After the text appeared, the scenery before him slowed to a crawl.
A vast influx of information surged into his mind like a tidal wave.
Qin An felt as if the knife in his hand was as familiar as his own arm.
Smoke twisted like a snake, forming new characters.
[Qin An]
[Butcher lv.3 (0/400): The livestock you butcher tastes slightly better]
[Talent: Knife Mastery at the Qi Storage Realm]
At last, the butcher profession broke through its shackles, reaching the third level.
Qin An felt a hint of joy rise in his heart.
But he quickly suppressed this trace of happiness.
On the surface, Qin An showed no change, silently putting away the sharp knife.
The world of Daqian was chaotic.
Demons wreaked havoc, and pseudo-gods were everywhere.
Since Qin An transmigrated here, he had resolved to be extremely cautious in all matters.
The saying "a tall tree catches the wind" was universally applicable.
Staying grounded was essential for survival.
The blood-red meatball floated continuously in mid-air.
The butchers were still astonished by Qin An's slaughtering skill, unable to recover from the shock.
Mr. Zheng was the first to react. He slightly tightened his grip on the long knife in his hand upon seeing the blood-red meatball and said sternly, "Go bring Mr. Wang over here."
Qin An observed Mr. Zheng's reaction, silently wiping the blood off the sharp knife, standing with his hands down by his side.
The blood-red meatball was very unusual.
Just a glance could overwhelm you with an aura of malevolence.
Qin An concluded it was no ordinary thing.
But though he had the talent of a butcher, he was ultimately just a commoner who shouldn't stand out.
He was here just for the slaughter—this matter was unrelated to him.
Soon, a middle-aged man appeared from the main hall in official attire.
The man's face was greasy, his belly protruding, and he was short-winded as he walked.
Besides the County Magistrate, there were three departments and six offices in the yamen.
The six offices handle officer, household, rites, military, punishment, and public works; the three departments are the jailor, constable, and enforcer teams.
Mr. Wang, who oversaw prisoners and law enforcement, managed the yamen.
Mr. Zheng invited Mr. Wang over for an official inspection.
Mr. Wang came over, breathing heavily, pointed at Qin An with a disdainful tone and said, "Are you the one who slaughtered this demon pig?"
Qin An nodded, "Indeed."
Even though Mr. Wang was only a yamen official, he was truly an authority figure in Ding County.
Moreover, Qin An had publicly slaughtered the demon pig—there was no denying this.
Mr. Wang wiped his forehead with his hand and waved, "Reward him with two taels of silver."
Mr. Zheng hesitated slightly, rubbing his hand on the handle of his blade, saying nothing.
A constable came forward with a black wooden box, carefully packing away the blood-red meatball.
Another constable pinched two taels of silver and handed it to Qin An, shooing him away, "Take it and leave, all of you, get out."
The constable's attitude was rude, but neither Mr. Zheng nor Mr. Wang found it abnormal.
The yamen asking for the help of a commoner was a favor—no longer needed, you should sensibly leave.
Qin An pocketed the two taels of silver, carrying the sharp knife out of the yamen.
He was here to slaughter the demon pig.
Having slaughtered it and advanced to level three as a butcher, he was ready to test his new abilities.
Everything else was irrelevant to him.
The other butchers, seeing Qin An depart, exchanged glances and left the yamen as well.
Soon, only Mr. Wang, Mr. Zheng, and the constables remained inside the yamen.
Mr. Wang's chubby face trembled slightly as he leaned in towards Mr. Zheng, "Other than that butcher Qin An, did anyone else come into contact with the meatball?"
Mr. Zheng quickly clasped his hands, "Nobody else touched it."
Mr. Wang nodded, speaking coldly, "The demon pig had a mate. Those touched by its aura are likely to be avenged. Send someone to collect the butcher's corpse in a few days and give his family some money."
Mr. Zheng, gripping the blade's handle, did not lift his head, "Understood."
Mr. Wang picked up the black wooden box, saying, "The Blood Crystal from this Qi Storage Realm demon could be very useful to you. You should take it. The yamen will need experts in the future, or those accursed peasants will again come with complaints. The Evil Extermination Bureau doesn't care about a county town; we have to rely on ourselves."
Mr. Zheng said nothing, but his hands trembled as he took the black wooden box, as if holding a treasure of utmost importance.
...
Qin An hurried back home.
Since transmigrating, he had a modest nest in Ding County—not luxurious, but sufficient with one room and a living room.
It was now afternoon, with smoke rising from the chimneys on the street.
As Qin An reached the door, the door of the adjacent house opened.
Chen Chun peeked out, poking his head through the door.
Seeing Qin An, Chen Chun's short mustache twitched.
"You're back?"
Qin An replied oddly, "Is it unusual for me to come back?"
He found Chen Chun strange today.
Chen Chun sniffed slightly, then abruptly retreated and shut the door with a bang.
Qin An frowned.
The situation seemed even stranger now.
But he was eager to explore his new abilities, so he pushed the door open to enter his home.
Just as Qin An was about to enter, Chen Chun's door opened again.
Chen Chun held out a cloth parcel, offering it to Qin An, "This is for you. I picked it up when buying timber in another county. It's said to enhance masculine energy."
Automatically, Qin An took it, opening the parcel to find a book inside.
The book was yellowed, with a cover partially obscured but revealing the words Wind-breaking Saber Manual.
Qin An hefted the manual and asked, "Old Chen, since when did you start practicing the saber?"
Chen Chun seemed to be becoming mysterious.
Originally a coffin shop owner, now suddenly handing him a Wind-breaking Saber Manual.
No ordinary coffin shop owner would practice the saber, would they?
Chen Chun chuckled, "I heard from the old folks that butchers who slaughter demons can be tainted by their evil aura. This manual cost two wen, so it's not very effective, but practicing it might bring some luck."
"Really?" Qin An frowned.
Chen Chun said very seriously, "Of course it's true, I wouldn't harm you."
Qin An rubbed his chin, "When you lie, your beard twitches. Old Chen, you're lying."
They had been neighbors for so long that he was very familiar with Chen Chun's personality.
Chen Chun rubbed his beard with his index finger and quickly shut the door: "Practice if you want, anyway, it's for good luck."
Before long, there was no more sound from inside the room.
Qin An, holding the saber manual, pondered for a moment and then walked into the house.
No matter what Chen Chun's situation was, he would first check his talent.
...
The room was simply furnished, but had all the essentials.
There were still a few leftover dishes on the table.
After a busy day, Qin An was a bit tired. After finishing the leftovers, he began to evaluate his talent.
"Qi Storage Realm blade mastery, as long as I practice saber techniques now, there will be unexpected results."
When Qin An's butcher career reached level three, he had a realization.
It was as if he was a seasoned blade user, feeling familiar the moment he held a knife.
Qin An thought briefly, put the dagger aside, and picked up the Wind-breaking Saber Skill given by Chen Chun.
He suspected Chen Chun's identity, but since Chen Chun was unwilling to mention it, he just went into his room.
It was late now, and Qin An recalled Chen Chun's mention of the ominous evil qi, instinctively opening the saber manual.
Reading it wouldn't hurt, he'd first see what this saber manual was about.
The Wind-breaking Saber Manual was opened by Qin An, revealing a series of drawings.
The draughtsmanship was extremely crude, like a three-year-old's random doodles.
But each drawing was accompanied by a name.
After opening it, Qin An felt a hint of understanding in his heart.
Images flashed before his eyes.
In just a moment, it seemed like a revolving lantern, with the figure of someone practicing the saber.
Qin An lowered his head, continuously flipping through the pages with his fingers, his expression extremely focused.
Half an incense stick's time later.
When Qin An finished the last page, the oil lamp on the table suddenly flickered.
Qin An snapped back to reality and silently put down the saber manual.
Before his eyes, black smoke appeared, forming a line of text.
[You studied the Wind-breaking Saber Skill, triggering the Qi Storage Realm blade mastery talent, perfecting the Qi Storage Realm Wind-breaking Saber Skill]
A warm current appeared in his abdomen, and Qin An was stunned as he looked at the text before him.
[Qin An]
[Cultivation Technique: Wind-breaking Saber Skill Perfected (Qi Storage Realm)]
[Butcher lv.3 (0/400): The livestock you slaughter are slightly more delicious]
[Talent: Qi Storage Realm Blade Mastery]
"It's perfected already?"
Qin An was astonished, picked up the dagger beside him, and casually started to swing it.
As he swung, the moves of the Wind-breaking Saber Skill continually floated in front of him.
The Wind-breaking Saber Skill prioritized speed, emphasizing a blade as fast as lightning.
As Qin An moved the saber, the warm current transmitted to the dagger.
The dagger cut through the air, bringing about whistling sounds.
After a few breaths, Qin An placed the dagger on the table, gaining a new understanding of the Golden Finger.
This thing was powerful.
Definitely not as simple as just a livelihood profession.
At least for now, it seemed that he might gain a bit of safety in this chaotic world.
Thinking of this, Qin An's heart settled.
It was then that Qin An noticed a line of small text appearing at the bottom of the smoke.
[By studying the saber manual, you can unlock a new profession]
[New Profession: Scholar]
[Unlocked]
[Scholar lv.1 (0/100): Your reading speed has slightly increased]
A new profession?
Qin An was slightly taken aback, then felt joy in his heart.
The method for the Golden Finger to unlock new professions was simple, requiring true entry into the trade.
Here, entry wasn't so simple; it needed a profound understanding of a profession.
Qin An could become a butcher immediately because he transmigrated as one.
Now obtaining the scholar profession, he guessed it was because he had read books for years in his previous life and had seriously read the saber manual.
Having acquired a new profession, Qin An was greatly pleased, eager to start practicing immediately.
Since it's being a scholar, it must be related to reading.
Qin An picked up the saber manual, ready to continue reading.
Unfortunately, his proficiency did not increase.
"Books already read do not increase proficiency?"
Qin An put down the saber manual, developing a theory in his mind.
"I'll check out the bookstore tomorrow."
As a butcher, there were no books at home.
Qin An had already experienced the power of livelihood professions and planned to quickly level up the scholar profession to awaken the next talent.
The bookstore was the best choice.
With this thought, as it was getting late, Qin An slightly pondered and, following his usual habit, placed the dagger under his pillow, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes.
The dagger was hidden under the pillow because the world was unruly.
He had only one life, and he didn't want to lose it at this moment.
The candlelight went out, the stars shone sparsely under the moon.
Qin An gradually fell asleep, his breath becoming slow and steady.
...
Time passed, and the latter half of the night arrived.
A gust of wind blew through, the house door was ajar, and a heavy breathing sound gradually arose.