Several days later, at dawn, the courtyard of the Fengtian Division was packed with people.
All the constables, whether permanent or temporary, stood solemnly in formation. Morning light slanted in from beyond the eastern wall, stretching the shadows of the two stone lions in the courtyard long and thin.
At this hour on any other day, the courtyard would already have been filled with noisy voices as everyone checked their equipment and prepared to patrol. Today, however, it was silent enough to hear a pin drop.
That was because a man dressed in a sapphire-blue, subtly patterned silk robe stood atop the stone steps.
The man appeared to be around forty. With a face fair as jade, three long strands of beard, and no official uniform, he nevertheless possessed an imposing air. He merely stood there quietly, yet the hundreds of men in the courtyard did not even dare breathe heavily.
This man was Xiao Yunting, the second-in-command of the Fengtian Division's Linyuan Prefecture City Branch—the Deputy Commander.
Xiao Yunting's gaze swept over the faces of everyone below one by one before finally stopping at the center of the courtyard. His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly into every person's ears.
"The case of the Remnants of Green Fish Gang, 'Mottled Fish,' has now been concluded."
As soon as he spoke, a faint commotion stirred among the crowd below.
"After investigation, the chief credit in this case belongs to temporary constable Zhang Lingxiao."
At these words, Zhang Lingxiao, standing in the front row of the formation, abruptly straightened his chest and slightly lifted his chin.
A trace of approval appeared at the corners of Xiao Yunting's mouth as he continued, "Zhang Lingxiao remained calm in the face of danger. At the abandoned tile yard west of the city, he fought the criminal, seized an opening, and killed him with a single strike. His bravery is commendable. Record one merit of the middle grade."
He then looked toward Tan Zhenglong on the other side of the formation.
"Permanent constable Tan Zhenglong reacted swiftly upon receiving the report and led from the front, creating an opportunity to kill the criminal. Record two minor merits."
Tan Zhenglong's burly body bowed slightly as he clasped his fists and accepted the order. His expression remained calm and unruffled.
At last, Xiao Yunting's gaze finally passed over the crowd and landed on the lean figure at the very end of the formation.
"Temporary constable Ye Qingxuan provided valuable clues. Record one minor merit and award him five taels of silver."
The judgment was complete.
Xiao Yunting walked down the stone steps and personally patted Zhang Lingxiao on the shoulder. His voice was filled with expectation. "The younger generation is indeed formidable. My Great Yan Fengtian Division needs young men with courage and drive like you. Work hard. Your future is limitless."
"Thank you for your guidance, Deputy Commander!" Zhang Lingxiao's voice was slightly distorted by excitement. His arrogant face was filled with barely suppressed delight. His gaze swept across the entire scene, lingering for a moment longer in Ye Qingxuan's direction. His smugness was utterly undisguised.
Ye Qingxuan stood where he was and quietly listened from beginning to end. Only when Xiao Yunting's gaze swept over did he lower his head slightly, clasp his fists, and say, "Thank you, Deputy Commander."
Other than that, he said nothing more and showed no unnecessary expression.
The five taels of silver, along with the document recording his merit, were soon delivered by a clerk. It was a small silver ingot, yet surprisingly heavy in his hand.
After the crowd dispersed, Wei Datong and Xiong Tiezhu immediately surrounded him.
"Qingxuan!" Wei Datong snatched the silver ingot and tossed it in his hand, his face beaming with delight. "Five taels! I've served in the Fengtian Division for five years and never seen a reward this big! You kid, you've done well!"
Xiong Tiezhu also stood nearby, grinning foolishly and sharing in his happiness.
Ye Qingxuan took the silver ingot back from Wei Datong, ran a finger across it, and snapped off two pieces of silver, a little over one tael in total. He stuffed one into each man's hand.
"Brother Wei, Brother Tiezhu, take these."
"Hey, what are you doing!" Wei Datong hurriedly tried to refuse. "This is your merit, your money!"
"Without the care you two brothers have shown me every day, how could I be where I am today? Take it. Consider it your little brother's treat." Ye Qingxuan's tone was calm, yet left no room for refusal.
Wei Datong was about to argue again when Ye Qingxuan stuffed the remaining three-plus taels back into his arms. "Brother Wei, hold on to this for me first. I can't keep things hidden at my courtyard."
At that, Wei Datong stopped refusing. He solemnly tucked the silver close to his body and gave Ye Qingxuan's shoulder a hard slap. "Good brother! Come on, your big brother's treating you to noodles! Let's go to Li's Noodles and get double meat sauce!"
The three of them found a noodle stall on a street corner and sat down. Steaming bowls of meat-sauce noodles were served, their fragrance filling the air.
Wei Datong ate with loud slurps, Xiong Tiezhu buried his head and dug in, while Ye Qingxuan slowly picked at the noodles in his bowl.
In this murky world, official merits could be stolen and names on documents could be replaced, but the friendship contained in this bowl of noodles was genuine and solid.
Two more days passed, and Zhang Lingxiao was officially registered.
He changed into the black fitted uniform that only permanent constables were allowed to wear. A brand-new standard saber hung at his waist, while on the other side dangled a black iron waist token engraved with his name.
He was assigned to serve in the Southern District, which happened to be the same patrol area as Ye Qingxuan and the others.
That day, Zhang Lingxiao walked through the alley with his hands behind his back, strolling leisurely like a young master inspecting his own territory. As he passed Ye Qingxuan, his shoulder deliberately—or perhaps not—slammed heavily into him.
Ye Qingxuan's body merely swayed slightly. He shifted half a step and dispelled the force, then turned sideways to clear the way. Without even looking back, he continued forward as though he had merely been brushed by the wind.
Zhang Lingxiao had wanted to see him look flustered or enraged, but all he saw was a calm back. Feeling as if he had thrown a punch into cotton, he snorted and walked away on his own.
Night fell.
In Ye Qingxuan's courtyard.
He no longer abused himself with that sharp-edged stone. Instead, bare-chested beneath the moonlight, he slowly practiced a set of punches.
The technique was the body-tempering art from Indestructible Vajra Body. Each move appeared slow, but in truth, every muscle and tendon throughout his body was stretched to its limit. Sweat slid down his increasingly solid musculature. Beneath the moonlight, his bronze skin even glimmered with a faint metallic sheen.
After completing the set, he stood where he was and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.
The scroll in his mind quietly unfolded.
[ Mysterious Stone Body Tempering, skin and flesh hardened, Merit +2. ] [Fist technique honed, sinews and bones rang out in unison, Merit Points +2.]
These past days, he had patrolled the streets by day and trained bitterly by night, never slacking for even a single day. The stolen merit and that sophistry that had turned black into white had all become fuel in the furnace, hammering his body and will day and night without pause.
At last, tonight.
When he settled into the final stance, golden light burst from the scroll in his mind.
The markings on the golden figure filled inch by inch.
[Indestructible Vajra Body's Merit Complete!] [Heaven's secrets stirred. Realm connected!]
A stream of heat far richer than the one during his previous breakthrough surged out of the scroll with a boom, instantly coursing through his limbs and bones.
This time, the heat no longer lingered only in his skin, flesh, muscles, and bones. Instead, it seeped inward, scouring his internal organs. His body was like a piece of refined iron repeatedly hammered, undergoing its final quenching.
The qi and blood within him surged like rivers.
After a long while, the heat dissipated, completely merging into every part of his body.
Ye Qingxuan slowly opened his eyes.
He clenched his fist without making the slightest sound, yet the air around it was compressed into a faint ripple.
An unprecedented sense of power filled his body and mind. This was no longer mere toughness of skin and flesh, but a strength that was seamless and flawless, flowing from within to without.
He summoned the scroll.
[Name: Ye Qingxuan] [Realm: Body Tempering Second Layer (Complete)] [Martial Art: Indestructible Vajra Body (Realm: Complete, Mark: Six Inches, Merit: 0/500)]
Body Tempering Second Layer, complete!
Indestructible Vajra Body, a hardening art specializing in the Body Tempering Realm, had actually been cultivated to its utmost limit. Beyond this was Body Tempering Triple Layer, an entirely new world.
Yet he also understood clearly that Indestructible Vajra Body alone was no longer enough to support him in breaking through that threshold. This martial art excelled at defense but was clumsy at offense. He needed a new cultivation technique, one that could turn this strength of his into a thunderous strike.
Ye Qingxuan stood beneath the cold moonlight. The night wind brushed against his bare upper body, yet it could not carry away a shred of warmth from within him.
His gaze turned toward the west of the city, where the most chaotic and lawless place in Linyuan Prefecture City lay.
"It took me several days, but I've reached Body Tempering Second Layer, complete. It's time to go to the Black Market."
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