To ensure Jiang Che wouldn’t have any accidents, Zhang Jinghuai started him with a very small dose and had antidotes ready at a moment’s notice.

To his pleasant surprise, Jiang Che adapted remarkably well!

Although there were signs of poisoning, the growth of his Qi Blood was also incredibly rapid!

’Hmm... His tolerance for the poison is within a manageable range, and the growth rate of his Qi Blood has sped up considerably!’

Zhang Jinghuai was delighted.

So, he increased the dosage a little more.

This time, Jiang Che’s Qi Blood increased even more.

However, the signs of poisoning also became more obvious.

Jiang Che’s lips and the rims of his eyes had turned black.

"Old man, are you sure I’m going to be okay?"

Jiang Che said faintly, looking at himself in the mirror.

After days of these experiments, during which he was constantly being heavily poisoned, Jiang Che’s form of address for Zhang Jinghuai had degraded from Senior Zhang and Elder Zhang to Old Zhang, and now, even "old man." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"It’s fine! What’s there to be afraid of with me here!" Zhang Jinghuai said, though his confidence was a bit lacking.

He quickly mixed a concoction, brewed it, and had Jiang Che down it.

Seeing Jiang Che’s lips finally return to a red hue, Zhang Jinghuai breathed a sigh of relief.

In reality, however, Jiang Che hadn’t been worried about himself at all.

In fact, on the few occasions he had been too deeply poisoned, before Zhang Jinghuai could give him the antidote, he would secretly slip away to a place where no one could see, instantly activate his Transformation, and then deactivate it.

The poison in his body would vanish completely in an instant.

Jiang Che felt that as long as he wasn’t poisoned to the point where he couldn’t even use his Transformation, he could ignore any and all toxins!

Of course, this also misled Zhang Jinghuai, causing him to use progressively stronger doses.

Fortunately, it was all still within a manageable range.

「Time passed, day by day.」

Jiang Che had now sampled all sorts of Zhang Jinghuai’s medicines.

Thanks to Jiang Che’s contributions, the Qi Blood replenishing medicine was also formulated to be much milder.

Although its effect on replenishing Qi Blood was somewhat diminished.

Its toxicity was also greatly reduced.

Now, even ordinary Martial Artists could take it.

Of course, Jiang Che reaped some benefits as well.

First and foremost, these potent Qi Blood-replenishing medicines caused his Qi Blood to improve by leaps and bounds.

In just a few short days, he had advanced from the Early-stage of the Stone Skin Realm to the Mid-stage of the Stone Skin Realm.

Jiang Che felt that with a little more time, he might even reach the Late-stage Stone Skin Realm!

Another benefit was that Jiang Che felt his poison resistance had increased significantly, even in his non-transformed state.

This put Jiang Che’s mind at ease.

Although he could use his Transformation to purge poison.

It was best to use this Ability as little as possible.

Besides, it would be awkward if he were ever poisoned in a situation where he couldn’t reveal his secret.

Furthermore, Jiang Che hadn’t been idle during this period.

After finishing his medicine-testing duties at Seven Stars Castle, he would go home and continue his Martial Arts Cultivation.

Although he didn’t need to worry about the Blood Spirit Sect for the time being—the Seven Stars Gang would handle it.

He noticed the city was growing more and more desolate.

And the disappearances were still happening.

He had a persistent feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

During this time, he also visited the Shao Mansion to ask around and found that his Second Senior Brother, Shao Jianbo, still hadn’t returned home.

Moreover, the Shao Mansion itself seemed somewhat deserted.

It was no longer bustling with visitors as it used to be.

It even came to the day for collecting monthly stipends.

Jiang Che encountered many Martial Artists there, turning in their Honored Guest Elder’s Waist Tokens.

When his turn came, the old bookkeeper didn’t even look up, assuming he was also there to return his Honored Guest Elder’s Waist Token.

But when he heard that Jiang Che was there to collect his stipend, he couldn’t help but feel a warmth in his heart.

He looked up, got a clear view of Jiang Che’s face, and remembered he was the young man in the Stone Skin Realm that Fourth Miss Shao Shiliu had arranged for.

He sighed, took out the full measure of Jiang Che’s monthly stipend and Exotic Beast Meat, and handed it over.

"If I may ask... has something happened to the mansion? Do you need my help?" Jiang Che asked, clasping his fist.

As long as it wasn’t a Force Integration Martial Artist, he was confident he could handle almost any problem.

"Thank you, Young Master Jiang, but everything is fine at the mansion. Some people’s contracts simply expired. There’s no need to worry," the old man said with a smile.

But inwardly, he muttered:

’This kid is loyal and righteous, but unfortunately, the Stone Skin Realm is of no use...’

Jiang Che nodded and left.

He didn’t go straight home, but instead strolled through the Inner City.

Upon reaching Fireworks Street, Jiang Che suddenly recalled the day he came here with Yin Yingying to catch the flower thief.

He couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly time had passed.

Back then, fighting someone in the Stone Skin Realm had nearly cost him his life.

If it were now, he estimated he could capture that flower thief directly without even using his Transformation.

Lost in thought, he unconsciously wandered to the entrance of a jewelry shop.

’This seems to be the same shop as before...’

A thought stirred in Jiang Che’s mind, and he stepped inside.

He didn’t know anything about jewelry, so he just browsed casually.

Suddenly, he saw a necklace hanging on the counter that looked somewhat familiar.

He stepped closer for a look. The necklace was strung with dozens of Golden Beads the size of longan pits, each one inlaid with several tiny pearls.

Hanging from the bottom was a Sapphire dangling below a Ruby.

’Isn’t this the one Miss Shao bought before? Did the shop make another one?’

Jiang Che was puzzled. He distinctly remembered that the jewelry in this shop was supposed to be one-of-a-kind; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to sell it at such high prices.

"Young Master, you have excellent taste! This necklace is the treasure of our shop! You absolutely won’t find it anywhere else!"

A middle-aged woman came forward and said eagerly.

Jiang Che’s entire bearing had become increasingly extraordinary, and he carried the air of a superior when he walked.

This made the middle-aged woman feel that he might be a major customer.

The number of people willing to buy jewelry had been dwindling lately, and she was getting anxious.