The spring rain stopped, and no more droplets fell. The evening clouds that had just blown away swept over again, covering the sunset that had just scattered on the mortal world.
Even the wind blowing in the air became a little bone-piercing.
Liu Qingyan was dead?
When An Le heard this news, he was stunned for a moment and frowned slightly.
"Liu Qingyan was beheaded by a sword. He had no strength to resist. His corpse was lying on the long street, and his blood dyed the limestone red."
Constable Huang Xian sighed.
He and An Le looked at each other. Both of them could guess who killed Liu Qingyan.
An Le nodded, indicating that he knew. If Liu Qingyan was dead, so be it. If he wasn't dead, An Le might have to seek justice from him.
"In addition, other than Liu Qingyan, the three thugs who attacked you are also dead."
Huang Xian said, "They were taken away by the Black Office constables and executed at the entrance of the market."
An Le pursed his lips and was in a daze. His body turned cold.
It wasn't that he sympathized with Liu Qingyan and the three thugs who had died. Instead, it was the sadness that surged from the depths of his heart for the fragility of life.
It turned out that death… could be so simple and casual.
Luo Qingchen's disregard for life might have exceeded his imagination.
Or rather, this was the way of the world. Cultivators were high and mighty, looking down on the weak and mortals. To the lives of the weak and mortals, it was like looking at weeds on the roadside. They could be cut off at will.
An Le was naturally considered a weakling now. Without the protection of the Lin Residence, he might have died powerlessly like Liu Qingyan and the three thugs.
Exhaling, An Le's desire to become stronger grew.
At the very least, he had to become so strong that Luo Qingchen, and even the Qin Residence behind him, would not be able to trample him to death like an ant. Only then would he be at ease.
Constable Huang clearly saw through An Le's emotions and invited him to a restaurant. Of course, it wasn't a luxurious restaurant like the Drunken Dragon Pavilion.
They ordered some food and a hot yellow wine. The two of them began to eat and drink.
After taking a sip of warm yellow wine and a mouthful of pig head meat, Huang Xian looked at An Le and smiled. "Young Master An… has never killed anyone, right?"
An Le took a sip of the yellow wine. The wine was rough, but it tasted good and had some flavor.
"No, I've never killed anyone. I studied since I was young and came to Lin'an after being promoted. Along the way, I was robbed by bandits and my guards ran away. I was unarmed and powerless to kill the bandits. Instead, I was beaten up." An Le laughed self-deprecatingly. "That should be the closest I've ever been to killing someone. Even when I was attacked previously, I never had the intention to kill anyone."
Constable Huang toasted An Le and nodded. "It's normal. Young Master is kind-hearted. If you aren't forced to the extreme, you naturally won't have any thoughts of killing anyone. However, Young Master is now a cultivator and has a bad relationship with the Qin Residence. Perhaps you should change your mindset."
"Kind people will be bullied."
"Cultivation is inseparable from killing."
Huang Xian dissuaded him and reminded him.
An Le was deep in thought. Even if he didn't want to, this was how the times were. If he didn't kill anyone, someone would kill him. He would stop swinging his sword, but others couldn't wait for the sword to fall faster and faster.
Huang Xian had a good impression of An Le. After all, he was gentle, refined, and handsome, and had foiled the Qin Residence's plot to plant an artist in Lin Residence.
This reminder was sincere.
"Young Master An… You offending the Qin Residence has something to do with me. If I hadn't invited you to the Lin Residence, you wouldn't have offended the Qin Residence. Here, let me apologize to you."
Huang Xian took a sip of wine and wiped his mouth. He stared at An Le and said seriously, "The Lin Residence can still protect Young Master An now, but after the Hall Examination ends, the Lin Residence will definitely be involved in the storm. At that time, we won't be able to protect ourselves and might not be able to protect Young Master An."
"Therefore, if you want to seek your own safety, there's actually… another way."
Huang Xian thought for a moment and said.
When An Le heard this, he raised his glass and drank it in one gulp. "Please enlighten me, Constable Huang."
"I can't say for sure. Actually, this isn't a secret. You asked Madam Hua about cultivation, so you should know that Great Zhao has three major cultivation factions, right?"
Constable Huang smiled and waved his hand.
"Spirit Refinement Literary Department, Body Tempering Martial Temple, and the Transcendent Sacred Mountain," An Le replied.
"Luck has its ups and downs. It has been circulating for a long time and has seen the heavenly secrets. The clouds of the Sacred Mountain have dispersed and the dust has disappeared. A great general will soar above the Purple Star."
Huang Xian recited, "This is written by a good friend of Legendary Top Scholar Li You'an. It describes the image of the Sacred Mountain."
"If you enter Sacred Mountain, you can easily enter the immortal sect."
"Young Master An, if you want to protect yourself, you can choose to join the three major factions, be it the Literary Department, the Martial Temple, or the Sacred Mountain."
"However, both the Literary Department and the Martial Temple have Prime Minister Qin's influence. Young Master An, you may not die, but you will suffer a little. Only by entering the Sacred Mountain, even if it's just the Sacred Mountain Guardian, will you be able to make everyone wary." Huang Xian's eyes were filled with respect and yearning.
When An Le heard this, he took a sip of wine. "It's easy for Constable Huang to say. Not to mention the past, just looking at the present, how many people in the Great Zhao Dynasty can enter Sacred Mountain?"
Madam Hua told An Le about how difficult it was to enter the Sacred Mountain.
Huang Xian looked at An Le and smiled. "It's naturally difficult to enter the Sacred Mountain and obtain the recognition of a Sacred Teacher to become a Mountain Lord. It's difficult to become a Mountain Lord unless you have peerless talent, but… if you go to the Mountain Guardian, the difficulty will be much lower."
"Every year, there will be several cultivators from the Great Zhao Dynasty who will enter the Sacred Mountain to be the Mountain Guardian. Although the Mountain Guardian is also very particular about talent, it depends more on the Mountain Master's affinity. Young Master An is rather handsome and eye-catching. Although you were enlightened late, you have some talent. If you want to be safe, you can go to the foot of the Sacred Mountain and fight for the right to be the Mountain Guardian."
Huang Xian laughed.
An Le was stunned. Did Constable Huang mean that… he wanted him to use his looks to conquer Sacred Mountain's Mountain Lord?
Why did it feel so unreliable…
An Le shook his head, disinterested. It felt too strange to enter Sacred Mountain with his appearance.
He still felt that it was safer to rely on his own abilities to earn a living.
He could even try his best to see if he could enter the Sacred Mountain and meet the Sacred Teacher.
"Besides, let's talk about it later. Constable Huang, didn't you ask me to draw a portrait of the prisoner? Describe the prisoner's appearance and characteristics to me. I'll go back and draw. I'll hand it to you tomorrow."
Huang Xian stopped talking about this topic and described the prisoner's appearance to An Le.
"This criminal is a bandit named Hu Jingang. Although he's a martial artist, he's proficient in cultivation. His Qi Blood has been opened to perfection and he's very ferocious. Dozens of families in a village outside Lin'an Prefecture were slaughtered."
Huang Xian put down his wine glass and said with a solemn expression, "He looks ordinary and has hidden in Lin'an Prefecture. It's very difficult to find his traces. If there's a portrait, paste a notice and let the commoners report him. Capture him as soon as possible."
After An Le took down the notes, the image of the criminal gradually appeared in his mind.
"By the way, I still have something to trouble Constable Huang with. I wonder if you know anyone from the brokerage? I'm staying in that small inn and it's really inconvenient for me to practice martial arts. I want to find a residence with a courtyard." An Le asked.
When Huang Xian heard this, he did not find it strange. Now that An Le was painting for the Lin Residence, he definitely earned a lot of money. It was normal for him to change to another courtyard.
"Yes, one of my brothers from the Black Office died in the line of duty. His wife and daughter are leaving Lin'an to return to their maternal family. This courtyard is currently being sold, but the price is slightly higher. If Young Master An is interested, let's go take a look now."
Huang Xian hurriedly said. If he could sell this courtyard, it could be considered as helping his brother who had died in the line of duty.
"Forget it for now. Let's do it tomorrow. I'll pack my luggage tomorrow and move over together."
An Le smiled. He did not ask how much it would cost. With his current wealth, buying a small courtyard was not a problem.
"Alright, alright. Young Master An, I'll thank you first."
Constable Huang solemnly poured a cup of cold yellow wine, respectfully picked it up, and drank it in one gulp.
An Le smiled and drank his glass of wine.
...
...
An Le returned to the inn and asked the waiter to arrange hot water. After taking a hot shower, he sat cross-legged in the room.
He took out the Sword Waterfall Diagram and closed his eyes to visualize.
As a top-notch Spirit Refinement technique, An Le had entered Meditation while observing the sword diagram. However, in fact, he could still comprehend and visualize the first diagram for a period of time.
Madam Hua told him about the difference in realms, but she did not mention the specific division between each realm. Specifically, there were four stages, initial, middle, late, and perfected.
An Le was now in the initial-stage of Qi Blood Awakening and Meditation.
However, in reality, the difference between small realms had a huge impact. Cultivation methods, attack techniques, and so on all turned into fluctuations. It was not strange for them to fight across small realms.
He sat upright on the wooden chair. His breathing was gentle and subtle. He had already entered Meditation.
An Le visualized the first sword diagram.
In the depths of his mind, the mental power wrapped around him like wisps, vaguely forming the appearance of a sharp sword.
The talent enhanced by the [Thousand-Year Genius] Dao Fruit was indeed extraordinary.
An Le felt that the speed at which the wisp-like mental power wrapped around him was much faster than when he was in Meditation.
Coupled with the enhancement of the Sword Dancer Dao Fruit, An Le felt as if he was flying in the sky.
His mental power continued to strengthen his Meditation Realm.
After meditating for about four hours, An Le opened his eyes. There seemed to be a glimmer of light in the darkness, like a star in the sky casting starlight on the mortal world!
When he thought of the slight pain in the depths of his mind, An Le stopped. Cultivation emphasized effort and relaxation. Excess was as bad as not enough.
In the Niwan Palace in his mind, a blurry small sword embryo condensed from mental power took shape.
According to An Le's estimation, he had stepped into the middle-stage Meditation Realm.
After the Spirit Refinement training, An Le broke free from the Meditation state.
His strengthened mind allowed him to control his body even more carefully. He stretched his muscles and bones, and his Qi Blood circulated in his meridians.
An Le let out a shaky breath and began to practice the Thirteen Forms of the Tiger of the Five Animals Body Tempering Technique in the room.
The wind was strong, and the commotion was like thunder!
During the battle at the entrance of Jing Street, An Le's understanding of the Tiger Form deepened even though his opponent was just an ordinary fighter.
"The Sword Waterfall Diagram has the enhancement of the Sword Dancer Dao Fruit, which increases cultivation. However, the Five Animals Body Tempering Technique doesn't have the enhancement of the Dao Fruit. In that case, I'll enhance it with Age Qi."
An Le thought to himself and added the remaining three wisps of Age Qi into the Five Animals Body Tempering Technique.
Gray Age Qi burned, and a scene flashed past his eyes.
However, when the last wisp of gray Age Qi burned, An Le's eyes lit up and he began to observe seriously.
This was because the figure in the wisp of Age Qi… was using the Five Animals Body Tempering Technique!