Following the crow of a rooster in the dim pre-dawn light, Zheng Jun was already up and getting ready.
He splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up, then donned his black Official's Uniform. With his notched saber strapped to his waist, he cut a striking figure—bold, imposing, and exuding a youthful, heroic spirit.
Although he had unlocked the 'Sword Technique Foundation' attribute last night, significantly sharpening his skills, the Cloak and Dagger Technique wasn't anything spectacular, even if cultivated to Great Success Perfection. It was fine for beating up common thugs, but if he were to face true Martial Arts experts, he would likely get his teeth kicked in without proper Blood Refining and Body Tempering.
"For my first roll call since coming to this world, I'd better arrive early. I can't let Zhou Pu lose face," he muttered to himself.
Zheng Jun bought two minced-meat flatbreads for breakfast. As he ate on the move, he pondered, "Those Zhao Family brothers are petty and difficult to deal with. Let's see if there is a way I can take them down a notch..."
He hadn't even reached the Government Office yet, but his mind was already churning with plans.
Moments later, he arrived at the County Government Office.
The compound consisted of the front office and the rear residence. Although the front facade was extremely dilapidated from years of neglect, the stone lions flanking the entrance remained fierce and majestic. The main gates were tightly shut, lending an air of solemnity to the place.
While the main gates were closed, a small side door had been pushed open early by two Warriors. Seeing this, Zheng Jun immediately stepped forward. After confirming his identity with the two guards, he entered the Government Office.
Passing through the entrance and stepping into the corridor, he saw numerous Junior Officials bustling about. He immediately began observing his surroundings.
To the left of the corridor lay the county prison, while the right housed the quarters and offices of the Three Squads. Beyond the ceremonial gate at the far end of the corridor lay the main halls, which had nothing to do with a lowly constable like him.
He headed into the Fast Shift office. Squad Leader Sun was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a few constables inside. Relying on the original body's memories, Zheng Jun greeted them one by one. He then casually found a seat and appeared to make small talk, while secretly studying the Great Tao Martial Book in his mind.
"Several of our brothers got beaten up by the Qingshui Gang on patrol yesterday," one constable complained. "Does anyone know what the hell is going on? Have those bastards lost their minds?!"
"You seriously don't know?" another replied. "A few days ago, the Historian ordered us to arrest that Wave-Treading Thief, Lou Wei. Lou Wei is an honored guest of the Qingshui Gang, and many of his disciples are gang members themselves. On top of that, the gang is deeply tied to the County Magistrate. The Historian just wanted to show off in front of the new County Captain, so he ruthlessly went after the County Magistrate's turf!"
"How could the Qingshui Gang not be furious? They're targeting us now just to show the Historian that they aren't to be trifled with."
"Well, our jobs at the Lin Workshop are going to be miserable for the next few days. Let's hope Squad Leader Sun doesn't assign us to patrol that area."
The constables continued their wild gossip, jumping from riots in the Kangle Commandery to a thousand-year-old Jianghu Sect in Yanzhou—the Luanyun Sword Sect—staging a rebellion. They chatted about business on Water Street, the porter trade, and how the new County Captain had an incredibly formidable background. Zheng Jun was perfectly content to sit quietly and listen, his thoughts returning to the attribute he had derived the night before.
"How exactly did I acquire this attribute?" he wondered. "I didn't do anything special. I was simply practicing my Martial Arts, hoping to pay off my debt early. My plan was to use new loans to cover the old ones and become an Unparalleled Celestial Pride. Yet, I unexpectedly manifested an attribute."
Leaning back in his chair, Zheng Jun meticulously combed through every detail of his practice session from the previous day, yet he couldn't pinpoint anything out of the ordinary. The only difference was how deeply immersed he had been, completely losing track of time as day bled into night.
His level of concentration had been leaps and bounds higher than usual. The old Zheng Jun could never have managed that; even when he tried his hardest to focus on a task, his mind would inevitably wander.
"Could it be that my sheer focus allowed me to unlock an attribute from the Cloak and Dagger Technique, simultaneously giving my repayment progress a massive boost?" Zheng Jun thought, stretching his stiff limbs. "If that's the case, I should keep practicing even after my debt is cleared. I'll have to see if I can trigger more attributes. This is definitely a good thing!"
But right as he was analyzing the Great Tao Martial Book, a flurry of chaotic footsteps echoed outside the room. Startled, Zheng Jun immediately stood up.
A moment later, the figure of a Military Officer appeared in the doorway.
The Military Officer was dressed in a dark cyan Official Robe, bearing an embroidered, remarkably lifelike rhinoceros rank badge. Although middle-aged, the man stood tall and straight, with broad shoulders and a trim waist. His steps were steady. Outwardly, he appeared imposing and righteous, but Zheng Jun vaguely sensed a sinister, chilling aura emanating from him.
A Ninth Grade Military Officer.
In Black Mountain County, only a handful of people had the right to wear this specific Official Robe. In Zheng Jun's memories, only one person matched this exact description. The county's Historian.
"Sir!"
The lounging constables hadn't expected the Historian to show up. Caught completely off guard, they scrambled to their feet in a panic to bow, looking rather sheepish. Because Zheng Jun had noticed the commotion early, he was the very first to stand and offer a proper salute.
The hall fell dead silent.
"At ease, at ease."
Despite the chilling aura he gave off, the Historian swept his gaze across the room with a satisfied expression before turning a friendly smile toward Zheng Jun. "Zheng, have your injuries healed?"
Zheng Jun cupped his hands. "Thank you for your concern, Historian. I am fully recovered."
The Historian chuckled softly and nodded in approval. "A few days ago, Zhou Pu came to see me. Only then did I realize that Lou Wei was brazen enough to attack the men of our very own Government Office! But rest assured, I have already reported this to the Garrison Command. They will send men to deal with him, and I promise to get justice for you, Deng, and Old Zhang!"
Deng and Old Zhang were the other two constables injured in that disastrous operation. Unlike Zheng Jun, the two of them had actually fought on the front lines and suffered far more severe injuries. They were granted a full month of medical leave.
Zheng Jun hurriedly expressed his gratitude.
"Since everyone is present, I shall oversee today's roll call myself," the Historian announced.
The Historian's face was plastered with a wide smile. A pale, plump man with a handlebar mustache trailed beside him, panting heavily in his black Official's Uniform. Hearing the Historian's words, the plump man hurriedly pulled out a ledger. "Sir, here is the roster."
The Historian took the ledger and began calling out names.
"Shi Hongchang!"
"Zhou Bo!"
"Zheng Jun!"
The Fast Shift was a small group. Aside from the constables on night duty, everyone else was present.
Once roll call concluded, the Historian surveyed the room again before snapping the ledger shut. "Today is the middle of the month, which means it is time for our shift rotation. Zheng is new here and still isn't fully accustomed to the patrol routines."
He paused, seemingly deep in thought, before continuing. "Old Zhou, you will have to shoulder a bit more weight. You and Liu will be in charge of the Lin Workshop for the upcoming month. While you're at it, take Zheng Jun along so he can familiarize himself with the patrol duties of a Black Official.
"Night sentry duty will remain on rotation for now. As for the Shan Workshop district, Zhao Er and Old Shi will take the patrols..."
The Historian proceeded to lay out the duty roster for the rest of the month.
Among the constables, a rather honest-looking middle-aged man grimaced the moment he heard the words 'Lin Workshop.' He clearly dreaded being assigned to that district.
Thanks to the idle gossip from earlier, Zheng Jun knew full well that the Lin Workshop district had been anything but peaceful lately. Sifting through his memories, he recalled no past grudges between himself and the Historian. It was unlikely that this assignment was a deliberate attack against him. It was just spectacularly bad luck.
It was frustrating, certainly, but it was part of his duties. He had no choice but to accept it.
After finalizing the affairs of the Fast Shift, the Historian headed off to the Black Shift and Strong Shift quarters. Only when he was completely out of sight did the plump man let out a long sigh of relief. "Alright," he said. "The Historian has handed out your assignments. Get to work."
This plump man was none other than the Squad Leader of the Fast Shift, Sun Wang. Zhou Pu stood right behind Squad Leader Sun Wang. He looked slightly lethargic. He had been on the night shift yesterday and hadn't slept a wink, so his exhaustion was entirely understandable.
Zheng Jun was just about to greet him when he suddenly felt a malicious gaze piercing his back.
Turning toward the source, he spotted a scrawny, gaunt man standing on the other side of Squad Leader Sun. The man had drooping eyelids and slender, triangular eyes that bore into Zheng Jun with unbridled hostility. It was Zhao Er.
Zheng Jun completely ignored the hostile glare. He turned back to Zhou Pu, about to speak, but saw the older man shoot him a warning glance.
Zheng Jun understood the silent message instantly and turned to leave the room.
But just as he was about to step through the door, Zhao Er intentionally lunged forward, slamming hard into his shoulder!