As Sheng Wubing explained, Meng Qingshan listened intently. He carefully watched the steel needles in Sheng Wubing's hand, sensing the fierce force behind each one he sent flying. A faint understanding began to dawn on him.
At the same time, a series of notifications kept appearing in the lower-left corner of his vision:
[Your Bone-Piercing Needle received guidance from Sheng Wubing of the Seven Mysteries Sect. Bone-Piercing Needle proficiency +10!]
[Your Bone-Piercing Needle received guidance from Sheng Wubing of the Seven Mysteries Sect...]
[Your Bone-Piercing Needle received guidance from Sheng Wubing of the Seven Mysteries Sect. You have initially mastered the technique for applying force. Bone-Piercing Needle proficiency +50!]
As this notification appeared, it was as if something had clicked for Meng Qingshan. A steel needle in his hand shot forward.
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, the flying needle struck the wooden board on the wall with pinpoint accuracy, shattering it into several pieces.
Seeing this, Sheng Wubing nodded in satisfaction and said to Meng Qingshan, "Young Brother Meng, you've gained an initial grasp of the Bone-Piercing Needle technique.
"From here, it's all about painstaking practice. You'll need time to refine it carefully. Sick Guest has nothing more to teach you. The rest is up to you to understand and improve on your own."
Meng Qingshan said gratefully, "Thank you, big brother, for teaching me!"
Sheng Wubing waved a hand to indicate that there was no need for such formalities. After a couple of light coughs, he said slowly, "You gave Sick Guest one of the most enjoyable experiences of his life, while Sick Guest only taught you a single hidden weapon technique. Thinking it over, Sick Guest came out ahead."
Meng Qingshan quickly waved his hands. "That food and wine were just worldly things. How could they compare?"
Sheng Wubing clearly didn't want to discuss it further. "The rain has stopped. Sick Guest should be on his way."
With that, Sheng Wubing rose to his feet and said solemnly to Meng Qingshan, "Young Brother Meng, Sick Guest has taken down the wanted posters for these three men. So Sick Guest must take their heads with him. I hope you'll understand."
Meng Qingshan naturally had no reason to refuse Sheng Wubing's request.
He immediately cut several wooden boards and used the Bone-Piercing Nails he had just learned to join them into a wooden box.
Then he cut off the heads of "Cunning Thief" Wu Yong and "Six Hands" Liu Ying.
As for "Mountain-Splitting Saber" Jiang Pan's head, he had cut it off long ago, so he simply picked it up.
Meng Qingshan carefully placed the three heads in the wooden box. To keep them from rotting or getting infested with insects, he took special care to sprinkle a layer of lime over them before handing the box to Sheng Wubing.
Watching Meng Qingshan's smooth, practiced work, even Sheng Wubing couldn't help thinking that the man was a professional. He had already begun to wonder whether he should carry lime with him next time, just in case.
Before they parted, Sheng Wubing solemnly removed a token and handed it to Meng Qingshan.
He said, "Young Brother Meng, Sick Guest can see that you have a chivalrous heart. Though you don't concern yourself with formalities in how you act, you have principles and lines you won't cross. If you ever aspire to become a Constable, you can find Sick Guest in Dragon Talisman City, Yun Dian Prefecture."
Meng Qingshan accepted the token. A chill quickly spread from his fingertips to his palm, followed by a refreshing, soothing sensation that surged through his entire body, making him shiver with pleasure.
He immediately realized that the item was extraordinary. But when he looked up to return it, Sheng Wubing had already quietly melted into the night and vanished without a trace.
Meng Qingshan lowered his eyes and studied the token closely. Both sides were a deep black. The front and back bore the clear inscriptions "Seven Mysteries Sect" and "Wubing." Apart from that, it had no other striking features.
Seeing this, a thought crossed Meng Qingshan's mind.
Immediately, information about the token appeared before his eyes in a glowing screen:
Item: Famous Constable Token Ownership: Seven Mysteries Sect Description: It was said that King Yun Chu had once stumbled upon a piece of thousand-year-old cold iron in the Jade Cold Pond. He entrusted the precious material to a highly skilled craftsman, who carefully divided it into several pieces. Four of those pieces were forged into the Seven Mysteries Sect's Famous Constable Tokens. This black-iron token bearing the name "Wubing" was one of them. Effect: Wearing this token can calm the spirit platform and ward off inner demons. Ordinary mosquitoes, insects, and venomous creatures will avoid it at all costs, unable to come near and cause trouble.
Seeing the token's effects, Meng Qingshan couldn't help thinking, As expected of Sheng Wubing, the chief of the Four Great Constables. Nothing he considers worthy of carrying is ever ordinary. This token really is a rare treasure!
Still, an item this valuable felt like a hot potato in his hands.
Meng Qingshan thought that if he had time later, he ought to find a chance to return it to its rightful owner.
But he probably wouldn't have time to do that anytime soon.
So in the meantime, he certainly couldn't let the token's effects go to waste.
Setting aside its supposed ability to ward off inner demons and calm the spirit platform, its power to keep mosquitoes away alone was enough for Meng Qingshan to treasure it and keep it close.
After all, he'd been sleeping outdoors these past few days, and the mosquitoes around him often woke him up. They were a real nuisance.
If this thing really worked as miraculously as the description claimed, it would be even more comfortable and pleasant than using an electric mosquito repellent back in his previous life.
Before you continue