As the sky gradually darkened, Zheng Jun returned home before the city gates closed.
After returning home, he first had dinner with his older sister Zheng Ping and his brother-in-law Zhou Pu. Then, he immediately took a Blood Nourishing Pill, experiencing the sensation of his entire body's Qi and Blood skyrocketing. Taking advantage of this surging momentum, he began to practice his boxing like a madman.
The Ma Family Fist!
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
His fist momentum was torrential. Between every move and stance, there was a sound like rumbling thunder.
Zheng Jun fought with increasing intensity, feeling that the path of Martial Arts lay entirely within his two fists. He even found himself faintly immersed in the atmosphere of his practice. He could feel his taut muscles being continuously stimulated. Every punch was not simply advancing his repayment progress; it was enhancing his Qi and Blood, causing his very life to undergo a metamorphosis! He was shedding his mortal body and exchanging his bones, discarding the impure and retaining the pure.
Before long, the effects of the Blood Nourishing Pill faded.
Zheng Jun clenched his fists, feeling it wasn't enough. He thought, "I must strike while the iron is hot. The third Blood Refining happens today!"
With a resolute gaze, Zheng Jun didn't hesitate. He pulled out the porcelain bottle, poured out two Blood Nourishing Pills in one breath, and tossed his head back to swallow them.
"Phew..."
After consuming the two Blood Nourishing Pills, Zheng Jun adjusted his breathing, trying his best to remain relaxed. He thought, "Since everyone thinks I'm a genius, then I will be this genius! I'll put in a thousand, ten thousand times the effort to cement this reputation as an Unparalleled Celestial Pride!"
Once Zheng Jun's resolve solidified, his body suddenly trembled. A surging current of heat violently transmitted through his limbs and bones. The next moment, a scorching, fire-like sensation assaulted his entire body.
He thought, "It's here!"
The feeling was similar to the first time he took the Blood Nourishing Pill. Zheng Jun, now familiar with the sensation, immediately struck a stance in the howling cold wind of the courtyard and began practicing the Ma Family Fist!
His fist technique grew faster and faster. Every punch was accompanied by a thunderous sound—the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound, with his muscles and bones resonating in unison! Zheng Jun immersed himself in his breathing and the brewing momentum of his fist technique. He felt as though he had become a gust of wind, circulating through his body along with his blood. His perception became exceptionally acute, as if he could hear the sounds of his own body.
"BUZZ—"
A ringing echoed in his ears. Zheng Jun suddenly widened his eyes, his entire body brimming with boundless Qi and Blood!
He thought, "The third Blood Refining is a success!"
He could clearly feel the strengthened warm current flowing through his blood vessels to his entire body. It was as if he was soaking in a hot spring—utterly comfortable. Qi was born from heaven and earth, nurtured within the blood.
He thought, "Looking at it this way, it seems I've already touched the threshold of Qi Storage. By the looks of it, I might only need five to seven more sessions to achieve Qi Storage successfully!"
Zheng Jun felt a profound sense of exhilaration. The clouds of worry that had originally formed over the matter with the Vast Sea Sect dissipated significantly.
[Muscles and bones resonating, Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound, Blood Refining with fist momentum, Repayment Progress +212, Current Repayment Progress: 539/5000.]
In just an instant, he had actually repaid so much. Zheng Jun couldn't help but reveal a smile.
He thought, "It seems this Blood Nourishing Pill is truly a good item. It's just a pity... I only have three left now."
He knew that after the third Blood Refining, it would be most appropriate to wait quietly for a period before attempting it again. This current session was already a somewhat risky endeavor. Therefore, for the fourth Blood Refining, Zheng Jun planned to thoroughly polish his foundation first.
With this thought, Zheng Jun reined in his restless heart and resumed practicing his fist technique. Tonight, he would not sleep.
Over at his brother-in-law's home, Zheng Ping and Zhou Pu had eaten their fill and were about to go to sleep when they suddenly heard the faint sound of thunder from outside. Zheng Ping immediately froze, thinking it was going to rain, and hastily jumped up to gather the drying clothes.
To her surprise, upon pushing the door open, she saw that although the cold wind was whistling outside, there was no sign of thunder or rain. This instantly left Zheng Ping feeling quite puzzled. However, Zhou Pu keenly noticed that this thunder-like sound was coming from Zheng Jun's courtyard.
"Jun won't be in any trouble, will he?" Zheng Ping asked Zhou Pu, fraught with worry. "Earlier, when we heard some noise, we didn't take it seriously. Only later did we find out that a thief had come to kill Jun. And now with this..."
"Just put your heart at ease." Zhou Pu looked toward the courtyard, his eyes holding a mix of joy and envy. "Junzi is practicing martial arts. I heard people say that when a fist technique reaches Great Success, every punch produces a sound! They say it's called 'Leopard Head Thunder' or something. Anyway, this is definitely Junzi practicing his martial arts!"
Hearing Zhou Pu's words, Zheng Ping cast aside her doubts and said joyfully, "With Jun's excellent martial arts, once he is appreciated by the Court, he will probably become a prominent figure like the County Magistrate in the future! He can marry a wife and build a tile-roofed courtyard. Our parents' spirits in heaven will finally be able to see the Zheng Family prosper!"
Hearing his wife's ignorant words, Zhou Pu wanted to laugh but ultimately held it in. Instead, he said, "What County Magistrate? In my opinion, our Junzi might become a Prefect in the future! The entire Pingzhang Commandery might be under Junzi's absolute control! By then, he will probably marry the daughter of the State Governor and build a massive courtyard."
Hearing the word 'Prefect', a look of longing flashed in Zheng Ping's eyes, and she couldn't help but mutter, "Poor Xing! If Xing hadn't gone up the mountain to gather herbs, he would be absolutely thrilled to see Jun's good fortune now! Sigh, maybe Xing is just like Jun, a natural-born martial arts talent! Xing has been clever since he was a child, and he is tall and sturdy..."
Speaking of her younger brother Zheng Xing, who had gone missing on the Great Black Mountain, Zheng Ping inevitably felt a bit downcast, but she quickly recovered her spirits. Since she knew Zheng Jun was fine, she went back to the room to sleep.
Her brother was a natural-born Martial Champion Scholar, capable of living up to the saying: Fifteen Prefecture Junior Officials, Twenty Court Doctors, Thirty Assistant Imperial Tutors, Forty Special City Residence. But they were still ordinary mortals, and they needed to sleep. It was better to sleep early so they could wake up and work the next morning, living their present days well.
Time flew by like a shuttle, days flowing like water. Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Zheng Jun woke up bright and early, donned his Official's Uniform, and headed out with his saber in hand to attend this morning's roll call. His ten rest days had ended, and it was time to go back to work.
Over these seven days, although Zheng Jun practiced the Ma Family Fist daily and managed to grind his repayment progress up to 3402 points, he was still a little short of completely paying it off. However, it wasn't a major issue; he would be able to finish the repayment within two or three days.
Zheng Jun set off together with his brother-in-law, Zhou Pu. Upon arriving at the duty room of the County Government Office, he found that the Black Officials of the Strong Shift had already gathered early. Besides them, there were also several Civilian Soldiers whom Zheng Jun didn't recognize.
"Good morning, Squad Leader Zheng!"
"Congratulations on your recovery and return, Squad Leader! During the time you were away, our Strong Shift was truly like a flock of dragons without a leader!"
"Yes, exactly! Now that the Squad Leader is back, our Strong Shift finally has its clear sky again!"
All the Black Officials stepped forward to congratulate Zheng Jun, and the several Civilian Soldiers whom he didn't recognize did the same.
Amidst the congratulations, Wang Lai secretly leaned in and said loyally to Zheng Jun, "Squad Leader, those few are Civilian Squad Commanders from nearby towns and villages. Knowing that your rest days ended today and you'd be at roll call, they came specifically to pay their respects."
Hearing this, Zheng Jun immediately nodded. He looked at the several Civilian Squad Commanders. Their arms were noticeably stronger than the rest of their bodies, and their hands bore thick calluses—not the kind formed from holding bladed weapons for a long time. Combined with the unintentional footwork they displayed in their strides, Zheng Jun was certain that these men had learned boxing at the Ma Family Martial Arts Hall.
Realizing this, Zheng Jun couldn't help but smile. He then said, "Brothers, being able to meet here today is my good fortune. Tonight, after our duties end, please head to the tavern in Shunyi Square for drinks. It will be my treat!"
"The Squad Leader is righteous and generous!" the Black Officials shouted in unison.
Immediately after, Zheng Jun began to oversee the roll call. His brother-in-law Zhou Pu, familiar with the routine, took out the roster and began calling out names one by one.
After the roll call, everyone went off to do their respective duties. Those assigned to guard the prison went to the prison, those guarding the Government Treasury went to the treasury, and those assisting the County Soldiers with guarding the city gates went to the gates. During this free time, only Zheng Jun and a few Black Officials on desk duty had nothing to do.
Sitting in the duty room, Zheng Jun was pondering whether to head to the Xu Family Martial Arts Hall or that Nameless Martial Arts Hall teaching Hard Qi Skill after mastering the Ma Family Fist. Suddenly, he saw a Scribe walk into the room, panting heavily.
The Scribe ignored the other Black Officials and looked directly at Zheng Jun. The moment he saw Zheng Jun, a hint of apprehension flickered in his eyes, but he still managed to say, "S-Squad Leader Zheng, the County Magistrate summons you for a meeting!"
"Hmm?"
Zheng Jun froze slightly upon hearing this. He thought, "The County Magistrate is summoning me?"
Truth be told, ever since Zheng Jun joined the County Government Office, he had only seen the County Magistrate a handful of times. The few times they had crossed paths, he had only caught a distant glimpse and had never examined the man closely. Today's summons from the County Magistrate was definitively for official business; there was absolutely no reason for it to be a private matter.
With this thought, Zheng Jun immediately stood up and said to the junior Scribe, "This humble official will go at once!"
After saying that, Zheng Jun hurriedly followed the junior Scribe out of the duty room, walking through the corridor toward the main hall. As they walked, Zheng Jun asked, "My friend, is there some major event?"
The junior Scribe naturally knew that this Squad Leader Zheng had recently gained quite a reputation in Black Mountain County, so he politely replied, "I don't know. I only know that the County Captain, the County Magistrate, and the Chief Clerk are all there! There is also the Historian. The County Magistrate didn't just have us summon you, Squad Leader Zheng. There is also Squad Leader Sun of the Fast Shift, the two Captains of the Military Department, and... the Commander of the Garrison Command Government Office!"
All the ranked officials in the county were present! It seemed that a major event had indeed occurred.
Zheng Jun's expression turned stern. There was likely only one thing that could gather the Infantry Captain and Cavalry Captain of the Military Department, who commanded three hundred County Soldiers, along with the Hundred Households of the Garrison Command in one hall.
The Qingshui Gang's rebellion!