Chapter 316: Ministry of Works Quota (Thanks to the Red Fortune God for the Patron!!)

Chapter 316: Ministry of Works Quota (Thanks to the Leader of My Lifelong Red Wealth God!!)

East of Inuyama Castle, two modified 'Wuzhuang'-type heavy off-road vehicles were racing at breakneck speed along the non-civilian expressway.

This military marvel, only recently unveiled after the new dawn, far surpassed the performance of its fellow 'Heiyu' models, its output power so staggering it left one breathless.

The emblem on the vehicle's front was a black-gold spear tip, and the engine roar simulated by the components echoed like a warhorse's fierce neigh, tearing the desolate night into shreds.

Winter drink from the Wu River, the soul of the Chu tyrant; exhausted strength to move mountains, the ghostly hero remains.

The romance of the Ming-era artisans was vividly embodied in this machine.

"What the hell was I driving before compared to this Wuzhuang? This is what a real man should be playing with!"

Fan Wujiu, seated at the controls, had nearly crushed the accelerator pedal into the fuel tank, reveling in the electrifying rush of speed.

"Fan Wujiu, you'd better slow down. Do you know the cost of this car plus modifications totals nearly a million taels of silver? If you wreck it, you won't get a salary for the next ten years!"

Xie Bi'an, in the passenger seat, remained absorbed in his electronic tablet, not even lifting his head as he spoke.

"That expensive? It feels great to have money!"

Fan Wujiu exclaimed loudly, yet his foot showed no sign of easing up.

He slapped the steering wheel and laughed, "Xiao Bai, don't worry. From now on, this car is my little wife. Whoever dares touch it, I'll fight them!"

"You're not fooling me. This is a public vehicle of the household, not your private property, Fan Wujiu."

Suddenly, a rigid mechanical female voice echoed within the car.

"Warning: Current speed has exceeded one hundred paces per breath. Driver, please reduce speed and drive cautiously." (One breath equals three seconds.)

"Still a mare?!"

Fan Wujiu's eyes gleamed, as if recalling something thrilling, and he asked repeatedly, "Xiao Bai, can I change this voice to that of the Horse Lord? The kind that shouts 'Father'!"

"You two brothers really have deep feelings."

Xie Bi'an slowly raised his head, the pale glow from the tablet screen casting an odd expression on his face.

"I don't mind, as long as you can handle the Horse Lord's 'Zhao Dan'!"

"Don't worry, Black Lord. I'm only a ritual away from Bingsi now. When the time comes, dealing with Old Ma will be a piece of cake."

As soon as Fan Wujiu finished speaking, the communication system crackled with the furious voice of the Horse Lord.

"You bastard, if you have the guts, say it again! Do you fucking want to ride on my back? Wait and see, I'll crash you to death right now!"

In the rearview mirror, the vehicles behind them flickered with alternating near and distant lights, exuding a desperate, frantic aura.

"Come on, Old Ma, let's see who's the better driver! By the way, I was the fastest driver in the western suburbs household!"

Fan Wujiu laughed heartily, pushing the already threshold-nearing speed even higher.

"In front of my Ink House's top Wind-Riding Rogue, you dare call yourself a fast driver? I'll take you down in minutes!"

The Horse Lord, equally unyielding, barked through the comms, "Gua Pi Mei Zi, hold on tight! Watch me crush this ignorant brat!"

A weak, pitiful moan from Chen Qisheng came through the comms: "Horse Lord, I'm going to vomit blood again. Please slow down, ugh..."

"Fuck, don't vomit on me!"

"Ugh."

Li Jun, seated in the back of the lead vehicle, shook his head with a smile as he listened to the banter.

He rolled down the window, and the sharp cold wind, carrying fine snowflakes, rushed in, making his collar flutter.

"Up to now, I've injected quite a few martial arts. The pain from the bitter tendon-locking and solidification has dulled. The physical resistance from Fuyuan Jingjia's solidification, the explosive force of Baji Quan's inch-punch, and the overlapping effects of Fenjin Cuo Gu and Po Lu Dao are all penetration and destruction. The other techniques can be categorized under these."

"All the body methods I've injected so far have solidified into instantaneous explosive power. My current burst speed can reach forty paces per breath. I wonder how far this body method Chen Qisheng brought can take me once it's perfected?"

Li Jun lowered his gaze, staring at the martial arts injector gripped in his palm.

Pfft!

The injector pierced his neck, and the dark green liquid flowed into his veins, dissolving and merging within the surging sea of crimson blood.

Clang!

The crisp, metallic sound of a lock, long unheard, rang in Li Jun's ears again.

[Learning Complete: Lieque Fabu (Sixth Grade Body Method), Replaced Chu Wu Tanying (Seventh Grade Perfection)]

[Lieque Fabu Upgraded to Sixth Grade Early Stage (80/100)]

[Consumed 220 Mastery Points, Lieque Fabu Upgraded to Sixth Grade Perfection]

[Sequence]: Martial Sequence Six—Zhi Ge

[Skills]: Baji Quan (Eighth Grade Perfection), Fenjin Cuo Gu Hand (Seventh Grade Perfection), Shi Long Hu (Sixth Grade Perfection)

[Body Method]: Lieque Fabu (Sixth Grade Perfection)

[Body Training]: Fuyuan Jingjia (Sixth Grade Perfection)

[Internal Power]: Juma Shu (Seventh Grade Perfection)

[Mastery Points]: 124

Now, Li Jun was only one Sixth Grade Internal Power away from reaching the pinnacle of Zhi Ge, seeking the ritual to ascend to Martial Sequence Five.

"Sixth Grade Internal Power... This might be hard to find."

Li Jun gazed out the window at the blurred landscape stretched into a ribbon, his eyes growing deeper.

During his time in the western suburbs household, he had already inquired with Chen Qisheng about any channels to acquire a Sixth Grade Internal Power.

But Chen Qisheng's answer was disappointing. He admitted that within the Dao Sequence, he couldn't recall anyone with stock on hand. Within the empire's borders, it might only be found in the Military Ministry or among the top-tier aristocratic families.

The 'Lieque Fabu' he had given Li Jun was seized by the Longhu Mountain Group's 'Doubu' during a conflict from a Confucian Sequence aristocrat.

It had survived until now only because it held no value for the Dao Sequence.

Even if they tried to sell it, others would think they were fishing for trouble.

After all, the bloody history between the Dao and Martial Sequences was still there. Though he and Chen Qisheng had cooperated a few times, their current relationship was still manageable.

But that didn't mean everyone in the Dao Sequence could be as carefree as Chen Qisheng, able to set aside old grudges with the Martial Sequence.

At this moment, Xie Bi'an in the passenger seat finally finished processing the documents on his tablet. Catching a glimpse of Li Jun lost in thought from the corner of his eye, he immediately reached out and patted the speeding Fan Wujiu, signaling him to slow down.

Xie Bi'an leaned slightly to the side and looked back, speaking softly, "Brother Jun, I just received some news. This year's New Dawn Review Conference might not go smoothly."

"What do you mean? Is someone targeting us?"

Li Jun was slightly taken aback, snapping out of his reverie.

Fan Wujiu interjected from the side, "Xiao Bai, you make it sound like our household has never been targeted before. Every year, wasn't it just a matter of talking at the table and fighting under it?"

"This year is different."

Xie Bi'an explained, "In the past, we competed for not being last among the ten major cities. This year, we don't have to compete with those old-timers for who gets the bottom spot. Instead, we're fighting for the top three, or even a complete victory!"

"Was our performance last year that impressive? I don't remember any of it." Fan Wujiu muttered.

"Where would they target us?"

Li Jun pinpointed the key issue with precision, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

"The slum area assault case and the Lu Chengjiang traitor case—can the merits of these two cases be included in last year's evaluation?" Xie Bi'an replied, "According to past conventions, the statistical time point for the previous year's achievements runs from the end of last year's New Year Evaluation Meeting to the midnight hour before this year's New Year's Eve. Since the evaluation meeting is usually convened punctually on the second day of the New Year."

"But this year is special. Su Qian's report on the imperial homeland was delayed, causing the meeting to be postponed. And within a very short time after the New Year, our precinct handled two major cases." Li Jun had already grasped the key point. "So other precincts might come forward to prevent us from including the merits of these two cases, thereby lowering our ranking?"

"Exactly. After all, the cutoff time for statistics isn't explicitly stipulated; everyone just follows past conventions." Xie Bi'an sighed helplessly, "If they insist on the midnight cutoff before New Year's Eve, rather than the meeting's convening time, we might end up fighting for the bottom three positions again!"

"Damn it! I finally have a chance to let my spirits soar, and these turtle bastards want to play word games with us! Why can't they stand seeing others succeed?" Fan Wu Jue roared angrily.

"The Bei Zheng Fu Si allocates a fixed amount of funds each year. If you take more, others take less, so naturally no one wants to see others ranked higher than themselves. Especially since the top three hundred households also have other benefits."

Fan Wu Jue paused. "What other benefits? Why didn't I know about this?"

Xie Bi'an said irritably, "Of course you wouldn't know. That's because we haven't made it into the top three in years. The last time we did, even Old Ghost wasn't a hundred households yet."

Li Jun asked curiously, "Besides the funds, what other benefits are there? Priority promotion qualifications, or extra martial arts points?"

"Those conventional ones are natural, but besides what Jun Ge mentioned, there's one more crucial point." Xie Bi'an's tone grew solemn, his voice deepening. "It's the allocation of equipment from the Ministry of Works!"