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

Gu Guanqi's patient today was not seriously injured; he had just fallen while chopping wood on the mountain, but because of his age, the fall resulted in a fracture.

However, due to the limitations of the times, it was very troublesome to deal with.

Gu Guanqi didn't finish until the afternoon, and then returned to Qingping Lane.

However, after returning to Qingping Lane, he sensed that something was off; it was too quiet.

Although it was raining heavily today and few people were willing to go out, in the past, when it rained, there would always be children playing and frolicking under the eaves, especially in the teahouse next to the clinic, where some elderly people liked to play chess. But today, there was no one there.

Gu Guanqi walked to the entrance of the teahouse and saw the owner, Chen San. He asked, "Mr. Chen, what's going on today? It's raining, and those old men aren't even playing chess or drinking tea?"

Chen San hurriedly said, "Dr. Gu, you just went out to make house calls and didn't know what happened here. The Six Doors are chasing notorious bandits. I heard those bandits might be hiding around here. Who would come out for no reason? Those bandits are ruthless killers. If you're unlucky enough to run into them, you'll be in big trouble!"

Gu Guanqi asked in surprise, "Where did this notorious bandit come from?"

"Look," Chen San pointed to the pillar by the door and said, "there's even a wanted poster over there!"

Gu Guanqi walked over and saw two wanted posters pasted on the side of the doorpost. They were for the two leaders of "Huaibei Gust of Wind": Yang Lin, the Mountain Wind, and Feng Yu, the Water Wind.

Gu Guanqi had some doubts in his heart.

This morning I saw that Shen Qingqiu had wiped out Huaibei in one fell swoop, and now they've posted a wanted poster.

"Could it have run away?" Gu Guanqi wondered to himself.

At this moment, Chen San walked over and said, "Dr. Gu, I think you shouldn't open today. It's getting dark, and things aren't going well today. You should go to bed early. I'm closing up shop soon too."

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and said, "There's not much business on a rainy day like this. I'm planning to go straight to sleep when I get back."

"Before that gang of notorious bandits was caught, doing business at night wasn't very safe," Chen San said as he closed the door. "Hey, by the way, Dr. Gu, I heard you were going on blind dates a while ago. What's been going on lately? Did you find a girl you like? When are you going to the wedding?"

"Our time hasn't come yet," Gu Guanqi waved his hand and said, "Take it slow."

Chen San laughed and said, "Dr. Gu, you just have too high a standard..."

After chatting for a few minutes, Chen San closed the shop, and Gu Guanqi went home.

……

Inside a clinic in Dongcheng with a plaque that reads "Huichuntang".

A dozen or so constables from the Six Doors were either sitting or standing, most of them bearing injuries, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood and medicine.

Two doctors and their apprentices were frantically bandaging the wounded and trying to stop the bleeding, while occasionally a constable would let out a muffled groan as the wound was aggravated.

Shen Qingqiu strode in, her blue official robe soaked through and clinging to her body. Rain dripped from her hair, but she didn't seem to care. Her sharp gaze swept around the hall.

"Lord Shen!"

When the constables in the hall saw her, they all greeted her.

Shen Qingqiu raised his hand and pressed down lightly, saying in a deep voice, "Don't move, take good care of your injuries."

She walked without stopping, going straight through the front hall. Her gaze fell on a young constable who was coming out of the inner room, and she asked, "Where is Commander Ma?"

The young constable quickly clasped his hands and said, "Reporting to Lord Shen, Commander Ma is in the back room, and the doctor is treating his wounds."

Shen Qingqiu nodded slightly and strode towards the back room.

The room was simply furnished. On a wooden couch lay a middle-aged man in his forties, his upper clothes removed, revealing his strong and muscular body. There was a deep knife wound on his left rib, the skin and flesh turned outwards, a bloody mess. The doctor was carefully stitching up the wound with silver needles.

This middle-aged man had thick eyebrows, a square face, and a short beard. His face was resolute. He was Ma Meifeng, one of the six chief officers of the Six Doors in Qingyang County.

Ma Meifeng is a highly experienced member of the Six Doors, and his martial arts skills are unmatched in Qingyang County. He is a calm and experienced person who has served in Qingyang County for many years.

When Shen Qingqiu first came to Qingyang County to take up her post, she was under the command of Ma Meifeng. Strictly speaking, Ma Meifeng was Shen Qingqiu's mentor and half-master in the Six Doors. Shen Qingqiu was able to become a centurion at a young age as a woman, which was inseparable from Ma Meifeng's guidance.

The two had always worked together seamlessly. In this campaign to encircle and suppress the whirlwind in Huaibei, Shen Qingqiu led the charge, while Ma Meifeng was responsible for setting up an ambush on the outer perimeter.

Hearing footsteps, Ma Meifeng turned his head and saw that it was Shen Qingqiu. A look of shame appeared on his face.

Shen Qingqiu entered the room and quickly asked, "Brother Ma, how are your injuries?"

"It's just a superficial injury, nothing serious. It'll heal after a while," Ma Meifeng said to Shen Qingqiu, filled with self-reproach. "Qingqiu, I'm so sorry. I underestimated Yang Lin and Feng Yu's martial arts skills, and they actually managed to escape!"

Shen Qingqiu shook his head and said, "Brother Ma, there's no need to blame yourself. A gust of wind from Huaibei can roam across several prefectures and commit crimes for many years, leaving even local governments helpless. He's no easy person to deal with. It's understandable that we couldn't catch him. As long as he's safe, that's all that matters."

Ma Meifeng sighed and said, "Others may not know, but I know very well how hard you worked and how much effort you put in to wipe out this Huaibei gust of wind. Moreover, you were just one step away from being promoted to deputy commander, but I... I'm sorry, Qingqiu, I..."

"Brother Ma," Shen Qingqiu said softly, "This is really not your fault. You have already done your best. I didn't come here to blame you. I came here specifically to check on your injuries because I was worried about them."

As for Yang Lin and Feng Yu, you can rest assured. I have already arranged for people to seal off Chang Le Fang immediately, and sentries have been placed along all the main roads. They won't be able to escape."

Upon hearing this, Ma Meifeng's tense expression relaxed slightly, and he nodded, saying, "That's good...that's good."

Shen Qingqiu gave him a few more words of advice to focus on recovering, then turned and strode away from the back room.

Upon reaching the front hall, she paused and instructed the young constable beside her, "Pass down the order: everyone must be on high alert. Tonight, no one at any post is allowed to slack off. Yang Lin and Feng Yu are both desperate criminals; they're capable of anything when cornered."

"yes!"

The young constable accepted the order and left.

Shen Qingqiu stood at the entrance of the clinic, looking at the torrential rain outside, his handsome brows slightly furrowed.

……

The rain grew heavier, and the night gradually darkened.

The streets and alleys of Qingyang City appeared particularly dark in the rainy night, with only a few lanterns occasionally swaying in the wind, casting a dim and flickering light.

In a secluded house in the west of the city, a man with a full beard lay shirtless on the ground, while a woman who was still attractive but past her prime anxiously bandaged his wounds beside him.

These two were none other than Yang Lin, the mountain wind, and Feng Yu, the water wind, a notorious husband-and-wife thief.

"hiss……"

Yang Lin gritted his teeth, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, but he endured the excruciating pain without making a sound.

Fortunately, the two had been traveling around for many years and were very experienced in healing injuries, so they didn't panic.

The wound was quickly and barely bandaged, and the bleeding stopped.

Yang Lin let out a long sigh of relief and leaned against the wall with Feng Yu's help. Feng Yu was also covered in sweat and exhausted, and she leaned against the wall as well, panting heavily.

The room fell silent instantly, with only their heavy breathing remaining.

Beside them lay five corpses, some old and some young, the owners of the house.

The family of five was originally very happy, but because the two men needed a place to treat their injuries temporarily, and their family happened to be chosen by Yang Lin and Feng Yu, the entire family of five was killed.

But for Yang Lin and Feng Yu, this was just a very ordinary, trivial matter.

After resting for a while, Feng Yu took out a bamboo tube about the size of a thumb from his pocket and said, "Previously, when we were besieged by the Six Doors, in the midst of the chaos, someone suddenly slipped this into my hand. It was too chaotic at the time, and I didn't see who it was. Husband, do you know anyone in the Six Doors in Qingyang County?"

"No!" Yang Lin said, "I don't remember having any friends working for the Six Doors in Qingyang County. It's really strange, really. I thought I was going to die today, but who knew we'd actually fight our way out. Could it be that someone is secretly helping us?"

"Just bring it over and you'll see."

Feng Yu quickly opened the small bamboo tube, inside which was a piece of paper with a few lines of small writing on it:

The fifth house in the third row of Pear Blossom Lane is the Lin residence. The young lady of this household, Lin Yan'er, is a close friend of Shen Qingqiu. If you want to leave alive, the only way is to target her to make Shen Qingqiu hesitate and find a glimmer of hope.

"this……"

Yang Lin and Feng Yu exchanged a glance and said, "Can we trust them? Could it be a trap?"

Feng Yu said in a deep voice, "Let's take a gamble. We have no other choice. That Crimson Serpent Constable Shen Qingqiu has been watching us for a long time, and this time he has laid a trap. We just barely escaped, but we may not have a second chance to escape. Anyway, we are doomed, so we might as well take a gamble!"

Yang Lin took a deep breath and said, "Alright, let's take the bet. We'll go kidnap Lin Yan'er now!"