Returning to the County Government Office, Liu Yaozu immediately went to see the Doctor. After asking about a few details, Chief Sun hurried away. For a while, Zheng Jun and Zhou Pu were left alone.
The two brothers-in-law sat in the Fast Shift room, drinking tea and eating dates. Zheng Jun leaned back in his chair, seemingly resting his eyes, but he was actually secretly peering into the Great Tao Martial Book within his mind.
[Practiced the Cloak and Dagger Technique once. Progress +10. Current repayment progress: 2965/5000.]
[Practiced the Cloak and Dagger Technique once. Progress +10. Current repayment progress: 2975/5000.]
[...]
The elegant ink-wash text cascaded down incessantly, flooding the Great Tao Martial Book and dazzling Zheng Jun so much he could barely keep his eyes open. Finally, the exact details settled.
[Cloak and Dagger Technique (Great Success). Current repayment progress: 3920/5000.]
The progress had shot up by nearly a thousand in one breath! He wondered if he just needed to engage in more battles like this to rapidly advance and pay off this "debt" sooner. Secretly delighted, Zheng Jun opened his eyes in a great mood. He casually untied the pouch to glance at the Qingshui Gang's "ransom."
His brother-in-law, Zhou Pu, received five taels of silver, but his own pouch contained ten taels. The heavy silver brought Zheng Jun a sense of joy. After eating meat every day for the past few days, his savings were nearly depleted. Thankfully, this windfall arrived. Otherwise, it wouldn't be long before he had to borrow loan shark money just to scrape by. Faced with these ten taels of silver that solved his urgent need, Zheng Jun was utterly satisfied. He figured that for the next few days, he wouldn't have to worry about meat and could build up some more strength.
"Good lad! I never expected you to have such skill! I really thought we were going to die there!" Zhou Pu suddenly exclaimed, sighing with emotion at Zheng Jun. However, he quickly began to probe Zheng Jun's thoughts. "Junzi, what do you think about the Qingshui Gang trying to rope you in like that?"
"The conditions are very tempting." Zheng Jun nodded. He was indeed deeply moved. How could it not be appealing? It was incredibly appealing! He could choose any of the Three Stance Skills, and he would receive ten taels of silver as a monthly salary. This income was far from ordinary! On top of that, they provided meals every day, complete with meat for all three meals! One had to know that ordinary commoners only ate two meals a day, morning and evening. Although Zheng Jun also ate three meals a day, his lunch was very meager, consisting of nothing but a single meat pie.
"Then you..." Zhou Pu hesitated for a moment, wanting to persuade Zheng Jun. Previously, Zhou Pu hadn't thought much of him, but now he knew just how formidable his brother-in-law was! Others might not know, but he was very clear about it! His brother-in-law had only been practicing the Cloak and Dagger Technique for a little over a month, yet he possessed such means. It could well be called Great Success. With this kind of talent, where couldn't he make a name for himself? Therefore, Zhou Pu opened his mouth, intending to remind Zheng Jun not to let Mr. Mu's few words of praise go to his head and make a rash decision.
"As the saying goes, 'If heaven gives, it must demand.' The Qingshui Gang's salary and guidance aren't given for free," Zheng Jun said solemnly. "With gains come losses. Since they're giving so much, if the Qingshui Gang faces a disaster in the future, I'd have to fill the gap with my life!
"The reason they respect and recruit me this time isn't because my Martial Arts are peerless, but because they have their eyes on my talent. If I rashly join the gang, I will naturally have a stance. There will naturally be countless eyes watching me and countless hands trying to pull me down!"
In the Court, although he was just a constable, he had the Government Office backing him, which meant there was a certain level of order. Even if he got involved in Jianghu conflicts and died, the Court would step forward. If those gangs wanted revenge, they would only beat him up; they wouldn't dare kill him! But if he went to a gang, those Jianghu Gangs naturally had interest disputes, with many enemies coveting the Qingshui Gang's profits. Joining the Qingshui Gang meant naturally gaining a lot of enemies. All the gifts bestowed by fate had already been secretly priced. Moreover, with his cheat by his side, these "benefits" from the Qingshui Gang would only temporarily speed up his progress. Even without the Qingshui Gang, he could still make a name for himself! Every field of blessing was inextricably linked to one's own heart and mind.
In addition to this, there was another reason Zheng Jun didn't plan to join the Qingshui Gang. He didn't like the way that tower-like Blood Refining brute threw the coin pouch. This silver was money for an apology, as well as gold for a ransom. To throw it so contemptuously showed that not everyone in the Qingshui Gang had the big picture in mind and understood propriety like Mr. Mu.
Seeing Zheng Jun speak with such maturity and steadiness, Zhou Pu was momentarily at a loss for words. Originally planning to impart some Jianghu experience and worldly wisdom by example, Zhou Pu immediately swallowed his prepared speech. Squeezing out a smile, he quickly said, "Very good. Just now, I already reported to the Historian. According to the rules, Historian Xu will report this to the Garrison Command Government Office.
"The Garrison Command Government Office should pass down a Pile Skill to you very soon. There's no need to seek out the Qingshui Gang's Pile Skill to practice!"
Zheng Jun understood. He then began to ask Zhou Pu about the situation in Black Mountain County. Although his predecessor was a native of Black Mountain County, he was completely clueless about these "social" matters. He only knew there was a Qingshui Gang and a Jingjiao Association, not even knowing who the bosses of these organizations were. Now that his interests were involved, he naturally had to understand the situation. Hearing Zheng Jun's words, and since they were bored anyway—which also gave him a chance to show off his "Jianghu status"—Zhou Pu told Zheng Jun about a few influential figures. Zheng Jun listened silently, secretly memorizing their names.
Soon, the sun slanted to the west, and the dim, yellow afterglow shone into the Fast Shift room. Chief Sun arrived belatedly. His trademark handlebar mustache carried a hint of festivity, and his plump body jiggled as he pushed the door open and entered. Raising his voice, he shouted, "Zheng San, great news! Great news!
"The Commander of the Garrison Command Government Office heard about your deeds and couldn't help but be amazed. He specifically sent me to bestow a Cultivation Technique upon you. Take it!"
With that, Chief Sun pulled out four or five thin sheets of paper from his chest, printed with the words: Eagle-Hawk Force!
These simple words made Zheng Jun's breathing quicken slightly. Pile Skill! Only by mastering a Pile Skill could one be considered to have entered the true path of martial arts. Seeing Zheng Jun's eyes almost pop out of his head, Chief Sun smilingly handed the Pile Skill over. Then, his tone turned serious. "Zheng Jun, you know the rules. If this is leaked, you will undoubtedly suffer the punishment of three saber strikes! Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, the Garrison Command Government Office will drag you back to face judgment!"
"This humble subordinate understands," Zheng Jun replied, neither servile nor overbearing as he accepted the Pile Skill with both hands.
The moment Zheng Jun took the Eagle-Hawk Force, a line of small gilded text suddenly leaped before his eyes.
[Available to advance Pile Skill: Eagle-Hawk Force.]
[Current progress: Not yet initiated.]
[Do you wish to advance 'Eagle-Hawk Force (Mastery)'? By borrowing the Fruit of the Future, you must practice the stance fifty times to assimilate it as your own.]
[Note: Currently advancing 'Cloak and Dagger Technique (Great Success)'. Before repaying the Fruit of the Future, you may not advance 'Eagle-Hawk Force'.]
[After advancing five times, you may simultaneously advance two Martial Arts.]
Seeing the small, ink-wash gilded text before him, Zheng Jun couldn't help but gasp. He thought, "Holy crap, there's even a credit rating! Only with good credit can I take out more loans!"
Although Zheng Jun felt astonished, he was also brimming with confidence. However, this Pile Skill could only be reserved at the "Mastery" level for now, which proved the importance of the Eagle-Hawk Force! Zheng Jun pondered in his heart, wondering how it would manifest after being advanced. Would it directly push him to Pile Skill Perfection and Blood Refining Great Success, or would it manifest in some other way?
But just as Zheng Jun was deep in thought, he suddenly heard Chief Sun continue, "If you practice it yourself, comprehending it will be extremely difficult. The slightest carelessness could lead to irreparable ruin by damaging your meridians.
"You can go to the Garrison Command Government Office and spend five or six maces of silver a day to have Ti Cavalry Song of the Garrison Command guide you into the basics. In just thirty to fifty sessions, you'll be able to grasp the fundamentals."
At this point, Chief Sun suddenly changed his tone and continued, "If you're tight on silver, you can also ask Zhao Da of the Strong Shift, Bai Ruiyuan of the Black Shift, or... me, to teach you. It only costs two maces of silver a day!"
Chief Sun's eyes were filled with anticipation.