Supreme Martial Venerable: Starting with the White Ape Cloak Hammer skill point allocation

Chapter 95 Trouble (Please Subscribe)

Zhou Yuan, his body hunched over, slowly disappeared from Dong Hailou's sight.

He was trying his best to hold back, fearing that he would burst out laughing.

He came today to resign from his position as commander of the city guards.

Three Qi and Blood Pills for a house, and Dong Hailou, who was obsessed with money, also gave him a Beast Blood Pill.

Beast Blood Pill is a secret elixir of the Beast Taming Sect. It has miraculous effects on strengthening blood and qi and tempering the body, and its value is even greater than that of Blood and Qi Pill.

At the very end, they gave him a windfall, and he felt bad refusing it.

"I was worried about what would happen if Dong Hailou wouldn't allow me to resign, but now I've saved myself a lot of trouble."

Being free from official duties brings a sense of ease.

Next, you can pack your bags and head to the prefectural capital to take the imperial examination.

"Master Zhou, once this contract is signed, the deal is done."

A broker with a broad smile handed the document to Zhou Yuan.

"Everyone in Gaoshan County knows that you, Master Zhou, made your fortune after moving here, so everyone regards this house as a treasure."

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""

The broker was beaming with joy; if this deal went through, he wouldn't have to worry about food and drink for at least six months.

"Boss Chen won the bid for this place from among several bosses at a high price of 660 taels. I heard that he held a three-day banquet at his home to celebrate."

The man with the tooth looked on with envy.

I heard that this Master Zhou used to be a blacksmith, but later he practiced martial arts, passed the imperial examination at the county level, and became the commander of the city guards. He was a true gentleman.

A set of houses sold for 660 taels of silver; truly, officials make a fortune!

Zhou Yuan signed his name and casually said, "Tell Boss Chen that once the transfer of ownership is completed, I can vacate the house immediately."

"Boss Chen said there's no rush, Mr. Zhou, you can stay as long as you like."

Yaren said with a smile.

After leaving the pharmacy, Zhou Yuan walked on his way home.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from behind.

He sidestepped to the side of the road and saw a group of knights galloping out of the city like lightning.

The one leading the group was none other than the newly appointed commander of the city guards.

Zhou Yuan now knows that the other party's name is Tong Jin, who is a martial arts graduate and an inner disciple of the Divine Weapon Valley.

Since taking over as commander of the city guards, he has suppressed Dong Hailou in an almost brutal manner, making him unable to raise his head.

To avoid suspicion, Zhou Yuan almost never inquired about the city guards again.

Even when Zhou Shun and others came to the city to visit him, he made an excuse not to see them.

"The Beast Taming Sect and the Divine Weapon Valley will have to fight again."

Zhou Yuan looked around for a while, then continued walking home.

Zhuo Changyu had already packed their luggage and hired a carriage. They were just waiting for the house to be transferred before they could set off for the prefectural capital.

After chatting with Zhuo Changyu for a few minutes, Zhou Yuan changed into shorts and began practicing his boxing.

No matter what happens, he never stops practicing martial arts every day.

He has already taken the Beast Blood Pill that Dong Hailong gave him.

The potent drug caused his daily effort points to surge to a thousand.

Unfortunately, it only lasted for one day, and the next day it dropped to 800 points. However, it is now the sixth day since he started taking the medication.

The drug's effects still allowed him to gain 300 free points daily.

The efficiency of effort differs drastically between taking medication and not taking medication.

One Beast Blood Pill saved him at least two months of hard work.

They practiced until sunset.

Suddenly, a loud knocking sounded on the door, the voice filled with anxiety.

Zhuo Changyu had just opened the door when Zhou Shun barged in.

"Sir, something has happened!"

He was covered in sweat, his face was deathly pale, and his eyes were filled with panic.

"Don't rush, tell me slowly."

Zhou Yuan frowned slightly and gestured to Zhuo Changyu to go back inside.

"My brothers were killed by that bastard surnamed Tong!"

Zhou Shun clenched his fists and said in a trembling voice, "After the man surnamed Tong took office, he insisted that Pang Yunlong had hidden the looted treasures in Aozi Mountain."

He forced his brothers to go into the mountains to search for treasure.

No one knows how he found a cave, but after the brothers went inside, a fire suddenly broke out inside.

The brothers couldn't dodge in time, and dozens of them were burned to ashes on the spot.

Even the Deputy Commander-in-Chief was burned.

Now that guy surnamed Tong is trying to force the brothers into the cave, Deputy Commander Gao disagreed, and as a result, Tong hung him in the camp as punishment.

After listening to Zhou Shun's account of the whole story, Zhou Yuan fell silent.

After a long silence, he slowly said, "I'm just an ordinary citizen now, and I can't interfere with the city guards' affairs."

"My lord, can you bear to watch your painstakingly built city guard be destroyed by that Tong fellow?"

Zhou Shun said urgently.

"I truly have no way to help."

Zhou Yuan shook his head. "Changyu, give Brother Zhou Shun one hundred taels of silver."

Zhuo Changyu responded and took out a silver note worth one hundred taels from the house.

"This is a small token of my appreciation; take it back to treat the brothers' injuries."

Zhou Yuan took the silver note and handed it to Zhou Shun.

Zhou Shun wanted to say something more, but seeing that Zhou Yuan clearly didn't want to get involved, he could only helplessly clasp his hands in a fist salute.

"Take care, my lord."

Zhou Shun turned and staggered away.

Zhou Yuan shook his head and sighed, then picked up the weapon-forging hammer and began practicing weapon-forging techniques.

Just as a piece of iron ingot was finished being forged, the courtyard gate was knocked open again.

"Commander Tong?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Zhou Yuan's face showed a hint of surprise. "It's so late, Commander Tong, what brings you here? May I ask what brings you here?"

""

"I heard you sold your house and are preparing to go to the prefectural capital to take the imperial examination, so I came here to see you off."

Tong Jin walked into the courtyard with his hands behind his back, looking around. When he saw the forging furnace with its blazing fire, a look of surprise flashed across his face.

Then he saw Zhuo Changyu, and a look of surprise flashed across his face again.

"How could I possibly trouble you?"

Zhou Yuan calmly shielded Zhuo Changyu behind him and said indifferently.

"It's just something I was doing on the way, no need to trouble yourself."

Tong Jin said, "I have another question for you."

"Please speak, Commander."

Zhou Yuan said.

"Previously, Pang Yunlong was the commander of the city guard in Gaoshan County. He was all-powerful and plundered the people of Gaoshan County. But after he died, this treasure disappeared without a trace."

Tong Jin looked at Zhou Yuan and said coldly, "After you took over as commander of the city guards, did you discover this treasure?"

"no."

Zhou Yuan felt a little wary and shook his head.

"Zhou Yuan, I came to ask you in person to give Elder Luo face. You did help Elder Luo before, and I don't want things to get too ugly."

If you honestly hand over the treasure, I can pretend nothing happened.

Otherwise, next time it won't be just me coming; it will be the city guards."

Tong Jin said coldly.

"Commander Tong, have you heard any rumors? After I took over as the commander of the city guard, I did search for Pang Yunlong's treasure. It was Elder Luo who ordered it."

But I haven't found it yet.

Zhou Yuan frowned.

"Not found?"

Tong Jin sneered twice, "You really won't shed a tear until you see the coffin."

If I hadn't obtained the evidence, do you think I would have come looking for you?

Should I remind you how much silver you've spent in the past year?

I have thoroughly investigated every penny you spent in Gaoshan County, including meat and elixirs.

In less than a year, 2,864 taels of silver—that's quite a sum!

Even in Jiangzhou Prefecture, it's rare to see someone spend so much money on martial arts training every year!

Zhou Yuan's heart sank.

In just a few days, Tong Jin had already investigated him so thoroughly.

He was somewhat helpless. His martial arts training was very taxing, he ate meat every day, and he kept buying pills to replenish his qi and blood.

One or two times may seem insignificant, but when accumulated over time, it actually cost so much money.

Zhou Yuan himself was hearing this number for the first time, and he was inevitably surprised.

Practicing martial arts is really expensive.

The main reason is that he is used to taking Qi and Blood Pills, which cost more than ordinary martial artists.

"The county's city garrison commander only earns a hundred or so taels of silver a year. Even if he has some under-the-table income, how could he have accumulated such a large sum of money so quickly?"

Tong Jin stared at Zhou Yuan and said coldly, "You'd better explain to me where all this silver came from if it wasn't Pang Yunlong's treasure?"

You, a craftsman with no savings, managed to spend over two thousand taels of silver in just one year. Explain this to me.

Zhou Yuan was speechless.

How do you explain this?

Tell him that these are congratulatory gifts from various families in the county and protection fees paid by major merchants.

Or should we tell him that the silver was obtained through murder and robbery?

For the first time, Zhou Yuan realized that spending money also carries risks.

If someone doesn't have a legitimate way to make money, others can easily tell that he's up to no good by observing how he spends his money.

When I go to the prefecture, I will have to find a way to set up the weapons-forging division first.

It's normal for a weapon forger to have some silver on hand, right?

"Commander Tong, I am the only blacksmith in Gaoshan County. All my money is earned by my own hands."

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice, "I don't think there's any law in the Great Qi Dynasty that prohibits military officers from making money using their weapon-forging skills, right?"

Tong Jin stared at Zhou Yuan with sharp eyes, as if trying to see through him.

Zhou Yuan neither dodged nor flinched, but looked back at him with clear eyes.

He silently practiced the Beast King Golden Body's Turtle Breathing Technique, circulating his internal energy and blood slowly and gently, looking as if he had just barely managed a blood transfusion.

"That's a good excuse; most people would have been fooled by it."

Tong Jin said coldly, "But don't forget that I am a disciple of Divine Weapon Valley. I know better than you how much money a weapon forger can earn."

However, proving your innocence is also easy.

I have already discovered the cave left by Pang Yunlong in Zishan.

Go and search that cave. If you can find Pang Yunlong's treasure, that will naturally prove your innocence.

If it can't be found, then I don't need to elaborate on who has gotten Pang Yunlong's treasure, right?

Zhou Yuan's heart sank; this was a blatant threat.

If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext.

Moreover, he does indeed have more than 20,000 taels of silver on him. If it is found out, then he will truly be in deep trouble.

Tong Jin may not actually suspect that he obtained Pang Yunlong's treasure, but it is clear that the city guards are running out of cannon fodder and want to use him as cannon fodder to explore that so-called cave.

There are only a handful of martial artists in Gaoshan County who have broken through to the next level four times. The easiest one to control is naturally Zhou Yuan, who is all alone.

"I'll go."

Zhou Yuan remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking.

He lowered his head, a glint of shrewdness flashing deep in his eyes.

"He's definitely a smart person."

Tong Jin's expression changed, and he laughed, "I'm doing this for your own good. Elder Luo instructed you to find Pang Yunlong's treasure."

If we can't find you, what will Elder Luo think of you?

Will you think you're a good-for-nothing?

If you find anything useful in the cave later, I certainly won't treat you unfairly.

Zhou Yuan nodded, his face expressionless, and asked, "Commander Tong, when are we going?"

"There's no time to lose, let's act now."

Tong Jin said, "The city guards are all old acquaintances of yours, so there won't be any problem cooperating. You lead your men to explore ahead, and I, the commander, will personally provide support!"