Chapter 9: Opportunity or Trap

Su Mu walked into a very inconspicuous, dilapidated low house and carefully closed the door.

He had obtained a massive sum of ten taels from Zhang Chong, an amount that a commoner family could not save up in several years.

At first, Su Mu was worried that the incident would be discovered, so he didn't dare to touch the silver.

After three or four days passed, he realized that the deaths of Zhang Chong and his two companions hadn't caused a ripple; even the Chai Gang hadn't made any moves, so he finally set his mind at ease.

Ten taels of silver were naturally not enough to buy a house, but it was more than enough to rent a civilian dwelling.

He had no choice but to squeeze into a ruined temple or ancestral hall with refugees and beggars before, but now that he had a household registration and silver in his hands, he naturally wanted to improve his living conditions first.

The dilapidated little courtyard he was in now was rented for two taels of silver per year.

Although the courtyard was a bit cramped and only had two rooms, it was, after all, a private residence, which was a world of difference from before.

It wasn't that Su Mu couldn't afford a better courtyard, but his silver was limited, and it was best not to be too high-profile.

Putting the seventeen wen he earned today into the pottery jar under the bed, Su Mu called up his panel while gnawing on a meat bun he had bought.

【Name: Su Mu】

【Identity: Hunter (Commoner)】

【Points: 26】

【Martial Arts: Fubo Saber Technique (Entry)】

"The profession is still 'Hunter.' When I was a refugee, it took three days to gain one point. Now that I've become a commoner, I can gain one point a day. This is discrimination based on household registration."

Su Mu couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Complaints aside, watching the points grow every day filled him with hope.

He only needed one hundred points for his Fubo Saber Technique to reach the Small Success stage.

And now, that would only take a short hundred days!

"I haven't stopped practicing the saber for a single day during this time, yet I can barely feel any progress. It seems my aptitude for martial arts can only be considered average."

Su Mu thought to himself, "If I want to become strong quickly, I must improve my status."

Just as Su Mu was thinking, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.

He tucked his wood-chopping knife into his belt and cautiously approached the door without opening it.

"Who is it?"

"Brother Mu, it's me, Liu Feng."

A young voice came from outside the door.

Su Mu breathed a sigh of relief, pulled the door open, and invited the teenager, who looked to be about ten years old, inside.

"Why are you here? Do you need something?"

Su Mu asked with some confusion.

Liu Feng was his landlord—or to be precise, Liu Feng's parents were the landlords.

Liu Feng's father was a cook at a restaurant in the South District. Su Mu had met him while selling game, and later, by chance, he had rented their courtyard.

Through these interactions, the two sides became familiar with each other.

Liu Feng was the only son of the Liu family. Once he found out about Su Mu's identity, he kept pestering Su Mu to take him out of the city to hunt.

Although Su Mu politely declined, Liu Feng had been coming to find him every few days since then, which made Su Mu quite annoyed.

But since the boy was his landlord, even if Su Mu was annoyed, he could only patiently deal with him.

After refugees flooded into Wuling City, the population surged, and rental prices skyrocketed accordingly.

The courtyard Su Mu was currently renting was a hot commodity; if he didn't rent it, someone else would snatch it up by tomorrow.

Therefore, the landlord was the boss.

"Brother Mu, have you heard?"

Liu Feng said with some excitement, "The South District Office posted a notice today. They are recruiting a batch of yamen runners, and any young and strong man can sign up!"

"Yamen runners?"

Su Mu's heart stirred slightly.

"As long as you get hired, you'll be an official!"

Liu Feng said excitedly, "How majestic is it to be an official? Wearing an official uniform, with a saber hanging at your waist—even the leaders of those gangs have to greet you with a smile when you patrol the streets!"

The young man was full of unrealistic fantasies.

Su Mu scoffed in his heart. The uniforms worn by yamen runners weren't true official robes, and low-level runners patrolling the streets had no face to speak of.

In any case, Su Mu couldn't see what was so majestic about it.

If you really wanted to talk about majesty, you had to be at least a proper constable, or even the head constable of the South District Office.

"Can anyone sign up?"

Although he thought this, Su Mu still asked.

As far as he knew, being a yamen runner was considered a good job for ordinary people, and it was usually passed down from father to son.

Although they occasionally recruited, it was basically all for people with connections.

"Yes," Liu Feng said. "The South District Office is recruiting fifty people this time. Brother Mu, let's go sign up together. You're a good hunter; you'll definitely pass the selection."

A thoughtful look appeared on Su Mu's face.

Theoretically, after becoming a yamen runner, one could be promoted to a constable, a constable could be promoted to a head constable, and if a head constable had enough strength, they could be promoted to a City Lieutenant.

A City Lieutenant was already a proper seventh-rank official.

Of course, theory was theory. One in a hundred runners became a constable, and one in a thousand constables became a head constable.

As for a head constable becoming a City Lieutenant, that was one in ten thousand.

Most yamen runners remained just runners for their entire lives.

These thoughts flashed through Su Mu's mind, and he couldn't help but feel tempted.

Not to mention the future, if he could become a yamen runner, his status would no longer be a commoner, but an official!

He would have a position, a real position!

By then, the rate at which his points increased would definitely improve.

"The notice also said that as long as you are selected, you will have the opportunity to practice martial arts!"

Liu Feng said with a face full of excitement.

Although his family was relatively well-off, they couldn't afford to let him practice martial arts. In Wuling City, you couldn't even dream of learning real skills at a martial arts school without ten taels of silver a month.

As soon as Liu Feng said this, Su Mu's restless heart instantly calmed down.

He had always believed in one principle: there is no such thing as a free lunch!

He had been hanging around Wuling City for several months and hadn't been without contact with yamen runners.

Those runners whose families had served in the South District Office for generations had, nine times out of ten, never practiced martial arts.

Why?

Why would a batch of newly recruited rookies have the opportunity to practice martial arts?

Where would the South District Office get the financial resources to support fifty runners in practicing martial arts?

If there really were such a good thing, why would it fall on them?

A series of questions popped up in Su Mu's mind.

When things are abnormal, there must be a demon!

"Brother Mu—"

Liu Feng nudged the somewhat distracted Su Mu, "What do you think?"

"Liu Feng, I think that for this recruitment of yamen runners by the South District Office, the personnel have probably already been decided internally," Su Mu said cautiously.

"Impossible! The notice has already been posted," Liu Feng said firmly. "And I saw with my own eyes that the second son of Butcher Zhu was selected. Their family isn't much better off than mine, and they don't know any big shots."

Su Mu just shook his head.

"Brother Mu, are you really not going?" Liu Feng asked.

"Forget it, I think I'm doing fine right now," Su Mu said. Although he was desperate to improve his status, he decided to observe for a few more days regarding things he wasn't sure about.

Even if he missed this opportunity, once his saber technique reached Great Success, there would definitely be other chances.

"Alright then," Liu Feng sighed. "I was going to say that if you went to sign up with me, and we both became yamen runners at the South District Office, I would offer my cousin to be your wife."

"My cousin, Liu Hongyu—you've seen her, right? She's not bad-looking, and she has a good figure. After my uncle and aunt passed away, they left her a two-courtyard house. If you two get married, would you still need to rent a house?"

Liu Feng patted Su Mu on the shoulder and said, "Are you really not going to reconsider? As long as you become a yamen runner at the South District Office, you can win the beauty."

"Thank you for your kindness, but I feel my abilities are limited, and I really can't be a yamen runner for the South District Office right now," Su Mu firmly refused.

"Alright then, if you're not going, I am. When I become a yamen runner at the South District Office and master great martial arts, don't you go regretting it."

Liu Feng said this and walked away with his head held high.

Su Mu shook his head and closed the door again. He couldn't worry about others; he could only take care of himself.

…………

(End of chapter)