Go and capture those thirty-six fierce villains.

He reached up and touched his cheek, then looked down at his clothes.

A big greeting came from above Qin Ning's head.

No, I cleaned all the blood off my body before I left. What's with the ghost-like expressions on your faces, you two?

He waved his hand and repeated the question he had just asked.

The two then seemed to wake up from a dream.

"Yes, yes...yes, there's food. I'll have my wife get it for you right away."

The middle-aged boss smiled obsequiously, bent down to pick up the kitchen knife from the ground, pulled his wife behind him, and gestured for her to hurry up and get the food.

Inside the small restaurant, Qin Ning could clearly hear the clanging and banging sounds coming from the kitchen.

Before long, the cold dishes of beef, chicken, duck, and some still-warm steamed buns and rice were placed on the small square table.

Qin Ning: "..."

I haven't even said what I want to eat yet, how come you guys... Oh well, I'll just eat whatever's available.

"Please pack these into a food container; I want to take them away."

As Qin Ning spoke, he scratched his head in confusion, looked at the two flustered people, and reached into his pocket to pay the bill.

Instantly, his confusion was replaced by embarrassment... Oh no, he had given all the loose change he had while changing clothes to the Wang brothers so they could use it to buy supplements for Wang Da.

Qin Ning hadn't brought her wallet yet—Li Nu.

Thinking of the raccoon, he suddenly realized why he had bought food. Didn't the little guy have some in his belly? He had really been so focused on analyzing the situation that he had lost his head.

Qin Ning considered saying no, but the young couple moved quickly, as if afraid that being slow would cause trouble.

He looked up and the food box was already being handed to him.

"..."

"Uh, well, I don't have any money on me, but I live at the clinic at the end of the street. Wait for me to go back and get some."

The owner waved his hands frantically: "No, no, it's just a little food, how could I dare to take your money?"

The proprietress chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes!"

They seemed very afraid of me... Qin Ning took the food box, turned around and went out, determined to bring the silver over later.

Walking along the long street adorned with lanterns, Qin Ning wondered to himself.

The reason these two men were so clearly afraid was because news had already reached me that I had been arrested by the patrol guards on the street that evening and that I had caused a scene at the tax office afterwards.

But that's not right either. Logically speaking, I'm doing this to rid the people of a menace. Apart from the money exchange and pawnshop, which merchant on this street doesn't get a piece of their flesh bitten off by those hooligans every month?

He walked a dozen steps, then stopped and looked back, only to find that the food stall had already extinguished its candles and closed its door tightly, as if afraid that Qin Ning would come again.

"..."

Carrying the food box back to the clinic at the end of the street, the door was wide open, and the broken wood on the ground in the front hall was gone, obviously it had been cleaned up.

However, without that old wooden counter, it always feels a bit empty.

It seems I'll have to get a cabinet made tomorrow... Just as Qin Ning stepped across the threshold, a dark figure darted out from the small door leading to the backyard.

"Meow meow meow meow!"

The cat circled him several times, muttering curses, clearly extremely dissatisfied with his decision to leave him at home.

"Alright, alright, I'm fine. Here, I brought you some food."

After placing the food box down, Qin Ning squatted down and picked up the little black cat from the ground. Ignoring the resistance of its two little paws, Qin Ning gave it a series of passionate sniffs, which instantly calmed it down.

"You're finally back."

Feng Hanying walked out of the backyard, her tone reproachful yet relaxed.

Knowing that Qin Ning had a powerful background and was so confident, she figured the chances of anything going wrong were slim.

But that worry was very real.

Even after informing Lao Gui and the others of Qin Ning's whereabouts, Feng Hanying secretly took the little black cat to the Tax Bureau.

However, she arrived too late; Qin Ning had already left with the Wang brothers.

"I'm sorry to have worried you. Have you eaten?"

With the cat on his shoulder, Qin Ning smiled apologetically, picked up the food box from the ground, and headed towards the backyard.

The front counter is gone, but at least there's a stone table in the backyard.

"I can't eat anymore, I need to go back right away." Feng Hanying rolled her eyes at Qin Ning, swayed her hips slightly, and walked out of the clinic. "I promised my master I would help her refine pills tonight, and I'm already late."

She walked to the door, then, as if suddenly remembering something, looked at the food box in Qin Ning's hand: "When you bought these foods, was the shopkeeper startled?"

Qin Ning shrugged helplessly, her tone enigmatic: "They didn't charge me for this."

Feng Hanying covered her mouth and chuckled, offering no explanation, only leaving behind a single sentence.

"You've made quite a name for yourself in Bei'an City with this commotion. In a few days, I'll take you to [Wanwu] for a stroll."

After she finished speaking, her snow-white ankles were covered with a pale yellow light, and her graceful figure quietly disappeared underground.

......

After finishing the meal.

Qin Ning casually buried the chicken bones and the like under the old locust tree in the courtyard.

He returned to the stone table, looking at the six brocade boxes, a dozen jade bottles, and a few silver notes neatly arranged on it, his thoughts drifting away.

Si Chenwei's tolerance for him was much, much higher than Qin Ning had imagined!

At the secret outpost of the Sichen Guard, Huang Mu had secretly told him that the old ghost [Mu Ku] had arrived after Wang Da was injured, but did not show himself immediately.

Instead, he timed his appearance perfectly to save the day when the sixth-ranked member of the Yin-Yang School made his move again.

Qin Ning even sensed a hint of ingratiation in this behavior.

Assigning someone a sinecure, yet placing such importance on it... things seem to be getting more and more interesting.

Well, I need to find an opportunity to get in touch with the people from Prince Su's residence in the next few days.

Qin Ning reached out and opened the jade bottles on the table one by one, activating his divine power [Greed].

That intense, overwhelming feeling of hunger surfaced.

He began to take the pills one by one, trying to find out which one was the most cost-effective and efficient.

Half an hour later.

Dozens of jade bottles were swept away in an instant. Qin Ning walked to the well, drew a bucket of water, and used the coolness to wipe away his fatigue.

A type of elixir called Blood Bone Pill was selected by them.

This item is an auxiliary pill that martial artists take when advancing from the eighth rank to the seventh rank. Perhaps for this reason, after being refined by [Greed], it produces a great deal of strange energy.

"I remember this thing is more expensive than the Replenishing Yuan Pill, costing 50 taels each, but one is equivalent to three Replenishing Yuan Pills." Qin Ning muttered to himself, wiping his face and turning to look at the thin stack of silver notes on the table.

Yes, he needs to find a way to make money.

Otherwise, with his current wealth, he could only afford to buy nine more Blood Bone Pills before going bankrupt...

Opening one of the six brocade boxes, Qin Ning took the Melting Gold Qi Condensation Pill and began his Taoist cultivation for the day.

It wasn't until midnight that he fully absorbed the effects of the medicine, opened his eyes, and spread out his right hand, where a faint flash of lightning appeared in his palm.

The raccoon nestled beside him also opened its eyes and let out a soft cry, the faint purple glow emanating from its body disappearing beneath its black fur.

"At the eighth level of Taoist self-refinement, I will be able to draw talismans, and I will have many more methods."