Chapter 53: Leaving the City! Unexpected Harvest! Zuan Tianyaozi?

5: You saved your sister, Qin Xuemei, yesterday and learned that she is very worried about the dangerous situation caused by Qishun's army locking down the city.

7: You set fire to the Chen family yesterday and discovered that there's a hidden river connected to the Black River beneath the Chen family ancestral hall. This river is home to a 500-year-old Lingni (spiritual salamander) that, if consumed, can increase the cultivation level of a practitioner below the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage by one level.

10: You set fire to the Chen family yesterday and learned that Chen Kun, the head of the Chen family, carries a Lingguang Shield Talisman given by an elder of the Xianmen (Immortal Sect).

"Updated!"

Qin Wang's spirit lifted as he looked at the update notifications. Every intelligence update represented a new opportunity!

"Chen Kun will return in four days?"

Qin Wang's eyes flickered as he read the first piece of information.

Currently, the city was locked down by Qishun. If everything went well, he should be able to leave the city tonight!

"The old witch from the Chen family has a brother, Zhuo Qiuhang, who is a governor in Yunzhou?"

"Her nephew, Zhuo Yijian, is coming to take her to Yunzhou for a reunion?"

Qin Wang laughed coldly as he read the second piece of information.

It seems Zhuo Yijian would be making a wasted trip.

The old witch is already dead, and her soul has been collected by the Soul Gathering Bowl.

Qin Wang always carried the Soul Gathering Bowl with him. Whenever he killed an enemy, their soul would be automatically collected, allowing them to have a grand reunion in the bowl.

"Qishun, Zheng Lingyun?"

Qin Wang looked at the third and fourth pieces of information and chuckled. Soon, he would be leaving the city, rendering Qishun and Zheng Lingyun's lockdown useless!

"A 500-year-old Lingni in the Chen family's ancestral hall's hidden river, capable of increasing a Qi Refining practitioner's level below the fifth layer?"

Qin Wang's eyes lit up as he read the seventh piece of information.

This Lingni was incredibly valuable. Since he was about to leave the city, he wouldn't have time to capture it now. He would have to come back for it once he acquired a cultivation method.

"No wonder the Lingguang Shield wasn't in the Chen family residence—it was with Chen Kun!"

Qin Wang pondered over the tenth piece of information.

"Big sister, it's about time. Let's go. When I signal you, cover your face with this wet cloth."

Qin Wang, having finished reading the updated information, judged that it was time to leave. He handed a wet cloth to his worried sister, Qin Xuemei.

"Okay."

Qin Xuemei took the wet cloth, hiding her deep worry in her eyes as she tucked it into her coat.

The two of them picked up their bundles and, under the faint moonlight, made their way towards the south gate.

At this time, the south gate of Yanyun County was closed.

Near the gate, eight soldiers from the righteous army, each holding a long knife, were warming themselves by a large brazier because it was very cold near the end of the year.

Qin Wang and Qin Xuemei, disguised as a middle-aged couple, approached within about 15 meters of the gate when the leader of the soldiers, a square-faced man, stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his knife, and shouted, "It's curfew! What are you doing here at this hour?"

As the square-faced soldier shouted, more than ten soldiers emerged from the side rooms by the gate, looking towards Qin Wang and Qin Xuemei.

"Officers... we are a couple from Baiyangji. We didn't make it out of the city during the day and don't have money for an inn. It's so cold; could we warm ourselves by your fire?"

"We're really freezing."

Qin Wang stepped forward respectfully, clasping his hands in a salute.

He discreetly observed the surroundings, noting that there were more than ten soldiers in each of the side rooms.

"Go away, it's curfew. Besides, General Qi has ordered a strict lockdown. Don't cause trouble!"

Another soldier frowned and waved them off impatiently.

"Officer, please be kind. We'll just warm ourselves a bit, just for a moment, okay?"

Qin Wang clasped his hands again, his eyes showing a glimmer of hope. "Or could we borrow some fire from your brazier to light a fire over there under the eaves? We really can't stand the cold."

"Borrow fire?"

The square-faced soldier thought for a moment, then waved his hand. "Fine, take some fire and be quick about it!"

"Thank you, officers! Thank you!"

Qin Wang respectfully saluted again and took out a large cloth bundle the size of a bowl, approaching the brazier to light it. He then signaled Qin Xuemei.

"Zzz~~~"

The cloth bundle contained a significant amount of Bei Su San Gong Xiang, which ignited instantly upon contact with the fire.

Qin Wang pretended to fumble, causing the cloth bundle to fall into the brazier, which immediately burst into flames. The surrounding soldiers frowned as they looked at the middle-aged couple.

"What are you doing?"

"Light your fire and leave quickly!"

The square-faced soldier felt uneasy and shouted a warning.

"Officers, we accidentally dropped it. We'll pick it up and leave immediately!"

Qin Wang, having ignited the drug, felt assured. He pretended to retrieve the package from the brazier.

But he knew in his heart that once the drug was ignited, none of the soldiers present would be able to escape!

"Aah...you..."

"The brazier is poisoned!"

At this moment, cries of alarm sounded as the soldiers closest to the brazier fell to the ground. The soldiers from the side rooms, more than twenty in total, rushed out, trying to escape the vicinity of the brazier.

However, they underestimated the potency of the Bei Su San Gong Xiang!

All twenty soldiers from the side rooms collapsed, piling up at the door!

"The key!"

Qin Wang stepped forward and found a key on the belt of a soldier who seemed to be the leader. He then walked towards the city gate.

The gate was locked with a large iron lock.

Qin Wang inserted the key into the lock.

Click!

The lock sprang open. Although the gate was heavy, Qin Wang, with his second-rate martial arts skills, pushed it open a three-foot gap.

Suddenly, a skinny soldier, his nose covered with a cloth, dashed out of a side room, scaled the city wall in a flash, but then seemed to lose his strength and fell from a height of over two meters, knocking himself unconscious.

A yellow cloth bundle fell from his person, landing two meters away from Qin Wang.

"Mm?"

"This is..."

Qin Wang looked at the soldier, his eyes filled with suspicion.

Why would a city guard have such high-level Qinggong (lightness skill)? Anyone with such advanced Qinggong wouldn't be content as a mere city guard! This person was definitely an imposter!

Qin Wang immediately thought of the intelligence that mentioned the master thief Zuan Tianyaozi had killed a righteous soldier and was posing as one of them. Could this be him?

Could the yellow cloth bundle contain...

Qin Wang's eyes brightened at the thought.

If this was true, it was indeed a treasure falling from the sky!

Qin Wang took a step forward, picked up the yellow cloth bundle, and stuffed it into his pack. He searched the imposter soldier but found nothing else. He then turned to his sister, Qin Xuemei, and said, "Let's go!"

With that, Qin Wang cautiously slipped through the city gate.

"Okay!"

Qin Xuemei nodded, following closely behind her brother through the south gate.

Qin Wang then closed the gate, carried Qin Xuemei on his back, and swiftly dashed away using his Eagle Flight technique.