The First Sage of Military Strategists

Chapter 24 The Seven Killings Stele Will Advance
On his way back to the yamen, Han Qing did not use an umbrella, letting the rain wash over his face and body, dispelling the last trace of blood.

He carefully recalled the entire process. From the start to the end, it took no more than thirty breaths. It was clean and efficient. In addition, given the heavy rain, there should have been no flaws left.

He didn't want to be so ruthless, but Wan Fuchun, that old scoundrel, went too far, so he had no choice but to kill him.

By the time Han Qing walked out of Pingshun Street, he had completely calmed down.

With a thought, the Seven Killings Stele appeared in the void of his mind, with three more orbs of light beside it.

He first absorbed the light orbs from the two guards and obtained two sets of memories, but they were nothing special and mostly consisted of everyday trivia.

Both of them were mediocre in martial arts, having learned a basic technique called Golden Edge Skill, but neither had mastered it.

Han Qing inherited the martial arts of these two people and immediately transferred them to the Nine Yin Manual, but only increased the proficiency by 1%.

This is because Jin Feng Gong is of very poor quality and is a common, widely used martial art.

Secondly, when converting proficiency from a lower to a higher level of martial arts, the conversion rate will be very low.

Then he absorbed Wan Fuchun's soul orb.

"Hmph, Luo Sheng is going too far! He has seized my Wan family's assets. One day I will take back everything I have lost!"

...

"Lord Luo, I am utterly loyal to you. Rest assured, within six months, the Luo family will rule the Baiyun County pharmaceutical industry with absolute power!"

...

"Lord Luo, Old Man Han from Xinglin Hall has a son named Han Qing. This kid is a bit strange. I heard he works as a servant in the yamen. I wonder if there's any hope of him becoming a full-fledged official."

"Don't worry about that. With me here, that kid won't amount to anything!"

...

"This pharmaceutical business is extremely profitable. Once my Wanchuntang becomes the dominant force, making a fortune every day will be a piece of cake."

As the image faded, Han Qing's impression of Luo Sheng and even the Luo family worsened. They were ruthless in their pursuit of money, disregarding all principles of morality, conscience, and bottom line. Such scoundrels caused more harm to Baiyun County than some local thugs.

However, although Han Qing hated this kind of person, he also knew his own limitations.

If the Luo family stops pressuring him and Luo Sheng stops targeting him, then he won't deliberately create trouble for himself.

...

Back at the yamen.

Han Qing only slept for three hours that night. He had something on his mind, so his sleep time naturally decreased.

It was still dark when he got up to practice martial arts, even though he was to take an exam today.

He practiced the Nine Yin Manual, which, although also consisting of thirty-six movements, had a very different style compared to the Nine Yang Manual.

The movements of the Nine Yin Manual are gentler, and the breathing rhythm is slower, somewhat reminiscent of Tai Chi from a previous life.

The Nine Yang True Skill is even faster and more powerful, requiring the use of the whole body's strength in every movement.

After an hour of practice, it was already broad daylight, and many of the young people had gotten up.

Han Qing also finished his arduous training. He glanced at the panel and saw that his proficiency in the Nine Yin Manual had only increased slightly.

This is normal. It's not that he lacks comprehension or natural talent, but rather that the further one progresses in martial arts, the slower one's skill becomes.

If practicing for just one hour could lead to a significant improvement, that would be incredible; everyone could become a martial arts saint.

However, Han Qing felt it was normal, but he was not satisfied. The progress was still too slow. He estimated that without the system's help, it might not be possible to master the basics in half a year.

"The progress is slow, but things will change soon," Han Qingxin thought.

First, there's the afternoon assessment. If everything goes smoothly, he'll immediately become a bailiff, able to execute stronger and more notorious criminals, and thus inherit even more powerful martial arts skills. Second, the Seven Killings Stele is about to advance. After killing Wan Fuchun yesterday, its level has been slowly climbing, and this morning, he glanced at it and saw it had already reached 92.3%.

If he's lucky, killing one more person will allow him to reach the second tier. He doesn't know what the effects of the second tier are, but it will definitely make his strength increase faster.

Just as he was pondering this, Master Fang shouted from his room, "Dumb guy, come here quickly! I was blown by the wind last night, and I woke up this morning with a splitting headache. Oh dear, this is really going to kill me!"

Han Qing got up and quickly went to Master Fang's room. The latter was lying on the bed with his brows furrowed and his face contorted in pain.

Han Qing used the same old method: acupuncture for pain relief. After inserting fourteen silver needles, Master Fang's condition immediately improved significantly.

“Not bad, mute. Apart from being quiet and a bit stubborn, you have no other flaws, especially your medical skills. I think all the famous doctors in Baiyun County combined can't compare to you.”

Han Qing remained silent, quietly tidying up the acupuncture tools and putting them in a drawer.

Master Fang changed from lying down to sitting up, leaning against the wall, and asked with a smile: "Dumb, you're going to take the exam this afternoon. With your martial arts skills, you'll probably end up in the yamen."

When the time comes, you can move to the Zaoban compound, and Yang Wu will arrange a room for you.

"Let's discuss this. You don't need to move out. I'll clear out a room for you in this courtyard. You can continue to treat my illness, and I'll guarantee you meat every day and books to read every week. How about that?"

He really didn't want Han Qing to leave. What if his headache flared up again one day? He couldn't very well go knocking on the door of the soap-making company compound in the middle of the night, could he?

"Okay." Han Qing nodded and agreed without much hesitation.

He knew what Master Fang was thinking. Master Fang had been kind to him, so as long as it didn't harm his own interests, there was nothing wrong with going along with Master Fang.

Another thing is that Master Fang provided him with very lavish meals, with meat every noon. He couldn't bear to part with it, and he was even more reluctant to part with Master Fang's books.

"Good, you're a decent guy. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Go on, you don't need to brew the medicine today. Get some rest so it doesn't affect your performance this afternoon," Master Fang said with a smile.

...

noon.

The sun was high in the sky, the weather was clear, and Han Qing and a large group of servants had already gathered at the yamen's training ground.

Han Qing stood in the crowd, his gaze sweeping across the area. He saw three chairs placed in the open space ahead. Later, high-ranking officials from the government would come to visit, including Magistrate Qi.

A hundred paces away from this chair, there was a row of large, grayish-white stones, each about the height of a person.

Just then, a noisy discussion arose from the crowd.

"More students have arrived!"

"Huh? Why is this a new face? I've never seen it before."

"Nonsense, let me tell you a secret, these three are all from the county town, with distinguished backgrounds. They're just here to go through the motions."

"Damn it! Bah! Now I know why four out of the five spots in this assessment were taken." Someone cursed.

"Wait a minute, there are only three people. Where's the last spot?" someone asked, puzzled.

"That spot was taken by the son of Yu Qiu, the head of the militia," another person said.

"No wonder, I heard that Chief Yu is the most skilled in martial arts among the three shifts of constables."

...

Han Qing listened to the discussions around him, while also observing the three students who were walking towards him from a distance.

The three men were dressed in unusual attire, adorned with jade, jade belts, and sachets. As they walked towards the sunlight, the various gold and silver ornaments reflected the light, making them appear to be sparkling from head to toe.

The three arrived nearby, their eyes sweeping over everyone with an arrogant expression.

There was no way around it; the difference in their family backgrounds was too great. Compared to these three, they were dressed in simple clothes and truly looked like beggars and refugees fleeing from disaster. Even Luo Ying couldn't compare.

(End of this chapter)