I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

Dongcheng District, Zhennan Street.

On the road, people come and go, and various hawking and shouting sounds come one after another.

Trucks would arrive from all directions from time to time, then turn into various shops, where workers and farmers would come forward to unload their goods.

Bustling and lively.

Zhou An and Liu Shuqing patrolled the streets together, dressed in gray-blue outfits, each with a wooden sword at their waist, their eyes occasionally sweeping over the street thugs.

"This job isn't as dangerous as Instructor Guo made it out to be; in fact, it's rather boring."

Liu Shuqing yawned, feeling a little sleepy.

A few days ago I was able to muster my energy and pay attention to my surroundings, but after getting familiar with the various situations on the street, I became a little listless.

"It was a bit boring, but that's a good thing."

Passing by a noodle stall, Zhou An smelled the spicy aroma in the air and spoke casually, his mind wandering elsewhere.

He remembered that Coach Guo's booklet mentioned that some poisons were colorless and odorless, making them difficult to guard against.

However, the specific configuration details were not explained.

The booklet was ultimately too small. Even though it contained various experiences of traveling the martial arts world and explained how to identify sleeping pills and poisons, Zhou An felt that it was still not enough.

"Medicine and poison have always been closely related. I have memorized the contents of the booklet. After today's inspection, I can try to consult with Steward Li about medical matters."

Zhou An pondered to himself.

The Golden Robe Technique already involves major acupoints in the human body. If one were to advance to the realms of bone forging and internal organ strengthening in the future, it might also involve this aspect.

"It will only take about ten days to condense the golden skin. Once I succeed, my Tiger Roar Bone Forging Technique will be able to reach the Iron Bone realm."

Then we can go to the Sword-Catching Division to check on the situation.

Back when he was in the sect, his blood and qi couldn't keep up with the speed of his cultivation. Now that there's a way to make money, Zhou An naturally has to make the most of it.

"When I have money, I'll also look for some more powerful cultivation techniques to practice."

Whether it's drawing inferences from similar cases to further improve the Qingfeng Sword Technique, or enhancing one's own combat strength, both are indispensable.

As Zhou An was thinking this, he saw Liu Shuqing chuckle and leisurely stretch.

"That's true. I just don't know if Wang Yi and Qian Youde think the same way we do."

As they talked, the two strolled slowly past the shops, occasionally stopping any thugs who harassed shopkeepers or customers.

Although not all the shops on the nearby streets are related to the Seven Mysteries Sect, if they are well maintained, they will receive some rewards from the sect when it collects protection fees in the future.

The government handles disputes among merchants, while the Seven Mysteries Sect helps them resolve disturbances from local thugs and maintain daily order, existing somewhere between right and wrong.

"Damn it, how dare they try to fool me!"

Suddenly, a roar came from the street ahead.

Something's happened.

The two exchanged a glance and quickly quickened their pace to run over.

Zhou An thought it was just a routine dispute, but as soon as he arrived, he heard a scream from above.

A living person dressed in a gray long coat crashed through a window and fell heavily from the second-floor window of a Qinghong Restaurant amidst flying splinters of wood.

"How dare you!"

Liu Shuqing was both shocked and angry, but also a little excited. Seeing that the man was only groaning and not in any danger, she quickly headed towards the restaurant.

Yuelai Restaurant.

Zhou An glanced at the restaurant's name and frowned.

If he remembered correctly, this restaurant was a storefront in which the Seven Mysteries Sect had a stake, and the person lying on the ground groaning... was wearing the same clothes as the restaurant staff who had run out.

"Did they come here specifically to cause trouble?"

Zhou An dared not delay and quickly followed, but he was on high alert.

As soon as they entered, the two revealed their identities and hurriedly ran upstairs to the second floor under the guidance of the panicked waiter.

Before going upstairs, Zhou An glanced at the people in the lobby on the first floor.

These people were either curious, frightened, or just looking for a good show; none of them were the kind of people described in the booklet who were lying in wait, ready to strike at any moment.

Upon reaching the second floor, a tall, burly man slapped a restaurant waiter, sending him flying and smashing the table into pieces.

"You bastards! It's one thing to use inferior products, but you even dared to add drugs! Do you really think your Grandpa Shen is blind?"

The man surnamed Shen cursed angrily and spat out a mouthful of phlegm.

After spitting it out, wisps of hair still clung to his dark, bushy beard, causing the surrounding diners to frown.

"Stop! The Seven Mysteries Sect is here; how dare you act so presumptuously!"

Liu Shuqing glanced at the waiter whose face was swollen and blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth, and when she saw that the burly man surnamed Shen still dared to smash things, she immediately roared and rushed over.

"You think you can bully others with just a wooden sword? Let's see if your grandpa Shen is scared."

Shen Qiu's words were tinged with grievance, but his face held a cruel and ferocious expression. Instead of retreating, he advanced and punched Liu Shuqing hard.

Halfway there, Shen Qiu, who seemed reckless, suddenly changed his tactics. He stomped his right foot and his fist slammed into Liu Shuqing's wooden sword with a powerful force.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud, and the air exploded.

Liu Shuqing's heart skipped a beat, and he realized something was wrong. He was knocked back, sword and all, by the impact.

"The Seven Mysteries Sect is nothing special."

Shen Qiu grinned maliciously and stomped his feet rapidly, closing in on Liu Shuqing in the blink of an eye.

Seeing him use his waist as the axis, hunch his chest and straighten his back, and suddenly exert force with his back leg, he delivered a powerful Iron Mountain Lean.

"not good."

As she watched the elbow grow larger and larger in front of her, Liu Shuqing's heart pounded wildly.

Let's stop here.

Just then, a familiar voice came from beside me.

The moment the voice reached her ears, Liu Shuqing saw Shen Qiu's pupils shrink as if he had been struck by a heavy blow, and he retreated backward repeatedly, his face turning deathly pale.

"Brother Zhou..."

Seeing Zhou An quickly approaching her, Liu Shuqing felt a wave of fear wash over her, and her face burned red.

"Your attack was a deadly move... I think you didn't come here for a meal, but deliberately to cause trouble. I suspect you even poisoned it yourself."

Zhou An nodded to Liu Shuqing, but his gaze turned icy when he looked at Shen Qiu.

Father, like son.

Liu Shuqing didn't use her full strength in that move; on the contrary, this man surnamed Shen was clearly aiming to cripple Liu Shuqing.

"Cough cough."

Shen Qiu coughed repeatedly, clutching his lower back and slowly got up, looking at Zhou An with a fierce expression.

"So this is the Seven Mysteries Sect! Not only did they outnumber us and launch a sneak attack... but now they're spouting lies and twisting the truth. Do you really think the people of my Bajiquan Martial Arts School are easy to bully?"

"Whether it's true or false, there's no point in saying more."

Zhou An gave Shen Qiu, who was struggling to breathe, a cold glance, then cupped his hands and addressed the group of diners on the second floor.

"Our Seven Mysteries Sect believes in doing things openly and honestly. The food at Yuelai Restaurant has always been highly praised, and it is definitely not as this person says."

"So that you all may know, we have already notified the authorities, and justice will surely be served."

After saying that, Zhou An turned to Shen Qiu, who was getting up to leave.

"As for you, you can't leave before the authorities arrive."

Seeing Zhou An blocking his way, Shen Qiu's expression changed, his eyes filled with apprehension and fear.

Although he had intended to deal with Liu Shuqing decisively, he also had some extra attention on Zhou An.

Even so, he was still beaten so badly that he lost his breath, and now his waist and abdomen were in excruciating pain, as if he were being pricked with needles.

"you……"

Before he could finish saying "you," Shen Qiu was once again covered in sweat, clutching his waist and panting heavily.

"You can't leave. You'd better stay here and wait for the officials to arrive."

As Zhou An spoke, he called over the shopkeeper who had come after hearing the news.

However, before the shopkeeper could come over, Zhou An suddenly saw Shen Qiu smile in front of him, and he took a deep breath and shouted loudly.

"Senior Brother Feng, the Seven Mysteries Sect ganged up on me and even ambushed and injured me. Please save me, Senior Brother."

……