Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chapter 15: Chapter 14: Wanted

While reflecting on matters, Chen Mu arrived at the City Defense Division.

As per the usual practice, he hung up his tag, flipped it, and then went to the backyard to drink tea and wait for people.

Before he practiced the Blade Technique, he always arrived at the City Defense Division quite early, but after he started practicing, he arrived later, usually around the time when his fellow constables were almost all present.

As he entered, he just happened to pass by Ren Yan. Over the past six months, Chen Mu hadn't had much interaction with Ren Yan nor had he paid much attention to him, but this time, as he passed by, he scrutinized him with an imperceptible glance.

"This change... is it Skin Toughening?"

Chen Mu mumbled to himself.

Comparatively, since half a year ago, Ren Yan's complexion had noticeably darkened and seemed rougher, but also more rugged. Initially, he thought it was all because of Blade Technique practice, but now it appeared that Skin Toughening might also be involved.

But as far as he understood, whether Skin Toughening or mastery of Blade Technique, both required a painstaking effort, not achievable in a single day. The accounting desk even mentioned "three years of Skin Toughening, ten years of Body Refinement" such phrases.

"I wasn't aware of these things before but now that I think about it, among the five head constables at the City Defense Division, four seem to have practiced the Skin Toughening Method, but I don't know to what extent exactly."

Chen Mu thought again about the several head constables of the City Defense Division.

Although only one of them had accomplished Blade Momentum, if the others had all practiced the Skin Toughening Method and possessed a sturdier physique than ordinary people, with their Major Achievement in the Blade Technique, they would perhaps not be much weaker.

Upon further reflection, it made sense, one could become a head constable with Major Achievement in Blade Technique, surely they had some background and origins, and with such backgrounds, they certainly wouldn't be strangers to the practice of Internal Cultivation Method, it's just that most hadn't practiced it to a great depth.

"This Ren Yan indeed has an extraordinary encounter, I thought he only learned the Blade Technique, but it turns out he also learned the Internal Cultivation Method."

Chen Mu slightly shook his head.

He was still pondering how to afford to buy an Internal Cultivation Method.

He soon arrived under the familiar sophora tree, where Liu Song and Li Tie were already sitting early, happily greeting Chen Mu as he approached.

After pouring some bitter tea and making simple small talk for a while, a constable suddenly entered the yard, holding several yellow papers in his hand and waving his arm, he said: "New Arrest Warrants are here."

The constables scattered around the courtyard went over to check.

Liu Song also got up and quickly brought back one of the yellow papers. The paper had a roughly sketched face, but there was a distinctive black patch on the right side of the face, and the bottom of the paper contained a few scrawly descriptions.

"...The wicked thief Tang Quan, stole properties in the Inner City, now roaming the Outer City, offering thirty silver for accurate clues, one hundred silver for killing him, and three hundred silver for capturing him alive."

Seeing the content of this Arrest Warrant, many constables in the yard made a racket.

Li Tie also exclaimed in surprise, "Goodness, three hundred silver for capturing him alive, what exactly did this guy do in the Inner City to warrant such a bounty."

There were many similar Arrest Warrants at the City Defense Division, but a typical live capture would already be highly rewarded with thirty or forty silver; three hundred silver at this level were scarce, maybe just a few each year.

"Stealing properties, heh, I guess whatever he stole must have been worth far more than three hundred silver..."

Liu Song chuckled and casually tossed the Arrest Warrant back onto the stone table, not really caring much.

Thieves of this caliber weren't really their piece of cake; three hundred silver wasn't just money, it was a coffin board, and anyone who dared to be tempted would likely end up lying in it, being veterans they wouldn't get their hopes up for silver that's out of their league.

After all, one would know even by thinking with their toes, a notoriously fierce thief worth three hundred silver as a bounty was akin to something that could explode with just one more glance for these low-level constables.

Chen Mu did take a closer look, but he wasn't very interested in reality.

If it was those being offered a bounty of twenty or thirty silver, he might consider his capabilities if he actually encountered one, but for this level, even though he had achieved Perfection in his Blade Technique and developed Blade Momentum, he wouldn't want to meddle with it. There was no need to take such a high risk; no one knew the true strength of such characters.

"Probably only the head constables themselves would be interested."

Li Tie shook his head and took a sip of bitter tea.

At this point, Liu Song looked around mysteriously, then whispered :

"Did you hear, Zhao Zong is going to retire."

"Hmm?"

Both Chen Mu and Li Tie were a bit startled.

Zhao Zong, they were probably referring to the oldest head constable, seemingly in his fifties, near sixty.

"What happened?"

Li Tie asked in a surprised low voice.

Normally, a position like head constable, no matter how old one was, one would hardly want to step down, as every day in position meant benefits, and all the external gangs and factions would try to curry favor.

But once someone stepped down, they became just another ordinary old man. Even if they still had some capabilities, age and the decline in Qi-Blood meant losing their power soon afterward, they would quickly be forgotten.

"An old injury from his youth flared up, he can't hold up any longer."

Liu Song spoke softly.

Hearing this, both Chen Mu and Li Tie nodded slightly; it seemed Zhao Zong was also reluctant to give up his position as head constable, but if his body couldn't keep up, the higher-ups indeed wouldn't keep an aged head constable with significantly reduced mobility.

Li Tie looked reflectively at the many constables in the courtyard and whispered, "With Zhao Zong stepping down, a position will be up for grabs."

The City Defense Division currently had five head constables, each with their own responsibilities and leading different teams. If Zhao Zong left, either his subordinates would be redistributed to other head constables, or a new head constable would have to be appointed.

At that moment, Liu Song glanced toward Ren Yan's location in the distance and said with a slight sigh, "That position will mostly likely be his. I reckon Zhao Zong might last another six months, and even if Ren Yan's skills aren't sufficient by then, a word from someone above should prevent any major issues. When one's fate arrives, it truly cannot be blocked."

Originally, he, Li Tie, and many other veteran servants were reluctant to curry favor with Ren Yan, not just because Ren Yan was too young, but also because Ren Yan aspired to become a Head Constable, for which he would need to practice the Blade Technique for many more years and develop true strength.

But now,

with Zhao Zong's ill health, a position was about to open up—it was like a sleepy person being offered a pillow.

"Truly a stroke of good fortune."

Li Tie couldn't help but sigh as well.

Just over six months ago, Ren Yan was indistinguishable from the other servants, but he had suddenly come into good fortune, gaining the opportunity to train in martial arts in the Inner City. And now, after just over six months, his skills were just beginning to be decent enough, and an opportunity to become a Head Constable presented itself.

Hearing this, even Chen Mu couldn't help but cast a distant glance at Ren Yan.

Such good fortune indeed seemed to carry a hint of someone with a Heavenly Mandate.

However...

Chen Mu slightly shook his head internally but said nothing, sipped his tea, then stood up and said, "Alright, Brother Liu, Brother Li, let's get moving."

Seeing this, Liu Song and Li Tie also set down their tea bowls, picked up the Servant's Knife beside them, and got ready to move.

After Chen Mu and the others had left, some of the other servants also began to leave in twos and threes. But quietly murmuring among themselves, they all showed a great deal of surprise, and many of them frequently glanced in Ren Yan's direction.

Obviously, Zhao Zong's condition was not a matter of a day or two, but gradually it became an open secret. Almost the entire yard of servants had begun to hear about it and, connecting this to the soon-to-be-vacant position of Head Constable, their thoughts immediately turned to Ren Yan.

As for Ren Yan, the subject of everyone's frequent glances, he seemed wholly unconcerned at the moment, calmly sipping his tea. After a while, he leisurely stood up and began to patrol with an unhurried stride.

...

Chen Mu was unconcerned about Zhao Zong's situation.

He and Ren Yan were different. Currently, his Blade Technique was perfected, embodying the Blade Momentum, and he did not need a vacancy to become a Head Constable; with his capabilities alone, there were no issues whatsoever in assuming the role directly.

Even if the Ninth District Division dared to say there were no Head Constable positions available, the other divisions of the City Defense Division would likely immediately extend an olive branch to Chen Mu, inviting him to become a Head Constable in another division.

After patrolling with Liu Song and others, Chen Mu returned home and bought some fresh meat and vegetables. These days, there was meat at every meal at home, improving Chen Yue's complexion significantly, and Wang Ni, the little girl, also enjoyed better meals.

After the family had eaten, Chen Mu went to the storeroom by habit and took out the Gale Blade Technique.

"I need to schedule the Skin Toughening Method soon and try to get it earlier. Before that, I'll practice the Gale Blade Technique a bit more."

As his strength continued to grow, Chen Mu's temperament became increasingly steady.

He opened the manual.

The Gale Blade Technique, like the Raging Wind Blade Technique, belongs to the Xun Wind lineage, but the techniques of execution are completely different. The Raging Wind Blade Technique emphasizes the chaos and entanglement of the wind, whereas the Gale Blade Technique emphasizes its 'fierceness.'

Now that Chen Mu had achieved Perfection in his Blade Technique and developed Blade Momentum, he could understand the focus and direction of the Gale Blade Technique just by flipping through it once, and immediately started practicing with his knife.

"The Gale Blade Technique, characterized by wide swings and fierce momentum."

A glint flickered in Chen Mu's eyes. As the sky was not yet completely dark, he swung his knife in the storeroom, casting a streak of knife shadows on the old walls, violent and fierce, as if they could tear the walls apart at any moment.

With the foundation of the Raging Wind Blade Technique, practicing the Gale Blade Technique indeed felt different. Chen Mu did not use the system panel, relying only on himself. After practicing for just two or three hours, he felt that he had already begun to understand this technique.

He then checked the system interface.

There was indeed a change.

[Martial Arts: Raging Wind Blade Technique (Perfection), Gale Blade Technique (Minor Achievement)]

[Experience Points: 7]

"Hmm, I can easily grasp the basics without relying on the system, and it probably won't take long to reach Minor Achievement. However, achieving Major Achievement might still be faster with the consumption of Experience Points. As for Perfection..."

Chen Mu nodded slightly.

Today, while patrolling, he subtly inquired about Zhao Zong's matter with Liu Song and Li Tie. Although Liu Song had not practiced martial arts, his age and broad experience gave him knowledge surpassing Chen Mu's.

For example, in this era, very few people master both Blade Technique and Swordsmanship because mastering one technique alone is difficult enough. Learning more tends to be counterproductive rather than focusing on perfecting one technique and developing its Momentum.

However, equally,

those rare individuals who have mastered multiple techniques of both Blade and Swordsmanship to Perfection indeed seem like monsters. Such existences, even if they are in the Inner City, are considered prodigiously talented, and are virtually unheard of in the Outer City.

But for Chen Mu, as long as he has enough time, whether it's two, three, or even more techniques, he could master them all to the realm of Perfection, grasping their intrinsic Momentum. This capability was uniquely his own.

Setting down the Servant's Knife,

Chen Mu walked over to the stove and picked up the kettle on it. The water inside was heated by Chen Yue before she went to sleep.

"Tonight, I should just rest well."

Because he hadn't slept at all the previous night, even though Chen Mu's spirit was more resilient than most, he still felt a bit tired and decided not to practice with the knife all night. He should have a good rest tonight.

But just as Chen Mu was about to return to his bedroom to rest, his movements suddenly paused, his ears twitched slightly as if he had heard something, and he immediately looked outside through the door crack, showing a hint of vigilance.