A timid little deer?

As expected of a technique originating from a prominent medical family. What's the use of Black-grade? It's purely non-lethal, still only suitable for being a medical officer.

After finishing the conversion, Li Cheng颐 stood up, pushed open the door, and stepped into the courtyard.

From here, he could see the city's black fortresses standing tall like giant trees, casting huge shadows that blocked most of the sunlight.

Now that the Deer King Qi was converted, all that remained was to modify himself according to the form of the True Seal Spirit to complete the fusion. But how should this modification be carried out to ensure coordination?

Yes, the modification had to be natural and coordinated to successfully attract the True Seal Spirit.

This was the difficulty of this stage of martial arts.

Standing in the courtyard, Li Cheng颐 gazed at the tiny figures of martial artists flying around on a distant fortress, lost in thought.

Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door again.

His senses activated, and he instantly detected that a martial artist was standing outside, and a rather powerful True Qi martial artist at that.

This True Qi martial artist had a vast amount of True Qi within them, roughly a third of his own total. Judging from the aura, the purity was far superior. It seemed to be one of the experts in the city.

"Please come in." Li Cheng颐 raised a hand, and True Qi transformed into threads, lifting the latch.

The courtyard door opened, and a tall woman with long hair draped over her shoulders, a charming face with a hint of flamboyance, wearing tight brown leather armor and a short knife at her waist, walked into the courtyard.

The woman had a flat chest, but her arms and thighs were exposed, revealing tan skin and solid, bulging muscles.

On her left chest was a silver badge of the Shen Wu Si (Divine Martial Division), a simple circular plate with the characters for "Shen Wu" engraved on it.

"Wang Yi Chen? Vice Commander Wang?" She greeted Li Cheng颐 with a smile, "I am Zhang Shu Xiang, now in charge of the Third Battalion, holding the first-ranked battalion commander position."

"So it's Commander Zhang, Sir Zhang!" Li Cheng颐 quickly stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting, his expression serious.

"I wanted to visit you some time ago, but I couldn't find the place. I didn't expect you to personally come to my humble abode. It's truly..."

"We're all martial artists, no need for so much nonsense. Come, come, come, I heard you're a famous martial arts genius, and you made a great contribution in the county before coming here. Let's sit down and chat."

Zhang Shu Xiang entered, and with a wave of her hand, True Qi precisely put the latch back in place, locking the door.

As if she were in her own home, she walked to the living room, sat down at the wooden table, picked up Li Cheng颐's teapot, and poured herself a cup.

"You're certainly straightforward." Li Cheng颐 saw through her personality, and without being long-winded, he followed her, sat down, poured tea, and raised his cup.

After they both downed their cups in one gulp, Zhang Shu Xiang put down her cup and carefully sized up Li Cheng颐.

"I came this time to see if you've gotten a clear understanding of the situation here. This Qu Ling Prefecture is different from other places. Here, you have to abide by the rules here. It's completely different from the previous county."

"Rules? What rules are there?" Li Cheng颐 asked, surprised.

"It's actually very simple." Zhang Shu Xiang smiled, "You've been here for some time now, have you ever wondered why you don't even have a single subordinate yet? Have you looked at the roster in the battalion? Did you find that it's all filled with people with connections, and you haven't seen a single one?"

"Yes. Please enlighten me, Sir. I would be extremely grateful." Li Cheng颐 nodded repeatedly.

This Qu Ling Prefecture was far larger than Cang Shi County. As a result, he, a dignified vice commander, had become a lone wolf?

Something wasn't right.

"Actually, the reason is very simple. In this place, you have to 'bai men' (pay respects to the gate), meaning you have to choose one of the three families that mainly lead the Shen Wu Si in Qu Ling Prefecture: the Ouyang family, the Huang family, and the Qi family. You must choose one of these three factions to gain a foothold in this prefectural city," Zhang Shu Xiang explained.

"Bai men?" Li Cheng颐 frowned slightly. He didn't have the time to go around paying respects to any gates. If he had time to engage in these relationship-building activities, he would have already cultivated his True Qi to over two hundred years.

"Of course, you don't have to 'bai men', but just don't expect people to cooperate with you or give you face when you're carrying out official duties. Many times, it's not about whether you're right, but whether you can carry out what you want to do. This requires strength, relationships, and whether people are willing to help you and stand with you," Zhang Shu Xiang said with a smile.

"These three families have such deep backgrounds?" Li Cheng颐 asked, puzzled.

"Well, the essence of the three families is that they are attached to Lord Tian Can (Heavenly Silkworm), one of the Four Yin Gods. There are many forces in this city attached to the Four Yin Gods. Everyone is actually just nominally affiliated. In reality, the Four Yin Gods are too lazy to pay attention to you. They might not even know your name, so don't worry about it."

She paused and continued, "As for who to 'bai men', you can choose for yourself after buying specific intelligence from the Ya Ren Fu (Crow People Prefecture). I won't say much more. Next, you have to find your own people."

".I'm a vice commander, and I still have to find my own people?" Li Cheng颐 was speechless.

"Yes, if you have official duties to do, and you don't have anyone under you, you can only do it yourself. Wouldn't that be tiring? Would you still have time to cultivate True Qi?" Zhang Shu Xiang shook her head with a smile. "So, you need people, you need subordinates, and this is what we often call 'wai gu' (external hiring)."

She poured herself another cup of tea.

"In our Qu Ling Prefecture, externally hired personnel basically account for more than 80% of the workforce. They are an indispensable force in the operation of the entire prefectural city."

".Then the cost of this external hiring"

"You pay for it yourself." Zhang Shu Xiang blinked.

"I pay for it myself?" Li Cheng颐 felt that this place was truly bizarre. He had to pay out of his own pocket to complete official duties?

"If you don't complete them, you'll be demoted and held accountable. If you want to stay here, if you want to stay here, this is the rule."

"Then being an official really isn't very interesting." Li Cheng颐 shook his head, a little disappointed.

"Hey, now that we've talked about the troublesome and bad aspects, let's talk about the good aspects, the benefits." Zhang Shu Xiang smiled, clearly having used this routine many times.

And it worked again.

"I'm all ears," Li Cheng颐 said, steeling himself, waiting for the rest of the story.

"First, there's housing. As long as you serve in your position for three years, this courtyard you're living in will belong to you. According to the current land prices in Qu Ling Prefecture, a courtyard like this, in this location, is worth at least several million qian (coins)." She made a gesture with her hand.

"Then, all the merchants in your jurisdiction need to pay you an 'an jin fei' (security fee) every month. This isn't a tax, it's not entered into the books, but everyone pays it. Generally, a vice commander makes at least a million qian a month. The commission from the flow of money is terrifyingly high."

"Finally, as a vice commander, you are qualified to attend Yin Yue Zhenren's (Shadow Moon True Person) Tian Ju Ge (Heaven Gathering Pavilion) lectures, held once every five years. Yin Yue Zhenren is ranked seventh on the Feng Tian Bang (Sealing Heaven List), and his strength is extremely terrifying. Even if he just casually says something, it's enough for us to comprehend and improve a lot. Even if the Zhenren practices Blood Essence Martial Dao, there are still many things in common with True Seal cultivation."

Seeing Li Cheng颐's somewhat unimpressed expression, Zhang Shu Xiang continued to explain.

"Besides the lectures, the Yu Ye Dan Lu Jiu (Jade Leaf Dew Wine) supplied at the dojo, one portion for each person, can at least make your physique stronger and more capable of self-healing, preparing you for the fusion of the True Seal in the future. The first time you drink it, it can even have a subtle life-extending effect."

After hearing these benefits one after another, Li Cheng颐 understood why Zhang Shu Xiang said that many people were unwilling to leave, despite facing so many troubles and difficulties.

If one could steadily earn money in this Qu Ling Prefecture for a few years, after leaving, they could go anywhere and live a life of ease and comfort in their old age.

"Of course, the main purpose of my visit this time isn't for this, but to see just how much of a genius this famous martial artist of yours is."

"Then you've seen it now, Sir. I'm just an ordinary person, with no extra nose or eyes," Li Cheng颐 said with a smile.

"I saw on your roster that you're not yet married? Is that true?" Zhang Shu Xiang asked, with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

"Yes, I haven't established a career yet, how dare I start a family?" Li Cheng颐 sighed.

"You've reached this point at your age, which is already stronger than many disciples from great families. What more do you want? Why not find a good match first, borrow strength to advance further, and rise to the top? Maybe your future will be even better than mine," Zhang Shu Xiang said pointedly.

A genius, young, not bad looking, with a clean background, such a newcomer was very popular with the families in the city.

"This" Li Cheng颐 immediately realized that she was here to be a matchmaker?

What level of person could have moved the battalion commander to personally come and plead?

As Zhang Shu Xiang continued to hint, the person behind the scenes finally surfaced.

"Ouyang family's second young lady, Ouyang Qing, is nineteen years old this year, in the prime of her youth. She is beautiful, has a graceful figure, and her family is even more prominent. She is a good match for you now."

"Uh"

"Actually, with Second Young Lady Qing's background and qualifications, and the fact that she is a Blood Essence martial artist herself, it wouldn't be your turn if it weren't for a stroke of luck.

Unfortunately, three months ago, she was deceived by a scoundrel and was heartbroken. The medical officer advised that she needs to get married as soon as possible, so that a stable married life can dilute the past hurts. In the short term, you are the most suitable candidate. That's how they really found you."

Zhang Shu Xiang's words were reasonable, and finally, she took out a portrait of Second Young Lady Qing from her bosom.

Li Cheng颐 took it and looked at it.

Indeed, she wasn't lying. A slender beauty in a red dress, with a figure far surpassing the battalion commander in front of him, could be rated an 80 even in the age of the internet.

However

This woman, no matter how he looked at her, seemed to have a kind of

Indescribable temperament.

Li Cheng颐 instinctively felt that there was a problem.

Sure enough, Zhang Shu Xiang continued to add, "As long as you marry into the Ouyang family, you're guaranteed to have a meteoric rise in the future. In Qu Ling Prefecture, you might be higher than me in no time." She said it herself with an envious look.

"Marry in?" Li Cheng颐 immediately understood.

So the pit was waiting for him here.

"Don't look down on marrying in. With Second Young Lady Qing's conditions in the Ouyang family, countless talented young men in the city are dreaming of it, waiting in line." Zhang Shu Xiang advised.

But seeing that Li Cheng颐's expression was not right, she immediately felt a pang of anxiety, knowing that something was wrong.

"This, the conditions are indeed very good, but unfortunately, I, Wang, am not blessed to enjoy them. Since there are many talented young men in the city waiting in line, I won't steal the beauty of others. It's better to give this opportunity to others," Li Cheng颐 sighed.

"Ah, this is the fastest way for you to gain a foothold here. It's rare for the Ouyang family to value you." Zhang Shu Xiang still wanted to persuade him.

"Commander, why don't you talk about what kind of work we in the Shen Wu Si usually need to do? Let's talk about official business," Li Cheng颐 declined.

(End of Chapter)