Chapter Ten: Genghis Spring

Manager Qian’s credibility was beyond question; by the afternoon of the next day, four hundred in cash had already been transferred into Zhang He’s account. After various deductions, he received three hundred and eighty-eight. The amount wasn’t substantial, but it sufficed. That evening, after work, Zhang He went straight to Old Bao’s place to settle two months’ rent, devoured two packs of instant noodles, and was once again forced to go online.

Most people found going to work more unbearable than attending a funeral, but for Zhang He, logging in was an even heavier ordeal than going to work—at least you got paid for showing up at the office. Whether or not he would earn anything after logging in was anyone’s guess.

Duck Neck was still selling his signature Green Hat Biscuits. When he saw Zhang He, he was shocked—Zhang He hadn’t set up his usual street stall today but was instead wandering the various booths like a buyer.

“How long has it been? Made a fortune in just a day?” Duck Neck mused, full of curiosity.

In truth, Zhang He had indeed come into a small windfall. At the moment, he had three taels of silver and five hundred copper coins in his pocket. In Yuhua Village, this made him a veritable tycoon—he could eat two-tael beef noodles at five copper a bowl for half a year without worry.

Duck Neck noticed Zhang He buying up a lot of materials on East Street. Had he been more attentive, he would have realized Zhang He was only collecting basic ingredients for alchemy. Once Zhang He finished his shopping, he went straight to the herbalist’s shop to tinker about—no need to guess, he was definitely going to refine medicine.

Zhang He’s alchemy skill was still at the basic level. To advance to the next stage—Advanced—he needed to refine five types of medicine: Garlic Crush, Ginger Sovereign, Bean Play, High Sugar, and Apple Something, each representing a major class.

Actually, the life skills available to combat class players weren’t identical; they depended on your starting point, namely, the first potion you ever brewed. The harder the first, the more challenging the advancement system would be, but the effects would also be greatly enhanced—only then would you cultivate a truly useful and reliable skill.

Otherwise, you might end up pouring endless effort and resources into perfecting a top-tier skill, only to discover the final result is “can produce medium healing potions”—enough to make anyone cough blood.

Yesterday’s gains were not insignificant; he’d leveled up from twelve to eighteen and picked up an extraordinary pair of boots. He distributed thirty attribute points among Constitution, Endurance, Strength, Agility, and Courage.

The boots were quite decent, too:

Linen Boots (Extraordinary)
Requirement: Level 15
Defense: 5 + 2
Bonus: Agility +3

Zhang He’s current stats were:

Level: 18
School: None
Title: None

Constitution: 80
Endurance: 30
Strength: 10
Internal Skill: 5
Agility: 13
Mind: 0
Courage: 10
Luck: 0
Defense: 12
Chivalry: 0
Evil: 0

Now, at least, Zhang He wouldn’t die from a single hit. Notably, his build was the very definition of a “blacksmith”—no internal skill, no mind technique, relying solely on physical attacks with his weapon for lethal effect. You guessed it: the classic Hack-and-Slash style—brutal, straightforward, and usually the quickest to die.

Of course, his only weapon was uniquely ugly:

Divine Stick (Common)
Requirement: Level 5
Attack: 5

In Duck Neck’s eyes, Zhang He, nearly half-naked, wore a pair of boots and beginner’s cloth armor, wielding a thick, crude wooden club, and charged out of Yuhua Village with murderous intent—looking for all the world like a bailiff heading out to apprehend criminals.

In reality, Zhang He simply felt it was time to train and level up, as well as practice his Basic Weapon Skills. Level 20 was a critical threshold for players; it marked the end of the novice era and the beginning of the unpredictable world of the Wulin.

Now, with his attributes and gear, mice and wild chickens posed no threat. But as soon as he climbed the waterfall at Qingluan Peak, Zhang He spotted someone sitting by the river—a man in red-and-black constable’s garb, a long staff at his waist, wearing the official Feiyun Boots, and a badge on his chest identifying him as a Silver Constable.

The constable was a unique profession in “Dynasty,” affiliated with the Six Gates of the imperial court. Players could choose to become constables. The advantage was a government salary, official martial arts, and access to items; the downside was that you could forget about becoming Wulin Alliance Leader, Demon Cult Chief, or inheriting legendary martial arts.

Constable ranks were: Runner, Iron Badge, Bronze Badge, Silver Badge, Gold Badge, Imperial Detective, Royal Appointed Detective, Four Great Detectives of the Capital, Chief of Six Gates.

Rank determined the scope of a constable’s abilities. To enter the Six Gates, you needed a clean record, at least fifty Chivalry points, and first-tier level.

Normally, Yuhua Village only had two or three runners patrolling. Constables only appeared in towns. For a Silver Constable to be here in the remote Qingluan Peak meant he was on duty outside of Yizhou’s jurisdiction—there was likely a notorious red-named criminal in the vicinity, prompting the pursuit.

Before Zhang He could speak, the Silver Constable leapt up. “Hold on, young man! I have questions. Come over here!”

“Sir, what can I do for you?” Zhang He cupped his fist respectfully—one must always be polite to officials.

The Silver Constable quickly unrolled a painting. “Have you seen this man? Yesterday, he killed thirteen novice players near Huima Town. The victims lodged a joint protest and complaint. The Huima Town yamen has issued a hefty bounty for his capture.”

Zhang He could barely contain his amusement. So that’s who it was—the very swordsman he’d tricked to his death last night. What luck; now he’d been targeted by a Silver Constable.

Zhang He took a quiet breath. “I saw him—yesterday at noon, right here on Qingluan Peak.”

“Oh?” The constable’s eyes gleamed. “Tell me everything. The government rewards generously.”

Zhang He recounted what happened, carefully omitting the part where he lured the man to his death with that fatal pig call. The Silver Constable slapped his thigh in excitement. “Just as I thought! He must have been killed by a brutal boss, then came back to vent his anger on novices, escaping the local runners’ pursuit. The motive and evidence are clear. This time, I will see him brought to trial for justice!”

Zhang He stared, wide-eyed. With your Silver rank—at least fourth tier—capturing a red-named, two-tier criminal like Swordsman Wuyu should be no problem, but do you have to be this worked up? Is the bounty from Huima Town really that high?

In fact, many of the government’s wanted notices were issued by players. For example, if you were a wealthy novice who kept getting killed by some red-named player, you could file a complaint with the local authorities. If the AI determined it was malicious, you’d pay a fee, and the government would post a bounty.

To put it nicely, it was the AI’s way of protecting new players. Less charitably, it was just another way for the game company to make money.

Clearly, attracting a Silver Constable to pursue someone all the way here meant at least a few of those thirteen victims were well-off.

“Sir!” Zhang He adopted an ancient-style tone. “I know where the man is hiding.”

“Oh?” The Silver Constable was overjoyed. “Take me to him and you’ll be well rewarded.”

Zhang He hesitated. “I do know, but I don’t dare venture deep into Qingluan Peak alone.”

“No problem!” The Silver Constable immediately sent a party invitation. “You lead the way; I’ll keep you safe.”

Just as Zhang He hoped, the constable fell for his ploy.

In “Dynasty,” constable parties had unique features: outlaws with high evil points couldn’t team up with constables, righteous heroes got a big experience boost when teaming up, and novices gained extra experience and sometimes a reward from the government. A constable had to protect the novice at all costs; if the novice died during the mission, the constable’s Chivalry points would drop sharply—demotion to Runner was not fun.

This Silver Constable was not only forthright in temperament but also in name—Chengjisichun!

“Sir…” Zhang He began, only for Chengjisichun to interrupt impatiently, “Drop the formalities! If you can party with me, you’re no criminal. We’re brothers!”

Zhang He stammered, “A-alright, Brother Chun…”

Chengjisichun: “I—”

In reality, Zhang He had no idea where Swordsman Wuyu was. But seeing Chengjisichun had chased him up the mountain, he guessed the man had been driven to Qingluan Peak. With Brother Chun as his bodyguard, let’s see what monsters and demons dare cause trouble.

“Enough talking, let’s go!” Chengjisichun was eager. Zhang He didn’t dawdle, leading the way toward Pig King Creek. He had no other motive—on the way, Brother Chun would slay monsters, and Zhang He would rake in experience.

That was how business should be done!

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