Bear Probing Palm wasn't a set of killing moves but a force-issuing technique paired with 【Great Bear Stance】. Under its boost, other techniques grew weighty and powerful.
"They're here. Mind yourselves — don't let those light-fingered guards make off with our goods."
Zhou Yuan was just practicing the coordination between 【Great Bear Stance】 and his techniques when the old station-hand suddenly called him and a few bailiffs over. After ordering several squads of villagers to guard the bear-corpses, he went to the front of the crowd.
The county gate had indeed opened; a richly dressed middle-aged man, attended by six retainers and over thirty soldiers, came to meet them. Drawing near the conscript party, he didn't first inspect the bear-corpses but asked with a smile.
"Which fine fellow led the bear-fight? This official must thank him richly."
His phrasing was most subtle: "thank richly" and "reward richly" differed by a single word, but the attitude in them was wholly different. The old station-hand didn't dare speak loosely now; instead he and the bailiffs looked to Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan wasn't cowed either. Stepping from the ranks, he cupped his hands and saluted.
"Zhou Yuan of Qiaoxi greets the lord. It was entirely the brothers' trust that gave me the honor of leading the bear-fight."
"Good, good lad. I am Zheng Ji, magistrate of Leji; I would never covet your goods. Let my apothecaries and butchers see to those four great bears. Come with me — I'm just about to take my morning meal; you and I shall share a good cup."
"Many thanks for the magistrate's regard."
Magistrate Zheng was still rather courteous to Zhou Yuan, but stern with the bailiffs; to their flattery he gave only a cold nod. Curiously, he was very warm to the villagers — in the short time spent looking over the bears he promised away no small amount of food, leaving the villagers to think this magistrate a rare good official, and to regret they didn't live under his rule.
Inspecting the corpses, Magistrate Zheng paid no mind to the ruined hides, but repeatedly studied the bears' bellies.
"I've seen enough. Help butcher the bears in a while; I'll go back first and have a clerk send you some food."
"Go well, magistrate. We respectfully see you off."
As Magistrate Zheng left, a scholar in his train, fearing Zhou Yuan wouldn't know better, tugged at him, signaling him to follow. Honestly, Zhou Yuan didn't want to be alone with the magistrate; the gap in station was too great, and a few bear-corpses didn't warrant a banquet. But Leji was the man's turf, and Zhou Yuan couldn't slight a county magistrate without cause, so he could only go along for now.
Inside the city, Magistrate Zheng took Zhou Yuan into the public office, and soon maidservants came to lay out the meal.
"Young master, I must thank you properly — you've solved a hard problem for me. You don't know how hateful those black bears were; the thought of passing travelers maimed by those beasts pained my heart."
"I don't deserve the magistrate's thanks. We too acted to save ourselves, and had no choice but to fight for our lives."
"Don't decline. Why don't you deserve it? In all things one judges the deed, not the heart. Since you've rid the people of a scourge, you deserve this county's thanks."
Magistrate Zheng seemed most amiable, asking now and then of Zhou Yuan's birth and past, sighing twice that heroes come young. The more Zhou Yuan listened, the warier he grew, not knowing what this Magistrate Zheng was scheming.
"Young master, so martial, able to battle bears by main strength — surely you've had some marvelous chance encounter. Besides caring for the people, this county most loves strange tales and curious matters; if the young master knows any, do tell — it'll go well with the wine."
Only now did Zhou Yuan grasp why Magistrate Zheng had feasted him and kept paying compliments. He meant to use his lofty station and his praise to stir the young man's pride and draw out talk of strange wonders. It also made plain to Zhou Yuan that Great Wei's ruling class did indeed know of the dungeons — and prized any information about them, so much that a band of conscripts killing black bears could provoke their probing.
"Strange tales — I did hear the village elders mention some, that the world holds deathless, undying demons and immortals who never age. But I've never seen anything miraculous myself. Battling the bears was only the lay of the land — the brothers grappled with them, and I took the chance to stab their mouths and noses, that's all."
"Immortals who never age? Hahaha..."
The once-amiable Magistrate Zheng, finding nothing to be had, lost his interest in talk. He ate a few casual bites, said he had official business, and left the office first.
When Zhou Yuan was led back to the cart-train by a clerk, he learned the county constable had just questioned the men in detail about the bear-fight and was already racing toward the station. The bailiffs' hopes of claiming the merit were exposed on the spot; even when the old station-hand had hidden in his cellar was pried out.
"Shitou, Magistrate Zheng really is strict and fair — whoever did the work gets the merit, nothing like the muddle-heads in the storytellers' tales."
"Indeed. A smiling, fickle one — fine as a hair."
The magistrate's moves made Zhou Yuan realize this world's danger. He needed a more powerful stage, to grow strong openly in the light, or he'd inevitably draw suspicion. Luckily, this bear-fight could withstand scrutiny; the villagers' testimony was enough to offset his peculiarity.
Toward afternoon, the bear-corpses long since processed, Magistrate Zheng arrived at last, late, bearing two documents. One went to Zhou Yuan, attesting he'd battled and killed a bear for Leji County; one to the Qiaoxi men, attesting they'd assisted. The county clerks brought rewards; once split, Zhou Yuan got five hundred coins, the Qiaoxi men fifty each.
The main sum was the purchase price of the bear-corpses. This time the magistrate didn't split it so finely; the money was divided into four parts, given to Zhou Yuan, the Qiaoxi men, the bailiffs, and the other villagers. Since the numbers differed, so did the shares. Zhou Yuan got a small gold cake; the bailiffs two hundred coins each; the Qiaoxi men sixty each; the other villagers only twenty each. This split, though it gave Zhou Yuan the greatest benefit, also made him a rich man standing out like a crane among chickens. To break this extreme gap in wealth, Zhou Yuan spoke up of his own accord.
"My lord magistrate, I'm about to return to camp; I've nowhere to use all this money. I'd like to buy some nourishing medicine to strengthen my body — please grant it, magistrate."
"Oh — one who seeks to better himself. Our meeting is fate; I'll grant it. This is the Spirit Ginseng Pill of my Linjiang Zheng clan, best for nourishing the body. For a gold cake and five hundred coins I could give you only five; but since you rid the county of a scourge, I'll add one more, to aid your training."
"Many thanks, magistrate. Zhou Yuan of Qiaoxi will never forget today's kindness."
Magistrate Zheng spoke well, and Zhou Yuan no worse; both kept to fine words, the one playing the discerning patron, the other the grateful recipient. Seeing this, the villagers thought the magistrate greatly admired Zhou Yuan, and wondered why so fine a magistrate didn't recruit so fine a youth. Right up to departure, the Qiaoxi men sighed over it again and again.
"Shitou, Magistrate Zheng thinks so highly of you — why not stay on while you can? If you became a county clerk, all your neighbors would share the glory."
"I can't stay — and mustn't."
On the other side, Magistrate Zheng's retainers asked a similar question: men who dared battle bears were rare, so why not keep him on as an officer?
"That youth has a few measures of valor and nerve; he ought to campaign for our Great Wei. Were I to keep him, a small post breeds resentment, a great post breeds rifts — what post could match a young man's spirit?"