Chapter 75 - 67: Demon Skill Scholar

Chapter 75: Chapter 67: Demon Skill Scholar

Master Zheng was usually amiable and kind. Who knew why he was acting so fiercely today?

"Rest assured, I won’t shortchange you," Zheng Jun said. He casually tossed out broken silver roughly equivalent to two or three taels and declared boldly, "Keep the change."

Seeing the silver left the shopkeeper with nothing more to say. A fawning smile immediately returned to his face.

Sun Bu naturally remained silent the entire time. He knew very well that Zheng Jun definitely had business with him.

In a short while, the roast duck and jujube wine were prepared. Sun Bu picked up the packaged duck and wine and immediately followed Zheng Jun out. On the main street, he trailed closely behind Zheng Jun, blending in perfectly like a proper waiter.

Only when they reached a sparsely populated area did Zheng Jun finally speak up. "Magistrate Meng’s carrier pigeons fly to the Yan Mountain Range. I don’t know anything else yet."

Hearing Zheng Jun’s words, Sun Bu was visibly taken aback, but he quickly recovered. "Understood... Did you learn this from Xu Heng?"

"You could say that," Zheng Jun replied.

Indirect information still counted as information.

"Intelligence from the Commandery stated that Xu Heng was a dark scout for the rebel Zhang Bengong. How did he get involved with the County Magistrate? The carrier pigeons go to Yan Mountain, but Zhang Bengong is in Xuanzhou, in the northwest." Sun Bu was clearly suspicious of this information.

The Yan Mountain Range spanned across the three states of Bozhou, Yunzhou, and Shouzhou. However, its main body lay within Yunzhou. Bozhou and Shouzhou only contained some branch ranges—Black Mountain, for example, was one such branch.

Meanwhile, the rebel Zhang Bengong was located in Xuanzhou, northwest of Bozhou. The two were worlds apart.

Hearing Sun Bu’s words, Zheng Jun’s first reaction was, "Who is Zhang Bengong?"

But he quickly realized who it was. This Zhang Bengong should be the second biggest rebel against the Emperor of Great Zhou, the Great Righteous King of the Roving Bandits. Rumor had it that he was originally a great general of the Xuanzhou Border Army. He had rebelled because of unpaid military wages and had been wreaking havoc in the northwestern states for several years.

Of course, the absolute number one rebel faction still belonged to that massive gathering of outlaws on Celestial King Mountain. After all, those rebels genuinely had a Primordial Pill Martial Saint holding the fort.

"This is the result of my investigation. Believe it or not!" Zheng Jun kept a straight face, speaking to Sun Bu with a forceful tone. Inwardly, he thought, "It seems Bo Zhangjiu didn’t care about the County Magistrate’s affairs at all, so he never leaked Meng Xian’s dealings with the Yan Mountains to the Garrison Command. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be my turn to claim this merit."

But which faction occupied the Yan Mountains? Was it the great bandits of Yan Mountain, the feudal lords of Yunzhou, His Highness King Yan of Great Zhou, or... the Northern Demon Court?

Regardless of which one it was, it had nothing to do with him.

After hearing Zheng Jun’s words, Sun Bu didn’t know what to say for a moment. Finally, he replied, "I will report this truthfully. If the intelligence is accurate, the merit will naturally be yours. If it is false, you will be punished for transmitting fake intelligence! Captain Zheng has a bright future ahead. You had better think this through clearly."

"It’s guaranteed true," Zheng Jun stated confidently.

He felt a bit guilty inside. "Bo Zhangjiu, Senior Brother Wang! You wouldn’t lie to me, right? If you did, I can only claim that I’m exposing the remnant evils of Southern Chu for harboring malicious intentions to overthrow the Great Zhou empire. I’ll say that I, Zheng Jun, have been a loyal subject of Great Zhou since the day I was born, and I was deep undercover in Southern Chu gathering evidence. If you don’t believe me, just look—Zhang Qingyu, a remnant of Southern Chu, was killed by me."

Having received Zheng Jun’s guarantee, Sun Bu gave a grunt of acknowledgment, terminating the conversation. He reverted to his waiter persona and trailed behind Zheng Jun, delivering the roast duck and fruit wine to the Zheng Mansion.

After dropping them off, he took his leave.

Coincidentally, Zhou Pu returned from his shift at the government office, and the three of them ate together.

As the drinks flowed, Zheng Ping and Zhou Pu had endless discussions about how to decorate the Zheng Mansion. Zheng Jun didn’t spoil their mood, letting them freely express their ideas. Meanwhile, he headed to the Military Department to drill the soldiers and practice his Saber Technique.

Now, Zheng Jun no longer shied away from the fact that he had attained Mastery in the Wave-Treading Saber.

Many people vaguely suspected that the deaths of Zhao Da and Zhao Er were somehow connected to Zheng Jun, but no one dared to speak up.

After all, Zhao Da and Zhao Er were merely two Black Officials. Dead meant dead; who would offend a Standard Eighth Grade military captain over two dead men?

Even if they did speak up, it wouldn’t necessarily bring this military captain down. After all, the case had already been concluded as the doing of Lou Wei and Liang Fan. Overturning the case would be slapping the faces of the honorable County Magistrates of the Black Mountain County Government Office and the Ti Cavalry of the Garrison Command.

Did they still want to make a living in Black Mountain County?

After his usual routine of drilling the dozens of County Soldiers and discussing conscription matters with Vice Captain Yang Jun, Zheng Jun saw that the night was getting late and decided to head back to his new home to rest.

The courtyard of the new house was massive and quite empty, but to Zheng Jun, this was nothing.

Possessing vigorous Qi and Blood, Zheng Jun swallowed a Qi Storage Pill upon returning home and began his martial arts practice for the day. Following the insights of the Broken Jade Skill Cultivation Technique, he adjusted his posture and practiced in sync with its breathing methods. He was entirely focused, free from any distracting thoughts.

As he regulated his breathing, the Qi and Blood within Zheng Jun’s body began to surge violently. His muscles bulged and contracted, his pores opened, and thick tendons became visible beneath his skin. Glistening beads of sweat seeped from his pores as he continuously absorbed the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth.

This process repeated over and over. Within the melting furnace of Zheng Jun’s body, the Spiritual Qi was gradually compressed. Like trickling streams merging together, it transformed into roaring waves that continuously echoed within his Dantian.

"HISS."

Cold sweat beaded on Zheng Jun’s forehead. His Dantian felt swollen, as if it was overflowing with too much True Qi.