The next day.
The sunlight streamed through the window, and birds were the first to break the silence.
After getting up, Qin An devoted himself to practicing his dancer proficiency.
He had unlocked the dancer profession yesterday, but Ding County was not safe. To keep his energy up, he had not stayed awake late.
Judging by Clerk Wang's expression when he saw him, the next few days should be peaceful.
Footsteps sounded outside the door. Chen Chun was up.
After several days of rest, Chen Chun's injuries were seventy to eighty percent healed, but he did not dare disturb Qin An.
Only when the streets grew noisy did Chen Chun see Qin An open his door and come out.
"Let's eat first," Qin An said briefly, a sharp blade hanging at his waist.
That morning, his dancer proficiency had risen by twenty points. Level two was not far off.
Before the troops moved, provisions had to go ahead. Qin An planned to eat before doing anything else.
Chen Chun was hungry too. He followed Qin An out, and the two left together.
After eating, Qin An returned to his room, shut the door, and continued practicing his dancer proficiency.
Chen Chun did not know what Qin An was doing, but Qin An had told him not to disturb him, so he did not go in uninvited.
His injuries still needed a little more time to heal. Chen Chun sat cross-legged in the main room and began circulating the Blazing Flame Cultivation Method.
Time passed. The noise outside gradually faded, and darkness began to spread.
When night fell, Chen Chun suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the door.
A faint sound came from the doorway. A thin, sallow-faced girl held the doorframe and looked timidly at Chen Chun.
Chen Chun froze for a moment, then recognized her. She was the dancer Qin An had met not long ago.
Because of Qin An, the girl had escaped Clerk Wang's clutches, and her companions had received a considerable sum of money.
Chen Chun frowned. "Why have you come here?"
He could not work out her purpose.
The situation was unstable. For the girl to appear suddenly, something unusual must have happened.
They had to proceed with care.
The girl drew her head in and kept her eyes on her toes, not daring to meet his gaze. "Where is that gentleman? This humble girl has something to tell him."
Chen Chun's frown deepened. He knew she had come to find Qin An. After a moment's thought, he rose to tell him.
But the door suddenly opened, and Qin An stepped out. He looked at the girl calmly.
"Come inside and talk."
It was nearly dark, and the girl had come alone. Qin An did not know why.
But from the look of her, it was no small matter.
Still shrinking into herself, the girl entered the room cautiously, not daring to meet Qin An's eyes.
Qin An said slowly, "I'm not a man-eating tiger. Lift your head."
The girl startled and hurriedly raised her head, her hands and feet trembling despite herself.
She had seen Clerk Wang run away with her own eyes.
Clerk Wang, who usually threw his weight around, had fled at the sight of this man. That proved this man was even more frightening.
She was only a commoner, but she knew perfectly well that she could not afford to offend him.
Seeing how frightened she was, Qin An tapped a finger on the table. "Go on."
Her fear had built up over a long time, especially here in Ding County. It could not be undone in a day.
Since he could not fix that, he might as well get down to business.
The girl twisted her hands together. "I saw Lord Wang leave the city last night. I knew there was bad blood between you and him, sir. I thought it over and decided I should come tell you."
She had thought about it for a long time before deciding to come and tell Qin An what she had seen last night.
For no other reason than that Qin An had stood up for them.
Qin An frowned. "Which way did he go?"
Leaving the city at a time like this—what that meant was plain enough.
He did not believe Clerk Wang had run away.
Clerk Wang had built up his position here over many years. It would be a joke if he simply fled now.
"North," the girl said quietly.
Chen Chun stood up. "That's bad."
The moment he said it, he felt Qin An's gaze sweep over him. He calmed himself and sat back down.
Qin An said, "I see. It's late. Go home for now."
The girl gave a soft murmur of assent. She glanced at Qin An once more, as if trying to commit him to memory, then left.
Once she was gone, Qin An looked at Chen Chun. "She's an ordinary commoner. Were you planning to drag her into this?"
Chen Chun smiled awkwardly.
He knew what Qin An meant. The girl had come because of Qin An, and his hasty reaction had nearly made him blurt something out.
It would be bad for her if she heard something she should not.
Qin An asked, "What's to the north?"
Chen Chun quickly answered, "There's an organization called the River Blade Sect. It has long had ties to the Yamen. I'd guess Clerk Wang went there for help."
Qin An rubbed his chin. "The River Blade Sect. Interesting."
The first cultivation method he had obtained was the River Blade Sect's Cold Source Cultivation Method. It had allowed him to step onto the path of cultivation.
Zhao Jinsheng had grown greedy back then, only for Qin An to kill him instead. He was still buried underground.
"How long does it take to get from the Yamen to the River Blade Sect?" Qin An tapped a finger lightly on the table.
Chen Chun answered without thinking. "If he set out last night, with the roads hard to travel in the dark, about a day. He should be on his way back tonight."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Chun realized something was wrong and looked sharply at Qin An.
"You're thinking of..."
Qin An rested a hand on his blade and rose. "Let's go. Tonight's a good night for killing."
The Yamen was fraught with danger. Clerk Wang was a major problem, and disposing of him inside the city would be difficult.
But now that he had left the city, it was time for Qin An to act.
If Clerk Wang died out there, it would have nothing to do with him. The man would simply have been unlucky.
Chen Chun hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and followed Qin An out.
Deep night. No moon.
Clear Spring River was less than ten li from the Yamen.
Dressed in black, Clerk Wang hurried toward the county town under cover of night.
He had reached the River Blade Sect that morning and told them all about Qin An.
He had always treated the River Blade Sect with the utmost respect. Its disciples had recently gone missing, and although the matter remained unresolved, Clerk Wang had paid no shortage of tribute.
Half the money he had recently squeezed out of people had gone to the River Blade Sect, placating Sect Leader Liu for the time being.
Only because he had nowhere else to turn had he gone alone to seek the River Blade Sect's help.
This trip, he had offered up his entire fortune, asking only for their aid.
As for the missing disciples, he had repeatedly assured them that he would find them.
Whether swayed by the money or not, Sect Leader Liu had told him to return to the Yamen without worry. He would deal with Qin An in the coming days.
Reassured, Clerk Wang felt somewhat calmer and hurried home through the night.
Ahead, the outline of Clear Spring River appeared and disappeared in the darkness, accompanied by the murmur of flowing water.
Once he crossed the river, Ding County would not be far away.
A wooden bridge stood nearby. Clerk Wang was about to step onto it and cross quickly.
Qin An, in a few days, you'll be dead.
That thought ran through Clerk Wang's mind as he walked.
Sect Leader Liu was an expert who had been at the Body Infusion Realm for years. Unlike Second Master Eagle, he could kill Qin An as easily as turning over his hand.
Clerk Wang felt his good days were about to begin.
Just then, a spray of water burst from the river, and a cold gleam flashed.
Before you continue