Go and capture those thirty-six fierce villains.

"Lord Xu?"

After calling out softly a few times outside the door and receiving no response, Qin Ning carefully pushed open the brown wooden door.

The room was as dimly lit as it had been the day before, but the scattered items on the floor were gone, and Xu Meishan was no longer in the chair.

After thoroughly inspecting the Sichen Guard's garrison and confirming that the other party had indeed left, Qin Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Nobody likes to be neighbors with a tiger that's not quite right in the head.

Especially since this tiger wasn't even in a cage.

Taking advantage of the search for the person, he also familiarized himself with the layout of the residence. The total area was about the size of three medical clinics, divided into a front hall and a back hall, as well as seven or eight empty rooms.

One of the rooms leads to a complex underground passageway, while the others are completely empty.

The second floor is the document room, where various official documents and files issued by Kyoto are displayed.

Qin Ning casually flipped through the documents and found that they were all things that were not confidential, such as what laws the royal family had amended, where disasters had occurred, what officials had been appointed or dismissed, and so on.

A casual wipe on the bookshelf left my fingertips covered in a thick layer of dust... This place truly is an anomaly within the Sichen Guard's Autumn Department.

Qin Ning pondered as she returned to the front hall, where she saw round-eyed people standing at the door, looking drowsy.

Quietly walk up behind the other person and pat them on the shoulder.

"Hey!"

"grown ups!"

The other person suddenly woke up, straightened up, shouted in the opposite direction, and then quickly turned around.

"..."

Qin Ning sighed softly: "Where is Wang Bian?"

This is the name of the flat-eyed Liang Fengwei. The four brothers are surnamed Wang, and their given names are Da, Xiao, Yuan, and Bian.

I don't know who gave it that name.

It is said that the quadruplets’ father was a veteran who died in the Battle of Chengchuan River. Someone in the army, out of old friendship, found them this kind of job that was risk-free and provided them with a way to make a living.

"Sir, he's gone to guard the exit of the secret passage. This has been our division of labor until you arrived!"

Wang Yuan spoke loudly, as if this would prove that she hadn't fallen asleep.

Yesterday when I went out, I saw two... Oh, you guys were at work yesterday...

"There are only a few of us in the camp, so don't be so tense. Come on, let's go inside and sit for a while." Qin Ning said, putting his arm around Wang Yuan's shoulder and walking into the hall.

"I have a question for you. Before I arrived, who was the Cold Cicada here?"

Qin Ning's unpretentious demeanor made Wang Yuan very uncomfortable: "Reporting to Your Excellency, it is Sun Hanchan, Lord Sun."

"So where is he now? Was he transferred, or what?"

"My lord, Sun Hanchan is dead."

"Dead?"

Qin Ning's eyes widened in surprise. He sat down opposite Wang Yuan, frowning, and asked, "How did he die?"

People can still die in such a peaceful place...

"Died peacefully in his sleep!"

Translated, it means to die of old age.

...I had too much doubt...this place really is a retirement home.

After chatting with the other party for a while and learning that the four brothers had been working here for twelve years, outliving three old men, Qin Ning asked, "Has Huang Mu arrived yet?"

After Lord Huang finished his roll call, he went to the back hall.

The four brothers were all of the seventh rank of Liangfeng. Although Huang Mu was downgraded, he was still of a higher rank than them.

"Go and boil some tea, and bring it to the back hall in a bit."

"Yes, sir!"

On the way to the back hall, Qin Ning had already started thinking about something every working person does: slacking off.

Well, I'll leave after noon. In the afternoon, I'll go with Feng Hanying to buy some pills.

The thought of pills unconsciously drew his attention back to the dantian in his lower abdomen.

After last night's cultivation and the past ten days or so, more than half of the purple light in my Qi Sea has been absorbed.

That Gold-Melting Qi-Condensing Pill has extraordinary effects. If it were available in unlimited quantities, Qin Ning was confident that he could advance to the eighth rank of the Daoist sect within six days.

I just don't know how much this elixir is worth, or if it's even available on the market.

As he walked through the U-shaped corridor, before even entering the back hall, he saw Huang Mu sitting cross-legged on the ground, meditating. The small yellow beast on his shoulder followed suit, also sitting cross-legged.

The little beast sensed someone approaching, cautiously opened its eyes, but upon seeing an old acquaintance, it quickly closed its eyes again in fright.

It seems that the questioning last time must have left a considerable shadow on him.

"Ahem!"

Leaning against the door, Huang Mu coughed lightly. He opened his eyes and saw that it was Qin Ning. He quickly stood up and said with a smile, "Lord Qin, this is my first day here. I don't know what I'm responsible for. I'll just stay here and wait for your instructions while I cultivate."

"Don't be so nervous. It's your first day here, and it's my first day here too. Have a seat."

Walking up to the other person, Qin Ning reached out and patted their shoulder, his tone very friendly.

While the other party still felt guilty and uneasy, he planned to strike while the iron was hot and try to extract as much information as possible.

After chatting about various things, when Wang Yuan brought the tea, Qin Ning personally poured a cup for Huang Mu and got straight to the point: "Besides our garrison, our Sichen Guard should have a real central hub in secret, right?"

Huang Mu looked conflicted: "Lord Qin, there is such a place, but I have been exiled here. According to the rules and regulations, I have no connection with that place anymore, and I am not allowed to reveal any information about that place."

otherwise......"

As he spoke, he lightly rubbed his neck, the meaning of which was quite clear.

Qin Ning was not surprised by this answer. He picked up his teacup and smiled, "I am nineteen years old this year, and Brother Huang Mu, you are only in your early twenties. I just chatted with Liang Feng, the guard on duty."

"This place is so peaceful that every cicada that came here lived to a ripe old age."

"But those cicadas are already in their sixties or seventies by now. They can retire peacefully and enjoy a quiet and stable life. But you and I still have so many years ahead of us!" Qin Ning's voice suddenly rose. "Are we really going to waste the next few decades of our lives in this tortoise shell?!"

"Two taels of silver a month, a life you can see the end of the road ahead of you, Huang Mu, you came all the way from beyond the Great Wall just to live like this!?"

After he finished speaking, he slammed the teacup he was holding onto the table. The splashing tea was just like the mood of the visitor from beyond the Great Wall.

A long silence followed in the back hall.

Huang Mu suddenly stood up, took two steps forward, knelt on one knee, and said, "I do not wish to waste my time here, but I do not know the right method. Please teach me, Lord Qin!"

Qin Ning's words truly resonated with him.

He was twenty-eight, not eighty-two; his spirit remained strong, and he was still willing to risk his life for a better future.

"Simple, just do your job well."

Huang Mu, who had been kneeling, suddenly looked up: "But sir, we have already been assigned to the garrison. The Autumn Bureau has strict orders that everyone must perform their duties. Those who overstep their bounds will be punished but not rewarded. This is to prevent colleagues from stealing credit from each other."

Qin Ning sat in the chair, a smile playing on her lips: "Rules are made for others, not for me."

The implication is that he has connections.

Indeed, this was the case. With the Prince Su's mansion as his backing in Beian City, everyone who came would say that this young man's background was unfathomable.

As for the background of Sichenwei, Qin Ning is still unclear about the true meaning of Physician Yang and his group.

But since they've put themselves in this kind of place, they probably weren't brought in to be killed.

In that case, he has room to maneuver.

Test the waters little by little to see where the other party's bottom line really lies!