An unknown amount of time passed before Su Mu slowly opened his eyes.
He stirred, a searing pain coursing through his entire body, as if countless steel needles had pierced his every pore.
Su Mu took several deep breaths, and the pain began to subside. At the same time, a warm current surged beneath his skin, easing his agony even more.
After a moment, the pain had subsided to a tolerable level. Su Mu slowly sat up and looked down to inspect his skin.
His skin looked much firmer than before. If one looked closely, they could even discover that its surface seemed to be covered with fine, golden scales.
Su Mu unsheathed his saber and forcefully slashed at his skin.
The blade met the golden scales with the resistance of slicing through thick cowhide.
When he lifted the steel saber away, he saw only a shallow white mark left on his skin.
A look of delight spread across Su Mu's face. He hadn't used much force, but it was a sharp blade, after all.
Previously, a cut like that would have certainly drawn blood.
'Initial Skin Tempering already has this kind of effect. If I reach Skin Tempering Perfection, I bet an ordinary person with a regular blade would have a hard time even piercing my skin.'
Su Mu was extremely satisfied with the effects of the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique.
He stood up and casually performed a few saber flourishes.
'The strength increase isn't huge, but my stamina has improved significantly. Before, I'd be exhausted after using the Submerging Wave Saber Momentum just once at full power. Now, I should be able to use it twice.'
Su Mu assessed the changes in his body.
Being able to use the Submerging Wave Saber Momentum one more time might not seem like much, but at a critical moment, it could be the difference between life and death.
By stepping into the First Stage of Body Tempering, he had already created a gap between himself and an ordinary adult male. The gap might not be wide now, but as his power grew, it would only widen.
[Name: Su Mu]
[Identity: Constable (Official)]
[Points: 10]
[Cultivation Technique: Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique (Initial)]
[Martial Arts: Submerging Wave Saber Technique (Perfection), Archery (Entry-level)]
After familiarizing himself with the power of his initial Skin Tempering, Su Mu called up his system panel.
He focused his attention on the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique.
"Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique, from Initial to Major success, requires 300 Points."
Su Mu murmured to himself as he read the prompt that appeared on the panel.
'If I earn an average of 15 Points a day, 300 Points will take 20 days.'
Five days for initial success, twenty days for major success... For an ordinary person, this rate of progress in Skin Tempering was simply unimaginable.
Even the scions of great families, who had no shortage of Spiritual Liquid for their cultivation, were limited by how much medicinal power their bodies could endure each day. Reaching major success in Skin Tempering would take them at least one or two years of bitter effort.
But with the panel's help, Su Mu's Skin Tempering efficiency was pushed to its absolute limit. The process was painful, but the results were more than satisfying.
'My starting point is lower than others. If I'm not willing to suffer a little, how can I ever hope to catch up to the accumulated resources of several generations?'
'With the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique, I just need to lie low and be cautious. In half a year to a year at most, I can reach Skin Tempering Perfection. By then, with my Submerging Wave Saber Momentum, there will be few people in the Outer City who can threaten my life.' With Skin Tempering Perfection and the Submerging Wave Saber Momentum, even an ordinary expert at the Second Stage of Body Tempering might not be his match.
In the Outer City, those at the Third Stage of Body Tempering could be counted on one hand; even experts at the Second Stage of Body Tempering were exceedingly rare.
As his thoughts trailed off, Su Mu began to feel weary. He tidied up a bit and went to bed.
...
The next morning, Su Mu arrived at the South City Government Office just as the sky began to lighten at the crack of dawn.
Lately, he had been the most dedicated constable in the South City Bureau, always the first to arrive and the last to leave—outworking his colleagues and exhausting himself in the process.
Usually, at this hour, the Government Office was practically deserted.
But today, when Su Mu arrived at the squad room, seven or eight constables were already gathered together, discussing something in hushed tones.
Curious, Su Mu walked over.
"Twenty-one people. From the top of the household to the bottom, twenty-one people, and not a single one left alive. They died horribly."
The speaker was a veteran constable named Zhang San.
"There wasn't a single complete body left. Even the forensic doctor threw up several times just trying to piece the remains together."
Zhang San gesticulated wildly. "It's a good thing I've seen a lot in my day. If any of you had been there, you'd have puked your guts out, even worse than that forensic doctor."
Su Mu stood on the edge of the group, listening for a moment until he understood what had happened.
A murder had occurred last night in South City.
The Outer City was always chaotic, especially at night. Gang fights were endless, and people dying was hardly a rare occurrence.
But this case was different. Not only because of the sheer number of dead, but because the victims were a wealthy South City family with relatives among the bigwigs of the Inner City.
"If you ask me, the killer is most likely one of the fugitives from the wanted list."
Zhang San concluded.
"Everyone be careful on patrol for the next few days. Whatever you do, don't run into this killer. If you do, just run for it," another veteran constable added.
"Heh heh."
Zhang San chuckled. "Still, if you do run into him, you could call it a stroke of luck. Lord Sima himself said that whoever catches the killer gets an immediate promotion to squad leader."
"You'd have to live to enjoy it."
The constables all had a firm grip on reality.
The fugitives on the wanted list were experts at the First Stage of Body Tempering at a minimum. If these constables had that kind of power, wouldn't they already be squad leaders?
The group chatted for a while longer. By the time the sky had fully brightened, they were yawning as they dispersed.
"Heh, who knows what kind of rotten luck the Zhao Family ran into. Not long ago, Landlord Zhao was murdered, and now his entire family has been wiped out. A pity about that vast fortune... no owner for it now."
Zhang San called out in a sing-song voice as the group broke up, almost as if he were performing in an opera.
Su Mu's footsteps faltered. 'Landlord Zhao? Why does that sound familiar?'
'Right, Zhang Chong of the Chai Bang once suspected me of murdering Landlord Zhao.'
Su Mu shook his head. 'What does it have to do with me?'
'My priority right now is to lie low, build my strength in secret, and avoid trouble. The less I get involved, the better.'
...
Over the next few days, Su Mu remained as diligent as ever in his duties, not slacking off in the slightest.
He had assumed that the Zhao Family massacre, like so many other cases in South City, would quickly die down and turn into another cold case.
This time, however, things didn't quiet down. Instead, they escalated.
Following the Zhao Family massacre, two more horrific incidents occurred in quick succession in South City.
Just like with the Zhao Family, entire households were wiped out, and all the victims were wealthy families from South City.
Su Mu personally visited one of the crime scenes. The courtyard had been littered with severed limbs, and the stench of blood lingered in his nostrils for days afterward.
Sima Hu Yuxing and the acting head constable, Zhao Ji, were growing anxious. They ordered the constables to intensify patrols and posted public notices to placate the citizens, vowing to bring the murderer to justice.
"I hear our Lord Sima was on track for a promotion. With all these massacres happening one after another, it's bound to affect his performance review. No wonder he's so anxious. A reward of three hundred taels of silver and a promotion to squad leader for whoever catches the killer... tsk, tsk."
A few black-robed constables ambled down the street, one of them speaking up.
"If I had three hundred taels of silver, I'd head straight to the Cuihong Building and get two girls... no, three! I'd have fun all night long!"
another constable said.
"Look at you, with your pathetic ambitions. If you're going to go, at least go to the Imperial Music Bureau. The Cuihong Building is for common lowlifes. You can't even dream big. Serves you right to be a bottom-rung constable for the rest of your life."
A constable sneered. "If it were me, I'd bed the top Courtesan!"
...