The first step of Sword Cultivation was called "Nurturing Intent."
By using Sword Qi to nourish the ancestral aperture at the end of the nasal root beneath the brow, one transformed Sword Qi into one's own pure Sword Intent, then strengthened the divine soul.
The orthodox path of cultivation was divided into two stages: nurturing the sword and transforming intent.
Nurturing the sword meant finding a sword, then either tempering it through sword techniques or nourishing it with the essence of heaven and earth, gradually raising pure Sword Qi within it.
Then, using that as a foundation, one sensed this Outer Dao Sword Qi and followed its path to transform it into one's own Sword Intent.
Su Che was spared that trouble. The ancient sword in the Sword Case at hand had originally been left behind by a Sword Cultivator of a previous generation, and the Sword Qi within it was vast and brimming like the sea.
Thus, he could easily guide the Sword Qi into his body and slowly transform it into Sword Intent.
After repeating this seven times, Sword Intent filled the ancestral aperture between his brows. Su Che finally sensed his limit and stopped cultivating.
If someone had observed him from outside at that moment, they would have seen a faint white gleam shining between Su Che's brows.
That was the sword radiance produced as Sword Intent waxed and waned.
There was no obvious reaction in his body. The greatest changes lay in his senses and his thoughts.
The most noticeable changes came in two ways.
First, his five senses had become far sharper than usual.
Second, his thoughts had become distinctly clearer.
There was nothing else particularly miraculous about it.
"The first step of cultivation is to lay a firm foundation. Even Sword Cultivation is no exception."
Su Che gained a realization in his heart.
"It is like a child learning to walk. At first, his steps are unsteady. Only once his legs have gained strength and his body has become increasingly coordinated can he finally walk steadily."
From this perspective, the Sword Cultivation system was not all that different from other systems.
"The Sword Case is both a treasure for self-protection and the foundation of cultivation. As for the Heaven-Supporting Jun Sword, it is also a lineage for practicing Sword Intent, not a means for fighting enemies."
"It is like what I once read in books: there is the Dao and there are techniques. The Dao is a cultivation method for raising one's realm, while techniques are methods of application. The Su Family's texts provide treasures for self-protection and methods of cultivation, yet no methods of application. They were likely worried that, after I took office, I would compete fiercely with others and suffer some accident."
That elder of the Su Family had made very sensible arrangements. Considering the former owner's personality, "Little Tyrant of Danyang's Iron Whip" was hardly a good nickname.
After cultivating, Su Che felt refreshed and clear-headed. He simply began reviewing the case files regarding the theft of treasury silver next door.
After reading through the entire case file, he found that the useful information within was truly limited.
Shanyin County's government treasury was divided into three parts: the "Ever-Provision Treasury," the "Grace-Offering Treasury," and the "Price-Stabilization Treasury."
Simply put, the stores in the Ever-Provision Treasury covered everyday expenditures. The Grace-Offering Treasury primarily stored taxes and Local Tribute submitted to the imperial court.
There was also the Price-Stabilization Treasury, used to provide disaster relief and regulate prices. Its accounts and case files were the simplest, because the treasury was simply empty.
The treasury involved in the incident was the Ever-Provision Treasury.
The Ever-Provision Treasury had sixteen treasury guards, divided into four shifts of four men each, patrolling day and night. The entire storehouse had been built from blue bricks. Theft prevention had been considered during construction, and they had used a clumsy method: the main storehouse had only one entrance.
The treasury guards normally patrolled only outside the storehouse. There was only one key to it, and it was kept by Registrar Tian.
Whenever there was an expenditure, Registrar Tian would take two clerks into the storehouse to withdraw the funds, count them face-to-face, and then lock the main doors again.
In theory, this system was foolproof. For if Registrar Tian conscientiously enforced it, there would not be many chances for the treasury guards to show their worth.
That was assuming Shanyin County had a City God.
A city with a City God in residence naturally possessed a layered system of ghost officials and underworld generals, preventing demons and ghosts from causing mischief.
If any demon or monster truly set its sights on the Shanyin County treasury, the first hurdle would be the ghost officials under the Shanyin County City God.
In this present age of chaos, many cities no longer had City Gods.
The reason was simple enough. As guardians of mortal order, large numbers of City Gods and Earth Gods had continually clashed with demons, monsters, ghosts, and strange beings that challenged that order. Most had already fallen.
"This so-called treasury silver theft was most likely the work of some minor demon or little ghost. Shanyin County places such importance on it not only because the Ever-Provision Treasury truly concerns everyone's interests, but probably more because they want to use this matter to test my mettle."
Su Che came to a judgment in his heart.
Therefore, he not only had to solve this case quickly, but had to solve it with flair.
Su Che continued turning through the files, using their scattered fragments of information to ponder Shanyin County's local customs and conditions.
As the ancients said, seeing one spot reveals the whole leopard. From these files, he could naturally draw conclusions about all of Shanyin County and the surrounding regions.
The red candles wept, and he remained sleepless through the night.
Su Che continued reading the case files until the following morning.
His understanding of Shanyin County deepened by another layer as well.
Seeing the sky faintly brighten while the sun had yet to rise in the east, Su Che decided to take a brief nap on the bed.
The instant that thought arose, he heard a burst of urgent drumming from outside.
Su Che hurriedly put on his clothes and stepped into his official boots, preparing to go out. Just as his hand reached for the door, he stopped.
The drumbeat had just been deep and resounding. Setting aside the impossible prospect of Northern Wei troops charging beneath Shanyin County Town's walls, someone must have struck the Grievance Drum.
Under Great Liang law, every county yamen had a large drum outside it called the Grievance Drum. If common folk were oppressed, they could use it to seek redress.
Once the drum sounded, the county's chief official—that is, the county magistrate—was supposed to preside over the hearing personally.
Su Che remembered that under Great Liang's system, scenes with yamen runners standing in rows to either side while the county magistrate ascended the hall with his adviser were exceedingly rare.
Most disputes were settled at the level of clan elders and village heads.
Only a very small number of major or important cases reached the county commandant.
As for cases worthy of the county magistrate's personal attention, they generally either offered great profit to be skimmed or truly could not be handled below.
Thus, the instant the Grievance Drum sounded, Su Che grew somewhat nervous.
After all, the imperial court had explicit laws: once the Grievance Drum sounded, only the county magistrate could render judgment.
This was meant to prevent county vice-magistrates and registrars from powerful local backgrounds from colluding together and arbitrarily deciding local affairs.
But in Shanyin County, this was somewhat awkward. The county magistrate had never once arrived in the county, and before Su Che came, Shanyin County had not even had an official dispatched by the imperial court.
Therefore, the Grievance Drum absolutely could not be allowed to sound.
Su Che vaguely remembered Registrar Tian mentioning the Grievance Drum in passing while they drank the night before.
He had said that, to prevent anyone from striking the Grievance Drum, he had simply ordered its drumsticks removed. In a few days, he had even intended to send someone to break the drum, ensuring it could never sound again and cutting off future trouble forever.
Now it seemed Registrar Tian had thought of that idea far too late.
Su Che put on his clothes and headed straight for the county yamen's entrance.
The Grievance Drum of Shanyin County had not sounded for a long time. Yet on the very day he arrived, someone had struck it. This was clearly directed at him.
After only a few steps, he heard an old woman howling in the distance.
"Injustice! Injustice! This old woman's daughter-in-law is a demon! My lord, you must uphold justice for me! Heavens, I cannot go on living..."