"Is this a movement technique?"
Looking at the martial arts manual, Fang Xing's eyes lit up.
Under his gaze, crimson text appeared in his vision.
[A common martial art, Gale Step. 150 Enhancement Points required to strengthen.]
"One hundred and fifty points—more than double the cost of Capture Hand..."
Looking at the crimson message, Fang Xing sighed.
Strengthening Capture Hand had only cost sixty points, but this Gale Step required a hundred and fifty.
One hundred and fifty Enhancement Points.
At his current rate of accumulation, it would take at least two and a half months.
"Still, I can start practicing a movement technique now. Once I've learned one, I'll have the means to run for my life."
Coming back to himself, Fang Xing gave the Gale Step manual a quick read.
Then he put it away.
Getting a martial arts manual had been a completely unexpected surprise.
Although it was a movement technique, it was still a rare find.
When he left the main room, the others had nearly finished their search as well.
They had found some silver in the other rooms, too.
The scattered coins added up to a hundred and fifty taels.
A cunning rabbit had three burrows.
The hidden compartment in the main room held only part of the stash.
All together, the gang's wealth came to three hundred taels.
To ordinary people, that was an absolutely staggering sum.
Looking at the hundred and fifty taels they had found, Fang Xing made up his mind: he would keep everything from the hidden compartment.
As for the remaining hundred and fifty taels, he would give some to his men and take a little himself, just to keep up appearances. The rest would all be handed over.
When there was meat on the table, you had to eat.
Taking a little also showed he wasn't selfish.
After the search, Fang Xing let the young man with the horse-like face go.
Then he led the constables away from the courtyard.
Before leaving, they posted an official seal on the gate.
It showed that the place had been confiscated.
What happened after that was no longer his concern.
Those assets would certainly be confiscated by the government. That was one matter he couldn't meddle in.
Before returning to the County Yamen, Fang Xing made a detour home and hid the money he had taken there. Then he went to check on the gambling house.
They had seized quite a lot from the gambling house, too.
After splitting some among the constables, they still had over a hundred taels in silver.
He had them bring it all along as they returned to the County Yamen.
--
In a room at the North Ward Office, Xu Zhengxiong looked at the money they had seized.
Over two hundred taels—it was an absolute fortune.
Fang Xing had certainly kept some of the money before handing it over. Xu Zhengxiong didn't ask him about it; it was an unwritten rule.
As long as you didn't take too much, whatever you pocketed was "hard-earned money."
Still, he hadn't expected Fang Xing to deal with the Black Tiger Gang's leader on his very first day in office.
With the leader dead, the Black Tiger Gang was as good as wiped out.
The commotion had even startled him.
"You brat, you've made quite a splash. You made such a bold move—aren't you afraid of inviting trouble?" Xu Zhengxiong said, looking at Fang Xing, at a loss for words.
That first-day blaze had burned far brighter than anyone expected.
No other deputy constable had ever shown such nerve.
He didn't know whether to call the kid a fearless young calf or simply brave and dauntless.
No deputy constable had ever caused such a stir on his first day—not even a constable had done so.
Still, after seeing how everything had played out, Xu Zhengxiong couldn't help but look at him in a new light.
The Black Tiger Gang's leader had been a Bright Force martial artist.
Xu Zhengxiong wouldn't have claimed he could kill the man with absolute certainty, yet Fang Xing had done just that.
Perhaps there had been some twists along the way, but the outcome was far more astonishing than the process.
Listening to Xu Zhengxiong, Fang Xing answered with a solemn expression. "Uncle Xu, I was only carrying out the law. Xu Hu conspired with two others to hire someone to kill, then tried to ambush us and resist arrest. Under Article 732 of Great Jing law, attacking a constable alone was enough to justify executing him on the spot."
Xu Zhengxiong: "..."
"You can't go charging in recklessly all the time. The Black Tiger Gang was no big deal, just a second-rate outfit. But if you handle the two powers in North City this way, you might not live to see tomorrow."
Xu Zhengxiong looked at him gravely as he spoke.
Fang Xing smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Uncle Xu. I know where to draw the line."
Fang Xing knew exactly which two North City powers Xu Zhengxiong meant.
Both of them were among the top forces in all of Qingshan County.
They controlled the prosperous central districts of North City, and had a firm grip on many of the county's towns as well.
The reason was simple: both groups had Transformation Force martial artists backing them.
Transformation Force martial artists stood at the pinnacle of Qingshan County.
Like the Ning Family, they were ancient powers with deep foundations!
They might not amount to much across an entire province, but in the eyes of ordinary people, they were like mayflies gazing up at the sky.
Looking at Fang Xing, Xu Zhengxiong said, "Good. Just keep that in mind. Be gentler in how you handle things from now on. Qingshan County isn't as simple as you think. Behind some of the major powers are even stronger forces. As a constable, you have to know where to draw the line. That's how you'll live comfortably. Otherwise, spears in the open are easy to dodge, but arrows in the dark are hard to guard against!"
Fang Xing nodded.
For Xu Zhengxiong to say all that, he must truly have been grooming Fang Xing as his successor.
But the position of constable wasn't enough to satisfy his appetite.
Advancement was inevitable!
If he traveled to another world and didn't see the vastness of it, the journey would have been for nothing.
Of course, he had no such plans for now.
In these chaotic times, without enough strength to protect himself, stepping outside was as good as asking for death.
This world held more than cultists and bandits. It also held demons and monsters.
Those demons and monsters were the most terrifying of all!
--
After chatting for a while, Fang Xing left.
Before wrapping up work at the hour of the Rooster, he put together a brief report and submitted it. The case was effectively settled.
But though it was settled for him, the Black Tiger Gang's destruction caused a considerable stir in North City.
The fall of a gang was bound to draw the attention of other criminal groups.
For a time, undercurrents stirred throughout North City.
The Black Tiger Gang's territory was soon taken over by other forces.
And Fang Xing's name became the focus of attention among the criminal groups.
In a study inside a North City residence, a middle-aged man in a dark robe sipped tea as he listened to a report from the man beside him.
"Master, that's more or less what happened."
Beside him, a middle-aged man with a mustache, dressed in a short jacket, spoke in a low voice.
After listening to the report, the robed man set down his teacup.
"Fang Xing... A mere deputy constable, yet he had the nerve to do that on his first day in office. The young man is certainly full of vigor."
A smile appeared on the robed man's face as he murmured.
Hearing this, the mustached man in the short jacket looked at him. "Master, he only recently entered Bright Force, yet he already distinguished himself when he became deputy constable. Should we reach out to him?"
"No need. He's only a deputy constable—not worth approaching. Just keep an eye on him," the robed man said coolly.
The mustached man in the short jacket nodded at those words, then left the study. The robed man gazed out the window, lost in thought.
After leaving the County Yamen, Fang Xing went straight home.
Once inside, he checked his spoils. He set the money aside for now, and his gaze fell on the handwritten copy of Capture Hand.
"Sixty points... I wonder what kind of martial art I can strengthen it into."
Looking at the crimson message before him, Fang Xing took a deep breath. Then, with a thought, he strengthened the martial art.
A crimson glow appeared on the manual in his hand.
The next moment, a crimson message appeared in his vision.
[A basic martial art, Capture Hand, has been successfully strengthened. You have obtained a superior martial art, Demon Subduing Technique.]
The crimson text appeared before his eyes. Fang Xing couldn't help but feel his heart leap.
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