Chapter 42 - 41: Willing to Serve Faithfully

Chapter 42: Chapter 41: Willing to Serve Faithfully

"Hit me."

After leaving the prison, Zheng Jun returned to the duty room. As soon as he sat down, he commanded the two on-duty Black Officials, "Use the Execution Rods."

Becoming a Muscle Lord starts with taking a beating.

Zheng Jun’s request left the surrounding Black Officials bewildered, unsure of his reasoning.

One on-duty Black Official gripped an Execution Rod, hesitant to act, and stammered, "Squad Leader, this..."

Zheng Jun had already taken off his shirt. His shoulders were broad, and his arms were as robust as sculpted statues, with smooth lines brimming with power.

He activated his Hard Qi Skill. Looking at the timid Black Official, he explained, "I am practicing a Horizontal Training technique that requires taking hits. Don’t worry, just hit me. It’s fine!"

Even after hearing Zheng Jun’s words, the Black Officials were still reluctant to act until Zheng Jun shot them a cold glare. Only then did one of them carefully pick up the Execution Rod and gently tap Zheng Jun on the back, looking like a street performer doing a cheap trick.

After hitting him seven or eight times like this, the Black Official stopped. He looked at Zheng Jun with awe and whispered, "Squad Leader, is this okay?"

They had all followed Zheng Jun in the siege against the Qingshui Gang and had naturally witnessed his "Cold-faced Yama" demeanor. Thus, after hitting him, they were terrified that he might instinctively punch them to death in retaliation, making them understandably trembling with fear.

Zheng Jun felt no pain. At that moment, a line of small ink-wash text appeared before his eyes.

[Hit taken. Hard Qi Skill repayment progress +1. Current repayment progress: 1/2500.]

He thought, "It only adds one point? At this rate, how many years will it take to finish repaying it through beatings?"

Zheng Jun furrowed his brows and said to all the Black Officials present, "Hit me hard! Don’t hold back! You three, join in too!"

Hearing this, the other two exchanged glances. Gritting their teeth with newfound resolve, they swung their rods at Zheng Jun with all their might.

"That’s more like it."

Zheng Jun nodded, letting the three men rain blows upon him without even batting an... without even furrowing his brows. He still had to blink, after all; otherwise, his eyes would dry out, and he could easily get trachoma.

Just like that, Zheng Jun withstood the Execution Rods for the time it took two or three incense sticks to burn. It wasn’t until one of the Execution Rods snapped in half that they finally stopped. He put on his Official’s Uniform, acting as if nothing had happened.

This scene left the three Black Officials clicking their tongues in sheer disbelief.

If these Execution Rods had struck them seven or eight times, their flesh would have been torn open, and they would be wailing in agony.

Squad Leader Zheng had taken at least two or three hundred strikes without a single scratch. Only a few faint marks appeared on his body, and they vanished shortly after, leaving no trace behind as if he had never been hit.

It was truly terrifying!

"Squad Leader Zheng is so terrifyingly strong, he must be on the verge of reaching the Qi Storage realm!"

One of the constables who had practiced Martial Arts and had some experience whispered to his two companions, "Squad Leader Bai of the Black Shift and Squad Leader Sun of the Fast Shift can’t even compare to our Squad Leader Zheng. Moreover, from what I can see, even the Historian and the two Captains from the Military Department are nowhere near as formidable as he is!

"In my opinion, Squad Leader Zheng’s future is limitless. What is Qi Storage to him? You guys didn’t see it—first, Lou Wei died at Chief Zheng’s hands. This morning, I heard County Magistrate Tian tried to escape but got blocked by Squad Leader Zheng. And at noon, Zhang Qingyu’s head was smashed to a pulp by his bare hands!

"If it were just one, maybe it was luck. But that’s three! Three Qi Storage experts died by Squad Leader Zheng’s hands! Especially Zhang Qingyu—he was a fierce and powerful bandit!

"I heard the County Captain was also there. After hearing Zhang Qingyu’s roar, he was too scared to make a move. He stayed behind the courtyard wall and only ordered two of his attendants to attack..."

Upon hearing that last sentence, Zheng Jun frowned and scolded sharply, "Silence! You dare gossip about the County Captain?! He is an Outer Gang Martial Artist with his own strategies. It is not for the likes of you to wag your tongues about!"

Zheng Jun’s voice instantly made the three Black Officials jolt in fear, and they hastily begged for forgiveness.

He reprimanded them, "Go and take ten rods each! Do not ever speak recklessly about your superiors again!"

The three of them were on the night shift. The County Government Office had just annihilated the Qingshui Gang with lightning speed, so naturally, no petty criminals would dare cause trouble tonight.

Hearing Zheng Jun’s scolding, the three wore bitter expressions. They immediately and obediently supervised each other, using the very Execution Rods they had used to loosen Zheng Jun’s muscles on themselves.

Watching their actions, Zheng Jun’s expression remained stern. They were practically digging their own graves, courting death with such reckless gossip. Badmouthing the County Captain inside the County Government Office? No one would care if you hid under your blankets at home and cursed the Emperor, but saying such things out in the open, especially inside the County Government Office? If someone with ulterior motives overheard and reported it to the County Captain, those three would definitely be targeted, and even he would suffer the consequences!

However, regarding what they said... Although Zheng Jun was somewhat curious, he suppressed it. He checked the time by the sky, strapped on his Ceremonial Saber, and headed out toward the Tongchun Building, a tavern in Shunyi Square. Some things were better left unknown.

At dusk, the streets were sparsely populated.

Zheng Jun wore his Official’s Uniform. His posture was upright, and his demeanor was extraordinary. As he appeared on the streets of Shunyi Square, he immediately drew the gaze of many pedestrians. Their eyes were filled with awe and reverence.

After all, Zheng Jun had made a majestic appearance in Shunyi Square earlier that day, raiding the home of Zhang Qingyu’s mistress from the Qin Clan and carrying out numerous chests. Naturally, the local commoners had etched this into their minds, terrified of offending him.

Zheng Jun ignored their stares and continued walking until he stopped in front of a rather quaint and elegant building. He looked up at the signboard, which read "Tongchun Building." Confirming he was at the right place, he entered the establishment.

"Sir, you..."

The waiter at the door immediately came forward to greet him. Seeing Zheng Jun dressed in an Official’s Uniform with a Ceremonial Saber at his waist, he was about to say something when Wang Lai, who had been waiting on the first floor, stepped up. He shooed the waiter away and bowed respectfully. "I am Wang Lai, here to welcome the Squad Leader!"

"How did you handle the matter?" Zheng Jun ignored Wang Lai’s greeting and asked directly, "Have the silver taels been properly distributed?"

"Squad Leader, I first distributed four hundred silver taels to our brothers in the Military Department. I brought the remaining two hundred taels back and divided them among our brothers in Three Squad. There was a little loose silver left over, which I gave to the Scribes waiting on call in the main hall," Wang Lai said with an obsequious smile. "As for the brothers on duty, I saved a share for them as well."

With that, he lowered his voice and whispered, "Rest assured, Squad Leader. When I handed out the silver, I made sure to tell the brothers that this was the money you confiscated from the raid."

Hearing this, Zheng Jun lifted his eyelids and glanced at him.

Seeing Zheng Jun looking his way, Wang Lai continued softly, "Squad Leader, you made a massive contribution by blocking Rebel Tian in the main hall and beating Zhang Ni to death! That fellow Xu Heng also has merit for whistleblowing. With the County Magistrate position now vacant, it’s highly likely he’ll be promoted to it.

"When I was distributing the silver, I heard from the men in the Military Department that Infantry Captain Wang Xian succumbed to his severe injuries after being shot by Zhang Qingyu. He breathed his last a few two-hours ago. With your contributions this time, whether you’re promoted to Historian or Infantry Captain, you’ll definitely need some connections at your disposal!"

Wang Lai took a deep breath. Then, with a sudden THUD, he dropped to his knees before Zheng Jun and spoke in a hushed tone. "Squad Leader, my Martial Arts skills are mediocre, and my talent is nothing to boast about, but my family has served as County Officials for three generations. I know the ins and outs of every connection in Black Mountain County like the back of my hand.

"If you do not disdain me, I... I am willing to serve under your command, take on errands, and work myself to the bone for you!

"Before you arrived, Squad Leader, I did admittedly act like a local tyrant, but it was only minor infractions to gain petty advantages. I have absolutely no blood on my hands, nor have I ever forced good women into prostitution or bullied the innocent. I know you are an upright and unyielding man, so I beg for your forgiveness!"

Wang Lai’s eyes shimmered with a bright light of hope. His family had served as County Officials for three generations. If they wanted the Wang Family to rise in power and have him become a true official in this generation, relying on sheer merit was nearly impossible. However, out of nowhere, Zheng Jun had suddenly emerged in Black Mountain County like a warrior springing from a stone. This made Wang Lai realize that this was his golden opportunity.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun fell momentarily silent. He wondered, "Has my performance really been that outstanding?"

Before he could even open his mouth to respond, his brows suddenly furrowed. In the next second, his Ceremonial Saber flew out of its sheath!

Pointing the blade toward a corner of the building, Zheng Jun barked sharply, "Who’s there? Come out!"