Sword Qi Annihilates Rats (Part 2)

The next day, Xu Qian deliberately found an opportunity while Zhou Kang was making his rounds to "casually" mention that he'd seen rats active again the night before, and had "luckily" used his staff to skewer one particularly fat one.

Zhou Kang's brow, which had only just relaxed a few days prior, furrowed once more. The rat problem not being fully resolved was always a hidden danger.

Xu Qian, gauging his expression, cautiously proposed, "Captain Zhou, my hometown's near a river. When I was a kid, with nothing else to do, I liked to spear fish in the shallows with a fish spear—it trained my eyes and hands to be quick, and my aim's not bad. What do you think... let me give it a try? I'm just standing watch at night anyway with nothing else to do, so I might as well... relive my childhood?"

He said this with extreme naturalness, carrying a hint of embarrassment and a touch of eagerness, perfectly fitting the image of a young man looking for a chance to show off. Passing off "Sword Qi" as "the aim and technique honed from spearing fish" was perfectly reasonable. After all, who would bother to scrutinize the technical details of a country boy spearing fish?

Zhou Kang gave Xu Qian a skeptical look. Spearing fish? Could that really work? But remembering that the folk remedy Xu Qian had provided before was indeed effective, and that this kid seemed to have a bit of unconventional talent, he adopted a "might as well try anything" attitude and waved his hand. "Fine, if you want to mess around, go ahead. Just don't neglect your real duties. Need any tools?"

"No, no," Xu Qian quickly waved his hand. "Just an ordinary short wooden staff will do, something handy."

And so, starting that night, Xu Qian's watch duty gained an extra "recreational activity"—spearing rats.

He naturally didn't dare to use that faint "Sharpness" Qi sense like the first time. That effect was too terrifying and easy to expose. Instead, he employed another method: using only the concise and efficient "First Stab" striking technique deduced by the Dao Fruit, along with the precise predictions granted by the Qi Gazing Technique.

Even without adding Qi sense, just the Dao Fruit-optimized striking method and eyesight turned him into a terrifying "rat extermination master."

Under the Qi Gazing Technique, the rats' movement trajectories, muscle exertion, and even the direction they might dart off to next were as clear as slow motion. The short wooden staff in his hand became the most precise spear of judgment!

Whoosh!

The staff thrust out—fast! Accurate! Ruthless!

No flashy moves, just the simplest, most direct stab! Every strike was inevitably accompanied by a faint thump and the death of a rat. He deliberately aimed for the rats' heads or spines, striving for a one-hit kill to minimize suffering (mostly to minimize noise).

At first, he was a bit rusty, occasionally missing or failing to control his force, making some noise.

But soon, he grew more and more skilled. His movements flowed like water, terrifyingly precise. Later on, he could even predict the movements of two or three rats simultaneously, striking in rapid succession. As the shadow of his staff flickered, several rat corpses would appear on the ground.

This efficiency was far higher than Zhang Meng's method of relying on brute force to smash around wildly, and much quieter too.

The other jailers on duty were initially curious and watched for a bit, but seeing that he really was just using a staff to skewer rats with uncanny accuracy, they soon took it in stride. Some even jokingly called him "Yi Gun Xu."

Xu Qian just smiled sheepishly at this, explaining, "Practice makes perfect, practice makes perfect. It's the foundation I built from spearing fish."

Over the next few days, the number of rats that died under Xu Qian's "fish-spearing technique" was considerable. Especially in the area he was responsible for, rats had almost vanished, and the nights were much quieter.

When Zhou Kang learned of this, he came to observe in person. Hiding in the shadows, he watched as Xu Qian, as if with eyes in the back of his head, without even looking, whipped his staff backward and precisely pinned a rat darting out from a corner to the ground. The movement was clean and crisp, carrying an indescribable sense of coordination and explosive power, and Zhou Kang couldn't help but be secretly astonished.

[This kid, this fish-spearing skill of his, he must have practiced it down to his very bones,] Zhou Kang mused to himself. Though he felt it was a bit of a waste of talent, the results were undeniably good. The rat problem in his jurisdiction had clearly lessened, and when higher-ups came to inspect, it would reflect well on him.

So Zhou Kang not only tacitly approved of Xu Qian's actions, but even during one assembly, he gave a few unnamed words of praise, saying that someone had used their brain, thought of a solution, and shared the collective burden. His gaze even swept meaningfully over Xu Qian.

Xu Qian naturally kept his head down, putting on a humble "it's all my duty" expression.

Zhang Meng was especially excited, feeling that his buddy had gained face again, even happier than if he himself had been praised.

[Perfect!] Xu Qian gave himself a mental thumbs-up.

He had used this opportunity to practice the striking technique deduced by the Dao Fruit in real combat, further familiarizing himself with the properties of that faint "Sharpness" Qi sense (though he didn't dare use it often), while also actually solving the problem, earning more trust from Zhou Kang and recognition from his colleagues.

Most crucially, everything was conducted under the reasonable cover of the "fish-spearing technique," without arousing any suspicion. Who would have guessed that behind this seemingly unremarkable staff technique lay the suspected embryo of a peerless Sword Intent?

He had even gained a small "privilege" from it—Zhou Kang tacitly allowed him to "move around appropriately" while on duty, as long as he didn't neglect his real work.