This Man Was No Ordinary Person

Xie An stopped ten meters away from Zhang Biao and observed him for a while. Only after confirming that the other man's brains had spilled out did he approach. He kicked Zhang Biao's corpse, which lay as limp as a dead fish, twice, then sat down and gasped heavily.

Huff, huff.

"After that standoff, I'm truly exhausted. So this is a martial artist who has just entered the Bronze Skin Realm? He really was difficult to deal with!"

Xie An felt that if they had fought barehanded at close range, he would have been completely confident in crushing the other man to death with his overwhelming strength.

But the other man was skilled with a saber, while Xie An knew nothing about weapons. If they had truly engaged in close combat, he might actually have been killed in a counterattack.

"Becoming a martial artist through the Health Cultivation Technique and wielding the power of slaughter... it's still too slow. That Old Mr. Tang probably accumulated power for several decades before becoming a martial master through the Health Cultivation Technique. If I don't want to wait for decades, I still need to practice martial arts."

Along the way, Xie An had killed Zhang Bing, Lu Wei, Zhang Wei, Li Wei, Wang Wu, and A San. But never once had a confrontation left him as exhausted as today's.

Although Xie An had known from the very beginning that he could take the victory steadily, the standoff had lasted nearly half an hour. The process had been far too torturous.

Killing a martial artist in the Bronze Skin Realm had been this troublesome.

In the end, his strength was still too weak.

The Health Cultivation Technique was fine for strengthening the body, increasing longevity, and living forever.

But killing techniques still required practicing martial arts.

If his strength were sufficient, why would he need to take so many twists and turns?

"Once I join White Feather Hall and save up some money, I'll begin practicing martial arts."

Xie An made up his mind, then stretched his muscles and bones before searching Zhang Biao's body.

Good grief... Zhang Biao had casually named sums of five hundred or two thousand taels, yet all his worldly possessions amounted to only ten silver taels.

That man sure knew how to brag...

After looting the money and finding no other martial arts manuals, Xie An turned and left.

The arrows had been ordinary goods Xie An had bought on the open market. Even if they remained at the scene, they would not be enough to make anyone suspect him.

Killing Zhang Biao on New Year's Eve had not originally been part of Xie An's plan.

He had intended to cultivate for a few more months before making his move. But Zhang Biao had been acting up lately, suspecting him one moment and ordering Constable Liu He to torture and interrogate his own disciple the next.

Xie An was worried that if this fellow kept stirring things up, he might actually uncover some clues.

To avoid allowing trouble to grow with time, I had no choice but to trouble myself a little.

By the time he returned to the small room in the rear courtyard of the pawnshop, it was already the Hour of the Tiger.

The sky had yet to brighten.

The room was warm from the still-burning brazier. The two little disciples were still sleeping soundly, their snores steady and even.

Xie An had just killed someone—and a martial artist in the Bronze Skin Realm at that. The excitement still lingered in his heart, leaving him with no desire to sleep. To avoid disturbing his two disciples' sweet dreams, Xie An did not practice the Five Animal Play. Instead, he sat cross-legged and began practicing the Fetal Breathing Technique.

Huff, huff.

He suppressed his breathing so that it no longer entered through his mouth or nose, imagining his Mingmen and dantian pressing against each other. After a brief pause, he guided the qi from his lower dantian upward to the Mysterious Pass Acupoint...

This was the fetal-breathing method of the second form of the Three Styles Method, the Heavenly Phoenix Form.

After a moment, Xie An found his state and began imagining himself breathing through his navel. He directed his intent from the perineum upward along the Conception Vessel to the navel, keeping his mind focused on the navel as he exhaled.

This was the fetal-breathing method of the third form of the Three Styles Method, the Navel Yin Style.

After several months of practice, Xie An had gained an initial adaptation to the Fetal Breathing Technique. Although he was still some distance from breathing without his mouth or nose, he had already touched the threshold of entry.

Fetal Breathing Technique: Three Styles Method (93/100)

"It's about to break through. I wonder whether breaking through will increase my lifespan... and whether I'll be able to breathe without my nose and mouth?"

The next day was the first day of the first lunar month.

All things revived, flourishing with vitality.

The Spring Festival was the most important holiday of the year in Great Qian. The Imperial Court placed great importance on it, designating the first day of the first lunar month as "New Year's Day" and holding activities such as exchanging New Year greetings and eating New Year's Eve dinner. It also stipulated a seven-day holiday for the Spring Festival, along with the custom of "nine days of relaxed travel and one day of leisure."

Thus, Wuqiao Town was not bustling on the first day of the new year. Every shop had its doors shut, while shopkeepers and workers had returned home to guard their wives and children beside their warm brick beds.

Business at the Blood Ridge Black Market had also fallen off considerably, leaving the place rather desolate.

As the guard-in-charge of the Blood Ridge Black Market, Zhang Lin still had to remain behind. He had to maintain order in the Blood Ridge Black Market and protect the goods and other property there. Several of his trusted aides had stayed behind with him as well.

At last night's New Year's Eve dinner, Zhang Lin and several of his subordinates had drunk too much, so they rose late in the morning.

Zhang Lin had just finished breakfast when he saw Zhou Xing rush in with a saber, looking frantic.

"Chief, something terrible has happened."

Zhang Lin could not help scolding him. "It's only the first day of the new year, and you're already rushing about in such a panic. What kind of conduct is that? What happened?"

Zhou Xing was gasping for breath. His face was deathly pale, and even his voice trembled. "Constable Zhang Biao... was killed."

"What?"

Zhang Lin, who had always been composed, lost his composure and sprang to his feet. "You... are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I saw Constable Zhang Biao's corpse on the mountain road nearby while patrolling this morning."

"Take me there immediately."

Zhang Lin no longer cared about "proper conduct." He hurried out with Zhou Xing, seeming even more agitated than Zhou Xing himself.

Zhang Biao had been his archenemy for many years. Aside from their conflicting philosophies, the two also had a personal grudge. Although Zhang Lin prided himself on being slightly stronger than Zhang Biao and looked down on him as a mere beneficiary of connections, the man's backers were powerful. Zhang Lin had been helpless against him. That was why, whenever he saw Xie An, he had repeatedly extended an olive branch, even hinting at things... all in the hope of borrowing Xie An's hand to kill Zhang Biao.

But after Xie An repeatedly declined, Zhang Lin had also realized that the old man was extremely cautious. He had not held out much hope.

Who would have thought that just after the New Year... Zhang Biao would die?

This New Year's gift... had arrived far too promptly.

Still, before seeing Zhang Biao's corpse, Zhang Lin continued to find it unbelievable.

It was only when Zhang Lin truly saw Zhang Biao's corpse on the mountain road that he dared believe it was real.

"Chief, who would be so bold as to assassinate a constable of White Feather Hall... Have they gone mad?" Zhou Xing's face was bloodless. Although he had not joined White Feather Hall long ago, he knew that throughout Qingwu County, there were only a handful of forces that dared move against the Tiger Wolf Gate.

Killing a constable was absolutely no small matter.

Zhang Lin began carefully examining the scene.

Watching his chief pace back and forth, Zhou Xing could not help asking curiously, "Chief, what are you doing?"

"I want to see how Zhang Biao died."

Zhou Xing was startled. "How he died?"

While studying the traces left at the scene, Zhang Lin analyzed in his mind the circumstances surrounding Zhang Biao's death. "Zhang Biao should have been riding alone along the road. The first hoofprints were slow, which shows that he had not sensed any danger at the time and was simply ambling along. Then the hoofprints suddenly quickened... He should have been shot with an arrow, frightening the horse. But Zhang Biao himself was not hit."

Zhou Xing listened in a daze, growing deeply interested. "And then?"

"Then... the horse's head was pierced by an arrow. The killer used a heavy bow. To shoot a man, first shoot his horse."

"And then?"

"Then Zhang Biao hid behind a poplar tree and engaged in a circling standoff with the killer..." Based on the traces at the scene, Zhang Lin had actually deduced roughly what had happened.

After hearing it all, Zhou Xing could not help drawing in a sharp breath. "This killer is a ruthless veteran! He killed Zhang Biao just like that, without expending the slightest effort."

Even Zhang Lin could not help admiring him. "From the very beginning, the other party had accounted for every one of Zhang Biao's actions. This killer was like a seasoned hunter—ruthless, steady, and experienced. This man was no ordinary person."

Zhou Xing shuddered with lingering fear. "Then I'll send people to investigate the killer."

Smack.

Zhang Lin suddenly smacked Zhou Xing on the head. "Investigate my ass. It was nothing more than bandits causing trouble because food was scarce in winter. Constable Zhang Biao was carrying a fortune and happened to draw the bandits' attention."

Zhou Xing's mouth fell wide open. No matter how I look at it, this doesn't seem like the work of bandits. It was clearly the work of a vicious, seasoned killer.

Zhang Lin glared at him. "Hm? Do you have a better opinion?"

Zhou Xing suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly shook his head like a rattle drum. "No, no. Chief, you're right. It was the work of the bandits from Great Yin Mountain."

Only then was Zhang Lin satisfied. "A killer like this is not someone you or I can investigate. Don't go looking for trouble for no reason. Take the horse and Constable Zhang Biao's corpse back, and report it according to what I just said."