Chapter 107: Blue Uniform

Chen Mu stepped forward calmly.

He raised his right hand, also drawing a wooden sword, then with a flick of his arm, a crisp, whip-like sound rang out. Following this, a sword stroke landed on the iron pillar, and along with the breaking of the wooden sword, a mark also appeared on the iron pillar.

"Indeed, very good."

This comment did not come from the old man in charge of the assessment, but from Xu Hongyu, who muttered it, a trace of approval in her eyes.

Although both were in the Tendon Transformation Realm, there were differences between individuals. Chen Mu’s tendon resonance revealed that his muscles and skin membrane were out of the ordinary, making the sound so clear. Furthermore, the strike he unleashed directly showed triple momentum. The power was also quite substantial, and the mark left on the iron pillar was noticeably deeper than Xiao He’s.

Watching Chen Mu’s strike, a faint, almost imperceptible, light flashed through the old man’s calm and muddy eyes. However, he did not have any further reaction. His expression remained indifferent as he drew a circle on the paper.

"Alright."

As the words fell, Xu Hongyu also nodded slightly, leading Chen Mu and Xiao He past the main hall and further inside.

While walking, Xu Hongyu looked at Chen Mu and said, "Actually, you could have passed just by revealing your Tendon Transformation Realm. Most assessments nowadays are just formalities; they won’t deliberately make things difficult. There was no need to reveal your triple momentum… But it’s fine; you’ll have to show your true strength when you carry out various missions and earn merits."

Xiao He had told her long ago that Chen Mu had achieved triple momentum, but he rarely showed it in public. She also admired him for this. He was a bit younger than her but remained so unarrogant and composed. He never deliberately displayed his strength in front of others, always acting low-key. He only struck with lightning force when he did make a move. With this kind of composure and sophistication, he hardly seemed like a young man in his twenties.

That was why initially she had viewed Chen Mu from a perspective of being a little older, but that slowly disappeared. When she interacted with Chen Mu, she couldn’t feel that he was a man two years younger than her.

Compared to those geniuses from various families whom she had encountered who were close to her age, Chen Mu, regardless of his strength or realm, gave her a feeling that was completely different.

This was also why she had come to value Chen Mu even more, and not just because of the talent he displayed. After all, in this world, while strength was indeed the most important thing, disposition and conduct were equally important.

True strength…

Chen Mu touched his chin but did not say anything. He only said thoughtfully, “Well, it seems the Demon Slaying Division still follows rather strict rules, somewhat different from other Yamen.”

Xu Hongyu nodded and said, “Naturally. Although the Imperial Court hasn’t issued any decrees to the Yuzhou Prefecture level for a long time, this Demon Slaying Division is currently not completely controlled by any single family. The Chief is also someone from the Seven Profound Sect.”

“I see.”

Chen Mu nodded slightly.

He had heard of these matters. As a Yamen in Yuzhou Prefecture which gathered almost all of the top martial artists from various families, the Demon Slaying Division was a place where the families fought among themselves. Although nominally it was under the jurisdiction of City Lord Xue Huaikong, the Seven Profound Sect was also involved.

However, from what he knew, the Chief from the Seven Profound Sect did not interfere in the disputes between the families, nor did he lean towards any particular side, maintaining a neutral stance. He only took action during significant demon disturbances.

In reality.

Maintaining neutrality was in fact subtly leaning towards the Xue family.

After all, the Xue family was the most powerful in the entire Yu City. City Lord Xue Huaikong was also the head of the Xue family, giving him stronger control over the Demon Slaying Division than other families. He even controlled the sources of Tendon Transformation Pills and Bone Forging Pills.

When he had not had sufficient status, he hadn’t known much. But now he basically understood that the source of Tendon Transformation Pills and Bone Forging Pills was most likely the Seven Profound Sect.

Soon.

The three of them passed through the corridor and arrived at the last hall. This hall was no longer dark and gloomy but was much brighter. Inside, several people dressed as officials were chatting casually. Upon seeing the arrival of Chen Mu and the others, they immediately became reserved.

Xu Hongyu took out her waist plate and showed it to the three men.

Chen Mu followed suit, taking out his waist plate along with Xiao He.

Several officials respectfully reached out to take the plates, checked them, and then returned them immediately, saying respectfully, "The uniforms for you three Sirs are ready, along with custom-made blades and inner armor. Please come over here to collect them."

Chen Mu followed one of them and quickly retrieved a set of Blue Uniform Guard attire, a long saber, and a piece of inner armor from the back.

Setting the Blue Uniform Guard attire aside for now, Chen Mu took the saber and drew it with a clang. A cold glint flickered on the blade. It was similar to a Yamen Saber in appearance, but its quality was noticeably better. It was forged with refined iron.

As for the inner armor, its quality was more ordinary. It was made of two connected hard plates that could just protect the front chest and back. However, ‘wearing armor’ itself symbolized a different status. In the past, privately hiding crossbows and armor were serious crimes.

After a brief thought, Chen Mu put it on to try, and it did not hinder his movements, so he left it on.

But this armor didn’t actually have a great effect on him. Essentially, his muscles and skin membrane were already tougher than this iron armor. Of course, an extra layer of armor would provide a little extra protection.

"It would be nice to get a piece of soft armor, but the soft armor that would have a noticeable effect on me is basically not sold for any amount of money, its value is extremely precious…"

Chen Mu shook his head slightly, and then changed into the Blue Uniform Guard attire. After this, he picked up the refined iron saber.

For him now, refined iron sabers were still low-quality compared to the Yamen Saber. There really wasn’t much difference, only those magical weapons and sharp blades made of mysterious iron could have some effect, or perhaps the legendary famous sabers and swords.

But those were equally rare and also extremely expensive, so they were not easy to obtain.

He walked out of the room.

He saw that from another room on the inside, Xiao He also pushed open the door and walked out. She had already changed into the Blue Uniform Guard attire, and it looked as if it had been custom-made to fit her figure. The one she was wearing also fit her perfectly.

Chen Mu’s gaze swept across her chest. It was completely flat. He wondered if she was wearing the iron inner armor. Actually, Xiao He was not poor, she had a figure, but today, there wasn’t any curve. She had most likely known about the iron inner armor beforehand and had wrapped herself with silk or something.

When a martial artist entered the Tendon Transformation Realm, the Qi and Blood throughout the body would be abundant, and its flow would be free. There was no need to worry about wrapping or squeezing the body to cause obstruction of Qi and Blood. No matter what she did, it wouldn’t be a big problem.

“It really fits.”

Xiao He walked closer and circled Chen Mu once.

Chen Mu smiled faintly without speaking.

The Demon Slaying Division’s Blue Uniform Guard attire was indeed not bad. Compared to the dark green uniform he had worn as a Yamen Constable, the pattern on it was much simpler, but the material used was noticeably higher quality, and the embroidery patterns were also made with fine silk. Of course, these were actually just nonsense. The main point was that if one had sufficient personal temperament and appearance, then whatever clothes they wore would fit them better.

As for Xiao He…

The same Blue Uniform Guard attire reduced her beauty a bit.

It wasn’t that Xiao He wasn’t beautiful, but that the Blue Uniform Guard attire just wasn’t suitable for women.

However.

When Xu Hongyu walked out from the innermost room, it was a refreshing sight. The Demon Slaying Division’s white uniform was on par with the Chief Constable’s white Flying Fish Uniform, and both matched her temperament very well.

The main thing was that at a glance, the curves were moderate. Clearly, Xu Hongyu was not wearing the inner armor. Chen Mu estimated that with Xu Hongyu’s status, she probably had better soft armor on her, and she wouldn’t need that kind of low-end iron armor, nor would she have to go through the trouble Xiao He did.

"Let’s go."

Xu Hongyu walked over with a calm expression.

Several officials looked at Chen Mu and the others as they walked out, bowing respectfully and seeing them off. Only when Xu Hongyu and Chen Mu’s figures had completely disappeared into the darkness did someone speak softly, their eyes shining:

“Xu Hongyu… She is that person from the Yu family. As expected, her skin is as fair and beautiful as the rumors say. She even looks so beautiful in this white uniform. I think even the courtesan from Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion can’t compare.”

“Hush! Don’t you want to live!”

The person next to him was startled and glared at him. "Comparing Master Xu to a prostitute from a brothel? You have some guts."

That person shrugged and then sighed, “I heard that she is already twenty-seven years old this year, and it seems that she hasn’t married yet. Although women who practice martial arts will marry later, but still…”

“Most likely, she hasn’t found anyone she likes.”

Someone else shook his head, “Someone like Master Xu, the ones who can match her are probably only those few in the entire Yu City. Moreover, with her status, it’s not a personal matter.”

Everyone understood that someone with Xu Hongyu’s status, being a direct descendant of the Yu family, if she were to marry, it would have to be either a young and talented genius or the most central direct descendant of the other major families to establish an alliance through marriage.

No matter what, it would definitely be a major event that would affect the structure of Yu City.

Naturally, it couldn’t be decided hastily.

"Perhaps that’s why she hasn’t…"

“Alright, alright, go do your work.”

…

After walking out of the hall on the east side, Xu Hongyu headed straight for the central main hall.

Chen Mu also followed calmly behind.

The Demon Slaying Division’s White Uniform Guard was at the Junior Seventh Rank, equivalent to the position of Chief Constable. For Xu Hongyu, being a White Uniform Guard was a lateral transfer, but in reality, the Demon Slaying Division’s status was higher than all other Yamen, and there was even the saying that "when you see an official, it’s like seeing one and a half ranks above."

In simple terms, if Xu Hongyu was to receive information about demons appearing in the South District, and she went there to eliminate them, then the Chief Constable of the South District, even if they had equivalent positions, would have to fully cooperate and obey her command. That was the meaning of being "half a rank above."

Similarly.

He, as a Blue Uniform Guard, was at the Principal Eighth Rank, equivalent to the position of Deputy Chief Constable of the City Guard Headquarters. Compared to his past position as a Yamen Runner in Wutong Li, it was like directly being promoted by half a rank, but his actual status was even higher. He could directly ask for assistance from any City Guard Branch when he went to the regions.