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Chapter 43 - 43: The Secret of the Blood-Strengthening Pill

Chapter 43: The Secret of the Blood-Strengthening Pill

Translator: Daoist6fubtiW

The red-robed figure in the crowd was familiar to Lu Changsheng.

A month ago, when Lu Changsheng went to the black market to sell the

Blood-Strengthening Pills, he encountered this red-robed martial artist, who was among several warriors involved in forcefully buying the pills. At that time, the red-robed martial artist had invited Lu Changsheng to investigate the Blood-Strengthening Pills together, but Lu Changsheng had refused, not wanting to get involved.

Now, seeing the red-robed man once more and discovering that he had found his way to the Xu Family’s Village, Lu Changsheng was perplexed. Although the red-robed man was alone, his strength was formidable. His every slash kept the surrounding people at bay.

However, Lu Changsheng had not come here to kill but to rescue.

“Where is Apothecary Cheng being held?” Lu Changsheng scanned the surroundings. The underground hall was extensive, clearly not constructed in a day. Building such a large underground space required a considerable amount of labor and resources.

As time passed, more guards from the Xu Family’s Village arrived, entering through a passage from the northeast.

“They came from that direction. I should go check it out,” Lu Changsheng thought.

The number of apothecaries and assistant physicians who had disappeared recently was not insignificant. Since they were abducted rather than killed, there must have been a purpose for their capture, likely requiring manpower to oversee them. These guards could be the ones responsible for overseeing the captured professionals.

Lu Changsheng proceeded along the tunnel and indeed found another spacious chamber. In this room, many apothecaries and assistant physicians were under guard and being directed to prepare various medicinal ingredients.

Inside the chamber, a blazing furnace burned brightly, and bare-chested men continually tossed ingredients into it. Soon, numerous Blood-Strengthening Pills rolled out of the furnace.

It finally became clear to Lu Changsheng that the Blood-Strengthening Pills were indeed being produced here in the Xu Family’s Village.

In the crowd, he eventually spotted Apothecary Cheng. Not only Cheng but also several apothecaries and assistant physicians from Miaoshou Garden whom Lu Changsheng recognized were present.

“So, Xu Family’s Village has captured so many apothecaries and assistant physicians just to manufacture Blood-Strengthening Pills?” Lu Changsheng pondered, eyeing the guards.

Most of the guards had been dispatched to deal with the red-robed man, leaving around twenty or thirty behind. Lu Changsheng believed handling them shouldn’t be too difficult.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Changsheng darted out from the shadows. His speed was like a phantom, appearing in the dimly lit underground room.

“Did you see a shadow just now?”

“Where’s the shadow? Are you seeing things?”

“An intruder is outside; we must be cautious.”

“I understand. With so many of us, can’t we handle one intruder? Let’s focus on our work and hurry the alchemical process.”

Several guards chatted among themselves. Even if some of them had vaguely seen a shadow, they rubbed their eyes and didn’t spot any strangers, assuming it was a figment of their imagination.

“Splurt!”

But in the next moment, sharp sword edges swiped across their necks.

Blood sprayed out instantly, and two guards fell to the ground.

Seeing the two guards on the ground, the remaining guards finally realized the presence of an intruder.

“We have an intruder!”

“It’s over there; stop him!”

“We can’t let him damage the alchemical furnace…”

Many of these guards were bone-forging martial artists.

Two to three dozen of them swarmed in, and even a visceral refining martial artist would have to evade their onslaught.

Nonetheless, Lu Changsheng was different, focusing on the path of “speed.”

As long as it wasn’t a transcendent martial artist, his flesh and blood couldn’t withstand his sword. For him, a large group of people posed no threat.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.”

Lu Changsheng unsheathed his sword.

Instantly, his quick sword moves were like phantoms, combined with his rapid footwork. It was as if a tiger had entered a sheepfold. Whenever he brandished his sword, someone inevitably fell.

In just a few breaths, two to three dozen guards lay dead on the ground.

“Drip, drip, drip.”

Lu Changsheng’s sword dripped blood, and its blade had turned completely red.

On the ground, the corpses were scattered in all directions. Not a single person groaned; they all died, and most of them perished from a single sword strike.

This scene gave shivers to the apothecaries and assistant physicians watching from a distance.

Lu Changsheng stepped toward the apothecaries and assistant physicians and glanced at the alchemical furnace. He then asked, “You’re making

Blood-Strengthening Pills here. Do you know about the issues with these pills?”

The numerous apothecaries and assistant physicians exchanged glances, their faces puzzled.

They had no idea who Lu Changsheng was.

Nonetheless, one assistant physician nervously spoke up, “Yes, there is a big issue with these Blood-Strengthening Pills.”

“They have added a rare chronic poison to these pills. Taking them once or twice is fine, but if consumed regularly, it will lead to poisoning.”

“Once poisoned, if you don’t get the antidote, you’ll experience extreme pain and eventually die. With these Blood-Strengthening Pills, they can control numerous martial artists in just a few months.”

Lu Changsheng was alarmed.

He hadn’t expected that the Blood-Strengthening Pills were tainted with such a sinister chronic poison. As a pharmacist, he hadn’t been able to detect the hidden poison. This indicated just how concealed the poison was.

However, the Xu Family’s Village was producing these harmful

Blood-Strengthening Pills on a large scale with the intention of controlling a substantial number of martial artists. This was not something that the Xu Family’s Village or Xu Dashan could accomplish alone.

“Who exactly is Xu Dashan? Or is there someone behind him?” Lu Changsheng asked.

Unfortunately, the apothecaries and assistant physicians could only shake their heads. They were mostly unaware of the full scope of the situation.

“Now that I’ve eliminated the guards, you can choose to stay here for a while until things settle down, or you can leave now. However, be aware that there’s a battle going on outside, which might be dangerous,” Lu Changsheng said before turning and leaving.

In the main hall, the red-robed man was now in dire straits.

Guards had somehow procured crossbows from somewhere, and a multitude of arrows was shot at the red-robed man.

Unable to withstand the barrage, the red-robed man tipped over a stone table and sought shelter behind it. The situation was growing precarious.

Xu Dashan was standing on the side, watching the red-robed man.

At that moment, some guards rushed back, exclaiming, “Sir, it’s bad news! Someone has infiltrated the alchemical furnace room and killed dozens of our brethren. They have now come out…”

“Hmm?”

Xu Dashan’s expression turned pale.

“Splurt.”

In the next moment, many guards staggered back.

Following that, Xu Dashan saw a black-clothed and masked man whose figure was as fast as lightning. With a light swing of his short sword, someone was bound to clutch their throat and fall to the ground.

Many guards aimed their crossbows at the black-clothed man, but it was futile. The black-clothed man was too fast, and his agility too elusive. He dashed straight into the midst of the guards, and with each stroke of his sword, a guard fell into a pool of blood.

Upon witnessing this scene, Xu Dashan’s complexion turned ashen.

He fiercely pounded his cane on the ground, producing a crisp sound, then shouted, “Get the head of the thieves, capture him!”

“BOOM!”

As soon as Xu Dashan uttered his command, the entire underground hall seemed to tremble.

At the same time, Lu Changsheng’s surroundings, which had originally been walls, were shattered. A massive figure in iron armor suddenly burst out, and a mighty hand reached out to grasp Lu Changsheng..