Su Mu stepped into a nondescript, dilapidated little house and carefully shut the door.
He had gotten a fortune of ten taels of silver from Zhang Chong—an amount a common family couldn't save in years.
At first, Su Mu had been worried about the incident coming to light and hadn't dared to touch the silver.
But after three or four days, he saw that the deaths of Zhang Chong and his two companions had caused no ripples—not even Chai Bang had made a move. He could finally rest easy.
Ten taels of silver wasn't enough to buy a house, of course, but it was more than enough to rent one.
Before, he'd had no choice but to cram into a ruined temple or ancestral hall with vagrants and beggars. Now that he had a household registration and silver in hand, improving his living situation was the first priority.
This small, rundown courtyard was what he had rented for two taels of silver a year.
The courtyard was a bit cramped and only had two rooms, but it was a private, standalone residence—a world of difference from his previous life.
It wasn't that Su Mu couldn't afford a better place. His funds were simply limited, and he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself.
Placing the seventeen cents he had earned today into a clay jar under his bed, Su Mu bit into a meat bun he'd bought and summoned his panel.
[Name: Su Mu]
[Identity: Hunter (Commoner)]
[Points: 26]
[Martial Arts: Submerging Wave Saber Technique (Entry)]
'My profession is still Hunter, but when I was a vagrant, it took three days to gain one Point. Now that I'm a commoner, I get one Point a day. This is blatant discrimination based on household registration!'
Su Mu complained internally.
But complaints aside, watching his Points increase daily filled him with hope.
With just one hundred Points, he could advance his Submerging Wave Saber Technique to the Minor Accomplishment stage.
And now, that would only take a hundred days!
'I haven't stopped practicing my saber technique for a single day, but I can barely feel any progress. It seems my aptitude for martial arts is just average.'
'If I want to get stronger quickly,' Su Mu thought, 'I have to improve my status.'
Just as Su Mu was thinking, a knock sounded at the door.
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 called from outside.
Su Mu let out a sigh of relief. He pulled the door open and invited the young man, who looked to be in his teens, inside.
"What are you doing here? Do you need something?"
Su Mu asked, a bit puzzled.
Liu Feng was his landlord—or more accurately, Liu Feng's parents were.
Liu Feng's father was a cook at a restaurant in the South City District. Su Mu had met him while selling his hunted game and, by coincidence, ended up renting this courtyard from his family.
After a few interactions, they had gotten to know each other.
As the Liu Family's only son, Liu Feng had latched onto Su Mu after finding out he was a Hunter, pestering him relentlessly to take him hunting outside the city.
Su Mu had politely declined, but ever since, Liu Feng would show up every few days, much to his annoyance.
But there was nothing he could do; the boy's family was his landlord. No matter how irritating he found him, Su Mu had to put up with it patiently.
The influx of vagrants had caused Wuling City's population to skyrocket, and rental prices had soared along with it.
Even the courtyard Su Mu was currently renting was a hot commodity. If he were to give it up, someone else would snatch it by the next day.
So, the landlord was king.
"Brother Mu, have you heard?"
Liu Feng said excitedly, "The South City Bureau put out a notice today! They're recruiting a batch of constables, and any strong young man can sign up!"
"Constables?"
Su Mu's heart stirred slightly.
"If you get accepted, you'll be an official!" Liu Feng said excitedly. "How impressive would that be? Wearing an official uniform, a Constable Saber at your waist... even the gang leaders would have to greet you with a smile when you're on patrol!"
The boy was full of unrealistic fantasies.
Su Mu scoffed internally. 'What those constables wear isn't a true official uniform. They're just auxiliaries, not even part of the official establishment. They're professional scapegoats.'
Su Mu failed to see what was so impressive about it.
If you wanted to talk about prestige, you'd at least have to be a proper official constable, or even a head constable in the South City Bureau.
"Anyone can sign up?"
Despite his thoughts, Su Mu still asked.
Within the entire system, a constable was indeed the lowest rung on the ladder. But for a commoner, it was an excellent post.
In this world, there were no rules forbidding auxiliary officers from enforcing the law. What's more, constables also took on the duties of city patrol. If one was ruthless and corrupt, there was a lot of money to be made on the side.
This type of position was usually hereditary, passed from father to son, and rarely open to outsiders.
Even when they did, the positions were almost always already filled behind the scenes.
"Yeah," Liu Feng said. "This time the South City Bureau is recruiting a full fifty people. Brother Mu, let's go sign up together. You're a great hunter, you'll definitely pass the selection."
A thoughtful expression appeared on Su Mu's face.
Theoretically, after becoming a constable, one had the chance to be promoted to official constable. An official constable could be promoted to head constable, and a head constable with enough power could be promoted to City Captain.
A City Captain was already a proper seventh-grade official.
Of course, that was just in theory. The chances of a constable becoming an official constable were one in a hundred. The chances of an official constable becoming a head constable were one in a thousand.
As for a head constable becoming a City Captain, that was one in ten thousand.
Most constables remained just that for their entire lives.
Even so, Su Mu was still tempted.
Setting aside the future for a moment, if he could become a constable, his status would no longer be a mere commoner, but a government functionary!
He'd be on the official payroll! The payroll!
When that happened, the rate at which he gained Points was sure to increase as well.
"The notice also said that as long as you are selected, you'll have a chance to practice martial arts!" Liu Feng said, his face full of excitement.
Although his family was relatively well-off, they couldn't afford to pay for his martial arts training. At the martial arts schools in Wuling City, you couldn't hope to learn any real skills for less than ten taels of silver a month.
The moment Liu Feng said this, Su Mu's stirring excitement instantly cooled.
He had always been a firm believer in one principle: there's no such thing as a free lunch.
He had been getting by in Wuling City for months; it wasn't as if he'd never met a constable before.
Of those constables from families that had served the South City Bureau for generations, nine out of ten had never practiced martial arts.
'So why?'
'Why would a batch of new recruits get the chance to train in martial arts?'
'Where would the South City Bureau get the funds to support the training of fifty constables?'
'If such a good opportunity truly existed, why would it fall to them?'
A series of questions surfaced in Su Mu's mind.
There had to be a catch.
"Brother Mu—"
Liu Feng nudged the dazed Su Mu. "What do you think?"
"Liu Feng, I think the people for this constable recruitment have probably already been chosen internally," Su Mu said, choosing his words carefully.
"Impossible! The notice has been posted," Liu Feng said with certainty. "And I saw with my own eyes that Butcher Zhu's second son 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, you're really not going?" Liu Feng asked.
"Forget it. I think I'm doing fine right now," Su Mu said. He was eager to improve his status, but he decided to wait and observe something so uncertain.
Even if he missed this chance, other opportunities would surely arise once his saber technique reached a high level of mastery.
With his system panel, there was no need to rush.
"Alright then," Liu Feng sighed. "I was going to say that if you signed up with me, and we both became constables for the South City Bureau, I'd introduce you to my cousin to be your wife."
"My cousin, Liu Hongyu—you've met her. She's not bad looking, is she? Great figure, too. After my second uncle and aunt passed away, they left her a two-courtyard house. If you two got married, would you still need to be renting a place?"
Liu Feng clapped Su Mu's shoulder. "Are you sure you won't reconsider? Become a constable for the South City Bureau, and you can win the beautiful girl."
"I appreciate the thought, but I don't think I have what it takes to be a constable for the South City Bureau right now," Su Mu refused firmly.
"Fine then. If you won't go, I will. Don't be jealous when I become a constable for the South City Bureau and master some amazing martial arts."
With that, Liu Feng puffed out his chest and swaggered off.
Su Mu shook his head and shut the door again. He couldn't control what others did; he could only look after himself.
......