The streets bustled with noise. People streamed past without end, and the whole place hummed with life.
Even though the area around Ding County was far from peaceful, people still had to live. Every day, they hurried about to put food on the table.
Qin An and Chen Chun walked down the street.
Chen Chun kept glancing at Qin An. He wanted to speak, but he did not know how to begin.
Qin An glanced at him. "If you have something to say, say it."
Chen Chun came to his senses. "With things as dangerous as they are, is it wise for us to stroll down the street like this?"
The Two Monster Factions were watching them, and the Yamen wanted him dead as soon as possible. Although Qin An's actions yesterday had torn Flying Cloud Gorge apart, the two remaining monster factions would not be easy to handle either.
Yet here Qin An was, shopping. Chen Chun found his thinking rather absurd.
Qin An nodded. "Work and rest in balance."
Chen Chun nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood.
He desperately wanted to say that the monster factions were not "work," and what they were doing now was hardly "rest."
But when he remembered Qin An's calm face as he struck down Second Master Eagle, Chen Chun found he could not say it.
A commotion rose not far away. Quite a few people had gathered to watch.
Before long, the crowd scattered with a roar, as though they had spotted a nest of foul-smelling maggots.
Qin An frowned and looked toward the noise. Several commoners in cloth clothes had fallen to the ground.
A dozen or so constables surrounded them, kicking them viciously.
As they kicked, they cursed.
"You can't pay up, yet you still dance? Clerk Wang merely took a liking to your daughter, and you don't even know what's good for you."
"You should count it a blessing that he noticed her. You ought to be thanking him, but you dared to bite him."
"Beat them. Beat them hard."
Clerk Wang took a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his palm, his face cold and severe.
A scrawny young girl with wispy yellow hair lay on the ground, her right cheek swollen as she cried out in pain.
The others curled up with their arms over their heads, trying only to protect their vital spots as they begged for mercy over and over.
The Ding County Yamen's abuse of the people had become routine. Those nearby lowered their heads, afraid even to look, and no one dared step forward to stop it.
Seeing this, Qin An walked over.
Chen Chun paused in surprise, then followed him.
After what had happened yesterday, he knew his identity had been exposed. Both sides had practically laid their cards on the table.
There was no great harm in walking up to Clerk Wang now.
Clerk Wang was in an excellent mood.
Second Master Eagle had gone to Qin An's place last night. Clerk Wang reckoned Qin An was a corpse by now, so he had personally brought men out to patrol the streets.
When he spotted a pretty young woman among these dancers, wicked thoughts stirred in him.
He had not expected the girl to bite him. Rage burned in his chest.
"Beat them until they're crippled. Take that scruffy girl away, and toss the others some silver." Clerk Wang rubbed his fleshy face.
A voice suddenly sounded.
"Clerk Wang, why get so angry?"
Clerk Wang turned instinctively. "When I do something, who dares interfere?"
His next words reached his lips, but he could not force them out.
His expression shifted from confusion to surprise, then finally to terror.
"Y-you... you're not dead?"
Qin An raised an eyebrow. "A rather large eagle flew into my house last night, so I roasted it. That feathered beast dared to hurt people. It was asking for death."
Feathered beast?
Every hair on Clerk Wang's body stood on end. Forgetting everything else, he bolted down the street.
He was afraid to die.
Clerk Wang knew exactly what Qin An's words meant.
Second Master Eagle was probably dead, killed by Qin An—and perhaps even roasted by him.
Though they were in a crowded street and he was certain Qin An would not dare attack, once fear of death took hold, his legs would not obey him.
The dozen or so constables stared at Qin An as if they had seen a ghost. Once Clerk Wang fled, they did not dare linger either and hurried after him.
The people nearby saw it happen, and many looked baffled.
A few who recognized Qin An were even more puzzled.
How had the butcher who suffered under the Yamen's thumb alongside them frightened off Clerk Wang today?
Qin An walked over, crouched down, and picked up a book that had fallen onto the ground.
It was a book about dance.
Great Qian had many troupes of dancers like these. There were female dancers, and male dancers were common as well.
Much like street performers, they earned their living by dancing.
In some prosperous cities, dancers even lived quite well.
With Clerk Wang frightened away, the dancers struggled to their feet.
Despite their injuries, they looked at Qin An with fear in their eyes.
After a moment's thought, Qin An dropped some silver. "I'll buy this book."
With that, he stood and headed home.
Dancers were known for their dancing. Men's dances were vigorous and powerful, with nimble footwork.
He happened to be looking to unlock a new profession, one that would suit the Azure Bird Leap movement technique. Was the Dancer Profession not exactly what he needed?
Now that he had found a way to unlock a new profession, Qin An had no intention of wandering any longer. He meant to go back and try it.
Chen Chun caught up with him. "We're just leaving?"
Qin An said, "Should I cut him down in the street?"
Chen Chun shook his head. "I thought you were always reckless."
Without looking back, Qin An said, "That only happens in storybooks."
Chen Chun turned to look at the money pouch in the dancers' hands. It bulged with silver; Qin An had given them no small amount.
What a strange man. He seems coldhearted, yet he has plenty of sympathy for the weak.
Once they returned to the house, Qin An and Chen Chun ate a little.
"I have something to do. Don't disturb me."
Qin An said it calmly, tucked the dance book into his clothes, and went into his room.
Chen Chun had long since grown used to Qin An's aloofness. He returned to his room to continue recovering from his injuries.
Inside his room, Qin An slid the door bolt into place, opened the dance book, and read it carefully.
With his Scholar Talent, Qin An read quickly. Before long, he had committed everything the book taught to memory.
The book was fairly detailed and included dances performed by men.
After a little thought, Qin An began practicing as the book described.
To get started with the Dancer Profession, he only needed to learn the basics.
At first, Qin An stumbled through the movements.
But as time passed, his movements grew more and more fluid.
In the dim yellow light, every movement he made held a vigorous beauty. Gradually, he brought every muscle in his body under perfect control.
A short while later, a line of mist appeared before Qin An's eyes.
[Dancer Profession lv.1 (0/100): Your dancing is more graceful.]
There it is!
Qin An's eyes lit up.
After practicing for so long, he had finally unlocked a new profession.
Now that he had unlocked the Dancer Profession, Qin An could not hold back.
It was not yet dark, so he continued dancing in the room.
His proficiency began to rise slowly.
The Yamen.
Clerk Wang drank several cups of tea in one go before the terror in his heart finally eased.
Sweat covered his forehead and dripped from his fleshy chin to the floor, but he paid it no mind.
Clerk Wang hurled his cup to the ground. "Someone! Ready a carriage. I'm going to the River Blade Sect!"
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