EFB Chapter 8 Sign
Chapter 8 Sign
Three years is neither a long nor a short time.
Why set a three-year deadline? Mo Zheng guessed that the remaining year must be reserved for the completion of Qi and Blood cultivation. If he did not break through in swordsmanship within three years, then the remaining time would not be enough for him to cultivate both internal and external skills to the perfect level before the age of eighteen.
Mo Zheng is confident that he will cultivate the Thunderclap Sword Technique to perfection in three years.
With the aid of his mental power, his cultivation speed was much faster than Zhao Feng thought.
He has only been practicing martial arts for a little over two months. Even without this sudden enlightenment, it would have taken him at most another six months to master his swordsmanship.
As for stance training, without the aid of Qi and Blood Pills, it would take nearly a year to master it. If one takes two pills every month, it is estimated that this time can be greatly reduced.
So here's the problem: what if you don't have money to buy medicine?
Perhaps I should go back and tell my older brother that the new curator wants to double the tuition?
Mo Zheng started to have wicked thoughts.
But I quickly dismissed that thought.
If the money doubles and the workload for the eldest brother also doubles, I'm afraid he won't be able to withstand the strain.
Moreover, in order to support his martial arts training, there are not only tuition fees, but also the wear and tear on weapons, clothing, food and drink, which is also a considerable expense.
Although my sister-in-law's restaurant is doing well, it's not easy to support a large family.
It seems the solution lies in the monthly martial arts tournament.
Although his cultivation of qi and blood is not among the best in the martial arts school, his mastery of the Thunderclap Sword Technique is enough for him to handle the other disciples. Even without using his mental power, competing for the top three should not be a problem.
With this thought in mind, he asked, "Master, if I make it into the top three in the monthly martial arts competition, will I also receive Qi and Blood Pills as a reward?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng laughed and said, "You also want the Qi and Blood Pill?"
Mo Zheng nodded eagerly.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Feng's smile vanished, and he decisively refused, saying, "You are not allowed to participate."
"You should focus your energy on swordsmanship right now, and avoid getting distracted by other things. There's no need to rush your Qi and Blood cultivation. Once you reach the perfect level of the Thunderclap Sword Technique, the speed of your Qi and Blood cultivation will also increase significantly."
Well, the road is blocked now.
Upon hearing this, Mo Zheng's face immediately fell; he realized he would have to come up with a solution himself.
Zhao Feng then told him some things he needed to pay attention to in his swordsmanship training, and then let him train alone.
Having just mastered the Thunderclap Sword Technique, Mo Zheng was full of energy. Although he was exhausted from the sudden enlightenment, he had recovered a lot of strength in a short time and began to practice slowly.
A series of thunderous sounds echoed in the backyard of the martial arts school, followed by dazzling sword lights.
The Thunderclap Sword Technique, with its many added feints, not only makes its killing moves more powerful and ferocious, but also adds a touch of unpredictability, making it impossible to defend against.
The morning passed just like that.
Mo Zheng dragged his tired body home for dinner, chatting and laughing with Chen Wu. When he arrived at the door, he saw Mo Xiaotian playing in the mud with a child who looked about eight or nine years old.
This child looks very familiar.
Just as Mo Zheng was wondering who it was, Mo Xiaotian saw him return and immediately stood up excitedly, shouting, "Second Brother, you're back!"
"Little brother."
Mo Zheng nodded in greeting, then heard Mo Xiaotian boast to his friends, "This is my second brother, he's amazing! He's highly skilled in martial arts and dares to fight against demonic beasts!"
"My father is a constable. He dares to fight against monsters and arrest bad guys!" the child replied.
Mo Xiaotian frowned upon hearing this and retorted directly, "My brother dares to eat shit!"
"My dad dares too, he dares to eat a pound!" the other party replied aggressively, determined to overpower Mo Zheng.
Mo Xiaotian's face flushed red, and she added, "My brother can eat three... Waaah... Waaah..."
Mo Zheng hurriedly stepped forward and covered his mouth, stopping him, saying, "Okay, stop, stop quickly, his father is powerful, his father won, I dare not eat, and I can't eat three catties."
That kid's damn competitive spirit...
Mo Zheng was speechless. If the two of them continued talking, even ten catties wouldn't be enough for him to eat.
Seeing this, the boy immediately showed a smug look on his face and looked at Mo Xiaotian with great pride. Mo Xiaotian, betrayed by his own brother, was like a deflated balloon, his face full of resentment.
"Let's go home."
Grabbing Mo Xiaotian by the collar, Mo Zheng led his underling home, no longer daring to give him another chance to make fun of him.
Unexpectedly, the little boy also followed them home.
"Whose child are you? Aren't you going home for dinner?" Mo Zheng asked curiously.
"My father and I came to see my aunt," the little boy said in a clear voice.
Auntie, a relative of my sister-in-law, have guests at our house?
Mo Zheng only realized this belatedly.
He walked into the living room, and sure enough, there were two more figures inside: a middle-aged man in a dark green shirt with a smile on his face, and a young man in a constable's uniform with a burly build.
Wang Yumei and her husband Mo Danian were chatting when they saw Mo Zheng enter. Wang Yumei greeted him with a smile, "Uncle, Brother Dahu, this is Xiao Zheng."
"Father, elder brother."
The little boy who followed them in called out affectionately.
"Haha, Yaozu, come here, come here quickly, come to your father."
The young constable clapped his hands with a smile, and the little boy immediately sat obediently on his lap.
The middle-aged man looked Mo Zheng up and down, nodded, and said, "He is indeed a handsome man. No wonder you wanted to tell Qing'er, Yu Mei."
Upon hearing this, Mo Zheng immediately guessed the other party's identity.
These are Wang Qing'er's father and brother. What are they doing here? Could it be that there has been a turning point in that matter?
"Uncle is too kind. It was I who was presumptuous and did not think things through," Wang Yumei replied.
The young man dressed as a constable, Wang Dahu, sized up Mo Zheng from head to toe, then looked at Mo Danian, who had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a handsome appearance, and secretly sneered. Luckily, his cousin considered herself shrewd; this family was a bunch of gigolos. Not only had she given herself to him, but now she was even thinking of getting involved with his sister. Fortunately, their mother intervened; otherwise, their father, that fool, would have ruined his sister's life.
He wouldn't have bothered with that matter if his father hadn't insisted on doing it, but he'd do it for his cousin's sake; she's not having an easy time on her own.
Mo Zheng's mental power improved rapidly, and he became acutely aware of his surroundings. He naturally noticed that Wang Dahu's expression was off, but he didn't take it to heart.
In the first two months after his rebirth, he saw this kind of gaze all the time and had long since gotten used to it.
What others think is unimportant; one's own martial arts are the most important.
Mo Danian often told him that he should change his destiny through martial arts, and now he is getting closer to that goal.
"What a good boy! I heard you've achieved some success in your Qi and Blood cultivation?" Master Wang asked with a smile.
"Thank you for your concern, sir. It has indeed achieved some success."
There's nothing to hide about it; the fact that he had achieved minor success in Qi and Blood cultivation spread throughout the city along with the appearance of the Black Horned Leopard in the Da Cang Mountains.
"A minor mastery of martial arts is good. To be able to serve the government, one must at least have a minor mastery of martial arts, Tiger." Master Wang looked at Wang Dahu.
Wang Dahu took out a plaque from his pocket, placed it on the table, and said, "Yumei, brother-in-law, this is a constable position that my father specially ordered me to ask the head constable for. Take this plaque to the county government office and you can be registered."
"This...how can this be allowed?" Mo Danian subconsciously refused.
"Uncle, this is too precious, no, no." Wang Yumei also waved her hand.
The position of a constable may seem insignificant, but it is the official's livelihood, a position one holds for a lifetime.
The official salary, the secret filial piety gifts, and the sense of security that the entire Great Yan Dynasty had backing them up were enough for an ordinary person to live a peaceful and comfortable life for the rest of their life.
This one piece of plaque, if you don't have connections, you can't buy it even for two or three hundred taels of silver.
"Don't rush to refuse, let me finish what I have to say."
Master Wang said, "I remember all the trouble you've gone through for Qing'er. It's just a pity that the two children are not destined to be together. Da Hu has found a disciple for Qing'er to train in the martial arts hall of Jinqing Prefecture."
"This plaque serves two purposes: first, to express my apology and thank you for your kindness to Qing'er; second, since your father is gone, you are my only niece, and I will naturally cherish you."
At this point, he sighed and said meaningfully, "Raising this whole family isn't easy..."
Mo Danian's face flushed red.
Mo Zheng also felt somewhat uncomfortable.
This is a direct accusation that they're living off women.
Wang Dahu laughed and said, "Father, look at what you're saying. This isn't just about your good intentions, but also about Officer He's kindness."
"Brother Mo Zheng, do you recognize Officer He?"
Mo Zheng nodded and said, "We met once when we were at Da Cang Mountain."
"That's it. A few days ago, the prefecture sent martial arts experts to hunt down the demon beast Black Horned Leopard. Constable He was commended by the prefecture for his meritorious service in reporting the news. When he heard that I was doing this job for you, he agreed without hesitation. Not only did my family not spend any money, but he also asked me to pass on his regards to you," Wang Dahu said with a smile.
So there was this other layer of relationship.
Mo Zheng felt a little better.
The same incident occurred when the former headmaster, Du Feng, was dismissed and exiled for causing too many deaths and injuries to his disciples, while Constable He was rewarded for it. It seems that people can have different fates.
However, this Master Wang really doted on his sister-in-law. Because of his affection for her, he went to great lengths to help Wang Dahu find a job with Constable He. He was a truly good person.
They sat for a while, but did not stay for dinner, and then said goodbye and left.
The purpose of this trip was very clear: to tell them that Wang Qing'er had agreed, so they didn't need to worry about it anymore, and the sign was compensation.
Mo Danian and Wang Yumei saw them off. When they returned, Mo Danian sighed and said, "Yumei, it's all my fault for being incompetent and making you suffer."
"I've suffered no injustice. I'm very happy every day following you. You work very hard running the restaurant, but my uncle doesn't know it."
Wang Yumei gently stroked Mo Danian's forehead with her delicate hand and said, "We are husband and wife, we should live a good life behind closed doors and raise Xiaozheng, Xiaotian and Qiu'er. Isn't that better than anything else? Why do you care what others say?"
Mo Danian felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He grasped Wang Yumei's small hand and nodded gently.
The sight of the two being so affectionate made Mo Zheng's skin crawl, and he pulled Mo Xiaotian away.
"Second brother, why are you pulling me? We haven't eaten yet!" Mo Xiaotian asked, puzzled. At his age, he didn't understand many things.
Mo Zheng chuckled and tapped his little head, saying, "You have no sense of propriety at all, all you do is eat. If you stay any longer, you'll get a sty."
……
On the other side, the Wang family of three went out, and passersby avoided them when they saw Wang Dahu dressed as a policeman.
Wang Dahu, unaware that his older son had boasted he could eat a pound of excrement, walked ahead with an air of authority.
Only after they had walked quite a distance did he complain, "Father, why did you insist on giving this token to that second son of the Mo family? Besides his pretty face that looks like he's living off a woman, he walks unsteadily and doesn't seem like someone who has achieved anything in martial arts. We might as well have sold the token ourselves; it's worth several hundred taels of silver!"
"Foolish! Constable He knows about this and hasn't taken our money yet. If you sell us off privately, do you think he'll let you off? I don't know how you became a constable; you have no brains at all!"
Master Wang glared at him and said earnestly, "Moreover, you should think more about your sister Yumei. Her parents are gone, and we are her closest relatives. We should help her in any way we can. If the three Mo brothers are doing well, then she is doing well."
"As for the closest people, I doubt it. They even want Qing'er to jump into the Mo family's fire pit as well."
Wang Dahu pursed his lips and muttered to himself, clearly not agreeing with what his father had said.
Perhaps he looked down not only on the Mo family members, but also on his cousin Wang Yumei. After all, he was a high-ranking constable with twenty or thirty officers under his command, a wealthy man with a wide circle of friends, while Wang Yumei only had a restaurant that had been passed down to her and a good-for-nothing husband.
This tendency to flatter the powerful and belittle the weak is even more pronounced and materialistic among relatives.
……
Afternoon, at the county government office.
"Mo Zheng, aged fourteen, is from Shangyin County. He is an apprentice at a martial arts school and has achieved minor success in Qi and blood cultivation."
After writing down Mo Zheng's message, a minor official said, "Take a look, is there any mistake?"
Mo Zheng shook his head.
Seeing this, the clerk smiled and said, "That's good. From today onwards, you are a constable in the West District. You can go to the storeroom later to collect your waist knife and uniform. Your monthly salary is five taels, and your allowance is seven taels, which will be paid at the beginning of the month."
"Twelve taels a month?"
Mo Zheng was taken aback. He hadn't expected that the constables were paid so well. Twelve taels of silver a month, and after a few years, he could easily afford to get married, have children, and buy a house.
"That's right, five taels were issued by the government, and the remaining seven taels were money raised by merchants in the city to help the brothers with their hard work."
The clerk explained with a smile, "Of course, since we've taken their benefits, we also have to protect their business. We patrol twice a day, morning and evening, for half an hour each time, and arrest anyone who causes trouble."
So that's how it is; this is the money for buying peace of mind.
Mo Zheng suddenly realized and asked, "I need to practice martial arts at the martial arts school during the day. I wonder if it would be possible to schedule the patrols for the night?"
He needs to practice swordsmanship and stance training during the day, but it's okay for him to rest a little later at night. His meditation time won't be too long, and it can replace some sleep, so he can go to bed a little later.
"That's not something I can decide. You have to go to your squad leader. If he agrees, it won't matter if you don't go on patrol."
The clerk paused for a moment, then said, "Since you're one of Wang's men, I'll give you a heads-up: Li, the head of the West District, loves fine wine the most. I suppose you know what to do about it."
……