As night passed and morning arrived, news of the deaths of the Callum family head and other members spread across the city, raising concerns among the other great families. Meanwhile, the perpetrator was cultivating peacefully.
From the beggar's perspective, the world had turned into a pitch-black void, with the surrounding Qi shining like bright stars.
The Qi entered his body, following the pattern of his Revised Revised Simple Breathing Technique before settling into the Qi ball a few inches below his navel, strengthening it further. As it grew larger, Apollo suddenly sensed that if he continued, something might explode.
Realizing this, he didn't hesitate to break through the barrier! With anticipation and excitement, Apollo advanced to the 2nd-Step Qi Condensation Stage!
The Qi ball expanded, and the Refined Qi within grew stronger.
Opening his eyes, a glint appeared within them. He raised his hand and clenched his fist, noting that while his physical strength didn't feel significantly enhanced, his power had definitely doubled.
As he savored the feeling of surpassing his previous stage, a problem came to mind. "I need to familiarize myself with my newfound strength again," he muttered with a bitter smile. Every time he broke through a step, he needed to understand his new strength to use it to its full potential. But thinking he'd have to repeat this process every time he advanced, Apollo felt it was just a waste of time.
"If I keep getting stronger, so be it. There's no need for me to keep familiarizing myself with new strength," he decided, nodding to himself.
Then, his stomach growled. Breaking through must have consumed a lot of energy. Though he'd recently discovered he could stave off hunger by cultivating, he still craved real food.
Glancing to the corner, he saw a familiar basket, with smoke drifting from the opening. Licking his lips, he picked it up and opened it. Inside, alongside the spaghetti, was a piece of meat glistening in coconut oil.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on his face, realizing they finally had their own meat distributor. "That's good," he muttered, beginning his breakfast.
After he finished, he let out a small burp and approached the entrance of the restaurant beside him. Just as he was about to knock to alert Ned, the door opened from inside, and Filly and Gail stepped out.
The trio exchanged surprised glances before Apollo let out a chuckle.
"Good morning! I see you finally have your own meat distributor—congratulations!" Apollo said.
"Thanks," Filly replied, but her smile was forced.
"What's wrong?" Apollo asked, noticing her expression.
"It's about Bel," Filly said, her tone dropping. "This… this is probably her last day."
"Last day?" Apollo repeated, quickly realizing what she meant. He had nearly forgotten about Bel and her lingering injuries.
"Yes, she can't fight the poison in her body any longer," Filly explained, trying to hold back tears.
Gail, on the other hand, kept her head lowered, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Although a trained assassin, she was sensitive when it came to her friends.
"I'm sorry, but we have to go see her," Filly said, bowing slightly before she and Gail walked past Apollo toward the waiting carriage.
"Hmm." Apollo glanced at the basket in his hand, then at Ned, who had appeared in the doorway. "Here, take this."
He handed the basket to the worker and then followed after the two.
"Can I come?" he asked.
Filly and Gail exchanged glances before nodding.
"Thanks," Apollo said. Once they were in the carriage, they began their journey northwest of Klown City.
June, Bel Helflick's personal bodyguard, arrived in front of the family mansion in his carriage. Without greeting the guards on either side of the gate, he sprinted inside, breaking the rule against running or flying within the mansion to maintain decorum. But his mind was set solely on reaching Bel's room as quickly as possible.
It took him only fifteen seconds, but each second felt like an eternity.
June finally stopped in front of a pair of double doors. Taking a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, he pushed them open.
The door creaked quietly, and as he entered, the intense smell of medicine assaulted his nose. He frowned, but soon grew accustomed to it.
Looking around, he noticed two figures standing by the bed.
One was the Helflick family head, Bel's father, Mathias—black-haired, with a mustache reaching the sides of his lips and cold, silver eyes.
The other was Nathan Kleinford, Filly's father. He had black hair and dark eyes, and he wore a black hanfu robe, radiating an air of battle-hardened resilience.
They turned toward June, and Nathan nodded in greeting.
"I've arrived, Family Head Mathias," June said, bowing his head.
"Did you find a cure?"
"I did, but I don't know if it will work," June replied hesitantly.
"Try it," Mathias commanded, his eyes burning with hope. Like June, he'd been working tirelessly to find a cure for his daughter. He'd spent days and nights in the Alchemy House with the branch manager's help, concocting dozens of pills and potions. But none of them had worked. Clenching his fists, Mathias watched as June approached his daughter's bedside.
Mathias glanced at Bel, lying frail on the bed. Her body was thin as a twig, as if a single gust of wind might break her. Her cheeks were sunken, her lips cracked.
Her chest rose and fell laboriously, each breath a struggle. Seeing her in this state, June gritted his teeth. Please work, he thought as he took a small bottle from inside his robe. It contained a black liquid, and as he opened it, the smell of poison filled the air.
"Poison against poison?" Nathan muttered, glancing at Mathias. Seeing only fierce determination in his friend's eyes, he remained silent, waiting.
June administered the liquid, helping Bel drink it in a single gulp. As the black liquid disappeared down her throat, he stepped back and waited.
A few seconds later, Bel's eyes slowly opened.
"It worked," Nathan and June said in unison, relief evident in their voices.
"No," Mathias said, his voice dashing their hopes. "It won't last long."