Wei Yuefu exhaled a breath of murky qi, lowered his stance, and qi and blood surged through his whole body.
It was only now that he finally understood how formidable this body was after eating his fill.
Whale Swallowing and Silkworm Devouring required nothing but eating; sufficient nourishment combined with his little brother's current Layered Tower Art primordial spirit state meant his strength was improving around the clock.
All Wei Yuefu had to do was practice Pagoda Stance and Bright Hall Force.
With sufficient food intake, Dragon Vitality and Tiger Vigor made it so he felt no fatigue at all while practicing these two martial arts.
One could say that aside from eating and sleeping, all his remaining time could be devoted to cultivation.
He had slept only five hours today and had already recovered.
Still, Wei Yuefu was no fool. As a transmigrator, he naturally knew that too much is as bad as too little; truly working the body to the point of death could cause sudden death.
He estimated that at this pace, he only needed one year to bring these three martial arts to major mastery.
That efficiency was already fast. Meng Wei hadn't achieved major mastery until middle age.
Ding Shoucheng trained through the coldest winter and hottest summer, yet had only reached minor mastery to this day.
It could have been faster, but Ding Shoucheng's body held him back.
He had long gone hungry, and his talent had lain dormant for two years because of insufficient nutrition.
If he were in his prime, half a year would have been enough.
Though this efficiency still couldn't compare with Shen Qianjun, it was already very formidable.
And precisely because of this, Wei Yuefu came to recognize Shen Qianjun's outrageousness all the more.
First thing in the morning he went to the Six Doors to clock in, had another filling breakfast, rested for two minutes, then set out to patrol the streets.
Having received Lu Hanmo's "guidance" yesterday, Wei Yuefu naturally knew the rules now.
Keeping one's light hidden and mingling with the dust was the way to survive in the government offices.
After patrolling a circuit and completing his work record, Wei Yuefu turned toward the Windwhisper Bureau.
"Are you... that new Constable Ding who came yesterday?" Windwhisper Bureau Chief Clerk He Jitong recognized Wei Yuefu at a glance.
"Greetings, Chief Clerk He. It's me," Wei Yuefu said immediately.
He wasn't familiar with this He Jitong; in the Six Doors, the one he knew best was Tian Muchuan, after all, having met him more than ten times.
He had little contact with others; they all went through Hall Master Meng Wei.
After all, Ding Shoucheng was honest and simple, suited for hard labor but not diplomacy.
And the Windwhisper Bureau was the intelligence department within the Six Doors, with sensitive identity and status; only internal personnel would make contact.
"Constable Ding, you must have important business here," Chief Clerk He understood—no one comes to the Hall of Three Treasures without cause.
He estimated that nine times out of ten it was for personal matters, such as revenge against Sifang Martial Arts Hall.
That was only human, after all; Meng Wei wanted him cut off from posterity, and no one could endure that.
"It is important business." Wei Yuefu did not deny it, and said directly: "Earlier today, Lord Tian told us about the Dayun Guangming Temple matter."
"I've finished patrolling the streets and have nothing to do, so I thought I might look into it a bit."
Hearing this, Chief Clerk He was stunned; he hadn't expected Wei Yuefu to come for official business.
"How strange," Chief Clerk He said with a smile. "Everyone else, when they encounter this, can't hide fast enough, but you're coming here of your own accord."
"It's just that I'm new here and wanted to try finding something myself. If I find anything, I'll come back and notify everyone," Wei Yuefu said with a smile. "It could let everyone share in the merit."
"Tsk, as if I don't know what you youngsters are thinking," Chief Clerk He said. "Nothing but that Eight Treasures Golden Body."
"But things aren't that simple." Saying this, Chief Clerk He frowned slightly and said: "There's probably some hidden story behind this matter."
"The merit may be great, but getting involved inevitably brings trouble."
Saying this, he took out several intelligence reports and handed them to Wei Yuefu, saying: "Intelligence that just arrived from the Wind Informants, still hot."
"Even Lord Tian hasn't seen it yet; you get first look."
Wei Yuefu took it and asked again: "Chief Clerk He, since you say there's trouble, why give it to me?"
"It's just trouble; solve it and it's done," Chief Clerk He said in a calm tone. "The Six Doors aren't made of mud."
"Maybe solving this trouble would be another merit."
"You're willing to be the first bird to stick its head out and seek merit for everyone. Not only do I support this, but Lord Tian and the others do as well."
"If you need anything in investigating this matter, you can go to others for help. I think they won't be stingy."
This Chief Clerk He was an old hand; his words could be described as watertight.
They sounded very pleasant, but in fact he left a great deal unsaid.
For example, if this matter was bungled or if Wei Yuefu caused trouble, the final consequences would still have to be borne by Wei Yuefu himself.
But if Wei Yuefu really found the person, they could also share in the spoils.
However you looked at it, it was a sure win with small investment and big return.
Wei Yuefu naturally understood this, but he was fairly confident in himself.
What's more, this was exactly the situation he wanted.
Wei Yuefu would find the person, then have Tian Muchuan and the other eleven Iron Ruler constables take constable runners and others to arrest them, effectively tying Songyang County's Six Doors and government offices onto the same war chariot.
The merit would be less, but the result was what he wanted.
Otherwise, relying on himself alone, Shen Qianjun might stick his foot in, and he might not be a match.
A cake: you have to have it before you can eat it; sharing it out is better than not getting a mouthful.
And eating alone makes it easy to choke.
"Thank you for your guidance, Chief Clerk He," Wei Yuefu said respectfully, bowing. "I will do my best."
"Chief Clerk, don't think too highly of me. With my modest skills, I still have to rely on all the lords and colleagues."
"Besides, it might not even pass through our Songyang County. Who knows, I might just be busy for nothing."
Chief Clerk He looked at Wei Yuefu meaningfully. Everyone said "Ding Shoucheng" was honest, but his words inside and out didn't seem like it at all.
Instead, he seemed very experienced and slick.
Of course, if the other party really shared the merit outward, Chief Clerk He would accept that, but for now it remained to be seen.
"Just treat it as killing time," Chief Clerk He replied. He did things within the rules; whether Wei Yuefu succeeded or not didn't matter to him.
"By the way, look at this intelligence first. After you're done reading it, take it to Lord Tian for me."
"That saves me from sending someone to make another trip."
"Yes, Chief Clerk He." Wei Yuefu didn't refuse, but maintained the "Ding Shoucheng" persona.
After speaking, he sat down in the Windwhisper Bureau and began to seriously examine the material.
The previous intelligence had only given a general idea, but this newly arrived intelligence contained detailed information about that traitor from Dayun Guangming Temple.
One could only say that the Six Doors lived up to being an official organization established by the imperial court.
If Wei Yuefu were still at Sifang Martial Arts Hall, he still wouldn't know what the Eight Treasures Golden Body was.
Chapter 8