"Five Viscera Internal Cultivation Art"!
The moment Qin Zheng saw this booklet, his eyes lit up sharply.
In an instant, fierce joy surged like a tidal wave, whipping up towering billows.
Ever since he had begun practicing martial arts, the inner body realm had always been what constrained him.
Otherwise, with the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill's unique nature—one thousand jin per level, thirteen levels would mean thirteen thousand jin.
Without the inner body's restrictions, he would have long since pushed this martial art to perfection in one burst of momentum.
With thirteen thousand jin of peerless strength, even across all of Qing Province, few would likely be his match!
With such immense power at his side, he could go anywhere beneath heaven!
And now, at last, this ray of dawn had shone upon him!
So long as he refined this inner cultivation art, he could strengthen his inner body and advance his realm at the fastest possible speed!
At the same time, he could raise the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill without restraint!
Increase his own strength!
Qin Zheng suppressed the excitement in his heart, took the inner cultivation art from the jade box, and began to read through it.
Bang! Bang!
However, before he could finish reading, knocking suddenly sounded from one side of the secret chamber.
The disturbance instantly made Qin Zheng tense.
He tucked the inner cultivation art into his clothes and cautiously listened for the direction of the knocking.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Clang clang!
After holding his breath and waiting several moments, the knocking sounded again, accompanied by what seemed to be the rattle of chains.
This time, Qin Zheng identified the precise location of the sound.
He immediately walked to the wall from which it came.
There seemed to be someone behind this wall.
Thinking of the old monk Chongming, who had not returned for so long, Qin Zheng immediately formed a guess.
He felt around the wall for a while, then several moments later found an unusual stone.
After twisting it, the wall slowly opened like a door.
A quiet passageway came into view as well.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Clang clang~
The crashing and the sound of chains striking one another became much clearer.
Qin Zheng narrowed his eyes, gripped the Ghost-Head Saber tightly, and stepped into the passage.
The passage was about ten meters long. Qin Zheng crossed it in just a few steps and reached the other side.
This was another silent secret chamber.
But the person who appeared here was beyond Qin Zheng's expectations.
The person imprisoned here was not the old monk Chongming Qin Zheng had expected, but the yamen's Bailiff Xu Sanwei!
His entire body was bound in iron chains, and even his mouth had been gagged. He could only slam his head against the wall to make noise.
"Bailiff Xu?"
Qin Zheng stepped forward and removed the gag from his mouth.
"Damn Zhang Xiuwen! I'll kill him, I swear!!"
The instant he could speak, Bailiff Xu began cursing furiously, his chest heaving violently with rage.
Qin Zheng said nothing, though doubt rose in his heart.
This Bailiff Xu was one of Magistrate Gao Wusheng's men, and Zhang Xiuwen, the bandits' leader, was also one of Gao Wusheng's men.
The two belonged to the same camp, so why had Xu Sanwei been imprisoned here?
Had it been Ji Changyin imprisoned here instead, Qin Zheng could still have understood.
After Xu Sanwei's anger subsided, his spirit seemed to collapse with it. His face was bloodless and pale as paper.
He turned to look at Qin Zheng, surprise in his eyes, as though shocked that Qin Zheng would appear here.
But he seemed to think of something. Frowning, he asked, "Did you kill Zhang Xiuwen?"
This was Zhang Xiuwen's forbidden ground. Aside from Zhang Xiuwen himself, no second person could come here.
Qin Zheng did not answer. Instead, he swept his gaze across the dim surroundings and asked, "Where is Captain Ji?"
The moment he spoke, Xu Sanwei fell silent for a moment before saying, "Dead."
Qin Zheng's mind shook violently. He abruptly turned to stare at Xu Sanwei.
Ji Changyin had been a garrison captain appointed by the imperial court, responsible for overseeing punishments in Black Goose City.
Now that he had died here, this was no ordinary matter!
His status was not comparable to that of common constables and soldiers!
With Ji Changyin dead, the imperial court would surely send people to investigate!
How could Gao Wusheng dare do this? Could he truly handle the consequences?
Xu Sanwei seemed to understand Qin Zheng's thoughts. He gave a soft laugh and said, "Knowing Zhang Xiuwen as I do, he probably told you a few things."
"Stop thinking about it. Magistrate Gao's backing is far more terrifying than you imagine."
"You're quite a talent, kid. Your martial arts are so strong, yet you were willing to hide away in Black Goose City as a little executioner."
"Come on, help me cut these chains off. Being locked up like this is too damn uncomfortable."
Qin Zheng did not move.
Xu Sanwei gave a bitter smile and continued, "Don't worry. Although I work for Gao Wusheng, I don't obey his every command."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have been locked up here. Consider this a warning from him."
"Help me cut the chains, and whatever you want to know, so long as I know it, I can tell you."
Only then did Qin Zheng step forward and swing his saber, severing several chains binding Xu Sanwei.
Once freed from his restraints, Xu Sanwei seemed to lose all support and instantly collapsed to the floor, gulping down great breaths of air.
Several moments later, Xu Sanwei finally forced himself upright again.
"You killed Zhang Xiuwen. Gao Wusheng will definitely notice something, and his men should arrive after a while."
Xu Sanwei spoke first as a warning to Qin Zheng, then continued, "So ask whatever you want."
"But I can tell you this: I never took Gao Wusheng's Brain-Devouring Pill, so I don't know much. Most of it is merely my own conjecture."
Qin Zheng nodded, then asked, "Why did Gao Wusheng have the bandits come down the mountain to attack the city?"
The gold, silver, and treasures he had seen in Zhang Xiuwen's secret chamber were enough to show how much wealth these bandits had plundered for him.
But having the bandits descend the mountain to attack the city seemed to bring him no benefit whatsoever.
Xu Sanwei's eyes flickered slightly at this. Then he said, "He must have his reasons. I can probably guess one of them: depletion!"
"By having the bandits descend the mountain and attack the city, he can use the opportunity to weaken the garrison outside the city and remove the disobedient people in the yamen."
"If I'm not mistaken, he must have gathered the various forces and martial arts experts within Black Goose City, promising them rewards if they left the city to suppress the bandits."
"So he can also use the bandits' hands to weaken the various factions in Black Goose City."
"Black Goose City was his to begin with. Once both the obedient and disobedient have all been weakened, it will become his personal fiefdom, where his word alone counts."
"Moreover, after wiping out so many bandits, he can gain some reputation from the imperial court."
"With this one move, he truly becomes the biggest winner!"
Such scheming, such strategy!
Qin Zheng narrowed his eyes and suppressed the shock in his heart.
Then he continued, "You said his backing is terrifying. Who exactly stands behind him?"
Xu Sanwei pondered briefly before answering, "Do you know there is a saying among the common people of the Great Jin Dynasty?"
"Wang and Gao share the realm!"
Before you continue