“Hearty!”
After eating and drinking his fill, Old Liu patted his belly and went to settle the bill. He borrowed a light from the Shopkeeper to ignite his Dried Tobacco and began puffing away.
Yes, he was smoking the Shopkeeper’s tobacco leaves.
It was obvious that he was quite happy to have summoned two Women to accompany him for food and drink.
Xiang Yuan followed behind with a face full of helplessness.
Seeing his expression, Old Liu’s wife did not change her expression, as if she had quite a bit of Experience. Old Liu’s daughter was different. At eleven or twelve, she was at the age when she was beginning to understand things. The young girl had a thin Face, and with her face flushed from embarrassment, she walked at the very front.
“You two go back first. I’ll escort Xiang Yuan back to the Yamen.”
After bidding farewell to his wife and daughter, Old Liu carried his Dried Tobacco pipe and continued leading Xiang Yuan through the streets and alleys. To help him quickly become familiar with the roads of Fengxian County, he Specially took a longer route.
Not only did he take a detour, but he also walked and stopped repeatedly, imparting to him the Experience of being a Constable.
“Fengxian County is very large, especially East Main Street. That Trade Route runs straight from north to south, is twenty zhang wide, and extends deep into the heart of Southern Border. Carriages and horses pass through without rest, and the Shops on both sides are worth Every inch of land is worth gold. Making a fortune every day is nothing difficult there. Unfortunately, all the tax silver is taken by the Imperial Court. If the Feng Xian Yamen could collect it, we could benefit from it too...”
“Don’t venture too far into East Main Street. Most of the surrounding area belongs to high-ranking families, and there are Too many Powers from all over the land. They have their own Rules there. It isn’t convenient for us to arrest people in that area, and even if we do, it will bring Trouble. If anything goes wrong, the Six Doors will handle it.”
“Generally speaking, we only take charge of the western side of the County town. Outside the city, the major villages have ‘Bao Yi Lang’ established by the Imperial Court. They are all Gentry, Clans, powerful figures, and capable people. They have Clansmen if they need Clansmen and Means if they need Means, so they can handle the miscellaneous affairs outside the city themselves.”
“You’re young and strong, and this is the best time to practice martial arts. If you have any spare silver, you can browse the Shops on East Main Street...”
When explaining the Rules to a newcomer, Old Liu was still quite Reliable, introducing Xiang Yuan to several good places.
The Weapons of Forget Sword Villa were sharp, while the Pills of White Cloud Villa had miraculous effects. Jianghu heroes praised both Houses unanimously, and the Six Doors also had long-term cooperation with them.
Weapons and Pills had always been monopolized goods tightly controlled by the Imperial Court, with enormous implications. These two Houses could sell them openly, spread their Shops throughout Western Chu, and even conduct business in Northern Qi and Southern Jin. This showed just how enormous their Power was.
“Remember to compare prices among the Three Families. Whatever price the others quote, offer exactly that much silver. Once the goods leave the counter, there are no refunds. Quite a few Jianghu heroes have been fleeced by them.”
So that was how it was!
After hearing Old Liu say this, Xiang Yuan suddenly understood. No wonder Coach Lu had repeatedly issued stern warnings. As it turned out, he had been fleeced before.
“It’s already Nighttime, so it isn’t suitable to go to East Main Street. When we have time, I’ll take you there during the Daytime to look around and get familiar with the Gates, so you won’t offend anyone you shouldn’t.”
After night fell, Fengxian County gradually became quiet. Every household closed its doors, with the Main Gates firmly locked.
From far away, Xiang Yuan seemed to hear the clamor coming from the direction of East Main Street.
It really was a Trade Route that made a fortune every day!
“That place is the most prosperous. The girls in the Red Building are all the most beautiful in Fengxian County...”
Old Liu put away his Dried Tobacco pipe and glanced toward East Main Street, a hint of Envy rising in his eyes.
But very soon, that hint of Envy was suppressed by his Self-assessment.
“If fate does not grant it, one must not force it. This is the Way to establish oneself and make a living!”
..
The County Yamen, Fast Squad Housing.
Xiang Yuan closed the doors and windows and sat cross-legged on the bed. While Closing his eyes to rest, he organized in his mind everything he had seen and heard that day.
He knew that being a Constable was not a good livelihood and that it was easy to end up with grass growing over one’s grave. Otherwise, the Imperial Court would not specially raise dogs for blood transfusions. Still, seeing the treatment offered to Constables in Fengxian County, he could not help entertaining a few fanciful thoughts.
The salary was acceptable, the benefits were decent, and most importantly, there was a Staffing Quota.
He Self-assessed that, having been forged by the Information Age and watched over a thousand episodes of Detective Conan, Approaching Science, Justice Bao, astronomy... and knowing a little about chemistry and Physics, he would absolutely be considered exceptionally Talented if he became a Constable.
At least in terms of knowledge and Experience, he left the four youths who had come with him far behind.
As a result, Old Liu woke him up.
The World valued martial arts, and the fist was supreme.
The Heavenly Sword, Heavenly Saber, and Heavenly Martial were powerful, causing trouble everywhere, and the Imperial Court could not control them;
Forget Sword Villa and White Cloud Villa were powerful, openly selling sharp Weapons and Pills, and the Imperial Court could not control them either.
This was a microcosm of Fengxian County. East Main Street governed itself. When a murder occurred, the local Constables could only close one eye, then close the other. Only the Six Doors could rely on the principle of being “somewhat versed in fist and foot techniques and slightly familiar with cudgels” to enter and investigate.
“If one day I become the Azure Emperor, I’ll have the Peach Blossom bloom together in one place.”
Xiang Yuan muttered under his breath. He wanted to practice martial arts and become someone akin to an earthly Immortal, so that one day the Imperial Court would also have to close one eye, then close the other, toward him.
After expressing his lofty Ambition, he turned to practical matters and focused on the present. He silently recited the Six-Character Breathing Technique and launched an assault on the Shenque Acupoint of the Ren Meridian.
Two Shichen later, Xiang Yuan’s spirit was exhausted, and he stopped Cultivating.
The Six-Character Breathing Technique was indeed useful and could be called a True Transmission. However, his own spirit was insufficient, and his ability to guide qi with his Will fell short, needlessly wasting the excellent Foundation that Xiang Yuan had laid.
“If only I had spare money to buy an Assist Pill...”
He fell silent for A moment, calmed his mind, and firmly strengthened his Will. “What is picked up ultimately isn’t mine. Starting from scratch is what truly belongs to me!”
Xiang Yuan gave up using Luck to attack the Shenque Acupoint. He took up the most basic meditation method, tempering his own spirit and Will. Once he had achieved Perfection, he would walk the Ren Meridian again from the beginning.
Around midnight, Xiang Yuan stopped meditating because of a Headache and stared blankly. “My head hurts so much. Is this Head Sickness chronic after all?”
He had originally thought that the Head Sickness was a side effect of his Transmigration and that the illness would disappear once the Memory Fragments had mostly fused. Only after working hard at Cultivation did he discover that the Head Sickness was long-term. That high fever had burned his brain.
“I...”
“Brain Damage?!”
This discovery left Xiang Yuan extremely flustered.
He said nothing aloud, but in his heart he was actually holding on to a breath of anger. In his previous life, he had chosen to Lie flat in the face of life. Having lived For a lifetime again, he wanted to fight for something in this life.
Put grandly, a person needed Ambition. Put more modestly, since he was already here, he might as well try.
Even a Salted Fish had to turn over!
But as it turned out, his Head Sickness kept recurring, leaving him unable even to fight.
“Other people get a Golden Finger when they undergo Transmigration. I can accept not having one, but how can even my Physical Body be Incomplete?”
“Don’t panic. This World is vast, and Brain Damage can be treated with medicine. As long as I can save enough startup capital, I can go to East Main Street and buy Pills. A minor Incompleteness will be cured as soon as the medicine reaches the illness.”
“But I still owe two debts...”
Xiang Yuan sorrowfully discovered that he had fallen into the same predicament as in his previous life—poverty!
The next day, Xiang Yuan, who had slept poorly all Nighttime, was awakened by his biological clock.
His body was certainly afflicted with Brain Damage, but “hard work” had already sunk deep into his marrow. He climbed out of bed before dawn, washed up simply, drew his Saber, and began practicing the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber in the empty space before the door.
He practiced for a full Shichen.
“Xiang Yuan, are you up...”
Old Liu hurried over. Seeing Xiang Yuan surrounded by steaming heat, having clearly practiced the Saber technique for quite some time, he changed his words. “Stop practicing. Do you know how to ride a horse?”
“I know a little.”
The Martial arts school had taught horsemanship. After Xiang Yuan fused the relevant Memory Fragments, he was in a Schrödinger state between knowing and not knowing.
“That’ll do. Put away the Saber and come with me to get the horses.”
“What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?”
“A case has come up!”