The Tribute Silver Was Robbed

Jishan County was a thousand miles away from Jinling City.

A round trip would take a full day.

By the time he rushed back to Jinling City, the sun was already setting in the west, and night was about to fall.

He arrived at the gates of Jinling City.

Xia Qi'an noticed that the guards on duty today were exceptionally solemn. A notice posted on the city's announcement wall declared, "A curfew will be implemented starting today."

He found a guard at the main gate, showed his waist token to identify himself, and asked, "Why is there a sudden curfew in the city?"

The guard, seeing that he was an official from the Wei Dao Si, dared not be disrespectful. "Replying to sir! There has been a murder in the city! Several martial artists died overnight! To apprehend the culprit, the City Lord has ordered a curfew starting today!"

"Mmm..." Xia Qi'an nodded slightly.

Then, he spurred his horse and entered the city gates.

Once inside the city, Xia Qi'an didn't encounter a single civilian along the way.

However, he did run into several patrols of soldiers.

Seeing the solemn expressions on the soldiers' faces, Xia Qi'an realized that something major might have happened in the city.

Si Nan Mansion.

Si Nanyue, dressed in a white long dress, frowned, looking at the letter Xia Qi'an had brought back with a grave expression.

Xia Qi'an stood below, his expression calm, awaiting Si Nanyue's next instructions.

After reading the contents of the letter, Si Nanyue looked up slightly and said to Xia Qi'an, "This mission shouldn't have been assigned to you! It's just that there was no 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, sir... This is merely my duty!" Xia Qi'an said earnestly.

"Mmm..." Si Nanyue nodded slightly.

Through this mission, Xia Qi'an had gained Si Nanyue's approval.

Seeing that Si Nanyue had no further tasks to assign, Xia Qi'an asked, "When I entered the city, I noticed the sudden curfew... May I ask if something has happened, sir?"

Si Nanyue said calmly, "The fifty thousand taels of silver for Jinling City's annual tribute this year has been stolen!"

"Oh? Who did it?" Xia Qi'an asked curiously.

"It's unclear at the moment! However, several martial artists in the Bone Forging realm who were escorting it died. The City Lord has also ordered the arrest of several related individuals and imprisoned them, which is why things are so tense!"

Xia Qi'an asked, "Do you require my assistance in investigating this matter?"

He had tasted success in the previous bandit suppression mission, and this stolen tribute silver seemed like another lucrative opportunity.

"What? You want to take the opportunity to make a fortune again?" Si Nanyue saw through Xia Qi'an's thoughts at a glance and said with a playful expression.

"Only you understand me, sir!" Xia Qi'an flattered, openly admitting his intentions.

"This matter should have been handled by the Snake Guard! However, I don't trust Chu Shiqing and his Snake Guard. If you wish to investigate this case, it is permissible!"

Si Nanyue pondered for a moment before changing her mind and agreeing to Xia Qi'an's request to investigate the tribute silver case.

Xia Qi'an tentatively asked, "What is the relationship between Lord Si Nan and Lord Chu?"

Si Nanyue's brows furrowed slightly, her expression turning serious as she said solemnly, "Why do you ask such things?"

Hearing this, Xia Qi'an opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but hesitated.

In the end, he decided to confess to Si Nanyue about his connection with Chu Shiqing.

He began by recounting his encounter with Su Mu and his subsequent joining of the Wei Dao Si.

As expected, Si Nanyue's expression gradually turned cold after listening to his words: "So! You joined the Hound Guard under Chu Shiqing's orders?"

Xia Qi'an hurriedly defended himself, "Sir, please see clearly! I was forced to agree to help him because of the debt of gratitude I owe Chu Shiqing for his recommendation."

Si Nanyue further questioned, "Then what is your intention in confessing this to me now?"

Xia Qi'an's expression was sincere as he said loudly, "Since joining the Hound Guard, I have never done anything to harm my colleagues! Moreover, I do not wish to be ostracized within the Hound Guard due to the conflict between the Hound Guard and the Snake Guard. At the same time, I do not wish to be controlled by Chu Shiqing in the future. I only wish to focus on practicing martial arts and diligently fulfilling my duties."

Si Nanyue listened to him, falling silent for a long time... Her gaze was like a torch, piercing directly through Xia Qi'an's eyes, as if trying to discern the truth of his words.

After a long while, Si Nanyue slowly spoke, "I will believe you this time, for now!"

Seeing that Si Nanyue was no longer dwelling on the matter, a heavy stone in Xia Qi'an's heart finally landed, and he felt much more relaxed.

"It's late, sir. I will not disturb your rest." As soon as Xia Qi'an finished speaking, he prepared to turn and leave.

However, just as he was about to step out of the room, he heard Si Nanyue's cold voice echo faintly, "From now on, when you report to me, control your eyes! If there is a next time, I will dig them out with my own hands!"

Xia Qi'an dared not reply at this moment, only pretending not to have heard, and quickened his pace, fleeing from the Si Nan Mansion as if escaping.

Returning home, Xia Qi'an went to Xiao Cao's bedroom and found that she had already fallen asleep.

Looking at her sprawled sleeping posture, Xia Qi'an couldn't help but smile. He gently covered her with a blanket, then turned to the training room and sat down with his legs crossed.

Afterward, he carefully took out a Vital Energy Pill and swallowed it without hesitation.

This was his eighth blood exchange, not only a massive test of his own body but also a crucial step in breaking through his martial arts realm.

After successfully completing this blood exchange, he would officially enter the ranks of the late Blood Refining Realm.

The next morning, sunlight spilled onto the earth like shattered gold.

Xia Qi'an, who had been practicing martial arts all night, showed no signs of fatigue. Instead, he was full of vigor and exuded an imposing presence.

He went into the courtyard, ready to test the results of his improved martial arts realm.

"Boom!"

Xia Qi'an threw out a punch, and a granite rock taller than a person in the garden instantly exploded, scattering everywhere like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

Having stepped into the late Blood Refining stage, Xia Qi'an's Blood Essence had surged like a turbulent tide, more than doubling. His strength had also reached an astonishing Strength of Ten Bulls.

Combined with the Great Strength Vajra Palm and his Bronze Skin-like defense, he was full of confidence. Even if he were to fight against an early Bone Forging realm martial artist, he could defeat them within a few moves.

The Extreme Wind Thunder Force, a martial art technique, was extremely difficult to cultivate and placed incredibly demanding requirements on the body's resilience.

To be safe, he decided to wait until he had completed tempering his entire body before practicing it.

Currently, however, he desperately needed a profound movement martial art technique.

This was because the Light Body Technique was far too common, offering almost negligible improvement to his combat power.

After practicing his martial arts, Xia Qi'an changed into his official uniform. Dressed and ready, he went out.

At this time, it was precisely the hour when the Jinling City constables were required to report for duty.

Xia Qi'an stepped forward and produced his waist token to identify himself.

This constable, surnamed Wang, was the very person who had been responsible for investigating the scene of the lost tribute silver case at the time.

Upon seeing Xia Qi'an enter the yamen, Captain Wang immediately stepped forward to salute, saying, "Greetings, my lord!"

Xia Qi'an asked, "Are you Captain Wang Lun?"

"I am indeed," Wang Lun replied.

Xia Qi'an continued, "I am Xia Qi'an, a Hound Guard of the Wei Dao Si! I've been ordered to investigate the case of the looted tribute silver! You were at the scene of the crime, tell me about the situation back then!"