Chapter 36: A Chance Encounter (Please follow the updates, add to your collection, and vote with monthly tickets and recommendation votes)

Listening to several "colleagues" daydreaming, Su Mu felt somewhat speechless.

Was this the "golden shovel" of the Emperor?

No matter how they talked, it always circled back to the brothels.

Now that they were squad leaders, couldn't they listen to a bit of music before sleeping?

Vulgar!

Su Mu sneered.

The three hundred taels of silver were one thing, but he was quite envious of the squad leader position.

If he could become a squad leader, the points he received daily would surely increase again.

And thus, his cultivation speed would also bound to increase significantly.

With this thought, he subconsciously summoned his system panel.

【Name: Su Mu】

【Identity: Constable (Clerk)】

【Points: 85】

【Cultivation Method: Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method (Minor Success)】

【Martial Arts: Wave-Subduing Saber Technique (Perfection), Archery (Beginner)】

Over the past few days, he had accumulated eighty-five points, and he was not far from the three hundred points required for the Great Success stage of the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method.

"Hey, you up ahead! I'm talking to you! Stop!"

While Su Mu was lost in thought, a loud shout suddenly rang in his ears.

Looking up, he saw the constable named Li Fugui chasing a figure into a small alley.

The other constables also shouted and chased after them.

A trace of helplessness flashed across Su Mu's face.

Since the frequent occurrence of murder cases, the number of constables patrolling the streets had increased from two to five.

With more people, Su Mu's exposure to various things had also increased.

This scene was not the first time it had happened; in the words of Li Fugui and the others, it was one of the few pleasures of patrolling the streets.

If one wasn't working for wealth, who would bother being a constable?

Once they were on patrol, if they saw someone who looked like they had some money on them and didn't seem to have a powerful background, they would arbitrarily invent a pretext to inspect them.

They wouldn't let anyone off without stripping them of a layer of skin.

Through such crude methods, these constables could earn an extra few taels of silver every day.

Although Su Mu disdained being one of them, being stuck in the mire, he could only manage to remain untainted by it; as for stopping them, Su Mu asked himself if he even had the standing to do so.

According to past experience, Li Fugui and the others would return soon, looking quite satisfied.

Su Mu thought to himself that when the leaders are crooked, the subordinates will be too; with a useless fool like Yu Xing in charge, there was no way the subordinates could be any better.

He wondered how the Taiping Division would handle such a situation.

Su Mu looked toward the Inner City. Soon, in a year or so, he would be qualified to enter the Inner City.

When that time came, if he found Brother "Taiping," perhaps he might even have a chance to join the Taiping Division.

Su Mu's heart was filled with expectation. When living in the mire, it was only when looking up at the sky that one felt full of hope.

To others, this might be wishful thinking, but to Su Mu, as long as he worked hard enough, this path of advancement was traversable.

As he thought, Li Fugui and the others had not yet returned.

Su Mu felt a bit curious. Did extorting a pedestrian really take this much time?

These bastards wouldn't be doing something even more heinous, would they?

He subconsciously took two steps forward. He could turn a blind eye to them extorting silver, but if they were about to do something like the "Pink Wolf" Du Qian, then Su Mu could not sit idly by.

Suddenly, a short, piercing scream reached Su Mu's ears.

The sound sounded somewhat familiar.

Li Fugui!

Almost by instinct, Su Mu rushed into the alley. By the time he regained his senses, he was already in the middle of the lane.

Su Mu was startled. Even though he was on a street in broad daylight with crowds passing by not far away, he felt a bone-chilling cold.

Compared to the bustle nearby, this alley was unnervingly quiet.

Deep in the alley, four people lay on the ground, their lives unknown.

Blood had already flowed everywhere, and the metallic stench was so thick that Su Mu felt as if his vision had turned red.

He saw someone lift their head from Li Fugui's body; their mouth was covered in blood, and their face was as hideous as a beast's.

Those eyes, filled with ferocity and madness, made Su Mu feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

He felt as if he were being targeted by a predatory beast; his skin shivered, and goosebumps broke out.

Su Mu took a slow, deep breath, trying to calm himself.

He finally understood why the victims in those family massacre cases had been found with missing limbs.

Because the killer ate people!

The killer crouched over Li Fugui, with shreds of flesh torn from Li Fugui still clinging to the corners of their mouth, looking more like a beast than a human.

Su Mu didn't know whether to say he was lucky or unlucky; while on a routine patrol, he had actually run into the killer.

And he had practically delivered himself to the door.

He slowly gripped the hilt of the long saber at his waist.

At this moment, turning to run was not a good choice. Once he turned his back to the opponent, he feared he would meet the same end as Li Fugui and the others.

When meeting on a narrow path, the brave prevail.

With his current strength, he might just be able to fight.

In the blink of an eye, a pair of crimson eyes fell upon Su Mu, and the killer lunged forward like a nimble civet cat.

The moment the opponent moved, Su Mu moved as well.

The long saber left its sheath, transforming into a sharp flash of light.

The sound of flowing water seemed to echo in the air.

The saber light rolled forward like surging waves.

*Bang!*

The blade struck heavily against the opponent's hands.

A massive force was unleashed, causing Su Mu to stumble back several steps, his arms feeling numb.

The opponent was also sent flying by the force carried by the saber. After landing, they rolled and dropped to all fours like a wild wolf, their gaze locking onto Su Mu once more.

Su Mu glanced at the opponent's palms and was secretly shocked.

Although his saber was not a divine weapon, it was exceptionally sharp.

With that full-strength strike just now, the opponent's palms only had a tiny, almost invisible wound.

The strength of that skin was far superior to his own.

It might have reached the Perfection stage of Skin Tempering!

However, in that clash, although the opponent's strength was greater, it wasn't impossible to fight.

Besides, he still had a trump card left to play.

His gaze suddenly sharpened, and Su Mu erupted with ferocity.

The long saber in his hand surged like a raging wave, crashing down.

Wave-Subduing Saber Technique: Ninefold Waves!

The killer exerted strength through all four limbs, pouncing like a starving wolf.

*Crack!*

The two crossed paths.

Blood splattered, and a beast-like roar echoed through the alley.

An arm hit the ground with a thud.

A flash of regret crossed Su Mu's face.

The opponent had moved too fast, managing to evade his throat-slitting strike at the last moment, trading a heavy injury for a killing blow.

Though he had lost an arm, he had at least saved his life.

As for Su Mu, his stamina was only enough to perform the Wave-Subduing Saber Technique twice; he only had one left.

"Constable of the South City Division is here! Surrender immediately!"

Su Mu let out a great shout, his aura becoming formidable.

In broad daylight, the momentum was on his side.

One more strike—if it failed, he would run immediately.

Su Mu charged forward with his saber trailing, his skin membrane taut, pouring every ounce of his strength into this single strike without any reservation.

Wave-Subduing Saber Technique: Ninefold Waves!