Ten Perfect Steps

In Chen Bin's home.

The dim yellow oil lamp flickered with a faint glow, the bean-sized flame dancing restlessly, casting Chen Bin's shadow against the wall in shifting, indistinct shapes.

Chen Bin sat at a slightly worn wooden table, his brows lightly furrowed, his gaze locked tightly onto the booklet in his hands.

The pages of the booklet were faintly yellowed, exuding a subtle, aged scent.

"Ten Perfect Steps?"

Chen Bin murmured softly, his voice unusually clear in the silent room.

The Ten Perfect Steps were a collective term for ten common footwork techniques among the folk martial arts of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

His fingers gently traced the pages as he turned them one by one. Above, there were not only textual explanations but also illustrations:

One Circle Tai Chi Step—footwork light and airy, like the flow of Tai Chi, containing an endless sense of harmony.

Two Forms Yin Yang Step—one step Yin, one step Yang, blending hardness and softness, concealing the subtlety of Yin-Yang transition.

Three Powers Alternating Step—imitating the momentum of Heaven, Earth, and Man, the footwork possessing a unique rhythm.

Four Symbols Cyclic Step—rooted in the Four Symbols, cycling endlessly, unceasing in motion.

Five Elements Plum Blossom Step—like plum blossoms in bloom, the footwork shifting unpredictably across five positions.

Six Directions Intersecting Step—the six directions interweave and intersect, making it difficult to anticipate.

Seven Stars Dipper Movement Step—like the handle of the Big Dipper turning, the footwork eerie and strange.

Eight Trigrams Circling Step—moving along the Eight Trigrams positions, circling round and round, as if drawing the enemy into an endless maze.

Nine Palaces Flying Step—shuttling within the Nine Palaces grid, incredibly fast, like flying.

Ten Perfect Combination Step—then merging the first nine footwork techniques into one, forming a unique martial arts system.

Chen Bin spent half an hour flipping through the pages carefully, his gaze focused and earnest, leaving no detail unchecked.

Finally, he noticed an extra line on the panel before him.

[Martial Arts]: Ten Perfect Steps (Not Yet Started, 0/50)

Seeing only a little over four hundred Merit, Chen Bin's brow instantly furrowed, his face full of difficulty.

He let out a light sigh, thinking to himself: Looks like I need to find a way to earn some Merit.

The next morning at dawn.

Chen Bin reached out and pushed open the courtyard gate.

He casually found a breakfast stall by the roadside, ate a few simple bites, then headed toward the direction of the Demon Suppression Division office.

Soon, Chen Bin arrived at the pitch-black gate of the Demon Suppression Division.

Without any hesitation, he strode in with steady steps.

Familiar with the path, he passed through the corridor and arrived at the Training Ground.

On the Training Ground, everyone was busy with their own tasks.

Chen Bin swept his gaze over the crowd, his eyes calm, pausing on no one, and walked straight to an empty spot. He crossed his legs and sat down quietly.

After a while, a few subordinate Officers hurried over to him: "Sir, the Captain is looking for you!"

Chen Bin nodded slightly, his expression composed, and slowly rose, heading toward Kang Ronghao's office.

Seeing Chen Bin enter, Kang Ronghao immediately spoke: "I heard you chopped down two more Tiger Demons yesterday?"

"All credit goes to the County Office," Chen Bin replied with a calm expression.

Kang Ronghao let out a light snort through his nose and pressed further: "And the 'Demon Sealing Ornament'?"

Just as I thought!

Chen Bin mused inwardly.

He looked up at Kang Ronghao, his face serene, and said: "It shattered during the fight. Everyone at the County Office saw it."

"You're the new Lieutenant. According to the rules, your task for the next three days is night patrol."

Kang Ronghao's gaze swept over Chen Bin, then he continued, "You can go back now. Just come here tonight for the patrol."

The Demon Suppression Division's night patrol was quite similar to the night watch duty handled by the County Office.

It started at Xu hour (7 PM) and ended at Yin hour (5 AM).

Nighttime was always a dangerous period when demons and monsters frequently appeared.

Though Chen Bin felt some reluctance, he showed no sign of resistance. Or rather, in this world, he simply couldn't resist.

A superior's lawful orders were one of the rules that absolutely could not be violated.

Just like this time—starting a new Lieutenant with night patrol was already a standing regulation of the Wanbao County Demon Suppression Division.

Chen Bin left the room and walked straight toward the gate.

As he passed the Training Ground, a figure suddenly blocked his path.

This person was a White Officer at the Bone Refining Realm, tall and burly, like a small mountain.

Yet at this moment, his eyes were bloodshot, the rims red—clearly, he had just been crying.

A man's tears fall sparingly, but what did that have to do with him?

Chen Bin thought to himself, but seeing someone blocking his path made him frown slightly.

A flicker of displeasure passed through his eyes, and he said coldly, "Are you looking for death?"

To everyone present, a White Officer daring to block a Captain's path—if that wasn't asking for death, what was?

But this man didn't have a Red Name overhead, so Chen Bin had no immediate reason to draw his blade.

Thud!

What Chen Bin hadn't expected was that the man would drop to his knees with a "thud" right in front of him.

White Officer Zhang He prostrated himself on the ground, his voice carrying a note of sincerity as he shouted loudly:

"White Officer Zhang He requests to follow the Captain!

Even if it's just as a White Officer, I am willing."

Brother, you're already a White Officer!

Chen Bin's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Zhang He and asked:

"You want to follow me?"

"Yes! Please take me in, Captain." Zhang He's tone was firm.

Chen Bin narrowed his eyes again, his gaze full of doubt, and pressed further: "Why?"

Zhang He slowly rose but remained kneeling as he said, "I come from Nanxi Village."

Nanxi Village?

Chen Bin's mind instantly conjured those children who had never been found, but now they no longer existed.

Chen Bin thought to himself and said aloud, "You've come for revenge?"

Back then, he had cut through them like chopping vegetables—now only those husks remained of the entire Nanxi Village.

"No!" Zhang He quickly shook his head and explained, "I've come to thank you, Captain, for avenging me."

He had seen those husks before; as a White Officer mixed in the Demon Suppression Division, he naturally knew the true cause of their deaths.

This matter couldn't be pinned on the other party.

Once possessed, death was the only end.

On the contrary, the other party had prevented the people of Nanxi Village from leaving the village to eat people, making him the village's great benefactor.

He had granted them a measure of dignity, sparing them from the world's scorn and curses.

Chen Bin gently shook his head, his expression complex.

He sidestepped, moving past Zhang He, and continued walking toward the gate, saying flatly, "You're not qualified."

"Why?" Zhang He, seeing this, hurriedly reached out and grabbed Chen Bin's sleeve, his face full of unwillingness.

"Follow me, and you'll die. Leave some seed for Nanxi Village."

With that, Chen Bin stepped forward, and Zhang He's hand was shaken off effortlessly.

He simply couldn't stop Chen Bin.

But Zhang He gritted his teeth, got up, and followed him out.

Chen Bin sensed Zhang He's pursuit but paid it no mind, heading straight home to rest, preparing for the night patrol.

In the afternoon.

Men from the County Office delivered a hundred taels of silver, saying Chen Chong had sent it as a reward for killing the tiger.

Chen Bin didn't refuse; he accepted it openly—after all, it was what he deserved.

Weighing the silver in his hand.

Chen Bin felt that handing over that tiger head to the Demon Suppression Division had indeed been a huge loss.

As he closed the door, he caught a glimpse of Zhang He standing guard at the entrance with a horizontal blade. His gaze lingered only briefly before he shut the door and went back to rest.