Hard Training, Detective

"How many silver dollars?" Zhou Yan asked directly.

Ma Yan estimated for a moment, then held up two fingers. "My father still has one last favor he can call in. It should take only two hundred silver dollars."

Zhou Yan frowned slightly at that.

It wasn't the two hundred silver dollars he minded. He regretted having to use up that favor.

"Without counting the favor, how many silver dollars would it take?"

Ma Yan smiled faintly and shook his head. "Don't put too much stock in that favor. The other man is only a police captain. Getting me promoted to detective is already the limit, and we'll still need two hundred silver dollars to grease the wheels.

"After all, so many years have passed. Even the greatest debt of gratitude would have faded by now.

"What little remains is just enough to use for this..."

Zhou Yan said nothing more. Even after living two lives, he still didn't understand the ways of human relationships.

Ma Yan, by contrast, was thriving at the Police Station. He had the favor of his superiors and got along well with the people around him. He was a natural at navigating officialdom.

He could leave that side of things to Ma Yan.

His own task was to improve his strength.

Zhou Yan didn't have Ma Yan's talent for handling people, but he could make himself stronger. That was his forte.

News of the evil spirit being slain at Dong Mansion spread to a few people—not too widely, but not entirely unnoticed.

There was also news that the mistress at Dong Mansion had died of illness.

As for the cousin, he died without a sound, and no one paid him any attention.

While everyone thought Dong Lei was holding a funeral at home, he had already changed his appearance and secretly made his way to the famous Phoenix Cry Teahouse in the city center.

He entered a private room as if he knew it by heart. Someone was already seated inside. A screen stood between them, making it impossible to see the person opposite him. From her figure and scent, however, he could tell she was a slender young woman.

As soon as Dong Lei sat down, he placed the briefcase he had brought on the table and opened it.

"My lord, these are the funds for the second half of the year: three gold bars and one thousand silver dollars in total."

The woman opposite him waved a hand. A figure came over and took the briefcase away.

Only then did Dong Lei feel at ease.

"Tell me the whole story in detail," the woman said.

Her voice was plain and calm, utterly unremarkable. It was a stark contrast to the silhouette on the screen.

Dong Lei wasn't surprised. He had been in contact with this mysterious superior for more than five years, yet he still had no idea who she was.

He even suspected that she wasn't a woman at all.

But that didn't affect his work. As his superior, the more mysterious she was, the safer he was.

Shen City was a special place, but he still didn't want to reveal his identity lightly.

Besides, over the past five years, he had felt as though his family's business had enjoyed divine assistance, running far more smoothly than before.

He couldn't believe that his superior hadn't had a hand in it.

So Dong Lei admired and trusted her deeply.

"My lord, this time your subordinate failed to see through the situation..."

Dong Lei recounted everything that had happened at home, including his wife's murder, the fact that his concubine had posed as a refined young lady from a prestigious family despite actually being a prostitute, and the cousin who had been the mastermind behind it all.

Of course, the "Corpse Daoist" played by Zhou Yan was also an important figure in the story.

The woman opposite him didn't speak until a long while after he finished.

"Corpse Daoist!"

Dong Lei remained silent. He had simply reported everything and was waiting for her orders.

After five years of experience, he had come to trust his superior's judgment completely.

"Don't concern yourself with him. I'll send someone to investigate. Remember, don't go looking into it yourself. If he finds out, you could provoke him. Cultivators like these are all reckless, lawless sorts..."

At the end, a rare trace of emotion slipped into her voice. She sounded almost as if she were grinding her teeth.

"Yes."

Dong Lei agreed without hesitation.

Ever since the Corpse Daoist had thrown his cousin's corpse out in front of him, he had been wary of him.

The powerful among these cultivators were all lawless and vindictive. Even wealthy merchants like him—and even the powerful and privileged—had often been tricked and made to suffer at their hands.

"Go. Lie low for a while. Unless I call you back, don't make a move for the next six months."

"Yes."

[Yakshas Meditation Method Proficiency +1]

[Yakshas Meditation Method Proficiency +3]

[Yakshas Meditation Method Proficiency +2]

After obtaining the Yakshas Meditation Method, Zhou Yan was eager to practice day and night.

Though the Yakshas Meditation Method wouldn't harm his body, it placed a tremendous strain on his soul. Managing an hour of meditation was already close to his limit; every extra minute put enormous pressure on it.

Yet with his powerful soul and almost freakish determination, he managed to last an hour and a half the very first time he practiced.

Afterward, Zhou Yan collapsed on the ground and lay motionless for ages. The sweat pouring off him nearly soaked the earth beneath him, but a deep smile still curved his lips.

Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder:

If I'd had this kind of determination in my previous life—or even half this madness—getting into any top academy would have been a piece of cake.

When people face the threat of death, they can always unleash astonishing potential.

The Yakshas Meditation Method took up some of the time he would otherwise have spent on other forms of cultivation.

That worked out well, since Zhou Yan's body hadn't yet recovered. He cut down on the time he spent practicing the Mystic Yin Art and used some of the remaining time to practice several spells, hoping to master them as quickly as possible.

With the help of large quantities of medicinal herbs, his body began to recover rapidly.

Ten days later, Ma Yan was successfully promoted to third-class detective.

From then on, he left the ranks of lowly patrolmen for good and became an armed detective, his status rising considerably.

At the old house.

Mother Zhou sat in the seat of honor, with Ma Yan and Zhou Yan on either side of her. Zhou Li, Zhou Chuan, and Zhou Jing sat together as the three siblings.

"Congratulations, brother-in-law," Zhou Yan said, raising his cup.

Ma Yan hurriedly raised his own. "A-Yan, why be so polite with me? If you hadn't risked your life out there, I'd never have been promoted. I should be the one thanking you."

He meant every word.

He had no shortage of ability, experience, or reputation, but he lacked the most important thing: connections.

In times like these, people without connections or money were kept down at the very bottom.

A few might occasionally rise above their station, but most were kept at the bottom forever, never seeing the light of day...