Imperial henchmen? My divine skills are all hacked versions.

Yang Xu paused for a moment, then put the bluestone slab down. The slab hit the ground with a dull thud. He scratched the back of his head, as if pondering a problem that had troubled him for many years.

"Tsk... I'm used to it. I've been like this since I was a kid, and I can't change it."

"Your tsk hurts more than your knife."

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

Zhao Bao, who was wiping his sword sheath nearby, overheard their conversation and peeked out.

"Lord Commander, I counted. Yesterday you smacked your lips a total of 137 times. You smacked your lips 43 times while on the early shift, 21 times while eating lunch, 52 times in the afternoon, and 21 times while drinking in the evening."

Yang Xu stared at him wide-eyed. "Tsk...you're so bored you're counting how many times I 'tsk'?"

"It wasn't me who counted. Zhang Hu made a bet with me about how many times you could 'tsk' in a day. He bet 100, and I bet 120. Neither of us won."

Zhao Bao tucked the scabbard to his waist. "Lord Commander, how about you give me ten taels of silver, and I won't count it anymore?"

"roll."

Yang Xu kicked him in the butt, but Zhao Bao dodged it with a laugh.

Xu Xian rolled his eyes helplessly, silently adjusting Yang Xu's "tsk" into a modal particle in his mind.

That day, Xu Xian finished practicing his last round of sword-splitting at the training ground.

The eight-sided sword struck the wooden stake, which made a muffled sound. The upper half of the stake finally could not withstand the heavy blows over the past few days, and it split open from the middle, breaking into two pieces.

Xu Xian leaned on the ground, catching his breath, when suddenly a "ding" sounded in his mind.

He brought up the system panel:

[I have broken through to the third level of the Yi Jin Jing, and my daily practice progress has increased to 500 points.]

  

[New cultivation technique unlocked—Holy Spirit Sword Technique!]

[System Prompt: The current host has mastered multiple divine skills and has reached the upper limit of the current realm. No new skills will be produced before breaking through to a higher realm.]

After reading the prompt, Xu closed the panel.

The Holy Spirit Sword Technique, the ultimate skill of the Nameless Sword Saint, just so happens that he has been learning swordsmanship recently, and Tongbao is quite considerate.

But the second half of the sentence made him feel uneasy: no new cultivation techniques would be produced before breaking through to a higher realm.

His current cultivation level is the fifth level of Body Tempering, and he is still three levels away from the Meridian Opening Realm.

These three levels are neither too far nor too close. The Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill and the Yi Jin Jing are both steadily improving, three of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms have been unlocked, and the Holy Spirit Sword Technique has just been acquired and has not yet been practiced.

Each breakthrough in these divine skills requires a large number of cultivation points, and the more you progress, the more points you need. You have to persevere!

He sheathed the eight-sided sword and decided to incorporate the practice of the Holy Spirit Sword Technique into his daily training starting tomorrow.

...

The next day was Shen Weiya's monthly day off.

Xu Xianzheng was practicing the Bengjian (a type of sword technique) under Mo Feichang's guidance. The sword tip suddenly snapped upwards, and the force was transmitted from the wrist all the way to the sword tip. The eight-sided sword drew a sharp arc in the air.

Shen Weiya came running from the other end of the corridor, her long sword clanging against a stone pillar.

"Xu Xian! I'm out again! Come and fight me!"

She drew her sword and stabbed.

Xu Xian dodged the sword's edge, and the Eight-Sided Sword unleashed a cutting sword move, striking Shen Weiya's sword squarely in the middle with the spine of the blade.

Shen Weiya felt a numbness in her hand, and the longsword flew out of her hand, somersaulted twice in the air, and stuck into the mud next to the stone bench with a thud, the hilt still humming.

Shen Weiya looked down at her empty hands, then at the sword stuck in the mud, before glaring at Xu Xian, "You bastard Xu!"

"No, no!"

Shen Weiya ran over, drew the sword, and sheathed it. Then she ran back and looked up at him.

"I didn't come out today to fight you, I came out for hot pot! I've been craving that hot pot meal from last month for a whole month since I got back to the palace!"

"Do you know how awful the food in the imperial kitchen is? The imperial chefs are all about 'color, aroma, and taste,' it's all about presentation! A dish is served with just a tiny bite inside, and I finish it in one bite. Eating that meal was more tiring than practicing swordsmanship!"

"Your Highness, didn't you say last time that 'I will never forgive you'?"

"It's not a conflict. If you cook a few more meals, I might not castrate you."

"Okay."

Xu Xian smiled slightly, "I'll do it after I get off work."

As the two were talking, a messenger from the palace came to announce that Mo Feichang had entered the palace.

Mo Feichang put down his brush, straightened his clothes, and followed the eunuch. Before leaving, he gave Xu Xian a day off, saying, "You don't need to practice swordsmanship this afternoon."

Shen Weiya beamed with joy, "Master is brilliant!"

When the two returned home, Hua Xi was squatting in the yard feeding the turtle with vegetable leaves. Upon hearing the words "hot pot," she immediately looked up, tucked the turtle into her arms, and ran over.

The three of them went out to the market and bought mutton, tofu, and vegetables.

After returning home, I set up a copper pot in the yard and began to use up the ingredients.

Shen Weiya sat on a small stool, her forehead sweating as she ate, her mouth never stopping.

Xu Xian also enjoyed the meal, but his enjoyment didn't last long.

He had only eaten a few bites and just poured a plate of mutton into the pot when Yang Xu pushed the door open, grabbed his arm, and dragged him outside.

"Something's happened!"

...

Xu Xian was dragged into the office by him. Mo Feichang was sitting in the main seat, with Lu Jing and Feng Zangwu next to him.

Each person had an official document laid out in front of them, and the sealing wax on the document had already been removed.

After everyone had arrived, Mo Feichang put down his teacup.

"The governor of Qingzhou, Li Shanyu, was executed along with his entire family last night. All thirty-six members of his household, including masters and servants, were wiped out. Li Shanyu himself was found dead in his study, his chest pierced by a sharp weapon. His Majesty is furious and has ordered the Investigation Department to solve the case within ten days!"

Xu Xian was stunned. "The governor's entire family was wiped out?"

Lu Jing put down the official document in his hand, his brows furrowed. "A prefectural governor, a high-ranking official of the third rank, had his entire family wiped out. It's unheard of. Isn't the inspector general of Qingzhou Wang Yanni?"

"Yes."

Mo Feichang pushed a sealed warrant in front of Xu Xian.

"Wang Yanni has limited manpower, and I'm afraid I can't solve this case. Take my warrant to Qingzhou, and once you arrive, you'll have full authority over the manpower and case files of the Qingzhou Investigation Department!"

"You and Yang Xu take Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao with you, and also take a squad of Black Cavalry Guards."

Xu Xian took the warrant, folded it, and put it in his pocket. "Understood, sir."

Mo drank his tea with a blank expression. "News has come in that many of Li Shanyu's guards and servants died under rather sordid circumstances. It's said they were killed after being weakened by a Gu poison... Be careful."

Another Gu poison?!

Xu Xian was startled, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble servant has noted it down."

After saying that, he and Yang Xu quickly went out the door. "Brother Yang, I'm going to get something. Wait for me here, I'll be right back."

Yang Xu nodded, "Go and come back quickly!"

...

When Xu returned to the courtyard, Hua Xi was forcing the turtle to eat hot pot mutton, which was so spicy that the turtle kept retracting its head.

"Hua Xi, your brother is going to Qingzhou, do you want to go?"

Xu Xian squatted down to look Hua Xi in the eye and said, "There's a kind of candied jujube over there, coated with sugar frosting on the outside and filled with sour jujube paste on the inside. I heard it's even tastier than the candied hawthorns in Beijing."

"Let's hurry up, don't keep Mizao waiting!"

Hua Xi stood up, holding the tortoise, and walked out, with Xu Xian following her with a smile.

Assassinating a prefectural governor is no less than rebelling. The other party must have some kind of entourage and doesn't want to be discovered. He doesn't want to die without knowing why, so he must bring a bodyguard!