According to the Great Qin Legal Code, the southern part of the county town was designated for official business, with the main hall, second hall, and third hall arranged in sequence.
On the east side were the departments of administration, household registration, and the Ritual Department Room; while the west side housed the departments of military, justice, and public works, with the prison situated in the earth's Kun position, to suppress any nefarious aura with the great virtue of the land.
The residence of the county magistrate was located at the rear, modest in size—just a typical quadrangle courtyard—hardly on par with the grand homes of other prominent families in the county. The beautiful woman led Anfeng inside first to another chamber, where she gave instructions, and soon a serving maid brought over some tea.
Wang Anfeng took a sip, found the fragrant tea lacked any real desire to drink, and put it down without another sip.
When the woman entered the room, her clothes from the earlier incident were somewhat disheveled, not quite befitting decorum. Now, she had changed into a light lotus-colored dress, draped in a somewhat thick, ink-colored straight-collar cloak. With her graceful appearance, she first gave a slight bow to Wang Anfeng, saying,
"I haven't yet thanked the young master for saving me. I am eternally grateful for your great kindness and debt."
Wang Anfeng quickly stood up, returned the courtesy with a fist-and-palm salute, and said,
"Madam, you are too kind."
The youth's clothes were a bit torn, but his demeanor was unabated. However, the little girl in his arms was still tightly clutching his clothes, giving him a somewhat peculiar appearance. The woman smiled at this but also seemed rather helpless as she asked, "May I ask for the young master's name?"
"My surname is Wang, my given name Anfeng."
After repeating his name to herself, the woman invited Wang Anfeng to take a seat and then seated herself on the opposite side, saying,
"Master Wang... I truly can't thank you enough for today. Nevertheless, I must trouble you to stay a bit longer..."
"Yun'er is just a child, after all. Once she's tired and asleep, she'll let go."
As she spoke, she smiled complexly, adding,
"It seems Yun'er has taken quite a liking to you, young master... She has only ever shown such closeness to one other person. Normally, even with me or her father, she has never been so affectionate."
Wang Anfeng was momentarily taken aback, his gaze dropping to the little girl clinging to him. She seemed bored and handed him back the piece of jade she was holding, which, now that the dust was wiped away, seemed much more lustrous and transparent.
The youth laughed, taking it from her and looking into her clear eyes with hesitation. He then gently stroked her soft hair with his hand. The little girl shook her head slightly and snuggled into the youth's embrace, looking endearingly fond—an expression that made Wang Anfeng unconsciously smile.
Perhaps it was the genuine warmth in Wang Anfeng's embrace, or perhaps the day's events had been too taxing on a four-year-old child. It didn't take long for the girl to fall into a deep sleep in the young man's arms. Wang Anfeng carefully lifted her and handed her to the woman nearby before rising to take his leave.
The woman was profusely grateful and commanded a servant to bring a wooden box as a token of thanks, which Wang Anfeng accepted without much refusal. He proceeded to the apothecary, finally purchasing enough medicinal herbs before setting off on the road back to Great Liang Village.
Freed from the shackles of the chains, he felt almost weightless, each step able to cover several meters. His Inner Strength surged, bringing him exhilarating delight, and he reached Great Liang Village in little more than half the time it would normally take.
The day was still young when Wang Anfeng returned home with his herbs. As he lay in bed contemplating the day's events, he was still shaken with a mix of adrenaline and awe. He had been fending for himself for the last half month, cooking his own breakfast and lunch, and only returning to the Shaolin Temple for dinner since his time there was limited and could not be wasted carelessly.
Although he was eager to return and inquire with Master Ying and his Master, he restrained his urgent feelings and followed his routine—washing rice, cooking, and after a rather late lunch, he sat on the bed, gathered his spirit, and began to circulate his Inner Strength, which now surged with a vigor several times stronger than when he first began cultivation, filling his heart with joy.
While he was contemplating his Inner Strength, the piece of jade that the little girl had played with suddenly emitted a faint glow.
The hard jade seemed to turn to mist at that moment, losing its original shape and disintegrating. It penetrated through his clothes and into Wang Anfeng's skin, swiftly flowing into his body as he circulated his Inner Strength. Suddenly sensing something amiss, he snapped his eyes open only to find himself enveloped by a powerful and immense energy that was both fierce and yang in nature.
Wang Anfeng lifted up his hands; his skin had already begun to redden from the high temperature of that energy. As he circulated his Inner Strength, the sensation grew even more active. The youth gritted his teeth, realizing something was wrong. He was about to seek entry to Shaolin Temple but lost consciousness before he could speak, collapsing onto the bed.
The room, once cold because of disuse, began to warm up. The air became mottled and distorted as if a long-sealed beast was breaking free.
A dagger lay on an exquisitely carved wooden table, its sheath encrusted with agate and jade.
A fair and slender hand held the dagger, flicking the blade and eliciting a clear ringing sound. The owner of the hand was exceedingly beautiful, but the man kneeling below only felt terror, shaking uncontrollably and daring not to raise his head.
"Master Yang, would you care to explain why the Formation on this dagger is missing a piece of Jade Marrow?"
"Moreover, the very piece that should be surrounded by the other stones?"