Under the lonely moonlight.
Two figures arrived at the mouth of the alley.
Zhao Zhi rested his palm on the hilt of his saber, his distinct knuckles tightening one finger at a time, his gaze icy.
Once he saw who had come, he relaxed slightly.
"So it's you two."
The two newcomers were likewise dressed in blue constable uniforms.
They were constables patrolling with Zhao Zhi tonight. The tall, thin one was named Qian Tong, while the ordinary-looking one was named Luo Dashan.
"Zhao Zhi?"
Qian Tong frowned and asked, "What happened?"
"Let the Wang Family Tavern owner's daughter tell you. I'm going back to rest first."
Zhao Zhi said no more, waved his hand, and walked away.
He had used Merit to improve his Seizing Hand, but the injury on his head had yet to heal.
It needed to be treated quickly. It would be troublesome if it left behind a hidden injury.
Qian Tong and Luo Dashan exchanged glances but did not stop him.
The three of them were of equal rank and had no authority to restrain one another.
Besides.
The two had passed by the Wang Family Tavern earlier and received Tavernkeeper Wang's request to search for his daughter, who had suddenly disappeared.
Now, she had been found.
"Qian Tong?!"
Luo Dashan's gaze fell on Li Qingchang's corpse on the ground, and his voice rose several notches.
"Look!"
Qian Tong looked at the corpse, and his expression changed drastically. He cried out, "Li Qingchang."
Qian Tong and Luo Dashan looked at each other again, then both turned to stare at Zhao Zhi's retreating back.
"Was it Zhao Zhi?"
Luo Dashan spoke.
Qian Tong's expression was grave. "He's in trouble."
Li Qingchang was a street thug, hated and despised by everyone.
But.
He had a rather pretty younger sister.
That younger sister was now the county magistrate's ninth concubine.
It seemed.
The county magistrate was quite fond of this ninth concubine.
Relying on his sister's status, Li Qingchang had become even more domineering and overbearing than before, committing every kind of evil and running rampant without restraint.
Even the constables could do nothing about him.
Now he was dead.
The county magistrate would certainly not let this pass.
Luo Dashan said quietly, "Zhao Zhi shouldn't be so reckless. What exactly happened?"
Qian Tong looked toward the Wang Family Tavern owner's daughter.
The next day.
At a noodle stall by the street.
Zhao Zhi's head was wrapped in cloth. Fortunately, his constable's hat concealed it well enough.
He took a sip of hot soup and lowered his eyes in thought.
After one night, he had fully accepted his identity as a transmigrator, as well as his identity as a blue-uniformed constable.
He had also figured out the panel.
Earn Merit, then use Merit to improve martial arts.
After returning home last night, he had spent 20 Merit to raise the Grand Ancestor Long Saber to the perfected level.
[Martial arts: Seizing Hand (Perfected), Grand Ancestor Long Saber (Perfected).] [Merit: 30.] [Note: Doing good and accumulating virtue can earn Merit. Merit can be used to improve martial arts realms.]
Neither martial art could be improved any further, and he still had Merit left over.
What he needed next was to obtain more martial arts.
The yamen should have some.
The yamen?
Thinking of the yamen, Zhao Zhi thought of Li Qingchang, whom he had killed last night.
Li Qingchang's younger sister had become the current county magistrate's ninth concubine and was quite favored.
Once she learned that he had killed Li Qingchang, this concubine would likely whisper in the county magistrate's ear and prompt him to act against Zhao Zhi.
The Qingfeng County magistrate was no good man.
But.
From Zhao Zhi's memories, he knew that someone from above would soon be sent to investigate in secret. Moreover, Zhao Zhi's father had died suppressing bandits, so County Magistrate Lu Guangyi did not dare make a move openly.
He would likely resort to other methods.
As Zhao Zhi pondered, he sensed a measure of disorder in the surroundings.
He raised his head slightly and looked.
Three men in gray short outfits swaggered over, each with a tattoo resembling a gray snake on his arm.
The Gray Snake Gang.
The man in the middle was a minor Gray Snake Gang leader named Wu Meng. The other two were merely ordinary Gray Snake Gang members.
When the customers inside the noodle stall saw Wu Meng and his men approaching, their expressions changed abruptly. Not even bothering to finish their noodles, they hurriedly rose and left.
"Old Sun."
Wu Meng swept his gaze across the noodle stall and grinned carelessly. "Business is pretty good today, huh?"
Old Sun, the noodle stall owner, changed expression slightly and said cautiously, "Master Wu, I already paid the protection fee the day before yesterday."
"I know."
Wu Meng replied casually, scooping clumps of noodles from the bamboo tray and tossing them into the pot.
"You ate yesterday, so you don't need to eat today?"
"Well..." Old Sun looked bitter. "I truly have no money..."
Bang.
Wu Meng slammed his palm onto the wooden counter, his sinister gaze boring straight into Old Sun. "No money?"
Hmph.
A cold snort rang out.
Wu Meng turned toward its source. Seeing Zhao Zhi seated calmly in his place and noticing the blue constable uniform on him, his eyes shifted as he strode over.
"I was wondering who was bold enough to sit here. So it's Constable Zhao."
Wu Meng sat down beside Zhao Zhi without invitation, placing heavy emphasis on the words "Constable Zhao."
The Gray Snake Gang was a major gang in Qingfeng County and exceedingly powerful. Even the county yamen could do nothing about them.
If Zhao Zhi had been a chief constable, Wu Meng might have shown some courtesy.
But he was only Zhao Zhi, a lowly blue-uniformed constable.
Zhao Zhi glanced at Wu Meng. The five fingers of his right hand curled into claws, then shot out like lightning to seize Wu Meng's shoulder.
His force surged forth.
Crack.
Bone shattered.
Wu Meng's arm dangled limply, and he let out a miserable scream.
The other two gang members rushed forward.
A flash of cold light swept past like a flying moon, forcing the two gang members back in an instant.
The sharp blade settled onto Wu Meng's shoulder. Its silver gleam brushed intimately against his neck, and a chill like winter ice and snow invaded him.
Wu Meng's face turned deathly pale. He forcibly choked back even his scream, his features twisting as sweat poured down like rain.
Zhao Zhi looked coldly at Wu Meng. "Come to this noodle stall one more time, and I'll chop off one of your legs. If Old Sun gets hurt, I'll chop off all three of your legs. If this stall gets smashed, I'll chop off your head. Do you understand?"
"Understood, understood."
Wu Meng answered in a panic. He wanted to nod in agreement, but feeling the chill at his neck, he did not dare move an inch. His eyes only darted frantically toward the saber.
"Go apologize to Old Sun."
Zhao Zhi sheathed his saber.
Wu Meng was indeed a minor Gray Snake Gang leader, but he did not know the slightest bit of martial arts. He merely relied on his sturdy build to bully the good and weak.
When he encountered someone truly ruthless, he immediately shrank into a ball.
"Yes, yes, yes."
Wu Meng struggled to his feet and walked toward Old Sun, baring his teeth in pain. "Old Sun... no... Master Sun, I was wrong just now. I apologize to you."
Old Sun stared blankly, standing rooted to the spot, at a complete loss.
"Scram."
Zhao Zhi snorted coldly.
"Yes."
Wu Meng immediately fled with the two Gray Snake Gang members.
[You taught an ill-mannered minor gang leader to respect the elderly and care for the young. Merit +1.]
Zhao Zhi glanced at the message, drained the noodle soup in one gulp, left behind several copper coins, and departed.
A moment later.
He arrived at the county yamen. After checking in, he was immediately summoned by Chief Constable Chen Qingzhi, who said County Magistrate Lu had a task to assign.
That came quickly.
A glint suddenly flashed through Zhao Zhi's eyes.
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