[Name: Su Mu]

[Identity: Constable (Official)]

[Points: 115]

[Cultivation Technique: Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique (Minor Accomplishment)]

[Martial Arts: Submerging Wave Saber Technique (Perfection), Archery (Initiate/+)]

As midnight arrived, the Identity Points earned the previous day were tallied. Su Mu blinked, making sure he wasn’t seeing things.

’Was it because I solved that horrific familicide case? Did my ’performance’ get a huge boost? It actually went up by thirty Points,’ Su Mu thought, pleasantly surprised.

In the past, he had earned fifteen Points a day at most. Yesterday, it had shot up to thirty.

Other than killing that murderer, he couldn’t think of any other reason.

’Thirty Points a day... at this rate, I could earn three hundred Points in just six or seven days,’ he thought excitedly.

However, he also knew that opportunities to solve familicide cases like yesterday’s were rare.

To permanently increase the rate at which he earned Identity Points, he had to raise his status.

’Soon,’ Su Mu mused. ’Once I become a squad leader, the rate at which I earn Points might increase. More importantly, I’ll be qualified to enter and leave the Inner City. Then I can go to the Taiping Bureau and find Brother "Taiping." The future he promised me has to be a higher position than just a squad leader, right?’

Nine whole months had passed since he received the Submerging Wave Saber Technique from Brother "Taiping."

In those nine months, Su Mu’s life had changed dramatically.

He had gone from being a vagrant to a constable of the South City Bureau. He had mastered the Submerging Wave Saber Technique enough to manifest the Submerging Wave Saber Momentum, and his Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique had reached the stage of Minor Accomplishment.

Soon, he would even become a squad leader.

After all this time and all this effort, he had finally established a firm foothold in Wuling City. And at last, he would be able to stand before Brother "Taiping."

...

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Su Mu was woken by a series of urgent knocks on his door.

He instinctively grabbed his long saber before pulling the door open.

The moment he opened the door, he heard the POP-POP-CRACKLE of firecrackers, and a cloud of white, gunpowder-scented smoke billowed into his face.

Su Mu jumped in surprise, nearly lashing out with his saber.

Fortunately, he recognized a few of the faces in time.

"Congratulations, Sergeant Su! We wish you a boundless future!"

A constable in black robes shouted in a resonant voice.

One congratulatory cheer after another rang in Su Mu’s ears.

Su Mu recognized some of them: his colleagues from the South City Bureau, the administrator of Guangfu Square where he lived, and a few neighbors he had seen around.

"Sergeant Su, the Bureau has issued the official appointment. Starting today, you are the sixth squad leader of our South City Bureau."

The constable, named Wang Liu, said with a broad smile, "Chief Zhao specially sent me to deliver your new official uniform."

Su Mu took the new uniform from Wang Liu. It was called an official uniform, but in reality, it wasn’t much different from a regular constable’s black robes, save for a ring of cloud patterns embroidered on the collar.

’So this is what it means to be a squad leader?’

Su Mu was pleasantly surprised.

Just yesterday, he had been wondering if Hu Yuxing and Zhao Ji would deliberately withhold his reward. He hadn’t expected them to be so prompt this time.

"Sergeant Su, your jurisdiction is this very Guangfu Square," Wang Liu continued.

Su Mu nodded, somewhat distractedly.

He didn’t really care about his jurisdiction.

He never planned on being a squad leader for long anyway.

The position of squad leader was just a stepping stone. Without the status it provided, he wouldn’t be qualified to freely enter and exit the Inner City.

He had wanted to become a squad leader for two reasons: one, to increase the rate at which he earned Identity Points, and two, to gain access to the Inner City so he could find Brother "Taiping."

With a better future ahead of him, why would he care about being a mere squad leader?

After changing into his new Constable Uniform and politely declining invitations to banquets from several gangs, Su Mu headed toward the South City Government Office with Wang Liu and the others.

As he walked through the streets and alleys, the local residents all stepped aside and bowed.

To them, a squad leader was already a lofty, high-ranking figure in South City’s Guangfu Square.

Liu Hongyu leaned against her doorframe, watching as Su Mu walked past without a sideways glance, completely oblivious to her presence. She bit her lip, her face filled with sorrow.

No wonder he had that expression when she offered him a job as a constable. It turned out he had already climbed so high.

’I must have looked ridiculous in his eyes.’

Regret welled up in Liu Hongyu’s heart, but she also knew that she and Su Mu were now people from two different worlds.

...

Ordinary constables at the South City Bureau only had a shared duty room, but a squad leader was entitled to a private room.

Because Su Mu’s promotion had been so sudden, his room wasn’t ready yet.

"Sergeant, you’ll have to make do for a couple of days. The rooms for squad leaders in the back row will be cleaned up soon."

Wang Liu helped Su Mu clear out a clean corner in the shared duty room and said with a smile, "According to the rules, a squad leader has ten constables and thirty constables under his command. When you have time, you can pick ten constables to follow you. As for the other constables, you’ll have to recruit them yourself."

To put it bluntly, he was now a squad leader with no squad—a general without an army.

Although Hu Yuxing and Zhao Ji had promoted him to squad leader promptly, it was clear they had no intention of letting Su Mu take over the position comfortably.

Recruiting constables was one thing, but picking ten constables would not be so easy.

No constable would be willing to follow a squad leader with no foundation.

Besides, all the constables in the South City Bureau already belonged to a squad. Which squad leader would willingly let his men go?

Su Mu was almost certain that no matter who he picked, he would be met with rejection.

It was only because he often took over patrol shifts for others and was on good terms with the constables that Wang Liu had given him that subtle warning.

Otherwise, his job as a squad leader would be even more difficult.

"I want to make a trip to the Inner City. Do you know what procedures are required?" Su Mu asked after a moment’s thought.

"As long as you have a squad leader’s waist token, you can enter and exit the Inner City. No special procedures are needed," Wang Liu said. "However, Sergeant Su, your waist token hasn’t been made yet. If you want to enter the Inner City now, you’ll have to get a document from the Sima."

"How many days will it take to make the waist token?"

’Ask Hu Yuxing for a document? Better not. Hu Yuxing probably doesn’t have a high opinion of me. Who knows how he might try to make things difficult?’

Moreover, before the dust settled, Su Mu didn’t want anyone to know his reason for going to the Inner City.

No matter where you go, there’s never a shortage of petty people who would deliberately ruin someone’s future.

"Three to five days at most," Wang Liu replied.

’Three to five days.’ Su Mu pondered. ’I wonder how much my daily Identity Points will increase now that I’m a squad leader. If I can cultivate the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique to Major Accomplishment, I’ll have more confidence when I go to see Brother "Taiping." Even if I’m counting on him to promote me, I still need to have sufficient strength of my own. In any case, I’ve already waited nine months. A few more days won’t matter.’

"Oh, right!"

Wang Liu suddenly slapped his forehead and said in a low voice, "I almost forgot. A batch of contraband has recently appeared in South City, and it seems to have come from Guangfu Square. Chief Zhao has ordered you to investigate this matter."

"Alright, I understand," Su Mu said calmly.

Seeing that Su Mu didn’t seem to be taking it seriously, Wang Liu’s eyes flickered. He glanced around furtively, and seeing no one else nearby, he lowered his voice. "The situation in Guangfu Square is murky. Sergeant Su, you should be careful."