460 Merit Points! Treasures Saved for Last!

In the rear courtyard of the County Yamen.

Zhang Hu ordered someone to take Wang Dagui away for treatment, then had the Yamen Runners count the Dog Demon corpses Yang Xiao had brought back.

The Yamen Runner in charge hurried over to report, his voice trembling.

"Thirty-seven Dog Demons in total. One was a leader at the Body Forging Realm Ninth Stage!"

The surrounding Yamen Runners sucked in cold breaths. They looked at Yang Xiao with awe.

Zhang Hu pondered for a moment, then turned to Yang Xiao.

"Come with me."

He led Yang Xiao into a Side Room and took out an Account Book and an Abacus.

"Thirty-seven Dog Demons. Thirty-six were ordinary Dog Demons, and one was a leader at the Body Forging Realm Ninth Stage."

Zhang Hu calculated as he spoke. "Ordinary Dog Demons are worth ten Merit points each. By the rules, a Demon at the Body Forging Realm Ninth Stage is worth fifty."

He paused and looked at Yang Xiao.

"But this was a special case. That Dog Demon Leader was exceptionally vicious, and you killed him alone. That deserves more credit."

Zhang Hu thought it over. "I'll count him as one hundred Merit points."

Yang Xiao's eyes lit up.

One hundred Merit points!

That was as much Merit as killing ten ordinary Body Forging Realm Demons!

"So," Zhang Hu continued, working the Abacus, "thirty-six ordinary Dog Demons make three hundred and sixty Merit points. One leader makes one hundred."

"Four hundred and sixty Merit points in total."

Zhang Hu set down the Abacus and looked at Yang Xiao, his eyes full of approval.

"Yang Xiao, do you know what that means?"

Yang Xiao shook his head.

"Besides Li Tie and me, no Yamen Runner at the Xiangyun County Yamen has ever saved up that much Merit."

Zhang Hu sighed. "Even a veteran Yamen Runner would earn only about two hundred Merit points in a year, unless something unexpected happened."

"You earned four hundred and sixty in a single day. That record would rank among the best in the surrounding counties."

"Can I go to the Armory now?" Yang Xiao asked.

Zhang Hu laughed and clapped Yang Xiao on the shoulder.

"I knew you'd be impatient. Come on, let's go to the Armory!"

The County Yamen's Armory.

Yang Xiao followed Zhang Hu inside. At the sight of the dazzling array of techniques and equipment on the shelves, anticipation flashed in his eyes.

"The basic techniques are over here. I don't need to introduce them, do I?"

Zhang Hu pointed to the shelves on the right. "Body-Lightening Technique, Iron Cloth Technique, Basic Fist Technique, Basic Sword Technique... They cost thirty to fifty Merit points each."

Yang Xiao scanned the techniques on the shelves. After looking through them one by one, his gaze settled on Iron Cloth Technique.

The description was simple: a basic defensive martial art that strengthened the skin and muscles, improving resistance to blows. It cost forty Merit points.

"I'll take this."

Yang Xiao took down the Iron Cloth Technique.

His attack power was already strong enough, but defense remained his weak point. The Iron Cloth Technique would greatly improve his chances of survival.

Zhang Hu nodded. "Iron Cloth Technique is a good one. Master it completely, and you can withstand attacks from Body Forging Realm experts."

Yang Xiao looked over the other techniques on the shelves.

Basic Fist Technique, Basic Sword Technique, Basic Staff Technique...

He frowned slightly.

These techniques were useful, but their quality was too low. His Equipment Slot had only one space, so naturally he wanted to choose something more valuable.

Equipping the Spring Embroidery Saber, for example, had not only granted him complete mastery of the Basic Blade Technique but also given him the Blue Prefix, Hundred-Refined Edge.

Zhang Hu noticed Yang Xiao's expression and smiled.

"What, these basic techniques aren't good enough for you?"

Yang Xiao answered honestly. "Is there anything of higher quality?"

Zhang Hu pondered for a moment, then looked at him.

"Today, you killed thirty-seven Dog Demons and saved Wang Dagui and those villagers."

"With that strength and that achievement, you're qualified to become a Head Constable at the Xiangyun County Yamen."

Yang Xiao froze for a moment. He recalled Wang Dagui telling him to cut off the head of the Dog Demon at the Ninth Layer of Body Forging.

A Head Constable at the County Yamen held a far higher position than an ordinary Yamen Runner. He could lead a team on missions independently and receive a larger share of the Merit.

"The County Magistrate still has to approve the formal appointment," Zhang Hu continued, "but after what you accomplished today, your promotion to Head Constable is all but certain."

He paused and lowered his voice.

"Since you'll soon be a Head Constable, I can let you in on a few things early. Come with me."

With a mysterious smile, Zhang Hu led him past row after row of shelves to the very back of the Armory.

A small, ordinary-looking door stood there. Zhang Hu took a key from his waist and unlocked it.

"These are the treasures the Xiangyun County Yamen keeps tucked away. Only those of Head Constable rank can come in."

Yang Xiao followed Zhang Hu through the door.

Inside was a small room. Only a few technique manuals and jade bottles sat on its shelves.

Zhang Hu went to a shelf and took down the only two technique manuals there.

Yang Xiao accepted them and looked down.

Demon-Slaying Blade Technique. Origin-Guiding Qi Gathering Art.

His eyes lit up.

One look told him these two techniques were extraordinary. They were exactly what he needed!

"These two techniques..." Yang Xiao looked at Zhang Hu. "How much Merit do they cost?"

Zhang Hu smiled. "They're free."

"Free?" Yang Xiao was stunned.

Zhang Hu's expression turned serious. "These two techniques come from the Demon Suppression Division. They're meant as rewards for gifted disciples, so they can study them early if they have the capacity."

"They're difficult to learn and have strict requirements, so there's little point in claiming them before reaching the peak of Body Forging."

"Your cultivation has advanced so quickly that I may as well give them to you now."

At that, his expression grew solemn.

"The Origin-Guiding Qi Gathering Art is the key to advancing from the peak of Body Forging to the Initial Realm. It's far harder to cultivate than a basic technique."

"As for the Demon-Slaying Blade Technique, it grew out of the Demon Suppression Division's centuries of experience killing Demons. Several generations of predecessors refined and revised it into this simplified version."

"Be prepared. Neither of these techniques is easy to learn!"

Yang Xiao nodded. He looked at the two manuals in his hands, delight flashing in his eyes.

This was exactly what I wanted!

"Oh, right."

Zhang Hu took a jade bottle from a nearby shelf and held it up before Yang Xiao. "This treasure, though, will cost you Merit points!"

"The bottle contains Body Tempering Pills. Taking one increases your cultivation progress in the Body Forging Realm. They cost two hundred Merit points each."

Increase his progress?

Yang Xiao's face brightened. His rapid breakthroughs over the past two days had come from the Qi and Blood Feedback he received whenever he mastered a technique completely. He had forgotten about pills.

They were hardly cheap. He would need to kill twenty Demons to trade for one, and even now, he could afford only two.

"I'll take two."

After spending four hundred and forty Merit points on the Iron Cloth Technique and two Body Tempering Pills, Yang Xiao had just twenty points left.

He put away the manual and jade bottle, then turned to leave the Armory.

Zhang Hu followed behind him with a reminder. "It's getting late. Go home and get some rest. Come back tomorrow morning looking sharp."

Yang Xiao nodded and agreed.

As he stepped out of the County Yamen, Yang Xiao gripped the manuals in his hand, a faint smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

The Demon-Slaying Blade Technique, the Origin-Guiding Qi Gathering Art, and the position of Head Constable—everything was moving in the right direction.