Night.
A silver moon hung high in the sky, but its light was obscured by dark clouds.
Most of Qingshi County Town was plunged into darkness, with only a few corners remaining brightly lit.
In a quiet, secluded courtyard, Zhang Hucheng left the main gate wide open. He paced back and forth inside his house, occasionally looking up and out the door.
'Why isn't he here yet? Is he not coming? Or did he get drunk?'
Zhang Hucheng muttered to himself as he walked.
Suddenly...
"The Demon Fiend corpses you sent were useless. Don't send any more in the future."
A voice rang out abruptly, and a figure vaulted over the courtyard wall, landing inside.
Zhang Hucheng jumped in fright. Realizing who it was, he quickly ran out of the house, bowed, and called out, "Greetings, Lord Chen."
"I am no 'Lord'," Chen Zhizhen said, his face devoid of expression. "Fifth Master asked me to give you a message: use your brain more before you act next time."
"Yes, yes." Zhang Hucheng nodded hastily, his face plastered with a smile. "This subordinate knows his fault. This subordinate will, next time..."
"I told you, there won't be a next time." Chen Zhizhen's brow furrowed, and his eyes grew cold as he snapped, "Just focus on being a proper County Captain. Don't meddle in other affairs from now on."
With that, he stomped his foot, his body soaring into the air. He flew over the courtyard wall and vanished into the night sky.
"Wait, I..."
Zhang Hucheng opened his mouth to shout but subconsciously stopped himself, feeling wronged and resentful.
'Dammit! They take everything and give nothing back. None of them are any good!'
'The Demon Fiend corpses were useless? Did he mean I sent them too late?'
'How was I supposed to know the Domain at Great Dragon Mountain would just disappear like that?'
'If Gu Zheng hadn't been so capable and rushed back in time to slaughter all the Demon Fiends in the city...'
'I would have died before anyone even showed up to help.'
'Some bullshit confidant of a Prince... he's not even as good as Gu Zheng!'
Zhang Hucheng cursed inwardly.
As he turned back toward his house, his mind started racing.
'There's no hope with Fifth Master anymore. Maybe I should latch onto Gu Zheng instead?'
'Gu Zheng joined the Demon Slayer Bureau and was promoted directly to Ensign without even having to go to the Training Camp.'
'If he earns merits quickly and gets promoted to Commander, or even Hundred Households, he'll definitely become a major figure.'
'Siding with a major figure like that now, before he truly rises, would bring great rewards in the future!'
At the very least, Zhang Hucheng was quite clear about Gu Zheng's character, especially compared to Fifth Master's.
He hadn't liked him before, had found him grating, because Gu Zheng was one of Tong Yuanshan's men.
'Now, Gu Zheng no longer needs to rely on Tong Yuanshan. In fact, it's Tong Yuanshan who is benefiting from Gu Zheng's success. With so few deaths during the Demon Fiend uprising in Qingshi County, that son of a bitch Tong Yuanshan is one hundred percent getting a promotion and leaving!'
'Once Tong Yuanshan is gone, couldn't he perhaps scheme for the position of County Magistrate?'
'And Gu Zheng has caught Yan Hongxue's eye, knows a bunch of noble youths, and even has some history with them...'
'Even if they weren't close, they'd known each other for half a year and were on speaking terms.'
Thinking of this, Zhang Hucheng made his decision.
...
...
Yan Hongxue acted quickly.
The majority of the personnel left the city and went deep into the mountains to search for traces of Demon Fiends, attempting to wipe out all of them within the borders of Qingshi County.
A smaller group remained in the city to test aptitudes and verify identities.
Whether they would join the Demon Slayer Bureau was a separate matter.
The constables, government constables, and the Soldiers from the City Defense Bureau were all very interested in having their aptitudes tested.
Everyone signed up, wanting to see if they had any talent.
The testing process was not very complicated.
It involved dripping blood onto a circular disk, followed by a bone examination, then drinking a potion, running as fast as possible, and pushing a stone mill with all one's might.
Once these three steps were completed, a person's aptitude, good or bad, was determined.
Gu Zheng watched from the side for a long time but couldn't make heads or tails of it, so he turned and left.
Once the Demon Fiends in Qingshi County were cleared out and the threat of the Domain was gone, it would become the safest place to be.
For this reason, Gu Zheng wrote a letter and sent it to the Prefecture City, asking his family to return.
Before the Gu Family returned, Gu Zheng wanted to try and carve a Nether Heart Slave Seal, and then travel with Tao Liu, Wu Kun, and the others to Fengzhou State City.
The headquarters of the Fengzhou Demon Slayer Bureau was located in the State City, as was the Training Camp.
'How could he leave before his family was settled and safe?'
...
"Chief, we found him."
Just as Gu Zheng returned to the Gu Mansion, Han Ming came to find him. He leaned in close and said in a low voice, "The man who reported you was Liu Xiaoji. That guy has been holding a grudge. However, he had an accident when he went out today and fell, breaking both his legs. I hear the bones were shattered."
"How unlucky," Gu Zheng nodded. "Since he broke his own legs, will the Government Office cover his medical expenses?"
"No," Han Ming replied seriously. "The County Magistrate said it was his own fault, so the Government Office won't pay for his medicine. However, considering he broke his legs and can no longer serve as a government constable, they'll give him one tael of silver to help his family."
"But the guy had gambling debts. The silver was snatched from his hands as soon as he got it. On top of that, he got one arm broken and an eye blinded."
"Such misfortune?"
Gu Zheng remarked, then changed the subject. "By the way, Han Ming, what about your test results? Did you meet the minimum aptitude requirements?"
"I didn't."
Speaking of himself, Han Ming sighed. "My talent has never been great. I'm content with what I've achieved so far."
"When I leave, the position of Chief Constable will be yours," Gu Zheng said with a smile. "Of course, if you're willing, I can talk to Yan Hongxue and get you a direct position as a Warrior. I've already asked. If you don't take the secret medicine, the aptitude requirements for being just a Warrior are lower."
"I won't go."
Han Ming shook his head. "I've looked into it. Although being a Warrior offers many chances to get stronger, the danger is much greater. Fighting Demon Fiends... it's not quite a one-in-ten chance of survival, but it's more like three-in-ten. Surviving three times out of ten is already considered good. My mother and sister still need me to take care of them. If I die, what will happen to them?"
"That's true." Gu Zheng didn't press him further. His eyes flickered as he gestured. "Come with me."
Hm?
Han Ming was puzzled but said nothing, following Gu Zheng into the study.
"Close the door," Gu Zheng instructed.
Han Ming turned and shut the door.
When he turned back, he saw a crystal-clear fruit had appeared in Gu Zheng's hand.
"This is a Source Fruit."
Gu Zheng's expression was solemn as he explained, "It's a magical fruit, one of the things I found in Great Dragon Mountain. Eating it can strengthen the body. Of course, that's for ordinary people. For me, its effects are minimal now. If you trust me, you can eat it."
With that, Gu Zheng held out the Source Fruit.
[Source Fruit: Strong Body]
This was one of the few Source Fruits Gu Zheng had discovered later on in Great Dragon Mountain.
Given Gu Zheng's current Constitution, the effects this Source Fruit could provide were negligible. But for Han Ming, it would be a different story.
Gu Zheng was leaving Qingshi County, and Han Ming would be staying behind. If Han Ming became stronger, the Gu Family's safety would undoubtedly be better guaranteed.
Of course, the best guarantee was for the Gu Family itself to become stronger.
Fortunately, there were two Strengthening Source Fruits in total. Giving one to Han Ming would be a perfect opportunity to test the fruit's effects.
...
"Alright!"
Han Ming glanced at the Source Fruit, and without hesitation, took it and swallowed it in two bites.
Soon, his body grew hot, and steam began to rise from his head and body. With a THUD, he collapsed to the ground.
Gu Zheng jumped in alarm.
He hurriedly checked on him, focusing his Spirit to perceive his condition. He was relieved to find that Han Ming had only fallen unconscious.
He then stood guard beside him, acting as his Guardian while also carving the Nether Heart Slave Seal.
The night passed quickly.
「At dawn.」
Han Ming suddenly awoke with a start and sat bolt upright. "I'm not dead?"
"Of course you're not dead."
Gu Zheng turned to look at him. "Get up and see how much your strength has increased."
"...Alright." Han Ming, his clothes soaked through, quickly got to his feet. He clenched his fist and punched a nearby solid pillar.
WHOOSH—
His fist tore through the air.
BAM!
"CRACK!"
The thick pillar, over twenty centimeters in diameter, was punched straight through. The areas above and below the impact point cracked, covered in fissures.
"This..." Han Ming's eyes went wide.
"Congratulations. You're a Grandmaster now."