Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Gu Guanqi and Shen Qingqiu left the medicine hut together.

Gu Guanqi had originally invited Shen Qingqiu to dinner, but when the two arrived on the street, one of Shen Qingqiu's men came looking for them, saying that there was something at the Six Doors that required Shen Qingqiu to go back.

Left with no other choice, Gu Guanqi went to eat alone and then returned to the clinic.

After returning to the clinic,

Gu Guanqi then closed the door and went straight into the inner room.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, took a deep breath, summoned the system, and silently said "Claim".

In an instant, a pill the size of a lychee appeared out of thin air in his palm. It was amber in color and emitted a faint medicinal fragrance. The fragrance was pure and elegant, and smelling it made one feel a slight warmth in their dantian and a surge of qi and blood.

"The Great Rejuvenating Pill..."

Gu Guanqi examined it for a moment, then, without further hesitation, swallowed it whole.

When the pill enters the stomach, one initially feels a warm sensation rising from the epigastric region, like drinking fine wine, a comforting warmth.

immediately,

Gu Guanqi circulated his Baoyuan Jin (a type of internal energy cultivation technique), and in just a few breaths, the warmth suddenly transformed into a torrent of heat, surging out like a river bursting its banks, rushing straight to his limbs and bones.

Gu Guanqi dared not be negligent and fully activated the Baoyuan Jin mental technique, guiding the powerful medicinal energy into his dantian and then slowly circulating it along his meridians.

Wherever the medicine passed, the meridians were like a long-dried riverbed receiving a torrent, being widened, washed away, and solidified inch by inch. In the dantian, the internal energy increased at a visible speed. What was originally just a shallow pool was now like water accumulating into a lake, becoming increasingly deep and profound.

One hour.

Two hours.

After an unknown amount of time, the heat finally subsided.

Gu Guanqi opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance in them disappearing before returning to calm.

He exhaled a long breath of stale air, which condensed and did not dissipate, like a white line that shot straight out for more than a foot before slowly dissipating.

"Ten years of hard work, truly impressive!"

Gu Guanqi clenched his fist, feeling the immense and unparalleled internal energy within his body, and felt extremely satisfied.

The Baoyuan Jin is known for its solid foundation and pure internal energy, and his Baoyuan Jin has reached a high level of mastery, so the internal energy he transforms into is naturally the purest Baoyuan internal energy.

The difference between ten years of cultivation at the minor completion stage and ten years at the major completion stage is like heaven and earth; their purity is incomparable.

With the help of ten years of internal energy, his inner strength became more and more profound, making up for his biggest weakness.

Filled with excitement, Gu Guanqi got up and stretched his limbs. He opened the window and looked out. The sky was full of stars, and the night was deep.

"They practiced for an entire afternoon..."

Gu Guanqi smiled slightly, feeling an unbearable hunger in his stomach, so he quickly prepared a meal and ate his fill. Afterwards, he circulated his internal energy again, repeatedly integrating the newly added internal energy with the Baoyuan Jin until the internal energy flowed smoothly and without hindrance, before finally falling asleep peacefully.

……

The next day, the sky was bright.

Gu Guanqi got up early to prepare breakfast. After eating, he washed up and changed his clothes, making sure to wear a clean blue robe before going out.

He was going to the medicine shop to find Xue Fuling.

The matchmaking event is still ongoing, and this time the reward is a max-level "Finger Flicking Skill"—that is the ultimate skill of Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic of Peach Blossom Island. The finger strength is so strong that it can flick stones and break gold, and it is suitable for both long-range attack and close-range defense. Obtaining it means having another trump card skill.

The long street was deserted in the early morning, with only a few breakfast vendors just setting up their stalls, wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys. Gu Guanqi walked briskly westward.

however,

When Gu Guanqi arrived at the medicine hut...

However, they found that the place had been sealed off by the Six Doors, and a large crowd of onlookers had gathered outside to watch the spectacle.

Gu Guanqi was startled, with a bad feeling. Just as he was about to ask the people next to him about the situation, constables began to carry the corpse out of the medicine shop one after another, and Shen Qingqiu was also inside.

Shen Qingqiu walked out and stood under the corridor, whispering something to several constables. Today she had changed back into her blue official robe, with two swords hanging at her waist, her face cold and stern, and a layer of frost pressing between her brows.

As she glanced at the crowd of onlookers outside the medicine shop, she spotted Gu Guanqi and immediately beckoned to a constable, whispering a few words to him.

The constable immediately ran into the crowd outside the medicine shop and brought Gu Guanqi to the entrance of the medicine shop.

"Commander Shen." Gu Guanqi quickly walked up to Shen Qingqiu and asked, "What happened?"

Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath, his voice low: "The attack on the medicine hut, according to preliminary deductions, occurred last night at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM). The assailant likely used a colorless and odorless sleeping powder to knock everyone in the courtyard unconscious before carrying out the attack. There were sixteen people in total. The medicine hut's guards, the apprentices, along with Master Cheng, the boxer who came seeking medical help, and his two disciples, all perished."

Gu Guanqi's gaze swept over the corpses being carried out, and he hurriedly asked, "Where is Miss Xue?"

Shen Qingqiu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "They've disappeared."

Gu Guanqi quickly asked, "Have you found any clues?"

Shen Qingqiu said, "We're still looking. The other party used a sleeping potion to knock everyone unconscious before killing them. There were no signs of struggle at the scene; they were all killed without any resistance. It's very difficult to find any useful clues."

Gu Guanqi didn't ask any more questions. After all, he wasn't a member of the Six Doors. Shen Qingqiu was already telling him so much because he was Xue Fuling's blind date.

"Dr. Gu," Shen Qingqiu said, "You should go back first. I will let you know if I find Poria cocos."

Gu Guanqi cupped his hands in farewell and said, "Then, I shall take my leave."

Shen Qingqiu nodded slightly.

Gu Guanqi turned to leave, but suddenly, when his gaze swept over a corpse that had just been carried out, he stopped in his tracks.

It was an old, wrinkled face, about sixty years old, with white hair and beard, closed eyes, a pale complexion, and slightly parted lips, with faint traces of dark red between the teeth.

Gu Guanqi's pupils contracted slightly.

Based on his experience from his previous life, this corpse was very likely in a state of suspended animation.

"Commander Shen," Gu Guanqi immediately turned to Shen Qingqiu and asked, "May I take a closer look at the corpse?"

Knowing that Gu Guanqi was both a doctor and a martial arts expert, Shen Qingqiu immediately guessed that Gu Guanqi might have noticed something and quickly asked, "Have you discovered something?"

"I need to confirm this first."

"Alright, but do not damage the body. This person is Master Cheng from the neighboring county, with many disciples and a very high reputation in the martial arts world. If the body is damaged, it will be difficult to explain."

"Okay, I'll be careful."

With Shen Qingqiu's permission, Gu Guanqi immediately went over, reached out, and took Cheng Laoquanshi's pulse, focusing his attention on sensing it.

Then they pried open Master Cheng's eyes and finally took out silver needles and gently pricked Master Cheng's skin.

After examining him for a moment, Gu Guanqi looked up and said, "This person is not quite dead yet."

Shen Qingqiu's pupils contracted slightly: "What?"

"It's the method of feigning death by breathing like a tortoise," Gu Guanqi explained quickly. "He has fallen into a very deep state of feigned death, and ordinary methods of examination would make him indistinguishable from a dead person."

In her previous life, Gu Guanqi had witnessed many similar cases. Without sophisticated instruments, it was easy to mistakenly believe someone was dead. In this world where people possess internal energy, this state of feigned death is even more concealed and harder to detect.

Fortunately, he was experienced and had profound inner strength, so he was able to see through some clues.

"Can he be saved?" Shen Qingqiu asked hurriedly. "Dr. Gu, please tell me what you need!"

Gu Guanqi waved his hand and said, "Just make sure no one bothers me." As he spoke, he began to unbutton Master Cheng's shirt, revealing his thin chest.

"He has been feigning death for several hours, and his life force has been greatly depleted. Even if he is brought back to life, it can only be maintained for a very short time. With my current abilities, I can only keep him alive for a quarter of an hour at most. If he doesn't wake up, then there's nothing I can do."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingqiu said in a deep voice, "The Six Doors headquarters has some life-extending pills that can extend life for an hour. An hour should be enough to wake Master Cheng up."

Gu Guanqi said, "I don't know anything about pills, you can figure it out yourself."

After saying that, Gu Guanqi stopped talking and began to insert acupuncture needles, while his inner strength was slowly injected into the silver needles.

The Baoyuan Jin he cultivated was an internal skill known for its "embracing the essence and guarding the one," characterized by its calmness and endurance. Its internal energy was gentle and continuous, making it ideal for nourishing the meridians and promoting blood circulation. At this moment, he transformed his internal energy into wisps of warm current, like spring rain nourishing all things, seeping little by little into Master Cheng's heart meridian.

The constables all gathered around.

Shen Qingqiu felt both doubt and anticipation.

Slowly, the pale gray complexion of Master Cheng visibly regained a sliver of color. His already cold and stiff body even experienced a slight rise and fall of its chest.

He's breathing!

Shen Qingqiu exclaimed in surprise, "Doctor Gu, your ability to bring the dead back to life is unparalleled in the world. I have truly learned something new today!"

Gu Guanqi stared at Master Cheng for a while, then slowly released his grip, leaving the silver needles on Master Cheng's body. He waved his hand and said, "It seems that Master Cheng will not wake up. I can only buy him two quarters of an hour. There is definitely not enough time to go back and forth here. You'd better carry Master Cheng to the Six Doors now."

Shen Qingqiu made a quick decision, selected four fast-moving constables, and had them carry Master Cheng away in haste.

Watching Shen Qingqiu leave, Gu Guanqi looked back at the corpses. Apart from Master Cheng, the others were all dead.

Gu Guanqi sighed slightly, increasingly understanding why Old Man Lin had decisively chosen to cut off all contact with him after he revealed his martial arts skills. The world of martial arts was too turbulent; a slight misstep could lead to bloodshed. Ordinary people should stay as far away as possible.

immediately,

Gu Guanqi then left the medicine hut.