A Salted Fish Still Has to Turn Over

"That hit the spot!"

After eating and drinking their fill, Old Liu patted his belly and went to settle the bill. He borrowed the innkeeper's fire to light his pipe and began puffing away.

Naturally, he was smoking the innkeeper's tobacco.

It was obvious that having two women called over to eat and drink with them had put him in quite a good mood.

Xiang Yuan followed behind him with a helpless look on his face.

Seeing his expression, Old Liu's wife remained composed, as if she had plenty of experience with this sort of thing. Old Liu's daughter, however, was different. At eleven or twelve, she was just reaching the age of understanding. The thin-skinned little girl blushed furiously and walked at the very front.

"You two head back first. I'll take Xiang Yuan back to the yamen."

After bidding farewell to his wife and daughter, Old Liu continued leading Xiang Yuan through the streets with his pipe in hand. So that Xiang Yuan could quickly familiarize himself with Fengxian County's roads, he deliberately took a long detour.

Not only did they take the long way around, but they stopped and started along the way as Old Liu taught him the practical experience of being a constable.

"Fengxian County is huge, especially East Street. That trade route runs straight north and south, twenty zhang wide, deep into the heart of the Southern Border. Carts and horses travel it without cease, and every inch of land occupied by the shops on either side is worth a fortune. Making a fortune every day is nothing unusual there, but unfortunately, all the tax silver gets taken by the imperial court. The Fengxian Office doesn't see any of it. Otherwise, we could get a little of the benefit too..."

"Don't go too deep into East Street. The surrounding area is full of powerful families, with forces from all over the world gathered there. They have their own rules inside, and it's not easy for us to make arrests there. Even if we catch someone, it'll only bring trouble. If anything goes wrong, Six Doors will handle it."

"Generally speaking, we only handle the western part of the county seat. The major villages and estates outside the city have Bao Yi Lang appointed by the court. They're all local gentry, clans, powerful figures, and capable people. They have clans if they need manpower and methods if they need methods. They'll take care of the miscellaneous matters outside the city themselves."

"You're young and strong, right at the best age for martial arts. If you have some spare money, you can take a look around the shops on East Street..."

When it came to explaining the rules to a newcomer, Old Liu was quite reliable. He introduced Xiang Yuan to several good places.

Forget Sword Manor's weapons were sharp, while White Cloud Manor's Pills had miraculous effects. Heroes of the martial world praised them endlessly, and Six Doors also maintained a long-term partnership with those two establishments.

Whether weapons or Pills, they had always been monopoly goods tightly controlled by the imperial court, with immense interests at stake. The fact that these two could openly sell them, with shops spread across Western Chu and business reaching even Northern Qi and Southern Jin, showed just how enormous their influence was.

"Remember to compare prices at three different shops. Whatever price the other places quote, that's how much silver you should offer. Once goods leave the counter, there are no refunds. Quite a few martial heroes have been fleeced by them."

So that was it!

Hearing Old Liu's words, Xiang Yuan suddenly understood. No wonder Instructor Lu had warned them again and again. So he had been taken for a ride before.

"It's already night, so it's not a good time to visit East Street. When we have time someday, I'll take you there during the day to look around and get familiar with the place, so you don't offend someone you shouldn't."

As night fell, Fengxian County gradually quieted down. Every household shut its doors, and the gates were tightly locked.

From afar, Xiang Yuan seemed to hear noisy clamor coming from the direction of East Street.

It really was a trade route that brought in fortunes every day!

"That place is the most prosperous. The girls in the pleasure houses are the most beautiful in all Fengxian County..."

Old Liu put away his pipe and glanced toward East Street, a hint of envy flickering in his eyes.

But that envy was quickly suppressed by his self-awareness.

What fate does not grant, one should not force. That was the way to keep oneself alive!

County Yamen, the constables' quarters.

Xiang Yuan shut the doors and windows, then sat cross-legged on the bed. As he rested with his eyes closed, he sorted through everything he had seen and heard that day.

He knew being a constable was not a good livelihood; it was the sort of job that could leave grass growing over one's grave. Otherwise, the imperial court would not specifically raise dogs to replenish its losses. Yet seeing the treatment Fengxian County's constables received, he could not help but entertain a few fantasies.

The pay was decent, the benefits were all right, and most importantly, it was an official position.

He figured that having been shaped by the age of information, watched over a thousand episodes of Detective Conan, Approaching Science, and Justice Bao, and learned a little astronomy, chemistry, and physics, he was absolutely the sort with extraordinary talent if he became a constable.

At the very least, in terms of knowledge and experience, he was far ahead of the other four youths who had arrived with him.

Then Old Liu woke him up to reality.

The whole world valued martial arts, and fists ruled supreme.

Heavenly Sword, Heavenly Blade, and Heavenly Martial were powerful enough to cause trouble everywhere, beyond the imperial court's control.

Forget Sword Manor and White Cloud Manor were powerful enough to openly sell deadly weapons and Pills, also beyond the imperial court's control.

In miniature, Fengxian County was no different. East Street governed itself. If a murder occurred there, the local constables could only turn a blind eye, then turn the other eye as well. Only Six Doors could enter to investigate, relying on the principle of being "roughly proficient with fists and feet, with a slight understanding of staffs and clubs."

"If one day I become the Green Emperor, I will make the Peach Blossoms bloom together."

Xiang Yuan muttered under his breath. He wanted to practice martial arts and become someone like Immortal on Land. One day, he would make the imperial court turn a blind eye to him, then turn the other eye as well.

After venting his lofty ambitions, he turned practical and focused on the present. He silently recited the Six-Character Breathing Technique and launched an assault on the Shenque Acupoint of the Ren Meridian.

Two hours later, Xiang Yuan stopped cultivating in mental exhaustion.

The Six-Character Breathing Technique really was useful and could be called a "true transmission," but his own spiritual strength was insufficient. He lacked the power to guide qi with intent, wasting the excellent foundation that "Xiang Yuan" had laid down for him.

"If only I had spare money to buy a supporting Pill..."

He fell silent for a moment, then calmed himself and steeled his resolve. "What I picked up will never truly be mine. Starting from the beginning is what will make it mine!"

Xiang Yuan gave up using qi to strike at the Shenque Acupoint. Instead, he employed the most basic seated meditation method to temper his spiritual strength and will. Once he had reached completion, he would traverse the Ren Meridian again.

At midnight, Xiang Yuan stopped meditating because of a headache. Staring blankly, he said, "My head hurts so much. Is this Head Sickness chronic too?"

He had thought the Head Sickness was a side effect of transmigration, and that once the memory fragments had mostly fused, the illness would be cured. Only after diligently cultivating did he realize that the Head Sickness was long-term. That fever had burned his brain damaged.

"I..."

"Am mentally disabled?!"

That discovery left Xiang Yuan deeply panicked.

He did not say it aloud, but he had been holding in a breath of frustration. In his previous life, he had given up in the face of life. Now that he had another chance, he wanted to take a gamble in this life.

On the grand scale, a person ought to have ambitions. On the smaller scale, he was already here.

Even a salted fish had to turn over!

But the Head Sickness kept recurring, leaving him unable even to make a try.

"Other transmigrators all have Golden Fingers. Fine, I don't have one, but why is even my body defective?"

"Don't panic. This world is vast. Mental disability can be treated with medicine. As long as I can save up some startup funds, I can go to East Street and buy Pills. A little defect will be cured as soon as the medicine is taken."

"But I still owe two debts..."

Xiang Yuan sadly realized that he had fallen into the same predicament as in his previous life—poverty!

The next day, Xiang Yuan, who had not slept well all night, was awakened by his body clock.

His body might be mentally disabled, but "diligence" had already seeped into his bones. Before dawn, he climbed out of bed, washed up briefly, drew his saber, and began practicing the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber in the open space before his door.

He practiced for a full hour.

"Xiang Yuan, are you up yet..."

Old Liu strode over quickly. Seeing steam rising from Xiang Yuan's body and realizing he had already practiced his saber techniques for quite some time, he changed his words. "Stop practicing. Can you ride a horse?"

"I know a little."

The Martial Arts School had taught horsemanship. After fusing the relevant memory fragments, Xiang Yuan was in a Schrödinger state between knowing and not knowing how to ride.

"That'll do. Put away your saber and come get a horse with me."

"What happened? Why the rush?"

"There's a case!"