My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

"Nephew Lu, you've come at just the right time."

Wang Anli stood on the stone steps of the county government office, his round face beaming with an exceptionally warm smile.

"I am deeply saddened by your father's death in the line of duty. I am greatly pleased that you have passed the imperial examination and become a student. How about you and Fan Wu take over your father's positions and guard the county government's library in your spare time?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept between Lu Ming and the other man, before returning to Lu Ming's face:

"Perfect timing. There are also many martial arts classics left by our predecessors in the library. You can browse them all, which will save you the trouble of going to the armory to choose separately."

After he finished speaking, there was complete silence.

Immediately, the martial artists watching the spectacle exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions unreadable.

Guarding the county government's library was the job of the clerk Qian.

On ordinary days, I move books and sweep dust. It's a leisurely life, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the words "martial arts training".

It's clear that assigning a martial arts student this kind of job means leaving him no free time to practice his skills.

As for the "martial arts classics left by predecessors" in the library, everyone knows that they are all a bunch of dilapidated junk.

Random notes, rumors, and imagined boxing manuals can be deadly if practiced blindly.

Wang An's intentions were crystal clear.

Lu Ming looked up and met a pair of smiling eyes.

"Just how strong is this smiling tiger?"

Lu Ming felt a chilling aura closing in from all directions, like an invisible giant python slowly tightening its body.

My heart pounded twice in my chest, each beat making my ribs throb.

It felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him, and his back bent slightly before straightening up again.

He knew very well that if he uttered even half a "no" at this moment, the other party would have a hundred ways to accuse him of "disrespecting his superiors".

At best, they'll be publicly reprimanded, have their salary reduced, or be demoted; at worst, they'll be locked up in jail, and no amount of pleading will help.

At this moment, his sleeve was gently tugged, and Fan Wu bowed his head to signal to him.

Lu Ming understood immediately, silently lowered his head, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Wang An, and said calmly:

"We will naturally obey the orders made by Chief Wang."

Having said that, he took Fan Wu a half-step back, turned around and left.

Although he felt aggrieved, he would never do anything futile.

Wang An did not stop them, and watched with a smile as the two figures gradually disappeared into the distance.

"Tsk."

Seeing that the conflict hadn't escalated, the onlookers clicked their tongues in disappointment and dispersed in twos and threes.

At this moment, a middle-aged constable with a sallow complexion and a mustache walked briskly from the side door of the yamen to Wang An's back, bowed and whispered:

"My lord, everything has been arranged. All the complete martial arts manuals in the library have been added to the armory."

He raised his head, his beard twitching twice with a cold laugh: "After some time, we'll send him out to suppress bandits and exorcise demons, ensuring he never returns, his head severed from his body."

As he finished speaking, a sinister look crept onto his sallow face.

The frustration of being questioned by Zhang's servants earlier finally found an outlet.

"Um."

Wang An didn't turn his head; his gaze remained fixed on the direction of the alley entrance.

"You must not be distracted by martial arts while guarding the library. Do not let any cultivation techniques or resources distract Nephew Lu. Understand?"

"I understand, I understand, that's natural! That's natural!"

Liu Tiezhu nodded repeatedly, his face full of flattery.

But then he looked up with some concern, his voice lowering slightly:

"What about Lord Liu..."

Wang An finally withdrew his gaze, glanced at him, and said indifferently:

"Lord Liu wants a sharp blade, not a useless person who begs him for help every time he encounters a problem."

Liu Tiezhu was taken aback, then let out a long sigh of relief and bowed repeatedly in agreement.

……

Three days later, at dawn.

Birds chirped incessantly, and sunlight slanted into the yard, casting long, thin shadows of the two rattan chairs.

Lu Ming and Fan Wu each reclined on a rattan chair, holding a book, basking in the morning sunlight with contentment.

"I didn't expect that."

Fan Wu swayed his body, and the rattan chair creaked and groaned.

"In my lifetime, I, Fan Wu, am fortunate to live such a good life. Eating the government's grain, reading books, and waiting to die, how happy I am!"

He smacked his lips, and the smile that bloomed on his old face almost squeezed the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes into chrysanthemums.

He served as a laborer for decades, receiving meager pay, and was constantly ordered around and told what to do.

Now that I've finally become a formal yamen runner, even if it's just guarding the library, I can finally say I've "landed" on the front lines.

The smile on his face quickly vanished. He glanced at Lu Ming, then sighed.

"It's such a waste of your great talent."

Lu Ming remained noncommittal, engrossed in reading a yellowed book.

The writing on the cover was mostly blurred, and only the four crooked characters "伏虎手札" (Tiger Subduing Notes) could be barely made out.

Fan Wu glanced at it and immediately understood.

Having known Lu's father for many years, he was very familiar with all the miscellaneous stories and anecdotes in the county government's library.

"This 'Tiger-Taming Notes' tells the story of a woodcutter who went into the mountains to chop wood and encountered a vicious tiger blocking his way. He fought the beast for three days and three nights and finally beat the tiger to death."

He shook his head and began to speak, stating the contents directly:

"After that, he drank tiger blood, ate tiger bones, and visualized the posture of fighting with that ferocious tiger. He created a style called 'Tiger Subduing Fist' and made a great name for himself."

He chuckled and put the pipe in his mouth:

"The whole thing is pure fantasy. How could a woodcutter possibly have the ability to subdue a tiger? If he really had that skill, why would he need to create the Tiger-Subduing Fist? He would have been working for the government long ago."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming became interested, raised his head, and said with a smile:

"Fifth Uncle, do you know if this person is a local? And still alive?"

The library mainly contained local legends and anecdotes, but out of caution, he still asked about them.

Fan Wu was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled:

"I did check that. They are indeed locals, but that happened a hundred years ago. How could they still be alive?"

He paused, then changed the subject:

"However, his so-called descendants are still alive."

Lu Ming's eyes lit up, and he pressed for details, "Fifth Uncle, tell me in detail."

These days, he was "exiled" to the library, unable to obtain the Yi Jin Jing martial arts or openly cultivate and improve his skills, but he still found a way out.

The library was full of strange tales and anecdotes, which made it easy for him to find the "heart's imprint".

After what happened last time, he has a clearer understanding of the Heart Imprint.

The mind imprint is indeed something that contains the imprint of the mind, but unless one is exceptionally talented, one cannot leave a mental imprint.

He wanted to sift through these piles of old papers and find the relics left by the true geniuses one by one.

Fan Wu glanced at him and exhaled a smoke ring:

"If you're thinking of getting your hands on their martial arts, I advise you to give up. It's just a common, low-level martial arts manual; you won't get anything out of it no matter how much you practice it."

He feigned disdain, but Lu Ming, seeing the subtle expression on his face, already understood.

Given Fan Wu's level of understanding of this matter, he probably secretly searched for it back then as well.

After all, who doesn't dream of an extraordinary adventure?

Lu Ming smiled slightly: "It's alright, I have my own plans."

He doesn't care about the grade of the cultivation technique; in fact, the lower the grade, the better.

Because the lower the grade of the cultivation technique, the wider it tends to spread, the more fellow cultivators there are, the faster the cultivation progress will be, and the more opportunities the technique will have to evolve.

Moreover, he has collected quite a few similar clues in recent days.

However, most of them are adaptations of traditional folk tales, or even fabrications.

A Taoist priest observed a tortoise and a snake fighting in a great swamp and created the spiritual classic-level martial art, "Tortoise and Snake Coil."

The ascetic practiced chivalry and justice, eventually mastering the ultimate martial art, the "Killing Staff."

Even more outrageous is the story in a book called "The Encounter with a Fairy," which recounts how a poor scholar, on his way to the capital for the imperial examinations, stayed overnight in a deserted temple in the mountains and encountered a white snake fairy. After spending the night together, he was taught martial arts and made a name for himself in the Great Zhao Kingdom...

In this chaotic world, ninety-nine percent of romantic encounters in the wilderness are traps set by demons and monsters, and the remaining one percent are just erotic dreams.

Having seen many strange and unusual things, this "Tiger Taming Manual" is actually the most reliable one right now.

Seeing that he insisted on listening, Fan Wu sighed helplessly, took the pipe out of his mouth, and began to explain in detail.

After a long pause, Lu Ming nodded thoughtfully.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.