8: Mysterious Man

【Seven days later,】

【Every day, you do nothing but organize the white files and search for intelligence on Longyang Town.】

【You didn't expect the intelligence network of the Imperial City Guard to be so formidable; even Tianxiang Pavilion is their informant.】

【You even found your own file—on the outside of the box, it says: Son of Qin Xiuwen, head of the Medicinal Herb Farmers' Guild in Longyang Town. A debauched playboy, a good-for-nothing, Body Tempering stage...】

【Qin Chen File No. 159: March 6, Year 912 of the Yan Calendar, argued with a merchant, the merchant fled overnight...】

【Qin Chen File No. 182: February 12, Year 913 of the Yan Calendar, colluded with Meng Hao and Zhao Xu to beat up herb farmers...】

【Qin Chen File No. 228: July 1, Year 914 of the Yan Calendar, molested a respectable woman on the street...】

【Qin Chen File No. 251: February 19, Year 915 of the Yan Calendar, Qin Family exterminated, fled with sister...】

【Qin Chen File No. 255: June 5, Year 915 of the Yan Calendar, forged a travel permit to enter the Literary Academy...】

【Looking at these records, cold sweat breaks out on your back.】

【In front of the Emperor, do you have any secrets at all?】

【No wonder the little Emperor looks at you so strangely.】

【Actually, the little Emperor doesn't usually look at white files; if it weren't for your outstanding literary talent, he wouldn't have specifically requested to read it.】

【You memorized that File No. 251; it must contain the truth about the extermination of the Qin Family.】

【Unfortunately, your authority is insufficient; forcefully opening the box is a serious crime.】

【You have no choice but to settle down and work, and first get familiar with the Imperial City Guard.】

【The next day,】

【Chief Steward Xiao suddenly comes to find you and says mysteriously: "Someone is paying 1,000 taels for your life. Don't leave the Imperial City Guard recently."】

【You are puzzled: "Why would Chief Steward Xiao tell me this?"】

【He lowers his voice: "In the Imperial City Guard, there is only one bottom line—you cannot betray your brothers."】

【"Some money can be earned, but some money must not be touched."】

【"You are now a person of the Imperial City Guard; as long as you don't make mistakes, no one dares to touch you."】

【"If we kill each other internally, the Imperial City Guard would have been finished long ago."】

【Hearing the explanation, you suddenly realize—】

【It turns out that even the illicit gains of the Imperial City Guard must be earned selectively.】

【You quickly express your deep gratitude, and another round of flattery makes Chief Steward Xiao beam with joy.】

【Seeing Chief Steward Xiao happy, you seize the opportunity to ask: "Chief Steward, are there any ways to make money? When I make it big, I will definitely honor you."】

【Chief Steward Xiao sees that you are on the right track and lowers his voice: "The most profitable things are only two—raiding homes and interrogating prisoners."】

【Seeing your troubled expression, he says again: "There is also a dangerous job: go to the Vermilion Bird Tower to accept bounty missions."】

【You have heard of the Vermilion Bird Tower; it is the place where Martial Artists accept assassinations, escorts, and other dirty work.】

【You rub your nose—given your current strength, you'd better keep a low profile.】

【As for who put a bounty on you, you know it's that grandson Fang Chen even with your toes.】

【What depresses you is that your life is only worth 1,000 taels?】

【You suddenly miss—the happy days of being a playboy in Longyang Town.】

【You have to honestly huddle in the Imperial City Guard—after all, no one dares to make a move here, unless they want to be executed along with their nine generations.】

【Every day, you do nothing but work and Cultivate.】

【However, every time you Cultivate, you always feel uncomfortable all over, as if your body and Soul are fighting, and the Soul always wants to escape this body.】

【You think this is your laziness kicking in, and your Soul is resisting hardship.】

【There is no other way, so you have to sit cross-legged and start meditating—】

【"Eyes watch the nose, nose watches the heart, relax the heart, and the world is wide. Only by enduring the bitterest of the bitter can one become a person above others..."】

【"Do not think of yesterday's sorrows, do not worry about tomorrow's worries, hold onto this moment, and you will find great freedom."】

【As you chant, you find that the restlessness in your heart slowly fades away. Your whole person becomes unusually calm, as if you have become a different person.】

【One month later,】

【You receive your monthly salary of ten taels of silver from the Imperial City Guard, which is not enough to buy Medicinal Pill for Cultivation.】

【At the same time, you also receive ten contribution points—this is a special currency used within the Imperial City Guard for promotions, rewards, punishments, and checking files.】

【You use these ten contribution points—to apply to view Qin Chen File No. 251.】

【After reading it, you understand—it turns out that a group of guys had their eyes on the Qin Family's assets!】

【This group of people pretended to be robbers and came from six forces:】

【Nanjiang City Inspection Department, Chief Inspector.】

【Nanjiang City Chamber of Commerce, One of the Three Tyrants of Nanjiang.】

【Nanjiang City Nine Dragon Gang, Long Yucheng.】

【Longyang Town, Meng Wenbin.】

【Water Snake Gang, Ji Wuming.】

【A mysterious person of unknown identity.】

Looking at the simulation, Qin Chen frowns tighter and tighter.

"Mysterious person?"

"There is actually someone whose identity even the Imperial City Guard cannot investigate?"

"Pretending to be robbers to seize the Qin Family's property, could it be just a cover?"

He thinks the more he feels something is wrong:

"If that's really the case, then this matter must have been planned long ago."

"Maybe it was the people in Nanjiang City who first had evil intentions and colluded with Meng Wenbin, which led to the marriage annulment."

"Father took out one-third of his income every year to handle relationships, why are these people still not satisfied?"

"If it wasn't for the property, could it be related to this mysterious person?"

Qin Chen gets more and more curious: Who exactly is this mysterious person?

【After reading the file, you understand.】

【These people are all driven by profit.】

【For Martial Artists, money is also part of strength; without money, having Aptitude and talent is useless.】

【Just like you now, you also lack money to buy medicinal herbs and Medicinal Pill.】

【If there was a chance to rob the rich and help the poor, you would do it too.】

【Unfortunately, your strength doesn't allow it!】

【You want to check the detailed information of these six enemies, but unfortunately, your contribution points are used up.】

【Especially this mysterious person, who aroused your interest.】

【You can only continue to wait, while figuring out how to make money to improve your strength.】

【Only then do you profoundly realize—without the support of a Family, it is really too difficult!】

【In the sixth year,】

【You persist in Cultivation every day.】

【Unfortunately, the Body Tempering stage requires drug assistance, and your Aptitude is average, so your progress is very slow.】

【You spend your monthly contribution points on checking white files.】

【The six enemies who harmed your Qin Family that year, except for that mysterious person whose background you couldn't find, you have figured out the other five.】

【These people are really not good things—they often kill people, set fires, exterminate clans, and raid homes in secret.】

【To put it bluntly, it's all for money.】

【Especially these two, Chief Inspector and One of the Three Tyrants of Nanjiang, who even raised several batches of bandits around Nanjiang City.】

【Seeing this intelligence, you finally understand why the bandits in the world are getting more and more numerous the more they are suppressed—it turns out they are all raised by them on purpose!】

【There are too many benefits to raising bandits—you can make more money, Cultivate henchmen, and do dirty work in secret.】

【You really can't figure out why the little Emperor must know about these things and why he doesn't manage it?】

【Actually, you don't know that these are all messes left by the previous Emperor, and now they are deeply intertwined. The little Emperor wants to move, but can't.】

【As the saying goes, wild grass cannot be burned out, it grows again with the spring breeze.】

【How could you understand the little Emperor's bitterness?!】

【Just as you are flipping through the files, you suddenly see a new piece of intelligence about Qin Yu—】

【Qin Yu File No. 202: June 6, Year 919 of the Yan Calendar, mysteriously disappeared...】

【Sister disappeared?!】

【You think of the days you spent with Qin Yu—】

【Although this sister had a sharper tongue, she never bullied you because she was stronger than you.】

【Now that your parents are dead and your sister is missing, you feel lonely and powerless.】

【This feeling is too unbearable!】

【The idea of becoming stronger is getting stronger and stronger in your heart.】

【Only then do you realize that without the protection of your parents, the outside world is so dangerous!】

【In the past, in Longyang Town, you had your parents to shelter you from the wind and rain; now that you think about it, how much pressure they must have endured!】

【Perhaps heaven pities you; recently, Cheng Rongrong has been lifted from her confinement, and she comes to see you secretly once a month.】

【She always comes at night and stays for two hours each time.】

【Every time you meet, you two have fierce quarrels...】

【Afterward, she will stuff you with one hundred taels of silver. Because she knows you lack money for Cultivation.】

【But what you don't know is that this one hundred taels is all the money she saves every month.】