Chapter 20: Cultivating Reputation (Please follow, bookmark, and vote with monthly tickets and recommendation votes)

"You have no background. Without someone to assist you, it will be difficult to establish a foothold in the South City Division."

Yang Jin spoke with a serious expression. "Moreover, you have offended Xing Zhaofu. If nothing unexpected happens, he will likely have you killed very soon. If you want to survive, you must build up your own reputation as quickly as possible."

"You want me to cultivate prestige?" Su Mu mused.

A look of surprise flashed across Yang Jin's face. He had only heard the term "cultivating prestige" mentioned in passing while serving in the military; ordinary commoners wouldn't know such a word. This Su Mu, who came from a background of refugees, actually knew it?

"Exactly, cultivating prestige. If you have a certain level of reputation, even Xing Zhaofu won't dare to harm you at will," Yang Jin nodded.

If the bailiffs were equivalent to the auxiliary police of Su Mu's previous life, then the constables were the official police. But Xing Zhaofu was like a District Public Security Bureau Chief; wouldn't it be child's play for him to manipulate a minor officer? However, if that minor officer was highly renowned, the situation would change.

"Attacking Black Dragon Fortress is dangerous, but it is also an opportunity. If you can bring back the head of the fortress leader, your name will surely catch the eyes of the big shots in the Inner City. It might even be possible to rise to greatness in a single step," Yang Jin said solemnly. "And you cannot achieve this alone. You need help."

"Are you that person?"

"I am that person!"

"Fine, I will tentatively believe that you can truly help me. So, what do you stand to gain?" Su Mu pondered. "As you said, the leaders of Black Dragon Fortress are martial artists of the Body Tempering Realm. Even if we manage to kill them, we will surely pay a heavy price. Why take such a massive risk to help me?"

"I naturally have my own request," Yang Jin said candidly. "If you survive this time, and one day when you have the capability, I hope you will help me kill someone!"

"Your archery is not inferior to mine. If there is someone you cannot kill, I won't be able to either," Su Mu replied.

"You cannot kill them now, but that may change in the future," Yang Jin said. "I admit there is an element of gambling involved. At your young age, you have already achieved minor mastery in saber techniques, and that is without any resource support. I believe that if given the chance, your future achievements will definitely not be below Xing Zhaofu's."

"You think quite highly of me," Su Mu said with a wry smile. "Even if I could kill him, I won't just kill people at random. Otherwise, what would be the difference between me and Xing Zhaofu?"

"You needn't worry about that. The person I want you to kill is absolutely someone who deserves to die," Yang Jin said. "Besides, do you even have a choice?"

Yang Jin smiled bitterly. "I have no choice, and neither do you. We both have to gamble. If we win, you get a chance to rise. As for whether you will help me kill that person in the future, I have no way to constrain you. If we lose, we both die, and there will be no future."

Su Mu fell silent for a long while before saying slowly, "You have successfully convinced me. I can agree to it. If one day I have the ability, and if that person truly deserves to die, I will help you kill him."

Su Mu did not ask who the person was. It was clearly someone he couldn't kill now, perhaps even a powerful figure with a significant background. Otherwise, Yang Jin wouldn't be so desperate as to gamble on just anyone.

"That sentence is enough," Yang Jin said. "Although Xing Zhaofu might not strike at you within the city, it's better to be safe than sorry. Our 'prestige cultivation' plan must begin immediately. The greater your fame, the less Xing Zhaofu will dare to move against you easily!"

"What is your idea?" Su Mu's heart stirred.

Based on his experience, when his identity and profession remained unchanged, the rate at which his points increased would fluctuate according to his performance. When he was still a commoner, the base rate for the Hunter profession was one point per day, but as his hunting skills improved, the rate increased to two points per day. In other words, the better he performed in his profession, the faster his points would accumulate.

Did this mean that the better he did in his role, the faster his points would grow? Cultivating prestige while increasing the rate of point acquisition—it was killing two birds with one stone.

"A constable's fame comes from capturing thieves and criminals," Yang Jin spoke without hesitation, clearly having a plan in mind. "I know of a villain on the Wanted List hiding within the South City. If you can apprehend him, your reputation in the South City will surely explode."

"The Wanted List?" Su Mu was thoughtful.

"The 'Wanted List' is just a colloquialism. It is actually a ranking created by the common people for the fugitives the government is pursuing," Yang Jin explained. "The higher the bounty, the stronger the individual, and the more heinous the crimes, the higher the rank. The three leaders of Black Dragon Fortress are on the Wanted List. The Great Leader is ranked 98th, the Second Leader is 134th, and the Third Leader is 207th."

A ruthless person like the Third Leader of Black Dragon Fortress was only ranked 207th? Su Mu immediately gained a direct understanding of the weight of this list. To think that just the Third Leader had nearly turned the South City upside down—and he was only 207th. If someone were in the top 100, or even the top 10... it was terrifying to even imagine.

"Between the criminals on the Wanted List and demons, which is more terrifying?" Su Mu suddenly asked an off-topic question. He suddenly thought of the demon from that night. He felt that the demon was much stronger than the Third Leader of Black Dragon Fortress.

"Demons are naturally more terrifying," Yang Jin said. "Even the lowest-grade demon might be stronger than a fourth-stage Body Tempering martial artist. However, demons are not under the jurisdiction of constables, so you needn't worry; the chance of a demon appearing in the city is very small. If it were outside the city, then you would need to be on guard."

He didn't know much about demons either, so he quickly returned to the subject. "The criminal I am talking about is the 299th on the Wanted List: 'Pink Wolf' Du Qian."

"Pink Wolf?"

"Du Qian is a flower thief who habitually uses a pink-colored hallucinogenic smoke, hence the nickname," Yang Jin explained. "Du Qian's own strength isn't high—at most, he is at the first stage of Body Tempering. His skills lie primarily in his smoke and lightfoot techniques. Our bows and arrows are the perfect counter to him."

The fourth stage of Body Tempering—the Skin Tempering stage—meant that while one's strength was slightly greater than an ordinary person's, the difference was limited. Unless one possessed exceptional martial arts, a Skin Tempering martial artist's limit was usually handling three to five ordinary people.

Su Mu and Yang Jin were not ordinary people. Su Mu went without saying, but Yang Jin was a former military archer; he had learned the art of killing. Under certain conditions, he might even be able to kill a Skin Tempering martial artist single-handedly. In a life-and-death struggle, it wasn't just about the cultivation realm.

"Him it is," Su Mu said after a moment of thought. "Can you find his hiding place?"

"I have some former comrades currently mingling within the gangs; they have been keeping an eye on Du Qian," Yang Jin said.

Su Mu's heart skipped a beat. Yang Jin was quite calculating; it seemed he had thought of this from the very beginning, otherwise there would have been no need to scout Du Qian's whereabouts in advance. Su Mu also understood that by saying this, Yang Jin was demonstrating his influence to prove he truly had the ability to help.

Just then, a cry like an owl suddenly echoed from the distance. Yang Jin snapped his head up, his eyes flickering.

"What a coincidence! Du Qian is going to commit a crime tonight!" Yang Jin said in a low voice.

Before he had even finished speaking, Su Mu had already stepped out the door. Yang Jin froze for a moment, and Su Mu poked his head back in.

"What are you standing there for? Lead the way."