Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 473 - 445: Niu and Bi

Chapter 473: Chapter 445: Niu and Bi

Zhang San arrived near the previously marked tavern, glanced at it, and discovered that the previous mark had been erased and redrawn at another location not far from there.

This confirmed that the other party had received his message.

Otherwise, if it were just wiped off, the risk would be too great should any tavern worker whimsically decide to spoil it.

Zhang San entered the tavern, chosen a private room, and ordered many dishes and drinks.

By the time all the food and drinks were served, Zhang San still hadn’t seen anyone arrive, and he was very hungry.

"If you don’t come out soon, I might just start eating by myself!"

Zhang San feigned politeness, then prepared to start eating.

Just then, the private room’s door was pushed open, and two figures cloaked in black with a red "Martial" character embroidered on their clothing, wearing masks, walked in.

The mask of the person on the left had six stars, three on each side, arranged near the temples like two horns.

The mask of the person on the right had two stars, more like two hollow eyeballs, except a horizontal line connected the two voids in the middle.

Zhang San remembered these two masks from a meeting he had attended before.

"I originally thought that only one Officer would come, but I didn’t expect that two would show up, and one of them even..."

Zhang San’s words cut off halfway when he noticed the Officer with six stars on his mask glanced at the one with two stars.

From that look alone, Zhang San deduced who among them held a higher status.

"Quite a leader, indeed."

Zhang San remarked, then burst out laughing.

The two Officers sat down and began to introduce themselves.

"Niu."

"Bi."

Zhang San paused for a moment, looking at the two Officers with a befuddled expression.

Had the north become so cold that the Officers were frozen to the point of being unable to speak proper human language?

The Officer with six stars explained, "My code name is Niu, and his is Bi. We are both Officers under the Northern Xuanwu."

Zhang San suddenly understood and said, "I am..."

"No need to introduce yourself, we have already got your information, Zhang San. After all, you are the suspected Saint Heir of the Heavenly Punishment Sect and the Military Chief of the Town Martial Office. Arriving in our north, it was impossible for us not to notice. Tell us, what brings you here?"

Upon hearing Niu’s words, Zhang San increasingly felt that Bi seemed more like the leader, while Niu was the subordinate.

"I called you two here simply because I was curious about something. Why, when I come to the north, do I hear that the Town Martial Office has no branch here? Aren’t all seven Officers under Xuanwu in the north?"

As Zhang San spoke, he noticed for the first time Bi’s eyes beneath the mask—one white and one red, quite eerie.

Then Niu spoke up explaining, "Feng Huang maintains martial authority and dares to act for the common good everywhere. This world is the world of the Great Sui, but it shouldn’t belong to the Great Sui alone. The Tujue to the north of the Great Sui currently doesn’t belong to us, but that doesn’t mean it won’t in the future. Therefore, we also need to maintain authority over that part of the world!"

Though Niu did not explicitly state it, Zhang San had already understood.

The world didn’t only consist of cultivators from the Great Sui. The Northern Tujue, with their strong and constant raids on the Great Sui, surely had powerful cultivators of their own.

Therefore, the Town Martial Office might have a branch, but it wasn’t there to suppress the Martial Artists of the Great Sui, rather it was specifically to counter the strong warriors of the Tujue.

Zhang San slightly nodded, then curiously asked, "So aren’t you worried that the martial path forces in these northern regions might pose a problem?"

At this moment, Bi, who had been silent, spoke up, "Indeed, there is concern, but as a border area, it is filled with brave and fierce people. Overall, the situation is still stable. To say there aren’t undercurrents would be impossible."

Zhang San curiously asked, "Then... what if I establish a branch of the Town Martial Office north of Longyun Path? Since we’re all one family, and since you’re busy, why don’t I handle these minor matters, how about that?"

Upon hearing Zhang San’s words, Niu couldn’t help but be startled.

At that moment, Zhang San even saw from beneath Niu’s mask, his jaw dropping in shock.

"You deal with Tujue warriors and high-end power battles at the senior level; I naturally can’t be involved. But for the lower-level martial artist duels, I think I can use the Town Martial Office to consolidate the strength of the martial artists in the north of Longyun Path, giving us a greater advantage whether a war breaks out or martial artists fight among themselves!"

"Even, more intelligence could be gathered. I could also provide you with some crucial intelligence."

"So, what do you two think of my idea?"

Niu looked at Bi.

Softly, Bi asked, "Then for this task, how much support in terms of cultivation resources do you think you’ll need?"

Zhang San knew that money was a sensitive topic, so he simply smiled.

"For the initial establishment of the branch of the Town Martial Office, I can fund it myself. After all, I am a member of the Town Martial Office, and it’s right for me to make some contributions."

"However, during the process of establishment, I might recruit some people to join the Town Martial Office as members. Proper compensation for these apprentice warriors and martial artists must be provided."

"And as for my part, although I am nominally a military chief, in reality, I am on par with an officer, responsible for a local branch; so shouldn’t my compensation be..."

Zhang San didn’t finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Bi’s eyes shifted, then countered, "Are you so confident that you can establish it successfully? You should know, in the northern regions of Longyun Path, although most martial artists are dedicated to fighting Tujue, there are those who sacrifice their lives for the cause, those who take the opportunity to make money, and those who are cowardly—the situation is much more complicated than it appears."

"If you think that this place is as simple as Chuan-Yu Road, and that you have the backing of the existing Town Martial Office’s power, then you are greatly mistaken."

Zhang San nodded slightly, "I am well aware of that, I just need you two to help me report to the higher-ups, just need Principal Officer Xuanwu to nod in agreement for this matter. As for the rest, I will take care of it."

"Alright, we will report this matter to Principal Officer Xuanwu. Whether Principal Officer Xuanwu or the Chief agrees, is beyond our control."

Afterward, Zhang San noticed that the two men were not eating, so he swiftly took his leave.

Once Zhang San had left, another figure, identical to Bi, entered the private room.

Not only was this person dressed exactly like Bi, but even the mask on his face and the pupils beneath the mask were indistinguishable.

Upon seeing this person enter, Niu immediately stood up.

Then, both Niu and the "Bi" who had just entered bowed to the Bi who had been in the room before, saying simultaneously, "Principal Officer Xuanwu."

It turned out that the one who had entered the room with Niu was one of the four Hidden Principal Officers of the Town Martial Office, Xuanwu.

"Principal Officer, what do you think about this task that Zhang San wants to undertake? Is it feasible?"

Actually, the Town Martial Office had previously established a base in the northern region of Longyun Path, but it was later attacked by Tujue warriors, who slaughtered all the martial artists stationed there.

So now, in the northern regions of the Great Sui, although there are people from the Town Martial Office, there is no base.

"Ever since Zhang San arrived at the Northern Army, he allowed Mei Fei to have his subordinate Peng Hu killed, and later, during a ’sparring’ session, he was severely injured and spat blood by Wang Lihui. This man always seems to break and even shatter the existing rules upon his arrival."

"So, let’s just watch him for now. Let’s hope this young man can bring us some surprises in the