Jiang Yan had thought Ren Yuan would ask him about what had happened that day, but Ren Yuan didn't bring it up at all.
Ren Yuan laid four books on the table and gestured for Jiang Yan to take a look.
Four?
Hadn't Chief Ren said there were three martial techniques?
Seeing the confusion in Jiang Yan's eyes, Ren Yuan explained, "Besides letting you choose one martial technique, there's another book about some basic questions that come up during Martial Apprentice cultivation. You can look through it. I'm sure it'll help you."
Ren Yuan handed one of the books to Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan glanced at the cover. The writing was messy, and it looked like a mass-market book.
"Chief Ren, does this book explain how to break through the Body Refining Realm?"
Jiang Yan asked casually.
Ren Yuan shook his head, his expression turning serious. "There definitely won't be anything about that in this book. The method for breaking through to the Body Refining Realm is incredibly precious. Without enough contributions, the gang would never pass it on."
"Contributions?"
"Right! Contributions. You earn them by working for the gang. Once you've accumulated enough, you can exchange them for resources, such as a position, money, cultivation methods, or Heavenly Treasures."
This was the first time Jiang Yan had heard of contribution points. He paused, then asked, "Then we earn contributions for working on the Patrol Team, too, right?"
Ren Yuan smiled. "Of course. The Patrol Team protects the village for a reason—the village pays for your work. You make money for the gang, so naturally you earn contributions."
Then he added, "That's why some veteran patrol members can leave the Patrol Team and take on safer jobs in the gang. They can use their contributions to exchange for work that suits them better."
No wonder Old Shan wanted to marry a woman and have her bear him a son. Back then, Jiang Yan had thought the Patrol Team's work was dangerous, with no guarantee you'd see tomorrow. Who would marry him?
"Then how long would I have to work on the Patrol Team to get a Body Refining cultivation method?"
Jiang Yan reined in the burning eagerness in his eyes and asked calmly.
"Hmm..."
Jiang Yan's question caught Ren Yuan off guard.
He thought for a moment. "You brat, let's not even talk about how long it'll take you to reach the peak of the Martial Apprentice stage. Just working on the Patrol Team, assuming nothing major goes wrong, it'll take about ten years."
Ten years?
A look of surprise appeared in Jiang Yan's eyes.
"Right. Ten years. That's how important a Body Refining cultivation method is."
Lowering his voice, Ren Yuan continued, "Break through the limits of the human body, develop protective Inner Qi, and advance the very nature of your life. Then you can face the strange without needing Talisman Force!"
"Tell me, are Body Refining cultivation methods important or not?"
Of course they were important. Based on Jiang Yan's understanding, once a Body Refining Realm martial artist broke through, their very essence could undergo a leap in life.
Looks like I'll have to get a good position and take on more important tasks if I want a Body Refining cultivation method. My appointment has come through, so I'll see if I can work something out.
Hmm... Besides that, I should see if there's a way to get a cultivation method from outside the sect.
As he listened to Ren Yuan, Jiang Yan's thoughts raced.
At last, he looked at the three martial techniques on the table.
The first was Fast Sword.
The second was Fast Spear.
The third was Fast Knife.
They all reeked of bargain-bin goods. In truth, once he saw the three martial techniques, he had no choice at all.
He didn't use a knife, so he wouldn't choose the third. As for the second, surely no one from Azure Planet would choose it.
No matter what, they wouldn't choose it.
That left only the first.
He picked it up and cupped his fists toward Ren Yuan. "Thank you, Chief Ren. I'm good with a sword, so I'll choose this one."
Seeing that Jiang Yan had made his choice, Ren Yuan put the other two books away and said, as if reciting a formality, "You know the gang's rules. Don't pass it on to anyone else."
Then he stood up. "Tang Long, come with me out to Yellow Alkaline Land. Let's see if there are any traces."
They were going to investigate, to see if they could find any trace left behind by Sheng Fuwu and determine whether he was missing?
Jiang Yan stayed silent. Sheng Fuwu had died in the Red Willow Woods, not far from the village. His flesh might have been shredded to bits, but his clothes, identity token, and perhaps his silver, talismans, and other belongings should still be there.
They'd find those soon enough. As for any other traces, after the torrential rain the day before yesterday, what traces could possibly remain?
Jiang Yan practiced his sword in the square.
After setting out, Ren Yuan had announced to the Patrol Team that Jiang Yan had been appointed a junior chief.
Now that the appointment had come through, more suitable and important work would naturally await him.
From now on, like Tang Long and Fei Shan, he could patrol wherever he pleased or stay stationed in the square. If a signal went up, he could rush over at once to provide support.
Of course, this job meant dealing with the strange more often, and the danger would increase.
But he didn't refuse. For one thing, he'd earn more contributions this way. For another, he'd be able to gain more Weird Value.
He knew very well what Weird Value meant to him.
Gradually, the sun sank toward the west. Ren Yuan and Tang Long still hadn't returned. Jiang Yan had thought the day would simply pass like this, but no patrol member fired a distress signal. Instead, a villager from Yuyang Village came looking for him.
A dark-skinned woman hurried over, her face anxious. "Sir, I think something strange has happened to my child!"
Seeing how young Jiang Yan was, the woman's eyes glimmered with surprise.
"Something strange?"
Jiang Yan fixed her with a sharp gaze. "Do you know what you're saying?"
There were too many strange beings in this world. Even with the Patrol Team protecting them, some still managed to sneak into places where people gathered and feast on them.
At the same time, people were far too sensitive to the strange, and afraid of it. When something bizarre happened that they couldn't explain, they blamed it on the strange.
The strange were the world's scapegoats.
Villagers often mistook things they didn't understand for signs of a strange being lurking nearby.
Actual strange beings were rare; all sorts of other things were far more common.
In the slang of Azure Planet, this was like making a false emergency call and wasting police resources.
The Patrol Team was sick and tired of it, so they'd bluntly instituted a new rule.
If there really was something strange, they'd deal with it. If there wasn't, the person had to pay.
"Sir, of course I know what I'm saying." The woman flinched under Jiang Yan's gaze, but stood her ground.
"Fine." Jiang Yan picked up his long sword and a talisman. "If you're sure, then let's go!"
After turning down several streets, Jiang Yan arrived at the woman's home.
Inside, a little boy was whimpering and crying.
A young man stood nearby, sighing, his face full of worry.
Jiang Yan stepped closer and saw a row of black pustules on the boy's arm.
The pustules were arranged in a neat line and were slowly spreading upward.
More and more pustules appeared.
The little boy's cries grew louder and louder.
After spending so much time with the Patrol Team, Jiang Yan had learned a lot more.
He brought his left hand close to the boy's arm. A faint chill brushed against it, so weak it was almost imperceptible.
This was a Black-Eyed Strange.
Its curse was called the Black Pustule Eye Curse, also known as the Insect Curse.
If it wasn't dealt with in time, pustules would begin growing on one part of the victim's body. Each pustule contained a Black Eye egg, and they would spread all the way to the eyes. By then, the victim's blood and essence would give birth to a new Black-Eyed Strange.
"This is the Black Pustule Eye Curse."
Thinking of this, he remembered how to break it: prick the uppermost pustule and kill the egg.
"Prick the pustule and take out the egg. Remember to burn it."
The Black Eye curse was the easiest to break. As long as you knew its characteristics, even an ordinary person could deal with it.
So he could simply tell the family what to do. Besides, burning the Black Eye egg probably wouldn't earn him any Weird Value. It was just... far too weak.
Shaking his head, Jiang Yan left in a hurry amid the family's grateful thanks.
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