Cautious Punishment Division

Jingye City, Inner City.

The headquarters of the Cautious Punishment Division was situated within a cluster of towering bluestone walls, spanning nearly a thousand mu. It was the largest government office in the Inner City, even more expansive than the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Within one of its courtyards, Wu Ming was participating in the entrance examination.

The assessment comprised two parts. The first evaluated martial prowess, with Second Blood Forging as the minimum threshold and the Scattered Hand technique required. For Wu Ming, this was essentially a formality.

The second part involved written assessments of practical scenarios, testing decision-making and handling of various situations. There were no fixed answers, and it primarily relied on subjective judgment.

Finally, there was a face-to-face interview with a Patrol Officer from the Cautious Punishment Division.

In reality, this entire process was merely a formality. As long as one's aptitude was sufficiently high, these assessments were just perfunctory steps. If the aptitude was insufficient, even if all preceding assessments were passed, the final "face-to-face interview" would be the point of elimination.

Wu Ming had gained the appreciation of Zhou Huaian and was recommended by him. Therefore, the entire process was essentially a formality. Even the "Patrol Officer" conducting the final interview was Zhou Huaian himself.

"Sir."

In a spacious and quiet room, Zhou Huaian stood behind a Huangli wood desk, looking at Wu Ming with a gentle expression. After asking a few simple questions and receiving Wu Ming's answers, he suddenly asked, "Yesterday, some people from the Sandboat Gang died outside the city. One of them was named Guo Huai. Was this your doing?"

Wu Ming wasn't particularly surprised by Zhou Huaian's sudden question. As one of the six major powers in Jingye City, the Cautious Punishment Division held almost the highest actual authority. They didn't ignore the disputes outside the city; they were simply unaware.

"Reporting to you, sir, it was indeed my doing."

In front of Zhou Huaian, Wu Ming did not conceal anything and readily admitted it.

The constant struggle for dominance among martial artists was the norm in this world. The Cautious Punishment Division's rules and regulations were strictly confined within the city. Furthermore, his actions were justified. His parents had been insulted, and seeking retribution was reasonable. He had also witnessed Guo Huai's wickedness and abuse of civilian women, and killing him in a fit of rage did not violate the Cautious Punishment Division's rules. Lu Yuan and others had attempted to surround and kill him, and his killing of them was also not something anyone could blame him for.

"It's a good thing for a young man to have spirit. If one doesn't dare to act when their parents are insulted, how can they talk about upholding the order of this city and fighting against fierce bandits and evil demons?"

As Wu Ming had predicted, Zhou Huaian did not criticize his actions. Seeing his frankness and lack of concealment, he nodded slightly.

As a Patrol Officer of the Cautious Punishment Division, having paid attention to Wu Ming, a brief investigation would naturally reveal all the reasons. Guo Huai's wickedness had long been recorded by the Cautious Punishment Division. However, Guo Huai's misdeeds mostly occurred outside the city. There was only one incident of him causing trouble within the city, but it wasn't serious and resulted in no casualties. Coupled with his elder brother Guo Xiang's background in the Black Fiend Sect, he was only detained for a short period before being released.

Even Xu Hao didn't seem to care much about Guo Huai's death, let alone Zhou Huaian, a high-ranking and influential official holding the rank of Zheng Qipin Patrol Officer.

"Alright."

Zhou Huaian added Wu Ming's name to a stack of registers and then called out, "Someone!"

"Yes."

Zhao Hu approached from behind and bowed respectfully.

Zhou Huaian placed the register aside and said, "Take Wu Ming to familiarize himself with the various areas of the Cautious Punishment Division. Inform him of the treatment and rules of the Cautious Punishment Division. He will be working in the Seventh Team of the Night Patrol Division from now on."

"Understood."

Zhao Hu responded, then looked at Wu Ming and said in a calm tone, "Follow me."

With that, he led Wu Ming out of the room.

Zhou Huaian stood behind the desk, watching Wu Ming and Zhao Hu depart.

At the same time, on the top floor of the five-story main headquarters building, which resembled a high tower and was located in the center of the Cautious Punishment Division, a figure in plain green clothing was looking down at the entire Cautious Punishment Division. Their gaze seemed to fall precisely on Wu Ming's figure, and they mused, lost in thought.

After following Zhao Hu to identify the various areas of the Cautious Punishment Division, Wu Ming discovered that the internal structure of the Cautious Punishment Division's headquarters bore a striking resemblance to the Outer Hall of the Seven Martial Alliance. There was a Martial Academy specifically for honing skills, a Dining Courtyard responsible for meals, and a main headquarters building serving as the central hub for managing all affairs.

The Cautious Punishment Division had a total of five subordinate divisions: the 'Night Patrol Division', the 'Arrest Division', the 'External Affairs Division', the 'City Guard Division', and the 'Internal Affairs Division'. The Night Patrol Division was responsible for the night patrols of Jingye City, the Arrest Division specialized in apprehending fierce bandits, the External Affairs Division handled matters outside the city and often liaised with the Demon Suppression Bureau, the City Guard Division was responsible for maintaining order in Jingye City during the day, and the Internal Affairs Division guarded the headquarters in the Inner City, managing internal records and coordinating with all other government offices.

Generally speaking, Young martial artists with higher innate talent, upon entering the Cautious Punishment Division, would initially be assigned to the Internal Affairs Division for less demanding tasks, focusing on their cultivation of the Martial Path. Once they broke through to Second Blood Forging, they would be transferred to divisions like the Night Patrol Division or the Arrest Division for tempering.

The treatment within the Cautious Punishment Division was quite generous. Firstly, basic arrangements for food and lodging were provided. Secondly, all registered officers received a salary. The lowest-ranking, Ninth-grade officers, received fifteen taels of silver per month, Eighth-grade officers received thirty taels, and Seventh-grade officers received sixty taels.

In addition to this, All members within the Cautious Punishment Division who achieved an overall evaluation of "A" would receive an additional monthly portion of 'Seven Flavor Blood Nourishing Powder' to supplement their blood energy. This overall evaluation was primarily based on age and cultivation level, with younger age and higher cultivation yielding higher scores. Following that were talent in martial skills, and finally, performance in actual duties.

"As long as one is under twenty years old, their age alone can reliably secure the 'A' standard. Within twenty-two years old, if one can achieve Second Blood Forging, they can also meet the 'A' standard. If not, they would need to possess talent in martial skills or achieve merit in actual duties to reach the 'A' standard."

Zhao Hu briefly explained to Wu Ming.

Wu Ming understood upon hearing this. This tiered system of treatment was designed, on one hand, to cultivate outstanding talents who were both gifted and young, and on the other hand, to provide motivation for those with average or slightly above-average aptitude.

Of course, the 'merit' gained through service was also very important. For instance, routine night patrols in the Night Patrol Division would earn basic merit even if nothing happened during the night. Participating in combat, apprehending fleeing criminals, slaying evil bandits, or eliminating demons lurking within the city would earn more merit.

This merit not only served as part of the overall evaluation but could also be exchanged for various resources within the Cautious Punishment Division, such as advanced martial arts techniques, resources for supplementing blood energy, or even rare and expensive hundred-refined weapons, soft inner armor, and so on.

At the same time that Wu Ming entered the Cautious Punishment Division and became a Ninth-grade Constable with an official position, learning about the various situations within the Cautious Punishment Division.

Far away at the Sandboat Gang's stronghold outside the city.

"Have you gathered the information clearly?"

The leader of the Sandboat Gang, clad in a black cloak, sat on a stone chair and spoke in a deep voice to the gang member before him.

His complexion was somewhat pale, making him appear like a frail ordinary person rather than a martial artist with vigorous blood energy, yet a faint, suppressed aura emanated from him.

"Reporting to the Great Leader, the situation is likely as follows..."

After hearing the report from the gang members, the Great Leader of the Sandboat Gang frowned slightly and murmured, "Wu Ming... killed ten bandits last night... Cautious Punishment Division?"

After a moment of thought, he shook his head and said, "Send the news to the Black Fiend Sect, inform Guo Xiang, and don't do anything extra."

Things got complicated when the Cautious Punishment Division was involved.

He now avoided the Cautious Punishment Division like the plague and had no desire to attract their attention. Guo Huai often caused trouble outside, and if he weren't Guo Xiang's own brother, the gang leader would have fed him to the water ghosts long ago... Now, he could only say that it was a good thing to be rid of this troublemaker.