Chapter 18

"The breath of the true man comes from his heels, while the breath of the common man comes from his throat. Watermark GG Test Watermark GG Test"

The opening of the [Ancient Qi Technique] was these two sentences. Qin Xiao was utterly confused, so he continued reading. The sentences that followed were also obscure and difficult to understand, causing him to frown. When he turned to the second page, he found a diagram of a person sitting cross-legged.

The person in the diagram was sitting in a peculiar posture, with meridians and acupoints outlined on the body, connected by black lines of varying thickness.

Qin Xiao looked at the text before and combined it with the image, gradually understanding it.

It took him more than half an hour to realize that the beginning part was about breathing techniques.

He didn't know why the mysterious person had given him the [Ancient Qi Technique] to practice, but the old woman had saved him several times. He felt both gratitude and respect for her, and he trusted that she wouldn't harm him.

Understanding the meaning of the book, he sat cross-legged as instructed, placed his hands in a half-circle position, and began to practice the breathing technique.

The old woman had instructed him to practice for half an hour each day. He was so engrossed that he didn't realize how much time had passed until he heard the rooster crow. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was already dawn. Unconsciously, he had been sitting for more than two hours.

Strangely, despite not sleeping all night, he felt refreshed and invigorated. Even more surprisingly, he felt a warm sensation in his chest.

The warm sensation had appeared shortly after he began sitting, and it spread through his body with each breath, like being bathed in warm sunlight. This comfortable feeling kept him immersed until the rooster woke him up.

When he opened his eyes, the warm sensation quickly disappeared, leaving only a lingering warmth in his chest.

Qin Xiao looked at the sky, put away the [Ancient Qi Technique], and hid it in a secret place in the room. The smell of blood from the previous night had mostly dissipated.

Gui Shou San had been mistakenly thought to have betrayed the Hou Mansion by Zhen Yujian, who sent people to kill him, but Gui Shou San managed to escape.

Zhen Yujian would surely know about Gui Shou San's escape and might send people to search for him.

The Zhen family had informants everywhere in Zhen County. If Gui Shou San had returned to the city or come to Mu Tou Alley, someone might have seen him. If Zhen Yujian found out that Gui Shou San had been in Mu Tou Alley, he might send people to investigate.

Qin Xiao knew that if Zhen Yujian discovered he lived in Mu Tou Alley and that Gui Shou San had been there, he would be implicated.

He hoped that Gui Shou San's movements would remain secret and that no one would notice him in Mu Tou Alley.

However, since Gui Shou San had turned into blood, even if Zhen Yujian had the power to move heaven and earth, he couldn't find him.

As the sky began to brighten, Qin Xiao left the courtyard. He saw that Ma Po's oil shop, as usual, had opened early. As he passed by, he saw Ma Po sweeping the ground with a broom. Although he knew she wouldn't acknowledge him, he still called out, "Ma Po."

As expected, Ma Po seemed not to hear and ignored him.

(To be continued on the next page)

Qin Xiao smiled to himself, took a few steps forward, then frowned and retreated to the oil shop. He looked inside, and Ma Po was still sweeping.

Looking at Ma Po's back, Qin Xiao had a strange feeling.

From behind, Ma Po's back resembled the mysterious old woman from last night.

The thought made him feel absurd.

Although the mysterious person was an old woman, she was skilled in martial arts and clearly a hermit master.

Ma Po, on the other hand, was an elderly woman who ran an oil shop, frail and nearly blind and deaf. She had lived in Mu Tou Alley for many years before he moved in.

The idea of connecting the mysterious old woman with Ma Po seemed ridiculous, given the old woman's ghostly movements.

Perhaps it was just the similarity in their hunched backs due to their age.

He dismissed the absurd thought and, on his way to the yamen, considered whether to inform Captain Han or Chief Meng about last night's events.

In the entire Gui City, the only people he truly respected and trusted were those two.

Given the significant events of last night, he felt it was inappropriate not to mention them to the two.

However, the mysterious old woman had instructed him to forget everything that happened, implying that he shouldn't reveal a word to anyone.

He was conflicted but, upon arriving at the yamen, decided to keep the matter to himself, as the old woman had instructed.

Gui Shou San had once been part of the Zhen Hou Mansion, which was hostile to the Captain's Office. Qin Xiao didn't want to involve Captain Han and Chief Meng in any trouble.

Before entering the A-Cell, he saw someone approaching and calling out, "Qin Xiao, I've been looking for you."

Qin Xiao looked up and saw Captain Lu Hong, the head of the foot patrol, and greeted him, "Captain Lu."

Captain Han managed the Captain's Office, which had two divisions: the horse patrol and the foot patrol, each with about twenty officers.

The horse patrol, skilled in riding and archery, each had a fast horse, while the foot patrol had no horses.

The horse patrol was responsible for apprehensions throughout Zhen County, while the foot patrol focused on the security and arrests in Gui City.

The Captain's Office also managed the prison, with four cells (A, B, C, D) each having several guards. In the A-Cell alone, there were nearly ten guards, including Qin Xiao, responsible for the internal and external security.

Chief Meng and Captain Lu were the heads of the horse patrol and foot patrol, respectively.

The Captain's Office in Gui City had once been a puppet of the Zhen Hou Mansion, following their orders. The court had sent Captain Han to take charge and restore order.

Captain Han was decisive and efficient, solving several major cases and reorganizing the Captain's Office. Many were dismissed, and a new batch of officers was selected and trained by Captain Han, forming a strong team.

Captain Lu had been an officer in the Captain's Office before Captain Han arrived, with excellent relationships and skills, especially in swordsmanship. Captain Han recognized his abilities and promoted him.

"The document from the Ministry of Justice should have been given to you. It's about sending Wen Budao to Fenggan Prefecture on the 8th of March," Lu Hong, who rarely smiled, said.

Qin Xiao immediately replied, "I've received it."

"I'll come to pick him up in a couple of days," Lu Hong said. "Originally, a few people were assigned to escort him, but I have some business in Fenggan Prefecture, so I'll take him along. I just heard from Niu Zhi that Wen Budao doesn't know about the retrial. Let him know so he can prepare."

"I'll tell him," Qin Xiao said, then asked quietly, "Captain Lu, the case was already concluded. Why is it being retried?"

"We just need to arrest and guard the prisoners. Why ask so many irrelevant questions?" Lu Hong frowned, looked around, and then lowered his voice. "What happened at the Zhen Hou Mansion the other night? Why did they release Chief Meng so easily?"

"They falsely accused Chief Meng, but the misunderstanding was cleared up, so they had to release him," Qin Xiao said. "Hasn't Captain Han told you?"

Lu Hong looked slightly embarrassed but asked, "What misunderstanding?"

"It's nothing much. They thought Chief Meng had stolen something, but the item was found, and the truth came out," Qin Xiao said. "Captain Han said the matter is over and not to discuss it outside."

Lu Hong nodded, thought for a moment, and then asked, "By the way, how old are you? What month were you born?"

Qin Xiao was taken aback by the sudden question but replied, "I was born on the 5th of August, and I'll be sixteen in five months."

"August 5th? Sixteen?" Lu Hong shook his head. "That doesn't match."

"Captain, what's going on?" Qin Xiao was increasingly puzzled.

"Nothing, go about your business," Lu Hong said, walking past Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao watched Lu Hong's back, scratching his head, utterly confused.

When he arrived at the A-Cell, Niu Zhi was already tidying up the office. Seeing Qin Xiao enter, he immediately poured him a cup of water and placed it on the table. "Boss, Captain Lu just came by and asked if we had received the document to transfer Wen Budao. I told him we had."

"I saw him," Qin Xiao said, leaning back in his chair and stretching his legs.

"Did he ask about your birthday?" Niu Zhi asked in a low voice.

Qin Xiao sat up straight and stared at Niu Zhi. "Did he ask you?"

"Yes," Niu Zhi said, looking disappointed. "Unfortunately, my birthday doesn't match, so I didn't have the luck."

"Luck?" Qin Xiao was even more surprised. "What's going on? Why does Captain Lu need to know our birthdays?"

Niu Zhi smiled mysteriously and leaned close to Qin Xiao's ear, whispering, "My uncle works in the Ministry of Households. I heard that a few days ago, they started checking household registers, searching through mountains of records for specific people."

"Searching for people? Be clear, what's happening?" Qin Xiao grabbed Niu Zhi's wrist. "Why is the Ministry of Households checking the registers, and who are they looking for?"

"They're looking for men born in October who are turning seventeen this year," Niu Zhi said, slightly excited. "If they find the person the governor is looking for and it's confirmed by the court, that person will rise to prominence, and those who find him will be richly rewarded."