On the first day of May, Qingyang County was as usual.
The vendors on the sides of the road shouted vigorously, but due to the road to Liang City being blocked, the prices of goods in their hands had increased significantly.
Therefore, complaints from the people and arguments with the vendors could be heard everywhere on the streets.
The vegetable market erupted again.
The vegetable vendor who had shortchanged the last time did not mend his ways and was caught red-handed this time.
However, the buyers this time brought a few friends with them, and together they beat the vegetable vendor to plead for mercy.
Among those friends was the one who had fought with the vegetable vendor last time, making it hard not to suspect that this guy was deliberately falling for the scam.
Several constables were panting as they ran madly on the street. Not far ahead of them, a small thief was deftly weaving through the crowd, occasionally turning into alleys.
The thief even looked back as if showing off.
Then he was kicked to the ground.
"In broad daylight, dare to commit theft?" Zhong Xiaoyan sneered.
"Well done, teach him a lesson!"
"Women are no less competent than men!"
The people watching on the side cheered.
After a while, the panting constables finally arrived. After thanking Zhong Xiaoyan, they took the thief away from the scene.
In a newly decorated courtyard in the east of the city, Guo Yi was whispering sweet nothings to his wife.
Song Er was playing cards at the gambling stall.
Song Da was strolling in the garden of his own house with a cane.
The madam of Minghua Pavilion was teaching her daughter how to charm men.
Everything was so ordinary and peaceful.
On the second floor of Yuelou, Lu Cong was bored, hugging a pig's trotter, eating expressionlessly.
"How's your mother's illness?"
"It's much better now." Liang Naodai sat opposite Lu Cong, smiling in response.
"That's good. You, this kid, I've seen you grow up since you were little. Why didn't you tell me if something happened?"
Lu Cong put down the pig's trotter and complained, "If I hadn't seen you helping the master in the yamen, I wouldn't have known about this matter."
Liang Naodai smiled awkwardly.
Lu Cong was only in his twenties, three or four years older than Liang Naodai, so it sounded awkward no matter how you heard it.
Although they both grew up in the county, Liang Naodai had only met Lu Cong a few times before and had never exchanged more than a few words.
"Lin Butou is my family's benefactor," Liang Naodai could only say so.
Lu Cong liked to hear others praise Lin Ji. He couldn't help but smile and pushed the dishes on the table towards Liang Naodai.
"Eat more. I've never seen the boss shut himself in for so many days in a row, not even going out." Lu Cong yawned, looking through the window on the second floor towards Lin Ji's house.
Lin Ji slowly opened his eyes.
The murky air made him frown slightly.
He pushed open the window, and with a thought, a gentle breeze slowly spread in the room, completely clearing the stale air.
The spiritual energy around him cleansed, removing the dust from the room and his body after days of seclusion.
He looked at the sky outside the window and saw a small black dot in the distance.
It was a sparrow, with its left wing appearing injured, flying somewhat strangely.
Then, he heard the sound of a bell from the neighboring courtyard, where Ling was washing clothes while complaining about her young mistress.
In the corner of the yard, a young cicada stubbornly pushed open the soil and crawled out slowly.
Unfortunately, it only lived for a few breaths before becoming motionless.
"It's only May, why come out so early?" Lin Ji's lips curved with a slight smile.
The world in his eyes had changed drastically.
Although it was still the familiar world, at this moment, it felt so different.
"Is this the state of enlightenment? Enhanced senses, so that's how it is."
It was not just the enhancement of various senses, but a new perspective and understanding of the world.
This was a profound experience.
The divine consciousness replaced the spiritual eye of the third realm, and there was no need to use spiritual energy to maintain it anymore.
With just a thought, no evil could escape.
Besides these changes, Lin Ji also noticed a wonderful sense beyond the five senses lingering in his mind.
Unexplainable, but it existed.
"The sixth sense of a cultivator? Is it because of the Returning to the Origin Technique of the Six Senses that I can vaguely perceive my own sixth sense."
Lin Ji tried to activate the Returning to the Origin Technique of the Six Senses.
After a moment, a palpitation made him furrow his brows suddenly.
"Restless mind? Is something about to happen?"
This was definitely a bad premonition, but he had no clue about what exactly it was.
He thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out.
The wonders of the Returning to the Origin Technique of the Six Senses were not limited to this, but Lin Ji also knew that he had just broken through to the fourth realm, and it was too early to fully comprehend the wonders of this realm.
Setting aside the unease in his heart for the time being, Lin Ji walked out of the house and pushed open the courtyard door, coincidentally meeting Zhong Xiaoyan who had just returned.
"Xiao'er, today this young lady caught a few more thieves and cleaned up a group of troublemakers fighting at the vegetable market!"
"Miss." Ling discreetly pursed her lips.
A dignified Lingjing realm cultivator, proud of such trivial matters.
However, Zhong Xiaoyan was still in high spirits and said, "At this rate, it won't be long before the people of the county elect me as the head constable and make that Lin Ji guy my subordinate! By then, watch how I boss him around!"
"Miss, Master Lin hasn't offended you."
"Hmph, I just can't stand his lazy appearance, as a head constable, he's always slacking off."
In the midst of their conversation, Zhong Xiaoyan subconsciously looked towards Lin Ji's house next door, coincidentally making eye contact with Lin Ji.
Zhong Xiaoyan's face turned red all of a sudden, realizing that she had been heard speaking ill of him.
But then, she straightened her neck and raised her chin.
"What are you looking at! I'm talking about you, have a problem?"
"I respect that you have ambition," Lin Ji chuckled, "but who becomes the head constable is not decided by what the people say, not even by the county magistrate. It requires the approval of the Chief Constable of Liang City, and then the nod of the official from the town government, only then can the appointment be made."
"Hmph!" Zhong Xiaoyan snorted coldly, turned her head away and didn't look at Lin Ji.
It wasn't until Lin Ji walked away that she looked back at his figure, watching until he disappeared from sight.
"Ling, that guy seems different."
"Different? How so?" Ling looked up, puzzled. She was only at the second realm and didn't understand anything.
But Zhong Xiaoyan was different. She was from the main branch of the Zhong family in Xiangzhou, and the Zhong family was also a prominent family in the Nine Provinces.
Therefore, her perspective was naturally much broader than Ling's.
Zhong Xiaoyan frowned, but after a while, she realized.
"Could it be that he has already reached the state of enlightenment?!"