"The Heavenly Sword-Linked Finger is in section A on the third floor, sixth row, horizontal five, vertical eight. The Xinyou Saber Manual is in section D on the same floor, eighth row, horizontal seven, vertical nine."
The old Taoist took out two keys and handed them to him. "The usual rules: no copying, and nothing leaves the Secret Vault. You have one day to memorize them. Go ahead."
"Thank you."
Cao Jinxing passed through the passage and entered the second door.
The old Taoist watched him enter, still lamenting the loss to Dragon-Tiger Mountain. What a promising young man...
Cao Jinxing pushed the door open and looked inside.
Rows of shelves stood in orderly lines, though they looked more like medicine cabinets. The manuals were kept locked away, and each little compartment required its own key.
Some people were already reading.
Some wore the uniforms of Eastern Depot agents, others those of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Most were company commanders, with a few conspicuously overbearing General Banners among them—scions of powerful families sent down to gain experience, no doubt backed by considerable influence.
Cao Jinxing could not be bothered to look at them. He went straight to the third floor, section A, sixth row, horizontal five, vertical eight. When he arrived, he found a fat man standing beneath that very shelf, reading. An acquaintance, at that.
Cao Jinxing smiled.
Enemies really did meet on narrow roads...
"Commander Zhang, what a coincidence."
Cao Jinxing smiled brightly.
This was the superior who had rigged the mission assignment and sent the body's original owner to his death: Company Commander Zhang Ying!
The most infuriating part was that he had not even bothered to put on a convincing act!
Pacification Commissioner Liu Zhenyuan had issued orders to select someone with weak internal energy and nimble hands and feet to infiltrate the bandit stronghold... He could not have been targeting Cao Jinxing, nor did he have any reason to.
But once the undercover assignment reached Zhang Ying, things had gone badly wrong.
The ten General Banners under Zhang Ying had drawn lots. The first nine drew blanks, and before the original owner could draw his, Zhang Ying had already decided to send him!
The original owner had not thought much of it and had gladly accepted the assignment. But unless Cao Jinxing was mistaken, the final lot was almost certainly identical to the other nine-an obvious setup!
Only the original owner would have fallen for such a clumsy performance. They had taken advantage of his sheer lack of brains!
"Cao Jinxing?"
Zhang Ying froze, then his expression shifted. Clearly, he had already heard the news: Cao Jinxing's martial arts had improved dramatically, and his personality had changed completely. The formerly dim-witted, hot-blooded youth had become a fierce fighter who dared to assassinate three bandit chiefs alone!
Even more alarming was his new insistence on repaying every slight. The Embroidered Uniform Guards who had seen Deputy Chief Han Dang's death had described it in horrifying detail!
A hundred insects devouring his body!
His intestines pierced and his innards rotted!
Zhang Ying did his best to calm himself. Seeing the brand-new uniform, he knew Cao Jinxing had already been promoted. All he could manage was an awkward smile. "Yes, quite a coincidence."
"How did you get in here?" Cao Jinxing asked. "Oh, I know. You must have earned credit for 'recommending' someone who wiped out the bandits, right? And you actually had the nerve to come in. My apologies for underestimating you."
He cupped his hands respectfully, but his words made Zhang Ying want to tear him apart!
"...You!"
Zhang Ying was furious! He had known the brat would not let things go, but never imagined he would openly turn against him like this!
An official's dignity was everything. He had to maintain his composure!
Everyone concealed daggers behind honeyed words and smiling faces. Who actually stepped into the ring and fought in earnest?
"What manual did you choose?"
Cao Jinxing paid no attention to his anger. We're equals now. Why should I still indulge you?
Quick as a flash, he snatched the book from Zhang Ying's hands. One glance at the cover made him burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Tyrant Saber? You? You should practice the Underhanded Saber! Cheap Saber! Foolish Saber! Those would suit your character!"
An uproar broke out!
Quite a few people were reading on the third floor. Hearing such naked mockery, they turned to watch with interest.
The two company commanders made a stark contrast. Zhang Ying was short and fat; Cao Jinxing was tall and lean. Zhang Ying had a fleshy, round face; Cao Jinxing was strikingly handsome...
Comparison was the cruelest thing. The more Zhang Ying compared them, the angrier he became!
Rage surged within him.
To make matters worse, a female official's voice drifted over. "Is he a newly promoted company commander? What a handsome young gentleman!"
Another female official said, "Who's the man opposite him? Zhang Ying? Why does he look so much older...?"
This was too much!
"Cao! Jin! Xing!"
Zhang Ying roared in fury and struck at Cao Jinxing with his palm.
Cao Jinxing sneered inwardly. I've been waiting for you to strike first. Without another word, he unleashed a Great Vajra Palm. Its force was fiercely domineering, yet laced with intensely cold internal energy.
The instant their palms met-
Zhang Ying spat blood and flew backward!
He slammed into a shelf, breaking three ribs. In an instant, his entire body froze stiff, turning him into a snowman!
One move! Utter defeat!
Dead silence fell.
Everyone gaped, dumbstruck.
Whatever his shortcomings, Zhang Ying was still at the peak of Houtian!
Yet he had failed to withstand even a single blow!
Cao Jinxing casually flipped through the sixth-grade Tyrant Saber manual in his hand. His eyes recorded and analyzed it as swiftly as cameras, and he finished reading and mastering it in moments. He dusted off his hands, tossed it onto Zhang Ying, and remarked, "A fine martial art, wasted on you..." Then he turned and called out, "You all saw it! He struck first. I only defended myself. If there's a problem, take it up with him. He can bear the consequences."
With that, he took out the Heavenly Sword-Linked Finger and swaggered over to section D to fetch the Xinyou Saber Manual.
The Pacification Commission Treasury was no university library. All its books were sealed away, so fights and disturbances posed no threat to them.
These people made their living confiscating estates and exterminating entire families. No one could expect to raise a pack of court enforcers who were gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and deferential.
The builders had certainly shown foresight, taking precautions against fights among the men.
No one intervened.
But word soon spread throughout the Pacification Commission: a newly promoted company commander had flattened his former superior with one palm strike on the very day of his promotion. The man was a beast!
Cao Jinxing no longer cared about any of that.
One palm strike had vented his anger, and that was enough.
He could hardly kill the man outright.
He sat beneath a shelf in section D and read the Xinyou Saber Manual. This saber art had an illustrious origin: its creator was Qi Jiguang.
While fighting Japanese pirates along the coast, Qi Jiguang had captured an Eastern Japanese martial arts manual, the Sarutobi Shadow School Catalog. Inspired to turn the enemy's methods against them, he had combined the finest elements of Central Plains and Eastern Japanese saber arts to create this supreme technique.
It had been sixth-grade from the moment of its creation!
This saber art excelled in speed and included a quick-draw technique that killed an enemy in one strike. It was perfectly suited to the Cold Toad Art's powerful explosive force.
The Heavenly Sword-Linked Finger unleashed Formless Sword Qi for concentrated bursts of power; the Xinyou Saber Manual offered a swift draw and a single lethal strike. Add the Tyrant Saber he had freeloaded off Zhang Ying, with its fierce, forceful strokes capable of Mountain-Splitting River-Cleaving!
Three martial arts manuals arriving at once would overwhelm an ordinary person. Biting off more than one could chew did no good, and knowing more techniques did not necessarily mean greater fighting strength.
But Cao Jinxing felt no pressure at all. In less than five minutes, he had fully mastered and integrated all three.
If I attacked Crouching Tiger Mountain again now, I'd beat them with one hand!
Just as that thought crossed his mind, his vision darkened. Two General Banners had approached him, their expressions solemn, blocking the light.
"I am Su Yunsheng."
"I am Sun Lang."
"Greetings, Commander."
Both men cupped their hands in salute.
Cao Jinxing did not even look up. "Just looking for trouble? Or here to avenge Zhang Ying?"
"Neither."
Su Yunsheng gave an odd little smile, feeling that the man himself surpassed even his reputation. "The Pacification Commissioner ordered us to relay a few words to you."
"Speak," Cao Jinxing said.
"First," Su Yunsheng said, "the Pacification Commission does not prohibit private fights. Some bumps and bruises are inevitable among martial artists. But there is one condition: they must not interfere with assignments."
"I don't have an assignment," Cao Jinxing said.
"Zhang Ying does..." Sun Lang said quietly.
"Uh..."
Cao Jinxing looked sheepish. Suddenly sensing trouble, he raised his head. "Don't tell me he means..."
Sun Lang nodded, his voice brimming with admiration. "Your palm strike left Commander Zhang Ying bedridden. The physician said the cold poison had penetrated his bones. He'll need at least half a month of rest before he can get out of bed, so..."
"His assignment has been transferred to you," Su Yunsheng said. "The Pacification Commissioner has ordered us to assist you. We look forward to your guidance, sir."
Fuck!
That's a thing too?
"..."
Cao Jinxing felt a headache coming on and held his head. "What assignment? Do I need to leave the capital? I only just got back."
"No."
"According to the original plan," Su Yunsheng said, "a hundred young ladies will arrive in the capital tomorrow morning and spend the night at the Heavenly Fragrance House. Once the Eastern Depot has verified their identities, they will enter the palace at an auspicious hour the following day to provide ingredients for the emperor's pill refining. Commander Zhang Ying was supposed to oversee security at the Heavenly Fragrance House that day. You now have full responsibility."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
With the emperor involved, the Eastern Depot would certainly spare no effort. Those eunuchs were vicious, and their unfathomable martial prowess was no less than that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Even if someone really courted death by causing trouble, the Pacification Commission probably would not need to act. This was just a formality.
"All right, understood."
Cao Jinxing waved a hand. "I'll take Zhang Ying's place tomorrow. For everything else, follow the existing plan."
"Yes, sir. Then we'll take our leave."
"Mm."
The two General Banners had entered on Liu Zhenyuan's orders to find him. With their business concluded, they did not linger and quickly left the Secret Vault.
Cao Jinxing continued reading, thinking, So the Pacification Commission has a rule like that. I'll have to be more careful next time. Serious internal injuries can interfere with work, and I don't want to cover for anyone again... Better to just break their legs! That'll teach them a lesson, and once the bones are set, they can get back to work...
Before you continue