Waves, Demon Subduing Technique

"This is a movement technique?"

Looking at the martial arts manual, Fang Xing's eyes brightened.

As he focused his gaze, a crimson hue emerged in his pupils.

[A common martial art, Gale Step; requires 150 Enhancement Points to enhance.]

"One hundred and fifty points, more than double that of the Capture Hand..."

Staring at the crimson prompt, Fang Xing let out a sigh.

Enhancing the Capture Hand had only cost sixty, yet this Gale Step required one hundred and fifty Enhancement Points.

One hundred and fifty Enhancement Points.

Given his current accumulation, it would take at least two and a half months.

"However, I can practice the movement technique first. With it, I'll have the means to run if I need to in the future."

Collecting his thoughts, Fang Xing skimmed through the Gale Step manual once.

Then, he tucked it away.

Acquiring a movement technique was an entirely unexpected surprise.

Even if it was just a movement technique, it was still a rare find.

Walking out of the main room, he found that the others had almost finished their search.

In the other rooms, they had also unearthed some silver.

Scattered here and there, it added up to about one hundred and fifty taels.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows.

The hidden compartment in the main room had only contained a portion of the stash.

In total, the man had been worth three hundred taels.

For an ordinary person, this was an absolutely staggering sum of wealth.

Looking at the one hundred and fifty taels of silver collected, Fang Xing made a decision: he would keep everything from the hidden compartment for himself.

As for the remaining one hundred and fifty taels, he let his subordinates take a share, took a modest portion for himself as was expected, and handed the rest over.

If there's meat to be eaten, one must have a bite.

Taking a little also proved that he had no selfish motives.

After the search was complete, Fang Xing let the horse-faced youth go.

Then, he led the group of yamen runners away from the courtyard.

Before leaving, they posted an official seal on the gate to signify that it had been seized by the authorities.

As for what happened afterward, that was no longer his concern.

These assets would certainly be confiscated; he knew better than to cast his eyes on those.

Before returning to the County Yamen, Fang Xing made a quick detour home to hide his share of the loot, then went to check on the gambling den.

The haul from the gambling den was also substantial.

Bits and pieces added up, and after distributing some to the runners, there was still over a hundred taels of cash left.

He had people carry this along as well, and then returned to the County Yamen.

--

Inside the North Ward Office at the County Yamen, Xu Zhengxiong looked at the confiscated wealth.

Over two hundred taels—this was definitely a huge sum.

Fang Xing had certainly kept a portion of the surrendered funds, but Xu Zhengxiong didn't ask; it was an unspoken rule.

As long as it stayed within reasonable bounds, whatever they took was considered "hard-earned money."

However, he hadn't expected Fang Xing to take down the leader of the Black Tiger Gang on his very first day on the job.

With the leader of the Black Tiger Gang dead, it was effectively the end of the gang.

Even he was startled by the commotion.

"You kid, you've certainly made a splash. Striking so hard, aren't you afraid of inviting trouble?" Xu Zhengxiong asked, looking at Fang Xing, speechless.

This first fire he'd lit on his first day was unexpectedly fierce.

No other Deputy Constable had ever shown such boldness.

He didn't know whether to call the guy a newborn calf that isn't afraid of the tiger, or simply fearless.

Never mind a Deputy Constable making such a scene on his first day; even a full Constable wouldn't have caused such a stir.

However, this series of actions did make him look at the young man in a new light.

Taking down the leader of the Black Tiger Gang meant defeating a Bright Force martial artist.

Even he wouldn't dare claim he had a hundred percent certainty of killing him, yet Fang Xing had managed it.

Perhaps there were some twists and turns involved, but compared to the process, the result was even more shocking.

Hearing Xu Zhengxiong's words, Fang Xing replied with a serious expression: "Uncle Xu, I handled this according to the law. Xu Hu colluded with others to hire assassins and even attempted to ambush me in resistance. According to Article 732 of the Great Jing Dynasty's legal code, the act of attacking a yamen runner alone is enough to have him executed on the spot."

Xu Zhengxiong: "..."

"You can't just act recklessly in everything. The Black Tiger Gang is one thing—they're just a low-level power. But if you try that with those two forces in the North City, I'm afraid you won't live to see tomorrow's sun."

Xu Zhengxiong looked at him with a stern expression.

Fang Xing smiled slightly: "Don't worry, Uncle Xu, I know my limits."

Fang Xing naturally knew which two forces in the North City Xu Zhengxiong was referring to.

These two powers were the very top of the hierarchy in Qingshan County.

They controlled the prosperous center of the North City and, beyond that, held sway over many of the surrounding towns in Qingshan County.

The reason was simple: both sides had Transformation Force martial artists backing them.

A Transformation Force martial artist was a top-tier existence in Qingshan County.

Like the great clans such as the Ning Family, their foundations were deep!

Perhaps in the eyes of a whole province, they were nothing, but to the average person, they were like mayflies looking up at the vast blue sky.

Looking at Fang Xing, Xu Zhengxiong continued: "As long as you understand. In the future, be a bit more tactful. Qingshan County is not as simple as you think. Behind some of these major powers, there are even stronger entities involved. When you're an official, you have to grasp the scale of things to live comfortably. Otherwise, it's easy to dodge an open spear, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow!"

Fang Xing nodded.

Being able to say these things meant Xu Zhengxiong truly viewed him as a successor to nurture.

However... the position of a Constable wouldn't satisfy his appetite.

Advancement was inevitable!

Since he had transmigrated, it would be a wasted journey if he didn't see the vastness of this world.

Of course, he certainly didn't have such thoughts right now.

In these chaotic times, without sufficient strength to protect oneself, setting out was just asking for death.

This world wasn't just filled with cultists and bandits; there were also demons and ghosts.

Those demons and ghosts were the most terrifying of all!

--

After chatting for a while, Fang Xing left.

Before knocking off at the Hour of the Rooster, he submitted a brief report, and the case was effectively considered closed.

However, while it was settled for him, the destruction of the Black Tiger Gang had caused quite a stir in the North City.

The fall of a gang was bound to attract the attention of other criminal elements.

For a time, undercurrents surged throughout the North City.

The Black Tiger Gang's territory was quickly swallowed up by other factions.

And Fang Xing's name became the focus of attention for all the criminal underworld.

In the study of a mansion in the North City, a middle-aged man in black robes sipped tea while listening to the report of the person beside him.

"Master, that is the general situation."

Beside him, a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache and a short jacket spoke in a low voice.

Hearing the report, the middle-aged man in robes set down his teacup.

"Fang Xing... a mere Deputy Constable, yet he has such courage on his first day. This young man is certainly full of vigor."

A smile appeared on the man's face as he muttered to himself.

Hearing this, the man with the handlebar mustache looked at him: "Master, this person only recently entered the Bright Force realm and showed his mettle when he took the post of Deputy Constable. Should we make contact?"

"No need. He's just a Deputy Constable; not worth making contact with. Just keep an eye on him," the middle-aged man in robes said indifferently.

Hearing this, the man with the handlebar mustache nodded and left the study. The middle-aged man in robes looked out the window, lost in thought.

Leaving the County Yamen, Fang Xing returned directly home.

Entering his room, he checked his haul. He set the money aside for the moment and turned his attention to the handwritten manual of the Capture Hand.

"Sixty points... I wonder what kind of martial art I can enhance this into."

Staring at the crimson prompt before him, Fang Xing took a deep breath, then moved his mind to initiate the enhancement.

A crimson glow emerged over the manual in his hands.

The next moment, a crimson prompt appeared in his eyes.

[A basic martial art, Capture Hand, successfully enhanced; obtained a superior martial art, Demon Subduing Technique.]

As the crimson text appeared in his vision, Fang Xing felt his heart leap.