"Xu Yuan?"
Seeing the familiar figure at the courtyard gate, Chu Mu's eyes grew pensive as he fell into thought.
But then, a flicker of understanding dawned on him.
In his memory, compared to the original owner's floundering father, Xu Yuan's father had clearly had a much brighter future.
After just a few years in the Inspection Office, he had become a team leader. And before he died in the line of duty, there were even rumors he was about to be promoted to Squad Leader.
Evidently, Xu Yuan was reaping the benefits of his father's legacy. Otherwise, how could an Inspector who had just started a few days ago be involved in such a core matter of profit?
After observing for a moment and memorizing the faces he could make out, Chu Mu turned and left without hesitation.
The night was dark and windy. Unarmed and all alone, Chu Mu didn't dare test the hearts of men with his own safety.
'Does this count as... walking a dark road too often... and finally running into a ghost?'
The whimsical thought struck Chu Mu, and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The analogy seemed apt.
To the people of Qinghe County, this Inspector's uniform of his probably wasn't much different from a ghost's shroud.
Lost in his thoughts, it wasn't long before Chu Mu returned to his small courtyard. Shutting the gate, it felt as if he were sealed off from the rest of the world.
He lit a lamp, adding a touch of light to the dim courtyard.
Though it was late, according to Chu Mu's routine, it wasn't yet time to rest.
His Long Saber left its sheath. Sword in hand, Chu Mu walked out of his bedroom.
He took his stance in the courtyard and, after a moment, swung his Sword.
Chop, slash, upwards cut...
He meticulously executed the Sword Forms from his memory.
Having experienced that "Spiritual Radiance Blessing," Chu Mu was well aware of what the focus of his Sword Technique practice should be.
All other aspects of the Sword Technique could be set aside for now.
The most important thing right now was to control the blade in his hands.
If he couldn't properly control the several-pound Long Saber, its weight alone was enough to completely warp any of his Sword Forms.
To put it simply, when he chopped downwards, he couldn't control the momentum generated by the blade's weight and the force of the swing.
As for switching to a lighter blade... a person with no foundation in Martial Arts couldn't achieve perfect control over their Power even with a tree branch. Switching swords... wouldn't make much of a difference.
The thought vanished as quickly as it came, and Chu Mu completely immersed himself in the blade before him.
There were no linked movements, just simple chops, slashes, and upwards cuts...
He repeated the few basic Sword Forms, one move at a time.
Monotonous... yet determined.
Before he knew it, sweat began to bead on his skin.
The sleeves of his shirt slowly grew damp, and sweat from his brow flew off with every swing of the blade.
Time ticked by, drop by drop.
In his past life, Chu Mu would have found it hard to imagine himself persisting in such tedious practice.
Even now, Chu Mu had no idea what these seemingly ordinary Sword Forms would ultimately lead to.
But the unfamiliarity of this era filled him with a profound sense of insecurity.
And every point of increase in his skill values on the Light Curtain Panel gave him an inexplicable sense of security.
"HUUUH..."
Chu Mu let out a long breath and lowered his Long Saber. Sweat had even soaked through the hilt, dripping down along the blade.
[Name: Chu Mu.]
[Skill:
Basic Blade Technique (Beginner's Practice) 48/100]
[Spiritual Radiance Value: 15.2%]
The Light Curtain Panel materialized in his vision. Chu Mu stared blankly at the skill value for his blade technique.
After practicing for a little over half an hour, the value had already increased by three points.
After practicing for so many days, Chu Mu had long since figured out the function of the Skill Level value.
This Skill Level value of his wasn't like the proficiency panels from the web novels he read in his past life; it was merely a reflection of his own skill.
In simple terms, whatever level he trained his skills to would be reflected on the Light Curtain Panel.
The purpose of the Skill Level was simply to represent his skill growth with a numerical value.
But it was obvious that being able to see the rewards of his efforts in the most direct way possible was, in itself, a terrifyingly powerful advantage.
After all, what people fear most is wasted effort.
If everyone could see the return on their investment so directly, they'd probably all become hyper-competitive grinders.
After a moment of contemplation, the Light Curtain Panel faded away. Chu Mu glanced around the small courtyard, set down his Sword, and began to stretch his body.
Chu Mu didn't know any proper cool-down or relaxation methods, so he simply shook out his hands and massaged his own muscles.
He wasn't sure if it was effective. After all, with this kind of exercise, the soreness only lasted for the first few days. Once his body adapted, as long as he didn't overdo it, a night's sleep was usually enough to mostly recover.
After stretching and relaxing for about ten minutes and then resting inside for a little while, Chu Mu returned to the courtyard with a bucket and a change of clothes.
He splashed a few buckets of cool water over himself, scrubbed himself clean, and changed into fresh clothes. Back in his bedroom, the flickering candlelight in the house was finally extinguished.
Chu Mu fell into a deep sleep, and the night passed in the blink of an eye...
...
Early the next morning, while the sky was still dark, Chu Mu got out of bed. As usual, he washed up and then brought his Sword out to the courtyard.
A full night's sleep had completely erased the previous day's fatigue. Swinging the Long Saber, Chu Mu felt invigorated.
Each and every move now carried a bit more of a sense of power.
Only when the morning sun began to rise did Chu Mu finally lower the Long Saber in his hands.
He glanced at the Light Curtain Panel and couldn't help but smile.
In just under half an hour of practice, he had unprecedentedly gained five points of Skill Level.
'Not bad, not bad. That's some real progress.'
Chu Mu chuckled. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before his blade technique skill broke through to the next stage.
He casually sheathed his Long Saber, rubbed his empty stomach, and then walked briskly to his bedroom. After changing into his Armor, he hurried out the door.
Originally, Chu Mu had been under the impression that the food in this era couldn't possibly compare to his previous life's. After all, the sheer variety of spices alone was enough to put the food of this time to shame.
But the reality was not as he had guessed. The basic seasonings were all readily available; it was just that due to this being a different world, some of them had different names and appearances.
And the variety of food was flourishing, thanks to the low price of grain.
For a simple breakfast, there were dozens of stalls on the street, most of them offering different kinds of food.
After all, the base price of one copper was still quite cheap compared to the price of grain.
Even the beggars on the street could probably afford it, to say nothing of the hundreds of Inspectors in Nanshan Town who left early and returned late.
After eating a large, steaming bowl of rice noodles at a roadside stall, Chu Mu finally made his way slowly toward the Inspection Office.
If Chu Mu remembered correctly, He Ergou had said yesterday that today was payday.
"Getting paid at the beginning of the month... being on the official payroll really is great..."
Chu Mu couldn't help but exclaim, and his pace quickened considerably...
...