He was able to predict the monster’s position underwater… and accurately shoot through its brain… Such keen insight and judgment are truly terrifying… Lü Qing, as a woman who had become a captain in the Prefectural Office, outshining many others, was proud. But at this moment, faced with the divine skill Xu Qi An had displayed, she was genuinely convinced and willingly acknowledged his superiority.
Hmm, not only is he incredibly powerful, but he’s also very modest and low-key, much better than those men who look down on women.
Phew… If the monster hadn’t been injured and poisoned, and if there hadn’t been a layer of water, I might not have been able to shoot it with one arrow… Xu Qi An put away the military crossbow, feeling a bit regretful. This crossbow could only fire three times; its durability was too poor.
After three shots, it would become just an ordinary military crossbow.
It should have been used for self-preservation, using it against monsters was a waste.
Lü Qing followed his gaze and also noticed this ordinary-looking military crossbow. Upon closer inspection, she was suddenly shocked.
The crossbow was engraved with complex and profound array patterns. Thinking back to the surge of energy when the arrow was fired, it wasn’t hard to guess that this was a magical weapon.
The Watchmen only have brass gongs as magical items… Is this his personal property? When he said he could invite a sorcerer from the Astronomical Bureau, it wasn’t just boasting… Lü Qing’s impression of this man changed once again, and her favorability increased.
Xu Qi An turned his body slightly, not letting her continue to look at his treasure, and smiled:
“If we don’t fish it out soon, it’ll be washed away. That’s a big achievement.”
Lü Qing smiled demurely, nodding.
The two of them entered the river together and dragged the monster’s corpse ashore.
At this time, Song Tingfeng, supporting Zhu Guangxiao, stumbled out of the woods.
“You killed it?” Song Tingfeng couldn’t hide his smile, feeling relieved.
The usually taciturn Zhu Guangxiao let out a long sigh.
“How are you?” Xu Qi An asked, concerned about Zhu Guangxiao’s injuries.
The reticent man shook his head: “It’s nothing, just two broken ribs.”
The four of them rested briefly by the riverbank, while the two Body Refining realm constables took the village head down the mountain.
Seeing the monster’s corpse, the village head was both angry and scared. He cautiously approached, kicked it once, and fled with an agility unbecoming of an old man.
After waiting for a few seconds and seeing no reaction, he was reassured. He rushed over and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, venting his impotent rage.
After venting, the village head fell to his knees and kowtowed to Xu Qi An and the others.
Xu Qi An waved his hand: “Let me ask you, when was that cave to the south excavated?”
The village head thought for a moment: “That’s an old kiln left from before. There isn’t much limestone to the south, and the road is difficult to traverse. It was abandoned many years ago. This old man doesn’t know when it was excavated to its current state.”
Xu Qi An then asked: “Were there often people going there before?”
The village head said: “It wasn’t entirely deserted.”
You could have just said people went there occasionally, why use such fancy words with me… Xu Qi An grumbled inwardly, then said: “You can go back for now, wait for the Prefectural Office to summon you.”
The old man had been kicked by Zhu Guangxiao earlier and suffered some minor injuries. Xu Qi An noticed he kept holding his waist.
Lü Qing had no objections to Xu Qi An’s handling of the situation and immediately had a colleague escort the village head back.
The remaining people meditated on the spot to adjust and recover their strength, replenishing water and food.
A quarter of an hour later, three horses slowly pulled the monster’s corpse along the official road.
On the way, Lü Qing vividly described Xu Qi An’s masterful performance, her words brimming with admiration.
Song Tingfeng rode his horse closer to Xu Qi An and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz: “She seems to have taken quite a liking to you.”
Xu Qi An responded quietly: “What are you trying to say?”
Song Tingfeng said: “Captain Lü is quite well-known among the Six Bureaus in the capital and is still unmarried. Every man yearns to be a lone traveler on a certain path, don’t they?”
She’s considered a leftover woman in this era… Xu Qi An smiled: “Then you should try your best.”
Song Tingfeng narrowed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head: “Someone like me is only suitable for the Courtesan House.”
Xu Qi An laughed: “Even if the tree-lined path you yearn for is covered in frost every morning and evening?”
Zhu Guangxiao frowned slightly, not understanding the wordplay between his two colleagues.
“By the way, what was that move you used earlier?” Xu Qi An asked.
“Howling Wind Sword Technique,” Song Tingfeng said.
Sword technique… Then that knife technique Captain Lü used earlier, which was like a cutting machine, must also be a supreme skill… Wait, sword technique?!
Xu Qi An’s gaze fixed on the knife at Song Tingfeng’s waist.
Song Tingfeng shrugged: “Who says you can’t use sword techniques with a knife?”
Yeah, who says you can’t stab someone without a spearhead? Xu Qi An grumbled inwardly.
As they chatted, they saw a group of commoners coming from the field, gathering towards the official road.
Leading them was the village head, along with the Body Refining realm constable who had escorted him back.
The constable shook his head helplessly: “They insisted on coming to thank us.”
The village head held up a basket of eggs in front of Xu Qi An, “These are all the eggs our village could gather. Sir, please accept them.”
“For the past half year, we’ve been struggling to survive. If it weren’t for you officials eliminating this evil creature for us, I’ll say something outrageous – if we couldn’t pay the taxes, we’d have had no choice but to flee and become refugees.”
Xu Qi An looked into the village head’s anxious eyes and scanned the gaunt faces of the lime workers.
“Alright!” He smiled and accepted the basket of eggs, hanging it on his saddle.
The surrounding commoners broke into smiles. Only then did they dare to discuss loudly, pointing at the monster’s corpse and cursing incessantly.
If I had insisted on not taking them, loudly telling them: “We don’t take even a needle or thread from the common people!”
I’d probably scare them, wouldn’t I?
Xu Qi An sighed silently.
…
Back in the capital, the monster’s corpse was received by the Prefectural Office’s workers waiting outside the city. They loaded it onto a cart, covered it with a white cloth, and only entered the city after properly handling any traces.
“The matter of the saltpeter mine is not small, it needs to be reported upwards,” Song Tingfeng said, cracking an egg and swallowing the yolk.
Parasite warning… Xu Qi An nodded.
Returning to the Watchmen’s Office, the three didn’t have time to write reports and went directly to Chunfeng Hall to inform Li Yuchun of the situation.
After listening, Brother Chun had a solemn expression.
“Well done, Xu Qi An, you’ve made a great achievement.” Li Yuchun walked in front of the three and personally adjusted their attire, making them neat.
He returned to his seat and pondered: “What are your thoughts?”
The three Bronze Gongs exchanged glances, and Song Tingfeng said:
“According to Xu Ningyan’s analysis, the monster was consciously driving away the lime workers, and through our investigation, we discovered a saltpeter mine in the mountain… This is not a coincidence.”
“Do you have any more specific, more compelling analysis?” Li Yuchun asked in return.
Song Tingfeng spread his hands, “Boss, I’m good at fighting, but as for solving cases…”
He’s just average.
The three of them simultaneously looked at Xu Qi An, and Li Yuchun’s eyes held expectation: “Ningyan, what do you think?”
The three had experienced Xu Qi An’s ability to analyze cases before.
Although he was just a newcomer who had just entered the Qi Refining realm, with him around, they always felt inexplicably reassured.
When people are in a field they’re not good at, they instinctively rely on the strong.
Xu Qi An thought for a moment and said: “Let me add something. I can now be certain that the reason the monster drove away the surrounding lime workers was to monopolize the saltpeter mine.”
“At first, I thought it might have chosen the Mount Dahuang basin to lay eggs, but on the way back to the capital, I discovered it was male.”
“There’s just one thing I can’t figure out. Why would the monster focus on the saltpeter mine? Apart from medicinal use, it’s mainly used for making gunpowder.”
Of course, saltpeter had other uses, but Xu Qi An felt the gap in eras was too deep, so it was better not to mention them.
He unconsciously glanced at Li Yuchun but was surprised to find that the other man was shocked, frozen in place, as if he had realized something.
“It’s the monster race, it’s the monster race…” he murmured.
Li Yuchun didn’t explain further, but spread out some paper and began writing rapidly.
…
Song Tingfeng took Xu Qi An to the secretary’s office to fill out “injury” paperwork.
“After completing this, we can rest for two days. We don’t need to be on duty tomorrow,” Song Tingfeng said. “You need to learn to appropriately seek benefits for yourself.”
This is the legendary work injury, no, paid leave… Xu Qi An deeply agreed with his colleague’s cleverness.
Leaving the secretary’s office, it was already dusk. Xu Qi An planned to go home and rest.
Song Tingfeng called out to him: “Didn’t we agree to go to the Courtesan House tonight?”
Xu Qi An was stunned for a moment, then looked at Zhu Guangxiao, who was standing beside Song Tingfeng, and asked in surprise:
“Is your injury not serious?”
Zhu Guangxiao said in a deep voice: “The women at the Courtesan House know how to take care of people.”
…Is he saying they’ll climb on top and move by themselves? Xu Qi An cupped his hands towards him in respect.
Indeed, how could one give up on pleasant social interactions between colleagues for a small injury like a broken bone?
It didn’t matter if he didn’t go home. Uncle Two knew that Watchmen had to work nights. And as for Aunt, well, she obviously wouldn’t care if he came home or not. She spent all day just grumbling at him.
Xu Qi An, who wasn’t going home tonight, was about to engage in a social activity with two colleagues that were in line with the official culture of Great Shang.
Destination: The Courtesan House!
He had experienced similar social events in his previous life, only the form had changed from dinner gatherings to visiting brothels.
In Great Shang, or rather in this era, brothels were the preferred social venues.
The Watchmen’s waist token allowed the three of them to ignore the curfew in the inner city. When they encountered colleagues who were also Watchmen and were routinely questioned, they turned a blind eye.
…
The three walked in the alley of the Courtesan House. Song Tingfeng, whose eyes narrowed when he smiled, said: “In the future when you’re on night patrol and encounter colleagues near the Courtesan House, you can turn a blind eye. But if you encounter them in other areas, it’s best not to be lax. You can’t be sure of their purpose for being out late at night.”
“I once heard an old veteran tell a story. There was a Watchman who had a grudge against someone. One night, he snuck into that person’s house and killed the entire family. Afterward, no matter how they investigated, they couldn’t find the culprit. It took a great deal of effort to finally identify the murderer as a fellow Watchman.”
“I’ll tell you the details when we’re having tea.”
Xu Qi An nodded with a smile.
These inside stories from their circles were invaluable experiences. If you encountered jealous colleagues who liked to scheme and plot, they might not be willing to tell you.
“By the way, which house are we going to?” the usually taciturn Zhu Guangxiao spoke up.
“Yingmei Pavilion.”
“Just pick anyone.”
Two answers, the first from Xu Qi An, the latter from Song Tingfeng.
Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng both looked at Xu Qi An, their eyes seeming to say: What are you thinking?
Song Tingfeng smiled and patted the new colleague’s shoulder: “Miss Fuxiang’s tea gathering costs ten taels of silver, and she rarely entertains guests. Usually, for several days in a row, she only has tea-gathering guests and no private clients. This is a clever tactic…”
Hunger marketing, I understand… Xu Qi An remembered that the two of them didn’t know about his scheme to frame Zhou Li, so naturally, this inside information wouldn’t be widely spread. They also didn’t know that he and Courtesan Fuxiang had slept together once.
Purely just sleeping.
Zhu Guangxiao reminded: “Miss Fuxiang wouldn’t look at us favorably.”
He didn’t talk much, but what he said was either pertinent or well-intentioned heartfelt advice.
Seeing that his two colleagues were unwilling to waste money at Yingmei Pavilion, Xu Qi An thought for a moment and said: “Let’s just go and broaden our horizons. I’ll pay for the tea gathering.”
As a newcomer, treating company seniors to seafood was a common social tactic.
Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao smiled. No one would refuse a kind invitation.
Soon, they arrived at the entrance of Yingmei Pavilion.
Xu Qi An looked at the courtyard from which music could be heard and thought to himself, I’ve come to redeem myself.