Cheng Hong nodded slightly upon hearing the words.

Since allying with Qin An, she had come to understand this cold and resolute wielder of the Demon-Slaying Saber more deeply.

Though ruthless and cold-hearted, he was a man of his word.

Qin An spoke no more and carried the black coffin wrapped in chains straight towards Yang Quanfeng's residence.

The sound of chains grinding against the coffin was especially piercing in the night, startling a few resting birds.

...

Yang Quanfeng's courtyard remained elegant and pleasant.

The Jinzhou state officer sat alone at the stone table, pouring and sipping wine by moonlight, repeatedly polishing the iron hammer he had wielded for years with a white cloth.

The Evil Extermination Bureau had been unusually calm lately.

Even the commotion caused by Wan Ziqing's madness was quelled with thunderous force.

Yet the crease between his brows could not unfold.

The black market was perilous, with even Wan Ziqing falling victim to schemes. Could Qin An return safely?

He cared greatly for this former subordinate of his.

The fiery liquor wet his throat but could not quell the agitation in his heart.

Suddenly, a sound of steady footsteps broke the silence of the courtyard.

Yang Quanfeng abruptly raised his head, and the hammer fell heavily onto the stone table.

When he saw that figure carrying a coffin on the shoulder, his tense nerves finally relaxed.

"Sit," Yang Quanfeng gestured to the stone stool across, his voice rough like sandpaper.

Qin An being able to return at this time meant the black market mission was successfully completed.

Seeking him out now, there must be a purpose.

Qin An approached Yang Quanfeng, placing the black coffin on the ground.

"Boom!"

The coffin landed with a heavy thud, causing the wine cups on the table to tremble slightly.

Yang Quanfeng gazed at the black coffin shrouded in evil aura, his pupils constricting suddenly: "Evil Qi, there's a Pseudo-God inside?"

As Jinzhou's state officer, Yang Quanfeng had long immersed himself in the Gui Cang Realm, with top-tier strength and perspective, naturally discerning the abnormality within the coffin at a glance.

Qin An brushed the scabbard of the Cold Star Saber at his waist and recounted his experiences at the black market methodically.

Particularly regarding the coffin, he elaborated with extreme detail.

Upon hearing this, Yang Quanfeng furrowed his brows even deeper: "Reforming a Pseudo-God?"

The Evil Extermination Bureau always followed an iron rule of eradication, indeed a heretical proposal.

Qin An released his grip from the saber: "The black market is linked to the Demon Hall's plan. The former owner of the black market and his daughter were besieged by the Demon Hall; perhaps clues can be found from them."

Before returning, he had already discussed with Cheng Hong.

Perhaps they could truly discover the Demon Hall's plan from this Pseudo-God.

As for why he didn't question the former owner directly, it was due to his nearing end of life—passing away before he could be questioned in detail.

The Demon Hall held animosity towards Qin An, and naturally, Qin An wished the Evil Extermination Bureau to uncover clues leading to its eradication.

After hearing this, Yang Quanfeng lightly tapped the table with his fingers, nodding after a long while: "It's worth a try."

Currently, the Central State was still constrained by the Demon Hall.

If clues about the Demon Hall could be found from this Pseudo-God, perhaps it might help the Central State return to the bureau swiftly.

Qin An rose and said, "I'll take my leave now."

He came just to complete this transaction.

Since it was completed, the rest was up to the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Yang Quanfeng knew Qin An's decisive nature and didn't persuade him to stay, letting Qin An leave as he wished.

After Qin An departed, Yang Quanfeng coughed lightly and called for the Yinzhou state officer.

"Summon all Jinzhou state officers in the bureau."

Since it concerned intelligence on the Demon Hall, Yang Quanfeng couldn't decide alone; gathering colleagues was both a measure of neutrality and support.

The Yinzhou state officer responded, quickly leaving the courtyard.

...

The courtyard of the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Cheng Hong gestured to the nearby state officer, who fetched a chair, upon which she sat, looking up at the full moon in the sky, enjoying the rare tranquility.

Those who served as Mountain Patrol officers always had their nerves taut.

She had not returned to the Evil Extermination Bureau for a long time; today felt quite pleasant.

With Qin An going to see Yang Quanfeng, she didn't wander around idly.

Former acquaintances had mostly turned to graves.

This was also why Cheng Hong became a Mountain Patrol officer.

Although traveling alone was dangerous, it was better than the sorrow of seeing old friends leave.

Cheng Hong gazed upward for a while, feeling her neck ache before she heard footsteps.

She initially thought it was Qin An, but turning her head, she saw a rather beautiful young girl.

"Are you looking for me?" Cheng Hong squinted her eyes, glancing at the badge on the girl's waist.

Just a small state official, who usually had to respectfully call her a superior when they met.

Ye Lengyu, fearful, glanced at Cheng Hong, always feeling that the killing intent around her was intense.

Recently, she had passed the Evil Extermination Bureau's test, and with her sister's special recruitment authority, successfully joined the bureau.

Today, she saw Qin An and Cheng Hong return while being in the courtyard.

After Qin An left, she cautiously approached.

"L-Lady..."

Ye Lengyu stuttered, "Did Mr. Qin complete his mission this time?"

Mr. Qin?

Cheng Hong was taken aback at first, then realized and saw the hidden admiration in Ye Lengyu's eyes as she spoke, revealing a playful smile.

"Little girl, what's so admirable about that ice block?"

Ye Lengyu clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, her voice soft: "Mr. Qin saved my life; even if he asked for it, I'd be willing."

Cheng Hong shook her head: "Did you come just to ask about this matter?"

Though she was quite curious about Qin An's experiences, she didn't like to probe.

This little girl, however, piqued Cheng Hong's interest.

Ye Lengyu nodded slightly: "Knowing Mr. Qin's situation lets me understand the gap between us, pushing me to strive to follow in his footsteps."

Cheng Hong chuckled: "That's very difficult; his strength is such that even if you used both hands and feet, you couldn't catch up."

Ye Lengyu nodded vigorously: "As long as I have a goal, I can catch up!"

Seeing Ye Lengyu's determined appearance, Cheng Hong showed a trace of nostalgia: "Being young is indeed good."

When she was the same age as Ye Lengyu, she too had ambitions.

But now, she's merely a blade of the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Just as she was thinking this, another set of footsteps approached.

Cheng Hong turned her head to see Qin An approaching.

Before she could speak, a "ya" sound came from beside her.

Ye Lengyu, like a frightened little rabbit, fled in a fluster.

Seeing this, Cheng Hong's eyes gleamed with amusement: "Seeing someone you admire but being shy, such a girlish nature, it's a pity, after all, we are not on the same path."

The world is full of geniuses; if ordinary people could easily follow them, wouldn't geniuses be cheap?

In her eyes, Ye Lengyu and Qin An were not on the same path.

Qin An is the sky, while Ye Lengyu is just a mayfly looking up at the sky.

Thinking of this, Cheng Hong restrained her smile slightly and stood up, saying: "Is it over?"

Qin An, looking at Ye Lengyu's back, frowned and said: "What were you talking about?"

Cheng Hong gave a charming smile: "Discussing the story of a lovesick girl."

"Very boring." Qin An walked towards his courtyard and said, "Follow me."

Cheng Hong helplessly said: "Compared to that lovesick girl, you're even more boring."

Seeing that Qin An didn't reply, she didn't speak anymore and followed behind him toward the small courtyard.

...

The courtyard was clean, often tidied by the Internal Affairs Department, so it didn't feel cluttered.

Qin An closed the door, lit the oil lamp on the table, and took out a wooden box.

The palm-sized wooden box reflected light under the glow, its lock already quietly opened.

Seeing the wooden box, Cheng Hong's eyes sparkled.

Earth vein crystals were very precious, even Gui Cang Realm's patrol officers would fight over them.

Once promoted to the Vein Condensation Realm, having one more earth vein would greatly increase one's strength.

Qin An placed his hand on the wooden box and opened it.

Inside, two thumb-sized pure white crystals lay quietly, with what seemed like stardust flowing inside.

Qin An pushed one of them to Cheng Hong, his voice calm and unruffled: "Yours."

Cheng Hong was overjoyed, picking up the earth vein crystal, sat on Qin An's bed, and crossed her long legs, preparing to absorb the crystal.

Seeing this, Qin An said: "You're not scared at all."

Hearing this, Cheng Hong's seductive eyes were full of smiles: "I trust you completely."

With that, she said no more, placed the earth vein crystal in her hands, and began transferring True Qi into it.

After a moment's thought, Qin An also operated the Bodhi Profound Scripture, directing True Qi into the crystal.

Once True Qi was injected, the earth vein crystal quickly melted in the palm.

The melted earth vein crystal disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Qin An observed inside himself, finding that the Du Meridian was being slowly covered by the crystal's power.

The eight main meridians are Du Meridian, Ren Meridian, Chong Meridian, Belt Meridian, Yinwei Meridian, Yangwei Meridian, Yin Qiao Meridian, Yang Qiao Meridian.

Now, the Du Meridian had been completely replaced by the crystal, making Qin An's True Qi purer and more condensed.

If he were to encounter Huomeng again, Qin An felt he wouldn't need to use the Blood-Burning Demon Hand, just the Ice Flame Heart-breaking Technique would be enough to cut him down.

Qin An opened his eyes to see Cheng Hong had also finished absorbing.

Cheng Hong, holding back her joy, asked: "Where will you go next?"

Now, she had an earth vein in place of a main meridian, her strength qualitatively changed, giving her more hope for survival in future missions.

Having handled all matters, she intended to leave the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Before leaving, she naturally asked casually.

Qin An shook his head: "I'll stay a few more days."

Having returned this time, Qin An planned to exchange for Cultivation Techniques and demon essence.

Meanwhile, he aimed to advance the scholar profession to level seven.

Currently, his strength was only at the early stages of the Gui Cang Realm, although with all Cultivation Techniques being Gui Cang Realm, and possessing several Secret Techniques, he was formidable in the Gui Cang Realm.

But ultimately, he was just at the beginning of the Gui Cang Realm.

Now, with the black market mission temporarily concluded, Qin An intended to elevate the scholar profession to level seven, using the level seven scholar profession to enhance his Gui Cang Realm strength.

The Heart Method is fundamental, Cultivation Technique is external.

It's never wrong to first enhance the Heart Method.

Cheng Hong nodded: "Since that's the case, I'll leave first. If we meet again, we'll reminisce."

Patrol officers act swiftly, without the sentimental ties of the martial world.

Cheng Hong said no more, retracted her charming smile, and after saluting Qin An, left the room alone.

Qin An didn't stop her.

The black market mission was extremely demanding, even for him, exhausting his mental energy. Tonight, he decided to rest, and tomorrow he would visit the Confidential Library to exchange for Cultivation Techniques.

The night was like water, and Qin An lay on the bed, holding the Cold Star Saber in one hand, slowly falling asleep.

...

In the depths of a lava-filled volcano.

The Fire Crow Clan Leader soaked in the magma, gazing up at the star-filled volcanic sky, a trace of ease in his eyes.

The sky was dotted with stars.

Within the magma, the women of the Fire Crow Race bobbed up and down.

The Fire Crow Clan Leader felt a wave of pleasure.

But just then, hurried footsteps sounded.

The Fire Crow Clan Leader turned his head, frowning slightly.

He saw a Fire Crow rushing in, forehead beaded with sweat, kneeling before him.

"Clan Leader, bad news, the black market has been taken over by the Evil Extermination Bureau, not a single demon escaped."

"Rumor has it, it was Qin An and the patrol officer who did it."

The Fire Crow Clan Leader was stunned, then abruptly stood up, splashing terrifying magma around.

The Fire Crow woman lightly cried out in pain, playfully whimpering.

"Slap!"

A crisp slap sounded, sending the Fire Crow woman flying against the wall, turning into a pool of flesh.

The Fire Crow Clan Leader withdrew his hand, flames rising all over him, crimson wings stretching three zhang wide: "Qin An again! Qin An again!"

"What on earth is that brat's origin!"

"I'll personally take action now and take that brat's life!"

The crouched Fire Crow trembled, but when he raised his head, a sinister light flickered in his eyes, and a poisoned dagger slipped from his sleeve like a venomous snake darting out.

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