The First Sage of Military Strategists

Chapter 12 Xiao Cheng and the Flying Thief

On a cold autumn morning, a sudden fog rose. In the courtyard, many teenagers were working hard. Liu San was chopping firewood, shivering from the cold. His eyes would occasionally sweep over the kitchen in the distance, where Han Qing was sitting and brewing medicine. He was very envious.

There was another person who was also living comfortably, namely Luo Ying, who was still sleeping in her room at the moment.

The boys all felt it was unfair, but no one dared to speak out, because Luo Ying's uncle was Luo Sheng.

Gulu gulu!

The medicinal soup in the casserole began to boil. Han Qing put down the book in her hand, got up and poured the soup into a white porcelain bowl next to her. Then she carried the bowl with both hands to Master Fang's room.

Mr. Fang was sitting in a chair reading a book when he glanced at it and said, "Put it on the table."

Han Qing nodded, put down the medicine, squatted down in the corner next to the wall, and continued reading the book.

For the past two weeks, he has spent every morning like this, and Master Fang has never said anything.

After taking the medicine for half a month, the effects have become apparent. Mr. Fang's headaches have decreased significantly, and his sleep quality has improved considerably, which makes him even more satisfied with Han Qing.

After a while, the medicine stopped boiling. Master Fang picked it up and drank it all in one gulp, then squinted at Han Qing.

"Dumb guy, half a month has passed, have you mastered the Nine Yang True Skill yet?"

Han Qing nodded, got up and performed a set of Nine Yang True Skill in front of Master Fang. The thirty-six movements flowed smoothly and powerfully.

Master Fang had previously said that as long as he maintained his martial arts progress, he would receive a pot of Sanhe Fragrance Wine every week, so Han Qing had no way to hide his skills.

Master Fang has a sharp eye and saw through his abilities back then. Now, half a month has passed, and if he still hasn't mastered it, that would be unacceptable and might cost him a lot of benefits.

"Not bad, you've got potential, keep up the good work!" Master Fang smiled and took out another jar of Sanhexiang medicinal wine from the cabinet next to him, tossing it over. "This week's."

Han Qing took the wine pot, poured a mouthful into his mouth, and felt even warmer.

After lunch.

As usual, Han Qing came to the Minglu Hall courtyard to practice martial arts. Zhao Teng was still teaching him. After personally demonstrating once, he left the boys to practice on their own.

Luo Ying remained lazy and didn't take the matter to heart, practicing for an hour and then resting for an hour.

His gaze swept over Han Qing; the only one here who made him feel threatened was Han Qing.

However, he felt that he had a huge advantage. As long as Han Qing's performance after three months did not surpass his own, the last spot would still be his.

Han Qing focused on improving his strength. With the help of the Sanhe Fragrance Wine and the detailed explanation of the Nine Yang True Skill, even though he hadn't killed anyone in the past half month, his martial arts progress was much faster than that of the other teenagers, and he had already opened 23 acupoints.

Today, he is preparing to attempt the 24th acupoint.

After the third round of application, his blood and qi surged and rushed towards the 24th acupoint.

He had been failing for the past few days, but this time things finally changed.

Bang!
He vaguely heard a muffled sound coming from inside his body, and then his body began to heat up. A mysterious power flowed through his limbs and bones, causing his body to begin to transform.

"The 24th acupoint has finally been opened!" Han Qing's expression remained unchanged, but a sense of joy and satisfaction welled up inside him.

On the panel, the proficiency level of the Nine Yang True Skill has exceeded sixty, and the realm has also reached minor success.

After a dozen or so breaths, the strange feeling in his body gradually subsided, and Han Qing slowly exhaled, feeling an indescribable sense of comfort and ease.

Although the improvement brought by opening a single acupoint was very limited, he was still very satisfied. The feeling of becoming stronger was really great.

Just then, Yang Wu walked into the courtyard. "Han Qing, come here!"

Han Qing quickly followed, but the boys were already used to it; Han Qing was now considered a prominent figure in the academy.

First, he was exceptionally gifted, which naturally attracted attention. Second, he was withdrawn and taciturn. Third, he volunteered to execute death row inmates, which earned him a reputation for being fond of killing, making many young people fearful and even more reluctant to approach him.

Every time Yang Wu called him out, the boys knew that Han Qing was going to kill someone again.

...

Yang Wu led the way, with Han Qing following behind. It was the same familiar archway, but this time the executioner wasn't Ma Er; instead, it was a lean and wiry man.

This man was different from Ma Er; he didn't like to talk. After Yang Wu gave him an order, he handed the knife to Han Qing and stood aside in an open space to wait patiently.

Over the course of half a month, Han Qing's murderous intent grew steadily. Although it hadn't manifested yet, he felt it was time to kill.

“The Sage’s Scripture can suppress killing intent, but it cannot channel it; it will only accumulate in the heart. The detailed explanation of the Nine Yang True Skill has no effect on suppressing killing intent,” Han Qingxin said.

This is also the most perplexing point for him: what kind of book can suppress murderous intent? And what kind of book is the most effective?
As he pondered, two burly men from the soap-making workshop brought a tall, thin young man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks to him.

"Kneel down!" The young man knelt down on the ground, his face ashen.

“Jiang Qiu, a notorious thief who roams Baiyun, Qingfeng, and Jinchang counties, committed crimes in my Baiyun County three years ago, breaking into homes, killing people, and stealing valuables. He killed the Liu family of three. It’s a pity we didn’t catch you then. You even dared to come back and steal from Hengtai Pawnshop. You are incredibly audacious. Your crimes are heinous and you deserve to die! Execute him!” Yang Wu’s anger was palpable as he spoke.

Back then, the Liu family of three was killed. The little girl was only ten years old, but she was stabbed through the neck with a knife, which left a deep impression on him.

Han Qing also had a deep memory of that incident, because he had just come to the yamen as a servant. At that time, the entire yamen was mobilized, and even servants like them were called out to patrol.

Without hesitation, he slashed down with his sword, directly severing Jiang Qiu's head. His killing intent was completely released, bringing him immense pleasure.

Yang Wu saw the corpse and felt a surge of anger. He took the knife from Han Qing and patted him on the shoulder.

"I heard that you have mastered the Nine Yang True Skill. In the past, with such strength, entering my class would have been a sure thing. But this time is different. The competition is fierce, so we must not let our guard down."

"Okay." Han Qing nodded, turned around and walked back, summoning the Seven Killings Stele in his mind and choosing to absorb Jiang Qiu's memories.

In an instant, a familiar feeling surfaced, accompanied by a series of chaotic babblings, and many images appeared before my eyes.

"Jiang Qiu, our Tiger Head Escort Agency has two martial arts skills that are most outstanding. One is the Wild Goose Technique. If one masters it, one can fly over rooftops and walk on snow without leaving a trace, landing silently. It is considered a top-tier skill in the entire Shu region..."

...

"Chen Wu, don't blame me for being ruthless. Escorting goods? You'll never get rich even if you do it your whole life! I might as well pocket this huge sum of gold. If you don't agree, I'll have no choice but to kill you!"

...

"Jiang Qiu, I see you have good martial arts skills and extraordinary courage. Since you're working for my Luo family, I'll let you go!"

...

"Jiang Qiu, you're incredibly skilled in light-footed martial arts. Go steal a batch of precious jade from Hengtai Pawnshop in Baiyun County!"

The image shattered at that moment, and Han Qing's pupils contracted. The last face he saw was white-browed and eagle-eyed, extremely fierce—it was Luo Sheng!
"I didn't expect the Luo family to be searching for this precious jade as well? What's so special about it?"

Han Qing took out a piece of jade from his bosom and rubbed it in his hand. The color was still cloudy, and he couldn't see anything special about it.

"The situation is becoming increasingly complicated. Since I can't figure it out, I'll stop thinking about it. I just need to be more careful in the future," Han Qing thought to himself. A large amount of information appeared in front of him, and he could choose one martial arts technique from among many to inherit its proficiency.

The first thing that caught his eye was the Wild Goose Technique, which he had mastered to the highest level!
(End of this chapter)