The Dagger Revealed

Desolate City.

In the dilapidated courtyard, a cold wind whistled in through a small hole in the wooden door.

Wu Shi used a tattered cotton coat to plug the hole, rubbed her hands which were red from the cold, glanced back at the sleeping Embroiderer, and sighed silently.

"Mom, the hot water is here."

Wu Xiaoxi carefully carried over a basin of hot water.

The mother and daughter used towels to carefully wipe the Embroiderer's body, turning her over and over.

"Mother, when will Embroiderer wake up?"

Wang Xiaoxi rested her chin on her hand, staring blankly at the Embroiderer's beautiful face.

"I don't know. I heard that the Embroiderer was drugged too much, otherwise she wouldn't have ended up like this."

Wu Shi sighed, "Beauty is a curse; this world is a disaster for pretty girls."

The mother and daughter fed the Embroiderer some more liquid food.

"Squeak."

Li Shengnan pushed open the door and walked in.

She held a scimitar, her armor was stained with blood, her hair was somewhat disheveled, and her eyes revealed her exhaustion.

"Miss Li is back from her mission."

"Um."

Li Shengnan placed the knife on the table, quickly poured herself a bowl of cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Miss Li, your injuries haven't fully healed yet, you must be careful."

Li Shengnan glanced at the Embroiderer lying on the bed and sighed silently.

This is Desolate City, not Qingyang City, much less Qingshan Town.

This place is truly incredibly expensive; to rent this courtyard, Li Shengnan's meager savings were almost completely depleted. With no other option, to supplement her family's income, she had to return to her old profession—

Bodyguard.

Ye Wei, Lu Liu, and others also struggled to make a living.

In Qingshan Town, a martial arts apprentice who has just entered the Skin Refining Realm is called Martial Artist Master.

Here, it's not surprising that Martial Artists at the Skin Refining Realm everywhere.

In some slightly upscale places, even the doormen and waiters who serve food are Martial Artists at the Skin Refining Realm.

Ye Wei and Lu Liu joined the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy because they came from poor backgrounds and had no connections. Now that they were in the Desolate City, their savings were not enough to cover their expenses, so they decided to join a gang together in hopes of making some money.

Li Shengnan's thoughts were quickly disrupted by a series of disordered footsteps.

Ye Wei and Lu Liu walked in.

"Senior sister, how did you get hurt?"

The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

They were also injured, and their injuries were much more serious than Li Shengnan's.

Ye Wei's arm was broken, and Lu Liu had more than a dozen wounds on his body, some shallow and some deep, with the deepest wound even revealing the bone.

Fortunately, after receiving treatment, their conditions have stabilized.

The reason for their injuries was simple: they had been used as thugs by a gang in a recent brawl, and were assigned to be at the forefront. They were lucky to have survived.

"How is things going with my Martial Uncle? Has he entered the County Yamen yet?"

Lu Liu asked casually.

"Not yet, I heard they're still in the probationary period."

Li Shengnan shook her head.

"If you ask me, that Lu Ming guy is deliberately targeting my Martial Uncle. My Martial Uncle is a powerful expert who is almost at the Perfect Mastery of the Bone Refining Realm, and he used to be the Chief Constable of Qingyang County. Is he not qualified to be a lowly yamen runner in the Desolate City?"

Ye Wei couldn't help but mutter a few words.

"If only Senior Brother Qin were here."

Upon hearing this, the faces of the group all darkened.

After Qin Ming disappeared, their situation became increasingly difficult.

After arriving in the Desolate City, Xiong San entered the County Yamen) and was extremely busy with affairs all day long, from morning till night, barely able to spare a moment. When they finally managed to find some time to get together, they learned from Xiong San that Lu Ming, the Chief Constable of the Desolate City, had actually arranged a position as a candidate for yamen runner for Xiong San.

The candidates for yamen runners have a one-month waiting period. This means that if Xiong San's performance does not satisfy the County Yamen during this month, he may be kicked out at any time and lose his eligibility to become a regular yamen runner.

However, during this month, Xiong San's workload far exceeded that of others, and he was busy all day long.

The mere mention of Xiong San ignited his anger, but this only fueled his competitive spirit. He firmly believed that as long as he could officially enter the County Yamen, with his strength and experience, he would quickly rise through County Yamen ranks and at least secure a minor official position.

At that time, in the County Yamen, Xiong San was dealing with a rather tricky supernatural case.

Generally speaking, this kind of thing is not something that the County Yamen runners would do; it's handled by the Demon-Hunting Team of the Desolate City. Not to mention that Xiong San hasn't officially become a yamen runner yet.

"Ghost Entity."

Xiong San slowly clenched his fist.

Even though his strength had reached the Bone Refining Realm, he still couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart when facing something like Ghost Entity.

The night before, dozens of naked corpses, including men, women, and children, were found at the entrance of Willow Bank Alley. Their bodies were covered in frost, and their pupils were dilated. According to the coroner's examination, these corpses had all experienced hallucinations due to extreme cold, removed their clothes, and ultimately froze to death. Moreover, more than a month had passed since their deaths.

In other words, the bodies of these people, who had frozen to death a month ago, inexplicably appeared at the alley entrance, and no one knows how they came to be there.

The County Yamen dared not act rashly, much less touch the corpses. So they sent their officers to set a large fire in an attempt to burn the bodies. But even after the fire was extinguished, the corpses remained completely unaffected, with only some frost dissipating from their bodies.

Moreover, the constables who set the fire froze to death in their homes one after another that night, causing widespread panic within the County Yamen.

The government immediately sealed off the alleyway, preventing anyone from approaching, and all the strange events at the County Yamen were also kept quiet, with no information leaking out.

The case file is currently in Xiong San's hands.

After reading it, Xiong San frowned deeply.

The case was very strange, and he was reluctant to take it on.

"Xiong San."

A burly man walked over.

He was about thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, not very tall, but his arms were long and strong, with an exaggerated arm span. It was rumored that he had practiced a very special Horizontal Training Martial Arts called Hou Wu.

"The magistrate said that if you resolve this matter, they might consider promoting you to a permanent position ahead of schedule."

Hou Wu said.

"I'll handle this by myself?"

Xiong San inquired.

"Yes."

Xiong San couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.

"You mean, I, a lowly clerk who hasn't even been officially appointed, am tasked with handling a Ghost Monster case that even the captain of the Demon-Hunting Team wouldn't dare to deal with?"

"You can refuse, but you'll lose your eligibility for a permanent position."

Hou Wu's voice was calm, carrying an air of condescension. "This isn't Qingyang County. No matter what your previous position or status was, once you're here, you have to follow orders from above. If you refuse, then leave the County Yamen. You're not welcome here."

Upon hearing this, Xiong San's expression grew even colder.

He finally understood; Lu Ming was deliberately targeting him.

But what's the reason?

He was new to the area and had never had any conflicts with Lu Ming, let alone offended him. Why was Lu Ming repeatedly making things difficult for him?

Xiong San suppressed his anger, wishing he could smash Hou Wu's face to pieces with a single punch.

"I see."

Xiong San hummed.

He was never one to suffer a loss; whatever he gained from him, he would take it all back, every single penny.

Seeing that Xiong San was sensible, Hou Wu smiled, nodded, and turned to leave.

Xiong San worked until late at night, and most of the people from the County Yamen had already left. Just as Xiong San was about to leave, a figure walked in from outside.

"Lord Lu."

Upon seeing Lu Ming enter, a hint of surprise flashed in Xiong San's eyes.

"Constable Xiong, you're quite surprised, aren't you?"

Lu Ming smiled and got straight to the point.

"What did you say?!"

Xiong San was furious.

Lu Ming actually asked him to hand Wang Xiaoxi over to him.

So you've been eyeing that child all along!

Xiong San was furious.

"Calm down, don't say such harsh things. I'm doing this for the court and for the people of the Desolate City. Everyone's used to the ten pairs of Pure Boys and Girls every year. Since the conditions are met, for the sake of good weather and a bountiful harvest for all the people of the Desolate City next year, even if it's a sacrifice to the River God, it's a worthy death. Don't you think so?"

Lu Ming smiled.

"Xiong San, you're a smart man. If you hand the person over to me willingly, I can make an exception and let you join the County Yamen. I can even let you join my Demon-Hunting Team. With your strength and skills, it's not impossible for you to become the deputy captain of the Demon-Hunting Team and my right-hand man in the future."

I've made myself very clear. Not immediately trying to snatch him away is already a favor to you. You need to think this through carefully. If you lose this opportunity, the only way to get promoted is to resolve the Cold Corpse issue. I won't hide it from you, last night two Late Stage Bone Refining Realm were frozen into ice sculptures just for secretly approaching the Cold Corpse. Without Blood Refining Realm strength, getting close to the Cold Corpse is certain death."

Xiong San remained silent, his eyes bloodshot, flashing with a frenzied rage.

He finally understood where the palpitation he felt on his first day at the County Yamen came from; it turned out that it was all part of Lu Ming's plan!

His interest was never in Xiong San, the Chief Constable of Qingyang County, but in Wang Xiaoxi, the Sacrifice to the River God.

"You—don't even think about it!"

Xiong San took a deep breath, his tone icy cold. "Even if I don't County Yamen, I will never be threatened by you!"

"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences!"

Lu Ming's expression suddenly turned cold.

"Xiong San, no one I, Lu Ming, have ever set my sights on has ever escaped. Do you think you can stop me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Ming suddenly made his move.

His hands were wreathed in flames as he slammed them towards Xiong San's face.

As the Chief Constable of the Desolate City and the captain of the Demon-Hunting Team, Lu Ming's strength was naturally not to be underestimated. He had already surpassed the Blood Refining Realm. As soon as he made a move, a roaring sound like waves crashing against the shore immediately emanated from his body, like a violent storm.

"Blood Refining Realm!"

Although Xiong San was shocked, he remained calm. He had some understanding of Lu Ming's strength and knew that he was at the Blood Refining Realm.

Black, Sha Qi emanated from Xiong San's palms, and the cracking and popping of his bones sounded like firecrackers.

"Perfect Mastery Bone Refining Realm? Hmph! Give you some more time, and you might actually become quite formidable!"

A cold glint flashed in Lu Ming's eyes, and the surging sound within his body grew even louder.

The next moment, their palms collided suddenly.

In an instant, Xiong San felt a surge of immense power rushing down his arm, accompanied by a terrifyingly high, scorching heat.

This high temperature was not like the Fire Poison Art that Qin Ming cultivated, which was highly poisonous. Instead, it was an extreme burning sensation that even dispelled Xiong San's black Sha Qi.

The two men placed their palms together, continuously channeling their internal energy into their palms.

But in just two breaths, Xiong San was the first to give in and was blasted away by a palm strike, flying more than ten feet away before crashing heavily into the pool.

"You've got some skills; no wonder you managed to escape from that godforsaken place, Qingyang County."

Lu Ming said coldly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Clearly, he knew something about Qingyang City and was aware of the terrifying Ghost Monster incident that had recently occurred in Qingyang County.

"Boom!"

Xiong San burst out of the pool.

His face was deathly pale, and his palms had turned bright red and swollen several times their normal size, looking extremely terrifying.

Lu Ming closed in, his fists and feet becoming afterimages, landing one after another on Xiong San with terrifying heat.

Xiong San's cultivation level was far inferior to Lu Ming's; one Blood Refining Realm and the other at the Bone Refining Realm. Xiong San had no power to resist at all. If it weren't for the Black Sha Skill's power offsetting some of the high-temperature fire, Xiong San probably wouldn't have been able to hold on.

In the end, Xiong San was slapped out of the County Yamen and crashed heavily to the ground.

The commotion immediately attracted many patrolling constables, but upon seeing that it was Lu Ming, they quickly bowed and stepped aside.

"Who do we have here? It's Xiong San!"

"I heard that Xiong San used to be the Chief Constable of Qingyang County. Sigh, he actually dared to fight Lord Lu here. He's really courting death."

"Yes, I heard that Lord Lu has powerful backers in Wangjing Prefecture. People from Wangjing Prefecture came here these past few days. And that young master Li, I heard his father is a high-ranking official in Wangjing Prefecture."

"Not only that, Young Master Li's father is Gold Rank Demon Hunter. Do you know what that means? Only Xiantian experts can usually become Gold Rank Demon Hunters."

"What?! Xiantian?"

The surrounding constables were quite frightened, and their gazes toward Xiong San were full of sympathy.

A country bumpkin from a small county dares to provoke Lord Lu, who has a powerful background? He's really courting death.

"Cough cough."

Xiong San spat out a mouthful of black blood. He tried to stand up but felt a burning sensation inside his body, with waves of cramping pain that made it impossible for him to stand.

"Guards, seize that girl he brought with him!"

Lu Ming quickly gave the order.

The constables immediately nodded and went to carry it out.

Lu Ming walked up to Xiong San and squatted down, a mocking smile on his lips.

"See? I only need to say a word and people will rush to do things for me. Xiong San, I gave you a chance, but you were useless!"

"If you had just obediently agreed, things would have been so much better. Why did it have to turn out like this?"

As he spoke, Lu Ming's expression turned cold. He slowly stood up. "Guards, drag him away and lock him up in the Water Prison. Don't let him out without my permission!"

"Yes."

Xiong San was quickly dragged away.

Meanwhile, Lu Ming returned to his residence and began drinking alone in silence.

"What's wrong? Things didn't go smoothly?"

Li Qingfeng walked in.

"You guessed right. Xiong San didn't agree, so I beat him severely and locked him in the Water Prison."

Lu Ming hummed.

I knew it.

Li Qingfeng chuckled and shook his head. "I saw him back in Qingyang County. He risked everything to take that girl out of the Ghost Fog of Qingyang County. How could you expect him to hand her over to you so easily?"

You lost.

"A bet's a bet."

Lu Ming sighed.

The two made a bet about this, and it was obvious that Lu Ming lost in the end, so Lu Ming was very angry.

"This guy's 'Black Sha Skill' is indeed remarkable, but unfortunately, I can't use it for my purposes."

Lu Ming looked down at his palm.

There was a black mark the size of a fingernail on the palm of my hand; that was Sha Qi.

As he continued to circulate his internal energy, he finally expelled all the Sha Qi from his body.