"Master, time for a foot bath."
A pretty maid brought over a basin of hot water and helped Jia Huan remove his boots and socks.
"Caiyun, I'll take you to buy some rouge and jewelry tomorrow." Jia Huan looked at the attentive and gentle maid.
Caiyun was the only maid who treated him well. When his previous self had gambled away all his money, it was Caiyun who had taken out her meager monthly stipend to buy things for him.
"Master is the best!" Caiyun beamed with joy.
"Give me a shoulder massage."
After washing his feet, Jia Huan lay face down on the bed. Tomorrow happened to be the official rest day for the yamen, making it the perfect time to check out herbs for invigorating qi and nourishing the blood, tonic up to enhance his vital energy and blood, and build a solid foundation.
The next morning, the sun was bright.
Jia Huan took Caiyun out to browse the shops.
His entire net worth was a mere five taels of silver, which he had looted from the criminal yesterday. Once he bought the rouge, jewelry, and half a catjin of herbs, he would be completely penniless.
He needed to make money, and fast!
Master and servant walked out of the pharmacy chatting and laughing, only to see the long street bustling and shouting. Customers were panicking as a monk in a blood-soaked cassock fled with a saber, hacking indiscriminately at anyone in his way.
In the blink of an eye, the monk fled into the alley between the tavern and the pharmacy.
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is on official business, everyone clear the way!"
A furious roar came from the distance, and a Flying Fish Uniform could be vaguely seen galloping in pursuit on horseback.
Seeing this, Jia Huan was hardly going to let the opportunity slip away. He hadn't expected to run into a case even on his day off.
Without another word, he charged into the small alley!
"Master, what are you doing..." Caiyun panicked.
Jia Huan executed the Cloud Ladder Vertical Leap movement technique, stepping lightly against the wall with his feet and vaulting up onto the tavern's eaves. Treading across the roof tiles to look down below, he saw the bald donkey flee into another dark alley.
Whoosh!
Jia Huan's figure was nimble, moving across the rooftops as if on flat ground. He easily cleared the two-zhang gap between the walls.
"Benefactor, do you wish to meddle in other people's business?!"
One alley away, the cassock-wearing monk wore a frigid expression.
Since Jia Huan was not wearing official uniform, the monk merely assumed he was a hot-blooded and ignorant greenhorn.
"Pursue me another half-step, and this poor monk will leave you headless!"
The monk turned and bolted into another alley.
"Noisy!" Jia Huan strode forward, leaped off the eaves, landed steadily, and blocked the far end of the alley.
Clang!
The monk tipped off the ground with his toes and sprang forward, slashing upward with his saber. The blade was stained with blood and reeked of killing intent, the force of the strike heavy enough to weigh a hundred catties.
In the split second of a flash, Jia Huan's reaction reached the absolute limit. He sidestepped the blood-red saber, his legs kicking upward like a fierce dragon ascending to heaven, and instantly unleashed a fierce whipping kick!
The monk failed to dodge in time and took the kick squarely on his left shoulder. His entire arm went numb and powerless, and the blood saber clattered to the ground. Immediately following that, a dark shadow flashed before his eyes as Jia Huan lunged straight at him, delivering a vicious elbow strike right to the bridge of his nose!
The monk's face contorted, his mouth became a bloody mess, and several teeth flew out.
That wasn't the end of it. Jia Huan's movements were fast, his attack fierce and ruthless. He locked his hands around the monk's neck, executing the "Snake Form" death coil from the Xingyi Fist.
"Hah... hah..." The monk struggled desperately, unable to breathe and nearly suffocating.
Jia Huan delivered another heavy knee strike to the monk's shin, and only when he heard the crisp snap of breaking bone did he loosen his grip.
Xingyi Fist paired with the Cloud Ladder Vertical Leap made subduing the enemy as smooth as floating clouds and flowing water, clean and decisive!
"Thank you for the trouble, young hero!"
Several Embroidered Uniform Guards pursued them to the mouth of the alley, letting out sighs of relief upon seeing the scene.
The leader wore a silver-white Flying Fish Uniform with a single thread embroidered on the cuffs, and turned out to be a Hundred-Household Commander.
"Embroidered Uniform Guard Strongman, Jia Huan!" Jia Huan stated his affiliation.
He was hardly noble enough to perform a good deed, brush off his clothes, and hide his name and achievements-he hadn't risked his life just to go without a reward.
"My surname is Yan." The Hundred-Household Commander walked over briskly, a trace of admiration in the gaze he cast at Jia Huan.
To capture a bald donkey alive at such a young age-his martial arts were extraordinary.
"Hundred-Household Commander Yan, what crime did this bald donkey commit?" Jia Huan asked with curiosity.
Hearing this, Hundred-Household Commander Yan turned ashen with anger, pointing at the monk and speaking in a harsh voice:
"A perverted baby-eater, utterly devoid of conscience. Last night, he even sneaked into the residence of a newly minted imperial scholar of the Hanlin Academy, brutally murdering a month-old infant and..."
Unable to bear speaking further, he raged:
"Imprison him in the Imperial Prison! Subject this bald donkey to ten thousand kinds of cruel tortures until he wishes he were dead!"
With that, he looked at Jia Huan and thanked him sincerely:
"Little brother Jia Huan, thanks to your timely intervention, if that bald donkey had truly managed to escape the Capital, hunting him down and bringing him to justice later would have been extremely difficult. Since this involves a newly minted imperial scholar, our superiors attach great importance to this case. I will certainly report your heroic deed truthfully!"
"Ridding the world of villains and eliminating evil is my bounden duty." Jia Huan cupped his fists.
"Very well, I'll take this bald donkey to the Imperial Prison for torture first. Take him away!"
Hundred-Household Commander Yan waved a hand, and several Embroidered Uniform Guards dragged the monk away like a dead dog.
Returning to the street, Caiyun was crying with her eyes red-rimmed. The moment she saw that Brother Huan was safe and sound, she stopped weeping and trotted over with pattering steps.
"Master, are you alright?"
An Embroidered Uniform Guard praised:
"The little hero showed great chivalry by capturing the fiend who feeds on infants alive, removing a major scourge for the Capital!"
The onlookers gasped in exclamation, the gazes they cast at Jia Huan filled with adoration.
That very bald donkey had been hacking at anyone he met on the street earlier, proving truly evil and fierce. Never had they imagined that a young lad would show no fear and unleash such mighty divine prowess!
"Master is so fierce!" Caiyun's delicate face was full of shock, her pupils sparkling with brilliant colors.
"Let's go home." Jia Huan stepped forward.
An hour after arriving home, the system panel and the portrait of the bald donkey's face reappeared in Jia Huan's mind.
[Criminal Sin Value -- Eighth Rank Upper] [Participation Rate -- 35%] [Reward -- Earthly Fiend One-Slash Kill, Mastery -- Perfection] [Experience Points -- 70/100]
The experience points needed to reach 100 for a breakthrough, leaving him thirty short.
The Jianghu of Great Qian divided martial artists into Entry-Level, Postnatal Realm, Innate Realm, Profound Insight Realm...
And he himself was currently at the peak of the Entry-Level martial artist stage.
"Earthly Fiend One-Slash Kill, the name of this saber technique is certainly overbearing!"
Jia Huan paced to the courtyard, closing his eyes to calm his mind before drawing his Embroidered Spring Saber. He slashed rapidly toward the tree trunk, the speed of his strike too fast for the naked eye to catch.
In an instant, a gloomy and majestic murderous aura enveloped the spot where he stood. The chilling blade fell, splitting the tree trunk right down the middle as wood chips flew in all directions.
"Good saber technique!" Jia Huan sheathed his saber and nodded with satisfaction.
If he were to face the bald donkey again, he wouldn't need to dodge at all; strolling leisurely, a single slash would easily cleave the bald donkey's head open.
Overbearing it certainly was, but it also had a flaw: after a single strike, his internal strength was drained dry and his muscles and tendons were utterly exhausted.
The Earthly Fiend One-Slash Kill produced only a single strike.
"Master, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has arrived at the manor!"
Caiyun ran into the courtyard to report.
In the reception parlor.
Two Embroidered Uniform Guard civil officials waited quietly, belonging as they did to the Southern Commandant Office.
The Northern Commandant Office handled external affairs, while the Southern Commandant Office handled internal matters, specializing in the internal discipline and military rules of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, as well as personnel evaluations, promotions, and demotions.
Behind the screen, Concubine Zhao poked her head out on tiptoes, looking worried.
Jia Huan cupped his fists neither servile nor overbearing:
"This subordinate Jia Huan pays respects to the two superiors."
He guessed that this should be good news.
After all, since the victim involved a newly minted imperial scholar, it concerned the dignity of the imperial court.
One civil official nodded:
"Jia Huan, you rendered meritorious service in the process of capturing the baby-eating fiend monk Yuan Si, and are specially promoted to Great Banner, rewarded with five taels of silver."
With that, he handed over the official document, while his colleague beside him set down five taels of pure silver.
"To pledge loyalty to the imperial court and apprehend evil fiends is my bounden duty!" Jia Huan said in a resonant voice.
"Good, keep up the hard work." After offering words of encouragement, the civil officials took their leave.
"My Huan'er, my heart and precious jewel, you've won so much face for your mother!"
Concubine Zhao bounced out, laughing so hard her flowers trembled.
Though she couldn't recognize a basketful of characters, she had also made detailed inquiries about the Embroidered Uniform Guard from others yesterday, and a Great Banner actually commanded people!
A Small Banner commanded three men, a Great Banner commanded six men, and a General Banner commanded twenty-six men!
On just the second day of his job, her Huan'er could already command six men!
"Mother is going to show off in the Grand View Garden!"
Picking up the official document and the silver, Concubine Zhao ran off while shouting loudly:
"Caiyun, how did Huan'er perform his meritorious service this morning? Come over here... Are you mute or what? Shout it out loud, scream until your throat breaks!"
Jia Huan smiled helplessly.
Still, a promotion was a happy event after all, especially for him. A Great Banner could lead subordinates to handle cases independently, which could greatly increase his participation rate in apprehending criminals-meaning even more generous rewards!
Before you continue