Jishan County was a thousand li away from Jinling City.
A round trip would take a whole day.
By the time he hurried back to Jinling City, the sun had already slanted westward, and nightfall was about to descend.
When he reached the gates of Jinling City.
Xia Qi'an discovered that today's guards were unusually solemn. A notice had been posted on the wall outside the city gates: "A curfew shall be imposed starting today."
He found the guards at the main gate and, after taking out his identity token to prove who he was, asked, "Why has a sudden curfew been imposed in the city?"
When the guards saw that he was an official of Wei Dao Si, they did not dare slight him. "Reporting to Your Excellency! A murder has occurred in the city! Several martial artists were killed overnight! To apprehend the murderer, Lord City Master ordered that a curfew be imposed starting today!"
"Mm..." Xia Qi'an gave a slight nod.
Then he squeezed his legs against the horse's belly and entered through the city gate.
Once inside the city, Xia Qi'an did not encounter a single commoner along the way.
Instead, he came across several patrols of soldiers.
Seeing the solemn expressions on the soldiers' faces, Xia Qi'an realized that something serious might have happened in the city.
Si Nan Manor.
Si Nanyue, dressed in a white gown, slightly furrowed her brows as she stared gravely at the letter Xia Qi'an had brought back.
Xia Qi'an stood calmly below, waiting for Si Nanyue's next instructions.
After reading the contents of the letter, Si Nanyue raised her head slightly and said to Xia Qi'an, "You shouldn't have been sent on this mission in the first place! It's just that there wasn't a suitable candidate in Jinling City at the time."
"Fortunately, you completed this mission well! Lin Beihai and Jiang Feng both praised your performance!"
"You flatter me, my lord... It was merely my duty!" Xia Qi'an said solemnly.
"Mm..." Si Nanyue gave a slight nod.
After this mission, Xia Qi'an had already earned Si Nanyue's recognition.
Seeing that Si Nanyue had no intention of assigning him another task, Xia Qi'an asked, "When I entered the city, I discovered that a sudden curfew had been imposed... May I ask, my lord, if something happened?"
Si Nanyue said indifferently, "The five hundred thousand taels of silver in Jinling City's annual tribute were robbed!"
"Oh? Who did it?" Xia Qi'an asked curiously.
"We don't know yet! However, several Bone Forging martial artists escorting the silver were killed. The city master also ordered the arrest and imprisonment of a group of people connected to the case, which is why everyone is so on edge!"
Xia Qi'an said, "Does this matter require my assistance in the investigation?"
The previous bandit-suppression mission had already let him taste the sweetness of profit. The loss of the tribute silver this time would presumably be another lucrative assignment.
"What? You want to take the opportunity to make another windfall?" Si Nanyue saw straight through Xia Qi'an's thoughts and spoke with an amused expression.
"You understand me best, my lord!" Xia Qi'an flattered her, frankly admitting his intentions.
"This matter should have been handled by the Snake Guards. However, I don't trust Chu Shiqing or the Snake Guards under him. If you want to investigate this case, that would be feasible."
Si Nanyue pondered for a moment before changing her mind. She agreed to Xia Qi'an's request to investigate the tribute-silver case.
Xia Qi'an asked tentatively, "What is the relationship between Lord Sinan and Lord Chu...?"
Si Nanyue's brows drew together slightly, and her expression turned stern. She asked gravely, "Why are you asking about this?"
Hearing that, Xia Qi'an opened and closed his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, yet hesitating.
In the end, he decided to confess to Si Nanyue about his connection with Chu Shiqing.
He began with the moment he encountered Su Mu and recounted everything up to the process of joining Wei Dao Si.
Sure enough, after hearing him out, Si Nanyue's expression gradually turned icy. "So, you joined the Hound Guard at Chu Shiqing's instigation?"
Xia Qi'an hurriedly defended himself. "My lord, please investigate clearly! I truly only agreed to work for Chu Shiqing because I was bound by the favor of his recommendation and had no choice."
Si Nanyue pressed him further. "Then what is your intention in taking the initiative to confess this matter to me now?"
Xia Qi'an's expression was utterly sincere as he said loudly, "Since joining the Hound Guard, I have never done anything that harmed my fellow officers! Moreover, I don't want to suffer the cold stares of others in the Hound Guard because of the conflict between the Hound Guard and the Snake Guard. At the same time, I don't want to be controlled by Chu Shiqing in the future. I only wish to focus on practicing martial arts and carry out my duties wholeheartedly."
After hearing him, Si Nanyue remained silent for a long time... Her gaze was like a torch, piercing straight through Xia Qi'an's eyes, as though she wanted to distinguish whether his words were true or false.
Only after a long while did Si Nanyue slowly speak. "For now, I'll believe you this once!"
Seeing that Si Nanyue was no longer dwelling on the matter, the great stone weighing on Xia Qi'an's heart finally fell to the ground, and he felt much more at ease.
"It is getting late. I shall not disturb your rest, my lord." As soon as Xia Qi'an finished speaking, he turned and prepared to take his leave.
However, just as he was about to step out of the room, he heard Si Nanyue's icy voice drifting over. "From now on, keep your eyes in check when reporting to me! If there is a next time, I will have them gouged out alive!"
How could Xia Qi'an dare reply at that moment? He could only pretend not to have heard her. His footsteps unconsciously quickened, and he fled Si Nan Manor like a hunted rabbit.
After returning home, Xia Qi'an went to Xiao Cao's bedroom and found that she had already fallen asleep.
Looking at her sprawled-out sleeping position, Xia Qi'an could not help smiling. He gently tucked the quilt around her, then turned and went to the training room, where he sat cross-legged.
Afterward, he carefully took out the Vital Energy Pill and swallowed it without hesitation.
This was his eighth blood exchange. It was not only a tremendous test of his body, but also a crucial step toward breaking through to the next martial realm.
Once this blood exchange succeeded, he would officially enter the ranks of the Late Blood Refining Realm.
The next morning, sunlight spilled over the earth like scattered gold.
Though Xia Qi'an had practiced all night, he showed no trace of fatigue. Instead, he was full of vigor, his bearing magnificent.
He went into the courtyard, preparing to test the results of his improved martial realm.
"Boom!"
Xia Qi'an threw a punch, and the granite taller than a man in the courtyard exploded instantly, fragments flying in every direction like flowers scattered by a celestial maiden.
After entering the Late Blood Refining Realm, Xia Qi'an's vital energy surged like raging waves, increasing by more than twofold, while his strength reached the astonishing Strength of Ten Bulls.
With the Great Strength Vajra Palm and his copper-skin-like defensive power on top of that, he was brimming with confidence. Even against a martial artist in the Early Bone Forging Realm, he could kill them within a few moves.
As for the Extreme Wind Thunder Force, this technique was extraordinarily difficult to cultivate and placed extremely harsh demands on the body's ability to endure it.
To be safe, he decided to wait until he had tempered the bones throughout his entire body before practicing it.
For now, he urgently needed a profound movement technique.
The Light Body Technique was simply too ordinary, and its improvement to his combat strength was practically negligible.
After finishing his martial practice, Xia Qi'an changed into his official uniform, dressed neatly, and went out.
It happened to be the time when the government constables of Jinling City were reporting for duty.
Xia Qi'an stepped forward and took out his identity token to prove who he was.
This constable captain surnamed Wang was precisely one of the people responsible for investigating the scene of the tribute-silver theft.
When Captain Wang saw Xia Qi'an enter the yamen, he immediately stepped forward and saluted. "Greetings, my lord!"
Xia Qi'an asked, "Are you Captain Wang Lun?"
"Indeed, I am," Wang Lun replied.
Xia Qi'an immediately continued, "I am Xia Qi'an of the Hound Guard of Wei Dao Si! I have been ordered to investigate the case of the tribute silver being robbed! You visited the crime scene. Tell me what happened at the time!"
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