The street was bustling, and the people were coming and going.
A considerable amount of time had passed since Qin An killed Mr. Wang.
Qin An sat on the bed, feeling the sunlight from the window, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Smoke formed into a line of words, floating in mid-air.
[Dancer lv.3 (0/400): Your dance is becoming more beautiful]
[Talent: Mastery of Hidden Qi Realm Body Skill]
This morning, Qin An finally advanced the dancer to level three.
The conditions for the promotion were difficult, requiring Qin An to create a reasonable dance piece on his own.
Qin An spent a full two days before successfully meeting the requirements.
As Qin An had expected, the talent after reaching level three was indeed related to the Body Technique.
Qin An took out the "Blue Bird Leap," carefully flipped through it, ensured there were no mistakes, and then placed it on the fire basin, burning it into a pile of ashes.
This was his habit.
Leaving cultivation techniques nearby would easily attract trouble if seen by someone with malicious intent.
In the current dangerous situation, Qin An wanted to eliminate all unstable factors to ensure safety.
"It's time to train."
Qin An closed his eyes, and the various moves of the "Blue Bird Leap" appeared in his mind.
The so-called "Blue Bird Leap," when performed, made one as light as a bird. Whether leaping or dodging, one could be light as a bird.
Following the movement path of the "Blue Bird Leap," Qin An channeled his Qi to his feet and stepped forward.
Qin An moved like an agile wild goose, shuttling ceaselessly in the room, taking less than the time of a single incense stick to go from unfamiliar to familiar.
The smoke turned into words.
[You practiced Blue Bird Leap, triggering the dancer talent]
[Blue Bird Leap (complete)]
The words disappeared with a roar, and a large amount of information transmitted into his mind.
Qin An stopped his movements, closed his eyes, and concentrated.
A few breaths later, Qin An opened his eyes and fully mastered the "Blue Bird Leap."
Body like a blue bird, soaring with the wind.
Qin An took a misstep and had already disappeared from his original spot.
...
Outside the room.
Chen Chun was holding a long saber, practicing saber techniques, looking extremely serious.
His injuries had completely healed, but he did not dare relax in the slightest, striving for improvement every moment.
But he lacked Qin An's talent, so his improvement was limited.
Just as Chen Chun swung a saber, he suddenly felt a gust of wind from behind, instinctively turned around, and was startled.
"How did you get here?"
At some point, Qin An was already behind Chen Chun, looking at him with calm eyes.
Chen Chun felt a cold sweat all over his back.
Body Technique!
He knew Qin An must have practiced the Heart Method from Mr. Zheng.
Qin An's room was quite far from his position, yet even he couldn't detect Qin An's presence.
If Qin An were to attack now, he might be killed instantly without knowing how he died.
But...
Wasn't that cultivation technique just supposed to be at the beginner level?
Why did he learn it so quickly?
Chen Chun didn't know, but he attributed it all to Qin An's terrifying talent.
In the small Ding County, such a person as Qin An emerged, not knowing whether it was fortune or misfortune.
"Let's go." Qin An said succinctly: "To eat."
Chen Chun snapped back to his senses, quickly putting away his long saber and followed behind Qin An, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
Such an exceptionally talented person, yet with such high self-discipline.
Not only did he train behind closed doors, but even eating was like this, which was truly unimaginable.
...
The two walked out the door and found a stall to sit down.
A few constables, upon seeing Qin An, subconsciously avoided him hurriedly, not daring to face him.
Chen Chun noticed the expressions of the constables, picked up a piece of fried dumpling, and put it in his mouth: "Cowards bullying the weak and fearing the strong."
Qin An glanced at them and said, "How do we leave Ding County."
Chen Chun's hand holding the chopsticks slightly stiffened, shaking his head: "It's difficult. To leave Ding County, you have to cross two monster forces and also guard against the County Magistrate's actions, as well as the River Saber Sect colluding with the yamen."
He understood Qin An's intention, but taking action was extremely challenging.
Qin An took a bite of the fried dumpling, falling into contemplation.
There were two ways to solve the problem.
The first was to find a way to send Chen Chun to Lingzhou, but that way was as difficult as climbing to the heavens.
The second was for Qin An to completely stand above the entire Ding County and directly kill through everything before him.
Compared to the first method, Qin An felt the second was simpler.
"After we return, give me the saber skills from the Evil Extermination Bureau as well." Qin An said淡然.
Chen Chun smiled bitterly: "Practicing Heart Method and saber skills, I really don't know what would happen to us if the Evil Extermination Bureau finds out later."
Besides the family-inherited Wind-breaking Saber Skill, he also had a saber skill from the Evil Extermination Bureau.
Given the tense situation, Chen Chun knew he could only rely on Qin An.
He was just worried about the Evil Extermination Bureau's retaliation afterward.
Qin An wiped the oil from his mouth and said, "It's better than dying immediately."
Chen Chun sighed and agreed.
After finishing their meal, they prepared to leave.
At this moment, Qin An felt a gaze sweeping over and turned his head calmly.
On the street not far away, a middle-aged man in silk was watching him.
The man had a short saber hanging at his waist, a fair complexion, but a hint of ferocity in his eyes.
Chen Chun was slightly stunned: "Sect Leader Liou of the River Saber Sect?"
As he spoke, Sect Leader Liou turned away and disappeared from the street.
Qin An narrowed his eyes: "Interesting."
He didn't expect to encounter Sect Leader Liou here.
It seemed there was movement from the County Magistrate's side.
There was no need to think too much to know that this action was directed at him.
"Let's go home."
Qin An stood up to pay the bill and walked towards the house.
Chen Chun, with a solemn expression, quietly followed behind Qin An.
Before long, the two disappeared from the street.
...
Back at home, Qin An asked Chen Chun for the saber skill from the Evil Extermination Bureau.
Chen Chun scratched his head: "The Evil Extermination Bureau's cultivation technique must be destroyed once learned, so I can only dictate it to you."
Qin An nodded and said: "No issue."
The method of acquisition wasn't important; what mattered was getting the saber skill.
Chen Chun began to dictate.
After two incense sticks' time, Qin An memorized all the content, walked into the room, closed the door behind him, and started practicing with the dagger according to Chen Chun's dictation.
The saber skill from the Evil Extermination Bureau was also in the Qi Storage Realm, named "Three Demon Vanquishing Slashes."
Although just three moves, each contained three variations, making it infinitely variable.
Upon practicing, smoke gradually formed into words.
[You practice Three Demon Vanquishing Slashes, triggering Mastery of Hidden Qi Realm Saber Skill talent]
[Three Demon Vanquishing Slashes (complete)]
Once the smoke appeared, it did not dissipate immediately; new words appeared below.
[You possess both Broken Goose Saber Skill and Three Demon Vanquishing Slashes, attempting to merge the strengths of both]
[After consuming a large amount of vitality and blood, you failed the merge]
[You lament the butcher's talent being insufficient and went through the motions]
A wave of weakness came from within, the recently recuperated vitality and blood slightly void.
Qin An furrowed his brow, thinking internally: "The butcher's talent is somewhat of a hindrance."
The consumption of vitality and blood just now brought no gain.
"First, enhance the butcher profession, and see if there's a new effect after reaching level four."
Qin An made up his mind, deciding to open the shop tomorrow.