Open Strife and Secret Struggle (Seeking Recommendations and Collections!)

Martial Class Hall.

When Shen Zhui and Zhao Hu walked into this imposing hall, they saw it packed with people, nearly a hundred in number.

Steward Liu and a burly figure stood at the hall's high end.

Shen Zhui parted the crowd, stepped to the front, cupped his fists, and bowed.

"Your subordinate Shen Zhui greets Steward Liu and Captain Wang!"

The middle-aged man turned around at the words. He was the top martial artist of the Martial Arts Department, Wang Long, a Xiantian Realm warrior!

Wang Long wore a white long robe. Though past fifty, he looked younger than his age, with a fair, rosy complexion and a somewhat handsome bearing.

Although he was a martial artist, his overall appearance was elegant and free, like a jade tree in the wind—more like a scholar than a typical fighter.

Wang Long smiled faintly. "Mm, no need for formalities."

"I've called you brothers here today to announce a major matter."

Wang Long swept his gaze around and declared loudly, "Constable Shen Zhui, loyal to the nation, devoted to the court."

"Enforces the law with measure, acts with propriety."

"Reveres martial arts and virtue, fulfills his duties with dedication."

"..."

"Hence, today, he is promoted to Ninth-Rank Constable, granted a Fine Steel Ruler, a set of Silver Scale Armor, and a Law Enforcement Token..."

When Wang Long finished the commendation, the crowd below was stunned.

Yang Wu in particular felt a surge of anger.

"Shen Zhui, promoted to Ninth Rank!"

"And granted a Fine Steel Ruler and Silver Scale Armor on top! I've worked eight years and still can't match his three."

The others also buzzed with discussion.

"Heavens, there are only five Ninth-Rank Tokens in our Martial Arts Department, and Shen Zhui gets one!"

"Shen Zhui, at Seventh Stage Houtian, can kill an Eighth Stage Desperado, and he's only seventeen. With talent like that, the County Governor naturally values him!"

"..."

The chatter was quickly suppressed.

Shen Zhui stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and said solemnly, "Shen Zhui thanks the County Governor, thanks the Captain, thanks Steward Liu."

Steward Liu then stepped forward holding a new token. "Shen Zhui, originally the County Governor was to personally bestow this token and decree today. But he was called away on urgent business and ordered me to act on his behalf. I hope you won't disappoint the Governor's intentions."

Shen Zhui took the token and replied respectfully, "I thank the County Governor. Your subordinate will do his utmost and fulfill his duties!"

Once the formalities were done, Wang Long and Steward Liu left. The crowd in the hall remained, talking animatedly.

"Shen Zhui, congratulations."

"Shen Zhui, well done."

"..."

Many offered their congratulations. They were colleagues who often teamed up for arrests, and most in the Martial Arts Department had good relations.

Especially since Shen Zhui was young, strong in combat, and favored by the County Governor—many sought to curry favor.

"Damn, Shen Zhui, you really have to treat us this time! Jumping straight to Ninth Rank, and I'm only Eighth..." Zhao Hu said with a sour tone.

"Brother Hu, for sure, for sure." Shen Zhui smiled and responded to each one.

Looking at this brand-new Ninth-Rank Token, he felt a bit emotional.

Postnatal Martial Artist Ninth Stage, one stage per rank.

Now that he was promoted to Ninth-Rank Constable, he only had to take orders from Wang Long of the Martial Arts Department and the County Governor.

Someone like Yang Wu, an Eighth-Rank Constable, would no longer dare to order him to halt on a whim.

That wasn't all. Besides the increased monthly salary, his monthly allotment of five Lesser Vitality Pills from the Ministry of Revenue would become twenty! Plus an extra Great Return Pill!

"Martial Skills, movement techniques—I can use Merit Points to exchange for Enlightenment Time, but cultivation methods can't be comprehended that way."

"I was just worrying about slow progress... Now with four times the Lesser Vitality Pills, my training speed will increase severalfold, letting me raise my cultivation faster. Truly timely aid."

In truth, based on accumulated merits, Shen Zhui would at most have been promoted to Eighth Rank...

But the County Governor had directly raised him to Ninth Rank and granted extra weapons and armor—this showed he valued Shen Zhui's talent and intended to groom him.

After the commendation ended, Shen Zhui, surrounded by Zhao Hu and the others, prepared to head to a tavern to celebrate.

Just as they left the Martial Arts Department, they saw five or six constables carrying stretchers past them.

The stretchers were covered with white cloth, with traces of blood.

Seeing this, the previously laughing group turned solemn. Several clenched their fists and gritted their teeth, tears welling in their eyes.

At the sight, Shen Zhui was startled and quickly asked Zhao Hu in a low voice, "Brother Hu, what's this..."

Zhao Hu sighed and said, "Eight days ago, two brothers from the Martial Arts Department, Liu Wen and Liu Wu, took on a murder case and were sent to Yang Family Village to investigate. Seven days passed, and they never returned. This morning, their bodies were found dumped by the official road outside the city..."

"Yang Family Village? Isn't that..."

Zhao Hu nodded gravely. "That's right. It's the territory of the county's powerful Yang family."

"How dare they?!" Shen Zhui found it hard to believe.

"Why wouldn't they dare?" Zhao Hu said with a bitter laugh. "Our dynasty has established 108,000 Temples to protect the people, and countless Profound Daoist Arts to monitor all wrongdoing under heaven."

"But the Divine Law's reach only extends within the county seat. Beyond that, in the towns and villages outside, it falls short. Within the city, the Divine Law keeps watch, so those clan magnates and wealthy families don't dare commit crimes here—they'd be caught for sure. But outside the city, it's a blind spot. We have to rely on men to investigate cases, make visits, and gather evidence."

"Even though there's a Monthly Sacrifice and an Annual Sacrifice to expand the Temple's search range and review past cases—even cold cases from years ago can have their killers found."

"But those clan magnates also have ancestors enshrined as Yin Gods in their Family Ancestral Halls, their fortune shielding their descendants and blocking investigations. Toppling a clan is far too hard."

Shen Zhui was speechless for a moment.

The Zhou Dynasty's government built Temples, enshrined fallen meritorious officials as Yin Gods, and set up Daoist formations to monitor wrongdoing.

It was essentially a 'heavenly eye' system far more advanced than in his Past Life.

But the powerful clans had ancestors who had earned merits, and their families also had Yin Gods. Though not as strong as the Temples' Yin Gods, their nature was entirely different.

Those in the Temples weren't called Yin Gods—they were Spirits, bound by the Heavenly Rules and Laws, restrained by vast, overwhelming power.

The Yin Gods worshipped by the clan magnates were the souls of their family's strong after death.

A powerful Yin God was like an extra anti-surveillance sanctuary for the clan.

Only then did Shen Zhui understand why previous county magistrates either colluded with the local magnates or couldn't enforce their orders beyond the city walls.

Even the current magistrate, after three years of reform and wielding such authority, still had incidents like officials being murdered.

He could only imagine how arrogant the big families of Heyuan County had been before.

"Knowing full well that the Yang family is behind this, we can only swallow it."

Shen Zhui sighed.

Once outside the Divine Law's monitoring range, the legal system of this world became as crude as in the ancient times of his Past Life.

"Let's go... this isn't something we should meddle in." Zhao Hu patted Shen Zhui on the shoulder.

The celebration banquet was held at Cloud Smoke Restaurant. The food there was authentic in flavor, and twenty taels of silver was enough for dozens of people to eat their fill.

But Shen Zhui, who should have been the star of the banquet, ate without any taste.

Scenes from earlier kept flashing through his mind.

"Last month, the magistrate seized a thousand acres of fertile land the Yang family had hidden from Taxes, and arrested a dozen thugs under their protection. This month, six brothers die out of nowhere. I wonder if I'll end up the same way someday..."

Shen Zhui felt a pang of emotion.

Within Heyuan City, the clan magnates and the magistrate were already at each other's throats.

From time to time, members of the Li and Yang families would cause trouble, get caught, and be executed.

And from time to time, government officials handling cases would die violently outside the city.

"Strength—only with real personal strength can I not fear these open and covert struggles. If I can break through to Xiantian Martial Artist, that's when I'll have a foothold in this world."

"The magistrate and the Li and Yang families will eventually tear off all pretense and settle the score. In these three years, I've followed orders to handle cases, arresting or killing lawbreakers from the Li and Yang families, and I've refused Yang Wu's overtures. I've already made mortal enemies of those two families—there's absolutely no room for turning back."

Heyuan County, East City District, a courtyard house.

"Creak~" Shen Zhui pushed gently, opening the courtyard gate.

"Zhui'er, is that you back?"

"Adoptive Father, it's me." Shen Zhui closed the gate and swept his gaze across the two-winged house with its courtyard.

Ever since he'd crossed over seven years ago, his Adoptive Father had taken him in, and they'd lived in this small courtyard ever since.

"Adoptive Father, what are you busy with?" Shen Zhui followed the sound to the woodshed.

By the makeshift woodshed, a white-haired old man was hunched over, splitting firewood. Seeing Shen Zhui return, he paused and smiled. "Winter's coming. I'm preparing some charcoal."

Seeing his Adoptive Father Shen Shan sweating on his forehead, Shen Zhui hurried over. "Adoptive Father, why are you bothering with this? When winter comes, we can just buy some."

He'd always tried to keep his Adoptive Father from working, but Shen Shan, though he agreed verbally, couldn't sit still as soon as Shen Zhui left.

"I'm a charcoal seller by trade. You don't make money easily—why waste it?" Shen Shan kept splitting wood.

"Then let me help you." Shen Zhui had no choice but to take the axe.

His Adoptive Father wasn't anyone special—just an ordinary charcoal seller.

That winter seven years ago, if his Adoptive Father hadn't taken him in, he'd probably have starved or frozen to death.

After that, his Adoptive Father, through selling charcoal, had gotten familiar with the county officials and managed to get him a job as a Constable, where he learned some basic body-strengthening techniques.

It was only then that he'd activated the Punish Evil System, his martial arts advancing by leaps and bounds, from a lowly odd-jobber in the labor department to the Martial Arts Department, becoming a full-fledged constable.

"Splash~" After filling the water vat and stacking the firewood neatly, Shen Zhui walked over to his Adoptive Father Shen Shan.

"Adoptive Father, it's getting cold. Let's go inside."

"Ah, alright."

After seeing his adoptive father into the house, Shen Zhui returned to his own room and sat cross-legged on the bed.

Before him lay a wooden box.

It was the very reward he had received that day for his promotion to the ninth rank.

"With these twenty Lesser Vitality Pills, I wonder if I can break through to the Eighth Stage of the Acquired Realm?"

New book, seeking recommendations and collections!