The hour of the Tiger.
Dawn had yet to break.
Inside his lodgings.
Xu Qingxiao opened the box.
A reddish-brown pill came into view.
The pill was small. Xu Qingxiao swallowed it outright, no longer caring whether it had any side effects.
The cold within his body was growing more intense. Honestly, making it all the way home already spoke well of his constitution.
Soon after the pill slid down his throat, it began taking effect.
Like a ball of flame, it burned in his abdomen, making Xu Qingxiao feel much more comfortable all over.
The flames spread through his limbs and torso. It felt as though he were soaking in a hot spring, blissfully at ease.
After a little while, Xu Qingxiao rose and practiced the Upright Yang Fist once more. Once he had thoroughly loosened his muscles and joints, he began considering how to save himself.
"Forbidden arts?"
Of the three ways Doctor Zhao had given him to save himself, the first two were utterly unworkable.
Only the path of forbidden arts was worth trying.
But such arts were exceedingly hard to find. How could a mere place like Ping'an County possibly have one?
His head was starting to hurt.
Inside the room, Xu Qingxiao had not lit the oil lamp. Everything was pitch-black.
In the darkness, Xu Qingxiao closed his eyes. Only one phrase remained in his mind.
[Forbidden arts]
He vaguely felt he ought to know something about them, but perhaps because he had only just transmigrated and had not fully absorbed his memories, he could not recall it.
With only twenty hours left to live, Xu Qingxiao did not want to waste any time.
He could not afford to waste a single minute or second.
Yet the more urgently he felt this, the more agitated he became, and the easier it was to lose his patience.
Two hours passed.
Four hours passed.
It was already the hour of the Dragon.
Daylight had long since broken. Inside the house, Xu Qingxiao sat on a stool, still thinking with his eyes closed.
Just then, faint footsteps slowly approached.
He opened his eyes, and a knock sounded at the door.
"Brother Qingxiao, it's me."
A voice rang out. Xu Qingxiao rose and opened the door, revealing a man about his own age.
He was a fellow bailiff from Ping'an County, though Xu Qingxiao could not quite remember his name.
"What is it?"
A little curious, Xu Qingxiao asked why he had come.
"Brother Qingxiao, I brought your medicine. The county office prepared these medicinal herbs for you. They can ease the cold inside your body."
The man spoke, carrying several packets of herbs.
"Can this medicine save my life?"
Xu Qingxiao asked.
The other man immediately looked awkward. How could the herbs he carried possibly save Xu Qingxiao's life outright?
At best, they could barely ease his pain.
Seeing his expression, Xu Qingxiao understood what the herbs could do.
He said nothing and returned to his seat to continue thinking.
Seeing that Xu Qingxiao was ignoring him, the man did not take offense. After all, he was a dying man. Anyone would feel some pity for him; who would quibble over something like this?
"Brother Qingxiao, let me brew the medicine for you. It might not do much, but at least it'll help a little."
"And Brother Qingxiao, it's not necessarily hopeless. I heard the higher-ups sent someone down specifically to catch the fugitive who injured you."
"If they catch him, they might just find a way to save you."
"Still, I really don't understand it. That fugitive escaped from Southern Yu Prefecture Prison. He could have headed north and escaped with his life, but he insisted on going south. Of all places, he had to come to our Ping'an County. Once he's caught, no matter what, I'm going to give him a proper taste of our county office's tortures."
The visiting bailiff was rather talkative. He had only meant to comfort Xu Qingxiao and keep him from sinking too deeply into despair.
But those words suddenly left Xu Qingxiao stunned.
He could have gone north, yet he went south?
Indeed, north of Southern Yu Prefecture lay an unbroken stretch of mountains, wild and uninhabited. Even if prefectural officers personally gave chase, finding one living person in those endless mountains would be no easy task.
Running toward Ping'an County, where people were everywhere, made him extremely easy to expose.
Anyone with a scrap of sense would never do that, would they?
Why would he head somewhere crowded?
Could he have some purpose?
At that moment, Xu Qingxiao's mind raced. He did not even know why he was dwelling on this, but there was little else worth thinking about right now.
"Wait!"
Xu Qingxiao worked his mind, struggling to recall the memories from before his injury.
He had vaguely guessed something, but it was too hazy to piece together.
Southern Yu Prefecture!
North or south?
Ping'an County!
One term after another flashed through his mind, yet he still could not make sense of them.
Calm down.
Xu Qingxiao, calm down.
With anxiety burning inside him, Xu Qingxiao drew a deep breath and forced himself to settle down.
He could not let his mind fall into chaos. Otherwise, the more anxious he became, the more confused he would be, and the more confused he became, the more anxious he would be. Once trapped in that vicious cycle, he truly would be beyond saving.
A quarter of an hour later.
Xu Qingxiao's mind had steadied.
He began recalling events, searching his memories.
Another two hours passed. It was now the hour of the Snake.
Suddenly, his fragmented memories became whole again, and scene after scene appeared in Xu Qingxiao's mind.
Two days earlier, this body's original owner had been making his usual patrol around the county.
He had noticed something strange in a house. He had merely knocked on the door and had not even stepped inside when a figure rushed out.
It was difficult to make out the figure's features, but what had left a deep impression on Xu Qingxiao was this.
Cold emanated from every inch of that figure, whose body seemed frozen over. One casual palm strike had sent Netherworld Qi into him.
Cold!
Cold!
In that instant, it was as though a bolt of lightning flashed through his mind.
Every piece of information fell into place.
This man is a martial artist, and one who practiced a forbidden art.
He was wreathed in Nether Yin Qi. Clearly, he suffered backlash from his forbidden art. His condition was probably even worse than mine.
Instead of fleeing north to save his life, he headed south, and he specifically chose Ping'an County. He must have had something in mind.
He was looking for a way to dispel the Netherworld Qi.
Xu Qingxiao's thoughts suddenly cleared. Using what little information he had, he worked through it step by step.
Nothing happened by chance.
There were no fools in this world.
The man knew perfectly well that heading north could save his life. No matter how seriously the court pursued him, it would still be a hundred times better than coming to Ping'an County.
But why had he come to Ping'an County?
Had he run out of options? Lost his mind?
That was clearly impossible.
The only explanation was that Ping'an Commandery was important to him. What mattered most to someone who practiced forbidden arts?
His own life, of course. After all, practicing forbidden arts brought terrifying backlash.
So he had come looking for a way to counteract it.
Ping'an County very likely held such a remedy.
But what was that remedy?
Xu Qingxiao racked his brains, thinking furiously.
Yet this was where he hit a wall.
What remedy could a tiny place like Ping'an Commandery possibly have?
Its terrain? A treasure? Or another forbidden art?
Xu Qingxiao considered each possibility in turn, until he came to forbidden arts.
Bang!
In an instant, Xu Qingxiao stood up, shock showing in his eyes.
A mere place like Ping'an Commandery certainly had no blessed grotto or sacred paradise. If it did, the court would have requisitioned it long ago. How could it have remained untouched until now?
As for treasures, that was even less likely. Even if Ping'an County really had one, it would have been offered up long ago. And if someone had secretly hidden it, a fugitive could not possibly have known about it.
So the only possibility was that Ping'an Commandery harbored a forbidden art.
And this forbidden art was very likely a Pure Yang Unorthodox Art, capable of dispelling the Nether Yin Qi within him.
Yes.
Yes.
That had to be it.
Xu Qingxiao drew a deep breath, increasingly certain that his conjecture was correct.
But a new problem arose.
If there truly was a forbidden art.
Where was it?
Just as Xu Qingxiao pondered without finding an answer, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Brother Qingxiao, I've put the medicine on to brew. Remember to drink it in an hour. Don't forget, or it'll be trouble if it boils dry."
It was the colleague who had come earlier, reminding him to drink his medicine.
Hearing his voice, Xu Qingxiao could not help asking.
"Little brother, during the two days I've been away, has anything particularly strange happened at the county office? For example, has security been increased anywhere?"
Xu Qingxiao asked.
"Anything particularly strange? Apart from that fugitive, what else could be strange?"
"But they have increased security a little. Several extra men were assigned to guard our county office's Document Archive. I don't know why."
The man's answer lifted Xu Qingxiao's spirits.
"The Document Archive?"
The Document Archive was where case files were kept. Since the Female Emperor had ascended the throne, every city, county, village, and town had been required to establish a Document Archive to stabilize the realm. Whenever bailiffs and constables investigated cases or carried out their duties, someone had to record every detail.
These records were compiled into files and stored in the Document Archive. If someone sought redress for an injustice and no file existed, the local magistrate could lose his office at best or be sentenced to exile at worst. Copies of major case files also had to be sent to the prefectural city, so there was little concern that someone might burn down the Document Archive to cover things up.
"Brother Qingxiao, why are you asking about this?"
The man asked curiously.
"Nothing, just asking. Who's guarding the Document Archive now? Who's in charge?"
Xu Qingxiao asked.
"Constable Chen is in charge."
The other man answered honestly.
Xu Qingxiao nodded but said nothing more.
"Brother Qingxiao, take care of yourself. I'll be going now."
Seeing that Xu Qingxiao had nothing more to say, the man cupped his hands in farewell. Xu Qingxiao returned the gesture, then closed the door.
There's a forbidden art in the Document Archive.
I can't be completely certain, but it's almost certainly there.
But getting inside is another problem.
Xu Qingxiao gave a wry smile.
He felt as though Heaven were toying with him, offering him hope only to place another obstacle in his path.
Even normally, the Document Archive could not be entered freely; an authorization token was required. With security now increased, sneaking inside was practically impossible.
And Constable Chen was leading the guards.
He was a Tenth Rank martial artist.
A ranked martial artist had the strength of an ox and the experience of a hundred battles. If Xu Qingxiao tried brute force, even ten of him could not defeat a single one of the man's hands.
If he tried persuasion, given Constable Chen's temperament, his chances were probably even worse.
Difficult.
Difficult.
Difficult.
Xu Qingxiao's head felt ready to burst.
Was staying alive really this difficult?
Feeling rather dejected, Xu Qingxiao poured himself a bowl of tea.
But just as his lips touched the tea.
Suddenly, Xu Qingxiao's eyes lit up. He had thought of a way.
Before you continue