After this trip, he had not only obtained a divine art like the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill.
He had also gained a movement technique meant to save his life!
Even though the crisis had yet to pass, a faint smile could not help appearing on Qin Zheng's face.
As long as he accumulated enough merit, he could improve rapidly and break free from his predicament!
It could be said that the dark clouds pressing over Qin Zheng's head had already split open, letting through a ray of light!
With such tremendous gains, Qin Zheng had no mind to admire the prosperity of Black Goose City's western district.
Keeping his head down, he walked straight home. Half an hour later, he left the bustling western district and entered the eastern district, which was much like a slum.
Those who lived here were all poor families of Black Goose City. Their homes were rows upon rows of earthen houses, and it was rare to see even one built from bricks, tiles, mud, and stone.
Naturally, Qin Zheng's home was among them.
The alleys twisted and turned, but he quickly returned to his own house.
Wang Er had also left when Qin Zheng did.
Inside were a few crude pieces of furniture, along with the meat and medicinal herbs Wang Er had left on the earthen stove.
Qin Zheng turned and shut the door, then sat down on the bed.
With a thought, he sank his consciousness into his heart and looked at the contents of the Merit Scroll.
Qin Zheng Lifespan: 70 (17) Martial arts: Ghost-head Saber Technique (Mastery) Merit: Four qian Martial art discovered: Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell. Can be refined. Requires three qian of merit. Refine?
Beheading Shi Yan had earned him one tael and seven qian of merit.
After raising the Ghost-head Saber Technique to Mastery, he had spent one tael and three qian in total, leaving four qian.
Qin Zheng's gaze tightened slightly before he looked at the final line.
Refining the movement technique required three qian of merit, three times more than the Ghost-head Saber Technique. This showed that its quality was far superior to the Ghost-head Saber Technique.
Seeing this, Qin Zheng took the string of prayer beads from his clothes.
No one would have imagined that a High Monk Sarira was hidden among these prayer beads!
When he held the string of prayer beads in his hand, another line appeared on the Merit Scroll.
Item discovered: High Monk Sarira. Can be refined. Requires one tael of merit. Refine? Note: Refining it can grant the martial art Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill (Incomplete).
Qin Zheng's heart immediately burned with excitement.
However, refining this sarira required one tael of merit. He only had four qian at present, not enough to refine it.
Thus, Qin Zheng now faced two choices.
He could save these four qian of merit and wait until he beheaded more people, quickly accumulating a full tael to refine the sarira.
Or he could use his current four qian of merit to refine the movement technique, Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell, first.
Qin Zheng pondered for a few breaths, then said without hesitation in his heart, "Refine martial art: Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell!"
Only what was in his hands truly belonged to him.
That old bastard could come knocking at any time. Only by first learning the movement technique could he improve his chances of surviving!
As he silently spoke the words, the Merit Scroll changed. Qin Zheng's merit fell from four qian to one qian.
At the same time, a flood of memories suddenly surged into his mind.
A warm current also appeared in his legs, seeping into the muscles and bones there.
Several breaths later, the changes ceased, and Qin Zheng had completely digested the memories of this movement technique.
Qin Zheng stood and paced back and forth inside the house. He only felt that the strength in his legs had increased somewhat, making walking much easier.
He then activated the movement technique, using its unique method to exert force. With one step forward, he instantly crossed a great distance.
Qin Zheng's eyes lit up slightly. He then opened the door and began testing the movement technique on the long path outside his home.
The eastern district was home mostly to poor families. Few people stayed home during the day; almost all of them worked in the western district.
Moreover, the houses on both sides of Qin Zheng's home were vacant, so he was not worried that anyone would see him practicing martial arts.
After testing it for a while, Qin Zheng discovered that once he used the movement technique, both his speed and agility greatly improved.
This filled Qin Zheng with delight.
With this movement technique, along with the maze of twisting alleys and earthen houses in the eastern district where he lived—
Even if Shi Dian came charging to his door, he should have a considerable chance of escaping if he combined the Ghost-head Saber Technique with this movement technique.
After finishing his tests, Qin Zheng returned home and shut the door.
He had now done everything he could. All that remained was to see when that old bastard Shi Dian would come knocking.
During this time, he also had to continue working as an executioner and accumulate enough merit as quickly as possible.
Then he could refine the High Monk Sarira as soon as possible and obtain the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill!
As Qin Zheng thought this, his stomach began to growl.
Only then did he realize that he had not eaten for nearly a whole day.
As if awakened by that realization, the hunger in his body immediately swept over him in wave after wave.
It made his entire body feel somewhat weak.
Qin Zheng hurried to the stove and took out the meat Wang Er had bought.
There was rice, vegetables, and a slab of fine pork belly inside.
Smelling the rich aroma of meat drifting into his nose, Qin Zheng swallowed and immediately began making a fire to cook.
The water jar was still fairly full, so Qin Zheng did not need to fetch more water.
He rinsed the rice and steamed it, washed the vegetables and cut the meat, then heated the wok and stir-fried everything.
Qin Zheng moved deftly. Before long, a basin of white rice and a basin of twice-cooked pork with green peppers sat before him.
The fragrance of rice and meat stirred his already ravenous stomach, and he could no longer suppress his hunger.
He immediately picked up his chopsticks and began wolfing down the food.
As the food entered his stomach, he felt his guts working furiously. Then streams of warmth appeared and flowed into every part of his body.
Before he had transmigrated here, the original owner had already taken a palm strike, and his body had developed problems.
After transmigrating, he had been sent flying twice by a martial artist who had broken through the third gate. His body was already at its limit.
Only after this warm meal of meat and rice entered his stomach did his body seem to receive nourishment and begin recovering.
A short while later, both the basin of rice and the basin of meat had gone into Qin Zheng's stomach.
He smacked his lips with lingering satisfaction, feeling warm and comfortable from head to toe in a way he could not describe.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At that moment, someone knocked on the door again.
Qin Zheng's expression instantly hardened, and he reached out to seize the Ghost-head Saber.
"Brother Qin, it's me, Wang Er."
At that moment, the familiar voice sounded again from outside the door.
Gripping the Ghost-head Saber, Qin Zheng approached with his whole body tense and opened the door. He found that it was indeed the dark-skinned Wang Er.
His entire body relaxed, and he asked, "Brother Wang, why are you here?"
Wang Er's nose twitched as he smelled the lingering scent of meat in the air, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"A group of prisoners will be executed tomorrow morning. I came to ask how your recovery was going, and to let you know the news."
"But judging from your complexion, you seem to have recovered well. I won't disturb you any longer, then."
Wang Er said with a smile, then turned and left.
Watching his departing back, Qin Zheng's eyes were filled with delight.
Another group of prisoners would be executed tomorrow morning. That meant he would gain another considerable amount of merit!
Refining the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill was just around the corner!
Before you continue