Reward: True Essence Pill

Ever since roll call on the first day, when Xiao Qiuyue had seen Huang Shaojie, she had taken a dislike to this newly arrived constable who kept staring at her.

Later, after asking around, she learned that Huang Shaojie was actually the son of Huang Baiwan, Suzhou's wealthy silk merchant. That only made Xiao Qiuyue dislike him even more!

No wonder he had stared at her so lecherously the first time he saw her. So he was a playboy who had bought his way in.

What skills could a playboy like that possibly have besides eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling?

He was practically a cancer on the Imperial Guard!

Xiao Qiuyue had even been considering finding an opportunity someday to send this playboy after a vicious criminal and make him deliver his life for nothing.

Yet she had never expected this playboy to catch a Japanese pirate spy today!

From Zhang Biao's account just now, Huang Shaojie had exposed this spy, and it had also been Huang Shaojie who had severely wounded him with a single kick.

This Japanese pirate's martial arts were at least at the Houtian Eighth Layer. Yet Huang Shaojie had severely wounded him in one move. By that measure, Huang Shaojie's martial arts had to be at least at the Houtian Ninth Layer, perhaps even the Xiantian Realm.

This playboy was actually a Xiantian Realm expert?

That was something Xiao Qiuyue had never imagined in a thousand years.

However, after giving Huang Shaojie only two glances, Xiao Qiuyue turned her gaze back to the Japanese pirate spy and asked:

"What is your name?"

"My name is Yamada Taro. Since I have fallen into your Imperial Guard's hands, kill me or carve me up as you please. If I so much as furrow my brow, then I am no Eastern Ocean Samurai!"

Yamada Taro held his head high, wearing the awe-inspiring look of a man who regarded death as home.

Xiao Qiuyue sneered. "You Eastern Ocean Japanese Pirates have repeatedly invaded the southeastern coast of Great Chu. How many warriors have you infiltrated into Suzhou this time? And what plot are you planning?"

Over the years, Japan had repeatedly invaded Great Chu's southeastern coast, burning, killing, looting, and committing every evil imaginable.

Japan had even begun training large numbers of spies more than a century ago and sending them into Great Chu. They had already infiltrated every trade and profession in Great Chu, even entering the imperial court as officials and stealing countless important secrets to send back to Japan.

As a result, investigating and apprehending Japanese pirate spies hidden within Great Chu had become one of the Imperial Guard's most important duties.

Yamada Taro threw back his head and laughed wildly. "My Great Eastern Islands Nation has long since dispatched tens of thousands of warriors to infiltrate your Great Chu. Within ten years, your Great Chu will bow beneath Japan's iron hooves! Hahahaha..."

Smack!

With a lift of her jade-like hand, Xiao Qiuyue sent a slap through the air, knocking Yamamoto Taro to the ground. Half his face was beaten into a bloody pulp, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth, yet he continued laughing madly.

"Take him to the dungeon. Let him sample the Imperial Guard's eighteen forms of torture. We shall see whether his mouth is hard, or his bones are!" Xiao Qiuyue ordered coldly.

"Yes, my lord!"

Two Imperial Guard Strongmen dragged the still-cackling Yamada Taro out of the hall and toward the Imperial Guard dungeon.

At that moment, a system reward notification sounded in Huang Shaojie's mind.

Congratulations: You have captured a Japanese pirate spy. Reward: one mid-grade True Essence Pill

Claim the True Essence Pill now?

"Not for now."

It would not be convenient to take it now. He would claim it and eat it after leaving work and returning to the manor.

"Huang Shaojie, come to my office."

Xiao Qiuyue glanced at Huang Shaojie, then strode toward the Company Commander's office.

Huang Shaojie paused slightly in surprise, then followed her.

Xiao Qiuyue returned to her office and sat down in her chair.

Huang Shaojie followed her in and cupped his hands in salute. "May I ask why Company Commander has summoned this subordinate?"

Xiao Qiuyue lifted the covered teacup from the desk and took a sip. Raising her eyes to him, she asked calmly:

"I heard that you are the son of Huang Baiwan, Suzhou City's wealthy merchant. Why give up a life of luxury and pleasure to come to the Imperial Guard as a lowly constable?"

Huang Shaojie shrugged, his face full of helplessness. "My father forced me to join the Imperial Guard. Honestly, I only want to be a playboy who spends his days drinking in pleasure houses, listening to songs, carrying a birdcage, and teasing birds. I have no desire to serve as some damned Imperial Guard."

Xiao Qiuyue nearly choked on the tea she had just swallowed. She had thought Huang Shaojie would deliver some righteous and grandiose speech, but this fellow had bluntly admitted that all he wanted was to be a playboy.

That left Xiao Qiuyue at a loss instead. She did not even know what to say to him.

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Qiuyue asked again, "With your martial arts, even if you wished to join the Imperial Guard, there would have been no need to buy your way in. Forget becoming a constable—even being selected as a Company Commander would have been entirely possible."

Huang Shaojie cupped his hands. "Thank you for your excessive praise, my lord!"

Xiao Qiuyue said, "This time, you captured a Japanese pirate spy. I will report this merit to the Thousand-Household Commander and have a merit recorded for you!"

"Thank you, my lord!"

Xiao Qiuyue rose and walked over to Huang Shaojie, patting him on the shoulder. "Work hard. As long as you distinguish yourself and earn further merit, I will recommend you to the Thousand-Household Commander and strive to have you promoted to Company Commander as soon as possible."

This woman looked cold and heartless on the surface, but she was actually quite decent.

Huang Shaojie could not help feeling secretly delighted. He bowed and said:

"Thank you, my lord, for your guidance!"

After leaving work at the Hour of the Rooster that afternoon, Huang Shaojie rode back to Huang Manor on horseback, carrying a birdcage in one hand.

As usual, Xiao He and Ah Gui had long been waiting at the gates of Huang Manor to welcome their young master home from work.

Huang Shaojie swung down from his horse. Ah Gui took the reins and led the horse into the rear stable to feed it fodder.

Seeing the birdcage in her young master's hand, with a green-feathered bird with big eyes inside, Xiao He could not help peering at it curiously.

"What a pretty bird! Young Master, does the Imperial Guard office hand out birds too?"

Huang Shaojie rolled his eyes at her.

The parrot, however, cried at the top of its lungs, "Idiot! Even if the office handed out women, it would not hand out birds! This bird was a treasure he bought for five taels of silver!"

Xiao He covered her mouth and giggled. "It's a parrot, isn't it? It can actually talk so well. How fun!"

Huang Shaojie stuck his hand into the cage and poked its head, scolding it with a laugh. "You call yourself a treasure when you only cost five taels of silver, you wretched bird?"

The parrot flapped its wings twice, lifted its head proudly, and cried, "That fool simply could not recognize quality! This bird is a divine bird, a divine bird no amount of gold can buy!"

Huang Shaojie knocked its head. "A divine bird with that crow's mouth of yours? You nearly brought disaster upon that old man today. If this young master had not bought you, that old man would have plucked you clean by now, sprinkled you with salt and cumin, and roasted you over a fire until you were sizzling and dripping with grease!"

The wretched bird shuddered and immediately wilted, tucking its head beneath its belly and falling silent.

Huang Shaojie laughed heartily and handed the birdcage to Xiao He. "I'll leave this wretched bird to you from now on. Feed it, and argue with it for fun when you have nothing else to do."

"Alright!" Xiao He happily took the birdcage.

The wretched bird lifted its head again and added, "A good bird does not fight with women!"

Xiao He was amused by the parrot. Covering her mouth, she giggled so hard that she swayed like a flower in the wind.

Master and servant entered the manor. The parrot immediately perked up again, stretching out its head and looking around at the luxurious residence before crying out:

"Holy shit, this is a wealthy household! There'll be meat to eat this time!"