The cold moonlight, like shattered silver, sprinkled over the desolate streets, outlining dark contours.

The green-clad lady's lips curled slightly, and a light of interest flowed in her eyes.

The man on the left appeared surprised: "The Sect Leader always has high standards. One who catches your eye must be an array master. Who would have thought this small place, Lingzhou, has hidden talents?"

The green-clad lady gently shook her graceful head, her black hair shimmering faintly in the moonlight: "Not an array master, but someone with potential."

The man on the right pondered and said: "The headquarters dispatched us here from afar, and we currently lack manpower. If we can get this person's help..."

The green-clad lady glanced back with a soft smile, her dress swirling lightly in the night breeze: "No rush, this matter is confidential. Let's observe for a few more days."

Before she finished speaking, she gracefully turned around.

Moonlight stretched her silhouette long, gradually merging into the depths of the night.

...

On the following morning, golden light pierced through the window lattice.

Qin An finished washing and dressing; his dark attire made him even more upright.

After a simple breakfast by the street, he headed straight to Gentleman's Study.

In the morning light, the token at his waist gleamed coldly, causing passersby to avoid him.

Inside the bookstore.

The bookstore owner had a conflicted expression on his face, seeming to have something to say but unsure how to begin.

Qin An caught the bookstore owner's expression and frowned: "What's the matter?"

The bookstore owner hesitated repeatedly, then whispered: "Sir, last night, that girl from out of town inquired about you..."

Seeing Qin An's gaze suddenly turn cold, he hurriedly added.

"I only said you arrived yesterday and didn't mention anything else."

After going home last night, the bookstore owner felt anxious.

He sensed someone asking about the mountain patrol officer's information was surely not a simple matter.

He casually mentioned it at the time, fearing he couldn't escape responsibility if something went wrong later.

So today, he decided to frankly inform Qin An, hoping not to be blamed for concealing it.

"Oh?"

Qin An gently caressed the hilt of his knife with his fingertip, and the cold star emitted a subtle ringing from within the sheath.

A girl from out of town, not a scholar, yet interested in him, the mountain patrol officer... Interesting.

"Will she come today?" Qin An asked.

The bookstore owner wiped cold sweat from his forehead: "She should be coming."

Qin An walked towards a row of bookshelves: "In that case, wait until she arrives."

After speaking, Qin An said no more, took a book from the shelf, and began reading it carefully.

Improving his strength is the priority now, and as for that mysterious girl...

Once night falls, everything will become clear.

...

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, evening arrived.

The candlelight inside the bookstore illuminated Qin An's side face in contrasting lights and shadows.

In mid-air, a wisp of blue smoke meandered like a spiritual serpent.

[Scholar lv.7 (550/1500): Your reading speed greatly improved, and you never forget what you've read]

In two days, his proficiency increased considerably. Combined with his prior experience, Qin An had already practiced his scholar profession to one-third of its potential.

It was late.

Qin An squinted towards the increasingly darkened view outside, his knuckles gently tapping on the spine of the book.

At yesterday's hour, he had already left the bookstore, but today he hadn't.

He deliberately stayed until now, eager to meet the girl who had inquired about him.

The bookstore owner was standing at the counter, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

Being able to run a bookstore to such a scale in Lingzhou, he naturally had good judgment.

The current situation was clearly unusual; should the mountain patrol officer meet that green-clad girl, it might cause some commotion later.

The bookstore owner sighed, fearing his hard-earned bookstore might face trouble.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Qin An put down the book he was reading, his gaze sweeping towards the bookstore entrance.

On the street, crisp footsteps sounded from afar.

As the footsteps drew closer, a green-clad figure appeared at the doorway.

As soon as the green-clad lady stepped across the threshold, her gaze locked onto Qin An beside the bookshelves, an elusive glimmer flashing in her eyes.

However, she didn't show it, as the strange look vanished in an instant. After greeting the bookstore owner, she started nonchalantly flipping through a geography book as if nothing unusual had happened the previous night.

Qin An closed the book, placed it back on the shelf, and gently touching the cold star, walked slowly to the green-clad lady's side.

The green-clad lady noticed his presence, slightly furrowing her eyebrows.

"You're inquiring about me," Qin An straightforwardly said, leaving no room for ambiguity.

He didn't need to beat around the bush.

Right now, he still had proficiency to practice, and afterward, he'd use arrays to find Earth Vein Crystals. Qin An's time was indeed quite tight.

Since she was here, it was time to determine whether she was friend or foe.

The green-clad lady's slender eyebrows subtly raised, sensing the murderous aura. She also noticed the owner's fearful expression, instantly understanding the reason.

"All the calculations couldn't account for his identity as a mountain patrol officer."

"But it's good to be open." Thinking of this, the green-clad lady looked at Qin An with interest, her eyes shining with intrigue.

"Lingzhou has few array experts; those who've refined the array skill to this level are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Whose tutelage are you under?"

Circling Qin An gracefully, she smiled broadly, openly showing her curiosity.

Qin An frowned, without moving: "What is your identity."

He didn't answer but continued asking.

The green-clad lady reported her name, a trace of displeasure flashing in her eyes: "Xunyang Prefecture, Profound Celestial Array Gate, Sect Leader Gao Lingyu."

Upon saying this, Gao Lingyu felt a slight displeasure within.

Though her cultivation was not high in Xunyang Prefecture, only at the Pulse Condensation Realm, her ability as an Array Master earned her respect from many experts in Xunyang Prefecture.

A prefecture is on a different level than a provincial city. Whether it's a sect or the Evil Extermination Bureau, they all need arrays.

Mountain gates need them, and elsewhere too.

Among the array factions deemed significant in Xunyang Prefecture, only the Profound Celestial Array Gate stands foremost.

However, this young mountain patrol officer was so cold to her, even speaking in an interrogative tone.

This made her somewhat displeased.

Qin An frowned and said, "What's your inquiry about me?"

Although the words of the woman in green were simple, a lot could be deduced from their content.

Xunyang Prefecture is a city at a higher level than Lingzhou, with countless experts, far beyond what Lingzhou could compare to.

Coupled with what Gao Lingyu said about the Profound Celestial Array Gate, it's clear that's a power related to arrays.

But why would the forces of Xunyang Prefecture come to Lingzhou? There is something worth discussing here.

Gao Lingyu glanced around: "How about talking in a different place?"

The study is, after all, a place full of prying eyes, and some things are inconvenient to speak about in detail.

Qin An nodded slightly but did not move.

Gao Lingyu saw this, and laughed softly: "You're quite cautious, even walking requires such vigilance."

Qin An said blandly: "Caution allows for longevity, if one isn't cautious, they would have long been demon's prey."

Gao Lingyu took graceful steps, slowly walking out of the study.

Qin An followed behind her.

The two quickly disappeared into the night.

The study's owner, witnessing this, finally relaxed.

There was no fight or dispute, indicating that there wouldn't be trouble for now.

It was already deep into the night; the study owner dared not keep his store open any longer and swiftly closed the shop, returning to his room early.

...

Under the moonlight, the streets were bathed in a silvery glow.

After walking for the length of a burning incense stick, Qin An and Gao Lingyu arrived at a quiet street.

The sound of footsteps echoed, and the cold star at Qin An's waist was drawn three inches from the sheath.

Two men emerged from the darkness, coming close to Gao Lingyu, and guarded her solidly.

Gao Lingyu turned, her skirt drawing an elegant arc: "Although you are a silver mountain patrol officer, you only have Gui Cang Realm cultivation, but you are not afraid to follow me, a Pulse Condensation Realm cultivator."

Qin An's fingers remained on his sword handle, shaking his head: "There's no murderous aura on you."

Having endured so many life-and-death moments, Qin An had seen much blood, naturally enabling him to discern the scent of danger from the slightest cues.

Gao Lingyu revealed a slight smile: "Your attitude, although unlikable to me, indeed indicates you possess talent in arrays, so you must listen carefully to what follows."

Qin An raised his hand and said: "I am all ears."

During the exchange, the other two men did not speak, merely watching Qin An with great vigilance, as if fearing he would attack Gao Lingyu.

Gao Lingyu paused for a moment, then said seriously: "In the past, while wandering the Jianghu, I once owed Zongzhou a favor, and this time, they asked me to come to use arrays to locate the Demon Transformation Pool."

"In recent days, I have been searching for geographical records of Lingzhou to first understand the general situation."

Qin An frowned and said: "Can the Demon Transformation Pool be located using arrays?"

The matter of the Demon Transformation Pool had been brewing for a long time.

Both the Demon Hall and Zongzhou had been in a deadlock.

Now suddenly a Pulse Condensation Realm array expert appeared, claiming to be sent by Zongzhou to locate the Demon Transformation Pool, Qin An couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Gao Lingyu said slowly: "The Demon Transformation Pool is so important, it must be guarded by arrays, if an array expert could see unusual terrain in Lingzhou, it is very likely the Demon Transformation Pool is there."

Upon hearing this, Qin An slightly nodded.

If explained this way, it made sense.

If the Demon Transformation Pool was truly guarded by arrays, then finding a place with strange arrays would very likely reveal the whereabouts of the Demon Transformation Pool.

Qin An gently patted the cold star at his waist and continued to ask: "Why do you pay attention to me?"

Having roughly understood the situation, why Gao Lingyu did not seek the Evil Extermination Bureau for geographical records, but chose the study instead, was naturally due to this being a secret mission that couldn't be casually exposed.

If the Demon Hall found out, even Gao Lingyu would be in danger.

But now Qin An was most concerned about why Gao Lingyu sought him out.

Gao Lingyu pointed to the two men behind her and said: "They are all sect experts, but this mission is secret, so few were sent by the sect."

"You know, having more people might instead expose ourselves."

"And the reason I sought you is because I saw your talent in arrays."

At this point, Gao Lingyu paused slightly, until Qin An frowned, then continued her sentence.

"You have talent and can help me speed up the process and find the Demon Transformation Pool."

"Would you be willing?"

After asking this, Gao Lingyu waited for Qin An to agree.

In her view, Qin An agreeing to this was a certainty.

Firstly, because this matter was entrusted by Zongzhou, Qin An being a mountain patrol officer would have a career advantage by lending a hand.

Secondly, as she was a sect leader from Xunyang Prefecture's power, forming a good relationship with her would also benefit Qin An.

But before Gao Lingyu could think of how to settle Qin An, he slightly shook his head.

Gao Lingyu's expression froze, and she asked in surprise: "You are unwilling?"

Qin An nodded and said: "Unwilling."

Gao Lingyu looked incredulous: "Why are you unwilling?"

She was confident, relying on her own array talent, completely capable of locating the Demon Transformation Pool, it would just take some time.

Why wouldn't Qin An agree to this beneficial matter?

Qin An said blandly: "If I join, you'll be exposed faster."

Liu Mei slightly furrowed: "Why?"

Qin An turned and headed into the darkness, leaving only one sentence: "Explaining more is useless, whether you believe it or not is up to you."

Even after Qin An's figure disappeared, Gao Lingyu stood there dumbfounded, her slender fingers unconsciously clenched.

In Xunyang Prefecture, the Profound Celestial Array Gate was a greatly admired force, yet now it was rejected by a silver mountain patrol officer from Lingzhou.

This disparity left Gao Lingyu unwilling to accept it.

The man on the left spoke in a deep voice: "An unappreciative fellow! Sect Leader, there's no need to seek him, we will find it ourselves, albeit it will take more time."

The man on the right added: "Indeed, why entangle with such an arrogant person?"

As they spoke, Gao Lingyu snapped back, the complexity on her face fleeting.

"Find out his background."

"I must see on what basis he claims we'll be exposed." Gao Lingyu clenched her fists.

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