Constables Come Knocking!

Snow cloaked everything in white beneath a bright moon hanging high in the sky.

Qin Ming stood before a large iron cauldron filled with sand, repeatedly plunging his hands in and stirring it.

The flames had heated the sand until it was scalding hot. Blisters soon covered Qin Ming's hands, only to burst under the heat of the sand, sending waves of piercing pain through him.

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to endure the pain as he plunged his wounded hands into the sand again and again.

Once, twice, three times...

Only when his palms were a mangled mess of flesh and blood did he stop.

[Ninth-Rank Martial Art: Fire Sand Palm (5/100), not initiated]

Unlike the stake skill, which consumed a great deal of Qi and blood and would damage one's foundation if practiced after it ran out, Fire Sand Palm could be practiced continuously as long as one could endure the pain. Of course, medicinal aid was essential in the early stages, or one's palms would be severely burned.

Qin Ming took a bottle of burn salve from his bundle and applied it to his wounds. The searing pain immediately eased considerably.

"This little bottle is only enough for three uses."

Qin Ming's heart ached at the expense.

Just three bottles had cost him a tael of silver, the equivalent of ten bowls of Qi-Blood Soup.

Fortunately, the results were plain to see. By the next day, the burns were more than half healed.

After breakfast, Embroiderer pressed two rice balls into Qin Ming's hands.

"These are for lunch and dinner, Brother Qin. You can warm them by the stove before you eat."

Embroiderer pursed her lips and chuckled, her big eyes glistening with deep affection. The sight of her at that moment left Qin Ming feeling a little dazed.

With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?

Qin Ming pulled Embroiderer into his arms and planted a hard kiss on her forehead.

"Embroiderer, I'm off."

"Mm, Brother Qin, I'll have a little surprise for you when you come home tonight."

Embroiderer gently stroked Qin Ming's bandaged hands, her eyes full of heartache. Toward the end, her voice grew quieter and quieter, and her cheeks gradually reddened.

For the sake of their little household, Qin Ming left early and returned late, still training hard even deep into the night. Embroiderer saw it all and kept it in her heart, so she wanted to do everything she could to satisfy him.

Remembering the embarrassing things she had chatted about yesterday with their neighbor, Wang Shun's wife, Embroiderer lowered her head even further.

I wonder if those fancy positions Sister-in-law mentioned will work. Oh well, I'll find out when Brother Qin comes home tonight and we try them. I hope I can give him a big, healthy boy.

Embroiderer's ears burned as her small hands clenched the hem of her clothes.

Dawn had barely broken when Qin Ming arrived at the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy and took his place on the stakes.

Half a shichen later, the other disciples began arriving one after another.

"Brother Qin got here so early! If I remember right, wasn't he the last to leave yesterday?"

Ye Wei gave a thumbs-up. "I have to hand it to him."

Ye Wei had made his living emptying cesspits. With grade-eight bone aptitude, he had the best aptitude among the outer-court disciples. He had arrived half a month before Qin Ming and had a good chance of becoming a martial artist and entering the inner sect.

Two shichen later, Qin Ming stepped down from the stakes, drenched in sweat.

Lu Liu came over, pushing the cart of Qi-Blood Soup.

"Senior Brother, you're just in time..."

"Two bowls of Qi-Blood Soup. I've already prepared them for you. Here."

Lu Liu ladled out the Qi-Blood Soup and handed it to Qin Ming.

After drinking it and resting briefly, Qin Ming returned to the stakes.

By the time he had finished all three bowls of Qi-Blood Soup, it was afternoon.

Qin Ming gathered his things and left the academy to slaughter New Year pigs in town.

Both the medicinal salve and the Qi-Blood Soup cost a great deal of silver, so he could take the opportunity to recoup some of it by slaughtering New Year pigs.

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.

The sun had shone brightly all three days, melting most of the snow on the roads.

Qin Ming left early and returned late.

Before daybreak each morning, he hurried to the academy to practice the stake skill, then went to slaughter New Year pigs after drinking three bowls of Qi-Blood Soup.

Over those three days, he slaughtered thirty fat pigs in all, earning one tael and five qian of silver.

He looked at his panel again:

[Life-Bound Martial Art: Pig-Slaying Saber Technique (143/500), minor mastery]

[Ninth-Rank Martial Art: Fire Sand Palm (20/100), not initiated]

[Ninth-Rank Martial Art: Eight Trigrams Stake Skill (23/100)]

"Slow! It's still too slow!"

A deep sense of crisis welled up in Qin Ming's heart.

During those three days, he bought five jin of pork every day and took it home to stew. With the meat, he recovered a little Qi and blood before bed each night, allowing him to practice the stake skill for another hour and gain a few proficiency points. Even so, Qin Ming still thought it was too slow.

Yan Yue-Ren could send people over at any moment. Then there were Wang Butcher and the others. Their bodies were buried beneath the snow, and once it melted, there was a good chance they would be discovered.

Qin Ming sought Lu Liu out in private and explained what he wanted.

"You want to recover your Qi and blood faster? There are ways, but they might be difficult for you."

Lu Liu pondered briefly. "Many wild beasts in the mountains possess Spiritual Qi. Those with particularly abundant Spiritual Qi are called Spirit Beasts. Their flesh and blood contain a great deal of Qi and blood essence, even more concentrated than Qi-Blood Soup, and can be consumed continuously. Not only are there no side effects, but they also strengthen the body!"

"Besides those, there are Treasure Fish in the water. They also contain Spiritual Qi, and eating them is greatly beneficial for replenishing Qi and blood. But both are hard to find, especially now that it's the snow season. If you have enough silver, you could buy some aged medicinal herbs. Blood-replenishing ones like ginseng, He Shou Wu, and lingzhi can all replenish Qi and blood."

Hearing this, Qin Ming frowned deeply.

His pockets were nearly empty, and he had only enough silver for some Qi-Blood Soup. Spirit Beasts, Treasure Fish, and aged medicinal herbs were all far beyond his reach.

Perhaps I could go into the mountains and try my luck myself.

Qin Ming thought to himself.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside the door.

Soon, Ye Wei came jogging over, a trace of disbelief in his eyes as he looked at Qin Ming.

"Senior Brother Lu Liu, a few constables from the county are outside."

"Constables? What are they doing here?"

"They're looking for him."

Ye Wei pointed at Qin Ming.

As he spoke, four constables arrived. To Qin Ming's surprise, Wang Butcher's wife, Wang Shi, was with them.

"Officers, that's him! He's Qin Ming, the murderer!"

Wang Shi planted her hands on her hips and pointed at Qin Ming, shouting, "Hurry up and arrest him!"

The two constables in front exchanged a glance, then immediately stepped forward and pulled out iron chains to bind Qin Ming.

"Wait! I'd like to know exactly what crime Junior Brother Qin Ming has committed."

Lu Liu stepped forward and blocked the two men.

When they saw it was Lu Liu, a trace of apprehension flashed in the constables' eyes.

Lu Liu was not only a martial artist but also at the Mid-Stage Skin-Refining Realm, one of Fei Heng's four great disciples, and somewhat well known in Qingshan Town. The four constables were ordinary people, not even martial artists, so they dared not offend him too greatly.

"A few butchers in town have been missing for several days. Someone reported that Qin Ming killed them."

"I reported it. He must have killed my husband!"

Wang Shi rushed forward, pointed at Qin Ming, and shouted abuse at him. "To steal the New Year pig business in town, he went mad and killed every butcher in town!"

"Impossible. Qin Ming isn't that kind of person!"

Lu Liu immediately countered her.

Qin Ming could not help laughing aloud.

"What a joke. The butchers in town lost a wager with me and willingly gave up this year's New Year pig business. Why would I need to kill anyone?

"Besides, you say I killed them. Do you have any witnesses or physical evidence? I'm afraid your word alone isn't enough to convict me. The authorities aren't yours to command!

"Officers, please investigate this thoroughly!"

Qin Ming cupped his hands, neither servile nor overbearing.

The constables exchanged glances, their tone softening somewhat. "Are you sure everything you said is true?"

"Many people witnessed it that day. You need only investigate to find out, officers."

Seeing how calm Qin Ming looked, the constables were more than half convinced.

Besides, this was the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy, and they did not want to cause trouble on someone else's turf. This gave them a convenient way to back down.

"If it's really as you say, then you had no motive for the crime. We'll talk again once we've investigated. Remember, you're not to leave Qingshan Town in the meantime!"

With that, the constables left the academy. After asking around, they quickly confirmed that Qin Ming had not lied.

"Wang Shi, the truth has come to light. Qin Ming already has all the New Year pig business, so he had no reason to kill anyone. There must be another reason your husband disappeared."

"Impossible! It must have been him! I'm sure of it!"

Wang Shi had wanted to tell them that she had overheard Wang Butcher discussing plans with the others to ambush and kill Qin Ming. But wouldn't that mean Wang Butcher and the others had deserved to die?

Not only would Qin Ming be innocent, but she herself might be charged with knowing about the plot and failing to report it.

It looks like I can only go to that person at the yamen. He's related to Old Wang by blood, so he surely won't stand by and do nothing!

Wang Shi flung her arms down and headed straight for the yamen.