The 18th year of the Da Yong reign: The beginning of the story involves rescuing revolutionaries.

Zhou An's response was exactly what Wang Zhi had anticipated.

In the original storyline of the game, Wang Zhi immediately cooperated with the government after discovering the news, forcing the rebels to risk breaking through. Originally, there were only members of their Daxing Gang, and they were worried that they wouldn't be able to force the rebels out, but now it was just right.

He deliberately drew the attention of the government offices to the East Ward, creating an atmosphere of constant pressure and unease, in order to force out the rebels.

At the same time, Dongfang is large enough to tie down a lot of the government's manpower. Even if Zhou An transfers people to Wanliu Street, it will only be a few big cats and small cats, just like it is now.

Now it's a different way of aligning with the game's storyline.

Zhou An was surprised by how smoothly things went. He had originally thought it would take some effort to plant his own people here, which was why he had brought his men here personally.

After all, the task in the city was personally entrusted to the Daxing Gang by the county magistrate, and finding the rebel leader Wang should be credited first.

This gang leader has never really taken him, the head of the security department, seriously.

He glanced at the calm-faced Chief Wang, then at Li Quanfu, and said, "I hope the Chief will do his utmost and not let down the County Magistrate's trust in the Daxing Gang."

"Then please rest assured, Director Zhou," Wang Zhi replied.

The reply was lukewarm at best. Zhou An turned to leave, but then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned to the side and asked, "By the way, I heard Quanfu mention at the banquet that the Chief is at a crucial stage in his cultivation. Has his martial arts improved again?"

Wang Zhi sneered inwardly: "It's kind of you, Zhou Chu, to be so concerned. You have indeed made some progress."

"Good thing," Zhou An said, striding away.

After everyone had gone far away, Wang Zhi turned around and looked at the government officials who remained at the east entrance of the road.

Wang Zhi recognized this man; he was originally Constable Li from the county government. Later, when the new emperor ascended the throne, due to the large number of local refugees and rebels, the court reformed the system and added local security offices. The head of the office was directly under the orders of the county magistrate and was in charge of not only the yamen runners and officials but also the local militia, equipped with foreign guns.

The dozens of militia units in Liuzhou County are now all at the dock, and strict checks are being conducted at the road intersections leading out of the county to prevent and screen any suspected members of the Communist Party who might disrupt the Party.

The head constable is now the captain of the security department's guard team and is armed with firearms.

The new emperor sent ministers to the Western Kingdom a second time, attempting to bring back the complete manufacturing process blueprints for weapons such as the Magic Crystal Cannon.

"Chief Wang." Officer Li stepped forward and greeted him with a fist and palm salute. It turned out that he had once been the number one expert in Liuzhou County. Later, as he got older, he failed to break through to the Commoner Realm. After the age of thirty-five, his qi and blood became insufficient, and he never had another chance. It was his lifelong regret.

In martial arts, he greatly admired Chief Wang, but as a constable, he felt ashamed when farmers and peddlers talked about the Daxing Gang.

But he couldn't do anything about the Daxing Gang. They didn't kill, rob, or steal. They did many things in a way that was beyond reproach. They also had the strong support of the county magistrate. What use was he, a mere constable and now captain? In addition, his path in martial arts had been cut off, and he was disheartened all day long. He often went to the wine shop to buy two ounces of loose wine and drank it alone at home.

"Officer Li." Wang Zhi knew that the other party still preferred to be addressed this way. "It's so late at night, and you've come in person. Thank you for your trouble. In a little while, call the brothers from the yamen to Qingfeng Restaurant, and I'll prepare a feast for them."

"The best strong liquor is good; it's cool at night, so a little wine will warm you up."

This was something Wang Zhi had planned long ago. There were only a few people from the yamen, and he thought it would be easy to deal with them.

If it were anything else, Officer Li might have refused, but the mention of fine liquor really whetted his appetite for alcohol.

Just as Wang Zhi had predicted, Officer Li did not refuse and nodded: "I'll go and call the brothers. I'll pay for it, so there's no need for Chief Wang to worry about it."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhi simply smiled and did not argue.

Officer Li is a complicated person. Sometimes his inner thoughts conflict with reality, but he can't change it, so he can only go with the flow, which makes him even more complicated.

He and Afu led the men from the yamen to Qingfeng Tower, where they ordered the manager to bring out more than a dozen jars of three-year-old strong liquor. The King of Wine had tasted it before, and it was exceptionally strong. This was just a game setting; in real times, he didn't believe there was such strong liquor.

With some snacks and drinks, an hour later, the government officials in the private room were lying sprawled out in all sorts of positions.

Wang Zhi closed the door and went downstairs with Afu.

I settled the bill at the counter. How could I really wait for Officer Li to wake up so I could pay it myself? After all, he's obligated to help me, and I wanted to make sure that old man didn't cause me any more trouble.

Qingfeng Restaurant is actually a property of the Wang family, and the manager is a member of the Wang family's family, who has worked for the Wang family for many years.

A shrewd businessman secretly skimped on some profits for his uncle's family, and Wang Zhi turned a blind eye to it. But he needed to find an opportunity to let them know that he was only turning a blind eye, not that he was completely blind.

In the backyard of Qingfeng Tower, under the moonlight, Wang Zhi and Afu were sparring again.

Both Cunxin Fist and Sangmen Saber were close to breaking through. The two practiced together all night long, resting when they were tired and then continuing.

The experience points for the Inch Heart Fist have reached 91/100, and the experience points for the Mourning Gate Knife have reached 80/100.

The two sat on the steps, wiping their sweat with white towels, watching the dawn break.

Wang Zhi spoke up, "Afu, you've been in the Commoner Realm for quite some time now, are you close to breaking through?"

Afu was silent for a moment, as if he was thinking, before he said, "To reach the Commoner Realm, one must train the skin and strengthen the muscles and bones. When the muscles and bones resonate eighteen times, one can enter the Commoner Realm. When I went down the mountain, I reached this level. I thought my talent was quite good. To go from the Commoner Realm to the Wild Man Realm, one needs to open the meridians to further accommodate the surging blood and qi. At least twenty-two meridians need to be opened before one can break through the barrier."

The more meridians you open, the more stable your foundation. Legend has it that Abbot Nagarjuna of Little Lotus Mountain once secluded himself in the Sutra Repository, opening ninety-nine meridians before his qi and blood broke through the barrier and entered the realm of the brute. I have now opened thirty-nine meridians, and I want to wait a little longer.

Good heavens, he's reached the thirty-ninth stage of the Meridian Opening Realm! Upon hearing this, Wang Zhi's brow twitched. He really didn't know this. It seems that the cultivation technique Afu learned at Little Lotus Mountain is definitely not an ordinary white-quality technique. He had never inquired about cultivation techniques before.

He currently has 43 experience points in his cultivation technique, which corresponds to 43 meridians that have been opened. He is stronger than Afu, but not by much. These two are really good at enduring. They could have tried to break through after 22 meridians, but they have been stuck at the Commoner Realm for so many years. I wonder how many meridians they need to open.

If Wang Zhi hadn't activated the panel after transmigrating and realized that he could gain experience simply by cultivating, he would have planned to break through the barrier.

Golden Essence Skill experience points: 43/22/100. The 22 means that he is ready to break through and can break through to the Wild Man Realm at any time, while 100 represents the upper limit of this realm.

Now, he naturally plans to seek a breakthrough after his experience points reach 100, which means opening 100 meridians.

Fortunately, there's a control panel. He's essentially a player occupying an NPC's body now, and it takes him two months to max out his experience points, which is a long time even for impatient players.

In this world, for NPCs, opening one meridian a day and sixty meridians in two months is quite astonishing. Even the direct descendants of powerful families and the chosen ones of sects, who eat meridian-opening pills and other spiritual medicines like candy, cannot achieve this speed.

That's his biggest secret.

However, the thought of failing to hand over the rebels in seven days, facing questioning from the county government and inspections from the provincial government, filled Wang Zhi with a sense of urgency. He asked, "Afu, how many meridians do you plan to open before attempting to break through?"

"Forty, I guess. I've wasted too many years in the 'commoner' realm. I'll be thirty-three next year. I can't afford to waste any more time. My master once said that breaking through at twenty-two after opening the meridians is like digging a ditch. Generally, reaching the 'commoner' realm is the end of martial arts. Breaking through at thirty after opening the meridians is like condensing a small stream, which still has some staying power. Breaking through at forty is like a small river. At fifty or sixty, it converges into a lake. At seventy or eighty, it becomes a great river. As for the ninety-nine of the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, what a vast ocean it was, that is unknown and unimaginable."

"Of course, it's not about opening the meridians for the sake of opening the meridians. The golden age is before thirty-five. There have been scions of noble families who were stuck at the commoner realm when they tried to open their meridians, and failed when they were thirty-seven or thirty-eight, and regretted it for the rest of their lives."

Wang Zhi nodded repeatedly. He remembered hearing this argument before at the Great Luo Gate. The Great Luo Gate and Little Lotus Mountain were both top-tier forces in the world and had similar views on cultivation.

He thought for a moment and said, "Alright, forty is not bad. Afu, your martial arts talent is still above mine. I will try to find some meridian-opening medicine for you in the next few days to help you."

Upon hearing this, Li Quanfu's eyes lit up, and he clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, Chief."

The two had already taken the Meridian Opening Pill, but the more they took, the less effective it became. If they wanted to break through in the next few days, they really needed to find other spiritual medicines that could help open their meridians.

The night before last passed peacefully on Wanliu Street. No one under his command reported anything unusual, so Wang Zhi was not in a hurry and just focused on taking good care of his brothers in the yamen.

He probably figured out Zhou An's intention in sending people to Wanliu Street. He likely chose the latter between "I didn't succeed and I didn't try" and "I didn't succeed but I tried," just for psychological comfort.

Whenever he had free time, he would spar with Afu, and incidentally, he would have the Wang family's caravan search for and plunder meridian-opening medicines in Zhaoyang City at all costs.

It was around 1 or 2 a.m. the next day. Just as Wang Zhi was still rejoicing that his Inch Heart Fist had finally broken through from the minor to the major level, and before he could even take a closer look at the panel, Skinny Monkey rushed to the backyard of Qingfeng Tower and reported that he had found strangely dressed people at the intersection of the third road.