novellaaa Chapter 60 Bamboo Shadows in the Breeze
Chapter 60 Bamboo Shadows in the Breeze
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Three days later, on a stormy day, Lin Qing was on duty and came to the crematorium courtyard when he suddenly saw seven corpses.
"What happened?" Lin Qing asked.
Normally, there are only one or two corpses in this place a day, and sometimes there are none at all.
If there are more than five bodies, it's highly likely that something serious has happened.
"Last night, one of the Ma family's pharmacies was attacked. The shop assistants, guards, and manager were all killed. The seven bodies were delivered before dawn," Yu Qiuyu said from the side.
"So ruthless? Who did this?" Lin Qing asked.
"I don't know. The Soul Suppression Division is investigating. Jiangyin County has become increasingly chaotic lately, so we need to be careful." Yu Qiuyu said, already setting about sending the body to the crematorium.
Lin Qing's gaze swept across the scene and quickly locked onto the corpse of one of the men, a strong and muscular man in his forties.
After reaching the third level of the Rebirth Record, he could see some information about the corpse without touching it. The man was the only martial artist among the seven, and he likely possessed lightness skills.
Lin Qing immediately sent the man's corpse into the crematorium. As the flames rolled, the body was gradually engulfed and quickly burned to ashes. On the panel, the progress of the extraordinary achievement quickly reached 100%.
Since the place was safe, Lin Qing had no qualms and directly absorbed the man's memories.
In a short while, he had digested this memory. The man's name was Ma Qinghuan, originally named Liu Qinghuan. He was originally from Weng County, but later fled to Jiangyin County. He was so hungry that he fainted by the roadside and was rescued by the head of the Ma family who happened to be passing by. After that, he stayed in the Ma family as a guard, and eight years passed in the blink of an eye.
Ma Qinghuan had practiced martial arts in his early years and received further training in the Ma family. His martial arts skills were quite good, and he had already entered the Ming Jin realm.
His task at the Ma family was to guard the pharmacy in the south of the city, but he was surrounded and killed by four men in black who suddenly broke into the shop.
[Please select one to copy: martial arts, skill, or talent]
1. Bamboo shadows fluttering in the breeze (Perfect ending)
This protective footwork, passed down by a fallen noble family in Sichuan, was created by imitating the image of the wind blowing through the bamboo tips in a bamboo forest, swaying and using the momentum to propel oneself forward in an instant. When mastered, it allows one to sprint quickly over short distances, reaching a speed of five to eight zhang (approximately 10-15 meters) with the body as fast as an arrow released from a bow.
2. Iron Wire Fist (Mastery)
One of the Ming Jin training methods circulating among the people of Sichuan. When practiced to perfection, one can enter the realm of An Jin, unleashing the Zhen Yue Jin, which greatly increases the strength of the body.
When Zhenyue Jin is activated, it can cause a surge in local limb strength, making the punch as explosive as an iron wire. When it is perfected, one can enter the realm of Ming Jin perfection, which can unleash the Iron Wire Jin. The power is contained in the fist tip, greatly increasing its penetrating force.
3. Sounding the wind to pinpoint location (Excellent)
They have exceptionally keen hearing and are adept at filtering out noise in complex environments and distinguishing specific sounds.
4. Antiques Appraisal (Proficient)
They possess considerable expertise in appreciating the age, craftsmanship, and authenticity of common antiques such as jade, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and bronzes, and can generally distinguish between genuine and fake items.
...
Lin Qing was overjoyed to see the bamboo shadows fluttering in the wind, a testament to the light-footed skill.
Although what he wanted was a superior light-body skill that leaned towards long-distance sprinting and escape, rather than a light-body skill like Bamboo Shadows Fluttering in the Wind that allowed for short-distance bursts of speed.
But he also knew in his heart that in this small county town, wanting to acquire superior lightness skills was nothing short of wishful thinking; having any choice at all was already a good thing.
So, on a whim, he chose to copy the Bamboo Shadow in the Wind.
He then disposed of the other three corpses, but did not obtain any valuable martial arts skills; they were all just some livelihood-related professions.
When he returned to the corpse collector's courtyard, he was equipped with two light-foot skills: Water Float and Bamboo Shadow in the Wind.
Among them, floating on water and one's own realm overlapped to reach the limit, while bamboo shadows fluttering in the wind represent perfection.
Then, the effects of the two light-body skills combined, and Lin Qing felt as light as a swallow in an instant. He suddenly rushed forward, like a dragonfly skimming the water, and in a flash, he rushed more than ten steps, which was faster and more silent than the previous single water-walking skill.
Then, he leaped up, lightly touching the ground with his toes on a large tree next to him, and then suddenly leaped up onto the tree trunk, before gently jumping back to the ground.
"Not bad. In short distances, both my high jump and sprint speed have improved significantly, and my ability to survive has also been greatly enhanced."
"Now that I possess two perfected lightness skills, I have no worries about facing Han Shantong," Lin Qing thought to himself.
Of course, it's possible that Han Shantong possesses a superior lightness skill and has mastered it to an extremely high level, but the probability of such an event is too small to be considered an impossible occurrence.
It's impossible for someone to have superior lightness skills in Jiangyin County. Even if they did, practically no one could learn them. The real geniuses have long been absorbed into the prefectural city.
As evening fell, Lin Qing and Yu Qiuyu walked home from the Soul Suppressing Division.
As he passed through a small alley, he saw a constable posting a notice at the alley entrance, seemingly to arrest a wanted criminal.
He saw this kind of thing every day when he came home, so it was no longer a novelty to him, but Yu Qiuyu was someone who loved to join in the fun, so he went over immediately.
"Who is this person?"
"Oh, it's Brother Yu! Hey, this is the murderer who killed the huge man. The notice says that anyone who can provide clues will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver, and if the person is caught, the reward will be ten times that." The constable who posted the notice seemed to know Yu Qiuyu, and the two started chatting.
Seeing the two chatting so enthusiastically, Lin Qing didn't join in. However, when his gaze swept over the portrait on the wanted poster, he couldn't help but feel a chill.
The notice depicted a man dressed in black, whose physique was remarkably similar to his own, and most strikingly, his eyes were almost identical.
Lin Qing felt a strong sense of crisis and many questions arose in his heart. The biggest question was how he was exposed.
He searched through his memory but couldn't figure out what went wrong. It was raining heavily, so he acted quickly, destroyed the body, and fled. There shouldn't have been a third person at the scene.
"Why doesn't this arrest warrant even show the criminal's face?" Yu Qiuyu suddenly asked.
"Hey, who knows? I heard it was delivered by the Han family this morning. They insist that this is what the murderer looks like. I can't believe they have eyes like that." The man joked.
"That's true." Yu Qiuyu nodded.
"Brother Yu, you should go home soon. Jiangyin County is becoming increasingly unsafe. I heard that Yin Muhua has been very rampant lately, attacking not only martial artists in the city but also children. Three families in this area have recently lost their children, and people are living in fear." The man urged.
"Alright, I'll head home now," Yu Qiuyu replied with a smile.
Lin Qing remained silent throughout, but upon hearing that the portrait was sent by the Han family, a strong killing intent suddenly surged within him.
He didn't know how Han Shantong had drawn this portrait, but he knew he had to kill the old dog as soon as possible.
He had originally decided to play it safe, develop his strength quietly, and wait for the arrival of the powerful figures from the prefecture.
Now, Han Shantong is pressing him relentlessly, and he can't wait any longer. He feels that if the investigation continues like this, something bad will happen sooner or later.
"Han Shantong, you forced me to this," Lin Qingxin thought.
...
into the night.
The Han family mansion.
In a hall.
Han Shantong lay on the soft couch, one hand supporting his forehead, his eyes slightly closed.
With a creak, a maid pushed open the door and entered, carrying a bowl of nourishing soup.
She placed the health-preserving soup on the table and was about to leave when her gaze swept across the ground and she saw a set of brass keys.
She hesitated for a moment, then bent down to pick it up. Unexpectedly, as her hand reached out, the keys clashed together, making a soft "ding-a-ling" sound.
Han Shantong, who was sleeping nearby, suddenly opened his eyes, and a surge of killing intent erupted from his body. In an instant, he rushed out and punched the maid in the chest, sending her flying out of the hall.