As evening approached, Xu Qing clutched the one hundred and twenty-eight silver he had worked so "hard" to earn. He first made a trip to the Cangying Martial Arts Hall, where he spent ten silver on a pound of Tai Sui Spirit Meat before returning to his residence.
「Elsewhere.」
「At Yu Chen's residence.」
"Yu Chen!"
Fan Yanbin had come looking for him. "I just want to ask you one thing. That senior wearing the Evil Ghost Mask today—where on earth did you find him?"
"Senior? Fan Yanbin, what are you trying to do?"
Yu Chen's expression tensed.
After all, Fan Yanbin was a Mingjin Martial Artist. Yu Chen, on the other hand, had failed at martial arts and was just an ordinary person. If Fan Yanbin got angry, he could kill Yu Chen with a single punch.
"An Jin! That was an Anjing Martial Artist!"
Fan Yanbin's eyes widened as he shouted, "Where did you find an Anjing Martial Artist? I haven't offended you, have I? Why would you find an Anjing Martial Artist to deal with me?"
"An Jin?!"
Yu Chen was shaken to the core. He was truly stunned by Fan Yanbin's words. According to him, Xu Qing was an Anjing Martial Artist?
'Impossible.'
'Absolutely impossible!'
'But… Fan Yanbin has no reason to lie to me, does he?'
In spite of himself, Yu Chen's mind plunged into a state of shock and confusion.
'If that's really the case, then Xu Qing is truly an Anjing Martial Artist.'
'Possibility one: Xu Qing was hiding his true self and his strength from the very beginning. But that doesn't quite add up.'
'After all, Xu Qing was personally brought here by Lord Huo Yi. With Lord Huo Yi's skill and keen eye, it's impossible that he wouldn't have been able to tell Xu Qing was an Anjing Martial Artist.'
'Reason two… if Xu Qing was hiding his strength from the start, why reveal it now? Was it really just to earn that hundred-odd silver today?'
'So, the first possibility is unlikely.'
'Then… that only leaves the second possibility.'
'At the very beginning, Xu Qing was indeed a beggar of unknown origin, but he possessed a Talent for Martial Arts beyond anyone's imagination.'
'In less than a week, Xu Qing had gone from an ordinary person, leaping across two entire levels, breaking through Ming Jin to reach the An Jin realm, and becoming an Anjing Martial Artist.'
At this thought, Yu Chen's shock became impossible to suppress.
He couldn't help but recall how Xu Qing had been unwilling to reveal his identity, asking him to find a mask to hide his face and to keep the matter a complete secret.
WHOOSH...
Yu Chen took a deep breath and murmured to himself, 'So, is it that Xu Qing knows his strength is improving too quickly, and he's worried it will attract the covetous eyes of others?'
'Xu Qing, oh, Xu Qing, I'm just a money-grubbing merchant. Aren't you afraid I'll expose your secret?'
WHOOSH...
Yu Chen took another deep breath, his emotions finally calming. He glanced at Fan Yanbin. "I don't know what you're talking about. As for that senior you mentioned, I don't know much about him either. He's the one who approached me, and he was already wearing the Evil Ghost Mask when he did."
"Fan Yanbin, let's not even talk about whether I have the ability to hire an An Jin master. I suggest you think about whether you've offended someone else."
"You..."
Fan Yanbin's face froze.
「That evening.」
「At Xu Qing's residence.」
WHOOSH...
After pan-frying the Tai Sui Spirit Meat, Xu Qing ate all of it. The taste was exquisite, even better than the top-grade steak he had eaten in his previous life.
'Snake Body Technique.'
Next, Xu Qing resumed practicing the Snake Body Technique. Inside his room, he executed the Stepping Technique, his body moving like a nimble serpent. He was incredibly agile, dodging and shifting with lifelike fluidity.
「Four hours later.」
WHOOSH...
Xu Qing slowly concluded his practice.
[Snake Body Technique (Incomplete) Level 3: 20/20 (Upgradeable!)]
Four hours. Xu Qing could practice the Snake Body Technique five times in an hour, gaining five Experience Points each time. Four hours meant twenty Experience Points, just enough to level up.
'Upgrade.'
HUMMM!
A fluorescent light flashed from the Encyclopedia of All Things.
Xu Qing once again entered that mystical state, as if enlightenment was being poured directly into his mind. He further refined the Snake Body Technique, mastering a stronger version of it.
[Snake Body Technique (Incomplete) Level 4: 0/40 (...)]
He took a look. The information on the Snake Body Technique hadn't changed much. The flexible, yielding Ming Jin in his feet had simply grown stronger, and the technique's agility had risen by a level.
However, it had not yet undergone a qualitative change.
'Not bad.'
Xu Qing nodded. 'It's just that after upgrading Baji Fist and stepping into the An Jin realm, one pound of Tai Sui Spirit Meat a day isn't quite enough anymore.'
'Based on my current situation, I need to eat three pounds of Tai Sui Spirit Meat a day—one in the morning, one at noon, and one at night. Only then can I guarantee I'll have the stamina and energy for my Martial Arts training.'
In reality, Xu Qing's expenses weren't that high; they were merely the daily food costs for an Anjing Martial Artist. Other Anjing Martial Artists, in addition to their daily meals, also used corresponding Secret Medicines to aid their Martial Arts Cultivation.
The prices of those Secret Medicines were outrageous, with a single dose easily costing over a hundred silver.
Fortunately, Xu Qing didn't really need these Secret Medicines. Otherwise, the one hundred and twenty-eight silver he earned today would have only been enough to buy a single dose.
The night passed without incident. The next day arrived in a flash.
'I'm buying Tai Sui Spirit Meat from the Cangying Martial Arts Hall so frequently. I wonder if I'll expose anything. But I don't have any other channels right now.'
Xu Qing mused, 'So, for now, I can only keep buying it from the Cangying Martial Arts Hall.'
「That morning.」
Xu Qing went to the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. He didn't see Instructor Zhang He, but quite a few Outer Courtyard students saw him, and they looked at him with a certain disdain.
Of course, Xu Qing paid no mind to their stares. He went straight to the Martial Arts Hall's warehouse, found Elder Xiao, and took out thirty silver.
"Elder Xiao, I'd like to buy three pounds of Tai Sui Spirit Meat today," Xu Qing said.
"Mm."
Elder Xiao just gave a faint nod. He didn't say or ask anything more, simply accepting Xu Qing's thirty silver and walking into the warehouse.
Before long, Elder Xiao returned with three wrapped pieces of Tai Sui Spirit Meat and handed them to Xu Qing.
"Thank you, Elder Xiao."
Xu Qing clasped his hands in thanks, a flicker of joy in his heart. He took the three pounds of Tai Sui Spirit Meat and left quickly, not lingering at the Cangying Martial Arts Hall.
He returned to his residence in a flash.
Xu Qing immediately started pan-frying the Tai Sui Spirit Meat. After eating one pound, his stamina and energy were replenished, and his spirits were high.
'Baji Fist.'
Next, Xu Qing began practicing Baji Fist.
The morning passed by without him noticing.
As noon approached.
WHOOSH...
Xu Qing slowly concluded his practice, exhaling a breath of turbid air. Above his head, a faint white vapor rose from his evaporating sweat.
[Baji Fist Level 5: 15/160 (...)]
'Still a long way to the next upgrade,' Xu Qing thought.
After that, Xu Qing cleaned himself up. As arranged yesterday, he headed to the largest restaurant in Qingbei Town's Outer City, Kaiyuan Tower. The restaurant was a nine-story, pagoda-like building. Naturally, the decor and furnishings grew more luxurious and grand with each ascending floor, as did the prices.
Yu Chen could only afford to treat him on the first floor.
Even so, the minimum charge on the first floor was ten silver.
Inside the first floor of Kaiyuan Tower.
Xu Qing walked in to find an endless stream of customers. The air was filled with the aroma of various dishes, and the noise of many people shouting and talking made the place extremely lively.
If he had to describe it, it was like the employee cafeteria of a large factory.
"Xu Qing, over here!"
Suddenly, Xu Qing heard Yu Chen's shout. He turned to see Yu Chen standing up from a table, waving at him.
Besides Yu Chen, there was a calm-faced, middle-aged man sitting next to him. He had a lock of white hair at his temples and looked to be at least forty years old.
Moreover, this man with the white-streaked temples wore a sword at his waist and the uniform of a Government Office constable, causing people at the surrounding tables to regard him with some awe.
"I'm here."
A smile appeared on Xu Qing's face as he walked straight over.
"Come, come."
Yu Chen smiled as well, gesturing to Xu Qing. "Let me make an introduction. This is Lord Zhao Jingyuan of the Government Office."
"Xu Qing, let me tell you, Lord Zhao is a Junior Constable at the Government Office, and he's in charge of a dozen or so men."
"Lord Zhao."
Xu Qing clasped his hands in a salute. "I, Xu Qing, pay my respects to Lord Zhao."
"Have a seat."
Zhao Jingyuan waved his hand. "No need for such formalities. You're Yu Chen's brother, which makes you my brother too. There's no need for all that between brothers."
"Of the three of us, I'm the oldest. Just call me Brother Zhao."
"Alright."
Xu Qing nodded. "Brother Zhao."
"Mm."
A hint of a smile touched Zhao Jingyuan's lips.
Next, Xu Qing sat down. The dishes had already been ordered; they were all ordinary fare, as the food at Kaiyuan Tower was indeed very expensive.
"Xu Qing, Yu Chen just told me about your situation," Zhao Jingyuan continued. "The Outer City hasn't been peaceful lately. I can't go into the specific details with you, but the Government Office only has so many constables, making it difficult to patrol the entire Outer City."
"Therefore, the Government Office plans to recruit people to form a Patrol Team. As for the pay, Yu Chen has already told you. Since you haven't mastered Ming Jin and have only practiced combat and training techniques, your pay will only be one silver per day."
"Of course," he added, "if you perform a meritorious deed or something similar, there will definitely be a reward."
"Mm."
Xu Qing nodded.
"Each Patrol Team has one captain and two vice-captains. The captain is a constable from the Government Office, but the two vice-captains don't need to be."
Zhao Jingyuan added, "Generally speaking, the position of vice-captain also requires the strength of a Ming Jin practitioner. You're actually a little short of that, but I can try to appoint you to the position."
"That way, if you run into danger, you can be the first to slip away. And once you become a vice-captain, your pay will double; you'll get two silver per day."
"Thank you, Brother Zhao."
Xu Qing stood up and clasped his hands in a salute. He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. Zhao Jingyuan hadn't even asked for anything in return.