Zheng Jun could clearly make out the two lines of small ink-wash text. The first line only added a dozen or so progress points, which he gained from hacking down Zhao Er and Qin Hang. The latter line added nearly six hundred points, obtained from slaying Zhao Da. This disparity actually surprised Zheng Jun quite a bit.
When killing Zhao Er and Qin Hang, his methods had been clean and efficient. Using overwhelming force, he swung the Wide-Backed Saber with the momentum of a thunderbolt, taking them down with a single strike each. He only used three saber strikes in total to kill the two men, and the first strike was only slightly off because he attacked immediately after crashing through the door.
In contrast, killing Zhao Da had not been nearly as neat. Because his opponent was a Martial Artist in the Blood Refining and Body Tempering realm with sturdy bones, Zheng Jun's first strike had gotten stuck in Zhao Da's ribs. Unable to pull it out, he was forced to abandon the saber, throw several punches, and ultimately finish the job with a broken blade. Although he later used the Wave-Treading Saber to hack at the corpse over thirty times like mincing meat to destroy the evidence, that had just been wild chopping.
He never expected the difference in progress growth to be as vast as heaven and earth!
This was somewhat unexpected. Looking at the description, it seemed that his fight with Zhao Da counted as a life-and-death struggle where his life hung by a thread. Did that result in an extra bonus? If so, it made perfect sense. After all, no matter how proficient one was during practice, becoming nervous in a real situation would cause them to lose ninety percent of their skill, preventing them from displaying their true level.
This kind of situation could be described as "choking under pressure."
In Zheng Jun's memory, quite a few athletes experienced this. They could handle domestic competitions with ease, but upon reaching the world stage, they would become so nervous that their performance plummeted below even second- or third-tier domestic athletes.
With this in mind, Zheng Jun completely understood how the progress advanced. The Great Tao Martial Book was not just for practicing peaceful saber routines. After all, it had already "loaned" him a certain level of Martial Arts in advance. When he practiced, his movements naturally generated wind, entirely unlike a beginner. Therefore, real-time reactions and accumulating practical experience were naturally far more effective.
"However, it was still far too dangerous," he thought. "Striking while Zhao Da was relaxed nearly backfired. If he hadn't been asleep, it would have been a fierce struggle. Even if I managed to kill him in the end, I would have likely sustained injuries. More importantly... the surrounding neighbors would have reacted quickly to the commotion. I might have been discovered by the night watchmen or constables on patrol."
It had been a bit rash and risky, but fortunately, it was all worth it!
How could a real man born into this world stay depressed and subservient to others for long?! If he didn't have the ability to kill those who humiliated and plotted to murder him, temporarily enduring it would have been one thing. But since he had both the ability and the opportunity, he would take action!
Thinking of this, Zheng Jun exhaled the foul air from his chest. Upon arriving home, he saw his sister and Zhou Pu waiting for him in front of the house.
His sister, Zheng Ping, was so frightened that her face was deathly pale. Seeing Zheng Jun return, she immediately stepped forward out of concern. "This constable job is too dangerous! Thankfully that River Robber is dead. Jun, you aren't hurt, are you?"
"It's not a problem." Zheng Jun smiled lightly. "I'm completely unharmed. That guy's skills were nowhere near mine."
Zheng Jun's house was about forty or fifty meters away from Zhou Pu's home, and his fight with Liang Fan last night hadn't been particularly intense. At most, there had only been a faint scream. After all, Zheng Jun had struck very quickly.
However, this morning at 5:00 AM, when Zhou Pu came over by custom to wake Zheng Jun for roll call, he saw Liang Fan's corpse covered by a layer of thatch in the courtyard. He was immediately frightened out of his wits. Once he confirmed the dead man wasn't Zheng Jun, he fell into a deep dilemma.
After all, he didn't know who the dead man was. He feared that Zheng Jun had committed murder, and if he reported it to the officials, Zheng Jun would be ruined. Just as Zhou Pu was agonizing over how to dig a hole and dispose of the body, he saw a group of his fellow constables approach. They told him that Zheng Jun had slain a River Robber and that they had specifically come to collect the body.
Zhou Pu looked at Zheng Jun with a complex expression and sighed. "To think you even killed Liang Fan. Jun, your strength is truly terrifying."
He never dreamed that Zheng Jun's Martial Arts talent would be so exceptional! A manual of the Cloak and Dagger Technique, the most common of common goods, had been practiced by Zheng Jun until his foundation was solid and his Saber Technique proficient. Fighting one against ten in the Lin Workshop was not a problem for him. Then, a manual of the Eagle-Hawk Force took him only ten days to master the basics, even allowing him to slay the long-famous thief Liang Fan.
This put a lot of pressure on Zhou Pu.
After comforting Ping, Zheng Jun turned to Zhou Pu and said, "Zhou Pu, I was just singled out by Ti Cavalry Song of the Garrison Command Government Office to take over Zhao Da's position as the Squad Leader of the Strong Shift.
"You've worked as a constable at the County Government Office for over a decade. You're much more familiar with the situation of the Three Squads and Six Departments than I am. Do you want to come over to the Strong Shift to help me? I can't handle all the duties of the Strong Shift by myself."
Although the Strong Shift was lucrative, the workload was indeed heavy. Leaving aside other matters, just guarding the storehouses and the main prison required a lot of manpower. They needed day and night shifts to monitor all activities closely. Zheng Jun genuinely found it somewhat troublesome and urgently needed a helper. And it would be perfect if this helper was family.
Therefore, Zheng Jun immediately thought of Zhou Pu. If Zheng Jun devoted all his time to these trivial matters, how would he have any time left to practice Martial Arts? In this Great Zhou Court, Martial Arts was the true stepping stone to advancement!
Moreover, Black Mountain County bordered Black Mountain, which housed genuine Great Demons. The Court launched an extermination campaign every ten years, yet they still couldn't wipe them out completely. If he remained stuck at the Blood Refining and Body Tempering realm forever, he might suffer a sudden disaster one day and be eaten by a Great Demon from the mountain.
"Family must naturally help family, but this requires the approval of Squad Leader Sun and Historian Xu," Zhou Pu immediately agreed without any objections. "Otherwise, I couldn't just go and become one of the White Servants, could I?"
"Don't worry, Zhou Pu. Just leave this matter to me. I'll bring it up with the Historian and Squad Leader Sun tomorrow," Zheng Jun smiled lightly. "I was delayed for too long last night and feel a bit tired... I'll go back and sleep first. If there's anything else, we can talk after I wake up."
"Alright, get some good rest." Zhou Pu nodded. He then pulled Ping, who had barely spoken a few words, to head back to their home so they wouldn't disturb Zheng Jun's rest.
After Zhou Pu left, Zheng Jun returned to his house and closed the courtyard gate. The bloodstains in the yard had already been completely cleaned up. Liang Fan's corpse had been carried away, but that Wide-Backed Saber had been left behind. After all, it was a spoil of war. Although it was a murder weapon, since they were all on the same side, turning a blind eye and leaving it for Zheng Jun was no big deal.
Looking at the Wide-Backed Saber, Zheng Jun began to think about another matter.
"How should I practice the Wave-Treading Saber? By using the Wide-Backed Saber every day?" he wondered.
This was a troublesome issue!
The weapon problem was solved, but the issue lay with the Saber Technique. If someone saw him practicing the Wave-Treading Saber with the Wide-Backed Saber, it would be hard for them not to link him to Zhao Da and Zhao Er. Furthermore, carrying a Wide-Backed Saber around was truly quite conspicuous. However, if he didn't practice, he wouldn't be able to pay off his debt. Relying on his own proficiency—which was so low he couldn't even understand a Secret Manual—making progress in his Martial Arts would be incredibly difficult.
However...
Suddenly, Zheng Jun realized something. He drew his blade, a snow-white arc of light flashing from the scabbard!
This time, Zheng Jun held the blade with both hands, adopting a starting posture entirely different from the Cloak and Dagger Technique. The Wide-Backed Saber was a saber. The Ceremonial Saber was also a saber. Although the two were worlds apart, they were both sabers. The moves were nothing more than sweep, chop, deflect, shave, glide, nai, slash, and thrust. Since that was the case, why couldn't he use the Ceremonial Saber to practice the Wave-Treading Saber?
At this thought, Zheng Jun immediately integrated his footwork and began to practice.
In an instant, his steps moved like a dragon and a tiger. He moved like a wandering dragon soaring over the sea, and a fierce tiger treading through a mountain stream. Every time, he perfectly halted his posture and stopped his forward momentum. Meanwhile, the Ceremonial Saber in his hand slashed out, treading the waves and breaking the wind!
Zheng Jun executed the Wave-Treading Saber using the method of the Ceremonial Saber. Although the force exertion of some moves felt very awkward, there were still a portion of moves that meshed perfectly with the slashes of the Ceremonial Saber.
As he chopped and slashed, he subconsciously triggered the Breathing Technique of the Eagle-Hawk Force, causing it to circulate intermittently. Unleashing the moves of the Wave-Treading Saber one by one, Zheng Jun completely immersed himself in the sensation of the Saber Technique, forgetting all mundane matters. It wasn't until he had practiced the entire routine of moves that he snapped out of this immersive state, feeling a slight soreness in his muscles.
It turned out that while executing the Saber Technique, he had also briefly inhaled and circulated the Heaven and Earth True Qi. The Breathing Technique of the Eagle-Hawk Force, when paired with the Pile Skill of the Eagle-Hawk Force, could maximize its effects. However, doing the breathing exercises during his free time could also refine his blood, even if the effects were not as pronounced.
"PHEW," Zheng Jun exhaled a breath. Suddenly, his vision blurred, and a streak of small ink-wash text appeared before his eyes.
[Practiced the Wave-Treading Saber. Repayment progress +12. Current repayment progress: 610/3000.]
"Just as I thought." Zheng Jun was overjoyed. "My saber is saved!"