Pure Yang Art

Chen Bin knew it well.

The powerful men were about to discuss matters that he had no business involving himself in, so he quickly withdrew.

After Chen Bin left, Wang Sheng's expression turned stern. "What does that old thing on South Mountain want?"

Kang Ronghao hurriedly rose and cupped his hands. "My lord, he wants us to hand over the culprit."

"Ha!" Wang Sheng sneered, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes. "He's got some nerve making that demand.

What do you all think?"

"We think we should request reinforcements from the Hundred Households Office," Small Banner Liu Wei stepped forward and suggested.

He, too, had been parachuted in from the Hundred Households Office in Dongyang Prefecture, and was one of Wang Sheng's confidants.

"Difficult!" Small Banner Wu Jingchuan shook his head helplessly and sighed. "Ever since the battle at Yan Nan Lake, it's been hard for our Dongyang Prefecture to stand against those demons."

At the mention of this, everyone's faces darkened.

Ten years ago, the battle at Yan Nan Lake—

It had been the ultimate showdown between Flood Dragon Lord of Yan Nan Lake and Dongyang Prefecture.

In that battle, the Hundred Households Office in Dongyang Prefecture had been all but shattered, suffering losses of more than seventy percent.

From then on, Dongyang Prefecture had shifted from a position of parity to the defensive, falling into a passive position on all fronts.

"Enough. There's no need to panic like this." Wang Sheng sighed and reassured them. "The Hundred Households Office's Iron Order Demon Exorcist will soon be making his rounds in Wanbao County."

At the words "Iron Order Demon Exorcist," everyone's expressions varied. A glimmer of hope appeared in some of their eyes, while others looked worried.

An Iron Order Demon Exorcist at the Meridian Opening Realm joining forces with Wang Sheng, who was also at the Meridian Opening Realm, to fend off an Aperture Opening Realm Tiger Demon was indeed a viable option.

The human body was endowed with the mysteries of heaven and earth, and naturally contained meridians.

Demons, however, were different. Demonic Power filled their bodies, and they could only store it by opening their apertures.

Wang Sheng glanced over their expressions and remarked casually, "Even so, we can't let our guard down.

That old thing released four hundred Ghost Servants to possess civilians and devour their vital energy. He was clearly preparing blood sacrifices to break through to the Spirit Gathering Realm.

Now that they've all been slain, and his son is dead too, he certainly won't let this go.

Kang Ronghao, prepare a squad to go to Nanxi Village and prevent the tiger from coming down the mountain."

Kang Ronghao's expression darkened slightly, betraying his displeasure, but in the end, he didn't resist.

After all, the area south of the city was under his jurisdiction.

He gritted his teeth and cupped his hands. "Your subordinate will obey."

Chen Bin returned to the Training Ground.

Sunlight streamed across the grounds as a group of constables trained.

He found a quiet spot and sat down, closing his eyes to rest.

Half an hour later, a constable hurried over. He bowed respectfully and said, "Captain Chen, the Small Banner requests your presence."

Chen Bin slowly opened his eyes, a glint flashing in them. Red Name!

He nodded, rose, and followed the constable.

When he arrived at the Small Banner's office, he saw Kang Ronghao sitting behind the desk, his expression grim.

The two faced each other. Kang Ronghao said impassively, "Starting today, you're a Captain."

With that, he casually tossed him a token. "Take this token, and you can go to the Martial Arts Pavilion."

Chen Bin reacted quickly and caught the Waist Token securely.

He looked down. The token was black and cool to the touch, with the words "Eighth-Rank Captain" engraved on one side and his name on the other.

"Thank you, my lord!"

Chen Bin cupped his hands and performed a standard official salute.

Kang Ronghao gave a mocking laugh. "Now that you're a Captain, you'll need a few full-fledged constables under you. I don't know if you have anyone in mind, so I've assigned you four."

Then he turned toward the people on his left and barked, "Huang Yong, Liu Xiaodong, Qin Zhiming, Huang Kaisheng, why haven't you greeted your superior?"

At his words, the four immediately saluted in unison, their voices ringing out. "Full-fledged constables Huang Yong, Liu Xiaodong, Qin Zhiming, and Huang Kaisheng greet Captain Chen."

Chen Bin looked at them and saw [Red Name] flickering above their heads. He gave a slight nod, accepting the arrangement.

"Each Captain can have four to six full-fledged constables under him. You can decide what to do about the remaining two."

Chen Bin nodded to show he understood.

"You did well this time. After a life-and-death mission, you'll have one day off starting tomorrow.

When you return, there'll be a new assignment for you!"

Kang Ronghao waved a hand, signaling Chen Bin to leave. "All right, go."

"Thank you, my lord." Chen Bin cupped his hands and withdrew.

He knew these men had clearly been planted by Kang Ronghao to keep an eye on him, so he paid them no mind.

After leaving the Small Banner's office, Chen Bin headed straight for the Martial Arts Pavilion.

He presented his Waist Token at the entrance and was allowed inside without a hitch.

The constable at the front desk took the token, glanced at it, and explained respectfully, "Captain, according to Lord Wang's orders, you may choose one saber technique and one Mind Method.

Which two books would you like?"

Chen Bin frowned slightly and thought for a moment before saying, "I don't know much about Martial Arts for someone about to start gathering qi. Could you give me some recommendations?"

"Captain, our Wanbao County Demon Suppression Division has nearly ten saber techniques, but only four Mind Methods," the constable explained patiently. "Since you practice the Golden Sun Body Tempering Technique, the Pure Yang Art—Qi Gathering Chapter is actually the best fit for you.

It's the continuation of the former; they're a matched set."

Chen Bin nodded, then asked, "What about the saber technique?"

The constable followed up with a question. "Do you prioritize speed, strength, or something else?"

Chen Bin touched the saber at his waist and considered it before replying, "Speed, then strength."

"We have a Wind Thunder Saber Technique. The saber strikes like thunder and moves like wind," the constable explained expertly. "What do you think, Captain?"

A satisfied glint appeared in Chen Bin's eyes. He nodded. "I'll take those two!"

"Please wait." The constable turned and quickly went upstairs. Soon, he returned with two booklets and handed them to Chen Bin to register. "Captain, you may only read them here in the Martial Arts Pavilion. You can't take them outside."

"What if I don't finish learning them?"

"If you don't finish, you can come back tomorrow. You have priority access for one month.

After that, if no one else needs them, you'll be the first to study them."

Chen Bin nodded with satisfaction. "Very good!"

With that, he signed the register, picked up the two booklets, and entered a small room on the first floor.

An hour later, Chen Bin returned the booklets and left the Martial Arts Pavilion.

"Captain?" The constable held the booklets, his face full of confusion. "You're done already?"

Chen Bin didn't answer. He returned to the Training Ground, where two white-robed constables immediately came over with ingratiating smiles.

Now that Tian Jie was dead and his lackeys were gone, Chen Bin was all alone.

The two white-robed constables clearly wanted to become full-fledged constables. One of them cautiously held out a purse of silver and said with a fawning smile,

"Captain, we heard you're recruiting full-fledged constables. What do you think of us?"

Many people on the Training Ground noticed what was happening, but everyone was already used to this sort of thing.

Chen Bin looked up at their heads and saw no Red Names, so he patiently asked, "Do you really want to become my subordinates?"

"Of course, Captain Chen. After all, we used to be colleagues."

One of them smiled as he spoke. Back when he and Chen Bin had both been white-robed constables, they'd even gone on a mission together.

It had been dangerous, and he'd even pushed Chen Bin in front of himself!

"I see." Chen Bin smiled and said honestly, "I killed South Mountain Lord's tiger cub last night. Are you still willing to work under me?"

"Huh?" The two were startled, then hesitated.

Their expressions said it all.

"In that case, you can go." Chen Bin waved them away.

The two felt as if they'd been granted a pardon and hurriedly turned to leave.

Chen Bin actually didn't want them to die for nothing. After all, there were no Red Names above their heads.

As for the four Kang Ronghao had foisted on him, he'd already put them on his death list.