"Keep your voice down, or you’ll lose your head."

"Hmph, what’s there to be afraid of? Who knows, maybe I’ll just die in the mine one day. What’s the point in being scared?"

"But what about your kid?"

"..."

These voices echoed from several streets away.

But on the street where he stood, not a single passerby spoke.

No one spoke, their gazes avoided his...

Are these the people arranged in advance?

Or perhaps, not passersby, but ’guards’?

Arranging guards as a welcome isn’t an issue, but having guards from the city gate all the way to the streets within the city carries a very different implication.

Are they afraid he’ll hear or see something? Or are they preventing an attack?

The waters of Jingyan County, as Shen Yu, Feng Yuan, and others said... truly run deep.

They traveled in silence; the carriage rode for about fifteen minutes before finally stopping in front of ’Jingshang Tower.’

"Please, Lords."

Lv Wen and Zhou Xun bowed their heads deeply.

Chu Ming and Shen Yu stepped down from the carriage, Meng Zhen, Ye Hong, Shao Pengshu and the others guarded them on either side.

[Sword Gourd Spirit] expanded—indeed, it seemed the people inside this tavern had also been arranged ahead of time.

Chu Ming kept his composure, following the party into the tavern.

Lv Wen and Zhou Xun respectfully trailed behind; with their darting eyes, even the shopkeeper, waiters, and others inside quickly sprang into action.

"Lords, please come inside."

They arrived at a nicely decorated private room, where wine and dishes were already served on the table.

"Lord Shen, Lord Ye, Commander Meng, Lord Chu, please take the seat of honor."

Lv Wen remained courteous throughout.

Shen Yu didn’t waste words, seating himself right away. Ye Hong sat beside him, Meng Zhen and Chu Ming took seats next to each other.

If anything unexpected were to happen, they’d be able to react instantly.

Soon more wine and dishes were brought in, as Lv Wen and Zhou Xun kept offering drinks.

Under [Sword Gourd Spirit], the food and wine proved harmless.

From this brief time spent entering the city, it was already clear that County Magistrate Lv Wen and County Clerk Zhou Xun definitely had issues.

But neither seemed like the type to commit such a foolish act as poisoning.

Think about it—if the whole Chief Clerk’s Office was poisoned as soon as they arrived in Jingyan County, even if the County Magistrate and Clerk weren’t suspects at first, they’d soon be viewed as such.

The Flower Fairy Brew Lv Wen spoke of was indeed excellent: rich yet slightly sweet, without the burn of strong liquor, smooth going down.

Shen Yu enjoyed it, drinking two whole pots in succession.

Chu Ming tasted a few sips, then helped himself to the dishes, especially the meat.

Last night’s battle had drained him too much.

"Waiter, bring another plate of Hundred Flavor Salted Beef."

Lv Wen was clearly catering to their preferences.

Shen Yu liked Flower Fairy Brew, so Lv Wen kept ordering more wine; seeing Chu Ming enjoy the beef, he kept ordering more meat.

The banquet lasted until just past 9 p.m., when the County Magistrate Lv Wen specially arranged a mansion for them.

The estate included servants, maids, and several hundred patrolling guards.

The night was pitch-black, the moon flawed and incomplete.

Chu Ming and Shen Yu sat in the courtyard.

"Tsk tsk, Lv Wen and Zhou Xun are no simple folk—from the moment we stepped into Jingyan County, to the tavern meal, then this mansion, we’ve been under surveillance the whole time."

Guards and servants were just a front; the real purpose was watching their every move. Of course Shen Yu could see through it.

Chu Ming glanced at the bright moon, lowered his head, and handed Shen Yu a cup of Fruit Brew: "Brother Shen, it’s getting late. You should rest early."

Shen Yu drank the Fruit Brew and praised, "Little Shan’s craft is indeed impressive. It is late, and you’ll be entering the mine tomorrow. Best get some sleep."

"Mm."

Shen Yu left, Chu Ming returned to his chamber.

[Sword Gourd Spirit] spread out—confirming no eavesdroppers behind the walls, he finally had time to take out the Meridian Unlocking Realm cultivation technique.

"’Yanhan Body Refining Skill · Meridian Passage’..."

He turned each page—its contents poured into the Sea of Consciousness Cultivation Technique Lake.

According to this Meridian Unlocking Realm technique, the human body has Twelve Major Meridians, and Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

The major meridians connect the body from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet, also called the Circuit Meridian.

Meanwhile, the Eight Extraordinary Meridians form a separate set, independent from the Twelve Major Meridians.

The cultivation method at Meridian Unlocking Realm is to use Qi and Blood Power to unlock the Twelve Major Meridians.

Once the Twelve Major Meridians are connected, Qi and Blood Power is no longer limited to blood vessels and flesh; it can flow through the meridians, boosting the cultivator’s strength in a qualitative leap.

As described by ’Yanhan Body Refining Skill·Meridian Passage’, below Four Meridians is Early Stage, Eight Meridians for Middle Stage, Twelve Meridians for Late Stage.

At this point, it’s equivalent to completing the body’s circuit—Qi and Blood Power moves at the mind’s command and can instantly reach any part of the body.

Qi and Blood Power no longer needs to be stored solely in blood vessels; each of the twelve meridians can condense Qi and Blood Power.

For Qi Blood Martial Techniques, Qi Blood Fusion skills—just unlock the Twelve Major Meridians, and they will naturally manifest.

But the Twelve Major Meridians alone are not enough. To wash the marrow, you must identify and connect the crucial Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

In terms of storage, the Eight Extraordinary Meridians expand on the Twelve Major Meridians, but from a long-term perspective, they surpass them.

Only by penetrating the Eight Extraordinary Meridians can one gain the foundation for Washing Marrow.

Each extraordinary meridian unlocked is considered Perfection in Meridian Unlocking Realm.

Every time you unlock an extraordinary meridian, your strength will skyrocket.

Thus, this Perfection is not true perfection in the strictest sense.

The correct distinction for Meridian Unlocking Realm: the Twelve Major Meridians constitute the Upper Realm, the Eight Extraordinary Meridians the Lower Realm.

Unlocking one extraordinary meridian for so-called Perfection refers to Meridian Unlocking Realm Upper Perfection and the start of the Lower Realm.

Chu Ming’s gaze deepened.

He remembered that his master Xiang Yue had said his realm was between Late Stage and Perfection in Meridian Unlocking Realm.

Now it appeared his master must have already unlocked the Twelve Major Meridians and is currently penetrating the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

He closed the cultivation manual and extinguished the lamp, lying down on the bed.

With so many potential spies here, he could not stay up all night reading—such behavior would arouse unnecessary suspicion.

The wounds from the Black Wind Stronghold battle still lingered; he truly needed rest.

[Sword Gourd Spirit] maintained a cover over the mansion. Chu Ming closed his eyes, sinking his Heart Spirit into the Sea of Consciousness.

His Sea of Consciousness now, with the white mist generated by Book collection Lake, had expanded to a very large area of light; outside it, a vast chaos remained.

If projected onto reality, it could easily contain a county seat.

At the center were the four great lakes.

At this moment, above the Cultivation Technique Lake, more than a hundred fragments of Meridian Unlocking Realm techniques of various sizes hovered in the air.

Some fragments collided, sinking into the Cultivation Technique Lake; others gathered together until they reached a certain threshold and merged into the lake.

Above the fragments hung the twelve-colored Hongqiao, marking the Refining Organ Realm cultivation technique inference progress.

The twelve-colored Hongqiao had fully solidified two days ago, continually absorbing lake water without dissipating.

But once all fragments of Meridian Unlocking Realm techniques merged into the Cultivation Technique Lake, cracks appeared on the body of the twelve-colored Hongqiao, as if about to shatter.

Chu Ming remained calm; he knew this was not a sign of destruction, but a sign of breaking through limits.

Refining Organ Realm cultivation technique inference completed; next came Meridian Unlocking cultivation techniques.

Lake water kept flowing in, and the cracks on the twelve-colored Hongqiao grew more numerous.

At one moment, Chu Ming saw feathery lights drifting down from Hongqiao.

Then a second one, a third... until the sky was filled with falling feathers.

Multicolored, like snow drifting beneath neon lights—Chu Ming gazed, feeling a bit dazed.