Chapter 11: The End of the Universe is Civil Service

“Hiss!”
Zhou Chen was shocked. Such a large tiger, clearly not an ordinary one, was instantly killed by Zhang Long with a single saber strike.

“Is this the power of a Martial Artist?”

“Truly terrifying!”

Zhou Chen’s heart was filled with excitement. It was a pity that Old Cao had never told him about Martial Artists. He didn’t know if Old Cao didn’t know or simply chose not to tell him.

But if Old Cao was really just an ordinary person, then he probably really didn’t know.

Whether in his past life or in this world, knowledge and resources were always monopolized by the upper class. It was too difficult for people at the bottom to rise up.

“The Yi’s Archery hidden in Old Cao’s shoe sole should be a martial art, right?”

“It must be!”

Zhou Chen prayed silently. If it weren’t for the wrong timing, he really wanted to take it out and examine it closely.

“Your Excellency’s saber technique is truly impressive!”

“Although this evil tiger has just transformed and its strength is not great, it is still a Demon Beast. Its meat is highly nourishing. Your Excellency will surely advance further!”

The three constables stepped forward and surrounded Zhang Long, their faces full of flattery.

“No wonder Zhang Long was so eager to hunt tigers in the mountains. It turns out he was after the meat of this evil tiger!”

Zhou Chen suddenly understood. He walked up to Zhang Long and said in amazement and admiration:

“Your Excellency’s divine might is truly an eye-opener!”

It wasn’t that Zhou Chen was being obsequious, but that was how the world worked.

For ordinary people, lives were as worthless as grass.

If he didn’t flatter them a little, what if Zhang Long and the others took offense and killed him on a whim? He would have nowhere to seek justice.

Apart from Qin Hong Yu, no one in this world cared about his life or death.

Even if Zhang Long killed him, no one would investigate.

Even if Qin Hong Yu asked, Zhang Long could just casually say that he was eaten by the evil tiger and that would be the end of it.

It would even be normal for Zhang Long and the others to find an excuse to seize Qin Hong Yu.

This was reality.

Officials were like two-faced beasts. It was easy for them to manipulate you.

He also wanted to be like other protagonists who defied heaven, earth, and everything in between, but he could be sure that if he really did that, he wouldn’t survive past the first chapter.

“A mere evil tiger is nothing. It’s getting late. Let’s go back!”

Zhang Long sheathed his saber, his expression calm and indifferent.

Two constables immediately stepped forward and lifted the evil tiger.

Seeing this, Zhou Chen gave up the idea of helping.

This evil tiger weighed at least a thousand catties. He probably wouldn’t be able to lift it in this mountain forest.

“You lead the way down the mountain!”

Zhang Long ordered Zhou Chen.

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

Zhou Chen hurriedly stepped forward and led them back.

Zhang Long followed behind him, and the other three constables took turns carrying the evil tiger. Even in the mountain forest, they still moved swiftly.

“These three constables must have practiced martial arts. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have such great strength!”

Zhou Chen looked back at the tiger-carrying constables who were following behind without falling behind, and he was secretly shocked:
“Indeed, the end of the universe is civil service!”

It was very difficult for ordinary people to learn martial arts.

Although there were martial arts schools in Qing He City that accepted students regardless of background, the tuition fee for entry was twenty taels of silver, and they only taught for half a year.

How much you could learn in half a year depended entirely on the individual.

After half a year, if you hadn’t learned it and wanted to continue learning, you had to pay again.

Ordinary people simply couldn’t afford it.

Zhou Chen didn’t cause any trouble, such as taking the opportunity to hunt some prey. He led Zhang Long and the others directly down the mountain.

When he saw Da He Village, Zhou Chen couldn’t help but ask:
“Your Excellency, this evil tiger should have more than one ghost . Why didn’t we see the others?”

Apart from Widow Chen, at least Old Qin must have become a ghost .

“This evil tiger is too weak. Its ghost cannot withstand sunlight. They usually stay inside its body during the day.”

“Widow Chen appeared before because she was hiding in the shadow of the big tree. She was just bait used by the evil tiger to lure passersby!”

Zhang Long glanced at Zhou Chen and said:
“With the death of the evil tiger, the ghost will also vanish into thin air!”

“I see. Thank you for your explanation, Your Excellency!”

Zhou Chen quickly expressed his gratitude.

Although Zhang Long seemed cold and indifferent, Zhou Chen felt that he was already quite good. If it were someone else, they might not even bother with a lowly hunter like him.

“Lord County Captain is back!”

As shouts rang out, Zhou Chen noticed that many villagers had gathered not far away.

Obviously, Village Head Qin Jiang He had organized the villagers to welcome Zhang Long.

Qin Hong Yu was also among the crowd. Seeing Zhou Chen return safely, her worried face broke into a bright smile.

“What a huge beast!”

“This beast must be a demon!”

“Is this the beast that ate Old Qin, Widow Chen, and the others?”

Seeing the evil tiger carried by the two constables, the villagers exclaimed in surprise.

Many of them had seen tigers before, but they had never seen such a huge one.

Qin Jiang He led the villagers forward to greet and bow to Zhang Long.

Zhang Long’s gaze swept over the crowd like lightning, his voice booming:

“This evil tiger had become a demon. It used ghost to lure villagers out alone at night and then hunted them down. Now, it has been slain by me!”

“You can all rest assured!”

“Thank you, Your Excellency! On behalf of all the villagers of Da He Village, I thank you for your great kindness!”

Qin Jiang He led the villagers in expressing their gratitude. They even prepared silver to offer as a gift.
Zhang Long accepted the silver. He didn’t stay for a meal, but left Da He Village with his men and the evil tiger’s carcass.

Zhou Chen felt envious. He thought about how when he and Old Cao went to sell their prey, they not only had to pay various taxes but were also extorted by the constables and gang members.

It was too difficult for ordinary people to earn a little silver.

“Brother Chen, are you alright?”

Qin Hong Yu came to Zhou Chen and looked him up and down, afraid that he might be missing some parts.

“I’m fine. Let’s go back!”

Zhou Chen pulled Qin Hong Yu and hurried home. He couldn’t wait to study the thing hidden in Old Cao’s shoe sole.

“Brother Chen, is my father really…”

Qin Hong Yu’s eyes were red, and she couldn’t help but ask.

“You still have me!”

Zhou Chen held Qin Hong Yu’s soft hand and comforted her gently.

“Brother Chen, you’re so good!”

Back home, Qin Hong Yu pulled herself together and went to the kitchen to cook.

Zhou Chen went to his room, closed the door, and took out a pair of worn-out cloth shoes from his bosom. The right shoe was badly damaged, revealing the secret manual hidden inside.

Zhou Chen carefully cut open the cloth shoe with a knife and took out the secret manual.

The secret manual was made of a material that looked like silk but wasn’t. Zhou Chen didn’t recognize it.

But it felt delicate and smooth to the touch, clearly not ordinary.

It was covered with tiny characters and diagrams. In the upper right corner were three large golden characters: 【Yi’s Archery】.

“It’s a martial art!”

Zhou Chen immediately confirmed that it was a martial art and couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.

He quickly cut open the other shoe, but unfortunately, there was nothing else inside.

Although Zhou Chen felt a little regretful, obtaining a martial art was already a great fortune.

He picked up the secret manual and read it carefully.

It turned out that Yi’s Archery was a high-level martial art with extremely demanding cultivation requirements. One either had to have an innate talent for archery or have reached a state of mastery in archery to be able to cultivate it.

Old Cao had practiced archery all his life, but he had only reached a state of mastery in archery. He was always a step away from perfection, let alone reaching a state of transcendence.

Transcendence in archery meant reaching a state of unity between the archer and the bow and arrow, similar to the unity of man and sword for swordsmen.

“I have the Wind and Moon Mirror. I should be able to add points to cultivate it, right?”

Zhou Chen was filled with anticipation. Even if he couldn’t add points to cultivate it directly, he could first add points to his archery skill until it reached transcendence, and then cultivate the technique.

In short, no matter what, he would be able to cultivate it.

Zhou Chen read carefully, going through Yi’s Archery from beginning to end.

The next moment.

He noticed a change in the cultivation technique section of his personal panel.

【Cultivation Technique: Yi’s Archery】