Front Courtyard.
"Senior Sister Li?" Jiang Ning was slightly surprised to see Li Qing's figure.
"Junior Brother Jiang, I hope you don't mind me disturbing you," Li Qing said.
"Not at all!" Jiang Ning smiled slightly. "Senior Sister Li, come with me."
Then he patted Little Doubao's head. "Little Doubao, go play by yourself for a while."
"Okay!" Little Doubao nodded obediently and skipped away.
For children, there's never a lack of things to play with.
Even a few ants on the ground can keep them entertained for a long time.
Soon after.
Jiang Ning led Li Qing toward his east courtyard.
As they walked.
"Senior Sister Li, what brings you here today?"
"Because I'm leaving," Li Qing said.
"Leaving?" Jiang Ning paused, slightly surprised.
"Yes," Li Qing nodded. "Since I didn't make it into the Inspection Bureau, I'm leaving today with my father to study martial arts at the Sword Pavilion in Bashu County. I came to say goodbye to you, Junior Brother Jiang."
As they talked, they continued walking toward the east courtyard.
A moment later.
In the pavilion of the east courtyard.
The two sat facing each other.
From their earlier conversation, Jiang Ning now understood.
Li Qing's father had connections at the Sword Pavilion in Bashu County, which allowed her to study martial arts there.
The Sword Pavilion was a far more powerful sect than the Medicine King Valley.
With a grandmaster overseeing it, the Sword Pavilion was a formidable force.
For Li Qing, becoming a disciple of the Sword Pavilion was an excellent opportunity.
If not for her father's extensive connections, she wouldn't have had the chance to join the Sword Pavilion.
Bashu County was over two thousand kilometers away from Luoshui County.
Once she left, it would be a long time before they saw each other again.
That's why Li Qing had come to say goodbye today.
Because after today, they might never meet again.
Sitting face to face, Jiang Ning thought for a moment, then said, "Senior Sister, wait here for a moment."
With that, Jiang Ning headed into his room.
When he came out.
He was holding a wine jug and two cups.
Clink
He gently shook the jug, and the black stone inside collided with the inner wall, producing a soft sound.
Returning to the pavilion, Jiang Ning placed a cup in front of Li Qing.
"Junior Brother Jiang, what's this?" Li Qing's mouth opened slightly as she looked at the wine jug and cups.
Then, as if realizing something.
Was Junior Brother planning to get her drunk?
Li Qing's face flushed as she looked at Jiang Ning.
Her gaze shifted from uncertainty to hesitation.
Finally, she seemed to make a decision and slightly raised her head.
Jiang Ning spoke, "Since Senior Sister is leaving, I naturally want to toast you farewell."
Gurgle
Clear wine poured into the cup, and a faint silvery glow flickered within.
At the same time, a strong aroma of wine filled the air.
"Senior Sister, I wish you a smooth journey!"
Jiang Ning raised his cup.
In the next moment.
"So strong!" Li Qing took a small sip and immediately stuck out her tongue.
Jiang Ning downed his cup in one go. The wine was smooth and didn't burn as it went down.
He then looked at Li Qing. "Senior Sister, this wine is truly something special. Don't waste it."
So it's true!
Junior Brother wants to get me drunk!
Li Qing's heart raced as she understood Jiang Ning's intentions.
Then.
She steeled herself, picked up the cup, and drank it all in one go.
In an instant.
As the wine flowed down her throat and into her stomach, Li Qing's face turned a deep shade of red.
Clang
Li Qing's cup landed heavily on the stone table.
"Junior Brother, I want more!"
"Alright," Jiang Ning smiled and poured another round for both of them.
The wine jug contained a black stone, which imbued the wine with the ability to enhance one's bone structure and martial talent.
Jiang Ning realized this after the transformation of the white dragon fish, which had been caused by the black stone.
He knew very well that the black stone was an extraordinary treasure.
With the black stone, any liquid it soaked in whether wine or water would become a precious resource.
Knowing that Li Qing was leaving, Jiang Ning decided not to be stingy and used the black stone-infused wine to bid her farewell.
This would improve her bone structure and enhance her martial talent.
After all, the black stone's effects were limitless for him.
Every day, he could use it to infuse any liquid with its properties.
As Jiang Ning poured the second cup, Li Qing braced herself and drank it all in one go.
After two cups, her face was completely flushed.
A moment later.
"Junior Brother Jiang," Li Qing looked at Jiang Ning and suddenly giggled, her face completely red.
Then.
Hiccup Li Qing let out a loud hiccup, her eyes glazed and unfocused.
"Her alcohol tolerance... is weak," Jiang Ning shook his head.
Seeing that Li Qing was already eight or nine parts drunk, Jiang Ning downed the last cup of wine.
Then, he put away the wine jug.
"Senior Sister Li, let me take you home," Jiang Ning went to Li Qing's side and supported her arm to keep her unsteady body from falling to the ground.
An hour later.
At the entrance of the Li residence.
"Senior Sister Li, we're home," Jiang Ning patted Li Qing, who was sleeping with her head on his lap.
"Are we home?" Li Qing mumbled, her eyes still hazy and her face flushed.
"Yes, we're at your home," Jiang Ning pulled back the carriage curtain and pointed to the Li residence's gate.
"Alright then," Li Qing nodded slightly.
Jiang Ning helped Li Qing out of the carriage.
A moment later.
After Jiang Ning left, Li Qing's hazy eyes suddenly cleared. She watched the carriage gradually disappear into the distance and stomped her foot in frustration.
"Miss, what's wrong?" A maid in a pink dress beside her asked curiously.
"Nothing," Li Qing said, her expression a mix of frustration and hesitation.
She wanted to complain, but she didn't know who to talk to.
Outer City.
Inspection Bureau.
"The Inspection Bureau is killing innocent people! Is no one going to do anything about it? My son died unjustly! Unjustly!!"
In front of the Inspection Bureau, a seventy-year-old man wailed loudly.
Beside him was a rolled-up straw mat.
As he spoke, he repeatedly banged his head against the hard ground in front of the Inspection Bureau.
His forehead was already stained with dust and blood.
Behind the old man stood more than a dozen stern-faced constables, holding swords.
The person inside the straw mat was their colleague, an old constable.
This old constable had been killed by someone from the Inspection Bureau last night.
Today, they had come together to seek justice and demand an explanation.
"Get out of here! If you keep making noise, I'll arrest all of you!" Zhao Hu, who had just walked out of the Inspection Bureau, shouted sternly at the scene in front of the gate.
At this moment, he was filled with regret.
He shouldn't have been so arrogant yesterday and sought revenge on the constable who had insulted him.
He shouldn't have lost control after drinking and beaten the man to death.
And he definitely shouldn't have panicked and fled when the constables arrived after the incident.
"Arrest me? Let's see how a mere Inspection Bureau guard like you can arrest me!" A middle-aged man in his late thirties slowly stepped out of the crowd.
"Constable Lin, my son died unjustly!" The old man wailed even louder upon seeing the middle-aged man.
"Don't worry, I'll handle this. Your son worked under me for many years. I won't let him die in vain," Constable Lin comforted the old man, then turned to Zhao Hu.
At this moment, Zhao Hu snorted coldly. "What? Last night, I caught this man colluding with the Heretic God Cult. He resisted arrest and tried to kill me. As a member of the Inspection Bureau, am I not allowed to enforce the law?"
"Nonsense!" Constable Lin said coldly. "You say he was colluding with the cult. Where's the evidence?"
"I have evidence!!" At that moment.
A voice came from inside the Inspection Bureau.
Then a man in a black and red robe walked out.
"Captain Liu!" Zhao Hu saw the man and immediately lowered his head, feeling reassured.
After the incident, he reported it to Liu Zhaonan.
Liu Zhaonan had told him to handle it and not let the Inspection Bureau's authority be undermined.
Now, with Liu Zhaonan's appearance and his words, Zhao Hu felt even more confident.
Liu Zhaonan was going to protect him.
"Liu Zhaonan, what evidence do you have?" Constable Lin's heart sank when he saw Liu Zhaonan appear.
Yesterday, he had witnessed Liu Zhaonan's strength at the training grounds.
At the peak of the eighth rank, Liu Zhaonan was several times stronger than him, a ninth-rank martial artist.
While he had some confidence in facing Zhao Hu, he had little when it came to Liu Zhaonan.
Liu Zhaonan tossed a letter onto the ground.
"This is the evidence of a letter proving Xia Li's collusion with the Heretic God Cult. As for the witness, Zhao Hu saw it with his own eyes."
"You're lying!" Constable Lin couldn't help but curse.
Liu Zhaonan's actions were tantamount to treating them all as fools, blatantly lying.
Hearing Constable Lin's curse, Liu Zhaonan frowned and glared at him.
In the next moment.
Liu Zhaonan kicked a stone on the ground.
Whoosh
The stone shot through the air with a sharp whistle.
"Liu Zhaonan, how dare you!" A loud shout came from the crowd.
At the same time.
Constable Lin's expression changed drastically.
Liu Zhaonan's sudden attack had caught him completely off guard.
The method of attack was also unexpected.
Seeing the stone flying toward him, he quickly moved to dodge.
But in the next moment.
Before he could move halfway, the stone struck his left shoulder.
He lost his balance, was lifted slightly off the ground, and then fell heavily to the ground.
So strong!!
Constable Lin was horrified.
He never expected to be injured by such an attack.
In the past, he had fought against eighth-rank martial artists.
Although he was no match for them, he could still hold his own for a few moves.
But against Liu Zhaonan, he was completely outclassed.
A single kick of a stone from the ground was enough to defeat him!
Is this the strength of a captain-level expert?
Constable Lin muttered to himself.
This attack had shown him the true power of a captain-level eighth-rank martial artist.
It was completely different from the strength of ordinary eighth-rank martial artists.
"Disrespecting your superiors warrants punishment. If there's a next time, it won't be so easy to let go," Liu Zhaonan said indifferently.
His gaze no longer lingered on Constable Lin but shifted to the man in plain clothes who had just stepped out of the crowd.
"Chief Constable!" Constable Lin, helped up by the newly arrived man, spoke through the pain in his shoulder.
The man who had just appeared was the Chief Constable of the constabulary, Xu Zhengnan.
His strength was also at the peak of the eighth rank.
"Are you alright?" Xu Zhengnan asked.
Constable Lin nodded. "I'm fine. It's nothing serious."
Hearing this, Xu Zhengnan nodded slightly, then turned to Liu Zhaonan.
"Captain Liu, isn't this going a bit too far?"
"Too far?" Liu Zhaonan smiled, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
Someone like Xu Zhengnan, who had only reached this level at his age, was not worth his attention.
Moreover, before coming out, he had reported the matter to Ye Qiu, the commander.
Ye Qiu's instructions were simple: right or wrong didn't matter. Just act decisively.
The Inspection Bureau needed an excuse, an opportunity to show its fangs to the entire city.
In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures were necessary.
The Inspection Bureau's actions didn't need to be justified. Even if some innocent people were caught in the crossfire, it didn't matter.
As long as the Inspection Bureau fulfilled its duties, that was enough.
With Ye Qiu's backing, Liu Zhaonan had no fear.
Then.
Liu Zhaonan said, "The evidence is clear. Don't make trouble. If you continue to provoke the Inspection Bureau, even if you're the Chief Constable, a ninth-rank official, I have every reason to suspect you of colluding with the Heretic God Cult and deal with you accordingly."
Hearing Liu Zhaonan's words, Xu Zhengnan laughed in anger.
"Good!"
"Very good!!"
"Let's see how you deal with me!"
In an instant.
As Xu Zhengnan finished speaking, Liu Zhaonan suddenly moved, covering several meters in a flash as he charged toward Xu Zhengnan.
All of this was seen by Jiang Ning.
"So fierce?" Jiang Ning watched the scene in front of the Inspection Bureau with surprise.
Then, he looked toward the Inspection Bureau.
On the high building, he saw Ye Qiu standing by the railing, quietly observing the scene below.
At this moment, as Jiang Ning's gaze fell on Ye Qiu, the commander seemed to sense it and turned to look in Jiang Ning's direction.
Their eyes met, and Ye Qiu smiled slightly at Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning returned the smile.
Then, Ye Qiu's lips moved, silently conveying a message.
"Brother Jiang, care to join me up here?"
Understanding Ye Qiu's silent invitation, Jiang Ning nodded slightly.
Then, he glanced ahead.
At this moment, Liu Zhaonan and Xu Zhengnan were locked in combat.
Their strengths were evenly matched. Liu Zhaonan was younger and had more stamina.
Xu Zhengnan, on the other hand, had more experience. Each had its advantages.
It was clear that the fight wouldn't be decided anytime soon.
So, Jiang Ning moved to the side, leaped into the air, and swiftly ascended toward Ye Qiu's location!
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