Turns Out I'm the Real Monster?!

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Soap Brand

「Three days passed in the blink of an eye.」

Early in the morning, before the sky had fully brightened, Xu Fu clutched the approval document from the General Office and excitedly knocked on the gate of the Jiang family estate.

The door was opened by an unfamiliar woman with a graceful figure.

"You are..."

Xu Fu’s brow furrowed slightly as he sized her up.

"Oh, this is the new maid I hired, named Bai Xiang. She helps manage the household chores."

Hearing the voices, Jiang Mu walked over and explained casually.

He hadn’t been able to find her family heirloom, but the woman had insisted on staying. So, Jiang Mu simply went with the flow, letting her stay and do some chores to cover her room and board.

’Fortunately, her cooking is excellent, so at least I’m not feeding her for nothing.’

Bai Xiang gave Xu Fu a slight curtsy, then turned and left.

Xu Fu watched her graceful back disappear. Her figure was so striking that even coarse linen couldn’t conceal it. He secretly pursed his lips.

’Just as I thought, a leopard can’t change its spots. His parents’ seventh-day mourning ceremony isn’t even over, and he’s already... Tsk. He’s got good taste, I’ll give him that. A shame her face can’t possibly match that figure.’

"Brother Xu, you’re here so early. Is the Demon-slaying Bureau ready for my orientation?"

Jiang Mu’s face was full of anticipation.

Xu Fu snapped out of his thoughts, a smile spreading across his face.

"Congratulations, Younger Brother Jiang. It’s more than just an orientation; the higher-ups have decided to make you the Hall Master of the Eighth Hall!"

"Hall Master?"

Jiang Mu was stunned.

’I haven’t even joined yet, how am I already in a leadership position?’

Xu Fu clapped him on the shoulder.

"Don’t get too excited. This shows how much the Lord Chief values you. Although the Eighth Hall is newly established, and all beginnings are difficult, this is a starting point that many people could work their whole lives for and never reach."

"From now on, we’re colleagues of the same rank. Work hard and don’t disappoint the Lord Chief’s expectations."

As he spoke, he took a Token from his robe and handed it over.

Jiang Mu lowered his head to look.

The front of the Token was engraved with a ferocious mythical beast.

On the back were the words "Hu State Demon-slaying Bureau, Eighth Hall" and "Jiang Chen".

It was the real deal, impossible to fake.

"Our Hu State Demon-slaying Bureau, including your newly established one, now has a total of eight halls,"

Xu Fu explained,

"Each hall has its own independent Government Office within the city, located in different districts. However, considering you’re new and unfamiliar with the Bureau’s affairs, the Government Office for your Eighth Hall hasn’t been vacated and cleaned up yet."

"Once you’re familiar with the procedures and that place is tidied up, it won’t be too late for you to move in with style."

Jiang Mu didn’t care about these things. He was concerned with more practical matters:

"What about cultivation?"

"Cultivation?"

Xu Fu was taken aback.

Jiang Mu said, "That’s right. Without cultivating, without practicing martial arts, how can I slay Demon Fiends?"

Xu Fu’s expression turned a little strange.

He brought a fist to his lips, coughed twice, and chose his words carefully:

"Younger Brother Jiang, this matter of cultivation... it’s something that should happen naturally. You can’t force it."

"It places great importance on an individual’s Innate talent, constitution, and comprehension. If your Innate aptitude is lacking, no matter how hard you train, you’ll likely put in twice the effort for half the result, finding it difficult to make any progress..."

The implication was obvious.

A young master who got in through the back door should just be content to be a mascot and collect his salary.

Why bother with martial arts?

Wasn’t that just asking for suffering?

Jiang Mu nodded. "I understand that. So how should I cultivate? There must be a place to start, right?"

Xu Fu’s mouth twitched.

’Is this kid really not getting it, or is he just playing dumb?’

Helpless, he had no choice but to be more direct:

"The path of cultivation values starting young. In one’s childhood, when the bones are soft and one’s qi is pure, is the most precious time. Simply put, the best age for cultivation is between nine and twelve. Once you miss that window, the meridians solidify, and achieving anything becomes as difficult as ascending to heaven."

Jiang Mu retorted:

"So you’re saying that in all of history, not a single person has ever succeeded in cultivating after the age of twelve?"

"Well, it’s not an absolute rule, but..."

"Then that settles it. Since it’s possible, just let me train."

Jiang Mu stared straight at him.

Xu Fu: "..."

He took a deep breath, turned his head, and waved over one of his subordinates who was standing in the distance.

When the subordinate trotted over, Xu Fu pulled an old booklet from the man’s robe and casually tossed it to Jiang Mu.

"Fine, I can’t argue with you. This is the most basic Body Forging Cultivation Technique in our Demon-slaying Bureau. You can try practicing with this first. But I’ll warn you now, don’t blame me if you get nowhere with it."

"And this handbook."

Xu Fu handed over another thin booklet.

"It records the realm divisions, some of the Bureau’s rules and regulations, and basic knowledge about Demon Fiends and other evil beings."

"Read it yourself at your leisure. I have other duties, so I won’t stay any longer. If there’s anything you don’t understand... figure it out yourself. It’s not like this stuff can kill you anyway."

After saying that, he left with his subordinate.

Jiang Mu was speechless.

Returning to his study, he opened the handbook and began to browse.

The cultivation system of this world was rather straightforward, divided into thirteen major realms from low to high.

They were simply and crudely named the First Realm, Second Realm, Third Realm...

All the way to the legendary Thirteenth Realm.

The first two realms were collectively known as the "Body Tempering Stage."

The core of it was to temper the muscles, bones, skin, and membranes, and to refine the Qi and Blood and internal organs, laying the physical foundation for drawing Spiritual Qi into the body later on.

However, this step, which seemed simple, had stumped countless people.

After all, Body Tempering is like forging iron; only after a hundred refinings does it become steel.

Only by breaking through the shackles of Body Tempering and stepping into the Third Realm could one be considered to have truly embarked on the path of cultivation.

From there, one could absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and use all sorts of profound techniques.

Further up, one needed to attain a "Star Position."

Because to restrain or even kill those powerful Demon Fiends that had condensed a Demon Pill, one had to possess the power of a Star Position to be effective.

Without the empowerment of a "Star Position," one couldn’t kill high-level Demon Fiends.

Of course, for the current Jiang Mu, all of this was still too far away. He could worry about that later.

"It does look a little difficult,"

Jiang Mu muttered to himself.

Besides the realm divisions, the handbook also clearly defined the personnel ranks within the Demon-slaying Bureau.

Ranks were not determined entirely by official position.

Instead, there was a grading system based on strength.

After all, some officials had gotten their posts purely through connections and back doors, their abilities not matching their positions.

Case in point: Young Master Jiang.

For example, there were also madmen who loved to kill and had no interest in being officials, but their Cultivation Level was overwhelmingly powerful. So even if they were at the bottom of the hierarchy, even the Director would have to show them some respect.

The resources they obtained from the Court would not be any less, either.

Of course, such cases were rare.

After all, few people were crazy enough to give up a perfectly good official position to become a beast of burden.

So, generally speaking, those with higher official positions were indeed stronger.

Members of the Demon-slaying Bureau were collectively called "Demon Slayer Envoys."

They were divided into five ranks.

Special carved tokens were issued.

Among them, the top-tier combatants were called "Golden Carved Demon Slayers." There were only eighteen in the entire Great Qing Dynasty, each one a Great Power at the Tenth Realm or above.

For instance, that General Shangguan who had manifested a Dharma Aspect.

Next were the "Silver Carved Demon Slayers," whose Cultivation Level was at least the Eighth Realm. They were mostly regional Directors or Deputy Directors.

Below them were the "Copper Carved Demon Slayers."

Hall Masters like Xu Fu needed to have a Cultivation Level above the Fifth Realm.

The core members below Hall Master were "Iron Carved Demon Slayers." They held official positions within the Court, and their Cultivation Level had to be at the Third Realm or higher.

As for the Body Tempering Stage martial practitioners below the Third Realm, they were called "Sand Carved Demon Slayers" and did all the odd and tiring jobs.

And the current Jiang Mu didn’t even have the qualifications to be a "Sand Carved" one.

He belonged to the "Uncarved" category.

He thus had the honor of becoming the first "Uncarved" Hall Master since the founding of the Great Qing.

Closing the handbook, Jiang Mu picked up the book titled "Body Casting Skill."

This was a very basic Body Forging Method, illustrated with pictures and text. It explained ten body-forging exercises that, combined with specific breathing techniques and Pile Skills, would continuously temper the body from the outside in.

"’The body is a great furnace, the qi a hammer and anvil. Forged a hundred times to become steel, only then can one attain a golden body...’"

Jiang Mu muttered, "’It seems just having the Cultivation Technique isn’t enough. I’ll need supporting equipment, medicinal herbs, and special meals too.’"

"’The poor study literature while the rich practice martial arts. The ancients truly did not deceive me.’"

"’Luckily, if there’s one thing I have right now, it’s money.’"

...

The next day, Jiang Mu sprang into action.

He first spent a great deal of money at the Military Preparation Workshop to purchase equipment specifically for impact training, such as hardwood posts, weighted sandbags, and stone locks.

He also hired a group of temporary laborers to level out a large, thick patch of sandy ground on the east side of the courtyard.

This was for practicing footwork and falls.

He even had a cypress medicinal bath tub custom-made and went to his family’s medicine shop to select a batch of herbs that could boost Qi and Blood, and relax the muscles and meridians.

He had wanted to ask the gynecology expert Chu Lingzhu for a medicinal bath recipe, but she refused to see him.

She didn’t even show her face.

Jiang Mu didn’t insist. He asked the shopkeeper, Elder Xiang, for the conventional preparation method, then handed the herbs over to Bai Xiang to handle.

At the same time, he also bought large quantities of high-quality beast meat and ingredients for nourishing medicinal meals, handing them all over to Bai Xiang.

’Anyway, I have a free laborer at home. It’d be a waste not to use her.’

...

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, blazing like a fire.

Jiang Mu was bare-chested, wearing only a pair of pants, standing on the scorching hot sand.

Sweat trickled down his spine, glistening under the sun.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Dull thuds echoed in the courtyard.

He could be seen turning his side, shrugging his shoulder, and viciously ramming himself into the ironwood post in front of him again and again.

This was one of the forms from the "Body Casting Skill"—

Raging Bull Strikes the Mountain.

This movement required coordinated strength from the entire body, twisting the hips and thrusting the shoulder. The shrugging and shaking of his shoulder actually made him look a bit like a young pop idol.

And in another corner of the courtyard, Bai Xiang was starting a vegetable garden.

The woman had hoped to plant a vegetable patch, and Jiang Mu had agreed. The courtyard was huge anyway, so she could do as she pleased.

At this moment, she held a hoe, turning the soil one strike at a time.

Her slender waist bent and straightened with her movements, like a willow’s shadow brushing across water, exuding a gentle and serene grace.

One trained bitterly like a madman, the other tended her garden as if on a leisurely stroll.

This strange pairing, under the scorching sun, formed a peculiar pastoral scene.

Jiang Mu had still underestimated the cruelty of cultivation.

In just one short hour, he felt as if his entire skeleton had fallen apart. His shoulder was red and swollen, and it burned with pain.

When he tried to practice the static Pile Skill, his legs grew sore, weak, and trembled, making it difficult to hold the position for long.

"This body’s foundation is too damn weak."

Jiang Mu collapsed onto the sand, gasping for breath.

Just then, Bai Xiang quietly brought over a bowl of warm medicinal soup.

Jiang Mu took it and drank it all in one gulp.

He immediately felt a warm current spread from his stomach, slightly alleviating his body’s fatigue and soreness.

"Thanks."

Jiang Mu grinned.

Bai Xiang shook her head slightly, took the empty bowl back to the kitchen, and then continued to work on her vegetable garden.

After recovering some strength, Jiang Mu gritted his teeth and stood up again, walking back towards the post.

And so it went...

He would rest when he could no longer train, and train again once he was rested.

From mid-morning until sunset, Jiang Mu had no idea what he had accomplished that day. He only felt like a piece of mangled meat that had been repeatedly beaten.

That evening, faced with the beast meat medicinal meal carefully prepared by Bai Xiang, he could only force down a few bites before he couldn’t swallow anymore.

After returning to his room, he couldn’t even be bothered to wash up, simply collapsing onto his bed and falling asleep.

...

The night was deep, the moon bright, and the stars few.

The cold moonlight shone through the window lattice, casting a frosty white patch on the floor.

Jiang Mu was sound asleep.

In a daze, he had a dream.

In the dream, a petite figure was leaning over his bedside, letting out a strange cackle.

Her hair was disheveled, revealing only a single scarlet eye.

"Big brother... a family has to be all neat and tidy together."

The young girl stretched out a deathly pale hand.

The next moment, she plunged it straight into his chest and ripped out his bloody heart!

"AH—!"

Jiang Mu jolted and his eyes flew open.

Dazed for a moment, he let out a long sigh of relief when he realized it was just a dream. He wiped his hand across his forehead, which was covered in a cold, clammy sweat.

"Damn you, sister!"

Jiang Mu cursed under his breath, preparing to go back to sleep.

Just then, he felt an inexplicable chill in the room.

He subconsciously turned his head to look.

And saw—

A figure standing ramrod straight at the head of his bed.

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