Strongman

The Eastern and Western Markets were Changping County's largest market districts.

Their areas were roughly the same.

The market streets crisscrossed in every direction, lined with every manner of shop.

Grain, salt, and cloth shops; bookstores and clinics; taverns and teahouses; brothels and inns, and on and on!

Fortune-tellers, letter-writers, candied hawkers, sellers of mountain goods and wild game, street performers, and those who sold both their arts and themselves...

In short, they had everything under the sun.

The Eastern Market, however, was not within Su Mo's jurisdiction, so he rarely came here.

After wandering around for half the day, he still could not find the Imperial Guard's hideout tucked away in whatever corner.

Su Mo frowned. Seeing a young man dressed like a scholar pass by, he cupped his hands. "Brother, might I ask for directions?"

The young scholar frowned at Su Mo, then replied, "Speak freely."

Su Mo smiled. "Brother, do you know where the Imperial Guard office is?"

The young scholar's expression changed abruptly, and he looked at Su Mo as though he had seen a ghost!

The next second, he turned and left, walking faster and faster!

Su Mo stood alone, a mess in the wind.

The Imperial Guard's fearsome reputation was truly that terrifying!

Still, even his third uncle had gone pale at the sight of the Imperial Guard, let alone ordinary people.

It seemed asking for directions would not work.

There was no phone navigation in ancient times, either...

Just then, two large horses came galloping down the street, and the nearby pedestrians scattered in fright.

Su Mo blinked.

What a coincidence!

Weren't the two men in brocade robes, whom the passersby had avoided, the Imperial Guard cavalrymen who had fought the dried corpse at Locust God Temple?

Without hesitation, Su Mo secretly followed them!

The two Imperial Guard men did not travel far. After turning through several streets, they dismounted.

An utterly ordinary-looking walled residence appeared before Su Mo's eyes.

"This is the Imperial Guard office?"

Su Mo was somewhat dumbfounded.

It looked like an ordinary private residence.

Other than its three-meter-high walls and its somewhat larger grounds, it bore no resemblance whatsoever to the guard station he had imagined.

Yet the broad expanse of open ground around the residence was devoid of a single pedestrian.

At least that gave it a little of the feel of Imperial Guard headquarters.

He looked at the plaque hanging above the main gates: [Great Wu Imperial Guard Centurion's Office].

Su Mo hesitated slightly, just as he was about to walk over.

Suddenly, with a swish, the back of his neck went cold.

Lowering his head, he saw a gleaming blade already pressed against his throat.

The blade was sharp, its tip flat, its spine carved with a blood groove!

An Imperial Guard standard-issue saber!

Damn it!

The back of his neck again!

Could they show some martial virtue and stop launching sneak attacks from behind!

No one had been visible just now. Where had this person even sprung from?

"What are you doing here? Speak!"

A stern shout came from behind him!

The saber against his neck sent chills into his bones. Judging by its sharpness, Su Mo had no doubt that with one pull from the other man, his fine head would part company with him.

This was no joking matter!

Su Mo took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Su Mo, White Servant of the County Yamen's Fast Squad!"

"I have business with Captain Lin, Lin Moyin!"

"What?" The man behind him was visibly taken aback, and the saber at Su Mo's neck lifted slightly.

"You seek Captain Lin?"

"For what matter?"

"Do you have an official document or seal?"

Gao Xin's tone had eased considerably.

The Imperial Guard Centurion's Office.

As its name implied, its highest-ranking leader was Captain Lin, Lin Moyin!

He himself was merely a lowly black-clothed Strongman, one of the Imperial Guard's lowest-ranking soldiers, responsible for sentry and guard duties.

To outsiders, he was naturally an impressive figure.

Before an Imperial Guard Centurion, however, he was no different from an ant!

Above him were Red-Robed Colonels, Squad Leaders, Banner Chiefs, probationary centurions...

An official one rank higher could crush a man to death, let alone someone so many ranks above!

This greenhorn who had barged into the guard station's security perimeter opened his mouth and demanded to see an Imperial Guard Centurion. Who knew what sort of background he had? How could Gao Xin not be deeply wary?

Most crucially, the man had spoken Captain Lin's name outright!

Though it was not some classified secret, how could an ordinary person possibly know it?

Hearing the question, Su Mo frowned.

What proof did he have?

Seeing that Su Mo did not speak, Gao Xin immediately grew wary again.

The saber pressed down a little farther as he lowered his voice and asked again, "Do you have an official document or seal?"

Su Mo could only take the Golden Lock from his money pouch and pass it backward to the man behind him. "Just give this Golden Lock to Captain Lin."

Gao Xin accepted the Golden Lock and examined it. Its craftsmanship was exquisite; one glance showed it was an item used by a wealthy household.

Naturally, ordinary households could not afford something made of gold.

The Golden Lock was certainly not an official document or seal.

It was a token!

Generally speaking, a token was far more serious than an official document or seal!

Without a close relationship, where would one get such a token?

Gao Xin could not help swallowing hard!

Imperial Guard sentry regulations required teams of two, three teams to a unit, with open and hidden posts supporting one another.

Gao Xin handed the Golden Lock to the colleague beside him, then gave him a look.

The other Strongman on duty hurried into the guard station with the Golden Lock.

More than a hundred zhang away, Chen Hu hid himself. Cold sweat seeped unconsciously across his forehead as he gulped repeatedly.

Su Mo had known he would be wanted by the authorities, yet he had still dared return to Changping County.

Chen Hu had known then that the boy had guts.

But he had never imagined those guts would be this enormous!

That was Imperial Guard territory!

A terrifying existence that even Great Wu's officials, including the high ministers at court, went pale at the mention of.

Because the Imperial Guard existed specifically to deal with them!

Even officials feared the Imperial Guard, let alone ordinary people!

How many gall bladders did this Su Mo have, and how huge were they, for him to dare enter Imperial Guard territory!

Su Mo was frightened too!

Anyone with such a sharp blade pressed to his neck would not be any calmer than Su Mo!

Su Mo could even smell the faint scent of blood wafting from the blade.

This was a blade that had tasted blood!

As for whose blood, there was no need to say.

In any case, it could not have been chicken, duck, or dog blood.

"Brother!"

Su Mo took a deep breath. "You've already been given the token."

"Could you move the blade a little farther away?"

"If your hand slips or trembles, that would be no joke!"

Gao Xin snorted heavily. "Behave yourself!"

Su Mo could only shut his mouth resentfully.

He felt a little regretful.

The mission had not said he absolutely had to personally hand the Golden Lock to Lin Moyin.

But it had not said he could have someone else deliver it either, had it?

What if it did not count as him completing the mission? Then he would be losing out badly!

Fortunately, Su Mo did not have to agonize over it for long.

A translucent mission prompt window suddenly popped up before him.

[Mission: The Lost Golden Lock, completed!]

[Reward: Favorability +10%!]

[Reward: Changping County Fast Squad Fast Hand Regular Servant (pending distribution)]

[Reward: Imperial Guard Strongman (pending distribution)]

Seeing the mission prompt, Su Mo froze.

It was completed just like that?

The Golden Lock had already reached Lin Moyin's hands?

His favorability had only increased by 10%?

Last time, he had crouched behind the statue to watch the show, and she had merely glanced at him. Yet it had dropped a full 20%, down to the dangerous negative value of 30%.

In other words, in that Female Captain's eyes, he was still more loathsome than likable!

There were three rewards!

Su Mo looked at the second reward.

It was actually a Fast Hand Regular Servant of the Fast Squad!

The greatest goal he had had when he first transmigrated!

His heart immediately settled.

Done!

He was currently a man awaiting punishment.

If he could be promoted from a White Servant to a Regular Servant, then the case of him injuring Leper Zhou was ninety percent no longer a problem.

The meaning of pending distribution was easy enough to understand.

To be promoted to a Regular Servant, procedures had to be followed.

The system could not simply say he had been promoted and make him a Regular Servant on the spot!

Most likely, it would only be settled after Lin Moyin made her move.

That Female Captain did know how to repay kindness. Though she bore ill feelings toward him, she still helped him become a yamen Regular Servant. She clearly distinguished gratitude from grudges.

Su Mo's gaze fell upon the third reward.

Then his eyes instantly went wide as saucers!

Imperial Guard Strongman???!!!