Zhu Huaishan found Zhao Lin’s reasoning interesting. He managed a smile and pointed at the official document on the desk. "This document must be thirty years old, right? How did you find it?"

Zhao Lin pointed to the other eight documents. "I’m currently working a serial rape-murder case. I suspected the culprit might be a repeat offender, so I went to the archives to search through the wanted notices sent from various prefectures over the years. That’s when I found these."

Zhu Huaishan gave him a quizzical look, then lowered his gaze. The more he read, the more alarmed he became.

He could, of course, see the connection between these cases. What surprised him was that Zhao Lin had actually used this method to uncover Wen Gensheng’s history. It was simply unheard of.

"You’re quite resourceful."

Zhu Huaishan looked at Zhao Lin with approval. "You’re asking me about the Moisturizing Pill because you want to know if it’s worth the risk to capture Wen Gensheng yourself?"

"Yes," Zhao Lin said candidly. "I want to know what the Moisturizing Pill is used for."

"If it’s not that useful, I’ll just request to mobilize the Garrison Army. We can force Wen Gensheng out of his tunnel, and I won’t care if he’s shot full of arrows like a porcupine or captured by someone else."

"But if this pill is something special, then I’ll find a way to capture him with my own hands."

Zhu Huaishan smiled faintly. "Then there’s nothing to think about. You go capture him. It’s best to take him alive. I’ll back you up."

Zhao Lin was greatly relieved. "Master, what exactly does the Moisturizing Pill do?"

Instead of answering, Zhu Huaishan asked, "Do you remember what the Qi Replenishing Soup you drink every day is for?"

"To build a solid foundation and help me break through to the Qi Realm."

"Correct. Well, let me tell you this: a single Moisturizing Pill is more effective than a thousand bowls of Qi Replenishing Soup. There’s a saying in the Xingyun Sect: ’There are no shortcuts in martial arts—the Moisturizing Pill is the one exception!’"

Zhao Lin was astonished. "A pill like that actually exists?"

Zhu Huaishan nodded. "Of course. The medicinal ingredients used in the Moisturizing Pill are all extremely rare. Even within the Xingyun Sect, only a select few are qualified to take it each year, and every single one of them is an outstanding talent."

"Right now, you practice the Six-Syllable Mantra’s breathing techniques daily, and your body has slowly started to generate inner force. However, this force remains scattered throughout your muscles and bones, unavailable for you to use."

"To enter the Qi Realm, you must gather these scattered traces of inner force into your Qi Sea. This process is incredibly difficult, and a great deal is lost along the way."

"To use an analogy, it’s like trying to carry water in a bamboo basket. If you’re too slow, you might not have a single drop left to drink."

"So, entering the Qi Realm requires not only talent but also a tremendous amount of patient, grinding effort. It took your senior brothers three to five years to master the Power Realm, but breaking through to the Qi Realm took them almost just as long."

"With a Moisturizing Pill, all those years can be saved! Not only can you enter the Qi Realm directly, but the time it takes to reach the First Layer of the Qi Realm will also be drastically reduced!"

Zhao Lin’s heart pounded with excitement upon hearing this.

His sinew training was progressing smoothly. With luck, he could break through to the Third Layer of the Power Realm by the end of the year.

However, entering the Qi Realm would still require another year or two of hard work.

But a Moisturizing Pill would change everything. Once he broke through to the Qi Realm, with the Spirit Beast Scroll in his possession, he would have virtually no rivals within the same realm.

While he still wouldn’t be able to face the Drilling Mountain Leopard and his gang alone, his advantage in speed would certainly grow even greater.

He’d be like the Cyan-Winged Bat King, Wei Yixiao—his martial arts might not be the absolute best, but his speed would allow him to remain undefeated.

He could pick them off one by one, like clipping the Drilling Mountain Leopard’s wings, until the man was a leader with no followers.

Reading his expression, Zhu Huaishan knew Zhao Lin was tempted. "When do you plan to make your move?"

Zhao Lin glanced up at the sky. "It’s probably too late today. I’ll make my move first thing tomorrow morning. What do you think, Master?"

"Good. Best not to delay and risk complications."

Zhu Huaishan stood up and stretched his back. "It’s about time these old bones of mine got some exercise."

With his master backing him up, Zhao Lin’s confidence soared. He stood to take his leave, but suddenly remembered something. "Master," he asked, "do you think it’s possible for a Qi Realm expert to pretend they don’t know any martial arts?"

"Why are you always asking such strange questions?"

Zhu Huaishan chuckled. "Once a martial artist reaches the Qi Realm, their blood and qi are so abundant that their inner force naturally radiates outward. Other martial artists can sense it easily. If one were to deliberately hide it..."

"...it’s not impossible. They would just have to forcibly disperse the inner force from their Qi Sea and meridians back into their muscles and bones."

"But that would essentially lower their cultivation to the peak of the Power Realm. It would take at least two to four hours to recover."

At this, he gave Zhao Lin a puzzled look. "But who would do something so troublesome for no good reason?"

Zhao Lin smiled. "I was just asking. I agree, I can’t imagine why anyone would. Well, Master, I’ll be heading back now."

"Keep a close watch on him."

"I understand."

... 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

As Zhao Lin reached the entrance of the county office, he happened to run into Liang Song, who was just returning.

"I found out what you wanted. The Shopkeeper’s name is Wen Guangshun..." Liang Song said the moment he saw him.

Zhao Lin paused. "His surname is Wen, too? Which ’Wen’?"

Liang Song replied, "The ’Wen’ that means ’culture’."

’Changed the character but not the pronunciation?’

Zhao Lin muttered to himself. He thought that the Shopkeeper was likely from the same clan as Wen Gensheng in the tunnel. Otherwise, why would he take such a huge risk to harbor a wanted fugitive?

Seeing Zhao Lin lost in thought, Liang Song continued, "Wen Guangshun isn’t from around here; he came to Qinghe County almost twenty years ago. He started out running errands at the inn, but because he was reliable and clever, he was promoted step-by-step to clerk, then head clerk."

"Eventually, the owner took a liking to him, married his daughter off to him, and made him the Shopkeeper. Now he’s practically a co-owner."

Zhao Lin nodded. "Does he know martial arts?"

Liang Song paused. "I doubt it. Why would a martial arts expert be running an inn?"

’That makes sense,’ Zhao Lin thought, but he still felt the calluses on the Shopkeeper’s palms didn’t look like they were from simple manual labor. ’I’ll have to be careful during the arrest.’

It was already late afternoon, and the county office had emptied out. Thinking about the operation tomorrow, Zhao Lin decided to head to the inn early to keep a tight watch on Wen Gensheng.

...

As night fell, the sound of two people whispering once again came from beneath the inn.

"I’ve been on edge all day. Something feels wrong. What’s going on?"

a hoarse, raspy voice asked.

"Heh heh..."

another voice, low and smooth, chuckled. "What could possibly be wrong? You’ve probably just been down here too long. Your mind is playing tricks on you."

’What exactly is the relationship between these two?’

Zhao Lin wondered. He could clearly distinguish the two voices: the hoarse, raspy one belonged to Wen Gensheng, while the low, smooth one was the Shopkeeper.

Wen Gensheng grumbled, "No, my intuition is always right!"

The Shopkeeper’s tone was teasing. "The older the fox, the more timid he gets?"

"Stop with the snide remarks! In all these years, I’ve only let my guard down once, and it got me seriously injured..."

’Wen Gensheng is injured?’

Zhao Lin was surprised, then a flash of joy went through him. ’An injury? Perfect. That’ll make him easier to capture.’

In the secret room underground, a single lamp burned with a tiny, bean-sized flame.

The room contained only a single chair. Colorful pieces of women’s lingerie hung on the walls, and a wooden chest lay on the floor.

The Shopkeeper stood alone in the room, a smile playing on his lips as he spoke to the empty chair. "You and I are one and the same. I’m afraid you’ll get sick from being cooped up in here."

Then, he walked over and sat in the chair. The smile vanished, his face slowly twisting into a vicious snarl, and his voice became hoarse and raspy. "If I’m exposed, you’re done for too. You’d better stop coming to me!"

...