Chapter 5: Taiyi Sect

Duan Rong was thinking: The spirit tools of the discarded blades on the weapon rack were either Second Tier or Third Tier, yet the spirit tool of that fine blade Zhao Mu used was not even ranked.

In other words, the rank of a spirit tool actually has no direct relationship with the quality of the artifact itself.

"Then what is it that determines the rank of a spirit tool?"

Duan Rong's brows were tightly locked as he pondered bitterly.

He suddenly realized that the discarded blades on the weapon rack all had two or three devouring effects, and they were all different types of saber techniques.

Duan Rong's eyes suddenly lit up; he realized that those discarded blades had likely been used by more than one person, and different people naturally practiced different saber techniques.

As for that blade of Zhao Mu's, only he had ever used it, and it only had one devouring effect: the Entry Level Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber Technique.

"That is to say, the devouring effect of a spirit tool is related to the artifact's history; the more experience it has, the more devouring effects the spirit tool will have."

"I'm afraid it's also related to one other thing..." Duan Rong's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he muttered to himself: "It is time."

In principle, all martial arts can permeate into a spirit tool, but I fear the more powerful the martial art, the longer it takes to permeate into the spirit tool.

Duan Rong had this hypothesis because, within the spirit tool of the Ox-Tail Saber he devoured from Zhao Mu, there was the entire imprint of Zhao Mu's growth in practicing martial arts; although he digested it in one night, he could still feel that unique power belonging to time.

However, these were merely Duan Rong's speculations. Duan Rong planned to find an opportunity to verify these thoughts of his after the assessment, but for now, the most urgent matter before him was to pass the assessment and become an Apprentice.

Just as Duan Rong was lost in deep thought, someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder and shook him forcefully.

Duan Rong almost subconsciously planted his feet in a horse stance and flipped his right hand, wanting to twist away from that hand, but when he looked up and saw a familiar, smiling face, his movements immediately slackened.

Yang Zhen was Duan Rong's childhood friend who worked as a Constable at the County Government Office; he was tall and sturdy, quite burly, and his complexion was fair, unlike Duan Rong, who was dark-skinned.

"Potato, how is it? You've recovered, right? You look quite ruddy to me!" Yang Zhen laughed.

Potato was Duan Rong's childhood nickname; because he was short and dark, he had been given such a nickname.

When they were children, Yang Zhen was even darker than Duan Rong and also fat, but somehow he had grown up to be fairer; his nickname back then was Black Pig.

Duan Rong felt the nickname Black Pig was too unpleasant, so he didn't say it out loud and said: "I'm much better. Thank you for taking care of me these past few days."

The original owner had fallen ill with a high fever a few days ago that wouldn't break, and Yang Zhen had been the one taking care of him, fetching medicine and decocting it; although the original owner had passed away in the end, because of this, Duan Rong was still very grateful to this childhood friend.

Yang Zhen punched Duan Rong on the shoulder and laughed: "Since when did you become so polite? You haven't been burned silly by the fever, have you?"

Duan Rong's heart skipped a beat; his way of acting was indeed vastly different from the original owner's.

It seemed he had to be careful in this regard to avoid giving himself away, but fortunately, the original owner's relatives and friends rarely interacted with him, and the only person he was close to was the Yang Zhen before him.

Duan Rong smiled awkwardly and said nothing.

Seeing Duan Rong reveal the shy, silent appearance he was always familiar with, Yang Zhen laughed, put his arm around Duan Rong's shoulder, and said: "Let's go, meeting by chance is better than a planned invitation! I'll treat you to a good meal."

As Yang Zhen spoke, he pushed Duan Rong toward the tavern at the corner of the street without allowing any refusal.

Yang Zhen ordered several hearty dishes and a large jar of rice wine, then began to eat and drink with Duan Rong.

The reason Yang Zhen was close to Duan Rong was that both were orphans who had lost their parents, but Yang Zhen was ultimately different from Duan Rong.

Yang Zhen's second uncle was an accountant at a Raw Medicine Shop.

When martial artists practice martial arts, they need not only dietary supplements but, more importantly, medicinal supplements.

The medicine that ordinary people buy when they are sick is usually common medicinal herbs, and the price is already quite high.

But the medicinal herbs that martial artists use to supplement their training are usually rare and expensive; a single dose is enough to cover a common family's expenses for a year.

The magnitude of the profit in this is easy to imagine.

Therefore, a business like a Raw Medicine Shop is not something just anyone can run; without some connections or methods, how could one swallow such a profit?

To be an accountant at a Raw Medicine Shop, besides being clear with accounts and quick with calculations, one must also be deeply trusted by the Manager.

Yang Zhen's second uncle was able to be an accountant at a Raw Medicine Shop, so he naturally had some ability; otherwise, how could he have gotten Yang Zhen into the Ya Men to be a Constable?

It has been said well since ancient times: it is easy to cultivate within the officialdom.

Although they were childhood friends, Yang Zhen's future was countless times better than the original owner's.

Yang Zhen tore a chicken leg off the roasted chicken, handed it to Duan Rong, picked up one for himself, and began to eat it with the rice wine.

"Do you know Xu Ruhu?" Yang Zhen asked casually, his mouth full of chicken, somewhat indistinctly.

"What? Xu who?"

"Xu Ruhu." Yang Zhen swallowed the food and said it again clearly.

"Don't know him." Duan Rong shook his head, buried his head in his food, and said: "Never heard of him."

Yang Zhen rolled his eyes at Duan Rong. "Xu Ruhu is a traitor to the Taiyi Sect; it is said that he was an Outer Sect Disciple of the Taiyi Sect back then, but because he raped a fellow sect member, he is wanted throughout the entire territory by the Taiyi Sect."

"Raped a fellow sect member? Is he that wild?" Duan Rong looked up from a pile of wine and meat.

"This fellow has been wanted by the Taiyi Sect for many years, committing crimes while on the run across the four prefectures and eighteen counties in the southeast of Qingzhou."

Duan Rong blinked.

The Taiyi Sect was one of the eight great Sects of the Jiuzhou Continent, dominating Qingzhou and serving as the master of Qingzhou.

This person named Xu Ruhu had been on the run in Qingzhou, wanted for many years, and still hadn't been brought to justice; it seemed he had some ability.

One must know that within Qingzhou, there were eyes and ears of the Taiyi Sect everywhere.

When Duan Rong first soul-transmigrated, he was still somewhat astonished by the social organizational structure of this world, but after slowly digesting it over these few days, he had basically accepted it.

This Jiuzhou Continent was actually ruled by Sects.

The Taiyi Sect governed the entire territory of Qingzhou. The magistrate of this Xiangu County was an Outer Sect Disciple of the Taiyi Sect.

When Duan Rong first soul-transmigrated here, he felt it was somewhat absurd, but over these few days, he had slowly begun to get a feel for it.

Jiuzhou values martial arts, and the inheritance of martial arts Secret Manuals is in the hands of the Sects.

Whoever can control the inheritance of martial arts Secret Manuals can control the top-tier Martial Artists.

Whoever can control the top-tier Martial Artists has the qualifications to rule.

This is actually the same principle as political power growing out of the barrel of a gun.

"This fellow was recently caught by our Head Constable Jie." Yang Zhen suddenly lowered his voice and said cautiously: "He was seriously injured and was hiding in a Gou Lan Yuan to recover. I don't know what went wrong, but he ran straight into Head Constable Jie, who was drinking in the courtyard."

"The wanted poster for this fellow is sent to the Ya Men every year. Our Head Constable Jie has been working for so many years; he still has a sharp eye."

"He recognized him immediately. The two of them started fighting right then and there. Xu Ruhu was already severely wounded, but even so, when Head Constable Xie captured him, he took two palms from Xu Ruhu. For these past few days, he has been at home coughing up blood every day."

"This guy is that fierce?"

Xie Daohan is a figure of some standing in Xiangu County. Moreover, it is said that he came from a poor background; being able to become a Head Constable in the County Government Office is proof enough of his talent for the Martial Path and his ability to handle affairs.

That Xu Ruhu could still make Xie Daohan cough up blood while severely wounded shows just how fierce this person is.

"This guy is currently locked in the Dungeon, with heavy chains piercing his shoulder blades. Head Constable Xie is severely wounded, so he assigned Xie Lei and me to guard the Dungeon," Yang Zhen said, triumphantly pouring himself a bowl of rice wine and downing half of it in one breath.

Duan Rong smiled faintly; after going such a long way around, it turned out he was waiting here.

This was just wanting to show off that he was valued by Head Constable Xie, having such an important task entrusted to him and Xie Lei.

One must know that Xie Lei is Head Constable Xie's own nephew, and Yang Zhen has only been a Constable in the County Government Office for a little over half a year, yet he is participating in such an important task; this already carries a hint of being a trusted aide.

"If you don't execute this guy immediately, why keep him in the Dungeon?" Duan Rong deliberately changed the subject.

Seeing that Duan Rong did not flatter him, Yang Zhen was immediately displeased, pulled a long face, and said, "The County Government Office has already sent an urgent dispatch to the Sect. The Sect replied that they will send someone to the county to take this villain away! To be taken back to the Sect for execution!"

(End of this chapter)