Rats have their ways, beggars have their Sheng San

"Naturally." Xu Ya gave a light smile and nodded, then said, "One of them was Yan Zhuo, the former vice-chairman of our Qianfeng Merchant Association's Black Mountain County Branch, who passed away thirty years ago."

"Another is Wang Kui, the current head of the Wang Family, a prominent clan in Black Mountain County."

"The last one is Du Guinian, the current County Magistrate of Black Mountain County."

Lu Yang was rather surprised.

"The County Magistrate also cultivates this Gui Yuan Technique?"

Xu Ya said, "Back then, Magistrate Du was a commoner with no one to rely on. What allowed him to rise was precisely this Gui Yuan Technique. However, after he broke through to the Xiantian Realm, he long since switched to another cultivation method."

Only then did Lu Yang recall that he had heard Yan Liu the Constable mention this before.

As for the Wang Family, they were a clan that had risen in Black Mountain County only in the last twenty years.

And before their rise, it was said that Wang Kui himself was merely a Rogue Cultivator who roamed the mountains and forests, hunting demons for a living, with no notable background.

It seemed, then, that while cultivating the Gui Yuan Technique was quite perilous and difficult, once mastered, its power was indeed not to be underestimated.

At the very least, within the bounds of Black Mountain County, it could be called invincible among the same cultivation rank.

Seeing Lu Yang lost in thought, Xu Ya did not rush him to make a decision, nor did she exaggerate the benefits of the Gui Yuan Technique.

After laying out the pros and cons, she simply stood there quietly, waiting for him to decide.

To buy or not to buy—it was entirely up to Lu Yang.

He did not keep her waiting long. After a few breaths, he decisively made his choice.

"I'll take this Gui Yuan Technique." Twelve one-hundred-tael Silver Notes were laid neatly on the table.

"Thank you for your patronage."

After a brief exchange, Lu Yang tucked the copy of the Gui Yuan Technique into his bosom and left the Qianfeng Merchant Association.

When he arrived, he had been a minor wealthy man carrying twelve hundred taels in Silver Notes. When he left, he was stripped clean, with barely enough money left for a meal.

Sighing over how quickly silver slipped through his fingers, Lu Yang also resolved in his heart that if he had no business, he would never set foot in the Qianfeng Merchant Association again.

There were too many good things—the feeling of seeing something you couldn't afford was truly unbearable.

Returning to his lodgings, Lu Yang took out the copy and began to cultivate according to the meridian pathways recorded within.

The entire process went smoothly. After using the wisp of true qi within him to open the initial meridian route, that wisp of true qi imperceptibly thickened and grew richer.

Even his state of mind became calmer and more stable as he circulated the technique.

He meditated and cultivated through the night, and when morning came, he felt no drowsiness—instead, he was refreshed and clear-headed.

Lu Yang rose to his full height, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"As expected of a technique said to be at least Black-grade, high-tier in its complete form—it truly lives up to the eight words 'vast and grand, balanced and harmonious.'"

But Lu Yang knew this was only the initial step of guiding true qi along the meridian routes recorded in the technique.

In other words, this was merely the entry level.

To fully master it, he would need to use a secret method to guide demonic qi into his body, temper his blood and qi, and open the major acupoints.

This process was like dancing on the edge of a blade—extremely perilous.

It was rare for a technique with such balanced and harmonious true qi properties to have a cultivation process as dangerous as walking a tightrope.

However, for Lu Yang, none of this mattered.

With the system by his side, as long as he had enough Experience Points, he could ensure a flawless breakthrough in his cultivation, with absolutely no risk.

Thus, while the Gui Yuan Technique was extremely dangerous for others—one misstep could lead to death or disability—for him, these dangers simply did not exist.

The only trouble was that cultivating the technique required a sufficient amount of demonic qi.

Clearly, whether for training the technique or raising his cultivation level, he could not stop hunting demons in the days ahead.

After breakfast, he reported for duty at the Constable Office, then removed his blade, changed into a set of comfortable civilian clothes, and wound his way through the streets and alleys until he reached Black Stone Alley.

At the mouth of the alley, as always, squatted a row of ragged beggars holding out their bowls.

Peering into the alley, everything seemed shrouded in a dark haze, indistinct and unclear.

"Master, spare a coin!"

Seven or eight beggars swarmed around him nimbly, tugging at Lu Yang's pant legs and raising their broken bowls to beg for money.

"Smack!"

Lu Yang slapped one of the beggars on the back of the head and cursed with a laugh, "Daring to feel around for money on me, Sheng San? Half a month gone, and you've grown some nerve, huh?"

Hearing Lu Yang's voice, the beggar jolted, and the loose silver coins clutched in his hand clattered to the ground.

They were what he had stealthily fished out of Lu Yang's money pouch while the other beggars were pulling at him.

This was a common trick used by the swindlers of Black Mountain County.

These beggars in front of him were considered relatively 'clean'—they only stole money and didn't resort to worse deeds.

Such was the way of the world. As a constable, Lu Yang had naturally dealt with these kinds of lowlifes plenty of times before.

"Heavens, my Brother Yang, what a blunder—great water has flooded the Dragon King's temple!"

"Why aren't you wearing your brigandine or carrying your blade today?"

"I heard you got promoted a few days ago—congratulations, congratulations!"

As he spoke, Sheng San's face broke into a broad grin. He scooped up the handful of loose silver from the ground and respectfully placed it back in front of Lu Yang.

"Heh."

"Don't give me that clowning around."

Lu Yang's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Stealing another's property—by the Great Jun Legal Code, I could haul you lot away right now."

"Hehehe, don't do that!"

Sheng San laughed. "If you've got something to say, just give us brothers the word. Would Third refuse Brother Yang face? Don't keep scaring us with the law code—the moment I think about the yamen, my calves start cramping up."

Lu Yang smiled, unhooked his money pouch, and dangled it in front of Sheng San.

"I do have a small matter for you to handle. Do it well, and this silver is yours. Fail, and it's the old rule—see you at the yamen."

Sheng San snatched the pouch, stared at the gleaming silver inside, and grinned from ear to ear.

"You're too kind, Brother Yang, too kind!"

"Just say the word—what is it? As long as Third can do it, I won't refuse!" Sheng San straightened his back and thumped his chest in a vow.

Lu Yang leaned in and whispered, "Here's the thing..."

Sheng San blinked, then nodded. "Don't worry, leave it to your little brother."

For seven or eight days straight, all was calm.

Lu Yang spent most of his time in his room cultivating, occasionally stepping out to personally check on the movements of the major families.

On the cultivation front, after the most basic meridian circulation paths were opened, the Gui Yuan Technique hit a bottleneck.

The growth rate of his internal qi was as slow as a crawling tortoise—even slower than before he'd started practicing the Gui Yuan Technique.

Lu Yang knew this was because he hadn't used the secret method to guide demonic energy into stimulating his body's major acupoints.

The major families were also business as usual—no anomalies in their many holdings.

On the morning of the ninth day, just after the curfew lifted, Sheng San came rushing to his door in a panic.

"Brother Yang, I've got news." The beggar raised his arm and wiped the sweat from his brow in a rough swipe. Without standing on ceremony, he grabbed the teapot from Lu Yang's table and took a big gulp straight from the spout.

Lu Yang looked at the now-grimy teapot with a hint of resignation. "Go on, what happened?"

Sheng San hurriedly said, "It's the Wang Family. They seem to be shipping a batch of goods out of the city soon."

He lowered his voice instinctively and added:

"That cargo... it's a bit fishy..."