Reincarnated as a Young Constable

The old room was simply furnished, without any unnecessary decorations. A pale-faced youth lay on an antiquated bed.

The youth looked about sixteen or seventeen. He was handsome, with a face whose sharp, cool contours clashed beautifully with its softness. But now he was utterly bloodless, looking as if he were at death's door.

"Cough, cough..." A faint cough sounded. The youth weakly opened his eyes, confusion and bewilderment showing in them.

Ye Yun had been a well-educated young socialist in the twenty-first century. While climbing a mountain, he had stepped on empty air and felt himself falling. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a sea of mist, and that state lasted for quite some time.

Ye Yun had no idea when his consciousness had fallen asleep. When he opened his eyes again, an old-fashioned bed frame met his gaze.

"Ugh..." His whole body ached, and he didn't have an ounce of strength.

Just as he tried to recall what had happened, his brain throbbed as if pierced by needles, and even his soul trembled.

The pain came from deep within his soul, leaving Ye Yun's body taut and drenched in cold sweat.

"Creak." The door opened, and an old servant walked in carrying a bowl of medicinal soup. Seeing Ye Yun awake, he immediately asked after his condition, his worry plainly genuine.

As the needle-like pain in his head eased, Ye Yun came to his senses and realized that he had transmigrated—his soul had crossed over. He had just merged with the previous owner's memories, and learned that the old servant before him was Uncle Fu, who had cared for him since childhood. They were as close as grandfather and grandson.

Ye Yun had been born into an official family. His grandfather had been a Fourth-Rank Commandant under the Old General of the Great Zhou Dynasty. But after being gravely injured in the battle at Yun Mountain ten years ago, his strength had fallen from the Third Rank to the Sixth Rank.

Just as the old man resigned from office and retired to his hometown, he was ambushed on the way. Not one of his companions survived.

Worse still, that very night, beneath a moonless sky, the Ye Family was slaughtered to the last.

Ye Yun's father, Ye Chen, had been a playboy who loved nothing more than visiting houses of pleasure. That night, he had been carousing with friends at the Wind and Moon Pavilion, and so escaped the massacre.

When he returned that night and saw his whole family slaughtered, their corpses strewn everywhere, he was overcome with grief.

Ye Yun was only six at the time. Worried about his son, Ye Chen searched frantically through the courtyard, but couldn't find his body.

"Heh heh heh. Just as I expected, there's a fish that slipped through the net. Hand over the True Martial Secret Manual, and we'll leave you with your whole corpse."

Just then, several figures in black clothes emerged and surrounded Ye Chen.

Though Ye Chen had been a playboy, he had considerable talent for martial arts. At a young age, he had already reached the Seventh Rank.

Under the assault of several black-clad men, Ye Chen fought back desperately, barely holding his own. But as time went on, his Essence Qi inevitably ran low, and he gradually fell to a disadvantage.

Fighting as he retreated, Ye Chen made his way from the Ye residence to the back mountain, with the black-clad men close on his heels. By the time he reached the cliff, he had already been slashed several times.

With his enemies closing in, he leapt off the cliff and vanished from sight. From then on, no one knew whether he was dead or alive.

That night, six-year-old Ye Yun knew his grandfather was coming home, so he had begged Uncle Fu early on to take him to the street corner to welcome him. But they waited and waited, and his grandfather's carriage never appeared. Seeing that it was getting late, Uncle Fu decided to take Ye Yun home.

Ye Yun remembered how much his grandfather doted on him. He was sure the old man would bring him lots of delicious treats and fun toys.

So he insisted on waiting. But it was already late, and the streets were empty. Afraid something might happen, Uncle Fu took the young Ye Yun back to the residence.

They had just reached the outer wall when they heard the sounds of fighting and killing. Uncle Fu hurriedly carried Ye Yun into a corner and hid them both behind a pile of clutter.

Even after the sounds of fighting stopped, Uncle Fu didn't dare make a move. When he heard Ye Chen return and be surrounded by the black-clad men, Uncle Fu clamped a hand over Ye Yun's mouth, too afraid to move.

He waited until dawn before leading Ye Yun away. That was how they escaped disaster.

Ten years had passed. Ye Yun had always wanted to find the culprits and avenge his family. When he came of age, he set his heart on becoming a young constable so he could look up the case records and investigate the massacre. But he had found nothing.

Ye Yun had always been mediocre in talent. He had practiced martial arts for years, yet never entered the ranks. His inability to find the culprits was the greatest regret of his life.

If he had outstanding martial arts talent and formidable strength, he would surely have reached higher circles and uncovered the reason behind the massacre sooner, so he could avenge his family.

Ye Yun's mind was a muddle. He only remembered that a few days ago, he and several colleagues had gone with the constable to hunt down bandits. But the bandits had suddenly gained more than a dozen men. Fortunately, the constable was a martial artist who had entered the ranks. Even so, they lost several colleagues before finally driving the bandits off.

Ye Yun had also been struck by the bandit leader, a martial artist who had entered the ranks. He had been down to his last breath at the time. They carried him home and treated him carefully, and thanks to Uncle Fu's attentive care, he had managed to snatch his life back.

"Yun, you're finally awake! Is there still anywhere that hurts? You nearly scared this old servant to death. If anything had happened to you, how could I face your master in the afterlife?" Uncle Fu said sorrowfully.

"Uncle Fu, my mind's a mess right now. I want to be alone," Ye Yun said weakly.

Uncle Fu could see that Ye Yun needed to rest, so he told him, "If anything hurts, or you need anything, be sure to tell me," then left the room.

Ye Yun stared blankly at the ceiling, his thoughts a mystery. Only after a long while did he come to himself and murmur, "Forget it. Since I'm here, I'll make the best of it."

Unfortunately, the previous owner had no talent for martial arts at all. He had practiced since childhood but had never sensed Essence Qi, and so had never entered the ranks.

Although martial arts flourished throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, martial artists who had entered the ranks were exceedingly rare.

Martial arts had nine ranks. Martial artists of the Ninth, Eighth, and Seventh Ranks were lower-rank; those of the Sixth, Fifth, and Fourth Ranks were middle-rank; and those of the Third, Second, and First Ranks were upper-rank.

There were only a handful of martial artists who had entered the ranks in Chun'an County, where Ye Yun lived.

Why were there so few martial artists who had entered the ranks? First, martial arts manuals throughout the world were monopolized. Even the most basic, lowest-level manuals were beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Second, there was talent. Even if you had a martial arts manual, without the talent for martial arts, you were like Ye Yun: to this day, he had never sensed Essence Qi and could not become a martial artist who had entered the ranks.

Never underestimate a martial artist who has entered the ranks. Once they entered the ranks, their essence was stored within; their skin grew as tough as oxhide, their sinews and bones rang out, and their blood flowed like molten mercury.

When their essence was full, it overflowed into their blood, and their vital energy surged beyond their bodies. This was the Ninth Rank of martial arts.

Only the constable leading the bandit hunt had entered the ranks. His strength alone could overpower the ordinary bandits in the surrounding area.

The other constables were also skilled in martial arts. Though they hadn't entered the ranks, they had trained for many years and could even defeat fierce beasts and jackals.

Yet this very team had suffered heavy losses against ordinary bandits, and even let them escape. Something about it was definitely fishy.

Although Ye Yun had mediocre martial arts talent and had never sensed Essence Qi or entered the ranks, he had practiced diligently for years. Though he couldn't match a martial artist who had entered the ranks, he could still hold his own against ordinary martial artists.

He hadn't lasted even one move against the bandits this time. The man who had injured him was probably a Ninth-Rank martial artist.

Furthermore, at the time, the bandits had seemed completely at ease while surrounding them, and they had come and gone without a trace when they escaped. Putting all of this together, Ye Yun was certain there was more to the matter than met the eye.