45: Rats enter the granary

Five Spirits Gang Headquarters, main hall.

As soon as Chen Heng walked into the main hall, he saw Gou Longxun sitting in the main seat waiting for him.

"Greetings, Gang Leader."

Chen Heng cupped his hands in a salute.

"No need for such formalities, follow me."

Gou Longxun didn't waste any words and led Chen Heng directly toward the depths of the Headquarters.

On the way, the two were unusually silent.

Chen Heng didn't know what to say, while Gou Longxun was thinking about how to bring up the topic.

"Vice Envoy Chen, I have a question I would like to ask you."

Finally, Gou Longxun couldn't help but ask.

"Please speak, Gang Leader." Chen Heng nodded, waiting for Gou Longxun's question.

"Ordinary martial artists cannot even see those Anomalies. How did you manage to kill an Anomaly?"

"They can't see them?" Chen Heng was stunned for a moment.

He had assumed that ordinary martial artists just couldn't defeat or touch the Anomalies; he hadn't expected that they couldn't even see them.

"You didn't know?" Gou Longxun was also stunned.

Based on his many years of experience, this kid shouldn't be lying.

"I really didn't know." Chen Heng shook his head.

"My five senses are naturally very sharp. By focusing my Qi and blood into my eyes, I can see the Anomalies."

"May I witness this?" Gou Longxun looked at Chen Heng's eyes with great curiosity.

Chen Heng nodded and focused his Qi and blood into his eyes.

His eyes turned green at a speed visible to the naked eye, flickering with an eerie, cold light.

"This..." Although Gou Longxun remained calm on the surface, his heart was in turmoil.

As someone who had fought bloody battles against Anomalies, Gou Longxun could tell at a glance that Chen Heng's eyes were very similar to that group of people.

The ones from the Evil Path who devoured the essence and blood of Anomalies.

But looking at Chen Heng, he didn't seem to be aware of it himself.

Could it be Bloodline Power?

Gou Longxun was a bit confused for a moment.

But regardless, Chen Heng was now a member of the Five Spirits Gang.

It only brought benefits and no harm to the Five Spirits Gang, so it didn't matter.

"Gang Leader, do you know what this is about?" Chen Heng dispersed the Qi and blood from his eyes.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure." Gou Longxun pondered for a moment.

"It's somewhat like Bloodline Power, and somewhat like the abilities of a Cultivator."

"Then it doesn't matter." Chen Heng waved his hand.

He didn't care about the source of the power, as long as he could use it.

Gou Longxun didn't say anything more and led Chen Heng into his treasure vault.

"Alright, feel free to pick something." Gou Longxun gestured toward the vast treasure vault.

"However, you can only pick one item. Don't hide anything."

"Good." Chen Heng's eyes glowed green, just like a hungry wolf that had fallen into a flock of sheep.

Seeing this look in Chen Heng's eyes, Gou Longxun secretly thought it was a bad sign; this kid was up to no good!

"I'm telling you! You are only allowed to take one thing! Do you hear me!"

Before Gou Longxun could finish speaking, Chen Heng had already disappeared from his sight.

He didn't stop to think: could anything good come of a rat falling into a granary?

Looking at the dazzling array of treasures around him, Chen Heng couldn't help but sigh.

"This Gou Longxun is really rich."

Not to mention anything else, just the row of weapon racks in front of him wasn't something money could simply buy.

Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, forks, whips, maces, hammers, claws, tridents, lances, staves, clubs, crutches, and meteor hammers—everything was there.

Although Chen Heng only knew saber techniques, what man doesn't like weapons?

There were also various herbs and Medicinal Pills.

Everything was something Chen Heng had never heard of or seen before.

He was very conflicted now; he had the black fiend blade, which would definitely be enough for a while.

Even if it couldn't keep up with his strength, he could optimize it later.

So, first, rule out weapons.

Then there were the herbs. Chen Heng didn't understand alchemy, nor did he know how to prepare prescriptions, so these weren't of much use to him.

Not to mention Medicinal Pills; there was no need to waste this opportunity on such disposable items.

"What should I take?"

"..."

Chen Heng already had some trouble making decisions; making him choose something could practically cost him half his life.

Just then, he noticed another area behind him.

There was a bookshelf there, filled with various books.

Chen Heng walked over and casually picked up a book titled "Red Refining Technique".

Obviously, this was an Internal Skill Cultivation Technique.

"Could it be that this place is filled with Internal Skills?" Chen Heng suddenly remembered the shortcoming of his Nine Revolutions Longevity Art: it lacked offensive power.

Chen Heng took down several books, all of which were Internal Skill Cultivation Techniques.

There were both health-preserving techniques and extremely explosive offensive Internal Skills.

"Good, good, good! I'll just pick one from here!"

Chen Heng was in a great mood; now, the shortcoming of his lack of offensive Qi had been remedied.

After picking and choosing among hundreds of Internal Skills for a long time, Chen Heng finally found a thick Internal Skill on the top shelf.

"Fire Element Cultivation Method."

Opening this Internal Skill, Chen Heng roughly understood what it was about.

Simply put, it could Cultivate extremely scorching Qi, and after reaching Major Achievement, the Qi could even heat steel until it glowed red.

It could be said to be an excellent Internal Skill.

Holding this Internal Skill, Chen Heng also conveniently grabbed a bottle of Medicinal Pill that nourished Qi and blood.

He couldn't go too far; moderation was key.

"Gang Leader, I'm done picking." Chen Heng took out the Medicinal Pill and the Fire Element Cultivation Method and shook them.

"Sigh..." Gou Longxun sighed; he knew Chen Heng wouldn't just take one thing.

"Fine, just this once. No next time."

After all, Chen Heng was the only person in the entire Five Spirits Gang who could kill Anomalies; if he didn't treat him well, what if he ran away?

Furthermore, his strength wasn't weak; he was on par with Qi Longhu.

"Alright, go take over the iron mine in the north of the city. I won't keep you any longer."

Gou Longxun was heartbroken; that Fire Element Cultivation Method was a top-tier Internal Skill.

It was a good item that money couldn't buy.

After Chen Heng had walked far away, Gou Longxun started muttering to himself in a low voice.

"I can't let him come pick again next time. He only picks the good stuff."

...

Outside the Five Spirits Gang, Chen Heng was sitting in a carriage heading toward the White Tiger Hall.

He had to take a portion of Yagyu Han's thirty-some men; the iron mine couldn't be left without someone watching it.

After picking up Yagyu Han and a dozen or so henchmen, Chen Heng set off toward the iron mine in the north of the city.

"Big Brother, we've really struck it rich this time!"

Yagyu Han was extremely excited, his fingers trembling slightly.

"How so?" Chen Heng rested his head on one hand while reading the Fire Element Cultivation Method carefully with the other.

"That iron mine was originally the property of the Vermilion Bird Hall, accounting for one-third of their annual income."

"At the very least, it must be tens of thousands of taels of silver. Isn't that striking it rich?"

"That much?" Chen Heng was also surprised.

He knew that salt, iron, and tea were very profitable, but he really hadn't expected them to be this profitable.

Chen Heng suddenly felt that the money he was distributing to his henchmen was a bit low.

"How about this: I'll increase the monthly salary from fifty taels of silver to seventy taels."

"And for you, as the leader, one hundred taels."

"Isn't that a bit too much?" Yagyu Han scratched his head, looking at Chen Heng with some embarrassment.

"If you think it's too much, I can lower it for you." Chen Heng looked at Yagyu Han with a teasing expression.

"No, no, no! Thank you, Big Brother!" Yagyu Han quickly waved his hands, thanking him repeatedly.