"Oh, so that's what happened." Zhou Tao sat back down in his wooden chair, tapping his fingers against the desk as he fell into thought. Seeing this, Zhou Tong tactfully went to wait in the side room.
Not long afterward, inside the yamen office, Zhou Tao looked at Su Ye, whose body was streaked with blood. He raised a hand and waved away the two constables who had accompanied him, then asked, "What happened? Tell me everything in detail. And where did this Wolf Demon appear?"
Hearing Zhou Tao's string of questions, Su Ye slowly recounted what had happened. Naturally, he kept quiet about his transmigration and golden finger.
"My lord, that's what happened. As for anything else, this subordinate knows nothing."
When Su Ye finished, he looked toward the middle-aged man in the green robe. The man seemed to be in his forties, and information about him appeared in Su Ye's mind.
Zhou Tao, the County Lieutenant of Linshan. Though he had only taken office two years ago, he secretly diverted yamen resources to cultivate his own descendants.
His ambitions were considerable. He had been building up his own influence, but he had only been in office a few years and his foundations were still shallow, so he had accomplished little.
"Good, good. Su Ye, you've done well this time. You slew the Wolf Demon and rid the people of a menace. I won't treat you unfairly."
As he spoke, Zhou Tao looked toward Wang Jin's corpse, his face stricken with grief. "As for Wang Jin, I'll personally see to his funeral arrangements."
"You have a good aptitude for martial arts. There are still a few manuals left in the armory by the Demon Suppression Division. You may go and study them."
Zhou Tao paused, then spoke with a grave expression. "The treasury is empty at present, and as a constable, you should understand. The county's expenses are already exceeding its income."
"Some matters are more urgent than others. We'll consider rewards once the treasury is full again."
Ever since the manuals had been sent over by the Demon Suppression Division, the rules had stated that any serving constable who rendered meritorious service could go and read them at will. As for the silver reward, Zhou Tao would probably pocket it.
Su Ye thought to himself that although he was reckless, he wasn't stupid. Zhou Tao was at least at Body Tempering Layer Seven. For now, he could only swallow his anger.
The stages of martial cultivation were Body Tempering, Meridian Opening, Aperture Opening, and Core Condensation. Each realm had nine layers: the first three were early stage, the middle three were middle stage, and the last three were late stage.
He hadn't even entered the Body Tempering Realm yet, so he couldn't afford to act rashly. Su Ye kept his expression unchanged and replied calmly, "I'll follow your arrangements in everything, my lord."
Zhou Tao smiled and took a sip of tea. "Since you understand the yamen's difficulties, I won't treat you unfairly. Starting today, you'll be the yamen's fourteenth constable."
Then he added with a troubled look, "Kaoshan Town, fifty li outside the city, needs someone to take charge. You're young and capable. Would you be willing to go and hold the post for a while?"
"This subordinate has no objections."
As he left the yamen office, Su Ye pondered. In the original owner's memories, the yamen had only had eight constables five days ago. How had so many appeared in such a short time? Zhou Tao surely had no good intentions.
Something was fishy. He had only just transmigrated, so he needed to be careful. Thinking it over, Su Ye headed straight for the armory without slowing his steps.
Zhou Tao watched Su Ye's departing figure, his fingers unconsciously tapping the desk again.
Just then, Zhou Tong pushed open the door of the side room and came out, looking utterly baffled. Counting Su Ye, six constables had now been promoted to the position by his uncle.
After hesitating for a long while, he finally spoke. "Uncle, you've promoted six people to constable in less than a few days. Won't Magistrate Chen grow suspicious?"
"The Demon Suppression Division Inspector left some time ago. The Demonic Beasts will come out to feed around this time, as agreed. Those constables who don't know what's going on are in grave danger, and if anything stirs up a commotion, I'm afraid..."
"Afraid of what? Afraid that old county magistrate will flip the table and come after us?" Zhou Tao picked up the teacup on his desk, a trace of fear in his eyes. "Do as I told you. Besides, what do other people's lives have to do with you?"
A commotion was exactly what he wanted. The more disorder, the better. The Demon Suppression Division had left just five days ago, and he had accidentally discovered that the county magistrate's collusion with Demonic Beasts was only the beginning. There was something even more shocking.
He had wanted to live out his days in peace, but this matter had left him deeply unsettled. To secure his future peace, he had immediately sent his only son to catch up with the Demon Suppression Division. All he had to do was reveal everything about Linshan County.
He could claim that he had been forced to submit against his will under the county magistrate's tyranny, and thus atone for his past misdeeds. His son could also earn the Demon Suppression Division's favor and perhaps be rewarded with pills or other potent supplements. Breaking through to Meridian Opening in his lifetime would no longer be a pipe dream. And who knew? Perhaps he could even take the county magistrate's seat himself.
Su Ye soon arrived outside the armory. The shabby wooden hut hardly looked like an important place in the yamen, but the four constables standing outside convinced him he had come to the right place.
The leading constable looked at Su Ye as he approached. "Show me your document."
After a simple registration, Su Ye stepped inside. He knew there wouldn't be any particularly advanced Martial Arts in there, but free was free.
"Creak."
Sunlight streamed in through the doorway, and specks of dust drifted through the air. The room was simply furnished. Three thin booklets sat alone on a small wooden table.
[Black Fiend Saber Technique · Mortal Grade Middle Rank] Recorded
Just as he'd expected, Su Ye chuckled and shook his head. If there had been anything good, it wouldn't have been left here.
Still, these manuals and Martial Arts were just what he needed right now. Once the first was recorded, the second and third followed.
One was a movement technique, and the other was the cultivation manual Su Ye had been looking forward to: [Body Tempering Initial Giải · Mortal Grade High Rank]. It was divided into early, middle, and late stages, with each stage further divided into Minor Achievement, Great Achievement, and Perfection, corresponding to the first through ninth layers of the Body Tempering Realm.
From the manual's description, each stage could increase one's strength by hundreds of pounds, or even several hundred. More importantly, it tempered the bones and sinews.
The movement technique was [Flowing Dragon Steps]. These three Martial Arts manuals had likely been left behind deliberately by the Demon Suppression Division. Pretending to copy down [Body Tempering Initial Giải], Su Ye hurried back to his lodgings, unable to wait any longer.
The mottled earthen walls were set with a dilapidated wooden door. Su Ye pushed it open, closed it behind him, and hurried into the room according to his memories.
Under the dim oil lamp, Su Ye sat cross-legged on the bed, his mind focused on the blue interface that looked just like the game screen from his previous life. A familiar feeling rose within him.
Host: Su Ye Realm: Not Initiated Cultivation Manual: [Body Tempering Initial Giải · Mortal Grade High Rank] Not Initiated Martial Skills: [Black Fiend Saber Technique · Mortal Grade Middle Rank] Not Initiated [Mountain Splitting Saber Technique · Unranked] Perfection Movement Technique: [Flowing Dragon Steps · Mortal Grade Middle Rank] Not Initiated Assistance Points: 15
After a little thought, he didn't hesitate. He slowly poured his remaining fifteen Assistance Points into [Body Tempering Initial Giải]. A strong foundation was the most important thing he needed right now.
Spent 12 Assistance Points. [Body Tempering Initial Giải] advanced to Minor Achievement.
A rush of warmth surged through his body, nourishing him bit by bit from the outside in. His skin looked little different from before, but had become as tough as oxhide. His strength had also increased by several hundred pounds at least.
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