Currying Favor

"Hidden force really was several times stronger than visible force! And far more covert!"

Wang Sheng sensed the hidden force flowing through the meridians in his body. With a mere thought, it could immediately dart into an opponent's body like a venomous snake.

Other than using hidden force within their body to neutralize it, an opponent could only take it head-on.

"What's this?"

As Wang Sheng circulated hidden force throughout his body to temper it, he suddenly discovered something unusual concealed within a meridian near the lower left of his right arm.

Splash, splash...

Surging hidden force swept through every meridian in his right arm like a tidal wave.

Crack, crack, crack...

Fine traces of force left behind by that hidden-force martial artist were still concealed in some of the meridians of his right arm.

Had Wang Sheng not discovered them after advancing to hidden force, visible force would have been unable to detect them. Over months and years, those minor injuries would gradually turn into major ones and could even cripple his entire arm in the end.

"What sinister intentions! He took advantage of my ignorance of hidden force!"

Wang Sheng's gaze turned icy as he carefully swept through his entire body with hidden force, uprooting every lingering danger left behind by that hidden-force martial artist.

"Keep cultivating. Once I've used up the resources on hand, I'll see if I can find that man!"

Wang Sheng suppressed the killing intent in his heart.

He still had plenty of resources in hand. In a short time, he intended to convert all of them into strength.

Strength was the only hard truth.

Otherwise, if chaos truly descended upon Ershui City while he still had a huge pile of resources he had no time to use, would that not be a complete waste?

Time flew by.

Another eleven or twelve days passed.

Unafraid of the Great Heaven Supplement Pill's side effects, Wang Sheng took several pills in succession. With the Great Heaven Supplement Pill's powerful effects, his progress increased by eighty or ninety points each day. The Forging Gold Technique rose from mastery (1/3000) to mastery (1025/3000).

His cultivation officially broke through to the middle stage of hidden force.

Besides that,

The Blood Stacking Technique officially reached the second level. Once activated, his strength would increase at least fourfold. Its drawback was that it would leave him weak for several days afterward, though medicine could replenish the depleted energy.

The White Dragon Sword Technique advanced from beginner to minor mastery, also producing a strand of visible force.

Together with the Great Tablet Shattering Hand, Wang Sheng now possessed two strands of visible force and one strand of hidden force.

Visible force circulated over the body's surface, force giving rise to power. Hidden force lurked within the body, forever waiting to erupt.

Whether hidden force or visible force, once he fought and layered the overt and covert together, its killing power would certainly surpass that of an ordinary hidden-force martial artist by far.

That day,

Having just broken through to the middle stage of hidden force, Wang Sheng had originally planned to rest a while and continue cultivating in the afternoon.

But he had not expected someone to come looking for him, insisting on seeing him.

The visitor was Yumu of the Yu family, the Wangs' neighbors across the street.

Yumu wore a green yamen runner's uniform as he waited in the hall. Upon seeing Wang Sheng emerge from seclusion, he complained, "We've been childhood friends for years. Is it really this hard just to meet you?"

"No, I've had important matters to deal with lately," Wang Sheng said.

"Come on, what could be more important than a gathering of old friends? Erya and Heidan are already waiting for us at Songding Tower. Hurry up!"

Yumu spoke with considerable urgency.

"Do you need something?" Wang Sheng asked.

"Hehe, take a look at this uniform, brother. I've attached myself to a squad leader. I've gone from an unranked runner to an official yamen constable."

"The squad leader happens to be drinking with someone at Songding Tower today. I can take you over to meet him. If you or Heidan ever want to become runners, or if something happens in the future, perhaps you'll have someone to save face with!"

Yumu patted his chest in assurance, making it seem as though he were thinking of Wang Sheng.

But in truth, he was showing off that he had connections and backing.

As for that little connection and face, they were hardly worth mentioning.

Yumu himself had to bend over backward to curry favor with that squad leader. Even if Wang Sheng and the others went over and shared a few drinks with him, how deep could their friendship possibly become?

The reason for today's gathering was, first, that Yumu wanted to show off before his companions. His status had risen, and he was utterly different from several months ago—he had truly become one of the government's men.

Second, Yumu had learned from his mother that the Wang family seemed to have become something more.

Yumu did not know which martial hall or martial academy Wang Sheng was studying and cultivating at. As a runner who had only just entered the ranks, he had neither the time nor the means to search through every martial hall and academy one by one.

So Yumu wanted to use this opportunity to probe the Wang family's foundations. How had Wang Sheng's father become Master Wang? Was it real or false? One test would reveal all.

"Then let's go take a look."

Wang Sheng had already left his secluded chamber, so he might as well go meet them.

He had not gone out for more than ten days, and there had been no word from Luo Zhengwen either. Wang Sheng also wanted to take the opportunity to visit the martial academy and see what had been happening lately with the rebel army and the barbarians.

Songding Tower.

Inside the main hall,

Wang Sheng, Yumu, Heidan, and Erya shared a drink.

Other than Wang Sheng, the other three had undergone obvious changes in bearing and temperament.

"Damn it, this life is impossible to live! I have to castrate pigs and slaughter pigs every day. I work so hard my hands cramp up!"

Heidan smashed his wine cup onto the table and let out a heavy breath.

"Hahaha, that just means your master values you. That's why he gives you the important work," Yumu said with a laugh.

"You have to castrate pigs every day? Doesn't that mean you get to eat meat every day?" He Erya asked enviously.

"More or less. Forget eating meat every day—even eating until I threw up would be no problem."

Heidan sounded quite smug as he said this.

Though the work was exhausting, being able to eat meat every day was already very good.

As for eating so much meat he threw up, that was naturally just bragging.

"That's only pork. Following my young lady, I've eaten mutton, venison, and I've even gnawed on Da Chong's bones!"

"And you have no idea—the salt used by the young lady of the great Liu family is white as snow. The fragrance of the spices in her rooms is so rich I nearly fainted!"

"Also, a few days ago, the Zheng family's son-in-law became some kind of visible-force martial artist. I followed my young lady to offer congratulations. The Zheng family's son-in-law was handsome and polite, and he even thanked me!"

Seeing that Heidan was showing off, He Erya began talking about her own experiences—how many important people she had met, how many rare delicacies she had eaten, and so on—in an effort to highlight her own status.

After hearing all that, Heidan was indeed green with envy.

Of course, Heidan did not notice the streaks of bruises concealed beneath He Erya's deliberately covered arm.

Wang Sheng listened with a smile on his face, though he was making calculations in his heart.

Now that he had broken through to hidden force, it was time to settle things with that old man from the Liu family.

The Dan family's son-in-law had broken through to visible force. Could it be Wu An?

Wang Sheng had once sensed that Wu An seemed to harbor resentment toward him. If Wu An failed to know his place, then Wang Sheng would simply find a chance to kill him as well.

"But the most impressive one is still Big Brother Yu! Big Brother Yu has become a true yamen constable. You'll have to look after us from now on!"

He Erya looked at Yumu with a flattering expression, even carrying a trace of newly learned coquettishness.

Heidan nodded repeatedly as well, acting exceedingly warm and ingratiating before Yumu.

"Hahaha, certainly, certainly!"

Yumu laughed a few times.

Then Yumu looked at Wang Sheng. "Wang Sheng, how's your martial arts training going? Or did you switch trades and start doing business? Don't tell me you made a huge fortune and became a master?"

Wang Sheng calmly took a sip of tea. "I'm still training in martial arts. I don't know when it'll ever end."

"I haven't made any money."

Yumu thought to himself, and the breath he had been holding in his chest finally eased. The smile on his face grew wider. "Then that nonsense my mother said about Master Wang must have just been Old Wang joking around!"

Thus, believing himself to be the most successful of the four, Yumu began putting on airs. He adopted the tone of an elder and said,

"Wang Sheng, it's not that I want to criticize you. Look at you, training in martial arts—what could you possibly make of it? Your parents are getting old. You can't keep relying on them to earn money and fill that bottomless pit of martial arts training!"

"How about this? I'll find you a job first. My father's dock needs hands. Haul a few sacks every day and you'll at least have food and clothing. Or if you want to enter the yamen, I can put in a good word with the squad leader! Of course, you'll need to have money ready to satisfy him!"

Yumu's tone was rather harsh, as though he were lecturing a junior, condescending and high above.

"Exactly, Wang Sheng. Even if you keep training in martial arts, won't you end up as a guard in the end? The guards at my young lady's home are all worked like dogs. Whenever trouble comes, they might even lose their lives. You should listen to Big Brother Yumu."

He Erya shook her head, wearing an expression as though she truly had his best interests at heart.

"Wang Sheng, don't fail to appreciate kindness. The fact that Big Brother Yumu is willing to sit with us now already shows how much he values old friendships."

Heidan rebuked Wang Sheng, then looked at Yumu.

"Big Brother Yu, can you really get someone into the yamen? What about me?"

Heidan wore a fawning grin.

"You?"

Yumu looked at Heidan with a hint of disgust. The rank stench of pigs had already begun to cling to Heidan's body.

Wang Sheng frowned slightly. He had not expected that after only a few months apart, the three of them would become like this.

Suddenly,

Yumu sprang to his feet and hurried toward a black-clad squad leader who had just entered Songding Tower.

"Squad Leader, this lowly one, Yumu, greets Squad Leader!"

Yumu clasped his hands and bowed deeply, as though he wished he could directly kneel before the black-clad squad leader.

"Mm, it's Yumu."

"I have guests here. Make yourself at home."

The black-clad squad leader was broad and burly, speaking indifferently.

A man in green robes stood beside him.

"Yes, yes. If you need anything, just give the word. I'll be waiting over there!"

Yumu nodded and bowed with a flattering smile, pointing in a direction.

The black-clad squad leader and the green-robed man casually glanced that way.

The black-clad squad leader withdrew his gaze.

But the green-robed man's eyes lit up. Closing his folding fan, he immediately strode forward. "Junior Brother Wang, you've come out of seclusion? Why didn't you tell your senior brother?"

"Senior Brother Luo, I only ended my seclusion today! Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother!"

Wang Sheng had not expected to run into Luo Zhengwen by chance. He rose and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Hey, hey, don't be so polite, Junior Brother. With the relationship between us, why say such things?"

"Come, come. I'll introduce you to a squad leader. If you run into any messy troubles in the future, feel free to seek him out!"

The green-robed man was Luo Zhengwen. He pulled Wang Sheng over.

"This is my junior brother, Wang Sheng!"

The black-clad squad leader had long seen that the two were close. Hearing Luo Zhengwen's introduction, his previous indifference toward Yumu immediately turned into a broad smile. With utmost respect, he hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed. "Yamen squad leader Shen Huan greets Brother Wang!"

"Wang Sheng of the Zhao Family Martial Arts Academy greets Squad Leader Shen!"

Wang Sheng returned the salute.

"Th-this, this, this!"

Yumu stood dumbly to one side, his eyes wide as he stared in utter shock.

Watching the squad leader, who seemed to be currying favor with Luo Zhengwen and Wang Sheng, Yumu felt shock surge through him like rivers and seas overturning. His mind went completely blank!

The squad leader whom he had bent over backward to please was now currying favor with Wang Sheng, whom he had just lectured!!!

In an instant,

Yumu's entire body went numb, and goosebumps rose all over him.

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