Seeing that Chu Qinghe seemed to have noticed something, Dongfang Bubai asked, "Have you discovered anything?"

Chu Qinghe nodded slightly: "What this guy took before should be the Corpse-Stabilizing Life-Extending Pill."

Qu Feiyan asked in confusion, "The Corpse-Stiffening Life-Extending Pill? What kind of pill is that?"

Knowing that the girls didn't understand this matter, Chu Qinghe said, "This Corpse-Stiffening Life-Extending Pill is made from a hundred kinds of rare and precious medicinal herbs. These herbs all have strong medicinal properties. Needless to say, if ordinary people take them properly, they can extend their lifespan by ten years without any problem."

"However, because the added drugs in this Corpse-Stiffening Life-Sustaining Pill are too potent, the human body can hardly withstand it after taking it. Due to the conflict between the drug's effects, the body will be burned and destroyed like that person just now, becoming neither human nor ghost. Moreover, because the drug is too potent, the person who takes it can recover from injuries or poisoning within a dozen breaths and become extremely brave."

"But after two hours, their consciousness will dissipate. Although they will still have some life force, they will be no different from walking corpses. That's why the name also contains the word 'corpse stiff'."

After saying that, Chu Qinghe sighed and couldn't help but say, "What a waste! To use so many good things to refine this thing, I wonder which spendthrift was it."

Putting everything else aside, if Chu Qinghe were to obtain the medicinal materials needed to refine this Corpse-Stiffening Life-Extending Pill, he could probably produce several kinds of longevity-enhancing pills.

It's definitely no problem to extend my life by several decades.

But someone crafted this utterly worthless junk.

Despite his grumbling, Chu Qinghe understood why the poison in the masked man in black had been neutralized.

Afterwards, Chu Qinghe searched the corpse for a while, but found nothing except a money bag.

After a dozen or so breaths, Chu Qinghe slowly got up and then walked towards the masked man from before.

However, just as Chu Qinghe was still ten steps away from the masked man, he pointed his closed folding fan at the masked man's corpse.

The next instant, a sword aura burst forth from the folding fan and struck the masked man's chest.

Only after confirming that the masked man was completely dead did Chu Qinghe nod and lower his guard.

However, Dongfang Bubai and Qu Feiyan, who were standing nearby, were speechless at Chu Qinghe's actions.

Qu Feiyan and Xiao Zhao, in particular, recalled that no matter when they faced an enemy, Chu Qinghe would always strike the enemy's vital points first before stopping.

In response, Xiao Zhao suddenly asked, "What do you think would happen if someone used the 'Turtle Breathing Technique' to feign death and encountered someone who was young master?"

Qu Feiyan glanced at Chu Qinghe and said, "I guess if they keep pretending, it will become real."

Hearing the conversation between Qu Feiyan and Xiao Zhao behind him, Chu Qinghe couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Meanwhile, the jellyfish Yin Ji looked at Chu Qinghe with watery eyes, and inexplicably felt that Chu Qinghe was extremely steady.

Glancing at the way Jellyfish Yin Ji was looking at Chu Qinghe, Dongfang Bubai frowned and couldn't help but curse Yaoyue in his heart again, calling her a "stupid woman."

Then, as the group approached the body of the masked man, Qu Feiyan knelt down and tried to remove the mask from his face.

But after applying force with his fingers, he said with a frustrated look, "I can't get it off."

Upon hearing this, Chu Qinghe glanced at the masked man's face, which was now completely sunken in, and sighed, "Forget it, let it be like this. I doubt anyone would recognize his original appearance if he took it off."

As he spoke, Chu Qinghe also searched the masked man's body.

However, after searching the masked man, Chu Qinghe only found a money bag containing some silver notes and a silver token on him.

The token has unique and complex patterns, resembling Taoist runes, yet also some special oracle bone script.

The words "Heavenly Killing Star" are inscribed on the front of this token.

After his gaze lingered on the token for a moment, Chu Qinghe looked at Dongfang Bubai and asked, "Do you recognize it?"

Dongfang Bubai gently shook his head and said, "Never seen it before."

Seeing that Dongfang Bubai was unaware, Chu Qinghe stroked his chin and said, "To be able to send a mid-stage Grandmaster and a perfect Grandmaster to deal with you, and to also produce this Corpse-Stabilizing Life-Extending Pill and the Nine Corpse-Bone-Tying Powder that you just took, this kind of power is worthy of being called a top-tier force."

"Within the Ming Dynasty, which power would have the need to go to such lengths to target you?"

The largest palace in the southwest is the Yihua Palace.

The Sun Moon Cult, to which Dongfang Bubai belonged, was under the control of the Yihua Palace.

Even if someone is targeting someone, it shouldn't be Dongfang Bubai, but Yaoyue.

After his gaze lingered on the token in his hand for a moment, Dongfang Bubai said, "Perhaps it has something to do with the Hengshan Sect."

Upon hearing what Dongfang Bubai said, the group all looked at Dongfang Bubai beside them.

Meeting the gazes of Chu Qinghe and the others, Dongfang Bubai said, "Back when I led people to destroy the Hengshan Sect, there was a guy in the early stage of the Grandmaster realm hidden in the Hengshan Sect. Before I killed him, he said that if I dared to lay a hand on them, I would definitely not live for more than a month."

After pondering for a moment, Chu Qinghe said, "Is it the group of people who secretly took control of the Hengshan Sect before?"

Dongfang Bubai nodded in acknowledgment.

After receiving confirmation from Dongfang Bubai, Chu Qinghe raised an eyebrow and said, "This is quite interesting."

Previously, when Chu Qinghe learned that Dongfang Bubai had destroyed the other four sects of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, he had thought about the Hengshan Sect.

However, considering the location and Dongfang Bubai's own cultivation and strength, he didn't think too much about it.

Unexpectedly, the Hengshan Sect, a mere sect, was able to involve a powerful expert at the mid-stage of the Grandmaster realm.

"However, why would a second-rate power be able to attract a Grandmaster-level expert? Is there anything special about the Hengshan Sect?"

Just as Chu Qinghe was pondering, Qu Feiyan, who was originally looking through her money pouch, suddenly let out a soft exclamation.

"This banknote looks a bit strange."

Upon hearing the voice, Chu Qinghe and the others also turned their gazes toward Qu Feiyan.

After taking the silver note from Qu Feiyan and glancing at it, Dongfang Bubai narrowed his eyes and said, "This is a silver note from the Tang Dynasty."

(End of this chapter)