You Ying

After leaving the prison.

Chen Mu hurried outside.

He did not want to linger at the City Guard Main Division. The atmosphere here was truly stifling.

But just as Chen Mu circled back to the front courtyard and returned before the towering City Guard Tower, the corner of his eye caught sight of someone standing on the fourth-floor terrace. At some point, a person in a white Flying Fish Uniform had appeared there.

Though they were separated by some distance, he could still tell she was a woman, and likely quite young. Even if the legendary beauty that made fish sink and geese fall was mere flattery, it was not entirely without foundation.

"Is that the Chief Constable of the South District?"

Chen Mu took only one glance from the corner of his eye before swiftly looking away.

Of the four districts—east, south, west, and north—only the South District's Chief Constable was a woman. Yet no one dared underestimate her because of that. A Head Runner might have risen through connections, and a Runner Office official might merely be half-baked, but a Chief Constable commanded the City Guard Main Division of an entire district. Even with powerful backers, she could not possibly hold that position without strength of her own.

He could not help thinking that, beyond external martial arts such as saber and sword techniques, this world also had the rumored "Inner Method."

As far as he knew, Inner Methods did indeed exist. But both their difficulty of cultivation and their various requirements far exceeded those of external martial arts. A single dose of Medicinal Powder could easily cost dozens of taels of silver. Cultivating an Inner Method was practically burning money, which was why they had not spread widely.

Yet true experts were precisely those who cultivated Inner Methods. Even if one brought external martial arts to their peak, trained a saber technique to produce Saber Force, and became a match for ten men, that was the limit. But those who cultivated Inner Methods had deep and endless inner breath, with lasting stamina. Legend said they could become a match for a hundred men, or even a thousand!

"This Chief Constable must be an expert who cultivates an Inner Method. What a pity I can't get my hands on a method for cultivating one."

Chen Mu shook his head.

He had no interest in how beautiful the Chief Constable was. Only methods of inner cultivation mattered to him. He wondered whether the system could also use experience to forcibly stack up progress in an Inner Training Method.

His thoughts drifted somewhat, but Chen Mu quickly composed himself. At present, he should not aim too high. First, he needed to train the Whirlwind Saber Technique to Perfection, then find a way to take another step forward. Once he had some strength and standing, he could try to seek out a method of inner cultivation.

Chen Mu soon left the City Guard Main Division.

Meanwhile, Chief Constable Xu Hongyu stood on the City Guard Tower's terrace, her gaze carrying a trace of worry as she looked down over the entire City Guard. Her eyes swept past Chen Mu's retreating back without pausing. Like the yamen runners who hurried past like flowing water every day, he drew not the slightest bit of her attention.

Without stopping, Chen Mu hurried all the way home.

The City Guard Main Division was rather far from his home, and it was already getting late. Once night fell, even wearing a yamen runner's uniform would not make walking through the streets safe. He might accidentally run into something, encounter something, and become embroiled in some disaster, only to turn into an unnoticed corpse in a roadside ditch by morning.

Chen Mu quickened his pace. When he reached home, the sky was still bright, but Chen Hong had already waited as though each day were a year.

The moment she saw Chen Mu finally return, she hurried over.

"Third Aunt."

Chen Mu nodded to Chen Hong. "The Prison Warden accepted the silver. He said he wouldn't trouble Cousin too badly for a month or two, but after that, we'll have to think of another way."

Upon hearing Chen Mu's words, Chen Hong finally let out a breath of relief. "That's good, that's good..."

These past few days, she had constantly thought of rescuing him, only to hit walls everywhere, unable to find anyone willing to put in a good word. Now that she had taken a step back, it was fortunate that the Prison Warden was willing to speak reason. At least Zhang Hai's life could be preserved for now. As for a month or two later, they could only cross the bridge when they came to it.

Chen Mu helped Chen Hong sit down.

"Third Aunt, don't worry too much about this. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally go straight. Perhaps there will be a turn for the better after some time."

If Zhang Hai could have delayed getting into trouble for a while longer, then once Chen Mu became a Head Runner, he would naturally have some say in matters. If, at his age, he could cultivate Saber Force, he might even catch the eye of someone like the Chief Constable.

Then there truly might have been a chance to pull Zhang Hai out of prison. But perhaps this was the tribulation fate had decreed for him. Chen Mu had no way to deal with it for the moment, and he was not particularly willing to get dragged in either, lest it disrupt the plans he had already laid out.

Chen Hong sat there and steadied herself.

After all, she was getting on in years. Once she learned that Zhang Hai was temporarily safe, she recovered quickly.

"Mm, we can only take it one step at a time."

Chen Hong sighed as well. "I spoiled him rotten since he was little... Xiao Mu, it's getting late. Why don't you and Yue Er come to my house for a simple meal?"

Chen Mu saw a glimmer of hope in Chen Yue's eyes, but he still shook his head. "No. It's getting rather late. By the time we finish eating, it'll be night, and we'd have to stay over at Third Aunt's place. It's too much trouble."

Chen Hong waved her hand. "No trouble, no trouble. It just so happens that you can come to my house... Mm..."

As she spoke.

Chen Hong suddenly paused, as though she had recalled something. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Xiao Mu, do you still remember You Ying? She's the daughter of Xiao Hai's fourth uncle. She visited your home when you were children."

Chen Mu looked slightly blank.

That memory went back quite a long time, to before he came to this world. Still, he retained all the memories from before, though they were somewhat hazy.

Now that Chen Hong mentioned it, he searched through his mind and did find the image of a little girl.

"I remember a little. What about her?"

Chen Mu asked.

After considering it, Chen Hong said, "You Ying's father passed away last year, and she lives with me now. She's reached the age, while you've yet to start a family. I was thinking of arranging a match between you two. What do you think?"

Chen Yue blinked her eyes at the side.

Chen Mu initially wanted to refuse, but after some thought, he dredged up memories of Zhang Youying. She seemed to have been quite a cute little girl when they were young. After thinking it over, he said, "I don't intend to start a family these next two years. Besides, I haven't seen her in many years. I don't know what she's like now."

Chen Hong smiled. "She's a grown young lady now, no less than Yue Er. Mm... It's fine if you don't come today. I haven't told You Ying about this yet. I'll talk to her first when I get back."

At that.

Seeing that it truly was getting late, Chen Hong rose to take her leave. Chen Mu took Chen Yue's hand and walked her to the door.

After Chen Hong's back disappeared from view.

Chen Yue tilted her little head and looked at Chen Mu. "Brother should find a sister-in-law too."

Chen Mu shut the door and reached out to rub her head.

"No rush."

In truth, this was not the right time no matter how he looked at it. Once he had mastered his saber technique and become a Head Runner, then even if he had such thoughts, it would not hurt to choose carefully. But on second thought, once he had status, there would also be many people flocking to power and wealth. There was no harm in taking a look now.

Chen Yue said softly, "Once Brother has a sister-in-law, you won't want me anymore."

Chen Mu immediately laughed. "How could I not want you? Yue Er is the most important."

After coaxing the little girl into the house, Chen Mu entered the woodshed and continued practicing his saber.

The sky was dim.

Chen Hong quickened her pace and soon reached a broad street, then entered a courtyard.

The courtyard was not large, merely a single-compound residence. Besides the main gate, three rows of rooms formed a ring around it. Each row had four rooms, twelve in total. Though they looked somewhat old, they were still fairly clean.

The people living in such courtyards generally had neither power nor influence. They were only a little better off than the impoverished underclass. Usually, an entire family of four or five would live in one.

The instant Chen Hong entered the courtyard.

A rather greasy middle-aged man approached her with a face full of worry and asked:

"How did it go?"

He was Zhang Hai's father, somewhat well-known in the streets as Butcher Zhang. He made his living slaughtering pigs, carving bones, and cutting meat. His family did not lack food or clothing, but Zhang Hai's trouble this time had left him at the end of his rope.

After all, he was only a butcher. At most, he regularly delivered meat to the homes of certain "masters" and knew a few people from the lowest rungs of society. When it came to the City Guard or prison affairs, he had no way to help at all. Street thugs and thieves—even some gang figures—could not possibly pull someone out of prison.

As for the true masters with some power and influence, he was not qualified to beg them for help.

"Sigh."

Chen Hong sighed. She first went inside with Butcher Zhang, then explained what had happened.

When Butcher Zhang heard it, he first relaxed slightly, then sighed again. "Sigh, your nephew has been a runner for so many years, yet he truly doesn't know any important person who can say a few words for him... When your eldest brother was still alive, I told you not to let your nephew become a runner. In this world, if you have no family background, no money, and no power, being a yamen runner won't earn you silver or get you ahead. He might as well have risked his life in one of those gangs. Who knows, he might have fought his way into a little prominence."

Chen Hong wiped her tears. "Being a runner is still stable work. There's no need to seek much silver; isn't it enough to live safely and peacefully? And if not for Xiao Mu, even if we had the silver, we couldn't have delivered it into the Prison Warden's hands."

Butcher Zhang shook his head. "Enough, let's not talk about it. Go call You Ying to eat."

Before Chen Hong could leave, a girl of around sixteen or seventeen entered. She had a rather heroic air, with a tear-shaped mole beneath the corner of her eye. As soon as she came in, she asked, "Auntie, you're back. How is Brother Hai?"

Chen Hong told her about Zhang Hai's situation again.

Zhang Youying sat at the side and listened, then comforted her, "At least he's fine for now."

Yet there was another half of a sentence she did not say aloud—her cousin Zhang Hai had so much flesh on him that this trip to prison might even be a good thing. Perhaps he would slim down. Naturally, such tactless words could not be spoken.

At the same time, she secretly shook her head. She had long felt that Zhang Hai's aimless idling and daily loafing about would sooner or later get him into trouble. She had kindly warned him once before, but Zhang Hai would not listen, so she had let it go. She simply had not expected trouble to strike so suddenly.

Fortunately, it had not implicated the family or her.

Chen Hong sat there grieving over Zhang Hai for some time longer. Only after Zhang Youying brought the dishes to the table did she come back to herself and remember something. She turned to Zhang Youying and asked, "You Ying, it's been many years since you last saw Xiao Mu, hasn't it?"

Zhang Youying thought for a moment. The image of a boy surfaced in her memories—it was Chen Mu as a child. Though she had not seen him since, she could barely imagine what he might look like grown up. He should be more pleasing to the eye than Zhang Hai, though he seemed not especially clever. Back then, she had asked him a problem about counting chickens and ducks, only for him to be completely stumped and unable to answer.

The moment Chen Hong brought up Chen Mu, Zhang Youying immediately understood what Chen Hong had in mind.

So she said nothing, merely looked at Chen Hong and waited for what came next.

Sure enough, Chen Hong continued, "Xiao Mu is a very good child. Although his family is a little poor, he works as a runner and has steady employment. You've also reached the age, so I thought..."

"Auntie, I'm not ready to marry yet."

Zhang Youying said, her face slightly flushed, "Besides, I know some reading, writing, and arithmetic. I'm thinking that managing accounts in the future would be best. Brother Mu is a yamen runner, so he probably doesn't need someone to manage accounts, does he?"

Though she rarely stepped outside, she still knew something about the world beyond. For low-ranking runners, it was fine if their families had power and influence—they could spend silver to pave connections and slowly rise through the ranks, or go to the Inner City to study Martial Arts and gain real skill. But if they had nothing at all, they basically had no chance to rise. Their salary was only enough to keep them fed and clothed.

She knew reading, writing, and arithmetic, and she had good looks. Even if she did not marry into a powerful family, she should at least marry an innkeeper or pawnshop owner. She could spend her days writing and keeping accounts... It was better not to marry relatives just to keep things within the family.

"This..."

Upon hearing that, Chen Hong was immediately somewhat embarrassed.

Butcher Zhang shook his head. "You Ying is quite skilled at reading, writing, and arithmetic. She's never made a mistake in the accounts when selling meat for me. What could she even do if she married your nephew? Stop worrying over such idle matters. Another day, I'll help look for a suitable family. We can't let her suffer a grievance."

Zhang Youying obediently lowered her head and said nothing.

Seeing this, Chen Hong could only sigh helplessly and let the matter rest for now.