Inside the room.
Everyone's expression changed.
The word "above" exerted an inexplicable pressure on them all.
Above Ping'an Commandery and its counties stood only Southern Yu Prefecture.
The Great Wei Dynasty was divided into commanderies, prefectures, counties, towns, and villages.
Southern Yu Prefecture was equivalent to a "city" in his previous life, while Ping'an County was a county under its jurisdiction.
Anyone sent down from the prefecture was a high-ranking official. Even the least of them stood a head above the county magistrate.
Constable Chen did not hesitate. He immediately rose and left briskly with his men, without another word.
After Constable Chen and the others departed.
Only Doctor Zhao and Xu Qingxiao remained in the room.
The room was very quiet.
Doctor Zhao said nothing, merely simmering medicine for Xu Qingxiao.
Xu Qingxiao said nothing either, quietly considering matters.
About a quarter of an hour passed.
Once everything outside had been completely quiet for some time, Doctor Zhao spoke.
"I find it hard to believe you managed to break out of such a predicament. Young friend, you truly are a dragon or phoenix among men."
Doctor Zhao's voice rang out.
He could not help expressing his admiration.
The cold poison in Xu Qingxiao's body had completely dissipated. Others might find that inexplicable, but he understood better than anyone.
Upon hearing Doctor Zhao's words.
Xu Qingxiao made no attempt to conceal anything. Doctor Zhao was an intelligent man; continuing to deceive him would be rather dishonorable.
"I owe it all to you for pointing me toward a way forward."
Xu Qingxiao slowly stood. Though injured, he had rested for half a day and was doing reasonably well. At least standing was no problem.
"Ah."
But Doctor Zhao did not accept his gratitude. Instead, he sighed and shook his head.
"Young friend Qingxiao, although you escaped this calamity, another awaits you, and it will likely be troublesome."
Doctor Zhao offered this as a warning.
Xu Qingxiao immediately understood what he meant.
Having the cold poison cured was good news for him, but not for Ping'an County.
Someone certain to die had suddenly recovered.
Who would not harbor suspicions?
If the county authorities handled this matter, they might reduce a major affair to a minor one, then let the minor one disappear. But with Southern Yu Prefecture sending people here, how could they possibly let it rest?
Unorthodox Arts were forbidden.
Anyone discovered practicing them would be killed without exception.
Barring anything unexpected, people from Southern Yu Prefecture would soon come knocking. If he could not give a convincing explanation, death would still await him in the end.
That was the calamity Doctor Zhao meant.
"Doctor Zhao, whatever happens, I will not sit here awaiting death. But I hope you can lend a hand and save me."
Xu Qingxiao spoke. He already had a plan in mind; otherwise, he would not have stayed here. He could simply have fled with the fugitive.
But doing so would probably be even more dangerous.
The Great Wei Dynasty did not eat its meals for nothing. Southern Yu Prefecture had countless elite soldiers and no shortage of extraordinary talents. Where could he escape as a martial artist who had only just entered the ranks?
Even if he fled to the ends of the earth, he would probably be captured and brought back. Better to stay and fight desperately for his life.
After all, as long as they found no evidence that he had practiced an Unorthodox Art, Southern Yu Prefecture would not dare truly do anything to him. At most, they would keep him under close watch.
Xu Qingxiao was gambling.
If his gamble paid off, every danger would be resolved.
If he lost, he would die either way.
At least he would have fought for his life.
"Ah, I have the will, but not the strength. What is involved this time is far too grave. One misstep could mean the extermination of all nine branches of one's family. The only thing I can do is remain silent. As for anything else..."
Doctor Zhao lifted the medicine pot and poured its contents into an old bowl. He left the rest unsaid, but Xu Qingxiao understood.
Yes, when Unorthodox Arts were involved, knowing and failing to report it carried the same guilt. Discovery meant the extermination of all nine branches of one's family.
Doctor Zhao's silence was already an enormous favor. Otherwise, if he merely disclosed their meeting that day, Xu Qingxiao would have virtually no chance of turning things around.
Thus, Xu Qingxiao felt deeply grateful.
"Thank you, Doctor Zhao. I will remember this kindness until my dying day."
Xu Qingxiao thanked him from the heart.
"It is nothing. I am already sixty. In my youth, I was competitive and quarrelsome, and damaged my qi channels. I have little time left. Had this happened ten years earlier, I would probably have reported you already."
"Let this medicine cool a little before drinking it. It promotes blood circulation. Rest well afterward."
Doctor Zhao left the medicine behind, then departed with his medicine case.
"Take care, Doctor."
After seeing Doctor Zhao out, Xu Qingxiao returned to the room.
He quietly gazed at the medicine on the table and remained silent for a long while. In the end, he poured it away.
It was not that he distrusted Doctor Zhao. He simply preferred to trust himself.
The room was utterly silent.
Xu Qingxiao sat quietly.
He knew Southern Yu Prefecture would certainly send someone to interrogate him.
And there were only three questions they would ask.
First, why had he survived his encounter with the fugitive?
Second, how had he expelled the cold poison?
Third, how had he entered the ranks?
Those three questions were crucial. Failing to explain even one clearly would bring enormous trouble.
Still, since he had dared remain here, Xu Qingxiao had some confidence.
Gathering his thoughts.
Xu Qingxiao began recalling the second Unorthodox Art manual.
The Taiyin Meridian Condensation Art.
This was the Unorthodox Art the fugitive had given him in exchange for the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art.
Xu Qingxiao was curious and wanted to study it.
Southern Yu Prefecture had sent people, but they would probably take some time to come for him. Capturing the fugitive was their top priority.
His own matter should not be urgent.
Yet before Xu Qingxiao could consider it further, footsteps sounded.
So soon?
Xu Qingxiao frowned. He had not expected the county authorities to send people so quickly.
Sure enough, as the footsteps drew closer.
The door opened again.
To Xu Qingxiao's surprise, however, the arrivals were not county officers, but a group of officers dressed in blue.
The words "Southern Yu" were embroidered on their chests.
These were officers from Southern Yu Prefecture.
Each looked stern, exerting an inexplicable pressure.
"Xu Qingxiao!"
"By Lord Cheng's verbal order, we are taking you to the county jail for interrogation."
The officer in front spoke. He had a hooked nose and an icy gaze, and his right hand rested on his saber's hilt, ready to strike at any moment.
Faced with this situation, Xu Qingxiao did not resist.
Not one of these men was below the tenth rank. Their leader, in particular, was at least a ninth-rank martial artist.
If he dared fight back, he would probably be killed on the spot.
So, without struggling at all, Xu Qingxiao held out his hands.
Two officers immediately stepped forward and fitted him with restraints.
A ten-jin cangue and ankle shackles.
An iron ball weighing at least twenty jin was attached to the ankle shackles.
Had he not entered the ranks, wearing such restraints would have made even sitting exhausting, let alone walking.
"May I ask, sir, what crime I have committed to warrant these restraints?"
Xu Qingxiao questioned them. After all, he had to play his part to the end. If he stayed silent even after being shackled, would that not amount to confessing without being asked?
The officer did not answer, merely leading Xu Qingxiao away.
The journey from Xu Qingxiao's home to the county offices ordinarily took a quarter of an hour. Wearing the cangue, however, he took a full three quarters of an hour to arrive.
At that moment.
The county offices were brightly lit. Through the main gate, he could vaguely make out numerous officers inside.
But Xu Qingxiao was not taken into the offices. He was brought straight to the jail.
There was a great difference.
Questioning someone in the county offices meant there was no conclusive evidence.
Questioning them in jail meant either sufficient evidence already existed or torture was planned to extract a confession. Otherwise, there was no need to go there.
Throughout the journey, Xu Qingxiao appeared somewhat flustered, but inwardly he remained perfectly calm.
He knew the people sent by Southern Yu Prefecture would not let him off easily.
He simply had not expected them to attach such importance to him.
Instead of pursuing the fugitive, they had come to interrogate him first. It seemed he had underestimated Southern Yu Prefecture, as well as the court's concern over Unorthodox Arts.
The county jail.
Its entrance was not large. Rather, it looked low and crude. After all, a place like Ping'an County had little money to spend on a jail.
A strange smell permeated the entire jail, difficult to describe. Filth, disorder, and poor conditions were a given, and there was no shortage of the stench of urine and excrement.
Still, Ping'an County's jail mostly held petty thieves. Serious offenders were rare.
Wearing a cangue and ankle shackles, Xu Qingxiao already qualified as a serious offender.
Thus, the prisoners confined on either side swept him with startled looks.
Only a few oil lamps lit the dim jail.
Xu Qingxiao followed the officers ahead of him deeper inside and soon reached the interrogation area.
There was a stool, a table, and some old instruments of torture, but nothing else.
"Lord Cheng, the criminal has been brought."
The hook-nosed officer suddenly spoke. Clasping his hands and bending at the waist, he bowed toward an empty space with utmost respect.
The next moment.
A voice sounded from the darkness.
"Wait outside."
The voice sounded somewhat languid, yet the authority it exuded made their hearts tremble inexplicably.
Without another word, the officers who had escorted Xu Qingxiao backed away and left.
Only Xu Qingxiao and the unseen Lord Cheng remained in the interrogation area.
"Lord Cheng, I truly do not know what crime I have committed. There must be some misunderstanding."
Xu Qingxiao spoke immediately, trying to clear his name.
This was how an ordinary prisoner would behave.
Someone sent down from Southern Yu Prefecture was certainly no fool. Coming straight to interrogate him rather than pursuing the fugitive was enough to prove this man had considerable methods.
Thus, Xu Qingxiao did not want him seeing through such small details.
"There is no need to rush to clear your name."
"I am not someone who turns right into wrong and black into white."
"You need only answer three questions. If you can answer them, this matter ends here and has nothing to do with you."
"Understood?"
The voice sounded again from the darkness, still languid, but Xu Qingxiao became even more vigilant and meticulous.
"Please ask, my lord. I will tell you everything I know and hold nothing back."
Xu Qingxiao spoke with apparent trepidation.
"In the first year of Wuchang, on the third day of the third month, three quarters into the hour of the ox, you were injured by a fugitive wanted by the court and afflicted with Netherworld Cold Poison. Is that correct?"
The other man's voice sounded. This was the first question.
"Yes."
Xu Qingxiao answered immediately, without hesitation.
"In the first year of Wuchang, on the fourth day of the third month, two quarters into the hour of the goat, you suddenly appeared at the Document Archive and said you had seen the fugitive wanted by the court atop Northern Journey Mountain. Is that correct?"
The other man questioned him again.
"Yes."
Xu Qingxiao answered once more.
"In that same year, month, and day, after everyone left and you were helped into the Document Archive, did you steal an Unorthodox Art and practice it yourself?"
The third question came.
In that instant, a figure slowly emerged, appearing beneath the oil lamp.
Before you continue