Chapter 89: Alchemist

As for Cheng Feng encountering nightmares, although Wang Tieshan did not know everything, he was slightly aware of it.

At this moment, Wang Tieshan's expression was very grave. He stared fixedly at Cheng Feng and asked, "Are you truly certain you didn't run into those people the day before yesterday?" Being questioned so seriously by his master, Cheng Feng couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved. Although he was still as clueless as a monk in a fog, facing such a bizarre situation, he naturally dared not hide anything and hurriedly nodded, replying, "I am certain! At the time, I was preparing to make a move, but suddenly my skin felt as if it were being pricked by thousands of fine needles at once; the pain was unbearable. That feeling was as if someone were warning me that there was danger ahead. You know my personality; even if there were benefits right in front of me, I would deliberate carefully, let alone when facing danger. So, of course, I fled the scene immediately, running as far as I could!"

Wang Tieshan understood his disciple's temperament all too well. He knew deeply that Cheng Feng did not possess the heroic fearlessness of a Martial Artist, but fortunately, he would never be impulsive, reckless, or act on mere emotion.

Wang Tieshan sighed inwardly, thinking that since they were master and disciple, now that he saw his disciple trapped in a predicament, how could he sit idly by? It seemed he would have to pass on some of his bottom-of-the-box skills to him.

Thus, Wang Tieshan revealed to Cheng Feng that the reason he was plagued by nightmares was actually due to the interference of some evil Daoist art. However, there was no need to worry too much; generally speaking, for someone in the Blood Refining Realm, one only needed to grit their teeth and stay awake for three days to break such a mind-disturbing technique.

Cheng Feng was extremely curious about this method of casting a spell without even seeing the person, and he hurriedly asked what was going on and if his master knew the person.

Wang Tieshan had his own calculations in mind and naturally would not hide anything: "This must start with the Martial Artist. A Martial Artist condenses their strength, enhances their skin, refines their blood, tempers their bones, cleanses their organs, and gathers their Qi. This is what is commonly called Strength Refining, Skin Refining, Blood Refining, Bone Refining, Organ Refining, and Qi Refining; this is the orthodox Martial Dao."

"Taking the human body as the foundation and enhancing oneself is the Righteous Path."

"But I don't know from what year it began, the Martial Dao gradually withered. Martial Artists in realms beyond Qi Refining no longer appear in the world, and even become legends. The items required for the various great realms have also gradually become scarce."

"Thus, some people with unique talents began to control external objects for Body Refining, embarking on the path of evil and heterodoxy."

"We orthodox Martial Artists collectively call these people Alchemists."

"The Alchemists' methods were also an attempt to find a path, but unfortunately, their means were not accepted by the Righteous Path, so they faded from the sight of Martial Artists."

"However, they need resources—there are medicinal herbs, environments, livestock, and some even need people to conduct various experiments."

"Nowadays, experts are far from as numerous as they were in the past, and the realms of the future are also unknown; some places even have gaps in their heritage."

"When the positions of attacker and defender are reversed, that is often when Alchemists appear."

Wang Tieshan did not know what realm the opponent was in, but since they could be detected by Cheng Feng, who was in the Blood Refining Realm, and still ran away, it shouldn't be a major problem.

That he could tell Cheng Feng so much was thanks to his own ancestor's travelogues and explorations.

As for whether it was true or false, Wang Tieshan wouldn't think that much; isn't it better to be a bit more realistic?

"Don't think too much either. According to what I know from the past, if the opponent's strength were higher than yours, they definitely would have finished you off long ago and wouldn't have given you a chance, so you can rest assured," Wang Tieshan analyzed for Cheng Feng sincerely.

Cheng Feng thought to himself: "I really thank you."

But his expression relaxed.

"This disciple has been taught; thank you, Master, for clearing up my confusion," Cheng Feng bowed deeply.

Having been Wang Tieshan's disciple for so long, Cheng Feng truly felt from the bottom of his heart that Lao Wang was a good person.

Of course, it also had to do with the talent he displayed; otherwise, he would have been kicked out by Wang Tieshan long ago.

Cheng Feng chatted with Wang Tieshan for a while longer before finally taking his leave.

Wang Tieshan watched Cheng Feng's retreating back, his eyes narrowing: "Alchemist? What is it for?"

Although clearing up Cheng Feng's confusion was incidental, the Alchemist methods Cheng Feng described truly gave Wang Tieshan a shock as well.

When he roamed the Jianghu in his youth, he had encountered Alchemists a few times, and every one of them was a cruel and ruthless person.

He was almost ready to be buried, yet he could still encounter one in this remote little county; this was not very good.

He waved his hand to summon a servant: "Go, call Lao Da and Lao Er back, tell them there is something to discuss."

The servant took the order and left. The hot tea on the table was steaming, but Wang Tieshan had no heart to drink it.

Cheng Feng turned and returned home. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Even he, a Blood Refining Martial Artist, could be targeted without a sound.

If this were to happen to the women at home, or Xiao Chengping, or Chen Zhu... Cheng Feng's gaze turned cold.

"I can't wait; I must make some preparations." Cheng Feng walked toward the direction of the Hutou Gang.

They shouldn't make a move in broad daylight; let's probe the situation first.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

Cheng Feng only wanted to find that old sinister person and kill them directly.

Holding the ridiculous idea that he could avoid it by not showing up—that was what would drive him into a dead end.

Cheng Feng would not harbor any wishful thinking.

The opponent had already made a move; that he didn't die was because of his own good fortune, not because the opponent was soft-hearted.

This unprovoked disaster made Cheng Feng's mentality explode.

Even the strength of the Blood Refining Realm could not make Cheng Feng feel a sense of security.

Cheng Feng cautiously approached the Hutou Gang, using his agile movements to avoid the patrolling personnel. After entering the gang's interior,

he found that the Hutou Gang appeared unusually calm in broad daylight. Cheng Feng knew this was only a superficial phenomenon. He carefully snuck into the gang's interior, searching for traces of that mysterious figure.

He observed everywhere, paying attention to every detail, hoping to find some clues.

However, he did not find the figure of that mysterious person. But he noticed that the atmosphere inside the gang seemed somewhat tense, as if some major event was about to happen. Cheng Feng's heart tightened; he realized he had to speed up his actions.

Cheng Feng searched everywhere for clues and accidentally heard strange sounds coming from a room. He pushed the door open, and the scene before him shocked him—the room was filled with various bottles and jars, as well as some medicinal herbs emitting a strange aura.

Just then, a hooded figure slowly turned around.

Cheng Feng's heart tightened abruptly, and he quickly adjusted his breathing, trying to keep himself calm.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass here?" The person spoke slowly, their voice cold and hoarse, as if they hadn't spoken for a long time, but Cheng Feng could tell it was a woman's voice.

Cheng Feng took a deep breath, knowing he had to handle this carefully: "I am looking for someone and accidentally trespassed here. These herbs... what are they used for?"

The woman sneered, her gaze sweeping over Cheng Feng: "These herbs are naturally used to refine poison. What, are you interested in this too?"

Cheng Feng was startled, but he forced himself to stay calm, trying to find a flaw in the other person's words: "Refining poison? Who exactly are you, and why are you doing such things?"