Testing the Yin Bone

Lin Qing ignored him outright. He was now a Constable of the Soul-Calming Office, and Han Juetong would not dare do anything to him. All Han Juetong could do was rage helplessly. Jiang Baihe, though, was someone Lin Qing needed to watch out for.

With the assessment over, the three leaders had no desire to linger and turned to leave. Of the Eight Constable Chiefs, only Yang Feng, Han Tai, and Jiang Baihe, the three from the Night Patrol Office, remained.

Once the crowd dispersed, Jiang Baihe walked straight up to Lin Qing with a smile. "Not bad, Lin Qing. You reached Minor Mastery in half a year, and you're brimming with spirit. It's enough to make anyone envious. My talent wasn't as good as yours back then. But let me offer you a word of advice: life is long, and night roads are hard to travel. Be sure to watch your step."

Lin Qing heard the threat in his words. He was considering how to respond when Yang Feng stepped forward.

"Brother Jiang, show mercy where you can. If you keep pressing him like this, I won't stand by and do nothing."

Jiang Baihe snorted and turned away. Yang Feng watched him go, then patted Lin Qing on the shoulder.

"Jiang Baihe loves money more than life itself, and he's a treacherous man. You've offended him, so be careful from now on. If you run into trouble, tell me at once. I won't stand by and do nothing," Yang Feng said gravely.

"Thank you, Constable Chief." Lin Qing cupped his hands.

"I saw how well you performed. Don't worry. Now that you've joined my Corpse Collection Team, I'll be the one you can rely on," Yang Feng reassured him.

"You truly are a man of principle, Constable Chief." Lin Qing cupped his hands again. Yang Feng had long been known for his unwavering fairness. From what Lin Qing had seen, the reputation was well deserved.

"Someone will come shortly to assess the Yin Bone Quality of all seven of you," Yang Feng added.

"Sir, may I ask what Yin Bone is?" Lin Qing asked.

"Yin Bone measures how much of an evil aura's impact a person can withstand. It's different from aptitude.

"For example, if two people are both at Bright Force Mid-Stage and Evil Spirits invade their bodies, the one with high-grade Yin Bone has a far greater chance of surviving than the one with low-grade Yin Bone. That's why Yin Bone matters so much to Constables of the Soul-Calming Office. The higher its quality, the more attention you receive and the easier it is to pass next year's Reexamination," Yang Feng explained.

"I understand." Lin Qing nodded.

As they spoke, an elderly man in gray arrived. He swept his gaze over them. "You seven, come here."

Lin Qing and the other six immediately lined up before him.

"My surname is Shen, and I'm a Constable of the Artisans' Office. I have seven Evil Soul Pills. You'll each swallow one. The pill draws a large amount of evil aura into the body, allowing me to assess your Yin Bone Quality. Let's begin."

The old man handed each of them a gray pill the size of a soybean. Lin Qing opened his mouth and swallowed his.

Before long, the pill took effect. A chill spread through his body. At times, he heard someone weeping beside his ear; at others, someone roared.

This was what it felt like when evil aura entered the body. Without prompt treatment, a person could easily suffer a mental collapse and turn into an Evil Spirit.

Lin Qing frowned and endured it, keeping his mind calm. Suddenly, twisted blue-black markings appeared on his face.

The old man darted forward and slipped a Vermilion Pill into his mouth.

"Swallow it!"

Lin Qing obeyed. As the pill reached his stomach, it felt as though a ball of flame had ignited there. Heat surged through every limb and bone. The cold rapidly faded, as did the blue-black markings on his face.

"Blue markings on the face in less than fifteen minutes. Low-grade Yin Bone," the old man pronounced.

Hearing this, Jiang Baihe looked delighted by Lin Qing's misfortune. Yang Feng came over. "It may be low-grade, but don't let it weigh on you. A high enough martial arts realm can make up for the disadvantage."

Lin Qing nodded. "Don't worry, Constable Chief. I'll work even harder to improve my strength."

"Good. That's the spirit." Approval flashed in Yang Feng's eyes.

Before long, the other six had finished their tests. All six had middle-grade Yin Bone.

The old man turned and left. Yang Feng instructed them, "Report to the Night Patrol Office courtyard first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir."

A short while later.

Lin Qing returned to the small courtyard and immediately told Shen Lian the news.

Shen Lian beamed. "Good! The rest of them were useless. Not one was selected. At least I didn't misjudge you. I promised you a handsome reward if you passed the assessment, so tell me, what do you want?"

Lin Qing thought for a moment. "I haven't decided yet, ma'am. Give me a few days to consider it."

"You're steady in everything you do. Come to me when you've decided. Oh, and now that you're a Corpse Collector, you ought to move out of this courtyard. But I'm not well yet, and going back and forth would be inconvenient. Stay here a while longer. I'll have a room prepared just for you. Don't worry, I won't shortchange you: meat at every meal and a bottle of Qi Replenishing Pills each week. How does that sound?" Shen Lian asked with a smile.

"Then I'll move out once your illness is cured." Lin Qing nodded.

Shen Lian had helped him before, so he naturally intended to see her treatment through.

"You do have a conscience. By the way, what was your Yin Bone Quality?" Shen Lian asked.

"Low-grade," Lin Qing replied.

"Low-grade? Hmm. The Soul-Calming Office places great importance on Yin Bone. Its quality will hold you back at next year's Reexamination. Don't slack off. Try to learn several more martial arts before then. If you can produce enough varieties of force, you can make up for the gap in Yin Bone Quality," Shen Lian said.

"I'll work hard. I won't slack off." Lin Qing nodded slightly. He had heard that force could counter Evil Spirits. Reaching Major Mastery in the Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake let a person produce Spirit Snake Force, while other martial arts could produce other kinds of force. The more varieties a Martial Artist commanded, the stronger they became and the better they could fight Evil Spirits.

The night passed without incident.

The next day.

After breakfast, Lin Qing headed straight for the Corpse Collectors' courtyard.

From that day on, he no longer had to grind bones. When he left the courtyard, the other youths looked at him with open envy.

He followed several paths and rounded a few corners before reaching the Corpse Collectors' courtyard. There was nothing remarkable about it: a row of buildings, a few willow trees, and seven or eight people practicing martial arts.

He had heard that Shanyin County had a population of two hundred thousand. The number of Constables fluctuated between one and two hundred, while the number of laborers ranged from five to eight hundred. Most of the time, there were no more than twenty Corpse Collectors.

He was thinking this over when he saw a round-faced young man approach.

"You must be Brother Lin Qing?"

"That's me."

"I'm Yu Qiuyu, Deputy Constable Chief of the Corpse Collection Team. Sir Yang has business to attend to and hasn't arrived yet, so I'll show you around and explain our rules." Yu Qiuyu's manner was exceedingly friendly.

"Sorry for the trouble, Deputy Constable Chief," Lin Qing replied politely.

"Hey, no need for titles. Just call me Yu Qiuyu. We Corpse Collectors don't fuss over that sort of thing." Yu Qiuyu waved a hand.

Lin Qing immediately warmed to him. He was an easy man to be around.

"Stop practicing, everyone! We've got a newcomer. Let me introduce Brother Lin Qing."

Yu Qiuyu led Lin Qing into the Martial Arts Arena. After they had walked a short distance, he suddenly raised his voice and called out.

The others stopped what they were doing and smiled warmly.

"Welcome, Brother Lin! We're all family from now on!"

"I heard about you, Brother Lin Qing. You're a genius! You brought the Spirit Snake technique to Minor Mastery in half a year."

"Impressive. You're better than me."

"With that blockhead of yours, don't bother comparing yourself. Which of us isn't better than you?"

"Oh, get lost. You're useless too!"

At the sight, some of the tension left Lin Qing's body. Their rough-and-tumble banter made the place feel welcoming to a newcomer.

"That's just how they are. Come on, Brother Lin. I'll take you to the storeroom and get you properly outfitted," Yu Qiuyu said with a grin.

"All right."