Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 40: 300 Points
Su Mu slowly placed the last small soup dumpling into his mouth, chewing it slowly and deliberately.
After finishing, he wiped his mouth clean.
Only then did he slowly open his mouth to speak. "Looking for me?"
His tone carried the breezy nonchalance of a superior.
He had seen plenty of important people in his past life. Who hadn’t seen a few emperors while watching TV shows?
A casual imitation of one or two of them was enough to crush the other man’s clumsy posturing to dust.
The man obviously hadn’t expected Su Mu to be so relaxed.
But then it occurred to him that Su Mu probably didn’t know who he was, which would explain his reaction.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
He dusted off his sleeves and glanced with some disgust at the greasy table before speaking. "I am the steward of the Xu Mansion. You may call me Steward Xu."
He had a proud expression, as if the "Xu" name granted him immense prestige.
"The Xu Mansion?"
An image of the documents he’d reviewed yesterday flashed through Su Mu’s mind, and he immediately understood.
There were many families with the surname Xu in Guangfu Square, but the only one that could call itself the Xu Mansion had to be that of Guangfu Square’s wealthiest man, Xu Mingchen.
There weren’t many wealthy gentry families, and among them, the Xu Family stood head and shoulders above the rest.
The gangs entrenched in Guangfu Square all had intricate ties to the Xu Family.
"I know of them."
Su Mu nodded. "Does Steward Xu have business with this squad leader?"
Su Mu’s expression remained as tranquil as still water.
Steward Xu didn’t speak. Instead, he took a silver note from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and then, pressing it with his right index finger, pushed it across to Su Mu.
"Five hundred taels."
After doing this, Steward Xu finally spoke. "A silver note from Datong Bank. You can exchange it for physical silver at any Datong Bank branch.
From now on, you’ll get this amount every month."
Su Mu’s gaze fell upon the silver note, a look of surprise on his face.
A constable of the South City Bureau earned two and a half taels of silver a month. A squad leader earned four.
A constable captain, fifteen taels.
Even for a constable captain of the South City Bureau, the official salary was only one hundred and eighty taels of silver a year.
Five hundred taels... it would take a constable captain of the South City Bureau three years to earn that.
And for a squad leader like Su Mu, it would take ten years.
To offer his ten-year salary in one go... tsk tsk, what a grand gesture.
Seeing the shocked expression on Su Mu’s face, Steward Xu felt a secret sense of satisfaction.
’A mud-caked bumpkin from a refugee background who got lucky and became a squad leader—how much silver could he have possibly seen?’
’Five hundred taels is more than enough to knock him senseless.’
"I assume this silver isn’t just to congratulate me on becoming the squad leader of Guangfu Square."
The shock on Su Mu’s face lasted only for the blink of an eye. His gaze then cleared, and without touching the silver note, he looked at Steward Xu and spoke.
"You can consider it a congratulatory gift if you wish."
Steward Xu frowned. ’There’s something off about this Su Mu’s attitude. Could it be as the Master said? That these mud-caked bumpkins who think they’ve got a little bit of skill all have this self-righteous backbone?’
"Why don’t you tell me what you want me to do? Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease taking this silver."
Su Mu said lightly.
"First, you are not to interfere with anything the Xu Family does in Guangfu Square. Moreover, when we need you to show up, you must show up."
Steward Xu held up three fingers and bent one down as he spoke.
"Second," he curled down a second finger, "you must enter the Inner City once a month to make a delivery."
Su Mu was so amused he laughed. ’They really don’t treat grassroots personnel like they’re state officials, do they?’
He gestured with his hand for him to continue.
Steward Xu closed his third finger into his palm. "Third, there are a few disobedient factions in Guangfu Square. You will eliminate them for us."
"Is that all?"
Su Mu suddenly smiled. "Want to add a few more conditions? For example, how about I kill the Sima and let your master become the South City Sima?"
Steward Xu frowned. "That won’t do. Sima Hu Yuxing himself isn’t very capable, but he’s backed by the Hu Family of the Inner City. While the faction backing our Xu Family is also powerful, there’s no need to make an enemy of the Hu Family."
Su Mu was speechless. ’You’re actually considering it?’
"You might not have understood my meaning."
Su Mu looked at Steward Xu. ’This guy’s intelligence probably can’t handle anything too complex. I should just be blunt.’
"Unless your master becomes the South City Sima, he is not qualified to give me orders."
Su Mu said seriously, "I, Su Mu, am a constable of Da Xuan. I take Da Xuan’s salary and I perform Da Xuan’s duties.
Seeing as this is your first offense, I won’t pursue the matter. However, the silver will be confiscated."
Su Mu pocketed the silver note and said methodically, "Remember this for next time. An Official is an Official. When you speak, know your place."
With that, he rose to leave.
Steward Xu finally reacted, his face alternating between shades of green and white, his eyes filled with the rage of being played for a fool.
"Sergeant Su, are you planning to make an enemy of our Xu Family?"
Steward Xu said coldly.
"Those are your words, not mine."
Su Mu laughed heartily. "In my life, I only make enemies of lawbreakers. Unless the Xu Family engages in illegal activities, you have nothing to worry about."
"Very good. The Master was right. People like you truly fail to see reality!"
Steward Xu’s face was grim, his eyes filled with killing intent. He sneered, "After refusing Sima Hu Yuxing, you still dare to refuse our Xu Family. Don’t you come to regret it."
Su Mu was already a good distance away. With his back to Steward Xu, he waved his hand and walked off, laughing loudly.
I throw my head back and laugh as I depart; my kind is not meant to live among the weeds.
I haven’t had my fill of being a man; why would I choose to be a dog?
Watching Su Mu’s back disappear around the corner, Steward Xu, in a fit of rage, kicked over a long bench and stormed off under the terrified gaze of the shopkeeper.
...
Su Mu finished his day on duty and returned home.
At Midnight, the data on his system panel refreshed.
[Points: 160]
Looking at the latest point total, Su Mu was a little surprised.
The base points for a squad leader should be twenty, but today it had increased by twenty-five.
’Could it be because I refused the Xu Family’s bribe today?’ freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
’Refusing to compromise with dark and evil forces is, in itself, part of a squad leader’s duty,’ Su Mu thought to himself.
Perhaps because his actions were perfectly in line with what a squad leader should do, he had received an extra five "performance" points today.
"The system wants me to love whatever line of work I’m in," Su Mu muttered to himself.
Thinking of the generous "performance" bonus, he once again felt the urge to clean up Guangfu Square.
However, considering the disparity in strength between the two sides, he rationally suppressed the thought.
’Minor Achievement of Body Tempering First Realm is ultimately not enough.’
...
For several days in a row, Su Mu left early and returned late.
He was either in the squad room at the South City Government Office reviewing documents, or out patrolling Guangfu Square.
In theory, a squad leader didn’t need to go on patrol.
But since Su Mu didn’t have a single subordinate under him, he had no choice but to handle things himself.
Fortunately, everything he did came with a "performance" bonus, so he was happy to do it.
His squad leader’s waist token still hadn’t been made. For now, besides being a good squad leader, he couldn’t even enter the Inner City.
The only thing that disappointed him slightly was that Guangfu Square had been unusually peaceful these past few days. There wasn’t even a single troublemaker.
It was as if everyone was giving face to the newly appointed squad leader. freewebnσvel.cøm
Even so, on the seventh day, Su Mu, who had been diligently carrying out his duties as squad leader, finally reaped his reward.
Deep in the night, inside his room.
Su Mu’s eyes were shining brightly.
[Name: Su Mu]
[Identity: Constable Leader (Official)]
[Points: 305]
[Cultivation Technique: Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique (Minor Achievement/+)]
[Martial Arts: Submerging Wave Saber Technique (Perfection), Archery (Beginner/+)]
’Finally, I can upgrade!’
