Chapter 40 - 39: To Practice or Not to Practice?

Chapter 40: Chapter 39: To Practice or Not to Practice?

The County Government Office was bustling with unprecedented activity. It had never been this lively before.

The Qingshui Gang’s treason was a massive case. Because it involved so many people and matters, many Black Officials and constables within the County Government Office were quaking in their boots.

After all, the Qingshui Gang had been entrenched in Black Mountain County for many years. Who from top to bottom in the Government Office hadn’t accepted their silver? Let alone the Government Office, even the Ti Cavalry and Captains of the Military Department and Garrison Command had taken their fair share of silver. Therefore, exactly who was Zhang Qingyu’s accomplice and who was a loyal subject of the Court merely pretending to swim with the tide while enduring humiliation—well, that was entirely open to interpretation.

"County Captain!" Zheng Jun bowed with clasped hands. He handed over the wooden box containing the manual for the Broken Jade Pile Skill and the exchanged letters, along with a thick stack of silver notes. "This humble subordinate only found these few items in Zhang Qingyu’s residence. Please forgive me, My Lord."

Cai Liu presented the items to him.

"No matter. Finding even these few things is excellent," Cai Xun said. He closed the registry in his hand and took the box from Cai Liu. With just one glance, a gleam of joy flashed in his eyes. Completely ignoring the treasonous letters, he picked up the Broken Jade Pile Skill manual as if he had just been handed a priceless treasure. He waved his hand dismissively. "What are you giving me these silver notes for? Didn’t I tell you to distribute them?"

"The sum was too large. I didn’t dare handle it without permission..."

Before Zheng Jun could finish, Cai Xun cut in impatiently. "It’s seven hundred taels. What’s the big deal? Keep one hundred taels for yourself and distribute the rest among the County Soldiers and Black Officials for drinks. If there is nothing else, Zheng San, you may go back and rest. I have important matters to attend to, so I won’t see you out."

With that said, Cai Xun was already itching to study the Broken Jade Pile Skill.

Zheng Jun left in a slight daze. Seven hundred taels of silver was an unimaginably precious fortune in his eyes. Yet, to Cai Xun, it was no different from seven taels. The annual tax revenue for all of Black Mountain County was merely fifty thousand taels!

Poverty truly limited his imagination. Still, Zheng Jun wasn’t exactly a paragon of unyielding virtue. He immediately accepted his orders, pocketed two silver notes of fifty taels, and walked out the door with the remaining six hundred taels.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Zhou Pu and Wang Lai waiting for him. Seeing Zheng Jun emerge, Wang Lai hurriedly asked, "Squad Leader, everything is arranged... What did the County Captain say?"

"Six hundred taels. Everyone gets a share." Zheng Jun pulled out the silver notes and handed them to Zhou Pu. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Go invite the County Soldiers from the Military Department. Have them escort you to the bank to exchange this for silver, and then split it evenly."

Wang Lai was overjoyed, bowing and nodding profusely. Although the silver notes weren’t handed directly to him, he had been assigned the errand! Seeing his excitement, Zheng Jun leveled a stern look at Wang Lai. "No skimming off the top. Not a single copper of this six hundred taels can go missing. If the reward money is short, I won’t even need to lift a finger—the Military Department’s County Soldiers will tear you limb from limb!"

Hearing this warning, Wang Lai hastily swore his integrity. "What are you saying, Squad Leader? I know what’s at stake. Please rest assured. With me here, the brothers definitely won’t be shortchanged."

Zheng Jun nodded in satisfaction.

Seeing his approval, Wang Lai let out a massive sigh of relief and added with an obsequious smile, "Squad Leader, the brothers have booked a table at the Tongchun Building in Shunyi Square tonight. We were hoping you’d honor us with your presence..."

"I know," Zheng Jun replied with a nod, not refusing the invitation. He was currently in the Blood Refining stage and needed a large amount of meat to temper and polish his body. Naturally, he wouldn’t turn down a free meal of meat.

After exchanging a few more words with Zhou Pu, Zheng Jun unhurriedly turned and headed toward the duty room. Seeing this, Wang Lai immediately called out, "Take care, Squad Leader!"

As soon as Zheng Jun was out of earshot, Wang Lai turned to Zhou Pu with a cheeky, obsequious grin. "Master Zhou, what do you say? There are still about thirty or forty soldiers lingering near the County Government Office. If you ask me, we should just get them to escort us."

Zhou Pu nodded earnestly, his heart filled with a myriad of emotions. A thousand words could be summed up in one single sentiment:

Junzi had finally made something of himself!

"The Broken Jade Pile Skill, a Cultivation Technique from Southern Chu’s Shattered Jade Sect..." Zheng Jun thought, sitting in the duty room and sipping his tea while turning the matter over in his mind.

He knew of Southern Chu. In the 587th year of the Divine Martial era, the south suddenly raised the banner of rebellion. The Chen Clan, a prominent southern family, declared themselves emperors and established the Great Chu. Upon its founding, the Southern Six States immediately rallied to their cause, sparking endless conflict.

At the time, the Divine Martial Emperor was in secluded cultivation and couldn’t intervene personally. Therefore, he ordered the Crown Prince to lead the expeditionary force to build his prestige within the military. However, the Crown Prince proved weak and incompetent, losing troops and generals, and wasting three years without securing a single victory. The Divine Martial Emperor then appointed Duke Jiasan, Shu Weiyuan, as the commanding general, dispatching him south with an army of two hundred thousand to Town Chu.

After ten years of bitter fighting, they finally vanquished the enemy, eradicated Chu, and returned to the Court. Duke Jiasan, Shu Weiyuan, made his name in that war. He was promoted to Duke Yue and appointed Grand General of the Pillar. During that campaign, the Cai Family Ancestor was one of the eighteen top generals under Duke Yue’s command. For his merit in being the first to scale the enemy walls and capturing the enemy king, he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Martial.

Seeing this Broken Jade Pile Skill, Cai Xun had been so undeniably eager that he hadn’t even bothered to hide his quickened breathing. It was obvious that this was a Martial Arts technique the Cai Family valued immensely!

"Should I practice this Broken Jade Pile Skill?" Zheng Jun wondered, his expression flickering with uncertainty as he struggled to make a decision.

The Broken Jade Pile Skill was connected to the remnants of Southern Chu. If he practiced it and accidentally revealed it, it could easily bring trouble. For the sake of safety, shelving it for now seemed like the wise move. But... with a Divine Skill right at his fingertips, was he really just going to ignore it?

"What’s there to be afraid of! If I’m discovered, the worst-case scenario is that I flee to Black Mountain and become a bandit. I’m learning it!

"The Eagle-Hawk Force is just an ordinary Pile Skill. Furthermore, if I always rely on the Eagle-Hawk Force, my future path of Martial Arts advancement will be entirely in the hands of the Court. If I switch to practicing the Broken Jade Skill, I won’t have to be bound by the Court anymore."

Zheng Jun rationalized in his mind, his resolve solidifying.

Judging from Zhang Qingyu’s situation, the man had never hidden the fact that he knew the Broken Jade Pile Skill, yet in all his years in Black Mountain County, no one had ever come looking for trouble. Moreover, Black Mountain County was located in the Northern Land, far from the Southern Border. Ordinary Martial Artists simply wouldn’t recognize that the Broken Jade Pile Skill was tied to Southern Chu. Only the Cai Family, who had participated in the Chu eradication campaign, would recognize its origins.

However, Zheng Jun didn’t plan on using the open advance slot left by the Ma Family Fist on the Broken Jade Skill just yet. He intended to build up his ’credit score’ first so the Great Tao Martial Book would unlock two advance slots.

For weapons, he had Cloak and Dagger and Wave-Treading Saber; for unarmed combat, the Ma Family Fist; for Inner Power, the Eagle-Hawk Force and the yet-to-be-advanced Broken Jade Skill. Next, it was time for Horizontal Training.

Whether it was the Xu Family Martial Arts Hall or the Nameless Martial Arts Hall that taught Hard Qi Skill, they both imparted Horizontal Training techniques. Horizontal Training was precisely the favorite discipline of Martial Artists before stepping into Blood Refining. After all, while practicing the technique, one could also temper the body, adapting sooner to the rhythm of Blood Refining.

Normal people followed this exact path for regular Body Refining. It was extremely rare for someone like Zheng Jun to use a Saber Technique for Body Refining and subsequently step into Blood Refining.

However, Zheng Jun didn’t plan on going to the Xu Family Martial Arts Hall or the Nameless Martial Arts Hall right now. He had a much better option.

The former County Magistrate, Tian Zhenyuan.

He was a local and the senior martial brother of Luo Lei, the Hard Qi Skill master. Back in the day, Tian Zhenyuan had started from that very Martial Arts Hall and gradually climbed the ranks to become the County Magistrate. Luo Lei’s skills, on the other hand, were far inferior to Tian Zhenyuan’s. He didn’t enter the County Government Office but stayed by his master’s side, married his master’s daughter, and inherited his mantle.

These two martial brothers lived in the same county but hadn’t interacted in years. Zheng Jun didn’t know whatever grievances or enmities lay between them; he only knew that Tian Zhenyuan’s Hard Qi Skill was truly formidable.

At the very least, when Zheng Jun had struck him with a full-powered punch, it had only made Tian Zhenyuan see stars and lose face. Yet when the burly man from the Qingshui Gang had taken a similar punch, he had died on the spot.

Now, Tian Zhenyuan was locked up in the County Government Office’s prison. The prison was guarded by the Strong Shift.

And he, Zheng Jun, was the Squad Leader in charge of the Strong Shift!