71: Chapter 71 The County Magistrate's Suspicion!

"red blood vermilion fruit?" Lie Yun looked bewildered. Although he was a Core Disciple of the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall, he was still young and did not know much about many precious Heaven And Earth Treasure.

"It is a type of rare fruit of heaven and earth that can cleanse the marrow, improve the meridians, and significantly enhance a Martial Artist's Foundation of qi-blood," Hall Master Lie Fentian explained in a deep voice, a trace of heartache and greed flashing in his eyes.

"The ancient map that the West City County Yamen magistrate, Magistrate Zhou Wenhai, previously obtained recorded this very item.

Chief Constable Liu Heng snuck into the deep pool, and his target was precisely this red blood vermilion fruit."

He paused, his gaze sharp as he looked at Lie Yun: "When you went out of the city this time to search for Chief Constable Liu Heng, did Lin Tian... also participate?"

"He participated. He was in a group with Senior Sister Chen Yu, responsible for the northeast direction." Lie Yun nodded, then suddenly reacted, his eyes widening.

"Hall Master, do you mean... he might have encountered Chief Constable Liu Heng, and even... obtained that red blood vermilion fruit from Chief Constable Liu Heng's hands?!"

This guess caused his heart to shake violently. A mixture of jealousy, anger, and disbelief instantly overwhelmed his reason.

"No wonder! No wonder his qi-blood surged in such a short time, breaking through to the Second Grade Middle Stage!

He must have consumed that strange fruit!

This bastard, his luck is too good!"

Lie Yun felt a surge of evil fire rushing to his brain. Why? Why did this person surnamed Lin get all the benefits?

Talent, reputation, the favor of the Imperial Guard, and now, even such a rare treasure had fallen into his hands!

"Hmph, good luck?" Hall Master Lie Fentian sneered, his red face full of malice. "An innocent man is innocent, but holding a treasure is a crime.

Can a mere newcomer to the Imperial Guard handle such a treasure?

If that old fox Magistrate Zhou Wenhai knew that the treasure he had been dreaming of, which he intended to use for promotion and wealth, had actually ended up in this kid's stomach... tell me, what would he do?"

Upon hearing this, Lie Yun was stunned for a moment, then a look of ecstasy appeared on his face, his eyes filled with mixed resentment and gratification:

"Hall Master is right! If Magistrate Zhou Wenhai learns of this, he will surely hate him to the bone!

Although he wouldn't dare to do anything to the Imperial Guard openly, he has plenty of ways to trip him up or strike from the shadows! Let's see how arrogant Lin Tian can be then!

Hahaha!"

"This matter needs careful consideration." Cold light flickered in Hall Master Lie Fentian's eyes. "You should keep an eye on the guard station; do not alert the enemy.

I will go and meet Magistrate Zhou Wenhai now and give him... a 'big gift'!"

Liehuo Hall Master Lie Fentian left the martial arts hall and headed straight for the West City County Yamen.

Because of his special status and his long-standing dealings with Magistrate Zhou Wenhai, he was quickly led into the secret room in the back hall.

After listening to Hall Master Lie Fentian's whispered account and speculation, the face of Magistrate Zhou Wenhai, which had originally carried a polite smile, instantly turned ashen, then flushed red, and finally distorted into a terrifying, ferocious expression!

He slammed his palm onto the sandalwood table beside him. The hard-as-iron tabletop was shattered, leaving a clear palm print!

"Bastard! What a bastard!!" Magistrate Zhou Wenhai was trembling with rage, the veins on his forehead throbbing. His voice was hoarse with extreme fury.

"My red blood vermilion fruit! My hope for promotion! It was actually... actually swallowed by an Imperial Guard brat?! This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!!"

It was as if a fire was burning inside him.

He had long regarded that red blood vermilion fruit as his own, a stepping stone to pull strings with his superiors and seek higher power!

Now that his beautiful dream was shattered, the culprit was actually a lowly Imperial Guard newcomer whom he would never have paid attention to in the past!

This sense of grievance and rage almost drove him mad.

"Magistrate Zhou Wenhai, please calm your anger." Hall Master Lie Fentian watched from the side, adding fuel to the fire at the right moment. "That Lin Tian is now an Acting Minor Flag Officer in the Imperial Guard, and he is very much in the spotlight.

If we move against him rashly, I fear..."

"So what if he is in the Imperial Guard?!" Magistrate Zhou Wenhai turned his head sharply, his eyes filled with vicious light.

But when he met Hall Master Lie Fentian's calm, slightly playful gaze, he instantly calmed down a bit.

That's right, the Imperial Guard... that is a sharp sword hanging over the heads of all officials.

Even if he is the magistrate of a county, without solid evidence, if he rashly attacks the Imperial Guard, especially one who has just made contributions and been promoted, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Forget about him, a mere county magistrate; even the Prefect would have to weigh the consequences.

He took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the churning murderous intent in his chest, his gaze flickering.

After a long while, he slowly sat down, the ferocity on his face fading, replaced by a deep, chilling coldness.

"Hall Master Lie, thank you for informing me." Magistrate Zhou Wenhai's voice returned to calm, even carrying a hint of eerie gentleness. "I have my own plans for this matter.

Since that Lin Tian is an Imperial Guard, we must naturally handle this according to the 'rules'. Openly attacking him would naturally be inappropriate."

He looked at Hall Master Lie Fentian, a mocking smile appearing on his face: "I appreciate your good intentions, Hall Master. However, you do not need to intervene in this matter for now.

I... have my own 'proper' ways to make him spit out what he has eaten, with interest!"

Hall Master Lie Fentian knew that this old fox already had a plan, so he didn't say more, just cupped his hands: "In that case, I wish you success, Magistrate Zhou Wenhai."

Leaving the Yamen, Hall Master Lie Fentian looked back at the imposing Yamen, his mouth curling into a cold arc. Dogs biting dogs, a mouthful of fur.

Regardless of what methods Magistrate Zhou Wenhai used to deal with Lin Tian, it was something the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall was happy to see.

If Magistrate Zhou Wenhai succeeded, it would naturally remove a major threat;

If he failed, or even got himself into trouble, it would have nothing to do with the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall.

Lin Tian was completely unaware of the conspiracy about to descend upon him.

After drinking and celebrating his promotion with Senior Sister Chen Yu and the others at Sihai Restaurant that day, he returned to the Lin Family Mansion, keeping a low profile and devoting all his energy to Cultivate.

Every day without fail, he would first practice the Perfection Five Elements Stance for half an hour to temper his qi-blood and solidify his Foundation.

This was a slow, grinding process that could not be interrupted.

His Metal Element Fist, Wood Element Fist, and Water Element Fist, as well as his Wind-Chasing Footwork, had all reached Perfection and could not be improved further; he only needed to practice them occasionally to maintain his state. He focused his main energy on the three new martial arts he had acquired.

His Xiuchun Saber Technique (Basic Style) had already reached Major Achievement.

He continued to practice diligently, steadily advancing toward the realm of "Perfection".

At the same time, he began to comprehend the thin manual, "Wind-Facing Slash". Just as the Secret Manual stated, this move emphasized "momentum," "explosion," and "moving forward without hesitation," requiring extremely high precision in the timing of the slash, the angle, and the instantaneous eruption and control of qi-blood.

He combined the extreme speed brought by his Perfection-level footwork with his precise grasp of timing, repeatedly pondering and swinging his blade in the air, experiencing the Concept of slashing while "facing the wind," where nothing could not be broken.

In addition, he found the cultivation method for the "Fire Element Fist" from the incomplete "True Explanation of Five Elements Combined Strike" gifted by the Hall Master, and also began to practice it.

He had already mastered three of the Five Elements Fists, and all had reached Perfection. With these three as a Foundation and the guidance of the True Explanation, he made rapid progress in learning this fourth one, the "Fire Element Fist". The Fire Element Fist emphasized violence, heat, and aggression like fire, which was completely different from the sharpness of the Metal Element Fist, the suppleness of the Wood Element Fist, and the flexibility of the Water Element Fist, giving him a deeper understanding of the Five Elements' generation and restraint, and the changes in power.

When he was tired from practicing, he would take a portion of qi-blood powder.

Now he had five portions of qi-blood powder every month, plus the remaining nearly two-thirds of the "red blood vermilion fruit" diluted spirit liquid in his gourd. With abundant resources, he had enough to support his high-intensity cultivation.

Three days passed quickly in the midst of his engrossed, hard training.

In the quiet room, Lin Tian slowly withdrew his blade. There was sweat on his forehead, but his breathing was long and steady.

He focused his mind and inspected the results of these three days:

Name: Lin Tian

Cultivation: Second Grade Martial Artist (Middle Stage)

Martial Arts:

Five Elements Stance (Perfection 1000/1000)

Metal Element Fist (Perfection 1000/1000)

Wood Element Fist (Perfection 1000/1000)

Water Element Fist (Perfection 1000/1000)

Wind-Chasing Footwork (Perfection 1000/1000)

Xiuchun Saber Technique (Major Achievement 500/1000)

Fire Element Fist (Minor Achievement 55/100)

Wind-Facing Slash (Minor Achievement 49/100)

Rapid progress!

His Basic Blade Technique was steadily improving, and both the Fire Element Fist and Wind-Facing Slash had reached Minor Achievement, with their proficiency increasing rapidly.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he could step into the realm of "Major Achievement". His internal qi-blood, under the dual effect of the residual medicinal power of the red blood vermilion fruit and high-intensity cultivation, was becoming more vigorous and condensed, steadily pushing toward the peak of the Second Grade Middle Stage.

"Not bad." Lin Tian was quite satisfied. Just as he intended to take a short break and continue practicing the force-generating techniques of "Wind-Facing Slash",

A slightly hurried sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard, followed by a clansman's voice ringing out from outside the door:

"Brother Tian, someone is looking for you outside!"

Lin Tian finished his practice, got up, and opened the door.

Most of those who came to find him were fellow disciples from the martial arts hall or colleagues from the Imperial Guard. He thought it was Senior Sister Chen Yu or Liu Yunfeng and the others.

"Who is it?" Lin Tian asked.

"It's... it's an official from the Yamen, wearing a constable's uniform, looking quite serious." The clansman replied a bit nervously.

Yamen constable?

Lin Tian's heart tightened slightly. His first thought was that the matter of the "red blood vermilion fruit" had been leaked.

But immediately, he calmed down. He believed he had handled the matter flawlessly, and absolutely no third person knew about it.

Chief Constable Liu Heng's body was gone, and the map was found on him; all clues pointed to him dying in the mouth of the strange fish in the deep pool, having nothing to do with him.

Even if the Magistrate had suspicions, he had absolutely no solid evidence.

Furthermore, he was now an Acting Minor Flag Officer in the Imperial Guard, belonging to the Emperor's personal troops, and belonged to a different System from the local county Yamen.

A mere Yamen constable, without concrete evidence, would not dare to easily move against him?

"Understood, I'll go right away." Lin Tian's expression was calm. He tidied his slightly messy clothes from practicing and walked towards the front courtyard with long strides.

He wanted to see what kind of medicine the Yamen was selling in its gourd.