80: Chapter 80 Leaving Donghai County

Inside the tent, the atmosphere was as stifling as the air before a heavy storm.

A dozen physicians were gathered in one corner, all looking panicked, their hushed conversations laced with irrepressible fear and complaints.

"What is this nonsense... We were supposed to be exterminating devils, but instead of finishing the job, we've provoked a Devil Head from the Ten Thousand Gu Sect!"

"Eldest Young Master Li is dead... there's not even a corpse left! And the Head of the Li Family, a person of such stature, was actually ambushed and severely injured..."

"And what about us? We were invited here to treat the sick, but now, are we supposed to be suspects?"

"I heard they're going to interrogate us one by one, verify our identities, and even conduct body searches... This, this is completely outrageous!"

Jiang Hanzhou sat alone on a low stool in the corner, his back against the thick canvas wall of the tent, resting his eyes.

The noisy complaints and fear seemed to come from behind a curtain of water, muffled and distant.

His mind was perfectly clear.

This move by Ghost Ink Venerable was truly ruthless and decisive.

Using Li Jingming as bait, he had set a trap over the past six months, inciting the entire forces of Donghai Prefecture to hunt down the Vicious Beast, only to strike back viciously at the final moment, stealing the most essential flesh and blood of the Vicious Beast, and even refining Li Jingming into a blood pill to feed his natal Gu...

This was not only a fatal blow to the Li Family but also a naked provocation against the authority of the entire Donghai Prefecture.

With Li Chongshan heavily injured and in seclusion, the naval forces and various noble families were undoubtedly hunting for Ghost Ink Venerable like mad dogs, and they, the "informed" physicians, had naturally become prime targets for control.

Interrogation? Body searches?

A cold arc curled the corners of Jiang Hanzhou's mouth.

He carried too many secrets.

The massive amount of silver notes in his sumeru pouch, the remnants of profound iron essence gold, the Incomplete Manual of the Thirteen Transformations of Heavenly Fire, the parchment from the Silver Wing Family, the Vicious Beast tiger meat, and the dragon tiger bone tempering soup and eight treasures stew that he had refined to a critical stage...

Not to mention the wisp of Heavenly Dipper Precious Qi in his Dantian and the seven-colored glow deep within his dao bone.

How could these be probed by ordinary interrogations?

And how could he allow others to investigate them at will?

Furthermore, the medicinal cuisine he had painstakingly refined was at the most delicate equilibrium point before "Fusion," requiring him to personally control the heat and grasp the timing. How could he have time to play this "screening" game with these people here?

Time ticked away, drop by drop.

Outside the tent, footsteps were dense; shouts, orders, and the clashing of armor were incessant. The entire military camp was like a bowstring pulled taut.

Inside the tent, the unease and restlessness grew thicker.

Finally, Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes.

His gaze was calm and waveless, yet as deep as a cold pool.

He rose slowly, brushed off the non-existent dust from his cyan cloth shirt, and strode toward the tent entrance.

"Physician Jiang, where are you going?" an elderly physician he knew couldn't help but ask.

"I need to relieve myself," Jiang Hanzhou replied, his voice flat, without looking back.

At the tent entrance, four soldiers holding long spears with cold expressions stood like iron statues, blocking the way.

Seeing Jiang Hanzhou approach, the leading squad leader with a scar on his face raised his hand to block him, his gaze sharp as he scrutinized him: "Go back! Without permission from superiors, no one is allowed to move about freely!"

"Officer," Jiang Hanzhou stopped, his face showing an appropriate hint of embarrassment and urgency, "I really can't hold it anymore. Could you make an exception? I'll just go to the latrine nearby and be back very soon."

His breathing was calm, his eyes frank; he looked just like an ordinary young physician frightened by the sudden turn of events.

The scarred squad leader frowned, looked at Jiang Hanzhou, and then glanced at the latrine nearby, which was simply constructed from wooden planks.

It was indeed within line of sight, no more than twenty paces away.

Although the military camp was under martial law, nature called; these physicians were not prisoners, after all, and being too unreasonable might cause trouble.

"You," the scarred squad leader pointed to a younger soldier beside him, "follow him. Stay with him every step of the way. Watch him finish and bring him back immediately."

"Yes!" The young soldier acknowledged the order, turned to Jiang Hanzhou, and said in a stiff tone, "Let's go, hurry up."

Jiang Hanzhou nodded repeatedly and walked quickly toward the latrine.

The young soldier followed closely behind, his hand resting on the hilt of his waist saber, his gaze vigilant.

The latrine was crude, partitioned into several small stalls with wooden planks, and the smell was naturally unpleasant.

Jiang Hanzhou walked into the innermost stall, while the young soldier stood guard at the entrance, turning his body sideways so he could see the gap beneath the stall while also keeping an eye on the situation outside.

"Hurry up," the soldier urged.

"Yes, yes," Jiang Hanzhou replied, closing the crude wooden door.

Inside the stall, the light was dim.

Jiang Hanzhou stood still, the last trace of feigned embarrassment in his eyes vanishing, replaced by a cold, calm stillness.

He silently calculated the time.

Three breaths.

The soldier's breathing outside was steady, carrying a hint of impatience.

Five breaths.

From the distance came the rhythmic footsteps of a patrol, approaching from afar.

Now.

Inside Jiang Hanzhou, the Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Skill quietly circulated, not to erupt with Qi and blood, but to control the muscles and bones of his entire body in an extremely subtle way.

Deep within his dao bone, that hazy seven-colored glow flowed slightly, permeating his limbs and bones.

His physique began to undergo extremely subtle yet rapid adjustments.

His shoulders narrowed by an inch, his waist straightened slightly, the lines of his neck changed slightly, and even his facial bones emitted an extremely faint, almost inaudible "crackle," which, under the cover of the latrine's existing stench and the distant footsteps, left no trace.

At the same time, his hands moved like lightning, unbuttoning his cyan cloth shirt and, with a speed so smooth it was almost eerie, began to strip off his outer garment.

Outside, the young soldier heard the rustling of clothes being removed inside the stall, curled his lip, assuming the other party was just in a desperate hurry, and paid it no mind.

The patrol's footsteps passed by the latrine, gradually fading into the distance.

Just as the footsteps disappeared—the wooden door of the stall was gently pushed open a crack.

The young soldier instinctively turned his head to look.

A figure flashed out, head bowed, walking quickly.

"Finished? Then..." The young soldier's words trailed off halfway, as he suddenly felt something was wrong.

This person's physique... why did he seem a bit taller than when he went in? A bit broader?

His pupils contracted sharply, his hand went to his waist saber, and he shouted sternly: "You..."

Before the word "you" had even left his mouth, a palm had already reached out like a ghost, fingers slightly spread, brushing with pinpoint accuracy against a certain spot on the side of his neck.

The force was not heavy, but it contained a peculiar, vibrating power.

The young soldier only felt a numbness instantly spread from his neck throughout his entire body; his vision went black, he made two gasping sounds in his throat, and his consciousness sank rapidly as if falling into a deep well.

Before he collapsed, the figure had already caught him and quickly dragged him into the stall where Jiang Hanzhou had just been.

The entire process took no more than two or three breaths, as fast as an illusion.

Jiang Hanzhou—at this moment, he had completely changed his appearance.

He was wearing the leather armor quickly stripped from the soldier, and a helmet, pulled low to cover part of his brows and eyes.

And his face, under the influence of the dao bone glow and exquisite muscle control, was already seven or eight parts similar to that young soldier; combined with the dim light and a hurried glance, it was enough to pass through.

More importantly, it was the temperament and details.

Jiang Hanzhou slightly adjusted his standing posture, imitating the slightly tense yet somewhat weary demeanor of an ordinary soldier.

He glanced at the soldier inside the stall, who had been stripped of his outer garment, was clad only in his undergarment, and lay unconscious on the ground. He quickly arranged the man into a crouching position as if relieving himself, then tore a strip of cloth from his own discarded cyan shirt and stuffed it into the man's mouth just in case.

Having done all this, he pushed open the stall door, lowered his head, and walked out.

His footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, no different from an ordinary soldier changing shifts or patrolling.

The scarred squad leader at the tent entrance vaguely saw a figure emerge from the latrine side; he didn't pay much attention, continuing to vigilantly watch the restless physicians inside the tent.

Jiang Hanzhou did not walk directly toward the tent but turned and walked toward the depths of the military camp, appearing to walk casually.

He needed to observe; he needed to obtain key information and an identity that would allow him to leave the military camp legitimately.

Although the military camp was large, under martial law, guard posts were everywhere, and patrols moved frequently.

Jiang Hanzhou was like a drop of water merging into the ocean; relying on his superior perception and calm judgment, he skillfully avoided nodes where he might be interrogated, while keeping an eye on the conversations and movements of the soldiers around him.

He noticed several teams of messengers holding special command flags moving quickly between different areas, whispering short passwords to each other.

"... East Sector Three, 'Haiyan', response 'Heqing'..."

"... West Gate guard change, today's password 'Iron Wall', response 'Golden Moat'..."

"... Emergency exit from camp requires a hand order from a Centurion or higher, or holding a 'black water token'..."

The fragmented information quickly pieced itself together in his mind.

In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Jiang Hanzhou had roughly figured out the password patterns for the nearby areas, as well as the access rights for personnel of different ranks.

His gaze swept across, and he locked onto a target.

A low-ranking officer who had just walked out of a larger tent, with a look of irritation on his face and a black iron token hanging from his waist.

The style of that iron token was exactly the "black water token" he had just heard about; holders could enter and exit certain camp gates for urgent official business.

The officer seemed to have just been reprimanded and was walking toward the west side of the camp area, grumbling; there was a small side gate there exclusively for low-ranking officers and messengers.

Jiang Hanzhou followed him without changing his expression, keeping a safe distance.

When they reached the shadow of a tent where miscellaneous items were piled, his figure flickered, and he approached like a ghost.

The officer only felt a numbness in the back of his neck; before he even had time to turn his head, his vision went black, and he slumped down limply.

Jiang Hanzhou dragged him behind the pile of debris, quickly exchanged their outer armor and tokens, and once again employed the art of disguise. His facial muscles wiggled slightly, his bones clicked softly, and soon he transformed into the appearance of this officer, even mimicking the slightly irritable and impatient expression vividly.

He covered the unconscious officer with the debris, adjusted the slightly oversized officer's leather armor, hung the "black water token" in a conspicuous place on his waist, and strode toward the small west side gate.

His pace was steady, carrying a hint of the urgency peculiar to low-ranking officers.

At the side gate, four soldiers were guarding; seeing the "officer" approach, they all pressed their hands on their sabers.

"Password!" the leading soldier said in a deep voice.

Jiang Hanzhou did not stop his pace, his voice carrying a hint of impatience: "Iron Wall!"

"Response!"

"Golden Moat!" Jiang Hanzhou answered smoothly, simultaneously showing the "black water token" at his waist, "Urgent official business; the detailed report on coastal defense damage requested by the Governor's Office. Can you afford the consequences of delaying this?"

The gate guards verified the black water token was correct, and seeing the password was accurate and the other party's anxious expression didn't seem fake, they dared not block him further and immediately cleared the way: "Please, my lord!"

Jiang Hanzhou snorted coldly and walked quickly out of the side gate.

Behind him, the noise and murderous atmosphere of the military camp were cut off by the thick camp walls.

He did not stop, turning into a quiet alley, and immediately unleashed his movement technique!

His figure was like smoke, faster than a galloping horse, yet he landed without a sound, leaving only faint afterimages on the bluestone road that vanished in the blink of an eye.

He chose to travel through alleys, rooftops, and shadows, avoiding the main streets and directions where people might be paying attention.

In less than half a stick of incense time, he had returned from the military camp area in the west of the city, silently, to the entrance of the alley where his small courtyard was located.

The night was deep, and the alley was silent and deserted.

Jiang Hanzhou did not use the front door; instead, he circled to the back of the courtyard wall, leaped gently, and drifted into the courtyard like a falling leaf.

Everything in the courtyard was as it had been, no different from when he left, just a bit colder.

He did not linger, walking straight into the bedroom.

With a thought, he communicated with his sumeru pouch and first stored away the officer's leather armor and the black water token.

Immediately, he walked to the corner of the kitchen, where two containers were quietly placed.

One was a specially made soup cauldron crafted from deep-sea cold iron, currently sealed tightly with thick wet mud and heat-insulating quilts, but upon getting close, one could still feel the warm, gentle heat emanating from within, like an underground magma flow.

That was the dragon tiger bone tempering soup, which had been brewed to the ultimate heat and was in a state of delicate equilibrium.

The other was the half-person-tall blue-black ceramic jar, its medicinal oil parchment seal slightly bulging as if something inside were breathing slowly, emitting a rounded aura mixed with the essence of the ocean and the fresh fragrance of medicinal herbs.

This was the eight treasures stew, which had also reached the best state of Fusion.

Both had reached the perfect critical point before "Fusion." He only needed to control it personally to perfectly blend the intensity of the dragon and tiger with the gentleness of the eight treasures, refining an unprecedented Body Tempering precious medicine.

"I cannot afford any delay." Jiang Hanzhou's eyes narrowed slightly.

He carefully stored the soup cauldron and the ceramic jar into his sumeru pouch, ensuring they were steady and would not disrupt the internal balance due to jolting.

Immediately, he quickly scanned the room and packed up necessary clothing, silver notes, Medicinal Pills, classics, and other items.

Taking one last look at the small courtyard where he had lived for several months and which held the memories of his first arrival in Donghai Prefecture, Jiang Hanzhou felt no more reluctance.

He walked into the courtyard, his Qi and blood circulating within his body, his bones emitting a series of fine, crackling sounds like roasting beans, and his figure slowly changed in the night.

His shoulders and back became slightly hunched, his face became ordinary and slightly weathered, fine lines were added to the corners of his eyes, and his hair was temporarily dyed a bit grayish-white with Qi and blood.

In the blink of an eye, he had transformed from a handsome young man into a down-and-out middle-aged man of about forty, with a weathered face, appearing as if he had spent years traveling the seas.

Even the sharpness and depth in his eyes were deliberately restrained, replaced by the caution and weariness peculiar to those struggling at the bottom of society.

Changing into a dark gray coarse cloth short jacket and shouldering a half-old satchel, Jiang Hanzhou pushed open the courtyard gate and merged into the heavy night outside.

He did not go to Jishi Hall again.

It must have already been noticed by the Li Family or the authorities; returning would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

His goal was clear—go to the docks, leave Donghai Prefecture, head to the deep sea, and participate in the Dragon Abyss Palace assessment!