Da Xuan Martial Saint Chapter 5: Chapter 5 Youying

After exiting the jail cells, Chen Mu made a quick departure.

He had no desire to linger at the City Guard General’s headquarters; the air there felt stifling and heavy. However, as he crossed the front courtyard and passed the massive City Defense Tower, a flicker of movement on a fourth-floor balcony caught his eye. There, he spotted a figure dressed in a white flying fish robe.

Even from a distance, he could tell it was a woman, likely quite young. Her beauty seemed to justify the poetic praise of "sinking fish and falling geese"; such compliments would hardly be considered exaggerations in her case.

"Is that the South City District’s Chief Constable?" Chen Mu wondered.

He stole only a brief glance before immediately shifting his focus elsewhere.

Of the four administrative districts—East, South, West, and North—only the South City District was commanded by a female Chief Constable. Despite her gender, no one in the city dared to view her with anything less than respect. While a Head Constable might rely on nepotism and a Prefecture Chief might be a person of average talent, one could not hold the position of Chief Constable under the City Guard General without possessing formidable personal power, regardless of their political backing.

In his mind, he began to reflect on the various external techniques of this world, such as Blade Techniques and Swordsmanship, as well as the legendary "Internal Techniques."

From what he understood, Internal Techniques were real, but the requirements and difficulty of practicing them far exceeded any external skill. A single portion of Medicinal Powder could cost dozens of Silver taels. Cultivating Internal Techniques was essentially a way of burning through wealth, which explained why they were so rare.

Yet, the true elites were those who mastered Internal Cultivation. A practitioner of external skills might reach the peak of their craft and manifest Blade Momentum, allowing them to fight ten men at once, but that was their ceiling. In contrast, those with Internal Techniques possessed vast Inner Breath and incredible endurance; legends claimed they could hold their ground against hundreds or even thousands of foes!

"That Chief Constable is surely a powerful practitioner of Internal Techniques. It is a shame I have no way to obtain such methods," Chen Mu thought, shaking his head slightly.

He wasn't captivated by her beauty; rather, it was the Dharma Doors of internal training that interested him. He found himself wondering if his system could force the accumulation of experience points for Internal Cultivation Methods as well.

His mind wandered for a moment before he regained his focus. He knew he shouldn't be overly ambitious yet. His immediate goal was to master the Raging Wind Blade Technique and then seek a path for further advancement. Once he had attained sufficient status and strength, he could then look for the Dharma Doors to internal training.

With those thoughts, Chen Mu quickly departed from the City Guard General’s grounds.

At that same moment, Xu Hongyu, the Chief Constable standing on the tower balcony, looked down at the courtyard with a trace of anxiety. Her eyes swept over Chen Mu’s retreating back but did not linger; he was just another Prefecture Officer passing through, indistinguishable from the many others she saw every day.

...

Chen Mu didn't slow his pace as he hurried toward his home.

The City Guard General’s office was a significant distance from his residence, and evening was approaching. Even though his officer’s uniform provided some protection, being out after dark was still hazardous. A single unlucky encounter could result in him becoming a nameless corpse tossed into a gutter by morning.

Increasing his speed, Chen Mu reached his house while there was still a bit of daylight left. Chen Hong had been waiting for him with such anxiety that every minute must have felt like a year.

The moment she saw him, she rushed forward to meet him.

"Third Aunt," Chen Mu said with a nod. "The head jailer took the Silver. He promised not to be too hard on my cousin for the next month or two. However, we will need to figure out a more permanent solution after that."

Hearing this, Chen Hong finally let out a long breath of relief. "That’s good, that’s good..." she whispered.

Over the past few days, she had been desperately trying to find a way to help her son, but she had been met with closed doors at every turn. Being able to secure his safety for now was a blessing, and she was grateful the head jailer was willing to negotiate. At the very least, Zhang Hai’s life was safe for the time being. As for what would happen in two months, they would have to deal with that when the time came.

Chen Mu guided Chen Hong to a seat.

"Third Aunt, try not to worry too much. We will handle the future when it arrives. There might be a change in circumstances in the coming days."

In truth, if Zhang Hai’s trouble had happened later, Chen Mu might have already become a Head Constable with actual influence. Furthermore, if he could reach the level of Blade Momentum at his current age, he might even catch the attention of someone like the Chief Constable, which would make freeing Zhang Hai much easier.

Perhaps this was simply a trial Zhang Hai had to endure. For now, there wasn't much more Chen Mu could do—and he was hesitant to get too deeply involved if it meant risking his own future plans.

Once she was seated, Chen Hong began to regain her composure.

Given her years of experience, the news that Zhang Hai was safe for now allowed her to calm down quickly.

"Yes, we can only take it one step at a time," she sighed. "It is my own fault for being too indulgent with him since he was a boy... Xiaomu, the hour is late. Why don't you and Yue’er come over to my house for a simple meal?"

Chen Mu noticed a spark of excitement in Chen Yue’s eyes, but he still declined. "No, it’s already late. By the time we finished eating, it would be pitch black. We would end up having to stay the night at your place, which would be too much trouble for you."

"It's no trouble at all," Chen Hong insisted, waving her hand. "I would be happy to have you both... umm..."

She stopped mid-sentence, appearing to recall something. After a moment of hesitation, she continued, "Xiaomu, do you have any memory of Youying? She is the daughter from little Hai’s fourth uncle’s family. She used to visit your home when you were both children."

Chen Mu felt a bit confused by the sudden change in topic.

The memory was old, dating back to the time before he had arrived in this world. He possessed all the memories of his predecessor, though some of the older ones were slightly faded.

As Chen Hong spoke, he searched through his mind until he managed to recall the blurry image of a young girl.