I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 168 The Fairy Queen steals the fairy treasure, and there is something strange on her palm prints!

For Xie An, who had cultivated the Mingyu Gong to the eighteenth level, his five senses were already extremely sharp. He could discern details that ordinary eighth-level martial artists could not discover.

The five senses are inherently mysterious.

It’s a bit like the relationship between a father and his son. Even if the son has been separated for more than ten years, when they meet again, although his appearance has changed a lot, there will still be an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Just like when Xie An saw this girl at this moment.

very familiar.

I must have seen it somewhere.

But just when Xie An was about to continue using his five senses to make further distinctions, he could not discern any more information.

Xie An had no choice but to give up.

When Xie An withdrew his gaze, he found that the girl was still staring at him.

Ok?
Does the other party know you?

This deepened Xie An's curiosity.

At that moment, Chen Tie smiled and introduced Xie An, "General Xie, this is Zhu Kun, a regular sixth-rank official, and Liu Qian, a junior sixth-rank official. This young lady is a distinguished guest from Nanzhou... May I ask for her name?"

Just now, when Zhu Kun and Liu Qian brought the girl in, they solemnly introduced her to Chen Tie, saying that the girl was a distinguished guest of the King of Huainan, but they did not mention her name.

Although Chen Tie had a good status, he was still very polite and gave enough face to the distinguished guest of King Huainan, who was a beautiful girl.

The girl then withdrew her gaze from Xie An and said calmly, "Sir, you can just call me Chenxi."

Morning light?

The name is quite nice.

Xie An muttered to himself.

"General Manager Xie, please take a seat." Chen Tie reminded Xie An.

Xie An recovered and took the main seat at Chen Tie's beckoning. Wei Haoran, Chen Tie, and Yuhe sat on the right, while Zhu Kun, Liu Qian, and Chen Xi sat on the left.

The difference is clear.

The current structure of the Qingwu Town Demon Division was clearly revealed: the Princess's faction and the Huainan King's faction were equally divided, with Xie An, the centrist, at the center.

However, Xie An, the centrist, was not really centrist.

Although Xie An did not explicitly join the eldest princess's camp, if Xie An had to choose between the King of Huainan and the eldest princess, he would definitely choose the eldest princess.

Due to the clear factions, the situation was awkward for a while.

Wei Haoran already disliked the King of Huainan, and with his strong personality, he naturally didn't say anything polite. Yu He, on the other hand, didn't care much about these factional disputes, and simply stood behind Xie An without saying a word.

It was Chen Tie who stepped in to smooth things over. "The court established the Qingwu Demon Suppression Division, which shows that they have high hopes for us. We need to work together and strive to achieve new achievements under the leadership of General Xie."

Although it is meaningless official language, it is still useful when spoken in public.

Although Zhu Kun and Liu Qian disagreed in their hearts, they had to smile and agree.

"Deputy Director Chen is right. We must obey the orders of the General Director and help His Majesty."

"With General Xie in charge of Qingwu, he can deter the evildoers and clean up the mess."

Xie An felt a wave of discomfort at hearing these obviously insincere and hypocritical words, but he smiled and said, "It's all out of the emperor's grace, and it's all to help relieve your majesty's worries."

As soon as the words came out, Xie An felt they sounded fake.

But all officials use the same rhetoric.

The world~
After some pleasantries, Zhu Kun and Liu Qian exchanged glances before speaking, "Director General Xie has just taken office and already uncovered the case of County Magistrate Zhou Li colluding with the Giant Whale Gang. It's truly gratifying. Liu Qian and I also discovered some issues with the Giant Whale Gang, and after careful consideration, we've already killed the ringleader, Li Chonghe."

These words really surprised Xie An, Chen Tie and others.

Especially Xie An, his eyes narrowed.

its not right……

According to Zhou Li and Li Fushan's previous confessions, Zhu and Liu had already colluded with the Giant Whale Gang.

Can Zhu Liu kill Li Chonghe, the leader of the Giant Whale Gang?
Internal strife?
Zhu Kun continued, "Although Zhou Li is from Nanzhou and is my colleague, he colluded with the Giant Whale Gang and deserved this fate. Furthermore, Zhou Li committed suicide out of fear of punishment, which shows that he had self-awareness. I will write a letter to the King of Huainan, stating the details and stating that General Xie is selfless and has eradicated the corruption in the bureaucracy for our dynasty."

Xie An naturally sensed that Zhu Kun was demonstrating and being sarcastic.

However, he had the support of the King of Huainan and was a sixth-rank official. A deputy general and inspector from the same faction were about to take up their posts, and Xie An had no concrete evidence that they were colluding with the Giant Whale Gang, so naturally, he could do nothing.

Even if we get the evidence, we can't do anything about it.

The eldest princess must come.

What's more, Xie An didn't want to provoke the King of Huainan, and he didn't want to cause trouble for no reason.

But it’s not to say that he was afraid of the demonstration of Zhu Kun and Liu Qian.

He has the backing of King Huainan, and Xie An also has a backing.

Thinking of this, Xie An also smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you two."

……

"This Xie An is really too much. He killed Zhou Li right after arriving. This is killing the chicken to scare the monkeys and establish our authority."

After leaving the high-rise building, Zhu Kun arranged for Chenxi to temporarily stay in the Demon Suppression Division. He then complained angrily to Liu Qian.

Liu Qian's face was filled with indignation. "That's right. What's with the idea of ​​committing suicide out of fear of punishment? It was clearly him who did it. But they got the evidence, and we can only swallow this loss in silence."

When they first arrived at the Demon Suppression Division, they heard the news that Zhou Li and Li Fushan had committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment, and they went to find Chen Tie in anger.

As a result, Chen Tie produced a detailed confession.

Zhu Kun and Liu Qian had no choice but to shut up.

At the same time, I also feel a little lucky.

Fortunately, the envoy killed Li Chonghe, giving them a chance to prove their innocence. It also cut off the possibility of Chen Tie and Xie An continuing to dig deeper into the Giant Whale Gang.

Just now, Zhu Kun deliberately mentioned that he would write a petition to the King of Huainan in order to intimidate Xie An and Chen Tie so that they would stop.

After reading Xie An's final reply, Zhu Kun and Liu Qian felt that the deterrence had worked, but they could not erase the resentment in their hearts.

Zhu Kun said harshly, "Who on earth is this Xie An? How can he be the chief commander?"

Liu Qian shook his head. "I don't know either. But we can take advantage of these few days to investigate thoroughly."

Zhu Kun nodded. "That's as it should be. Li Fushan and his son are dead, so what? It's no big deal. But Zhou Li's death was too unjust. We have to find out what happened."

……

Seventh floor.

Once Zhu Kun and Liu Qian Chenxi left, only their own people were left on the field.

Xie An sensed something was amiss and pressed Chen Tie for details. Chen Tie recounted the details of Zhu Kun and Liu Qian's involvement in the Demon Suppression Division, finally voicing his doubts. "This is definitely not right. When we went to the county government office, the news was kept secret. During the arrest of Li Fushan and Zhou Li, I used only my own trusted associates, so there was absolutely no chance of a leak. So how come Zhu Kun and the others seemed to have known the news in advance? And even killed Li Chonghe to silence him?"

Wei Haoran patted his head, feeling overwhelmed. Finally, he said in a muffled voice, "I'm a bit of a fool, so I'm not good at this. I'd better go practice my spear. If you need anything, just call me."

After saying that, Wei Haoran fled away, unwilling to stay and brainstorm with everyone.

Eh.

Chen Tie looked at Wei Haoran's departing back and shook his head helplessly, "This guy is such a rough guy. Duke Wei sent him out for training mainly to help him grow his brain. But he... avoided the important issues and focused on the trivial ones."

Xie An held his forehead and sweated for the Duke of Wei.

The Duke of Wei also raised a stupid son?
But thinking about it carefully, Xie An felt that Wei Haoran was not stupid, he just didn't want to use his brain. This really made Duke Wei worry about it.

"Xie Zongsi, what do you think?"

Facing Chen Tie's question, Xie An went over the details of the incident in his mind. With so little information available, Xie An couldn't make a conclusion. "Is it possible that the information was leaked? Did Zhu and Liu arrange spies in the Demon Suppression Division that you're not aware of?"

After much deliberation, Chen Tiesi could only agree with this speculation. "This is the only explanation that makes sense. The informant knew that Zhou Li and Li Fushan had revealed the news about the envoy. Zhu and Liu killed Li Chonghe to clear themselves of any connection and protect themselves."

Xie An said solemnly, "Then please ask Deputy Secretary Chen to thoroughly investigate any possible spies. However, after this, I'm afraid that the female envoy has been alerted. The princess may come here to find nothing."

Chen Tie was very worried. "But there's no better way right now. Everything needs to wait for the Princess to come and take charge of the situation."

Xie An said, "That's the only way. Before the princess arrives, don't make any moves. Everything should continue as normal. Don't send anyone to investigate the Giant Whale Gang in Shuideng Town. Lest the situation worsen."

"That's quite appropriate."

"Also, Deputy Director Chen needs to have someone pay attention to this new girl from Dawn. I have a feeling she's not simple."

"it is good."

After everything was agreed upon, Xie An left Yuhe and Chen Tie to discuss follow-up matters, and returned to the Southeast Villa alone.

Along the way, they met many Demon-Suppressing Guards, who greeted Xie An and called him "General".

Under normal circumstances, Xie An would feel very comfortable and would even take the initiative to greet everyone, but at this moment Xie An was in a bad mood and just nodded casually to everyone as a greeting.

After closing the courtyard door, Xie An leaned on the Drunkard's chair and looked up at the starry sky. The face of the girl in the morning light kept appearing in his mind.

Especially the look Chen Xi gave him made Xie An feel very uncomfortable. He felt like he had seen it somewhere before.

But no matter how hard Xie An tried, he couldn't remember it.

Finally, Xie An could only give up, "Never mind, maybe he is really an expert sent by the King of Huainan. He is here for the Princess... Everything will be fine once the Princess arrives."

Xie An comforted himself in this way.

Afterwards, Xie An stood up and tempered his internal strength.

Ever since he broke through the first level of internal strength, Xie An’s novelty about internal strength has not yet worn off.

One hand is Mingyu Gong, which nourishes the body. The other hand is Nei Jin, which controls attack.

Xie An enjoys practicing both methods.

For a long time, Xie An had been stuck in the Chongxue realm, which was of little use except for a bit of strength. As a result, Xie An lost interest in martial arts and spent most of his time practicing Mingyu Gong.

Now that I have broken through the internal strength and felt its various magical powers, a strong interest has spontaneously emerged in me.

Wow!

Xie An held the famous demon-suppressing sword in his hand, and with the help of his internal energy, he was able to practice more easily, and the power was several times greater than before.

The knife-pressing technique, the nine-layer stacking... all became extremely powerful because of the internal energy.

"It seems that only by possessing internal energy can the power of the Heavy Mountain Blade be brought into full play."

"Moreover, although I am only at the first level of internal energy, the strength of my internal energy is completely comparable to that of a second-level martial artist." Xie An had seen the internal energy of a second-level martial artist, so he did not think it was an exaggeration at all when making such an analogy.

Eight years of practice in health preservation had made Xie An's body incredibly powerful. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a humanoid monster.

"If I can cultivate to the seventh level of internal energy, combined with my eighteen levels of Mingyu Gong, I can even arm wrestle against a ninth level martial artist."

Thinking of this, Xie An became more and more aware of the urgency of tempering his internal strength.

Jin Xiaotang, Li Changchun, King of Huainan, the Changsheng Sect... Guang Chanzi, Mr. Chen...

These existences made Xie An feel quite oppressed.

Because of the eldest princess, Xie An felt that he had been inevitably dragged into it. Although Xie An did not want to stand out and show off his saintliness, he still needed to work hard if he wanted to have the ability to protect himself.

"Before the eldest princess arrives, I will strengthen my inner strength."

"I only used one of the five internal energy pills that Brother Tang gave me. You can consider selling the remaining four. Han Li and He Chunli still have a long way to go before they can reach the Blood Realm."

"However, I can go to the pharmacy to get the Second Level Internal Strength Pill."

Every month, depending on the strength of the general, he can receive two corresponding internal energy pills.

This is an excellent benefit.

Before, Xie An was not in a hurry to get it, but chose to use the internal energy pill given by Tang Zhengyang first, thinking that after he broke through the first level of internal energy, he could go to get the second level of internal energy pill.

This was all planned by Xie An.

What's more, after ordinary people break through the first level of internal strength, they need to spend a long time to forge and accumulate. Only after they have achieved perfection in the first level of internal strength can they consider breaking through the second level of internal strength.

However, Xie An, thanks to his Mingyu Gong, had accumulated immense potential energy. As soon as he broke through the first level of internal energy, the accumulated potential energy within him poured down like a mountain waterfall. It soon reached a state of perfection, giving him the foundation to challenge the second level of internal energy.

"Tomorrow morning, I will go and get the Second Level Inner Strength Pill."

The next morning, Xie An got up early.

After washing up and eating the breakfast prepared by Yuhe, he practiced some health-preserving exercises and internal strength, making sure he could reach the second level of internal strength. Then he said goodbye to Yuhe and went out.

As he walked out of the courtyard, the bright and warm sunshine poured down and fell on Xie An's face.

It feels like a gentle touch caressing your face, warm and cozy.

Just after walking a short distance, Xie An saw that the martial arts arena was extremely lively, with booing voices coming from time to time.

Perhaps the sound was too harsh, and Xie An, who didn't like to join in the fun, couldn't help but glance over. He was surprised to find a group of demon-suppressing guards surrounding Chen Xi, asking for advice on martial arts.

Morning light?

Advice on martial arts?

Xie An couldn't help but be curious and went over to take a look.

Chen Xi, dressed in a green silk dress, was surrounded by a group of demon-suppressing guards. From time to time, they brandished knives, danced with swords, threw punches, practiced palm strikes, wielded spears, and even carried axes...

The cheers that rose one after another resounded throughout the entire training ground.

Xie An was stunned.

Even a master of swordsmanship like Xie An felt that his own swordsmanship was far inferior when he saw Chen Xi swinging his sword, and he felt a sense of amazement.

What superb martial arts!

He is proficient in all eighteen weapons.

That's incredible.

Xie An had been practicing martial arts for many years, but this was the first time he had seen such a strange sight.

Martial arts training requires concentration on one skill. Those who can master one skill are masters.

Learning multiple weapons at the same time can easily lead to being overly proficient and is a big taboo in martial arts learning.

This Chenxi, is actually so amazing?
What kind of expert did the King of Huainan invite?
After watching for a while, the girl from the morning light finished her rehearsal, walked through the crowd, and smiled at Xie An, saying, "Hello, General Manager Xie."

Xie An finally came to his senses and said, "Hello, Miss Chenxi."

After saying hello, Xie An did not stay long and hurried to the pharmacy to get the Second Level Internal Strength Pill.

The owner of the pharmacy was a fat man with a round face. His surname was Ye and his given name was Luo.

At the beginning, he was smiling and very enthusiastic, but when he heard that Xie An wanted to receive the second-level internal energy pill, he couldn't help but feel very surprised.

To be a sixth-rank official, one needs to be at least a fourth-rank martial artist.

The official position of the Demon Suppression Bureau is directly linked to strength.

It is easy to get into trouble if you are not strong enough and hold a high position.

Ye Luo couldn't believe it at all. How could the dignified Zongsi be a martial artist of the first level of internal energy?

How did you get to the top?

Although he was shocked, Ye Luo still smiled, "Master Zongsi, is what you said right?"

Xie An shook his head, "No, I just broke through the first level of internal strength."

Ye Luo: “…”

Soon, Ye Luo showed an understanding expression. While giving Xie An a second-level internal energy pill, he kindly reminded him, "Master General, you must speed up. The Demon Suppression Division is a complex place. Even trivial matters can easily be used to criticize others."

Xie An understood the profound meaning in Ye Luo's words and thanked him.

Ye Luo kindly reminded, "Is one enough? An ordinary martial artist with the first level of internal energy needs two to three internal energy pills to break through to the second level."

Xie An was very confident in himself and said, "I'll take one first. If I break through to the second level, can I exchange the remaining one for a third level inner strength pill?"

Ye Luo was greatly surprised and thought to himself: It is not easy to break through the second level of internal energy with just one internal energy pill. Why is this general manager so confident?

But he said, "Of course."

"That's fine."

Xie An thanked him and left.

After returning to the southeast courtyard, Xie An closed the gate, sat down cross-legged in the room, took the double internal strength pill, and began to break through.

With the protection of Mingyu Gong, Xie An relied on his powerful physical potential energy and spent a full four hours, and by nightfall he had broken through the second level of internal strength.

Before Xie An had time to feel the mystery of the second level of internal strength, he felt extremely tired, drowsy, and couldn't even open his eyelids.

"Maybe it's because I've been rushing through the barriers for the past two days, and my body can't handle it anymore. I'll get some sleep first and get back to it tomorrow."

Xie An didn't even take a bath and went to bed with his clothes on.

Yuhe was not in the Southeast Villa, but was in the main building discussing the miscellaneous affairs of the Demon Suppression Division with Chen Tie. The entire Southeast Villa was quiet in the night.

Suddenly, a dark shadow sneaked into Xie An's bedroom silently.

It was morning light.

She walked to Xie An's bed, looked at him quietly, and murmured to herself, "So it was you who took my Seven Treasures Box. How despicable."

Humph.

She snorted, approached the bed, reached out to Xie An and fumbled around, finally pulling out the fairy treasure box from her inner pocket. She was overjoyed, "It's back to its rightful owner. No, it's not mine either. But this Seven Treasures Box is a good thing, more important than the Tianbao Dynasty."

Chenxi was about to leave when he suddenly saw a palm print appear on the Seven Treasures Box and was shocked.

(End of this chapter)