Sky Wind Martial Hall, County Office Recruits Bailiffs

The blazing sun hung high, the summer heat thick and heavy.

Gu Chang'an, his clothes soaked with sweat, hauled the Blood-Tusked Wild Boar on his shoulders and back, finally dragging it back to Nanjing City.

The guards at the city gate were long used to the sight of this young hunter; with only a brief glance, they let him pass.

He didn't linger, heading straight for the Hunter Gang's shop in the southern market.

The shop sat at the end of a back alley, yet it was bustling year-round, a key hub where hunters and butchers did business.

A greasy animal skin hung in front of the shop, the characters "Hunter Gang" carved into it bleached white by the sun.

As soon as he neared, someone inside recognized him: "Hunter Gu's back!"

"Hey, that's a big boar!"

Liu Hong, a minor Hunter Gang boss dozing under the eaves, lifted his eyelids, stood up, and smiled:

"Chang'an? You took down this boar alone?"

Gu Chang'an nodded and replied with a smile, "Yes, Brother Liu."

Liu Hong stroked his chin, sizing up the boar, then called out to the back:

"Someone, haul this thing in and weigh it!"

Two burly Hunter Gang men stepped forward, deftly hoisting the boar onto a large scale. With a few creaks, the scale arm slowly sank.

"Brother Liu, it's weighed: five hundred twenty-eight catties and six taels!"

"Not bad." Liu Hong nodded with a smile, then looked at Gu Chang'an. "Wild boar meat's eight coppers a catty. I'll round it up to five hundred thirty catties, total four thousand two hundred forty coppers."

Gu Chang'an was taken aback for a moment.

He'd thought he'd be lucky to get one or two thousand coppers—never expected over four thousand!

He smiled, cupped his hands, and said, "Thanks, Brother Liu. I'll take that price."

"Straightforward enough." Liu Hong patted his shoulder and had someone count out four taels of silver and two hundred forty coppers, handing them over. "Fair deal, clear accounts."

Gu Chang'an tucked the money into his chest, then pulled a plump, firm-fleshed badger from his backpack.

"Brother Liu, take this badger too."

Liu Hong gave it a quick look and nodded. "This thing's tender and tasty; the restaurants love it. I'll give you eight hundred coppers."

"Good." Gu Chang'an handed over the badger.

Liu Hong, seeing his steady demeanor and resolute eyes, felt a quiet admiration and leaned in a bit closer.

"Chang'an, you're young, but your skills are impressive. Ever think about joining the Hunter Gang?"

"I can put in a word with the boss, get you a minor leader's spot. You'd oversee a few hunters, no need to risk your life up in the mountains every day, and you'd have a steady monthly income."

Gu Chang'an thought it over briefly, then shook his head.

"Thanks for the offer, Brother Liu, but I have other plans. It's not convenient for me to join the gang."

Liu Hong didn't press further, just nodded with a smile. "Fair enough. A young man with ambition. If you change your mind, come find me anytime."

After thanking him, Gu Chang'an took his leave. The street sun was still scorching, but his steps were light, the silver gleaming in his hand, a new steadiness in his heart.

He didn't take the main road, instead winding through alleys and lanes back to his small courtyard.

The courtyard gate was slightly ajar; inside, it was cool.

He unloaded the pheasant and hare, wiped his sweat, rolled up his sleeves, and began dressing the game.

He skinned and cleaned the chicken and rabbit, chopped them into pieces for soup, and set aside a large portion for dinner.

For the rest of the clean, fresh meat, Gu Chang'an followed his usual habit, packed it into cloth bundles, and headed out.

"Aunt Xiao Cui, I got a lot today. Take this meat for you and the kids."

"Uncle Wu, this rabbit meat's nourishing. Your teeth are still good; stew it up for the best flavor."

The children ran over, surrounding him, calling out, "Uncle Gu's back!"

Gu Chang'an smiled, ruffled their heads, and handed out some dried meat strips.

Watching the neighbors take the meat with beaming faces, warmth filled Gu Chang'an's heart.

He knew this city wasn't big, and this world was dangerous, but in this little courtyard and among these few neighbors, he'd found a corner to bide his time, hide his edge, and steadily grow.

After lunch, Gu Chang'an headed to the Sky Wind Martial Hall.

The Sky Wind Martial Hall was renowned throughout Nanjing City.

Though it couldn't compare to military academies or the cultivation Noble Families, in this small Nanning County, it was the first stepping stone for hot-blooded youths and those scrabbling for survival.

The hall's floor tiles were polished shiny by years and sweat. A group of young martial artists, bare-chested, were throwing punches at wooden posts and sandbags, their fists whistling through the air.

"Ha! Ha!"

In the center of the yard, the instructor, known as Master Lü, stood like an iron pagoda—towering, with tiger-like eyes and a lion's voice—supervising from the training platform.

Gu Chang'an found a corner, sat down cross-legged, and began to breathe and circulate his energy, activating the Iron Shirt Technique. Sweat quickly beaded on his skin, and his muscles swelled faintly, hard as iron and stone.

His Qi and blood surged within, his sinews and bones ringing like metal—far denser and sturdier than when he'd first entered the training hall.

Before long, a few nearby trainees gathered to rest, and someone lowered their voice to speak:

"Have you heard? The County Office is recruiting runners, specifically to deal with the bandits that keep showing up."

"Really? I heard a merchant convoy got hit on the mountain road a few days ago, plenty of casualties."

"Of course it's true!" one young trainee said excitedly.

"And if you're from our martial school, you get priority enrollment!"

Another frowned.

"But bandits aren't easy to mess with. Word is, this time it's the Black Tiger Stockade. Their Fifth Chief, Ma Dahu, was already a late-stage Ninth-Rank martial artist a few years back. Even the constables are wary of him."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the surrounding chatter died down.

After a moment, the excited young man turned to Gu Chang'an and grinned. "Chang'an, you gonna give it a shot? You've been training pretty hard lately, right? Maybe you can snag a spot."

Gu Chang'an wiped his sweat and gave him a thoughtful look, then smiled. "Me?"

"Well, I've heard about it too... but with my current skills, if I really ran into a tough customer like Black Tiger Stockade, I'd probably be lying dead in the wilderness before I even got a good look at them."

The other urged, "Don't say that. The County Office runners all move together, right? With constables leading the way. If you really want to carve out a future, this is your chance."

Gu Chang'an fell silent.

"Runner."

It was a path he'd already considered. Enter the County Office, secure an official post, and shed his lowly "commoner" status to gain the identity of a "minor clerk."

That way, the daily increase in his physique stats would grow.

But—he looked at his calloused hands, feeling the surging yet unsteady Qi and blood within.

And the brutal scene he'd witnessed on the mountain road that day, bandits slaughtering a merchant convoy...

He knew it well.

He was still far from enough.

A man like Ma Dahu—even a single downward slash—he probably couldn't even block it.

Besides, this County Office recruitment for runners was just a way to scrape together a suicide squad, letting these temporary hires trade their lives for the officials' merits.

He wasn't foolish enough to throw his life away for nothing.

"I'm not going for now."

"Why?" The young man blinked.

"A life can be gambled for a future, but I'm not about to let them use it to fill their death rolls."

Gu Chang'an patted the other's shoulder.

"If I really want to live long, I need to get stronger first, then take that runner job."

With that, he turned and stood back in front of the sandbag, fists flying like the wind, punch after punch, heavy with force.

Each strike rang out like an iron bull ramming a bell, shaking the gazes of everyone nearby.