Chapter Seventeen: Subjugation

It seems I’ve hidden myself quite well; the constable doesn’t suspect me at all... Qin Feng noticed the subtle change in Su Yuer’s expression and took quiet pleasure in it, continuing to stroll through the bustling market in silence. He had just acquired the mysterious chest, and now was the time to keep a low profile and quietly develop his strength. Naturally, he had no intention of exposing himself.

“Constable, what shall we have for lunch?” Qin Feng, determined to play his role convincingly, deliberately spoke up, not displaying even a hint of arrogance, instead giving off the air of someone hoping to get a free meal.

“Anything is fine.” Seeing Qin Feng’s demeanor, Su Yuer dismissed the last trace of suspicion in her heart. With his current appearance, there was no way he could be the martial arts master who saved her.

“Great.” Qin Feng smiled, humming a little tune as he sauntered down the street, increasingly satisfied with his own performance.

They had only walked a short distance when suddenly, a fierce-looking middle-aged man burst out from the crowd. His face was dark and ordinary, his clothes were plain, and in his hand gleamed a long blade.

“Damn you, constable! Because of you, I lost two brothers!” he shouted, his words laced with venom. “Today, I’ll avenge them!” Yet, despite his threats, the man’s attack was aimed at Qin Feng, all the while spewing hateful words.

“Watch as I kill this little deputy at your side, so you can feel the pain of losing someone close to you!”

As he spoke, the man unleashed a surge of martial energy and lunged at Qin Feng with murderous intent. The ferocity of his assault sent the nearby townsfolk screaming and fleeing in terror.

Are you insane? It was the constable who provoked you... Why come after me? Picking on the weak, aren’t you... And you want the constable to experience the pain of loss? What nonsense...

Qin Feng was speechless. In a flash, his inner energy surged, and he snatched the long blade from the man’s hand.

Crack—

In the next instant, Qin Feng made his move, swiftly snapping the man’s arm, drawing a blood-curdling scream before the man fainted dead away.

The entire scene unfolded in the blink of an eye—too quickly for anyone to react—and Su Yuer witnessed everything. Her beautiful eyes flickered, sizing Qin Feng up and down. Her delicate lips parted as she remarked, “Your speed just now was extraordinary. You don’t seem like an unranked martial artist.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly, then asked, “Did you recently have a breakthrough in your martial arts?”

After making his move, Qin Feng felt a twinge of regret—it had been pure self-defense, forced upon him. Now, confronted by Su Yuer’s questioning gaze, he smiled and replied, “To be honest, a couple of days ago I fought with the Black Wind Bandit. When I got home, I had a few realizations and made some progress in my martial arts.”

As he spoke, Qin Feng gave the unconscious man a hard slap, his annoyance evident—this sudden assault had caught him off guard. Though he hadn’t been injured, he hadn’t expected it at all. Fortunately, the man’s martial ability was mediocre, barely on the threshold of a third-rate fighter. For that reason, Qin Feng had held back, revealing only enough to pass as someone who had just broken through to the third tier.

“Congratulations.” Su Yuer gazed at Qin Feng for a moment, her thoughts unreadable. In the end, she smiled politely and asked, “Where shall we have lunch?”

Qin Feng coughed lightly. “Anywhere is fine...”

“There’s a good tavern nearby. Let’s try it out.” Su Yuer pointed to the establishment, and together they stepped inside.

They chose a private room and each ordered several dishes. Qin Feng dragged the unconscious man in with them. While waiting for their meal, he asked, “Constable, do you know this man?”

“He seems familiar.” Su Yuer regarded the fierce-looking man, trying to recall, “I remember, half a year ago, I arrested several members of a smuggling gang. He was among them.”

She paused, then continued, “The men he was with—two big fellows—refused to be taken in, fought back, and ended up dead at the edge of a blade.”

“I see.” Qin Feng nodded thoughtfully.

As they ate, Qin Feng chatted with Su Yuer—much more amicably than before. For some reason, Su Yuer herself seemed warmer too, even occasionally asking about his circumstances. Qin Feng answered with a mix of truth and half-truths.

After several rounds of wine and dishes, they were both satisfied. Qin Feng resumed his patrol with Su Yuer, and when they passed the yamen, he tossed the middle-aged man into the jail.

By dusk, he politely declined Su Yuer’s invitation to stay, quickly ending his shift and heading straight for his ancestral home.

Watching Qin Feng’s departing figure, Su Yuer’s eyes sparkled as she muttered to herself, “Qin Feng has always been unremarkable among the deputies. I can’t recall what his previous martial arts level was. For him to suddenly reveal the strength of a third-tier fighter is indeed strange. Could he be the mysterious expert who nearly killed the Black Wind Bandit?”

Her thoughts spun; a glint of curiosity flashed in her beautiful eyes. She resolved to test Qin Feng again in a few days.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng hurried home, inwardly annoyed. That wretched thief made me reveal more strength than I intended... Still, I didn’t give everything away—only showed the level of a third-tier martial artist...

He calmed himself, feeling the vigor surging within his body, and a thought occurred to him. The world inside my study’s secret chamber, that chest—by all appearances, it’s a cultivation realm...

So, could I practice immortal arts?

If memory serves, cultivators have a method called the Breath Concealing Technique. If I could learn that, hiding my true strength would be much easier...

Rubbing his chin, Qin Feng mused, Or even, if I master immortal techniques, it won’t matter if I hide my level or not. While others practice martial arts, I cultivate the Dao—who could rival me then? Why bother hiding at all...

With that thought, Qin Feng hurried to his study, entered the secret chamber, and began to ponder how to obtain techniques from the miniature people inside the chest.

As soon as he looked, he saw them holding a ritual.

The tiny folk within the chest had filled the altar with all manner of offerings. Unlike before, this time, besides livestock, they had placed several jade slips on the altar as well. Their lips moved in solemn incantation.

Soon, a gentle light radiated from the altar, enveloping the offerings. Under that glow, everything vanished.

But to Qin Feng’s eyes, these items were transformed by the profound patterns of the chest into shimmering streams of light, all of which merged into his body.

This time, besides the familiar warmth nourishing his qi, blood, meridians, bones, and organs, his mind was suddenly flooded with vast amounts of new information.