Sinew-Tempering! Bone-Forging! Brothel!

After leaving the Armory carrying the Feather-Command Broadblade and two sets of squad leader uniforms, Mu Yang changed clothes and appeared before Wu Cai not long after.

The standard-issue fitted outfit was entirely black, with dark red cloud-pattern trim embroidered along the collar, lapels, and waist.

The cuffs were neatly tightened, and a wide black leather belt with a matte bronze-patterned buckle cinched his waist. The tailored garment fit his frame closely, making his broad shoulders and straight back stand tall as a pine.

Coupled with Mu Yang's heroic, hard-edged features—his swordlike brows slanting toward his temples and his bright, cold-star eyes—he exuded an awe-inspiring presence simply by standing there.

Though he was still far inferior to all you esteemed readers, he could at least be considered masculine and heroic.

"Ho! Clothes make the man, just as a saddle makes the horse. Wearing this uniform, you're almost as impressive as I was in my youth!" Wu Cai said, patting Mu Yang on the shoulder with undisguised approval.

Hearing that, Mu Yang glanced at Wu Cai's tiger-backed, bear-waisted build, his thick brows and large eyes, and the hair and beard exploding around his head like a lion's mane.

Squad Leader, did you have some misunderstanding about your own appearance?

"Enough of that. Remember to come find me after we're off duty tonight. We'll celebrate your promotion to squad leader."

Constables had to clock in and out as well. Clocking in was called answering roll call, while clocking out was called ending duty.

"Alright, Squad Leader," Mu Yang said.

"Alright, alright. You've been promoted to squad leader now, so we're equals from here on. I'm a few years older, so I'll presume upon that—you can just call me Brother Wu." Wu Cai waved his hand.

With that, Wu Cai turned and left.

As one of Qingxi County's four—no, now five—major squad leaders, he had no shortage of matters to handle every day.

After all, he had so many brothers under his command.

If Mu Yang had not just been promoted and no men had yet been assigned to him, he would not have been this idle either.

After parting with Wu Cai, Mu Yang casually rested his left hand on the hilt of the Feather-Command Broadblade. With a slight grip, he lifted it a little, as if by accident.

A thing weighing over three hundred jin really was rather heavy hanging at his waist.

He needed to equip the Dragon-Subduing Blade Technique as soon as possible.

With that in mind, Mu Yang immediately found a secluded spot and silently called out in his heart.

"Equip the Dragon-Subduing Blade Technique!"

[Ding! The Dragon-Subduing Blade Technique has been equipped!]

Dragon-Subduing Blade Technique: Beginner → Minor Mastery → Major Mastery → Perfection!

In an instant, countless memories of cultivating the Dragon-Subduing Blade Technique flooded Mu Yang's mind, as though he had personally trained in it for twenty years and honed every move and stance until they were second nature.

At the same time, a familiar scorching sensation surged from every limb and bone in his body.

This was the abundant Blood Qi born from cultivating the Dragon-Subduing Blade Technique to Perfection.

Under the control of his practiced techniques, the Blood Qi swiftly spread through all the great sinews in his body, tempering them without cease.

In only a moment, his sinews were complete!

Strength increased by 500 jin!

It was not over yet. The remaining abundant Blood Qi continued to envelop every bone in his body, seeping in bit by bit and grinding them into greater hardness.

The entire process lasted several breaths. Finally, as the last thread of Blood Qi fused into his bones, the Bone-Forging Realm was achieved!

Strength increased by 1,500 jin!

Mu Yang clenched his fist, then drew the Feather-Command Broadblade from his waist and swung it several times.

The former sluggishness caused by its weight vanished completely.

With nearly 3,500 jin of strength in a single arm, wielding a mere three-hundred-jin long blade was effortless for him.

He needed no techniques at all. Even simple swings of the blade stirred bursts of howling wind, whipping the surrounding branches into wild swaying. It was truly terrifying.

"With this strength alone, if I encountered that Rat Demon again, I probably wouldn't even need to draw my blade. I could pound it into minced meat with my bare hands."

Mu Yang sheathed his blade and sighed inwardly.

Then he looked toward the Equipment Slot.

[Equipped Items: 1. Rat Demon Corpse, 2. Dragon-Subduing Blade Technique]

[Current Empty Equipment Slots: 1]

The number of empty Equipment Slots, which had originally been zero, had somehow become one.

"As expected, raising my realm increases the number of Equipment Slots!"

Looking at the additional Equipment Slot, Mu Yang's lips curled upward slightly.

Since there was an empty Equipment Slot, Mu Yang did not hesitate. He immediately equipped the Three-Breath Lightness he had just obtained.

Unlike the scorching sensation brought by the Dragon-Subduing Blade Technique, after equipping Three-Breath Lightness, aside from memories of Blood Qi circulation and breathing rhythms, his leg muscles merely became denser and his body lighter.

Beyond that, there were no major changes.

Clearly, martial arts focused on technique did not provide much of an increase to Blood Qi.

But Mu Yang did not mind. After all, what he wanted was the combat enhancement provided by Three-Breath Lightness.

At the same time.

Qingxi County yamen, the County Commandant's office.

"You're saying that this constable named Mu Yang has considerable talent for martial arts?"

County Commandant Zhou Heng set down the letter in his hand and looked toward Clerk Liu beside him.

Clerk Liu nodded.

After Mu Yang and Wu Cai left, Clerk Liu had immediately come here to report Mu Yang's talent to Zhou Heng.

At this, Zhou Heng slowly closed his eyes, his fingers lightly tapping against the desk.

After a long while, Zhou Heng opened his eyes and let out a long sigh. "What a pity that time waits for no one. The Wang, Hu, and Liu families have controlled Qingxi County for far too long, and in recent years their arrogance has only grown more rampant. The newly appointed county magistrate is also a coward without anyone to rely on. By the time Mu Yang grows up, I fear it will be too late."

"Do this. Write a letter in my name and send it to the Demon Slayer Bureau branch in the prefecture. If his talent is truly as you say, he will surely earn the Demon Slayer Bureau's attention. Perhaps we can borrow the Demon Slayer Bureau's hand to wipe out the three families that have plagued this county!"

"Before then, make things convenient for him. Provide whatever resources he needs as best you can."

"What is the Demon Slayer Bureau?"

Inside a private room on the second floor of a tavern, Mu Yang set down his bamboo chopsticks and looked curiously at Wu Cai across the table.

Holding a chicken leg, Wu Cai wiped the grease from his mouth and said with a touch of longing, "The Demon Slayer Bureau is the Great Jing Dynasty's most powerful department, and also the sharpest blade in the court. Outwardly, it can slay demons and eradicate evil; inwardly, it can intimidate princes, nobles, and powerful officials."

"It can even execute first and report afterward. Arresting people and bringing them to justice is as easy as drinking tea and water to them. Their authority is boundless."

"Most importantly, everyone who can enter is a heaven-chosen prodigy with outstanding martial talent. It is said that even the weakest among them possesses the cultivation of the fourth realm."

On the path of martial arts, the first realm was skin and flesh, the second realm was sinews and bones, and the third realm was blood and marrow. As for what the fourth realm was, even Mu Yang did not know.

Yet merely being in the second realm gave one the tremendous strength of three thousand jin in a single arm. Just how strong would a fourth-realm martial artist be?

And that was merely the weakest within the Demon Slayer Bureau.

Tsk. The world truly was vast, and capable people emerged in endless succession.

"Forget it, forget it, enough of this. Come on! To celebrate your promotion to squad leader, your big brother here specially reserved a private room for you at Fragrant Pavilion today."

After eating and drinking their fill, the rosy-faced Wu Cai enthusiastically pulled Mu Yang outside.

Fragrant Pavilion sounded elegant, but it was actually a place for pleasure-seeking and drinking flower wine.

Because the quality of its attendants was high and their service excellent, it was quite popular.

Only, the prices were rather steep. With his monthly salary of five taels, he probably would not even be able to drink more than a few cups of wine.

This showed that Wu Cai had truly spent a fortune.

It was worth mentioning that although Mu Yang had transmigrated here twenty years ago, he had never actually visited a place like Fragrant Pavilion.

It was not because he was particularly upright. He simply had no money.

Now that he had the chance, he was rather curious about what was so wondrous about a place that had made scholars and refined gentlemen linger throughout the ages.

He had to personally criticize it!

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author instead—it may simply have been renamed!