Advancement

2024-07-31

Advancement

"Lu Gang, take Chen Beihu's body back to the Patrol Guard Headquarters. Everyone, gather at Xiangyun Restaurant. I'm in a good mood today—the food and drinks are on me. Consider it a welcome for Little Song joining us!" Liang Chuanshan laughed.

"Captain Liang is generous!"

Seeing that such a good thing had fallen into their laps, the patrolmen immediately cheered up. Even the way they looked at Song Changming became much more agreeable.

After the meal, Liang Chuanshan took Song Changming to the Patrol Guard Headquarters to handle the procedures required for his promotion.

Before long, Song Changming's name was transferred from the Night Watchman roster to the patrolman register. He was assigned under Liang Chuanshan's command, and everything went off without a hitch.

A Patrolman's identity token, two sets of dark teal uniforms with armor, and a brand-new, higher-quality Official Saber—everything was issued to him that same day.

"I presume there's no need for me to explain a patrolman's benefits. Your monthly salary is six strings of copper coins, and at the end of the year, you'll receive one thousand jin of rice and grain. Collect them from the Warehouse Official on the first day of every month.

"As for the other matters concerning your duties, I expect Captain Liang will have someone explain them to you, so there is no need for me to say more."

The civil official responsible for personnel affairs at the Patrol Guard Headquarters gave Song Changming a brief introduction.

Song Changming nodded and committed it to memory.

"Six strings a month..."

Song Changming was not particularly fond of money by nature, but a raise still made him quite happy.

After all, when he had been a Night Watchman, his monthly wages and meal allowance had only amounted to three strings of copper coins.

With this promotion, his pay had doubled outright. Six strings of copper coins was no small sum.

Not to mention the thousand jin of rice and grain he would receive at year's end. That was a full thousand jin—enough for him alone to eat his fill for nearly a year.

Night Watchmen did not enjoy the privilege of eating the emperor's grain. That was a benefit reserved for official patrolmen.

That was why Father Song had so desperately wanted Song Changming to become a patrolman. It was somewhat like the difference between an unofficial government worker and one with an established post.

With such benefits, Song Changming could support the entire family with room to spare.

"Now that you're a patrolman, you needn't perform tonight's night-watch duty. Go home and prepare. Report to Captain Liang tomorrow to officially begin your post." Having made the arrangements for Song Changming, the civil official from the Patrol Guard Headquarters turned and left.

"Yes." Song Changming carried the two neatly folded sets of official uniforms, with the patrolman's iron identity token and a brand-new Official Saber laid atop them.

The Side Sabers issued to Night Watchmen had previously been either defective products from failed forging attempts or blades discarded by patrolmen and put to secondary use. Their quality could not compare with this brand-new Official Saber at all.

This saber was also the piece of patrolman equipment that satisfied him most. He liked it even more than the armored official uniform.

When he returned home,

Song Changming specifically called Father Song and Mother Song over to show them the official uniforms in his hands.

"A patrolman's official uniform?!" Father Song recognized it at a glance. The gray-white beard on his face trembled slightly, and he could scarcely believe it.

He could not understand how his son had gone out for a short while and come back a patrolman.

Song Changming briefly recounted how he had earned merit, and Father Song was immediately overjoyed.

"Good! Wonderful! Changming has made something of himself!"

Mother Song, standing beside them, was beaming as well, filled with the feeling of seeing her son become a dragon.

"To become a government patrolman at such a young age—perhaps my son may even become a Patrol Captain in the future!" Father Song said delightedly.

"Father, you don't need to personally deliver gifts to the Zhao Family anymore," Song Changming suddenly said.

"Mm, I won't go anymore." Father Song understood what Song Changming meant.

Father Song had racked his brains trying to curry favor with the Zhao Family. Even when turned away at their door, he had swallowed his anger and endured it all, solely to secure Song Changming a chance to become a patrolman.

Now, Song Changming had proven himself and already become a patrolman.

There was no longer any need for Father Song to make an unnecessary move and seek out humiliation.

That night, the Song Family was overflowing with celebration. Father Song, rarely, drank a few extra cups.

In Song Changming's memory, his parents had never been this happy since his eldest and second elder brothers had died on the battlefield. One reason he had been so proactive in preparing to become a patrolman was to fulfill his parents' wishes and make them happy again.

Once his patrolman's salary came in, the family would no longer need to worry over money and grain.

With that, everything would have been worth it.

After dinner that evening, while the Heaven Rewards Diligence state was still active, Song Changming continued practicing his saber as he had earlier that day.

Once midnight had passed, he reckoned the state affecting his saber practice would change. It would most likely become single-minded focus, and the effects of his saber practice would no longer be as good.

While practicing, scenes from his daytime battle with Chen Beihu also replayed in his mind without pause.

Exchanging blows with an expert was an exceedingly rare opportunity for real combat experience. It was worth reviewing again and again, drawing lessons from it.

Especially Chen Beihu's broad and sweeping saber technique—it had definitely reached the Minor Accomplishment stage as well, carrying an overbearing saber momentum that surged forward without regard for anything in its path.

Unfortunately, Chen Beihu had been gravely wounded and could not bring out more than a fraction of that saber technique's power at the time.

Song Changming vaguely sensed that, in terms of saber technique alone, he was not actually much inferior to Chen Beihu.

But when it came to strength, he lagged far too far behind.

That kind of strength either came from being born with divine power or from painstakingly cultivating a Body Refining Technique after birth.

Through that battle, Song Changming had also realized what he currently lacked.

Though his saber technique had progressed remarkably, the physical strength of his body, which had yet to be tempered, was dragging him down somewhat.

Without a powerful body of flesh and blood to support it, no matter how exquisite and extraordinary the saber technique in his hands was, the saber's might when unleashed would ultimately remain limited.

At that point, the issue returned once more to Body Refinement.

Saber technique was like a towering pavilion built layer upon layer, while what supported those rising layers was a solid and reliable foundation.

That foundation was this body of flesh he possessed.

Only when the two were combined could it truly be called Practicing Martial Arts!

He had a set of the Great Strength Bull Demon Art, but because he had not prepared enough spare money, he had never formally begun practicing it.

Earlier, he had thought that once he became a patrolman, his monthly salary would be quite substantial.

But on second thought, how could six strings of copper coins a month possibly cover the expenses required for Body Refinement?

From what he understood, a single twenty-year wild ginseng root each month cost more than ten strings of copper coins at the apothecary alone.

The medicinal bath required once every half month involved more than ten types of medicinal herbs. By his estimate, each bath would cost at least one or two strings of copper coins.

The Bone Tempering Powder that had to be taken once every five days cost five hundred copper coins per packet—half a string. Over a month, that added up to three strings of copper coins.

And that was only for ordinary-quality powder. The cost of superior Bone Tempering Powder went without saying.

Relying solely on a patrolman's monthly salary to cover all the Body Refinement expenses above was simply unrealistic.

The only thing better than in his days as a Night Watchman was that he might be able to meet the daily nutritional intake of two jin of meat.

"No matter what, I'll start practicing first."

Though money still troubled him, Song Changming had decided to begin practicing the Great Strength Bull Demon Art.

As long as he could meet his daily meat requirement, his body would receive enough nourishment. He would not deplete himself and ruin his body the more he trained.

As for Bone Tempering Powder, it was also essential for cultivation and had to be bought. Taking one portion every five days was a frequency Song Changming could not afford for now, but he could reduce the number of times he took it each month.

At worst, his Bone Forging and Body Refinement would be less efficient, and the results would fall short of what he wanted.

But as days accumulated into months and months into years, he could still cultivate it step by step. It would merely require more time for gradual tempering and refinement, which was still better than leaving this Body Refinement martial art sitting idle without practicing it at all.

As for the medicinal baths and costly wild ginseng, they were both meant to increase cultivation efficiency and nourish the body. It was best to have them, but without them, he could still barely begin practicing.

(End of Chapter)