Chapter 52: Taiping’s Secret Visit
Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Taiping’s Secret Visit
For more than twenty days straight, Su Mu was a whirlwind of activity in Guangfu Square, acting as both constable and foreman from dawn till dusk.
Thankfully, Zheng Wang had lent him some men. Otherwise, he never would have been able to get so much done, even if he worked himself to death.
"Hey, Wang Liu, we’re constables, not common laborers. Why are we the ones paving roads? You don’t think Sergeant Su is just trying to wear us out, do you?"
A constable grunted as he set down a heavy bluestone slab, whispering to Wang Liu beside him.
"Don’t you see Sergeant Su is out here working himself?"
Wang Liu retorted, "Repairing bridges and roads is a good, virtuous deed."
His expression was complicated as he watched Su Mu up ahead, working hard with his pant legs rolled up. "Haven’t you noticed," he said quietly, "how much the people’s attitude toward us has changed?"
"They used to fear us like tigers, but now—"
"Officer, have some refreshing tea and rest a while."
Just then, several residents approached them carrying bowls of tea, genuine smiles on all their faces.
Wang Liu and the other constable took the bowls and downed the tea.
’This tea... it’s so sweet!’
...
Su Mu held his own tea bowl, sipping it slowly.
He’d long been annoyed by the dirt roads in Guangfu Square, which became a muddy, impassable mess every time it rained.
Since there hadn’t been any cases in Guangfu Square to handle lately, he had simply put his men to work paving the roads.
Besides, he had secretly skimmed some silver during the raid on the Xu Mansion. It was only fitting to use what was taken from the people for the benefit of the people.
It wasn’t that Su Mu was some great altruist; he just wanted to earn more Points.
[Points: 965]
As he rested, Su Mu called up his system panel. He couldn’t help but feel a little excited when he saw his Points total.
’After so many days of hard work, I’ve finally saved up almost a thousand Points.’
’After today, my Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique will finally reach Perfection!’
’I wonder what Brother Taiping and the others are off doing,’ Su Mu thought to himself. ’My Skin Tempering is about to reach Perfection, and they’re still not back.’
His days had been fulfilling and peaceful. Neither Hu Yuxing, nor the local gentry, wealthy families, or gangs in Guangfu Square had caused him any trouble.
His only regret was the continued silence from the Taiping Bureau.
He had even snuck into the Inner City once, but was only told that the men from the Taiping Bureau hadn’t returned.
With no other option, he could only continue to wait.
"Boss Su, it’s done."
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Su Mu heard Wang Liu’s voice.
He looked up. The final bluestone slab was in place. The last dirt path in Guangfu Square was now a proper stone road.
"Good." Su Mu stood up and patted the dust off his trousers. "Is the stone stele I asked you to prepare ready?"
"It’s all ready," Wang Liu said, an irrepressible spark of excitement in his eyes.
"Bring it over. We’ll set it up right here."
Su Mu pointed toward the end of the street, where Guangfu Square bordered the adjacent district.
Anyone coming to Guangfu Square from the other districts had to pass by that spot.
A moment later, a stone stele taller than a man was erected beside the new road.
As Wang Liu and the other constables set the stele in place, a crowd of residents gathered, murmuring among themselves.
"Can anyone tell me what it says on the stele?"
In this era, most people couldn’t even read their own names.
Fewer than one in ten people were literate, and in a poor district like Guangfu Square, the vast majority of the population couldn’t read.
"Whatever it says, I’m sure Sergeant Su has our best interests at heart."
one of the residents said with absolute trust.
The crowd nodded in agreement.
They had all watched with their own eyes as the bluestone road was laid.
At first, they couldn’t believe that these constables, who were usually arrogant and abusive, would do something so good for them.
But then they saw Sergeant Su leading the work himself, toiling tirelessly day after day. That was the only reason the road had been completed so quickly.
"It lists the names of the men who built this road."
An elderly man with a white beard stepped out from the crowd and began to read aloud, "Fang Zhimeng, Sui Sandeng, Lin Hou, Wang Liu..."
He read out every name carved on the stele.
From within the crowd, a hunched-over man suddenly straightened his back.
"My son! Lin Hou is my son!"
The man’s face beamed with pride.
The crowd immediately turned to him, their gazes filled with envy.
To have your name carved on a stone stele... this was an honor that would be remembered for generations!
"You’ve raised a fine son, sir."
...
On the outskirts of the crowd, the constables who had done the work finally realized what was happening. One by one, they stood up straighter, and the rims of several men’s eyes turned red.
In the past, they had always been cursed at and called dogs of the law. When had they ever been treated like this?
Their names were carved in stone. They were men who had paved a road for the people. Who would dare call them dogs again?
They suddenly realized—what was that little bit of power they got from bullying people in the past?
This—having their parents be proud of them, having neighbors give them a thumbs-up on the street, having their names immortalized in stone—this was true respect. This was real power.
Seeing Wang Liu and his men surrounded by the townspeople, blushing and awkwardly accepting the unfamiliar, genuine praise, Su Mu simply smiled. His work done, he departed without seeking fame or credit.
Before the crowd could turn their attention to him, he slipped away quietly to prepare for his breakthrough that night.
...
Su Mu failed to notice two figures standing silently on a nearby rooftop.
The pair stood on the roof’s ridge in broad daylight, yet it was as if no one below could see them at all.
"So? What do you think?" the younger man on the left said, nudging the one on the right with his shoulder. "Told you I have a good eye for people, didn’t I?"
"So far, he seems to be a man who gets things done."
The slightly older man on the right replied, "If he were truly using the Taiping Bureau’s name to cause trouble, he’d be a dead man by now."
"We’ve already established that," the younger man said. "He’s never once claimed to be part of the Taiping Bureau."
"We’ve been following him for days now," the younger man continued. "He’s either maintaining public order or he’s building roads. He hasn’t even set foot in a brothel. This is the kind of man I’m talking about!"
"His temperament and character are fine,"
the man on the right said, "but his Cultivation is too low. Seventeen years old, and he hasn’t even reached Skin Tempering Perfection. The Taiping Bureau has never taken on someone so weak."
"That’s not a fair way to look at it."
The younger man shook his head. "What about the fact that he developed the Submerging Wave Saber Momentum in just one year?"
"It took me fourteen months to do that, and I was even practicing two saber techniques simultaneously at the time."
"That alone proves he has excellent aptitude."
"So what? He’s already missed the best window for Quenching Body. If he can’t complete it before he turns twenty, his chances of ever reaching the later stages of Blood Exchange and Rebirth are practically zero."
The older man said, "Demons won’t go easy on him just because he’s a quick study."
"The Taiping Bureau isn’t for him."
"But I promised him," the younger man protested, "that if he could achieve something noteworthy, I’d secure a bright future for him."
The younger man was, in fact, the very "Brother Taiping" that Su Mu had been searching for all this time.
"If he’s willing, he can start as an auxiliary. Once he reaches the Third Stage of Body Tempering, letting him join the Ti Qi would be a fine future," the older man said.
"If he wants to remain a constable, then you can speak with the South City Bureau and have him promoted to the office of constable. That is also a fine future, and it would mean you’ve fulfilled your promise."
"No room for negotiation?"
Brother Taiping’s eyebrows shot up.
"Unless he can achieve Skin Tempering Perfection overnight," the older man stated. "Then, and only then, will I give him a chance."
...