"Qingluo Dao will not let this go easily. I must ask the two of you for more assistance in the days ahead..." James Clark said ingratiatingly.

But Mr. Thompson and Captain Brian Brooks still did not dare to agree, clearly intimidated by the appearance of an internal martial arts expert.

Both of them said that with Emily Clark and the Hongsong Sect present, the Lin family should be able to safely get through this crisis.

Henry Clark did not know what kind of grudge existed between Qingluo Dao and James Clark, but judging by their posture, they would definitely not let the Lin family off easily. They had even spoken of extermination, so clearly there was no room for negotiation between the two sides.

The people from Qingluo Dao could come back at any time.

Although he did not have much affection for the Lin family—after all, he was not the real Emily Clark—he could not guarantee he would not be implicated in this matter. Besides, he could not just stand by and watch the Lin family be wiped out.

"Looks like I need to try the Guiyuan Pill as soon as possible. If I can't become an internal martial artist, it just won't do." Thinking back to how the three external martial arts experts were easily sent flying, it was clear that the power of internal martial artists in this world was much greater than he had imagined.

When faced with such trouble, the first person Henry Clark thought of was none other than his martial uncle, Boyun Zi.

His father, James Clark, kept asking him, hoping that the disciples of the Hongsong Sect would come down the mountain to protect the Lin family. The Lin family was willing to offer up all kinds of property as compensation, and even help the Hongsong Sect recruit and select outstanding disciples.

But Henry Clark knew the truth: there were only a few people in the dojo, and the only truly formidable one was Yvonne Harris. Boyun Zi was currently away, with no way to contact him or know when he would return.

Fortunately, after being intimidated for a short while, Qingluo Dao probably would not act rashly. They would likely first probe the Hongsong Sect's strength before making another move, which meant there was a buffer period.

If his martial uncle could return, that would be best. If not, he would have to make plans early.

In the following days, Henry Clark and Yvonne Harris, with the full support of the Lin family, quickly prepared the ingredients for the Guiyuan Pill. They also gathered information about the long-eared tiger, and Henry Clark used Captain Brian Brooks's special channels to purchase various drugs like knockout powder, as well as all kinds of tools.

For now, the Lin family did not need to worry too much. After reporting to the provincial authorities, a large number of people were sent to protect the Lin family tightly. The Shu family also sent several experts, and even the Meihua Sect was alarmed. At this point, the Lin family was as solid as a fortress. Even an internal martial arts expert would have a hard time breaking through, and would risk their life trying.

But these protectors could not stay forever, and the Lin family could not afford such a huge expense, so this safety was only temporary.

Henry Clark and Yvonne Harris quietly returned to the mountain with all sorts of ingredients and tools.

Yvonne Harris knew nothing about what was going on and obediently went back to practicing martial arts and swordsmanship, but Henry Clark, who knew the inside story, began working on the Guiyuan Pill in a flurry of activity.

The process of making the Guiyuan Pill was not simple—in fact, it was quite complicated. The steps and procedures involved were rather troublesome.

It took Henry Clark a full five days to barely finish most of the process. Only the final step remained.

Chapter 10: The Hunt

Zzz~~~

Zzz~~~~

A black wooden stick stirred round and round in a basin of black sesame paste-like substance, the spiral pattern it left taking a full two seconds to disappear.

Inside the woodshed.

Henry Clark sat by the basin, holding the stick, expressionless as he stirred in circles.

There was no fire under the basin. Henry Clark moved a few small black jars over from the side and opened the lid of one.

Carefully, he used a pair of long chopsticks to reach inside. When he pulled them out, the tips were holding a huge, plump, gray-white spider, about the size of a thumb.

The spider's belly was swollen into a ball, looking as if it might burst at any moment. Its eight legs flailed wildly at the end of the chopsticks.

"Pregnant gray spiders, thirteen..." Henry Clark deftly picked out thirteen gray-white female spiders from the jar, then quickly smashed them with the stick and mixed them into the black paste in the basin.

After sealing the lid, he took another jar from the side and opened it.

This time, the chopsticks pulled out a large, gray-muddy leech.

"Five live leeches..."

Henry Clark tossed them in without mercy and continued to mash them with the stick.

The last jar was opened, revealing some black, muddy sludge that gave off a sour and foul stench.

"Fresh rotten black mud, three taels..." Henry Clark threw it in expressionlessly and kept stirring, though his stomach was already churning.

Could this stuff really be eaten?

He stared at the basin of foul-smelling, pungent black ointment in front of him, struggling internally countless times.

After mixing, he used the prepared molds to scoop the black ointment in, then sealed it with a layer of wax and put it into a water vat.

Then Henry Clark took a small jar of dye from the side—an oily red dye—and gently poured it along the edge of the vat.

Only when all the dye had been poured in and the water in the vat had turned completely red did he put down the jar.

He sat by the side, waiting for more than two hours.

Hiss...

Suddenly, a faint hissing sound of gas leaking came from inside the vat.