Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

郡衙门口,寒风骤起.

Shen Qing wore the cotton uniform of the Guardian Martial Department. The hem was edged with fine blood-colored ice crystals, and even one side of his cheek bore a bloodstain.

Anyone could see that he had just killed someone.

The two gatekeepers standing at the entrance dared not let him in casually. Discover stories with empire

"We ask that you show your identity card," one of the gatekeepers said, his hands tucked into his sleeves as he held his weapon, exposing only a red nose and a pair of wary eyes.

Shen Qing retrieved a finely carved jade token from his pocket, with his name and official position engraved on it, and handed it over.

The gatekeeper took the jade token and carefully examined it in the dim light by the door, his expression gradually becoming more respectful.

"So it's Lord Shen, Lord Officer Shen. My apologies."

Shen Qing took back his identity card and tightened his cloak, asking, "May I ask, where are the Lord Military Commander and the Lord of the General Supervisor's Office at the moment?"

The gatekeeper stomped his feet and, with a troubled expression, explained, "Lord Shen, unfortunately, the Lord Military Commander and the Lord of the General Supervisor's Office went out early this morning to inspect the city defenses. They said they wanted to personally check the fortifications outside the city and are expected to return in the afternoon. Would you like to leave a message, or wait a while until they return?"

Hearing this, Shen Qing frowned slightly, knowing that his visit was of great importance and time was of the essence, yet he hadn't expected the two main officials to be absent.

"In that case, I'll go inside and wait," he said.

Currently, he had completely fallen out with Zheng Yuanqiu, and outside, it might not be as safe as the county office here.

As long as Zheng Yuanqiu hadn't figured out the situation here, he wouldn't dare act recklessly.

Otherwise, if something went wrong, everyone would assume the worst, and it would be hard to explain.

The gatekeeper quickly put down his long spear, bowed, then swiftly stepped forward to push open the heavy county office doors for Shen Qing.

As Shen Qing stepped into the county office, the warmth instantly provided a stark contrast to the bitter cold outside.

Saying this, Shen Qing pulled out one ingot of silver from his pocket and slipped it into the gatekeeper's hand, saying, "Please, brother, keep an eye out. Inform me immediately when they return."

"Rest assured, Lord Shen, I'll do my utmost," the gatekeeper promised quickly. He then led Shen Qing to a warm room nearby to wait and ordered someone to prepare hot tea and snacks to ward off the winter chill.

Seated in the warm room, watching the snow fluttering outside, Shen Qing's mind was filled with countless thoughts.

It was nearing the end of the year; any necessary inspections should have been completed long ago. Why would there suddenly be so many inspections to do now? Why check now instead of earlier or later?

If he wasn't mistaken, nine times out of ten, they went out to socialize.

They should be back around noon if things went as expected.

In the prefectures and counties, Shen Qing could finally relax his tense mind a little. He took out the purse he had obtained from Zheng Yuanqiu.

Shen Qing poured it into his hand.

Six Wish Power Pearls rolled into his palm.

They received just one Wish Power Pearl each per year, so if his position didn't change, it would take him six years to earn these six pearls.

Shen Qing estimated silently that among these six Wish Power Pearls, one was originally his, four were likely Zheng Yuanqiu's original official salary, and one might have been taken from the deceased Xi Shaoqin's allotted share.

Now they all benefitted him.

Confronting Zheng Yuanqiu face-to-face had been a risky move, but it was somewhat worth it in the end.

He had been stuck in the Qi Hai Realm for four or five months.

After continuous nourishment with medicinal meals and an increase in his panel abilities, he was now only a step away from advancing from the Qi Hai Realm to the Yu Luo Realm.

The so-called Yu Luo Realm was when martial masters, through continuous cultivation, further compressed their True Qi into liquid that filled their entire body's meridians, transforming the Qi Sea into a True Sea.

Once reaching this realm, when martial masters circulated their True Qi, a crystal light would appear along their meridians, resembling real jade, hence the name Yu Luo Realm.

In the Yu Luo Realm, True Qi throughout the body was refined and one could glide with Qi.

Though not quite as advanced as the innate Rainbow Light control, it was still above the ordinary.

Even within the entire Great Zhou Country, one would be considered a prominent figure within a city in a prefecture.

Seeing it was still early with nothing to do, Shen Qing, having witnessed the terrifying power of the innate realm, didn't want to waste this downtime opportunity and planned to use the Wish Power Pearls to break through the bottleneck of the Yu Luo Realm.

He felt a bit insecure at the moment.

Even a slight advancement could offer him some peace of mind.

So, he decided to act.

Shen Qing stored the extra Wish Power Pearls back in the purse, leaving only one out.

Gazing at the milky white pearl in his hand, Shen Qing could faintly sense the immense Desire Power contained within.

He took a deep breath, took out the Refining Pearl Technique he carried with him, placed it over his Dantian, and gently lifted the Wish Power Pearl with both hands.

With a thought, the Refining Pearl Technique automatically activated, and his True Qi surged like a river, converging between his hands and resonating subtly with the Wish Power Pearl.

The Wish Power Pearl's surface gradually emitted a soft glow, intertwining and merging with Shen Qing's True Qi to form a vast power.

The Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth gathered towards where Shen Qing sat.

His pores opened wide, greedily absorbing this energy.

As the energy entered, the True Qi within his Qi Sea began to spin and compress madly, as if guided by an invisible force, condensing into a liquid form, exuding a warm, jade-like luster.

...

On the street.

Xu Changle hastily followed the location indicated by the paper crane.

His face grew increasingly grim as he came across one corpse after another.

These people were experts in the Qi Cultivation Realm secretly cultivated by their Huang Tian Sect, following the martial path.

Yet they didn't even possess the capability to hold Shen Qing back!

At that moment, Xu Changle realized that Shen Qing was somewhat out of the ordinary and challenging to deal with.

But he was not without options.

Up to now, his own identity remained undisclosed.

This meant he could still get close to Shen Qing, and with his cultivation in the Qi Hai Realm, if he made a move at the right moment, he had a seventy percent chance of succeeding.

Once he acted and killed him, he could fabricate any reason later on, resolving any crisis naturally.

Judging from the situation with Chief Officer Zheng, this Shen was very skilled at manipulating human nature.

At that time, he must not engage in any unnecessary interactions and should act decisively.

Xu Changle quietly warned himself as he headed towards the county office.

Soon, he arrived at the entrance, providing a reason unhurriedly, verified his identity, and proceeded inside without any obstructions.

He asked, in a tone part casual, part deliberate, "I just saw Shen Chasi arrive before me, where is he now?"

"Lord Shen? He is in the warm room," the gatekeeper replied without much thought.

"Oh, that's perfect. I have some business with him," Xu Changle said nonchalantly. "You can go about your work; I'll find him on my own."

"Alright, I won't disturb you," the guard replied.

Once he got the gatekeeper out of the way, Xu Changle's face instantly turned cold as he quickly made his way toward the warm room.

Inside the warm room.

Shen Qing sat in the chair, enveloped by a vortex of Spiritual Energy around him, continuously entering his body.

Boom!

Finally, the True Qi within him reached a critical point.

With a clear, resounding boom, Shen Qing's Qi Sea underwent a complete transformation into a True Sea, vast and unfathomable.

His meridians were also filled at that moment with the liquified True Qi, crystalline and translucent, seemingly carved from jade, shimmering with a radiant glow.

Shen Qing slowly opened his eyes, radiating energy and exuding an indescribable aura.

"Success!"

Shen Qing's face was filled with an incredible joy, he knew he was just a step away from the Yu Luo Realm, but he hadn't expected, aided by the Wish Power Pearl, to break through to the Yu Luo Realm so effortlessly!!!

He stood up, feeling the surge of new power within him, and his mouth curled into a confident smile, feeling much more at ease.

"Very well. Now, I may not be able to kill Zheng Yuanqiu, but at least I won't be in such a miserable state as before."

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside the warm room, and someone pushed the door open, interrupting his thoughts.