If you don't bring disaster to the world, what kind of henchman are you to be?

The drill ground of the Northern Garrison Command.

"Soaring Cloud Steps..."

Zhu Qingxin's thoughts were moved.

[Soaring Step +1]

【Soaring Steps (Beginner 1/100)】

The previously reserved attribute values ​​came in handy.

His martial arts skills came to mind, and the transparent figure reappeared before his eyes.

Amidst the surging of qi and blood, the transparent figure moved with unpredictable agility, shifting and dodging with remarkable speed.

In just a few breaths, the mastery of the Cloud Step technique at the entry level was deeply ingrained in Zhu Qing's mind.

"I see."

He suddenly realized something.

The Lingyun Step's entry stage is characterized by agility, greatly increasing its speed over short distances.

This lightness skill is far more refined than the Wild Goose Form; I immediately drew my sword and began to practice it…

……

into the night.

In a village outside the capital.

Flames stretched out, and large numbers of people moved about.

"Hurry up!"

"You all better behave yourselves!"

"Hey, what are you looking at? You're asking for it!"

……

Two groups of local militia and yamen runners were escorting a group of bandits, most of whom had bruises on their faces and were bleeding from their heads.

At the very front, several Imperial Guards in flying fish robes led the way, with Zhu Qing at the head.

This evening, he brought his men here to handle a case.

The world is in chaos lately, and bandits are rampant. The banditry is particularly severe in this area, and the imperial court has sent troops to suppress them several times, but has failed to eradicate them completely.

Therefore, the Six Doors combined the case into one and asked the Northern Garrison to help investigate.

Zhu Qing accepted this task.

Upon his arrival, without much hesitation or unnecessary talk, he swiftly and decisively captured many bandits, and after rigorous interrogation, finally uncovered the truth of the matter.

It turned out that these bandits had spent a lot of money to collude with some government soldiers in the town. The imperial court had repeatedly sent troops down to suppress them, but they were always able to know in advance and deal with the situation.

This typical collusion between officials and bandits happened to run right into the line of fire of the Northern Garrison Commander.

This is their original profession.

Without hesitation, Zhu Qing led his men into the bandit's den, captured the leader, and then subjected him to severe torture. Whoever the leader implicated, Zhu Qing arrested. This banditry that had plagued the area for many days was thus resolved.

The whole process took only two hours, which can be described as swift and efficient.

"Lord Zhu, what should we do with these people?" A local official ran up to Zhu Qingma and asked respectfully.

Zhu Qing said slowly, "Zhang Long, Li Zhizhang and the other traitors are to be taken back to the Six Doors. The rest of the bandits will remain in your local government office and be executed at Caishikou tomorrow."

"Yes!" The junior official quickly stepped aside to make the arrangements.

Zhu Qing looked straight ahead and brought up the control panel.

[Realm Level: Mid-stage Body Refinement (Minor Success 53/100)]

Martial Arts: White Ape Skill (Minor Success 53/100)

Thunder Blade Technique (Mastery 70/100)

Wild Goose Movement (Dacheng 55/100),

Jade-Crushing Finger (Beginner 25/100)

Soaring Step (Beginner 5/100)

[Attribute value: 35]

Today's battle at the bandit's lair has yielded a considerable harvest.

"I can finally master the Thunder Blade Technique."

With a thought, Zhu Qing poured thirty attribute points into his sword technique.

[Thunder Blade Technique +30]

[The Thunder Blade Technique has reached its peak and cannot be improved further. The host may choose to hide it.]

The highest level of Thunder Blade Technique mastery flooded into Zhu Qing's mind. His eyes were vacant, and it took him a while to digest it on horseback before he came back to his senses.

He unconsciously tightened his grip on the reins, a smile playing on his lips.

"The Thunder Blade at its peak is incredibly powerful."

The beginner level focuses on speed and agility, while the advanced level transforms the tangible into the intangible. The ultimate level, the essence of which lies in concentrating all strength into a single point, unleashing a powerful sword strike that can rival some Xuan-level sword techniques.

The Thunder Blade Technique, as the basic sword technique of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is only of the Yellow Rank, but it is still very famous in the martial arts world.

A large part of its fame comes from defeating masters who have perfected this sword technique.

For example, Shen Tinghe, the former commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had already made a name for himself in the martial arts world in his early years by using his unparalleled Thunder Blade Technique.

However, it is very difficult to master, and nowadays there are very few people who can master this sword technique to perfection. The most recent one is Zhang Sanshi, who is known as the Flying Thunder Blade, but he is still just a little short of perfection.

And now, his swordsmanship has reached perfection!

Zhu Qing was overjoyed, for with this sword technique, his combat strength had increased significantly.

The group had split up by then. The local government escorted the bandits back, while Zhu Qing and the others led the leaders on their way to the capital.

The night was deep, the sky was full of clouds and there was no light, and the country roads were even more pitch black.

As we walked to a certain spot, a thin mist began to rise.

Zhu Qingben didn't care about the fog, after all, it was early spring and foggy at night was normal.

But gradually, he keenly detected a strange smell in the air, like the smell of some kind of special wood.

Being cautious by nature, he immediately tightened the reins and stopped, slowly looking at the gray mist in front of him. In the firelight, the tiny particles within it were visible to the naked eye.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

Qian Wei, who was standing nearby, did not notice the strange situation. However, Qi Yunfei's expression turned serious, and he immediately pulled him to the back to avoid contact with the fog.

"Sir, this fog is strange; it has a peculiar smell."

"Go around it."

Zhu Qing frowned slightly and immediately ordered everyone to take a detour.

They had only just turned around when they discovered that the fog had spread from all directions, seemingly enveloping them.

"Hold your breath, this fog is most likely poisonous."

Zhu Qing immediately shouted and drew his sword from his waist. Several Jinyiwei guards around him also became alert and drew their swords as well.

"Could they be accomplices of these people?" Qi Yunfei's eyes were wary.

Zhu Qing said in a deep voice, "It's too early to draw conclusions; caution is advised."

咻咻咻～

As Zhu Qing finished speaking, a sharp, piercing sound suddenly rang out all around!

Countless diamond-shaped darts shot out from all directions, catching the criminals at the back off guard, and they fell to the ground.

Zhu Qing swung his longsword, deflecting all the hidden weapons with a few clangs. He then glanced at the criminals lying on the ground, gradually being swallowed by the mist, and his heart tightened.

They are not accomplices of these people.

In other words... they're after them!

"Come with me and charge out!"

Zhu Qing acted decisively, not waiting in place, but tightening the reins and spurring the horse's belly. The horse neighed and galloped away.

Qi Yunfei and the others followed closely behind.

As soon as Zhu Qing rushed into the fog, she felt countless tiny insects rushing into her nasal cavity, and her head buzzed, making her somewhat disoriented.

Fortunately, he managed to seal the vital meridians in time with his qi and blood and hold his breath, thus preventing the poisoning from becoming too severe.

He then reached out and pressed several acupoints on his body to forcibly seal them, adding an extra layer of protection just in case.

However, he was well-prepared, and Qi Yunfei, Qian Wei, and the others behind him were all swaying and dizzy, and then they fell to the ground one by one.

Zhu Qing frowned and realized that his horse was shaking its head and pacing erratically. Realizing that it would surely fall if it continued like this, he immediately jumped off the horse.

Whoosh!

As he was suspended in mid-air, a cold light suddenly appeared from the side, heading straight for Zhu Qing's neck.

He blocked with his sword, but his entire body was sent flying by a powerful force.

With the wind whistling in his ears and the fog swirling and unpredictable, Zhu Qing took advantage of the force to leap high into the air, using his flying goose technique to break free from the poisonous gas zone.

The moment he landed, he released his acupoints and looked around. He saw many figures, several of whom blocked all escape routes.

"Honorable Commander, how have you been?"

The leader was hunched over, with a hoarse voice, leaning on a withered wooden cane. He was very old, but his old eyes gleamed coldly in the dim light.

"Who are you?" Zhu Qing asked coldly.

"Commander Zhu, you need not ask any more questions. Just know that we are the ones who will take your life."

"We take people's money and do their bidding. We have our grievances and debts. Zhu Baihu, don't hold a grudge against us on your way to the underworld," the old man said sinisterly.