The Martial Saint begins by collecting corpses.

In front of a small courtyard on Qingxiu Street.

When Lu Ming saw the words "Lu Mansion" written on the plaque, he felt a sense of reassurance.

Unexpectedly, just over a month ago, he was being chased by Zhao Meng to the point of having nowhere to run, but now he already owns his own mansion.

Although it's just a single-courtyard house, it's already quite good compared to what he used to have.

The key point is that this line of work has great potential for him, and a look of anticipation appeared in Lu Ming's eyes.

With the Heavenly Heart Seal, he is not afraid of any ghosts or monsters. It can be said that as long as he is given enough time, he can rise to a high position!

Not only can he take advantage of the convenience of the Night Town Division to absorb a large amount of martial arts experience, but it is also good to be under the big tree, making it convenient for him to obtain various martial arts resources.

For example, just now...

His eyes flashed, and he touched the thorn armor hidden under his blue clothes, feeling a sense of peace.

This is the armor he just selected from the armory, an inner armor made from the bark of a special plant called the Ironclad Thorn Tree, which is very flexible when worn.

The armor itself has a powerful force-absorbing effect, and its surface is covered with a large number of thorns, which can make attackers suffer the consequences.

"Let's go, let's see your new yard." Shen Mo smiled slightly and led Lu Ming into the yard.

Someone inside was cleaning. Hearing the noise, they came out to check and exclaimed with delight, "Big Brother!"

When Lu Ming looked, he saw that it was Monkey and Wolf. The two of them were covered in dust and dirt, but their faces were flushed with excitement.

The monkey said, "Big brother, I knew you could do it. Oh, should I call you 'Guardian Lord' now? Hehe..."

Lu Ming laughed and said, "Stop joking around, hurry up and get ready, buy some good wine and food, and treat Brother Shen to a good meal."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo said:

"I do have something to tell you, and it's very important!"

"But I'd better not bother you now, you'll probably be a bit busy later."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Lu Ming looked at him with some confusion.

Shen Mo smiled mysteriously and said, "I'm leaving now."

Lu Ming shook his head: "So mysterious."

At this moment, Ah Lang walked over and whispered:

"Brother, the street ahead is Qingping Street, which is where the county government is located."

"Next is Qingyun Street, the street where the blacksmith lives."

"Do you think we should call Big Tiger over...?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming was somewhat surprised and said:

"So close?"

They rarely came to the Dongcheng District before, and they only stayed at the county government office for a little over a month without going out much.

So he hadn't expected that this place would be so close to the county government office.

However, he quickly realized that most of the people living here were artisans, and since they had been extorted for protection money by various gangs, there was basically no money to be made from them.

Furthermore, the county government office is somewhat of a sensitive location here, making this probably the worst place in Heishui County.

Recalling Lin Yuanrong's cold attitude towards Shen Mo before, he thought to himself that Shen Mo didn't seem to have much status in the Zhenye Division.

He pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Let's not disturb Da Hu for now; let him cultivate in peace."

As they were talking, they suddenly saw two laborers carrying a box into the room, putting it down and leaving.

The monkey quickly stepped forward to stop them, saying, "Hey, hey, what are you doing? Did you deliver it to the wrong address?"

The two laborers asked doubtfully, "We didn't deliver to the wrong place, this is the Lu residence, isn't it?"

The monkey nodded: "It's the Lu residence, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, a portly, wealthy merchant emerged from his sedan chair at the entrance. Supported by a servant, he walked in, his face gleaming with oil, and chuckled:

"No mistake, no mistake."

As he spoke, he saw Lu Ming, and his eyes immediately lit up. He pushed aside the servant's hand, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and smiled:

"This must be the newly appointed garrison commander. Truly, a hero emerges from among the young."

"My name is Lu Weiguang. I am fortunate to be a relative of Lord Lu. Today, upon learning of your appointment, I have come to offer my congratulations."

"This is just a small gift, merely some cloth, nothing to mention."

"You're too kind, Master Lu," Lu Ming said with a slight smile, suddenly understanding what Shen Mo meant earlier.

Lu Weiguang didn't stay long. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he left, seemingly just to make an impression.

At this moment, Ah Lang stepped forward and said, "This person should be the richest merchant in the East District, that is, the owner of Lu Family Cloth Shop."

Lu Ming nodded: "Very good."

At this moment, a middle-aged man with a rather imposing presence walked in, accompanied by another person carrying a wooden tray covered with a red cloth.

Upon his arrival, he instructed his attendants to place the wooden tray on the table in the hall, then came over, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled:

"Congratulations on your new appointment, Lord Lu. I am Li Zhendong, and I am honored to be the head of Qingxiu Street. I have prepared a small gift today to express my gratitude, and I hope that you will not refuse it, Lord Lu."

As they were talking, Ah Lang went to check the items and returned, whispering, "Ten taels of silver."

Lu Ming smiled and said, "Then I shall respectfully accept your offer."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhendong exchanged a few pleasantries and then left.

Following that, people kept coming to the gates of the Lu residence, from night watchmen to leaders of various guilds, and even Li Xiu, the chief steward of the county government, sent a congratulatory letter.

By the end of the day, the yard was piled high with gifts.

Both Monkey and Wolf were shocked, and they even took out paper and notes to write down the identities of each visitor and the gifts they brought, so as not to forget them.

"Big brother, just with all these gifts, we'll be rich!" the monkey said, his eyes shining as he looked at the gifts filling the yard.

Lu Ming was also somewhat surprised, as he had only heard Shen Mo say that the Zhenye Division held a high position.

I never expected that he, a mere Crescent Moon-level Night Watchman, could cause such a commotion upon taking office.

Even the deputy inspector of the patrol office in this area just now came over on behalf of the inspector to deliver a congratulatory gift.

The Patrol Inspectorate is a place with archers. In Blackwater County, besides the Night Town Guard, the county magistrate has the highest status, and then the patrol inspector.

Of course, the patrol and inspection office was independent of the county government system and had no jurisdiction over matters within the government offices.

Regardless, this day truly broadened Lu Ming's horizons. Becoming a night patrolman in the Town Night Guard was indeed a remarkable achievement.

Just then, a smiling young man slowly entered the Lu residence, approached Lu Ming, presented him with a silver note, and said:

"Congratulations on your new post, Lord Lu."

"My name is Li Meng. I have heard that Lord Lu and Zhao Meng had some misunderstandings."

"However, now that Zhao Meng is dead, I hope Lord Lu will be magnanimous and let this matter be settled."

Lu Ming's gaze sharpened: "Li Meng? What's your relationship with Zhao Meng?"

Li Meng smiled and said, "It's nothing, we're just working together for the brokerage firm owner."

The owner of the brokerage firm? Lu Ming's heart skipped a beat.

Originally, he was going to find a way to deal with the broker after today.

He still remembered that if the broker hadn't betrayed him, he wouldn't have been forced to hide in the county government and live under someone else's roof.

Later, the brokerage manager even went so far as to incite hatred against Sun Ji and ask him to deal with him.

Unexpectedly, after Zhao Meng died, another Li Meng emerged!

In his perception, Li Meng was also a martial artist who practiced physical combat.

The water in the dental clinic... is it that deep?

No wonder Shen Mo once warned him not to go to the brokerage firm, saying that even he wouldn't dare to trespass there.

It should be noted that Shen Mo is a martial artist skilled in tendon cultivation who can manifest his true intent. Even he said this, which shows how terrifying the brokerage owner is.

Lu Ming suddenly thought of the ten corpses in Zhao Meng’s mansion. He said he had collected enough, but it turned out he was collecting them for the broker’s owner.

What exactly is their purpose?

Lu Ming's mind raced as he slowly took the silver note from Li Meng's hand and said:

"When a person dies, the debt is settled. I have no grudge against you, so of course we'll keep to ourselves."

"Lord Lu is very generous! Then I will take my leave. Please guide me in the future." Li Meng said with a hint of respect, then turned and left.

"Big brother, Zhao Meng is dead? Did you do it?" Wolf and Monkey asked excitedly as they watched Li Meng leave.

Lu Ming nodded slightly, watching the look of pleasure flash across their faces, but he frowned.

I had a vague feeling that there was a large net in the shadows of Heishui County, which was gradually tightening.

He thought for a moment, then took a small package from his luggage and handed it to Ah Lang, saying:

"Now that you've been assigned here, keep collecting protection money."

"Of course, our identities are different now. Let's change our name, um... let's sell tea, let's sell peace tea, two hundred coins a pack."

"I won't force anyone this time either. If they want to buy, they can buy; if they don't want to, I won't bother them."

"Also, this package contains a few fragments of the blacksmith's clothes from Qingyun Street. Go and return them to the blacksmith's family. They must be very anxious right now."

Lu Ming sighed, "Tell them to stop hoping. Just make a cenotaph for them."

Ah Lang exclaimed in surprise, "The blacksmith is dead?"

Lu Ming nodded slightly, then said:

"Peaceful Tea is sold on several streets around here. Now that Zhao Meng is no longer a threat, we can move around freely. You two can also recruit some people to keep a close eye on the lives of the people on these streets."

"If anyone goes missing, report it to me immediately."

"As for the nearby gangs, or the remaining gang members, I will take care of them."

He thought for a moment, then handed the hundred-tael silver note in his hand to Ah Lang and said:

"You can use my connections to make friends, such as the archers in the patrol office, the soldiers stationed at the east gate, and so on."

"Our goal is to be able to leave the city at any time, day or night."

Ah Lang looked at Lu Ming with some surprise and doubt: "Big brother, this..."

Lu Ming said, "Do as I say, and you'll understand later."

"Yes," Ah Lang replied and left.