The young heroes led by Young Master Liu had a difficult time. After Miss Rong was taken away, they immediately returned to the inn to report the situation to their elders who had accompanied them.
After discussing, the elders didn’t rush to the Night Watchmen’s Office to demand her release. Instead, they activated their connections, first working through official channels.
Learning that she was taken by the Night Watchmen, those “connections” with high status in the capital showed hesitation but reluctantly agreed after earnest pleas and hefty bribes.
However, when they learned that the arresting officer was named Xu Qi’an, their faces changed dramatically, exclaiming: “It can’t be done!”
After wasting an afternoon like this, they steeled themselves to visit the Night Watchmen’s Office the next day, hoping that the notorious constable would show mercy.
Miss Rong’s master of the Soul-Consuming Hands was a middle-aged beauty who still retained her charm. With her round face and allure, one could imagine she was quite the beauty in her youth.
Her heart was full of worry, knowing the nature of men in this world. A night had passed, and who knew what torments Rong Rong had endured… Losing her virtue would be the least of it. The real tragedy would be if he were a greedy man who locked her away in a grand mansion as a plaything.
Young Master Liu’s master was a steady middle-aged swordsman, most notable for his deep nasolabial folds and piercing gaze.
The two elders’ eyes met, both seeing worry and helplessness in each other. Even the most arrogant warriors had to rein in their tempers and claws when in the Night Watchmen’s Office, filled with experts.
After two anxious quarters of an hour, a young man wearing a constable’s uniform with a unique sword at his waist stepped into the side hall.
“Which of you is Miss Rong’s master?” Xu Qi’an swept his gaze over the group, speaking first.
The middle-aged beauty stood up and bowed, saying, “This old woman is.”
Auntie is being modest, with that figure and face, how could she be an old woman… Xu Qi’an nodded and said, “I have investigated the matter. The one who stole my magical treasure was not Miss Rong, but the Thousand-Faced Thief Ge Xiaojing. The criminal has been apprehended, and you may take Miss Rong with you.”
Hearing this, the two elders were relieved, and the young heroes who had come along were overjoyed.
However, compared to the experienced elders, their thoughts were simpler. The two elders no longer harbored any hope; Rong Rong had probably already… But for the other party to release her after a night of pleasure was already quite remarkable. They could only chalk it up to bad luck.
“Thank you, Your Excellency!” the middle-aged beauty said gratefully.
As she spoke, Miss Rong was led into the side hall by a clerk.
She was very composed, calling out “Master” with delight, neither crying with joy nor throwing a tantrum.
The middle-aged beauty observed this without showing any reaction, only saying, “It’s all right now. This official has keen insight and didn’t wrongly accuse you.”
Rong Rong curtsied gracefully and said sweetly, “Thank you, Constable Xu.”
The middle-aged swordsman coughed and cupped his fists, saying, “Well then, we won’t overstay our welcome.”
As he finished speaking, a stack of banknotes slid out from his sleeve onto the tea table.
“Take the money with you,” Xu Qi’an said calmly.
He didn’t have the heart to take it, after all, Soul-Consuming Hands Rong Rong hadn’t caused trouble or stolen anything; it was purely a misunderstanding.
The middle-aged swordsman looked at Xu Qi’an in disbelief and slight surprise, cupping his fists again, “Thank you, Your Excellency.”
The group of jianghu people then left. Just as they stepped out of the side hall’s threshold, they heard Xu Qi’an say from behind, “Wait!”
The middle-aged swordsman stopped in his tracks, feeling a mix of disdain and relief. There were no officials who didn’t love money.
He turned around, ready to take out the banknotes from his sleeve again, but saw Xu Qi’an spreading a sheet of paper on the table and starting to write.
After finishing, he dipped his thumb in ink and pressed a fingerprint on it.
Everyone looked on in confusion, not knowing what he was doing.
“I don’t like owing people anything. Yesterday I broke this young man’s magical weapon. Take this IOU to the Bureau of Astronomy and find Song Qin. He will compensate you with a magical weapon on my behalf,” Xu Qi’an flicked his wrist, and the paper flew toward the middle-aged swordsman.
The middle-aged swordsman caught it and took his leave.
As the group left the Night Watchmen’s Office, the beautiful middle-aged woman held Rong Rong’s hand without speaking. It was a young hero who finally caught on and tentatively asked with concern:
“Rong Rong, did he… did he bully you last night?”
The young heroes were stunned at first, then all reacted, staring intently at Rong Rong.
The middle-aged swordsman reprimanded, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Although he and the beautiful middle-aged woman both assumed Rong Rong had lost her virtue, they had deliberately avoided mentioning it. Even for jianghu folk, reputation was still important.
“He didn’t do anything to me. I stayed alone in a room at the Night Watchmen’s quarters for the night,” Rong Rong shook her head and explained. “The blanket just smelled a bit.”
After a night had passed, she was no longer as anxious and worried as at first, knowing that the constable was an upright man.
Since the topic had been broached, the beautiful middle-aged woman no longer held back and asked suspiciously, “If he didn’t bully you, why did he arrest you?”
“That Constable Xu’s treasure was indeed stolen. The one who stole it was Ge Xiaojing, and the reason he arrested me was because Ge Xiaojing had disguised herself as me to commit the crime. That’s how this misunderstanding occurred,” Rong Rong said.
This made sense…
The beautiful middle-aged woman frowned and asked, “Why did Ge Xiaojing disguise herself as you?”
Rong Rong said hatefully, “The day before yesterday when I was drinking with Brother Liu and the others at the restaurant, I mentioned her by name and said a few things. The Thousand-Faced Thief is just a lowly jianghu person, specializing in petty thievery. How could she be compared to me? I suppose those words reached her ears, so she disguised herself as me to commit theft, taking the opportunity for revenge.”
“That did happen,” Young Master Liu and the others nodded.
So the course of events was clear. That constable was also a victim, and arresting Rong Rong was completely a misunderstanding, not an abuse of power by a lecherous official.
The young heroes breathed a sigh of relief.
The middle-aged swordsman nodded and said, “When we offered him money earlier, he didn’t take it. It’s good to be young and spirited, still having a sense of justice.”
His tone was full of admiration.
Young Master Liu thought for a moment and said, “Then, Master… about the magical weapon.”
The middle-aged swordsman glanced at his disciple and shook his head with a smile, “In the capital, the Bureau of Astronomy ranks even above the Night Watchmen. Although a constable’s status is not low, to think that a mere piece of paper could make the Bureau of Astronomy hand over a magical weapon is a fantasy.”
Young Master Liu couldn’t hide his disappointment, “Then why did he…”
The middle-aged swordsman chuckled, “Young people care about face. We don’t need to take it seriously.”
The beautiful middle-aged woman’s eyes moved, and she suggested, “Since we have nothing else to do, why don’t we go to the Bureau of Astronomy? We can also take the children to see the tallest building in Great Feng.”
“Alright then.”
…
Xu Qi’an held a yellowed ancient book in his hand as he came out of the dungeon. He had just finished interrogating Ge Xiaojing, asking her about the secrets of the “Deceiving Heaven and Earth Technique.”
“This female thief is quite talented. I’ll keep her here for now; she’ll be useful in the future. Heh, stealing my magical treasure… I’ll not only fleece you but also make you work like an ox or a horse in the future. Of course, I’ll let you eat grass.”
With Spring Wind Hall still under construction and his own office being renovated, he was currently a constable without an office and could only go to Min Shan’s Golden Jade Hall to borrow space again.
Arriving at the side hall, he instructed the clerk to bring hot tea, then opened the yellowed ancient book and began reading with great interest.
The disguise technique of the Thief Sect… no, the Divine Thief Sect, was indeed magical. Unlike ordinary disguise techniques, it didn’t involve making an exquisite human skin mask.
Instead, it directly changed one’s appearance. The method involved making a special potion to apply to the face for half an incense stick’s time, causing the facial flesh to heat up and appear to “melt.” Then, combined with a unique qi circulation method, it altered the facial features.
The effect lasted for twelve hours.
Of course, it could also be reversed at will.
For martial artists at the Bronze Skin Iron Bones realm, three times the amount of potion was needed, and the facial soaking time was extended by a quarter of an hour. There was no helping it; their skin was just too thick.
“The most difficult part of this secret technique is that I need to carefully observe and practice repeatedly. It’s like painting – beginners start with copying, while advanced painters can freely create. They can perfectly reproduce a person’s likeness with just a glance.”
“It’s a craft that requires hard work… The people I’m most familiar with are Second Uncle and Er Lang. Since Second Uncle is an elder, I’ll start with Er Lang.”
A clerk stepped in and respectfully said, “Constable Xu, Lord Wei requests your presence.”
…
Seventh-floor tea room.
Wei Yuan stood by the desk, holding a brush, his eyes focused as he concentrated on painting.
Without looking up, Wei Yuan continued to draw and said, “Have you offended anyone recently?”
Xu Qi’an joked, “Following you, how can I not offend people? I have so many enemies I can’t even count them.”
Wei Yuan made a sound of acknowledgment: “With that awareness, your future achievements won’t be low no matter what.”
After a pause, he said, “The sixth-rank person you brought back yesterday was taken away this morning. Think carefully again, have you offended anyone?”
Xu Qi’an said helplessly, “I can’t remember, that’s why I brought that guy back. Why did you let him go?”
He was complaining to Wei Yuan.
In the Night Watchmen’s Office, only two people dared to speak to Wei Yuan like this. One was the “vinegar jar” (a jealous person), and the other was Xu Qi’an.
Wei Yuan didn’t speak again, his brush tip slowly outlining on the paper. Finally, he put down the brush and let out a long breath: “It’s finished.”
“What did Lord Wei paint?” Xu Qi’an quickly moved closer.
On the scroll was a beautiful woman in palace attire, wearing magnificent clothes and many head ornaments, her delicate jade hand holding a light gauze fan.
She had an indescribable beauty, not from her features, but from her aura.
Xu Qi’an confirmed it wasn’t the Empress, so he became bolder and asked, “This sister is so beautiful, is she betrothed? Does Lord Wei know her? This humble official is still unmarried.”
Wei Yuan shook his head regretfully: “No one in the world can paint her beauty, not even I.”
In the end, he didn’t say who the woman in the painting was, nor did he mention offending anyone again. He waved his hand, dismissing Xu Qi’an from Haoqi Tower.
…
Soul-Consuming Hands Rong Rong and her group arrived at the square below the Star-Observing Tower, once again amazed by the tallest building in Great Feng.
Previously, they had observed it from afar, truly towering into the clouds, piercing the sky.
Only after viewing it up close did they realize the majesty of this tall building. Just the foundation protruding from the ground was as tall as two stories.
And each brick and stone that made up the foundation was larger than a carriage.
Standing in front of this tower, one realized how small they were.
“Master, let’s go in,” Young Master Liu swallowed quietly.
“Go in?”
The middle-aged swordsman looked back at his disciple and shook his head, “I’ll go in alone. You wait outside. Entering the Bureau of Astronomy is not as easy as entering the imperial palace.”
Since it was with a “let’s try” attitude, he decided to face potential embarrassment alone. Moreover, if one person is embarrassed, it’s as if no one is embarrassed. Letting the juniors follow and see would be truly embarrassing.
The middle-aged swordsman straightened his clothes, stood tall, and ascended the long white marble steps.
“Senior Hua…” Watching his master’s back, Young Master Liu asked the middle-aged beauty beside him, “Can my master get a magical weapon?”
He was still unwilling to give up. The Seven Star Sword was a notable magical weapon in the Ink Pavilion, and now that it was destroyed, he would certainly be punished when he returned to the sect.
Most crucially, he wouldn’t be able to obtain another magical weapon.
The fame of the Bureau of Astronomy was known to all, and any jianghu person would crave a magical weapon produced by the Bureau of Astronomy.
Under such great temptation, even knowing the hope was slim, they were still willing to daydream.
“Do you know why your master said that note was just a young person’s face-saving gesture, telling you not to have expectations?” the beautiful middle-aged woman asked in return.
Including Young Master Liu, a group of juniors shook their heads.
“Because Song Qin is the personal disciple of the Supervisor, and his status in the Great Feng jianghu is no less than that of the Emperor’s prince. Do you understand now?”
They understood. So that young constable’s note was just a face-saving gesture. How could a mere note command someone equivalent to a prince of the Great Feng jianghu?
Meanwhile, the middle-aged swordsman climbed the white marble steps and entered the first floor, the hall where ninth-rank physicians gathered.
A strong medicinal fragrance wafted over. White-robed practitioners were busy with various tasks: some brewing medicines, some sketching medicinal herbs, some sorting and selecting…
“Who are you?” A white-robed practitioner approached.
The middle-aged swordsman quickly lowered his head, cupped his fists, and said respectfully, “I am Yang Yudi from the Ink Pavilion of Sword State.”
Ink Pavilion of Sword State? Never heard of it… The white-robed practitioner waved his hand, “Just tell me, what’s your business?”
“I wish to see Song Qin… This was given to me by a constable surnamed Xu from the Night Watchmen’s Office,” the middle-aged swordsman took out the note and humbly presented it.
If Young Master Liu saw his master’s current demeanor, he would surely have mixed feelings. His master often dealt harshly with his juniors, but in front of a physician with little cultivation, he was so subservient.
The white-robed practitioner took the note, unfolded it, and his expression immediately became very serious. He left with a single sentence: “Wait here for a moment!”
He hurried upstairs.
This… The middle-aged swordsman was stunned. The other’s reaction was beyond his expectations.
No, could this not be exchanged for a magical weapon? How is that possible?
But soon, the white-robed practitioner who had just gone upstairs returned, and what he held in his hand perfectly answered the middle-aged swordsman’s question.
It was a sword with an unremarkable appearance, without ornate tassels, and the scabbard and hilt were not inlaid with gold foil or jade pieces.
Simple and unadorned.
“Here!”
The white-robed practitioner extended his hand to give it, and after the middle-aged swordsman fumblingly accepted it, he turned back to his own business.
I should leave too… The middle-aged swordsman didn’t have time to examine the precious sword, hugging it to his chest as he silently left the Bureau of Astronomy.
“Master is coming out,” Young Master Liu said excitedly.
“There… there is a magical weapon?” Rong Rong saw the middle-aged swordsman holding a sword in his arms.
The middle-aged swordsman came before the group, looked at the magical weapon in his arms, hesitated for a moment, and said, “Let’s leave this place.”
The beautiful middle-aged woman nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on the plain-looking precious sword.
The group walked for a while, the Star-Observing Tower becoming more distant behind them. When they reached a secluded spot, the middle-aged swordsman stopped and examined the precious sword in his arms.
“Master, quick, take a look…” Young Master Liu’s heart burned with excitement, more thrilled than if he had seen a beautiful woman lying on a bed.
The middle-aged swordsman gripped the hilt and slowly unsheathed it. With a “clang,” a flash of bright sword light reflected in everyone’s eyes, causing them to instinctively close their eyes.
The sword was four feet long, with natural cloud patterns on the blade. The edge emitted waves of cold, fierce energy. A light touch of the fingertip immediately opened a bloody cut from the sword’s energy.
“Self-generating sword energy, it’s self-generating sword energy…”
The middle-aged swordsman’s hands trembled with excitement, his eyes fervent: “A top-grade magical weapon! Even our Ink Pavilion Sect Leader’s Autumn Water Cold Sword is far inferior to this sword.”
Thump thump, thump thump… Young Master Liu heard his intense heartbeat.
Self-generating sword energy was considered a first-class magical weapon in the jianghu.
“Master, let me see, let me see quickly!” Young Master Liu reached out to grab it.
“Slap!”
The middle-aged swordsman slapped his hand away, then paused in surprise at his action. It was a completely instinctive reaction as if the sword was his wife, not allowing others to desecrate it.
“Master, why did you hit me?” Young Master Liu said aggrievedly.
The middle-aged swordsman thought for a moment and said earnestly, “This sword is a first-class magical weapon. As they say, ‘the innocent suffer for possessing a precious jade.’ This is not a good thing for you.
“Your master has just made a difficult decision. This sword will be temporarily kept by me, letting me bear the risk. When your cultivation is complete, I will return this sword to you.
“Alright, your master’s mind is made up, you don’t need to say anything more. Of course, to compensate you, I’ll give you my beloved sword. This sword has accompanied me for twenty years, like a wife to me. You must cherish it well.”
“…” Young Master Liu looked resentful.
Xu Qi’an didn’t see this scene, otherwise, he would have empathized with Young Master Liu, reminded of how his parents used the same reason to “safeguard” countless red envelopes and pocket money in his childhood, resulting in losses exceeding a billion.
“That Constable Xu, what exactly is his status?” Miss Rong murmured.
No one could answer her question. The group fell silent, not knowing what they were thinking. Probably, in their minds, they couldn’t help but recall that masculine and handsome young constable.
The beautiful middle-aged woman looked enviously at the precious sword, then turned to glance at her charming and alluring disciple…
She suddenly realized that nothing happening last night was the biggest loss.
…
After seeing off Rong Rong and the other jianghu visitors, Xu Qi’an practiced breathing exercises, visualization, heart sword cultivation, and the Deceiving Heaven and Earth Technique in the side hall. Before he knew it, he had missed lunch.
It was only when his stomach growled that he realized he was hungry.
“Although learning more is better for oneself, I now feel that time is not enough…
“No, I can’t learn any more special skills. Biting off more than I can chew isn’t good. I should always focus on the ‘Heaven and Earth One Slash’ as my foundation, then learn some complementary auxiliary skills.
“I finally understand why emperors throughout history didn’t pursue the martial path and even disliked cultivation. There’s no time! A day only has twelve hours, and there are still state affairs to handle. Even the most talented person would become like Zhong Yong.”
After finishing lunch, Zhong Li arrived.
This personal disciple of the Supervisor, Chu Caiwei’s senior sister, was wrapped in a coarse linen robe, her hair disheveled, face unseen, head slightly lowered.
“I’m so glad you’re not hurt,” Xu Qi’an patted her shoulder.
“Thank you for your concern,” Zhong Li said politely.
Judging from her voice, she should be 20-25 years old. Women under 20 have clear and pleasant voices. Women over 20 have sexy tones and the maturity of a woman’s voice.
“It’s great that you’re alright. Was there any danger yesterday?” Xu Qi’an asked.
“I encountered a total of thirty-six crises, twenty minor crises, ten major crises, and six life-and-death crises,” Zhong Li said with practiced ease. “I got through them all.”
This… this matter-of-fact tone somehow made one’s heartache. Xu Qi’an patted her shoulder again:
“You’ve worked hard. How’s the writing coming along?”
“Passable.”
“Good. Senior Sister Zhong, I’d like to trouble you with something,” Xu Qi’an said with a smile.