Fu Shaoping saw that the time was about right.
Only then did he peel off all six sheets of mulberry-bark paper at once.
Chang Xiaotian lay flat on the iron bed, looking dead. Suddenly, he let out a great "Hah!" and began gasping for breath, coming back to life.
But Fu Shaoping gave him no chance to catch his breath, nor did he ask a single question. He repeated the same procedure, picking up the spare mulberry-bark paper and pressing it onto Chang Xiaotian's face.
Having just taken a trip to the gates of hell, Chang Xiaotian was terrified.
A puddle of yellow and white filth poured out beneath him.
He hurriedly pleaded through his tears:
"I'll talk, I'll talk! Those dozen-odd sluts are hidden in an underground cavern in the valley on Autumn Grace Mountain. They're still alive, still alive!"
At those words,
Old Qiu was overjoyed.
If Chang Xiaotian's information proved true, they would have rendered a great service!
He resisted the urge to report it to his superiors immediately.
After all, the chief credit belonged to Fu Shaoping.
He stood behind Fu Shaoping with his hands respectfully clasped, quietly awaiting instructions.
By now,
he had accepted this youth, not yet sixteen, from the bottom of his heart.
Buzz!
That familiar sensation swept over him again.
Fu Shaoping's attention, however, was focused on his sea of consciousness.
He saw the Mystic Mandate Codex tremble slightly.
A hazy yellow glow lit up.
A line of text appeared within the codex.
Body Tempering Realm, first level (16/100)
At the same time,
a stream of energy several times thicker than before rose from Chang Xiaotian and slowly settled onto Fu Shaoping.
Warm blood qi washed through his flesh.
Fu Shaoping loosely clenched his fist, feeling that his strength had increased considerably again.
His gaze fell on the numbers in the Treasure Mirror.
He had only vaguely suspected it before. He had never expected that interrogating Chang Xiaotian this time would indeed multiply his merit and double the points gained, raising the original "6" to "16."
Fu Shaoping could not help looking forward to the Mystic Mandate Codex showing its power when he began carrying out missions a month later.
He resisted the urge to press on while the iron was hot.
If his eagerness for quick gains let someone notice something amiss, that would be disastrous.
Fu Shaoping was in excellent spirits.
He immediately tossed a small piece of silver to Old Qiu.
"Make sure our jailer brothers eat and drink well. I'll come again tomorrow!"
"Thank you, sir!"
Old Qiu caught the silver with delight and hurriedly reported the information to Old Zhan of the Martial Suppression Guards. Old Zhan shuddered and murmured:
"I've stumbled upon a lucky star!"
With that,
he leaned on his cane and hurried toward the Mission Hall, limping all the way.
Capturing Chang Xiaotian and rescuing the abducted women was a level-nine mission.
Their prison would receive half the merit points.
How many years had it been?
His heart, dormant for so many years, suddenly stirred again.
Perhaps...
perhaps he could still rise another rank in his lifetime!
In high spirits, Fu Shaoping hummed a little tune as he left the prison in the rear compound. Halfway along, however, he suddenly stopped.
Today, the Mystic Mandate Codex's fate attribute had been fully verified, and his cultivation had risen with the tide. But if someone with ulterior motives set their sights on him, his life would likely be in danger.
He had to find a way to provide a flawless cover for his rapid increase in strength.
Fu Shaoping weighed the ten Low-Grade Essence Stones he carried, and an idea came to him.
For martial artists in the first three levels of the Body Tempering Realm, cultivation was simply a matter of increasing their blood qi and strengthening their bodies. Relying on everyday breathing exercises would clearly take a long time.
But with ample Origin Stones,
there was another path they could take.
That was to consume Blood Qi Powder.
After several twists and turns, Fu Shaoping stopped before the Hall of Myriad Treasures in the southwestern corner of the Hundred Households Office.
The Hundred Households Office had nearly a thousand personnel on its roster.
After completing each mission, everyone could claim merit points corresponding to its level. Those merit points served two purposes:
first, once enough had been accumulated, they could be used for promotion;
second, they could be exchanged at the Hall of Myriad Treasures for cultivation methods, martial arts, pills, and anything else needed for cultivation.
Of course, besides that,
the supplies in the Hall of Myriad Treasures could also be purchased with Origin Stones.
The manager of the Hall of Myriad Treasures was also a Junior Banner, named Zhuo Tianqi. Unlike Ye Xiaoqi, the pale, plump Junior Banner at the Personnel Hall, he was as handsome as a jade tree standing in the wind. Unfortunately, the Hundred Households Office had no female martial artists.
Fu Shaoping waited until the crowd thinned before approaching.
"Sir Zhuo, how much is Blood Qi Powder?"
"Two Low-Grade Essence Stones per packet."
Squad Leader Zhuo looked up and glanced at Fu Shaoping. Seeing an unfamiliar face without a Martial Suppression Saber at his waist, he immediately realized that this was a trainee Martial Suppression Guard, one who had inherited his father's position. He added:
"After exchanging for or purchasing supplies at our Hall of Myriad Treasures, if you have no immediate use for them, or there's too much to use all at once, we can store them for you free of charge for a month."
Clearly, he was worried that someone with ill intentions might steal Fu Shaoping's survivor's pension.
This was Fu Shaoping's first time hearing of such a benefit. Without hesitation, he handed over all ten Low-Grade Essence Stones.
"Sorry for the trouble, sir. Please exchange these for five portions of Blood Qi Powder. Keep the remaining four portions here, and I'll collect one every six days."
"All right. Keep this receipt."
Junior Banner Zhuo swiftly wrote a few words, stamped the receipt, and handed it to Fu Shaoping before attending to the next officer.
Fu Shaoping tucked the Blood Qi Powder into his robe.
After leaving the Hall of Myriad Treasures,
he followed the front corridor to its end, where the Training Hall came into view.
The Hundred Households Office's Training Hall allowed five free cultivation sessions each month. Every visit after that cost ten Origin Shells, and one hundred Origin Shells could be exchanged for one Low-Grade Essence Stone.
The cultivation rooms for the Martial Suppression Guards were in the first row.
The instant he stepped inside,
Fu Shaoping felt every sound in the world vanish without a trace. As soon as he sat cross-legged to meditate, his mind settled.
No wonder there's a limit on visits.
He took a deep breath.
After bringing his body and mind into their best possible condition, Fu Shaoping tilted his head back, opened his mouth, and swallowed the Blood Qi Powder.
Boom!
A tremendous surge of energy immediately transformed into blood qi, rapidly washing through his flesh again and again. With every pass, he felt his strength grow a little more.
At the same time,
a line of text flashed across the Mystic Mandate Codex in his sea of consciousness.
Body Tempering Realm, first level (20/100)
The number had changed from "16" to "20."
Clearly,
one packet of Blood Qi Powder could add four points.
He still had four packets left, worth sixteen points. There was clearly still a considerable distance to go before he could break through to the Body Tempering Realm Second Level.
No wonder they say the poor study letters while the rich practice martial arts!
Breaking through to the second level of the Body Tempering Realm with Blood Qi Powder would require twenty-five packets, equivalent to fifty Low-Grade Essence Stones. Yet a Martial Suppression Guard received only one Low-Grade Essence Stone each month.
Of course,
undertaking missions would earn the corresponding merit points.
After all, the Great Wu Dynasty could not afford to support so many idle people.
The cultivation conditions in this room were excellent, and Fu Shaoping did not want to waste them. He took out "Ethereal Steps" and began trying the movements: eighteen directions and thirty-six steps. At first, his movements were awkward, like a toddler learning to walk, and he even tripped over his own feet from time to time. But as time passed, he gradually managed to stumble through the entire sequence.
I actually did it!
Fu Shaoping was delighted.
At that moment,
the Mystic Mandate Codex in his sea of consciousness trembled slightly.
Then,
a line of text appeared:
Ethereal Steps: initial grasp (1/100)
Before you continue