"You have no connections. Without help, it will be very difficult for you to establish yourself in the South City Bureau."
Yang Jin said seriously, "Besides, you've offended Xing Zhao Fu. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll soon be trapped and killed by him.
If you want to survive, you must build up your own reputation as quickly as possible."
"You're suggesting I cultivate a reputation?"
Su Mu mused.
Surprise flickered across Yang Jin's face. He'd only heard the term 'cultivating a reputation' once by chance, back when he was serving in the army. It wasn't a term common folk would know.
'Su Mu came from a refugee background, so how could he possibly know this term?'
"That's right. Cultivating a reputation. If you build up enough of a reputation, even Xing Zhao Fu wouldn't dare to harm you recklessly."
Yang Jin nodded.
'In his previous life's terms, some constables were like auxiliary police, while others were like official police officers.'
'But Xing Zhao Fu was the equivalent of a district police chief. Wouldn't dealing with a lowly officer be child's play for him?'
'But if that lowly officer were a major internet celebrity, the situation would be entirely different.'
"Attacking the Black Dragon Stronghold is dangerous, but it's also an opportunity. If you can bring back the head of its leader, you'll definitely catch the attention of the powerful figures in the Inner City. A meteoric rise wouldn't even be out of the question."
Yang Jin said seriously, "And that's something you can't do alone. You need help."
"And you're the one to help?"
"I am."
"Alright, I'll believe for now that you can actually help me. So, what's in it for you?
Why are you helping me?"
Su Mu continued, thinking aloud, "Like you said, the leaders of the Black Dragon Stronghold are all Martial Artists of the Body Tempering Realm. Even if we could kill them, we'd have to pay a tremendous price.
What are you after, taking such a huge risk to help me?"
"Naturally, I want something in return."
Yang Jin stated plainly, "If you survive this, I want you to help me kill someone when you're powerful enough one day!"
"Your skill with the bow is no less than my own. A person you can't kill is someone I can't kill, either,"
Su Mu said.
"You can't kill them now, but that doesn't mean you won't be able to in the future,"
Yang Jin said. "I admit, I'm gambling here. But you've already achieved a fair level of mastery with your blade at such a young age, and all without any resources.
I'm willing to bet that with the right opportunities, your future accomplishments will be no less than Xing Zhao Fu's."
"You sure think highly of me,"
Su Mu scoffed. "Even if I could, I don't just kill people without reason. Otherwise, how would I be any different from Xing Zhao Fu?"
"You don't need to worry about that. The person I'll have you kill is someone who absolutely deserves to die,"
Yang Jin said.
"Besides, do you have a choice?"
Yang Jin gave a wry smile. "I don't have a choice, and neither do you. We both have to gamble.
If this gamble pays off, you get a chance to climb the ladder. Even if you go back on your word in the future and refuse to help me, I'll have no way to hold you to it. Right now, I'm just taking a chance—betting you'll make it, and betting you'll keep your promise.
Of course, if we lose, we both die. Then there's no future to worry about."
Su Mu was silent for a long moment before speaking slowly. "You've convinced me. I can agree to your terms. If I have the power one day, and if the person truly deserves to die, I'll help you kill them."
'Su Mu didn't ask who Yang Jin wanted him to kill. It was undoubtedly someone he couldn't kill right now—perhaps even a major figure with a powerful background.'
'Otherwise, Yang Jin wouldn't be so desperate that he'd bet on some random person he just met.'
"Your word is enough,"
Yang Jin said. "Though Xing Zhao Fu might not move against you within the city, we can't rule out the possibility.
Our 'reputation-cultivating' plan needs to start at once.
The more famous you are, the less likely Xing Zhao Fu will be to touch you!"
"What do you have in mind?"
Su Mu's heart stirred.
'Based on his experience, even when his identity and profession remained the same, the rate at which he gained Identity Points fluctuated based on his performance.'
'Back when he had no official standing, the baseline for his Hunter profession was one Point per day. But as his hunting skills improved, the rate shot up to two Points per day.'
'In other words, the better he performed his job, the faster he would gain Identity Points above the baseline.'
'So, the better he was at being a Hunter, the faster his Identity Points increased, right?'
'Cultivating a reputation while also increasing the rate he gained Points… he could kill two birds with one stone.'
"A constable's reputation is built on arresting thieves and capturing dangerous criminals."
Yang Jin said without hesitation, clearly having thought this through already.
"I know a villain from the Most Wanted List who's hiding right here in South City. If you can bring him to justice, you'll make a huge name for yourself here."
"The Most Wanted List?"
Su Mu was thoughtful.
"`The Most Wanted List` is just a colloquial term. It's really just a public ranking of the fugitives the Government Office has put out a warrant for,"
Yang Jin explained. "The higher the bounty, the stronger the fugitive, and the more heinous their crimes, the higher they are on the list.
The three leaders of the Black Dragon Stronghold are on it.
The head boss is ranked 98th, the second-in-command is 134th, and the third boss is 207th."
'A ruthless character like the third boss of the Black Dragon Stronghold was only ranked 207th?'
Su Mu instantly had a new appreciation for just how credible the Most Wanted List was.
'After all, the third boss of the Black Dragon Stronghold had nearly turned South City upside down all by himself.'
'And that was just the 207th-ranked villain.'
'What about those in the top hundred, or even the top ten—'
'The thought alone was terrifying.'
"Who's more terrifying: the criminals on the Most Wanted List, or demons?"
Su Mu suddenly asked, changing the subject. He was thinking of the demon from that other night.
'That demon felt much stronger than even the third boss of the Black Dragon Stronghold.'
"Demons, of course,"
Yang Jin said. "Even the weakest demon can be stronger than a Martial Artist at the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering.
But demons aren't handled by constables like you, so you don't need to worry. The chances of a demon appearing inside the city are very slim, anyway.
Outside the city walls, however, you do have to watch out for them."
He didn't know much about demons himself, so he quickly got back on topic. "The criminal I mentioned is Du Qian, the Pink Wolf, ranked 299th on the list."
"Pink Wolf?"
"Du Qian is a flower thief. He's known for using a type of pink knockout smoke, which is how he got the name Pink Wolf,"
Yang Jin explained. "Du Qian himself isn't that strong—First Stage of Body Tempering at most. His main talents lie in his knockout smoke and Lightweight Skill.
Our bows are the perfect counter to him."
There were Four Stages of Body Tempering, the first being Skin Tempering. A person at this stage had strength only slightly greater than a common person; the increase was limited.
Unless their martial skills were exceptional, a Skin Tempering Martial Artist could handle three to five ordinary men at most.
Su Mu and Yang Jin were not ordinary men.
Leaving Su Mu aside, Yang Jin was a former army Archer trained in the art of killing. Under the right circumstances, he could potentially even kill a Skin Tempering Martial Artist by himself.
A battle to the death wasn't just about one's cultivation realm.
"He's the one,"
Su Mu said after a moment of thought. "Can you find his hiding place?"
"I have some old army buddies who are running with the gangs now. They've been keeping tabs on Du Qian,"
Yang Jin said.
'Su Mu's mind raced. Yang Jin was a deep one. It looked like he had planned this from the start; otherwise, there would have been no reason to scout Du Qian's movements ahead of time.'
'Su Mu also understood that Yang Jin was saying this to show off his resources, to prove he had the means to help him.'
Just then, a cry like that of a Night Owl echoed from the distance.
Yang Jin's head snapped up, a glint in his eyes.
"Speak of the devil! Du Qian is making his move tonight!"
Yang Jin said in a low voice.
Before the words were even out of his mouth, Su Mu had already stepped outside.
Yang Jin froze for a second. Su Mu poked his head back in.
"What are you waiting for? Lead the way."