Chapter 2, Origins, Qigong

... ...

"What nonsense, I truly know nothing, what can I say? I only know that there are indeed some individuals in this world who can soar through the skies and traverse the earth, but these are not within our reach. I have only witnessed such a person once in my life. However, I do know that when those practitioners of the dark arts cultivate certain forbidden techniques, the Purple River Cart is an essential item. Yet, those practitioners of the dark sect have long since vanished hundreds of years ago; how could they appear in Dongling County?" At this point, he let out a gentle sigh, revealing a hint of compassion. "With such an incident occurring, it can only be considered misfortune for our Dongling County. This matter is beyond our capacity to handle, which is why I have allowed such rumors to circulate!" He sighed softly again, showing a trace of pity.

Father, did you say that this rumor was spread by you

After a day of toil, the weary Tie Jun returned home and explained to Tie Dan the rumors circulating in the county and the county magistrate's fury. To his surprise, Tie Dan's first words were, "The rumors were spread by me" which startled him.

Even worse than that! Tie Jun said with a bitter smile, and he had nothing to hide from Tie Dan, so he recounted everything that had happened at the Lu residence in detail

Do not flatter me any further! Tie Dan seemed to recall something, his expression becoming serious. "Junzi, you need to be cautious with this case. Do not overexert yourself. Even if you obtain clues about the murderer, you must proceed with caution. Lei Dong is still young and sometimes acts impulsively. If you truly discover something, just follow Qin Haiming. This guy is quite shrewd and understands the gravity of the situation!"

Both victims died in their own homes, so what does going out have to do with it

However, he could not sleep at all, thinking about the words exchanged between himself and Tie Dan today

These words linger in his mind, refusing to fade away

At least it can alleviate some responsibility, after all, this exceeds his capacity. Even if the case cannot be solved, there should still be an explanation

After the meal, Tie Jun helped the slightly inebriated Tie Dan to bed, made him comfortable, and then returned to his own room to sleep

I am just curious! Tie Jun said with a flushed face, "Dad, please tell me!"

This is clearly a bit far-fetched. In just three days, Lei Dong, accompanied by a group of constables, scoured every corner of Dongling, yet not a single clue was found. The most critical issue is that on the third day, another similar murder occurred in Dongling County. The wife of Fan Laowu, a tofu seller on West Street, was found dead in her own bed, just like the deceased concubine of the Lu family. The murderer had extracted the unborn child from the woman's womb and then left.

The situation has escalated significantly; within three days, two similar cases have already caused a stir in the prefecture. Moreover, if this trend continues, there will likely be a third and fourth case. Yao Jin can no longer remain calm; if another incident occurs, he might as well resign from his position as county magistrate.

Tie Jun was quite unaccustomed to the bloody scene, and he was very grateful for Lei Dong's care. Although he was a novice constable, he understood the implications of Lei Dong's words. This case exceeded the capabilities of the constables in these counties, making it nearly impossible to solve. Moreover, the victim was one of the wealthiest families in the county, wielding significant influence within the town. It was impossible to simply brush it off, so upon returning, they would undoubtedly be supervised by the county magistrate. These junior constables, even knowing the difficulty of solving the case, had to put on a diligent facade to avoid giving the magistrate any reason to criticize them. Therefore, they would inevitably be running around for the next few days. This is why Lei Dong advised them to go back and rest well; once the magistrate finished questioning the case and became enraged, no one would have a good time.

Tie Jun grew up among the constables, having heard many such stories and being well aware of the details. After leaving the Lu residence, he went straight home

You rascal, have you been listening too much to the stories in the tea house, dreaming of those fantastical feats of flying and disappearing?

He took a deep breath, feeling a trace of warmth rise from his dantian, circulating through his limbs and bones, dispelling the coldness throughout his body

You truly are an experienced captain, able to see through this matter clearly

Chen Hai is not a person of this world, but rather a figure from a technologically advanced world known as Earth

Only he himself knows that this past month was not a state of confusion, but rather a process of digesting the memories of this body

On Earth, Chen Hai died due to an accident. Just when he thought his life had come to an end, he suddenly woke up. After awakening from the dream, he found it difficult to distinguish whether he was Tie Jun or Chen Hai. Consequently, his personality changed significantly. He remained confused for a month before finally clarifying everything. Since his soul was no longer Tie Jun but Chen Hai, his habits also underwent a transformation. Tie Dan was very pleased with this change in his son and had no suspicions, believing instead that his son had suddenly become enlightened out of filial piety after he had sustained serious injuries, which brought him great comfort.

Six months ago, he experienced a grand dream, remaining in a daze for a month

Useless thing! Tie Dan felt somewhat disappointed with Tie Jun's performance, but he also understood that this could not be blamed on Tie Jun. After all, he was just a sixteen-year-old child. Although he had been mingling in the constabulary circle since childhood, he had never even seen a dead body. It was impossible for him to adapt so quickly to such a bloody scene.

As everyone expected, upon hearing about the Lu family massacre, Yao Jing, the magistrate of Dongling County, indeed flew into a rage and ordered the head constable Lei Dong to solve the case within three days

Leaning against the headboard, he thought of the world of his past life. At times, he felt a sense of sadness, while at other moments, he believed that this world was better. His thoughts drifted aimlessly, and before he knew it, he gradually fell into a dream while leaning against the bed

"Father, are there really cultivators in this world?" The expression on Tie Jun's face changed slightly, and a mysterious light flashed in his eyes.

Oh! Upon hearing this, Tie Dan furrowed his brows. As a seasoned hunter, Tie Jun's words instilled in him a sense of foreboding. He immediately inquired, "What happened? Is there a murder case?"

The more Iron胆 listened, the worse his expression became. By the end, he actually stood up and began pacing back and forth in the courtyard. "Did you see clearly the dead woman? Are any of her internal organs missing?"

Six months ago, he was still a reckless young boy, knowing nothing and causing chaos everywhere. However, now he is completely different from who he was six months ago

Outside the window, the moonlight poured in like water, filling the room, and a cold breeze swept in, causing him to involuntarily shiver

A major incident has occurred; Brother Lei asked me to return and rest for a while, to regain my strength before proceeding

This internal energy is indeed marvelous. Although I have only just begun to sense it, I am already able to dispel the cold. This suggests that those who have practiced for decades can truly achieve immunity to heat and cold, and flying through the sky or burrowing into the earth is not merely a myth. I just wonder if I will have the opportunity to be like them

Tie Jun returned home, passed through two doors, and saw his father practicing with a sword, drenched in sweat. A maid, around seventeen or eighteen years old, stood beside him holding a basin of water. Upon seeing Tie Jun enter, Tie Dan was somewhat surprised. He quickly stood up, set the sword aside, and asked, "Why are you back from the office so early today? Is there nothing going on at the yamen?"

At least, the air in this world is still fresh

Qigong, martial arts, cultivators, flying and traversing the earth

In this world reminiscent of ancient China, the first thing Chen Hai learned was to feign ignorance and conceal his talents, gradually becoming familiar with his surroundings. At times, he felt quite resentful towards the previous owner of this body, who had spent over a decade living in a daze. Aside from occasionally bickering with his father during idle moments, he had only managed to recognize a few characters due to his father's relentless pressure, which did not count as being completely blind. He had achieved nothing else, knowing nothing, and could only slowly come to understand things now, even being surprised by the slightest sensations, as if in a dream. It was only through his father's unyielding insistence that he recognized a few characters, which did not count as being completely blind. He had achieved nothing else, knowing nothing, and could only slowly come to understand things now, even being surprised by the slightest sensations, as if in a dream.

Chen Hai is a reclusive man whose greatest dream in life is to be able to fly and traverse the earth like the characters in the fantasy novels he reads online. At the very least, he wishes to cultivate internal energy like the heroes in martial arts novels. This is also the reason why he felt such excitement after experiencing the sensation of energy.

He was contemplating matters of cultivation in his mind, and before he realized it, he began to circulate his internal energy according to the internal skill's mantra. Unfortunately, only a few breaths later, he opened his eyes, a hint of helplessness flashing in the corner of his eye

I understand, Father! Tie Jun nodded, realizing that this was a reminder for him to act according to the situation, not to overexert himself, and that it was best to hide in the face of danger

Therefore, after the three-day period expired, he severely punished Lei Dong with twenty lashes, ordering him to expedite the investigation. At the same time, a series of urgent documents were sent to Fuzhou. Additionally, due to this incident, Dongling County became highly vigilant, with significantly fewer pedestrians on the streets even during the daytime, which was also something that Tie Jun could not comprehend

Shaoyang Qigong, haha, is indeed a classic martial arts secret technique in wuxia novels

Yes, of course, there are cultivators. What is a cultivator? It is a person who practices cultivation. You are a cultivator, I am a cultivator, everyone is a cultivator; it is merely a matter of differing abilities!" Tie Dan shook his head and downed the wine in his cup.

The true Tie Jun has long since died, or rather, a fragment of his original spirit has already vanished, leaving only shattered memories. Over the course of this month, a soul from another world has occupied this body, an engineer named Chen Hai.

Are you helping Lei Butou evade responsibility

Soon, a rumor spread throughout Dongling, claiming that both of these heinous crimes were committed by a master of an evil sect who needed to cultivate a sinister martial art. It was said that he required eighty-one unborn infants to complete his training, which led him to hunt down pregnant women and perform cesarean sections to obtain their children

"Junzi, you are still young and do not understand many things!" Tie Dan took a sip of old wine, tapped the edge of the bowl with his chopsticks, and the warm aroma of the wine burst forth. "In this world, no one does such things for no reason. Either the person who acts is a madman, or they are connected to the evil sect, and it is very likely that they are an evil cultivator"

Night falls, Iron House

In the residential area to the east of the county town, the Tie family has a small courtyard with three entrances. Tie Dan has served as a catchmaster in Dongling for over ten years, which has afforded him a certain status. Although he is not particularly skilled in social interactions, over the years he has accumulated a considerable fortune, making his family one of the upper-middle class in Dongling. They have also employed a few maids and servants in their household.

Uh! Upon hearing these words, a sudden image of the deceased woman flashed through Tie Jun's mind. Instinctively, he wanted to ponder whether there was indeed something missing from the woman's abdomen. The gruesome scene once again provoked a sharp reaction in him, causing him to bend over and retch in the courtyard

... ...

"Spit it out, spit it out; you'll get used to it if you do it more!" He shook his head and said, "Once you're done, go rest. I'll call you again in three hours!"

Thoughts raced through his mind one after another, and finally, he could no longer lie still. He threw on a robe, got out of bed, walked to the window, and pushed it open. Instantly, the cold air from outside rushed in, clearing his mind.

He practices a family inheritance technique, the Shaoyang Qigong, which cultivates the internal energy of Shaoyang. This Shaoyang Qigong requires the absorption of the Yang energy at noon. However, it is now the dead of night, and there is no Yang energy available; instead, there is plenty of Yin energy. How can one possibly cultivate under such conditions

Tie Jun eagerly filled his cup again and said, "Father, could you tell me about the matters concerning cultivators?"

In an instant, the entire Dongling County was enveloped in a layer of panic.