He was in the Ming Dynasty, and his adoptive father was Governor Cao.

Xia Wen is the owner of Bailu Pharmacy in Bailong City, and Xiao Ting once bought medicine from him.

It is said that he was a member of a collateral branch of the Wen family in Lingnan and possessed a secret technique called "The Scent Recognition Manual".

The Lingnan Wen Clan is renowned in the martial arts world, ranking among the "Seven Mysteries and Eight Extremes" as one of the eight extremes. They are the leaders of Lingnan, skilled in both medicine and poison. Because they have practiced medicine for generations, compared to ordinary martial arts sects, in addition to inner and outer disciples, they also have a type of disciples: "apprentices" who help out by preparing and decocting medicine.

The "Fragrance Manual" is a secret technique created specifically for those who dispense medicine to identify it, and it is quite miraculous.

"All things in heaven and earth possess their own qi. By observing the nose, one can gain insight into the spiritual realm, and the mind's senses will naturally open."

This practice believes that all things emit a unique "aura," and practitioners can capture and distinguish these auras by training their nasal cavity, thereby reaching the realm of "identifying illness by smell and understanding medicine by discerning its properties."

This is a martial art that all apprentices in the Wen family who specialize in medicine must learn. It sounds simple, but it is extremely difficult to master.

"This one should also be one of our undercover agents; let's start with him!"

Xiao Ting strode closer, completely focused, and reached out to touch his brow: "I wonder if someone who's been dead for two or three days can trigger their talent..."

boom--

The thought had barely crossed my mind when a flood of memories erupted once more!

[The "Hand of the Bright Soul" talent has been triggered... Target: Xia Wen, the "Fragrance of a Thread"...]

[Analysis begins... Extraction successful!]

[Obtained a Rank 7 High-Tier Secret Technique: "The Scent Recognition Manual"!]

[Gained forty-five years of cultivation experience!]

[Skill in progress...]

In a daze, Xiao Ting seemed to see Xia Wen's entire life.

— He began his education at the age of seven, studying the "Fragrance Manual." He used a spicy "nasal passage clearing soup" to fumigate his nasal cavity day and night, choking countless times until he was covered in tears and vomited.

—At the age of ten, his nasal passages began to open, and he was able to identify medicines in the storeroom. From then on, he could clearly distinguish the subtle smells of more than 1,800 kinds of medicinal materials.

—At the age of twenty, his family suffered a tragedy, and he was stranded at sea. He relied on his extraordinary sense of smell to establish himself in the Angry Dragon Gang, where he could detect the scent of enemy ships amidst the complex sea winds and was always successful in his search.

—At the age of thirty-five, he infiltrated White Dragon City and became an undercover agent. His "Fragrance Manual" broke through two levels, expanding his olfactory range to five miles, revealing every detail. He was known as "One-Line Fragrance"!

For more than ten years afterward, he lived a quiet life in the city, secretly passing on messages to the Angry Dragon Gang, until three days ago when the Pearl-Picking Division raided the den, the hideout was destroyed, and he was captured and killed.

Xiao Ting opened his eyes and subconsciously tried to circulate his internal energy and inhale.

boom!

In an instant, it felt like my nostrils were about to explode!

Countless smells that were originally so faint as to be negligible surged in like a flood bursting its banks—the smell of mold, blood, dust, medicine, and the stench of every corpse… The sheer volume of information was so overwhelming that it made him dizzy and almost faint.

"Alum, rosin, camphor..."

No thinking is required.

The names, properties, and effects of the medicinal herbs corresponding to these scents come to mind as if by instinct.

"This talent... is truly domineering!"

Xiao Ting was secretly alarmed, and then a chilling thought arose in his mind: Something's not right!

Logically speaking, when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; the corpse is nothing more than an inanimate object.

Even if the game uses cheats, it doesn't explain how so-called "skills" and "memories" can be extracted from a corpse that has been dead for two or three days.

unless……

This world doesn't just end when someone dies...

"Zombies? Ghosts? Ghost Blows Out the Light?"

Xiao Ting's expression turned solemn, and he secretly clicked his tongue in astonishment: "Just how high is this 'High Martial Arts Great Ming'?!"

He turned his gaze to the other corpses: "Never mind that for now! Looting one is the same as looting a group! Since we're already here, let's hope we can get some good skills..."

He immediately reached for the next person.

[Extraction successful. Obtained the Rank 9 Mid-level Lightness Skill "Rowing Technique"...]

[Extraction successful. Obtained the eighth-grade lower-level sword technique, "Eighteen Styles of the Woodcutter's Cleaver"...]

[Extraction successful. Obtained the eighth-rank, lower-level thieving technique, "Stealing a Sheep"...]

……

Xiao Ting touched them one by one, somewhat speechless.

They're all low-class scum!

Undeterred, I tried a few more, but the results were largely the same.

He thought about it and realized that it made sense; the big shots had already been beheaded and their heads displayed to the public.

"Those mutilated corpses hanging in front of the Pearl-Drawing Bureau... they're probably impossible to extract. Too much time has passed; even if we reassemble them, they're probably unusable..."

Xiao Ting temporarily gave up.

Through the dozen or so corpses in the morgue, he roughly figured it out.

Not all corpses can trigger the Soul Hand, at least not now.

First, it should be as complete as possible. Missing an arm or a leg is acceptable, but missing a head or a body is not.

Secondly, those who have been dead for more than seven days will not react when touched; those who have been dead for two to seven days, the longer the time and the higher the skill level, the more negative memories they will have and the greater the risk; those who have been dead for no more than one day will only have skills and emotions, which are the best materials to extract!

"This talent...it's practically made for the imperial prison!"

Once Xiao Ting understood, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Imperial Prison!

That royal black prison, located beneath the Northern Garrison Command, never sees the light of day and holds the most ferocious, mysterious, and often most powerful prisoners in the land.

To outsiders, it was hell on earth, a gateway to the underworld, but for his "Minghun Hand" talent, it was simply... an inexhaustible treasure trove of martial arts heritage!

New "serious offenders" are thrown in every day.

Every few days, bodies that couldn't withstand torture or were secretly executed would be carried out.

In life, weren't those corpses renowned figures—martial arts masters, high-ranking officials, or villainous tyrants—each possessing unparalleled skills and renowned for their unique abilities? Just touch any one of them, and you'd find their lifelong mastery of top-tier techniques, their secret, unparalleled skills, and even their profound insights into martial arts—wouldn't that be...?

"If I just go in and become a guard... no, even if it's just a menial laborer responsible for moving corpses, given time, wouldn't all the martial arts in the world be under my control?"

This idea is too good to be true.

Unfortunately, he can't go back now...

Return to Beijing!

We must find a way to get back to Beijing!

The position of the garrison eunuch is indeed high, but no matter how high it is, it is still "exile". Far from the core of the court, life and death are in the hands of those above. This position can only be used to accumulate seniority, and it is not a long-term solution.

Old Cao definitely wants to go back too. As long as his adoptive father can establish himself securely in the palace, he, as the adopted son, can wield immense power in the Zhenfu Division prison...

Thinking of this, Xiao Ting smiled slightly: "'Hoping one's father will become a dragon' is indeed a strategy..."

Just then—

"Bang! Crash! Ah—"

Suddenly, a huge crashing sound and a roar came from outside the door!

"Charge! Fight your way out!"

"Kill these eunuch dogs of the imperial court!"

"Let's fight them!"

A sudden uproar erupted, the chaotic sounds exploding like water being poured into a pot of oil!

Xiao Ting frowned, flashed out, and saw that the entrance to the dungeon ahead was in complete chaos!

About twenty or thirty elite prisoners somehow managed to open the iron locks on the cell door and were rushing out frantically! Behind them, more and more prisoners rushed out of the cell, still wearing shackles, but they were ruthless and merciless.

The guards were clearly outnumbered and were struggling to hold out; it looked like the defensive line was about to be breached.

"The number of guards is incorrect."

Xiao Ting gripped the hilt of his sword, his gaze sweeping across the entire area. He frowned and said, "According to regulations, such a strategically important location should have at least double the number of sentries. Where are the high-ranking officers?"

The fifth son, being young, saw that the group of ruthless thugs were like mad tigers, and that their own guards were in grave danger. He hurriedly said, "Sir! Should we...?"

"Go."

Xiao Ting interrupted him, saying succinctly, "Both of you go."

"yes!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Zi's spirits lifted, and he now held a pair of water-splitting daggers. With a leap, he plunged into the battle like a nimble ape, targeting the lower bodies of the most aggressive prisoners with cunning fighting techniques.

Fan Xiping didn't move immediately, but instead glanced at Xiao Ting.

Xiao Ting nodded almost imperceptibly.

Fan Xiping's lips curled into a smirk, his lazy demeanor vanishing instantly. Without any apparent effort, he swept out like a blurry gray shadow, his fists, feet, elbows, and knees turning into heavy blows wherever he went. With a muffled thud, the first few prisoners who had charged the furthest collapsed to the ground without even uttering a sound.

It was at this moment.

A fierce and violent burst of true energy suddenly exploded out from among the prisoners!