Still reeling from the shock, Zheng Jun's mind suddenly underwent an earth-shattering transformation. The ink-wash characters shifted according to his will. Once the ink faded, he focused his gaze and saw a thick, ancient book appear before him.
Its name was the Great Tao Martial Book!
The essence of all Martial Arts in the world was recorded within its pages. Between them, air currents churned as if the formless, true voice of the Great Tao were echoing within.
However, despite supposedly containing the essence of all Martial Arts, only a single page bore ink-wash writing. It was the very "Cloak and Dagger Technique" that Zheng Jun had just seen.
[Available Martial Arts for Advance: Cloak and Dagger Technique (Great Success).]
[Do you wish to advance the Great Success "Cloak and Dagger Technique"? By borrowing the Fruit of the Future, you must swing your saber five thousand times to fully integrate it into your body!]
"It's actually a loan-based cheat!" Zheng Jun thought. "What does this mean? Why did I get a cheat like this? Could it be because I forgot to pay off my credit card, so Boss Ma chased me all the way here?"
Such absurd notions couldn't help but surface in his mind. However, he quickly dismissed these bizarre ideas, leaving only one question in his heart.
"Should I take the loan?"
The moment this thought appeared in his mind, there was no other choice.
"Advance it!" he declared inwardly. "Since Heaven has willed it and brought me to this Yanfu World, how could I be content with remaining an ordinary mortal? I'll take the loan!"
Accompanied by Zheng Jun's inner shout, the Great Tao Martial Book suddenly radiated a brilliant light. The ink-wash characters leaped directly off the golden pages. Immediately after, a surge of heat rose from the soles of his feet, gradually flowing into his limbs and bones.
Like a spinning lantern, the essence of the Saber Technique flashed sequentially through his mind. It embedded itself completely into his brain, transforming into muscle memory. The feeling left him with an insatiable craving for more.
[Advance complete. Current repayment progress: 0/5000.]
[Only after fully repaying the "Cloak and Dagger Technique (Great Success)" can the Great Tao Martial Book unlock the next Fruit of the Future.]
"I'm overthinking it. I don't have any other Martial Arts anyway," he thought.
Taking a deep breath, Zheng Jun slowly stood up from the earthen bed. The back of his head still throbbed with a faint pain, but right now, all he wanted was to see the true power of the Great Success Cloak and Dagger Technique.
His gaze sharpened as he instinctively reached to draw his—wait, where was his saber?
"Oh, I don't have a saber," he realized.
Zheng Jun felt a wave of resignation.
The County Government Office consisted of the Three Squads and Six Departments. Zheng Jun belonged to the Fast Shift, which possessed a total of over thirty sabers. Aside from official duties, ordinary constables were naturally not allowed to bring their weapons home.
However, Black Mountain County was situated far from the Emperor's reach, so the government's policies couldn't be strictly enforced. Many veteran constables still carried their sabers on their days off. Some even found the office-issued weapons too old and blunt, choosing to spend their own silver on fine sabers for emergencies.
But Zheng Jun was only a newly recruited constable. It wasn't his turn to be issued a saber from the County Government Office yet, and with pockets emptier than his face was clean, he certainly had no silver to buy one. Thinking of this, he felt utterly speechless.
"My Saber Technique has reached Great Success, but what good is it without a saber?"
Heaving a deep sigh, Zheng Jun felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, accompanied by a faint rumble in his stomach.
"I should eat first."
With that in mind, he stood up. Relying on his memories to navigate the house, he planned to cook a bowl of coarse grain porridge to fill his stomach. Before he could begin, however, a flurry of footsteps echoed from outside.
A figure rushed toward the thatched cottage, pushed the door open with familiar ease, and threw herself in front of Zheng Jun. Her eyes were red. "Jun, how are you feeling? Does it still hurt? Zhou Pu just told me you got hurt while you were out. Thank the Taoist Monarch you're alright. If something had happened to you, how would I ever explain it to our parents?"
Tears welled up and spilled over as she continued to choke out her complaints. "I told him to spend a little silver to get you into the Strong Shift! But Zhou Pu insisted, saying, 'The Fast Shift gets more work, pays a higher monthly salary, and makes it easier to be noticed by noblemen. The Strong Shift just sits in the guardhouse watching the prison all day, reeking of corpses, which is bad luck.' Now look what happened! It was your very first time out, and you nearly got yourself killed... SOB..."
This was his eldest sister, Zheng Ping, who was a full seven years older than him. Zheng Jun also had a brother named Zheng Xing, who was three years his senior. A few years ago, Zheng Xing had followed some hunters into the mountains, claiming he would gather herbs to earn silver, but he never returned. People said he encountered a Demon Fiend that had gained sentience in the mountains. He was swallowed whole.
Hearing his sister's choked sobs, a sense of warmth filled Zheng Jun's heart at being cared for. He let out a dry laugh and feigned a relaxed tone. "Ah, Ping, it's no big deal. That petty thief only managed to ambush me because I let my guard down. It's barely even a scratch.
"Maybe it's even a blessing in disguise. If I get a reward from the County Magistrate, I can use the silver to treat you and Zhou Pu to a nice meal."
"Better to save it up for your future wife," Zheng Ping said, wiping away her tears. "Jun, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Zhou Pu prepared some food and wine at home. Let's eat together to help you get over the shock!"
"Well..."
Zheng Jun originally intended to decline. After all, his top priority right now was to practice his Great Success Saber Technique.
But Zheng Ping cut him off. "You're not allowed to say no! Zhou Pu feels terribly guilty. If the person you ran into today was that... Lou-something master thief, you might have lost your life! Zhou Pu was terrified when he came back. He specifically bought roast chicken and wine to apologize to you."
"Zhou Pu is being far too polite," Zheng Jun said, shaking his head.
Suddenly, he remembered that Zhou Pu seemed to have a saber issued by the County Government Office. His mind immediately sprang into action. "But as the saying goes, 'One must not refuse a gift from an elder.' So I'll gladly impose on you and Zhou Pu."
Zheng Ping eyed her younger brother suspiciously, clicking her tongue in wonder. "How did you suddenly start speaking like a scholar after taking a punch from that thief?"
Hearing this, Zheng Jun cleared his throat softly. "While on duty at South Street yesterday, I happened to hear a teacher at the private school say it. I thought it sounded interesting, so I memorized it."
Zheng Ping didn't doubt his explanation, but she let out another heavy sigh. "Alas, if I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have asked Zhou Pu to pull strings and get you into the guardhouse. You were such a promising student, a future Scholar! And I ruined it all!"
With that, tears threatened to spill from her eyes once more.
Seeing that she was about to cry again, Zheng Jun's head began to ache. "Ping, let's hurry up and go. We shouldn't keep Zhou Pu waiting."
His sister and brother-in-law lived just on the front street, a mere hundred paces away. It naturally wasn't far. Hearing his words, Zheng Ping wiped her tears and pulled him along as they headed out.
At his brother-in-law's home, there was much more warmth and liveliness than in Zheng Jun's own house. Candlelight illuminated the entire room, casting long, stretched shadows against the earthen walls.
A small wooden table sat atop the earthen bed. Several dishes were laid out on it, mostly common wild vegetables hardly worth mentioning. However, the plate of roast chicken in the center, despite its rough and simple preparation, was absolutely mouth-watering.
Seeing Zheng Jun arrive, Zhou Pu immediately stood up. After looking him over and noticing that the bleeding on the back of his head had stopped, Zhou Pu's face broke into a broad smile. "Come, come! Let's drink!"
With that, he moved to pour Zheng Jun a bowl of unfiltered wine.
In response, Zheng Jun directly stated his purpose. "Zhou Pu, it won't be too late to drink a bit later. I just had an epiphany and want to test out the Cloak and Dagger that the Historian passed down. Could I borrow your saber for a moment to practice?"
"An epiphany? What kind of epiphany could you possibly have from that bullshit Cloak and Dagger?"
Zhou Pu looked at Zheng Jun in immediate surprise. Then, as if realizing something, he lowered his voice and leaned in close. "Jun, what do you really need the saber for? Don't try to bluff me with this 'epiphany' nonsense. Are you planning to go chop down the Zhao Da and Zhao Er brothers?
"Absolutely not! I can lend you the saber to play around with, but it cannot leave this courtyard!"