Madam, He Had the Ambition of a Wolf

Zhao Wuji had no idea what the constables had come for.

If an ordinary constable had acted so arrogantly and told him to gather his disciples, he would only have answered with a cold sneer and sent the man off with tea.

But this constable carried Chief Constable Shi's orders; Zhao Wuji dared not ask anything and could only comply.

The constable said coldly:

"Those who have cultivated Mantis Fist to perfection, step forward."

Zhao Wuji froze for a moment, then hurried forward.

Everyone else remained perfectly still.

The constable frowned and said icily, "Hall Master Zhao... in such a large Martial Hall, only you have reached perfection?"

Displeased, Zhao Wuji said quietly, "That's right!"

The constable sneered. "Those who have reached major accomplishment, take one step forward."

Zhao Hongxiu, Senior Disciple Brother, and seven or eight others stepped forward one after another.

The constable paced back and forth before them, his gaze growing ever colder.

The constable said disdainfully, "Such a large Martial Hall, yet only this handful have mastered Mantis Fist to major accomplishment. Pathetic."

Zhao Wuji was furious but dared not speak.

Zhao Hongxiu and the others trembled with rage.

"Those who left the Martial Hall yesterday, step forward."

"Those without fellow disciples to vouch for them, step forward again."

The constable listed condition after condition.

Several dozen people stood out sparsely.

Chu Qing was mixed among them.

Half an hour later:

The constable registered everyone's names, then demanded fifty taels of silver from Zhao Wuji before leaving.

On the training ground, everyone looked blankly at Zhao Wuji.

Yet Zhao Wuji himself looked just as lost.

Only Chu Qing, standing amid the crowd, vaguely sensed something.

I killed Liu Xiaogou, Liu Hai, and Liu Jun with Mantis Fist.

Were these constables investigating that?

Could they trace a martial art's style through the wounds?

Looks like I should find something for them to do.

That afternoon:

Chu Qing wandered through the rouge and cosmetics shop a few times, then used several pieces of malt candy to lure two children over and gave them instructions.

The two children took three hundred silver notes and headed straight for the Red Snake Martial Arts Hall.

Children wanted to buy secret medicine?

After receiving the news, the hall master pondered for a moment and said:

"Someone does not want to reveal their identity, so they sent children to buy it."

"Take the money and give them the medicine."

"Do not follow them, and do not deceive them."

The disciples replied, "Understood!"

Chu Qing watched the children leave the Martial Hall and followed far behind them. He did not discover anyone from the Martial Hall tracking them.

Nor did he spot any constables.

Once the children placed the secret medicine at the designated spot, he immediately took it away.

Yet not long after he took the medicine, constables went to the Red Snake Martial Arts Hall.

"What? Two children just bought secret medicine?"

Half an hour later:

The constables went to see Chief Constable Shi. "Chief Constable, over half an hour ago, two children were lured by a man with his face covered in mud using malt candy. They bought Red Snake Secret Medicine and placed it beside a ruined little earth temple."

Chief Constable Shi raised an eyebrow.

Sending his underlings to the Red Snake Martial Arts Hall to check on the secret medicine had merely been an idle move; he had not taken it seriously.

After all, unless the killer was an idiot, he would never buy secret medicine now.

Yet:

The killer had actually made two children buy it.

Was he laying out a smokescreen? Making the investigation harder? Or was he... simply arrogant?

"Interesting!"

"Three portions of secret medicine... enough for him to use for a month."

"Was this fellow planning to lie low for a month?"

"Unfortunately, he ran into me."

Chief Constable Shi gave orders:

He told his men to watch the city gates closely, search abandoned courtyards and temples, and even visit general stores and the countryside to make inquiries.

The constables combed through every street and alley.

At this time:

Chu Qing had long since washed his face clean. With a box of rouge and cosmetics tucked away, he went to see Madam Jin.

When he saw Madam Jin again, she kept quite a distance from him.

Chu Qing did not mind. He directly presented the rouge and cosmetics, then swayed his head as he recited the Great Rites Discussion.

The Great Rites Discussion spoke of the relationships between ruler and subject, mother and son, nobles and commoners.

Chu Qing found it useless, not nearly as worthwhile as leg presses or frog jumps.

Fortunately, Madam Jin knew he practiced martial arts. After he had read for an hour, she let him leave.

Only then did Madam Jin open the rouge, smiling as she said:

"My Qing'er knows how to repay kindness. He even gave me such fine rouge."

Xiao Taohong... Madam, he has the ambition of a wolf.

At the Martial Hall gate, yamen runners were conducting inspections.

Chu Qing strode over openly and performed a cup-fist salute.

"Where did you go?"

"To Hall Master Jin's home."

"What about yesterday?"

"The same place!"

"Why did you go?"

Chu Qing did not hide anything and explained the matter from beginning to end.

The yamen runner let him enter.

When he reached the training ground, he found everyone in a state of panic.

Even Shi Tiezhu, who had always studied and trained diligently, was distracted, his punches and kicks all crooked.

Only after asking around did Chu Qing learn:

Zhao Wuji, Zhao Hongxiu, and the others had all been shackled and taken to the yamen.

As for when they would return, no one knew.

Whether the Martial Hall could even be preserved was equally uncertain.

Detained for investigation?

If I strike again, they'll no longer be suspects.

But... if I don't act, sooner or later the investigation will lead to me.

Chu Qing's eyes shifted. He turned and left the Martial Hall again, heading straight beyond the County Town.

At the city gate, he saw soldiers and constables conducting patrols.

"I want to go out and catch some game to eat."

After much hassle, Chu Qing arrived at a stretch of rice paddies.

Children played there, laughing as they caught frogs, river snails, loaches, and the like.

One child recognized Chu Qing and said:

"Big Brother, someone was looking for you this morning."

Chu Qing's heart stirred. "Who?"

The child said, "There was an old man this morning. He asked whether any adults had been catching toads these past few days."

"He said that if we saw you again, we should tell him."

Chu Qing smiled. "Will you tell him?"

The child licked his lips and did not answer for a long while.

Chu Qing gave him a handful of malt candy. "Don't follow me."

The child nodded.

A little while later:

Chu Qing caught two water snakes and wrapped each around his legs once.

You have completed the second condition of Red Snake Leg.

Night fell:

Chu Qing returned to his bare-walled home.

This time, he repaired the gaps in the doorboards to prevent another incident like Liu Xiaogou's.

At the same time, he pondered:

Who was the old man the child had mentioned?

Why was he looking for people who caught toads?

Chu Qing inexplicably thought of Toad Skill.

But then he shook his head.

They did not have Profession Slots. They could not eat toads to gain promotions, so why would they look for people who caught toads?

Besides:

If Toad Skill was important, why had they never looked before?

The old man has nothing to do with me.

For now, cultivating Red Snake Leg is the true path.

After practicing Toad Skill for a while, his Spirit and Energy reached their peak. He swallowed three portions of secret medicine.

Martial Art: Red Snake Leg, Perfection—Those of extraordinary talent train a hundred times daily, take secret medicine every Ten Suns, and break their limits after a thousand days.

Promotion Conditions—1: One Stone Bamboo Bright Pearl. 2: Red Snake Leg Wrap for three days.

Another Stone Bamboo Bright Pearl?

It seemed Red Snake Leg could not be promoted for the time being either.

At that moment, the medicine's effects began.

He began training.

Red Snake Leg—his legs flicked and snapped, either gliding across the ground, springing into the air, or lashing out midair.

His two thick, long legs were like great serpents, swaying left and right, twisting and wheeling up and down.

When his legs moved, they were like snake tails slithering along, strange and unpredictable.

Iron Sinew +25%

Iron Sinew +25

The Profession Slot flickered.

You have cultivated an Iron Sinew. This Iron Sinew overlaps with an existing one, returning part of the medicine's effect.

I cultivated nine Iron Sinews in my legs through Mantis Fist. I wonder how many can overlap.

One minute...

Ten minutes...

The secret medicine lost its effect.

Chu Qing swallowed more secret medicine and continued training.

Half an hour...

One hour...

The Profession Slot flickered wildly.

After the final portion of secret medicine was completely used up, all thirty Iron Sinews of Red Snake Leg had been cultivated.

Unfortunately, ten of those Iron Sinews overlapped with the ones from Mantis Fist.

At this point, he possessed as many as fifty-six Iron Sinews.

Eighteen Iron Sinews in both arms, thirty-eight in both legs.

At this moment, the strength in his legs was several times greater than that in his arms.

When he used force with his legs, thirty Iron Sinews emerged, faintly forming the shape of a great serpent.

Furthermore, each leg had four additional Iron Sinews, like four long whips guarding the great serpent.

Then if I use Red Snake Leg to kill an enemy, what can those people at the yamen do about it?