Go and capture those thirty-six fierce villains.

This book doesn't have a proper title.

The words "External Kung Fu" were written crookedly on the cover.

Qin Ning opened the yellowed paper, and on the title page, there was a line of words written crookedly.

"If you're going to hit someone, hit them in the face; if you're going to kick someone, kick them in the groin!"

"...?"

This book, which was included in the private collection of the concubine, must be no ordinary item.

But this writing style is... a bit too simple and unadorned.

After turning a few more pages, just as Qin Ning had predicted, this book did indeed allow one to cultivate without learning the martial artist's qi circulation methods.

Moreover, it mainly describes combat techniques and the use of various parts of the body.

Simply put, it means using the human body as a weapon.

In addition, these 32 thin pages of yellowed paper also include excerpts of the author's personal life and insights.

For example, he was a street urchin in his early years. Because he was good at fighting, he had the opportunity to come into contact with martial arts at the advanced age of 22. Even after he entered the ranks, he was not used to using those swords and spears and still preferred his own fists and feet.

Qin Ning quickly flipped through the pages to page seventeen.

"If you are tough enough, your fists are heavy hammers, your palms are swords, and your fingers are silver spears."

From this page onward, the book describes a development towards a multi-person perspective.

They began to focus on battlefield combat skills.

Correspondingly, in the author's autobiographical account, he also became a general, transitioning from a street hustler to a soldier.

Turning to the very last page, on the back of the last page of the book, there was also a line of words written in a crooked and messy manner.

"In my later years, I realized that besides being hard, you also need to be strong!"

The last stroke of that character was written with extremely heavy strokes; one wonders if the author of this book suffered some kind of trauma.

Interesting... A smile appeared in Qin Ning's eyes. He made up his mind: he would choose this martial arts manual... As for the medical book, he picked the one that looked the most expensive, with words embroidered in gold thread on the cover.

With [Greed] present, as long as I persevere and diligently strengthen myself, sooner or later I will be as hard and... powerful as described in this book!

After leaving the private storeroom with the maid, the maid said she wanted to leave behind two handwritten copies of books and asked Qin Ning to wait a moment.

This was surprisingly generous... After being arranged to wait in the tea room for half an hour, Qin Ning left carrying a brocade box containing two books.

On his way back to Qunying Academy, when he reached the area with the red walls, he saw that no one was around and quietly rolled up his sleeves.

White light... a little ominous...

The young princess's attitude towards me was strange. Subduing this ferocious creature will probably be more difficult than I expected.

......

Time flies, and it's now the second day of October.

During these ten days or so, Qin Ning lived a regular and fulfilling life.

Aside from administering acupuncture to the prince daily to keep him conscious, he devoted much of his free time to cultivating Taoist techniques and studying the "External Kung Fu" manual, which emphasized hard and bulky materials.

Furthermore, on the fifth day after he entered the palace, Feng Hanying and her teacher arrived at the palace with the refined ancient pills.

Qin Ning did not witness the specific scene of the pill being taken, but judging from the fact that he still had to go to give the prince acupuncture every day afterward, this so-called ancient pill should not have played any role in his strange illness.

With Li Qingyan, the source of the plague, around, Qin Ning's physical fitness has improved significantly during this period. He can now crack stone tablets with just his bare hands. His physique has not changed, but his weight has increased considerably.

This means that his flesh and bones are becoming more solid.

There are no immediate concerns about safety, my own abilities are improving daily, and I have a job with little work and high pay.

However, Qin Ning has made no progress in dealing with malevolent objects.

The young princess was Feng Hanying's close friend, and he thought that with this relationship, he could at least change her strange attitude.

But he didn't know what taboo he had offended. During this period, whenever the two met, this eighteen-year-old princess never gave him a good look.

A Taoist enthusiast who looks down on the only successor of Taoism... Could this be considered a case of someone who professses love of dragons but is terrified of them in another world?

Lost in thought, Qin Ning stepped into the study and, as usual, began administering acupuncture to the prince, who was about to fall into a deep sleep.

Well, it shouldn't count, since she doesn't know my true identity yet... Speaking of which, the plague energy surging into the Crown Prince's mind is increasing.

Fortunately, I am also constantly improving, and the duration of [Greed] can be increased, otherwise I probably wouldn't be able to keep up with the speed at which the plague is growing.

It took longer than usual to clean the inside of the other person's head, and then a servant handed over a soft handkerchief to wipe away sweat.

Qin Ning accepted the gift and, as usual, took his leave, but was stopped by the deputy physician guarding the door.

"Tomorrow, His Highness the Crown Prince will go outside the city to perform a sacrificial ceremony and pray for the people of Suzhou, and he specifically requested that you accompany him."

"Praying for blessings outside the city?" Qin Ning immediately thought of the Sichen Guard. They had distributed portraits throughout Suzhou, and given their power, they should already know that he was in the Prince of Su's mansion.

However, the fact that he hasn't made any moves for so long suggests that he is probably worried about being in the Prince Su's residence.

Now that I suddenly have to leave the city, my safety...

The deputy physician pulled him to the side of the door and whispered, "Since the young master came of age, he has gone to Zhenji Ridge, thirty miles south of the city, to pray for blessings every year on the third day of the tenth month. This has been going on for seven years."

I couldn't refuse, since he was a private doctor.

Moreover, as the prince's condition worsened, even with the combined efforts of the two physicians administering acupuncture, they could not keep him conscious for long.

Qin Ning couldn't even imagine how terrible it would be if the other person fell asleep during the prayer...

"Okay, I understand. What time do we depart tomorrow?"

"Come here at dawn, the blessing ceremony will begin at noon, and the whole process will last about half an hour. Before going on stage, you need to administer acupuncture to the Crown Prince." The deputy physician gently instructed on the details.

"Okay." Qin Ning hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "Is there any safety issue with such a large gathering?"

The deputy doctor gave him a strange look but did not answer directly.

"This is Suzhou."

The implication was that no one dared to openly provoke the eldest son of the Prince of Su in this territory.

He's almost completely unable to take care of himself...

Qin Ning suddenly felt conflicted. Should she stay close to this prince during the blessing ceremony tomorrow, or try to keep her distance?

In this situation,

He found it difficult to discern whether his situation or that of the prince was more dangerous.

If he's actually more likely to draw aggro than I am, then staying close to him could very well turn into me being his human shield... But if Si Chenwei takes advantage of this time to attack me, if I don't stay close to him, I'm afraid I could easily be kidnapped.

What have I done to deserve this? My level of danger is comparable to that of a prince of a feudal lord.

On the way back to Qunying Academy, Qin Ning rubbed her face vigorously, still undecided.

Even before entering the room, the enticing aroma of food wafted out.

He was used to this.

For the past ten days or so, every time Qin Ning returned from acupuncture treatment, there would be exquisite dishes laid out on the table, sometimes eight dishes, sometimes twelve.

The menu changes, and there is a possibility of repetition only every seven days.

I washed my hands after entering the room, sat down at the table, looked at the proud little black cat, and then at the twelve exquisite dishes on the table.

Qin Ning was silent for a moment: "You really didn't secretly transform into a human while I was out, and then borrow the kitchen utensils in the mansion to cook these dishes?"

"Meow?"

The cat tilted its head and gently drew the number three on the table.

This is the result of her learning over the past ten days or so. The general meaning of her expression is something like, "What are you saying? What is that? I don't understand."

...I was overthinking it.

Qin Ning picked up her chopsticks and began attacking the food on the table.

The little black cat must have made a friend in the palace, perhaps a friend with excellent cooking skills, as he ate and pondered.

......