Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

Chapter 70: A Bountiful Harvest, Shifting the Blame Eastward

"Oh? What is it?"

Zhou Futu's eyes lit up, and he asked.

"This is the Elixir of Immortality."

Liu Fenghu stared intently at the half-full bottle of green liquid, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid. He inhaled the sweet, fishy smell deeply, his mind seemingly becoming hazy, saliva constantly dripping from the corner of his mouth, as if he were unaware of it.

"The Elixir of Immortality? Is that what it's called?"

Zhou Fugan thought to himself. Then, he was drawn to Liu Fenghu's state of mind.

"That's the symptom."

A thought struck him, and he looked at Liu Zongzheng beside him.

At this moment, Liu Zongzheng's face was pale, but he showed none of the symptoms Liu Fenghu had. Clearly, he hadn't ingested the green liquid. However, judging from his expression, he obviously knew what it was.

"Do you know where this thing came from?" Zhou Fugan then asked Liu Fenghu.

"Yes, it was given to me by my godfather. My precious treasure, give it to me, give it to me!"

Liu Fenghu became increasingly frantic, attempting to lunge forward to snatch the item, but was knocked unconscious by Zhou Fugan's punch, which finally calmed him down.

"Chief Liu, speak up. Where did this come from? Tell me, and I'll let you and your son go."

Zhou Futu looked at Liu Chongzheng and said in a cold tone.

"I hope you keep your word, senior. This Elixir of Immortality was given to me by the Huang family. I couldn't bear to use it and gave it to my son. I never expected it would harm him." Liu Zongzheng replied with a sorrowful expression. He seemed filled with regret and guilt over his adopted son's fate.

Zhou Futu sneered inwardly at this.

He didn't believe Liu Zongzheng's words. If he truly loved his adopted son, why would he so hastily give him such a thing?

He was somewhat inclined to believe the Huang family's answer. Something like the blood of an immortal evil spirit was far beyond the reach of any gang. Its origin could only be a gift from above. If the Black Snake Gang was backed by the Zhang family of the inner city, then it wasn't surprising that the Crocodile Gang was backed by the Huang family of the inner city.

"Given by the Huang family? Do you have any more?" Zhou Fugan asked.

"That's all. Before, I made some contributions, and the Huang family gave me a bottle. I gave it all to my son," Liu Zongzheng said, shaking his head.

"Alright then."

As Zhou Fugan spoke casually, he suddenly flashed forward and charged at Liu Zongzheng with his knife.

"How dare you!"

Liu Zongzheng's eyes widened in anger, and with a sudden jolt, his long whip sprang up like a venomous snake, lashing out at Zhou Fugan.

shuh~~

Suddenly, the long sword in Zhou Fugan's hand disappeared from sight, a barely perceptible glint of cold light flashing by.

Liu Zongzheng froze, fear flashing across his face, his whip halting like a dead snake. A moment later, his tall body crashed to the ground, his head rolling to the side, blood splattering everywhere.

Swoosh~~

Zhou Futu sprang to Liu Fenghu's side, swung his long sword, and ended Liu Fenghu's suffering.

He then searched the Crocodile Gang's headquarters and found a large number of silver notes and ingots in a hidden compartment, which looked to be as much as several thousand taels.

Zhou Fugan knocked over the oil lamp with a slap, setting it on fire. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, turned back, took out a porcelain bottle, drank the green liquid inside in one gulp, and then stuffed the bottle into Liu Zongzheng's arms.

Only then did he leap away, quickly disappearing into the night. Inside the headquarters, Crocodile Gang members could be seen lying on the ground.

Zhou Fugan returned home and went straight to the training room to cultivate. He continued until the blood of the Evil Spirit of Immortality he had swallowed was completely consumed. Only then did he stop and check the virtual interface. The progress of his Hammering Cloud Mountain-Shaking Stance cultivation had increased by more than 120 points. The Zhou Clan Thunderclap Stance cultivation had increased by more than 300 points, and he had already reached the internal organ stage.

"Hammer Cloud Mountain Shaking Stake: Perfect (607/5000)"

"Zhou's Thunderclap Stakes: Achievement (1987/2000)"

"Very good. Next, I will first break through the Zhou Family Thunderclap Stance to the level of the internal organs, and then try to integrate the techniques."

Zhou Fugan was very satisfied with the medicine's effects.

The improvement of Zhou's Thunderclap Stance cannot change his cultivation level, but it can make up for the weaknesses of Hammer Cloud Mountain Shaking Stance. For example, the toughness and elasticity of his skin and tendons will be greatly enhanced, and he can easily use the springy force that Thunderclap Stance is good at.

This point is crucial for his next step in integrating cultivation techniques.

Afterwards, Zhou Fugan began to take stock of his spoils. This time it was rather rushed, and there wasn't time for a thorough search; he only obtained some silver notes and silver ingots, but the quantity was considerable.

"There are over eight thousand taels of silver. These bullies are indeed rich."

Zhou Fugan finished taking inventory and was very satisfied. This harvest was almost as much as his harvest from his trip to the prefectural city.

Just then, he had spent a lot of money recently and was almost out of cash. This sum of money was a timely help.

"The Huang family! The Elixir of Immortality!"

After Zhou Futu put away the silver, he began to ponder the matter of the blood of the immortal evil spirit.

The investigation, which traced the matter from the Crocodile Gang to the Huang family, has reached a dead end. He can't deal with the Huang family yet, so he can't continue the investigation. He has no choice but to put it aside for now.

However, he had already kept the Huang family in mind.

First there was the matter of evil magic, and now there's the matter of the blood of an evil spirit that grants immortality—both are related to the Huang family. This Huang family is definitely not normal.

"Hmm? Immortal Elixir of Immortality, Immortality Cult?? Could the two be related?"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Zhou Fugan. He connected the fragmented clues in his mind and compared them with this new conclusion, and was astonished to find that they matched remarkably well.

First, there was the mysterious caravan that the Black Serpent Gang robbed, smuggling bows and armor, which was said to be related to the Longevity Cult. If the Huang family of the inner city was colluding with them, then getting some bows and armor would naturally be no problem.

Moreover, the subsequent incident was all bark and no bite; only a few small merchants were arrested to take the blame, which may have been orchestrated by the Huang family. The former magistrate, Zhu Xinghai, was undoubtedly implicated, which explains why he was executed by the imperial court.

In this way, the origin of the Huang family's evil arts and immortal elixir can be explained: they came from the Longevity Cult.

"It seems the Huang family is colluding with the Longevity Cult. That thing I left at the scene might come in very handy."

A playful smile flashed across Zhou Futu's face.

At the Crocodile Gang's headquarters, a group of constables were busy investigating the scene.

Chief Constable Lu Tianhe stared expressionlessly at the two charred, headless corpses before him, with two blackened heads beside them. He asked in a deep voice, "Have you confirmed their identities?"

The coroner beside him quickly replied, "Reporting to the Chief Constable, it's confirmed. These two are indeed Liu Zongzheng, the leader of the Crocodile Gang, and his adopted son, Liu Fenghu. Judging from their wounds, they were both decapitated with a single blow. There were no signs of struggle at the scene, clearly indicating that neither of them was capable of resisting. This suggests that the murderer's strength far surpasses that of the two men."

"What about the others?"

"A hidden compartment was found at the scene, presumably where the Crocodile Gang stored their money, but it had already been emptied. Furthermore, all the gang members at the headquarters that night were killed without resistance..."

The author then reported on the other findings.

Lu Tianhe remained noncommittal after hearing this. His eyes were fixed on Liu Zongzheng's corpse, and then he pointed to his chest, where there was a noticeable bulge.

"What is that?" he asked.

"I didn't dare to investigate on my own, but I'll take a look now." Jian Zuo clasped his hands in a fist salute, then squatted down, gently pulled open the charred clothes, and quickly took out a small bottle.

He held the small bottle in both hands and handed it to Lu Tianhe. "Sir, this is a small bottle."

Lu Tianhe took the small bottle, opened it, and found it empty except for a little green liquid. A faint, sweet-smelling fishy smell wafted out.

Lu Tianhe's expression changed slightly. He then put away the small bottle and said sternly, "Look carefully and don't miss any clues."