Wang Yue had reached this point in his story.
His expression grew unbearably solemn.
This was a shackle of the martial path, unrelated to one's bone structure or innate gifts. Without a secret art passed down, no matter how astonishing one's talent, breaking through beyond Internal Strengthening was nearly impossible.
"Mystic Power can be nurtured with heavenly treasures and earthly riches, even without a secret art to produce it."
"But without a secret art to cultivate it..."
"Transforming inner force into qi is exceedingly difficult."
He shook his head and sighed.
Qin Jiu's expression shifted. He couldn't help thinking of the Third-Order Spirit Beast Han Zheng had given him back then. Han Zheng must have wanted to use the beast to nurture Mystic Power.
"I'm still some distance from Internal Strengthening..."
"It'll take quite a while before I can break through, let alone reach the level beyond it."
"For now, I should focus on opening the meridians throughout my body as soon as possible."
"As for secret arts..."
His eyes flickered. He turned to look at the spoils on the table.
These were the things seized from Baili Ce.
Perhaps there was a secret art among them?
With that thought in mind,
Qin Jiu carefully examined everything one by one. To his disappointment, the pile contained no secret arts, nor even any manuals of martial techniques. The only papers were the secret recipe he had previously presented to Baili Ce.
"So many banknotes."
"Besides the twelve thousand taels I gave away, there are still over eight thousand taels here. Add in these pills, and the haul must be worth at least fifteen thousand taels."
"As for this Nine-Orifice Blood-Sealing Pill..."
Qin Jiu looked at a brown porcelain bottle, his brow creasing slightly.
There were six bottles of this pill,
and each bottle contained twelve pills. But he had no idea what they did.
"Uncle Wang, do you recognize this pill?"
"No."
Wang Yue examined it for a moment, then shook his head.
Seeing this, Qin Jiu figured it was most likely the medicine Ruan Chen had mentioned, bestowed by the Divine Fist Sect specifically to evade demons.
He thought it over,
then asked Wang Yue to find someone to test the pill.
Qin Jiu himself had no intention of testing it. Though Flawless made him immune to all poisons, that didn't mean he was willing to risk his life. This was hardly a desperate situation.
Before long,
a First Refining martial artist entered the courtyard.
Qin Jiu didn't waste words. He simply said that the man would receive a hundred taels of silver after testing the pill, and the man immediately tossed it into his mouth without hesitation.
"Patriarch, it seems my qi and blood have stopped flowing."
The man looked uneasy as he said, "But it doesn't affect my movements, and my strength hasn't changed either. The pill has sealed my aura. It feels a bit like feigning death, but as long as I want to, I can circulate my qi and blood in an instant and break out of this state."
"Mm."
Qin Jiu nodded slightly.
He could still sense the man clearly, but the robust qi and blood within his body lay utterly still, like a truly withered tree trunk.
This must be the pill Ruan Chen had mentioned.
"Uncle Wang, reward him."
"Thank you, Patriarch!"
The man accepted the silver and bowed excitedly.
Qin Jiu waved for him to leave.
Then he turned to Wang Yue and said decisively, "Go notify Qin Xuanzhou at once. Have him get our men in order. We're leaving Songshan County."
But early the next morning,
an unexpected figure arrived at the Qin Mansion.
"Commander Fu?"
In the reception hall,
Qin Jiu had just entered after Qin Xuanzhou notified him when he saw the visitor. It was Fu Hanchuan, who had left the city earlier. His expression was grim, and armored soldiers from the Demon Suppression Bureau stood behind him.
"May I ask what brings you to the Qin Mansion?"
"Patriarch Qin, your family was packing up supplies first thing this morning. What are you planning?"
Fu Hanchuan gave a cold snort and narrowed his eyes. "The Han Family and the people from the Divine Fist Sect outside the city were all slaughtered last night. I suspect the Qin Family is deeply involved. You'll have to come with me to the Demon Suppression Bureau for questioning."
"Commander Fu, you can't make baseless accusations."
At that, Qin Jiu's expression cooled.
"My Qin Family has always kept to itself and paid its taxes on time every year. If you have no evidence, then under the laws of Great Zhou, even if the County Magistrate himself came, he couldn't simply interrogate me."
"The law?"
"Don't you think that's laughable?"
Fu Hanchuan scoffed. "When you sent Qin Jingming and the other two to the Demon Suppression Bureau, you didn't say a word about the law. Now one prominent family after another in the Inner City has been wiped out, while the Qin Family alone remains unharmed. That alone is reason enough for me to suspect you."
"The Qin Family alone?"
"Why aren't you suspecting Canghai Martial Arts Hall?"
Qin Jiu remained calm and said evenly, "Besides, did the County Magistrate's trip to eradicate demons go smoothly? Since you've returned today, why is the steward of my mansion still nowhere to be seen?"
"If you want to interrogate me,"
"then have the County Magistrate come here in person."
"I'd also like to ask him why the steward of my mansion has vanished without a trace—neither alive nor dead."
At Qin Jiu's words,
Fu Hanchuan's pupils contracted slightly.
As if he had thought of something, his expression grew even grimmer.
"Report!"
Just then,
a figure hurried into the hall.
"Reporting to the Patriarch, someone is waiting outside the mansion. He claims to be a disciple of the Mystic Firmament Sect and requests an audience."
"The Mystic Firmament Sect?"
Qin Jiu's expression shifted.
He immediately ordered the messenger to bring them in.
Across the hall, Fu Hanchuan's expression changed. He turned and stared fixedly at the entrance.
Before long,
three figures entered the hall one after another.
The man in the lead had a weathered face and a long, deep aura that was difficult to fathom. The other two radiated the unmistakable presence of Internal Strengthening. Both were young men.
"Oh, people from the County Office are here too?"
"Perfect. That saves this old man from notifying you one by one."
"I am Zheng Dahai, an outer sect elder of the Mystic Firmament Sect. I've come to Songshan County today to recruit disciples for the sect. Please have the County Office spread the word for me: anyone in Songshan territory, whether from the Inner City or the Outer City, rich or poor, under the age of thirty, may come..."
As he spoke,
his gaze fell on Qin Jiu.
"You're the head of this household?"
"Elder, I am Qin Jiu, the current head of the Qin Family."
Qin Jiu cupped his hands in greeting.
Zheng Dahai nodded. "So young, yet already so outstanding. A fine prospect. I'd like to borrow your family's Martial Arts Arena. Would you be so kind?"
"Of course, of course."
Qin Jiu hurriedly nodded.
At the same time, a chill ran through his heart.
From several yards away, Zheng Dahai had seen through his martial realm at a glance. And the man's aura was as deep as an abyss and as imposing as a mountain—he was beyond comparison with the County Magistrate.
"Good."
Zheng Dahai looked at Fu Hanchuan and said, "Everyone, help me announce this throughout the city. Today, people may come to the Qin Family to have their bone structure assessed. Anyone accepted into the sect may bring their family along and enter the pass with the Mystic Firmament Sect."
"The Qin Family is implicated in several massacres in this county."
"We're investigating the case here."
Fu Hanchuan hesitated. "Elder Zheng, could you move to the County Office? The Martial Arts Arena there is not only larger, but much more convenient."
"..."
Zheng Dahai gave a cold snort. "What, does this old man owe you a favor now?"
"A bunch of incompetents."
"Though I've only just arrived, I can already sense that demons are running rampant in this city. Instead of slaying them, you've brought all these martial artists here to arrest people. The Great Zhou court is packed with useless fools from top to bottom. Those above want to abandon the people and retreat behind the pass, while those below, with death staring them in the face, still prey on the common folk."
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