Chapter 46: Entering the Inner City (Please follow, bookmark, and vote with monthly tickets and recommendation votes)

“Who?!”

Yang Jin was startled by the sudden voice. He pulled a dagger from somewhere, gripping it tightly in a defensive stance.

Just as he made the sound, a flash of light caught his eye.

A streak of white light poured down like a cascading waterfall.

It was Su Mu making his move.

*Clang!*

With a crisp ring, Su Mu’s figure swayed slightly.

The newcomer retreated three steps with heavy thuds, swinging his long saber backward so the tip pointed diagonally toward the ground.

“Hold your hand!”

Yang Jin suddenly shouted, jumping between the two men and reaching out to stop them.

By this time, Su Mu had clearly seen the other man's face.

It was the same helper Xing Zhaofu had summoned during the attack on Black Dragon Fortress; his name seemed to be Wei Yongfu.

Su Mu had a deep impression of Wei Yongfu's ferocity, and his heart was now filled with vigilance.

Since Wei Yongfu could fight alongside the Great Chief of Black Dragon Fortress, his strength was no less than that of the former constable of the Southern City Bureau—he was definitely a powerhouse of the Third Stage of Body Tempering.

In the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering, setting aside the first two stages, reaching the third stage meant one could be considered an expert in all of Wuling City.

Aside from the Taiping Bureau, those in the Fourth Stage were few and far between in Wuling City; every one of them was a big shot capable of shaking the entire city with a single stomp.

Su Mu could barely hold his own against the Second Stage of Body Tempering, but he was absolutely no match for the Third Stage.

“As expected, it is Saber Intent!”

Wei Yongfu looked at Su Mu, a flash of envy crossing his eyes.

He had practiced the saber for thirty years, and his saber techniques had long reached the stage of perfection, yet he had never been able to truly achieve complete perfection.

He had never been able to truly comprehend Saber Intent.

Seeing a youth over ten years younger than him already having mastered Saber Intent, how could he not be envious?

“Wei Yongfu, what is the meaning of this?”

Before Su Mu could speak, Yang Jin barked, “If Su Mu hadn't killed the Great Chief of Black Dragon Fortress back then, the grass on your grave would already be a foot high. Are you trying to repay kindness with enmity now?”

“There is no need to be nervous. If I wanted to kill him, I wouldn't have made a sound just now,” Wei Yongfu said, shaking his head. “Besides, since he has mastered Saber Intent, I might not be his match.”

“Old Yang, he has no killing intent,” Su Mu said. Having just exchanged a probing strike, Su Mu could feel that Wei Yongfu was deliberately suppressing his strength and harbored no murderous intent.

“Brother Wei, if I may ask, what brings you here in the middle of the night?” Su Mu asked, holding his saber in a reverse grip and cupping his hands in greeting.

“I am acting on someone's request to kill you,” Wei Yongfu replied.

Yang Jin, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, felt his heart leap into his throat again.

If he hadn't seen that Wei Yongfu had no intention of attacking, he would have already told Su Mu to run for his life.

“You cannot kill me,” Su Mu said calmly.

“True,” Wei Yongfu nodded. “You have mastered Saber Intent, and your strength is greater than anyone imagined. I am not certain I can definitely kill you.”

Hearing this, a look of astonishment appeared on Yang Jin's face.

He knew Wei Yongfu's identity—a renowned "Blade Catcher" of Wuling City, someone who takes money to settle troubles.

This man was born with copper skin and possessed immense strength; although he was only at the Second Stage of Body Tempering, he could fight an ordinary Third Stage expert without falling into a disadvantage.

And now he was saying he wasn't sure he could beat Su Mu?

Just how strong was Su Mu now?

Yang Jin was filled with suspicion and doubt.

“Who wants my life? He Yuxing? Zhao Ji? Or Xu Mingchen?” Su Mu asked.

“It is the rule of the martial world; I cannot tell you.” A flash of surprise crossed Wei Yongfu's face, as if he hadn't expected Su Mu to have so many enemies.

“You once saved my life, so now I am returning a life to you,” Wei Yongfu continued. “This time, I will not strike you.”

With that, he suddenly untied a pouch from his back and tossed it to Su Mu.

Su Mu caught it casually, feeling its weight.

“The other party offered a thousand taels for your head. This silver comes because of you. By the rules of the martial world, we split it half and half. Here is five hundred taels,” Wei Yongfu said.

Su Mu: “...”

What kind of "rules of the martial world" were these?

“Wei Yongfu, can you Blade Catchers take the money and not do the job?” Before Su Mu could speak, Yang Jin couldn't help but snap.

“Ill-gotten wealth is taken with a clear conscience,” Wei Yongfu replied.

Both Su Mu and Yang Jin gave him a thumbs up.

“The client wants you dead within three days, so within these three days, no other Blade Catcher will take this job,” Wei Yongfu continued. “But after three days, they will likely hire someone even stronger to kill you.”

“So you're saying if Su Mu joins one of the Four Great Families, then he should do it as soon as possible?” Yang Jin mused. “If he joins one of the Four Great Families, the client won't dare to keep hiring assassins?”

Wei Yongfu nodded.

Yang Jin looked at Su Mu and said, “It seems you have no choice left. You must pick one of the Four Great Families.”

“Why don't you draw a map of the distribution of the major powers in the Inner City for me, Old Yang? I'll head into the Inner City tomorrow to investigate and see which power suits me best,” Su Mu said with a smile.

“No need for such trouble. I have a map of the Inner City's terrain here. It's yours,” Wei Yongfu said, pulling a piece of parchment from his robe and handing it to Su Mu.

Yang Jin: “...”

He knew Su Mu hadn't given up on the Taiping Bureau yet and was thinking of how to persuade him, but damn it, Wei Yongfu, why are you meddling in other people's business!

“Brother Wei actually has such a good thing? Thank you so much!” Su Mu said with pleasant surprise. He opened the parchment and immediately saw a location marked with a red circle.

“As Blade Catchers, we risk our lives for money; we must know where we can go and where we cannot,” Wei Yongfu said, noticing Su Mu's gaze. “This is the Taiping Bureau's office in Wuling City. If you don't want to die, stay far away from there.”

Yang Jin rolled his eyes violently, cursing Wei Yongfu in his heart.

However, on second thought, even if Su Mu went there, it would be useless; he probably wouldn't even be able to get through the gates of the Taiping Bureau.

It might be good for him to go, just so he could finally give up on that idea.

Wei Yongfu left quickly, and Yang Jin prepared a room for Su Mu to stay in.

In the middle of the night, Su Mu heard the sound of Yang Jin going out. Knowing that Yang Jin was a man with his own stories, he didn't pry.

As midnight approached, he lay on the bed and, with a thought, summoned the system panel.

【Name: Su Mu】 【Identity: Constable Squad Leader (Clerk)】 【Points: 45】 【Cultivation Method: Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method (Great Success)】 【Martial Arts: Wave-Subduing Saber Technique (Perfection), Archery (Beginner)】

“He Yuxing only called me 'Little Constable Su' and hasn't officially appointed me, so I am still just a squad leader. However, because I captured an arsonist, my 'performance' was high, and today's harvest reached forty points.”

Su Mu was very satisfied with the change in points on the panel.

It would take a thousand points to go from Great Success to Perfection in the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method. At this rate, he could reach perfection in at most a month. If he could successfully join the Taiping Bureau, the speed would likely be even faster.

In his anticipation, he tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

As dawn began to break, Su Mu rose impatiently. Without waking Yang Jin, who had only returned just before daybreak, Su Mu climbed over the wall and headed toward the Inner City.

After working so hard for so long, the day had finally arrived.