From his initial disdain to standing there dumbfounded, less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed.
Even the noodles he'd just started slurping were still hanging halfway out of his mouth.
Sun Fei seemed not to notice. He only kept recalling the few strikes Chen Zhuo had just made.
"No way?"
He could hardly believe his eyes.
But there was no mistaking it.
He was more familiar with the Zhengyang Saber than anything. The first ten cuts Chen Zhuo had made aside, those last two had already reached a level of mastery, capturing a hint of the Zhengyang Blade Technique.
"When I first learned the Zhengyang Saber, did it take me three days? Or five?"
Sun Fei couldn't quite remember.
He prided himself on being a prodigy, and even his elder brother had praised his progress with the Zhengyang Saber to no end.
But whether it had taken him three days or five, it was still nowhere near Chen Zhuo's progress in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
What was more, his elder brother had personally taught him martial arts, while this kid had only had a little booklet to go by.
Sun Fei suddenly found that the noodles in his mouth had lost all their flavor.
"Are you full?"
Chen Zhuo didn't continue practicing. He sheathed his long saber and sat back down.
"Why'd you stop practicing?"
Sun Fei's voice was tinged with envy.
"Can't let it go to waste."
Chen Zhuo hadn't noticed anything. He simply picked up the remaining noodles and started eating again.
Watching Chen Zhuo wolf them down once more, Sun Fei's mood suddenly improved.
At least right now, the kid's progress was still far behind his own.
Back at the Yamen, perhaps thanks to Fatty Sun's influence, or perhaps because the Swift Squad was usually idle, Chen Zhuo found himself with nothing to do—and, oddly enough, he wasn't used to it.
Compared with the hectic days he'd spent in the Black-Uniform Squad, the Swift Squad was practically a retirement home.
Still, he didn't sit around doing nothing.
With strength to spare and time on his hands, it was the perfect opportunity to practice martial arts.
He found an open patch of ground outside the hall and immediately assumed a boxing stance.
The essence of martial arts lay in training. Without the necessary level of cultivation, even the most exquisite techniques couldn't kill anyone.
The focus still had to be on the Iron Cloth Shirt.
Chen Zhuo settled into his stance, adjusted his breathing, and gradually immersed himself in his training.
Watching him, Sun Fei suddenly felt helpless.
Even his Iron Cloth Shirt had improved considerably since yesterday.
With talent like that and effort to match, was there really no way to compete with him?
He gritted his teeth and resolutely joined the training.
But before long, a Yamen Runner came over and whispered a few words into Sun Fei's ear.
Sun Fei's expression changed at once, and even the fat on his cheeks quivered three times.
"I'm heading out for a bit."
Before Chen Zhuo could even react, Sun Fei had already hurried away.
Chen Zhuo lowered his stance and watched Fatty Sun's broad back disappear, puzzled. He didn't pry.
What right did he have to interfere in other people's business?
[Iron Cloth Shirt +3]
"The Blood Vitality Pills are astonishingly effective."
Chen Zhuo kept a close eye on the changes in his body. After practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt three times in a row, he was only breathing slightly harder, nowhere near his limit.
As his qi and blood circulated, his spent energy quickly recovered.
"It's good stuff, but ridiculously expensive."
Chen Zhuo sighed.
One tael of silver could feed a poor family of three in the outer city for over half a year.
With the monthly pay Master Yan gave him, he'd have to save for over half a year without eating or drinking to afford one pill.
He was poor.
Only by becoming a full-fledged Yamen Runner could he turn things around.
At that moment, Chen Zhuo's desire to make money rose another notch.
Just then, three urgent chimes rang out from the Swift Squad's inner hall.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
When the Awakening Bell rang, every Yamen Runner and White-Uniform Runner had to report to the inner hall.
"Is there a case?"
Without hesitation, Chen Zhuo hurried into the inner hall.
As soon as he entered, he saw Squad Leader Yao Xiong sitting imposingly in a grand armchair.
Standing beside him was a thin old man with a small mustache. Everyone called him Fifth Master. He was also the one who had handled Chen Zhuo's paperwork that morning.
A massive scroll hung on the screen beside the two men.
It showed a man's face.
His thick, unruly brows slanted upward, his cheekbones jutted out sharply, and his eyes gleamed with menace. At a glance, he looked like a hawk glaring at its prey, ready to strike from the shadows.
"Take a good look at the man in this portrait. His name is Qiu Laojiu, former leader of the Long River Gang. He's a vicious criminal, and recently he's slaughtered thirteen people in a row. Now he's even dared to reach his claws into the Yamen. He's more bloodthirsty than the monsters in the mountains outside the city."
Fifth Master stood before the portrait, spittle flying as he spoke. His words struck fear into everyone in the room.
Thirteen people slaughtered one after another—especially in a time of peace like this—was a major case anywhere you went.
"Study this bastard's face carefully. Don't overlook a single detail. Fix it in your eyes and remember it well."
The mustached Yamen Runner swept his gaze over the crowd and said coldly, "Dianshi Sun has issued an order. Anyone who spots him will receive a reward of fifty taels of silver. Whoever manages to capture the bastard will get three hundred taels, dead or alive!"
Three hundred taels?
At the figure, Chen Zhuo's heart gave a violent thump.
At his current monthly pay, he couldn't earn that much in a lifetime.
"Starting today, put aside any nonessential business you have and devote yourselves to hunting down this criminal!"
Yao Xiong's words rang out with force, making everyone's eardrums ache.
Everyone hurriedly agreed.
"Spread out and search every street thoroughly. Turn over every stone—even dig three feet underground if you have to—and catch this bastard to uphold the law!"
"White-Uniform Runners, go post the portraits. You can do it whenever you like, but every portrait must be up across the entire city before sunset."
At his command, Yamen Runners and White-Uniform Runners alike sprang into action.
If they solved a major case like this, the people above would feast, and they might at least get to drink the rich broth.
"You, go to the outer city's western district."
"You, go to the inner city's southeast."
"You, go to the outer city's northwest."
Each White-Uniform Runner received a stack of portraits.
Chen Zhuo counted his. There were thirty-three in all.
Did they really intend to cover the entire city?
"I'll say it again: if you haven't finished posting them by sunset, you'll have botched the job. You'll bear the consequences yourselves."
Fifth Master looked over the White-Uniform Runners. His gaze paused briefly on Chen Zhuo before moving on almost at once.
Chen Zhuo sensed something strange, but didn't think much of it.
"I've only just joined the Swift Squad, and my quiet days are already over."
He'd been assigned the outer city's northern district, the farthest area from the county yamen.
He'd have his work cut out for him if he wanted to post all the portraits before sunset.
Chen Zhuo picked up the portraits and turned to leave.
But he didn't head straight out. First, he went to the kitchen to ask for permission to be away.
Fortunately, the kitchen wasn't busy at noon. Its main job was preparing meals for the Yamen Runners and White-Uniform Runners.
The others could manage just fine without him.
While he was there, he also picked up some food for lunch.
By chance, he overheard some news.
"I heard the whole Qiu family household was killed. The sisters and their family met a horrific end. They were stripped naked, and their hearts and lungs were cut out."
"The world looks peaceful on the surface, but who knows how many filthy deeds are going on in the shadows."
"Was the killer really so vicious? I wonder who had such a grudge against the Qiu sisters..."
Qiu Laojiu?
Chen Zhuo's pupils contracted sharply, and his eyelids twitched several times.
"No wonder Old Yan said something had happened to the Qiu sisters, and Fifth Master said Qiu Laojiu had reached his claws into the Yamen."
"Looks like that three-hundred-tael reward won't be easy to claim."
Chen Zhuo rubbed his face roughly with both hands, easing some of the tension in his chest.
Until he was strong enough, he couldn't go after this vicious criminal!
With that in mind, Chen Zhuo hurried to the Drill Ground.
He was certain to miss his martial arts practice today, but he couldn't pass up the free Blood-Strengthening Soup before leaving the Yamen!
Some Yamen Runners had already brought out the Blood-Strengthening Soup and set it on the Drill Ground.
But when Chen Zhuo went to get some, he was firmly turned away.
A handsome young man he recognized suddenly appeared before him.
Before you continue