeably plump body tremble. If it weren't for the servant by his side supporting his arm, he could hardly stand on his own strength.

Su Heng's physique was robust and his height exceeded that of ordinary people, making him stand out from the crowd as if a crane among chickens.

The old master also spotted his son.

Su Heng had spent a lot of money on martial arts training in the past, which the old master had some minor complaints about.

But now, he felt relieved instead. Although Su Gui was getting on in years, his personality was not rigid. Realizing that the times were changing and that martial arts could better preserve oneself, he felt thankful.

Moreover, his child did indeed have a talent in this area.

Even without any understanding of martial arts, Su Gui could distinctively feel the changes that had taken place in Su Heng lately.

"Make way, make way!"

A line of government officials clad in dark robes and holding officer's blades pushed through the crowd and hurried over to support.

The leader was a burly man with a dark complexion. His name was Song Baoyi, a head constable at the inspection headquarters. He was quite skilled and had solved many difficult cases, which gave him a small reputation in Changqing County. But upon seeing the neatly arranged, over a hundred corpses, Song Baoyi's face also looked extremely ugly.

This was beyond his comprehension.

Homicide?

But there were no obvious external wounds on the bodies, and besides, who could silently kill over a hundred people from the Xu Family.

Poisoning?

The possibility wasn't small.

Yet the fact that the bodies had started to decay and give off a foul smell in less than half a day seemed out of the ordinary.

Song Baoyi remembered the frequent drowning incidents in Changqing County more than half a month ago.

From the looks of the deaths.

There indeed seemed to be similarities between the two.

Could it be...

There really were ghosts and demons in this world as the legends suggested?

Despite there being quite a few people around and the sun yet to set, Song Baoyi suddenly felt a chill run up his spine at the thought.

Yet he had after all experienced life and death, so he shook his head lightly, casting aside those messy thoughts.

"Have you found anything on the bodies?" Song Baoyi crouched down next to a coroner, his gaze lingering on the cyanotic, swollen bodies for a moment before he asked in a hushed voice.

"Seems to be death by poisoning," the coroner answered.

"What specific poison?"

"Hard to say…" the coroner shook his head, "However, it's related to the well water. These people died because they drank water from the well. Some of the Xu Family's servants and protectors happened to eat at different times, so they narrowly escaped."

"The well again," Song Baoyi's brow furrowed deeply.

"Song, Head Constable Song…" a trembling voice of an official reached his ears.

"What is it?" Seeing the fearful, trembling demeanor of his subordinate, Song Baoyi grew a bit angry, his voice becoming somewhat stern.

"The bodies seem to be moving."

"What nonsense are you speaking!" Song Baoyi flung his long sleeves and stood up.

Before his words could even finish, a terrifying, piercing scream immediately followed. The coroner who had just been conversing with Song Baoyi's eyes widened as a cyanotic mouth bit down on his neck, and two rows of yellowed teeth pierced his flesh, with hot blood leaking out from the gaps in the teeth.

There was first silence in the crowd, then a burst of panicked screams ensued, and they scattered in all directions, desperately trying to flee.

The scene descended into utter chaos.

And under the blood-red sunset that resembled blood, those people from the Xu Family who should be dead rose shakily to their feet, casting long, dark streaks on the pale ground with their shadows.