Six Hundred Merit Points! Two High-Grade Martial Arts Acquired! A Conversation!

The next morning, at dawn.

Mu Yang carried a burlap sack containing the Rat Demon's head and arrived at the County Office on time for roll call.

The moment he entered the Constabulary, he saw Old Fang, Li Chuang, and the others waiting there.

After yesterday's battle at Li Village, the two of them had been completely won over by Mu Yang. Li Chuang especially looked at Mu Yang as though he were looking upon an immortal.

After Old Ye, Lin Xiaoqi, and the others heard of Mu Yang's achievements, their eyes all lit up with admiration.

"Head Constable, you're here!"

"Good morning, Head Constable!"

"Mm." Mu Yang nodded. "Has Li Shoucai's matter been dealt with?"

"It has. We reported it truthfully, just as you instructed," Old Fang hurriedly said. "But when Clerk Liu heard that the Wang Family was involved, he specifically asked me to tell you to see him when you had time today."

Mu Yang nodded, carrying the Rat Demon's head as he headed toward Clerk Liu's office.

Today, Clerk Liu was not bent over his desk making annotations as usual. Instead, he stood at his office door, looking around as though waiting for something.

The moment he spotted Mu Yang carrying the burlap sack, a smile immediately spread across his face, and he hurried over.

"Head Constable Mu, you've slain another demon?"

"Mm. Yesterday, I encountered a Second Rank Rat Demon in Li Village and killed it along the way." Mu Yang's tone was calm, as though he had not killed a man-eating monster, but merely a chick.

Seeing how breezy and unruffled Mu Yang was, Clerk Liu's smile widened further. "Good, good, good! Head Constable Mu is young and accomplished, with extraordinary strength. You truly are a blessing to Qingxi County!"

As he spoke, he enthusiastically pulled Mu Yang into the room, swept his brush across the page, and directly recorded six hundred Merit Points for him.

"According to the rules, killing a Second Rank monster earns five hundred merit points. But since you rendered service in protecting Li Village, I added an extra hundred for you."

There was nothing much to say about the Merit Points for slaying a monster.

What surprised Mu Yang was that protecting Li Village also earned Merit Points.

Still, he did not stand on ceremony. The more Merit Points, the better.

Six hundred points were enough for him to exchange for two High-Grade Martial Arts.

In one stroke, that solved two-thirds of the Blood Qi needed for the Third Bone-Tempering.

A cause for celebration indeed!

"I've recorded your merit already, Head Constable Mu. Do you have time next? Yesterday, Lord Zhou Heng—the County Commandant—said he wished to meet such a young hero as you." Clerk Liu said with a chuckle.

Zhou Heng? The County Commandant?

Mu Yang raised a brow.

The County Magistrate, County Assistant, and County Commandant were the three highest-ranking officials in Qingxi County.

Among them, aside from the County Magistrate, who was appointed from elsewhere, both the County Assistant and County Commandant were locals of Qingxi County.

For instance, the position of County Assistant was held by the head of the Liu Family, one of the Three Great Families alongside the Wang Family.

As for County Commandant Zhou Heng, though he was not from one of the Three Great Families, he was still a powerful local figure in the county.

But why was he looking for him?

Did he simply think highly of him and want to recruit him?

Mu Yang did not know, but he did not care much either.

With his current strength, he might still fall a little short of being able to eat beef in Qingxi County, but protecting himself would absolutely not be a problem.

"Before going, may I first exchange for some martial arts?" After some thought, Mu Yang asked.

If Zhou Heng harbored hostility toward him, he could simply take the martial arts he exchanged and leave, then return for revenge once his martial arts had reached great mastery.

If not, then he would save himself another trip here.

"Exchange for martial arts?"

Clerk Liu was stunned.

Hadn't you exchanged for several martial arts just the day before yesterday and yesterday?

Why were you exchanging for more?

Was this some sort of martial arts collecting addiction?

Surely you hadn't learned several martial arts in a day and were now planning to learn new ones?

That would be far too absurd!

"Of course you may."

Though puzzled, Clerk Liu did not dwell on it. He simply smiled and handed Mu Yang the martial arts exchange catalog.

Mu Yang took the catalog and skipped straight past the front pages to the High-Grade Martial Arts section.

Even in Qingxi County's stores, there were not many High-Grade Martial Arts.

Including the Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Subduing Blade Technique he had already exchanged for, there were only five in total.

They were the High-Grade spear technique Coiling Snake Spear, the High-Grade sword technique Clear Wind Sword, the High-Grade fist-and-palm technique Iron Sand Palm, and the High-Grade external training martial art Bronze Skin Technique.

Every one of them possessed both techniques and the effect of increasing Blood Qi.

After thinking it over, Mu Yang directly exchanged for the most expensive Bronze Skin Technique and the cheapest Iron Sand Palm.

The former cost three hundred and thirty Merit Points, thirty more than the Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Subduing Blade Technique, while the latter required only two hundred and sixty Merit Points, making it the cheapest.

The remaining two were about the same price as the Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Subduing Blade Technique, both costing three hundred Merit Points.

Once Mu Yang had made his choices, Clerk Liu immediately turned and went to the storeroom to retrieve the books.

A moment later, he placed two yellowed, thread-bound volumes into Mu Yang's hands.

Mu Yang carefully checked the panel information for the two martial arts.

As expected of the cheapest High-Grade Martial Art, Iron Sand Palm had only two attributes, both white. One was Perfection, while the other increased the cultivation speed of palm martial arts.

The attributes of Bronze Skin Technique, however, were rather good.

Besides Perfection and External Training Affinity, which increased martial arts cultivation speed, it also had an additional force-dispersing effect.

[Copper Skin (Blue): Greatly increases force-dispersing effects, reducing the impact of attacks on the internal organs.]

Unfortunately, his Equipment Slot was full right now. Otherwise, Mu Yang truly wanted to see just how strong the defensive enhancement of a High-Grade external training martial art was, and whether it could withstand the attacks of Second Rank, or even Third Rank, monsters.

"Head Constable Mu, please come with me!"

Once the martial arts were in hand, Clerk Liu led Mu Yang deeper into the County Office.

Qingxi County's office was not particularly large, and before long, the two arrived at the County Commandant's office.

Zhou Heng was a middle-aged man with a short beard. He wore a dark teal official robe, his thick brows drawn tightly together. Deep furrows lay between them, carrying a faint air of sorrow and exhaustion.

"Lord Zhou, this is Mu Yang, Head Constable Mu, whom you wished to meet," Clerk Liu stepped forward and said.

Upon hearing Mu Yang's name, Zhou Heng's tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed, and he looked up.

"Good, good, good! As expected of a man from our Qingxi County—spirited and valiant, truly extraordinary!"

Zhou Heng rose and walked over, praising him as he came.

"You overpraise me, Lord Zhou."

Mu Yang was rather modest.

After a few simple pleasantries, Zhou Heng warmly pulled Mu Yang over to sit nearby, even instructing Clerk Liu to serve tea—good tea.

When Clerk Liu brought over the tea tray, Mu Yang merely accepted the cup and gently set it on the table without drinking.

After being drugged several times in succession, Mu Yang would not touch anything from strangers at all.

"If Lord Zhou has something to say, please speak plainly."

Zhou Heng did not mind. After taking a sip of tea, he said:

"Head Constable Mu is forthright, so I will not beat around the bush. Do you know of Great Jing's Demon Slayer Bureau?"

"I have heard of it."

"Then that is good. Over these past days, I have also heard of Head Constable Mu's deeds. You possess exceptional talent in martial arts and hold justice in your heart, slaying demons for the people. You are truly the timber and beam of the state. I wonder, Head Constable Mu, do you have any desire to join the Demon Slayer Bureau?"

"Of course I do."

Mu Yang nodded.

Qingxi County was too small. The highest-ranked martial arts stored in its treasury were only High-Grade Martial Arts.

For martial arts of higher grades, he would certainly have to venture outward.

Given the situation in the Great Jing Dynasty, there were not many ways to leave a small county town.

Either one studied for the civil examinations and earned official rank, joined the government and waited for a superior's recommendation, or enlisted in the army, guarded the frontier, slew enemies, and rose through the ranks.

Studying was too difficult, while joining the army would make it inconvenient to use his Equipment Slot.

Thus, a recommendation from a superior was one of Mu Yang's few options.

He had originally intended to first kill demons to raise his cultivation and build a reputation, then find a way to apply for a transfer to the Prefecture City's government office. After that, he would look for an opportunity to see whether he could apply to join the Demon Slayer Bureau.

He had not expected there to be a chance to reach the goal in a single step.

The Demon Slayer Bureau, the Demon Slayer Bureau—a department named for slaying demons. Once he went there, he likely would never lack monsters to kill again.

"Good! Head Constable Mu truly is Qingxi County's pride, with courage beyond ordinary men!" Zhou Heng praised.

"Clerk Liu, immediately write a letter in my name. State Head Constable Mu's circumstances truthfully and send it to the Demon Slayer Bureau branch in the prefecture!"

Previously, he had already had Clerk Liu write a letter of recommendation.

But at that time, Mu Yang had only killed First Rank monsters. How could that compare to the shock of having now slain two Second Rank monsters?

More importantly, the better Mu Yang's record, the more it proved his talent. The more attention he would draw from the Demon Slayer Bureau, the faster they would come, and the sooner the hidden dangers posed by the Three Great Families could be resolved.

"Yes, Lord Zhou!"

Clerk Liu bowed and withdrew.

Only Mu Yang and Zhou Heng remained in the room.

"Thank you for your recommendation, Lord Zhou."

Mu Yang did not know why Zhou Heng was helping him, but it did not matter. Being able to join the Demon Slayer Bureau in one step was far faster than struggling about on his own.

Zhou Heng waved a hand. The smile on his face faded, replaced by a solemn expression. "Head Constable Mu, there is no need for courtesy. What I have done today is also for my own sake."

As he spoke, Zhou Heng let out a sigh.

Mu Yang raised a brow. This posture looked rather familiar.

Wasn't this the classic routine of giving benefits first, then pouring out one's grievances, so the other party would willingly do the work?

Zhou Heng did not know that Mu Yang had already seen through his scheme. He merely continued in a low voice:

"Yesterday, when you killed the Li Village chief, your actions may have been upright and proper, but he had, after all, attached himself to the Wang Family. If you had already joined the Demon Slayer Bureau, they naturally would not dare lay a hand on you."

"But the letter is still on the road. During these days, you should be more careful. It would be best not to leave the city lightly, just in case."

At those words, Mu Yang immediately understood.

So Zhou Heng was doing this to draw the Wang Family's hatred toward him.

He did not know what grudge Zhou Heng had against the Wang Family, but he happened to have one as well.

Perhaps he could even use Zhou Heng's hand to make a justified move against the Wang Family.

After thinking it over, Mu Yang did not expose it. Instead, after a moment of silence, he suddenly raised his head, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Lord Zhou, if the Wang Family attacks me within the city, may I fight back?"

Zhou Heng was stunned.

Attack within the city?

Though constables did not hold official rank, they were still members of the government.

No matter how bold the Wang Family was, they could not possibly be so utterly lawless.

As for fighting back?

Of course he could!

It would be best if he directly wiped out every one of those Wang Family bastards!

Naturally, Zhou Heng only thought that to himself.

The Wang Family was, after all, a major family in Qingxi County. If they were truly exterminated overnight, it would be an event great enough to alarm the Prefecture City. When that happened, none of Qingxi County's upper ranks would escape responsibility.

"Head Constable Mu, rest assured and act as you see fit. This official can still bear the pressure of losing one or two members of the Wang Family!" Zhou Heng said with a smile.

He merely thought Mu Yang was young and hot-blooded, unable to stand the Wang Family's arrogant tyranny.

On further thought, it was actually good if Mu Yang made a move. The bigger the disturbance, the more flaws the Wang Family would expose, and the easier it would be to draw the Demon Slayer Bureau's attention.

"With those words from Lord Zhou, I can rest easy." The corner of Mu Yang's lips curled into an almost imperceptible arc.

Since even the County Commandant had said so, what came next would be easy.

He had originally been considering how to properly and openly seek trouble with the Wang Family.

Now things were perfect. He had a reason to strike, and he had someone to bear the pressure afterward.

What he needed to do next was complete the Third Bone-Tempering and make sure that when he moved, not a single one escaped!