Mortal Mirror

Li Ergou saw a large chicken lying in the yard, a chicken that had already surpassed the size of a second-generation chicken.

He quickly entered the yard and circled the large chicken, surprised to see that it was still slowly growing.

He suddenly wondered where the weak chicken had gone. After searching around, he realized that this large chicken was the weak third-generation chicken that had suddenly grown so big.

It must be related to that red flower. That's right, the master of the Spirit Item Pavilion said that the sophora flavescens was specifically used to cultivate spirit beasts, and the blood orchid was the key to cultivating spirit beasts.

It seemed that this chicken had been transformed by the blood orchid.

He suddenly remembered something and looked closely, noticing the large, blood-red comb on the chicken's head. He immediately felt depressed because it was a rooster. How could a rooster lay eggs?

"A lapse in judgment!" He felt like vomiting blood. Why wasn't this chicken a hen? If it were a hen, wouldn't it lay even bigger eggs?

After feeling dejected for a while, he wondered if he should use the remaining blood orchid to cultivate a hen. But then another question arose.

What would he do with such large chickens? Did he want them for their delicious meat or their large eggs? He seemed to be entering a misunderstanding.

The bigger the chicken, the more it consumed. Bitter Mountain couldn't accommodate too many chickens. If he created several behemoths, not only would Bitter Mountain's resources be insufficient, but they would also become conspicuous targets, which would only bring him trouble.

A tree that stands out in the forest will be blown down by the wind. This was the wisdom that Mr. Li Zheng'an taught him.

With that thought, he dismissed the idea of raising a hen.

Then, he looked at the black cat and the black-bearded goat, wondering if he should feed them the remaining blood orchid.

But he rejected this idea as well. Letting them grow too quickly might not be a good thing.

Besides, who knew if there were any side effects? He decided to observe the chicken's condition first.

He instructed the black cat and the black-bearded goat to watch the chicken before returning to his room to cultivate.

After introspection, he felt that his bones were more than twice as strong as before due to this experience, and there was an invisible light membrane on his skin, which only occurred when the skin reached a certain level of hardness.

He suddenly took out a small knife and slashed at his skin without hesitation. He heard a creaking sound, as if he were cutting metal.

He narrowed his eyes, feeling shocked. He didn't expect that this change would allow his skin to withstand the damage of ordinary knives and swords. Wasn't this the entry level of Iron Skin from Turtle Breathing Technique?

He felt pleased. He wondered what the colorful water he had absorbed was. He would need to inquire about it in the future.

Furthermore, he discovered that the mysterious aura was also extremely helpful to him. It seemed that eating couldn't be stopped. He needed to eat voraciously to store more mysterious aura in his body, so he wouldn't have to worry about any serious injuries, as it would naturally help him.

Thinking of this, he looked at the golden core in his mind. He couldn't use it now, but it was an extremely precious item. Just hearing its name, the Great Dao Karma Golden Core, was enough to know its extraordinary value. Perhaps only he knew this secret.

Time passed quietly. Early the next morning, Li Ergou arrived at the yamen. As the end of the year approached, the yamen had more and more affairs to handle.

As soon as he stepped into the yamen, Lu Yun called him away. Head Constable Huang San was going to hold a meeting for everyone.

In a room in the back hall of the county yamen, almost all of Huang San's team had arrived.

Huang San was the head constable, and there was no deputy head constable. The full complement should have been thirty-six people, but several people were lost in the last battle against the Snapping Turtle Demon, and they had not been replaced.

In reality, there were only thirty people, divided into five teams, with four team leaders, and Huang San concurrently serving as one team leader.

This hall was called Plum Blossom Hall. On the wall of the hall was a huge painting of plum blossoms braving the snow, with a line of large characters inscribed on it: "Aspiring to the clouds, braving the wind and snow, blooming alone, filling the world with fragrance."

At this moment, Huang San sat at the head of the hall with a dignified expression. Everyone sat on both sides. Li Ergou didn't want to be in the limelight, so he casually found a seat.

But Huang San wouldn't have it. He insisted that he sit in the first seat below him, so that everyone could see Huang San's preference and regard for Li Ergou.

The other team leaders felt somewhat resentful, after all, Li Ergou was inexperienced and had only been in the yamen for less than a year. According to seniority, he shouldn't be sitting there.

Don't underestimate this small hall. With only thirty people, it was a small jianghu, with intrigue, cliques, jealousy, envy, and hatred.

Huang San saw that everyone was present and gently knocked on the table.

The noisy hall immediately fell silent. Li Ergou couldn't help but sigh, this was power, such a majestic method.

Huang San nodded slightly, indicating his satisfaction, and then slowly said, "As the end of the year approaches, the county commandant has issued a notice that we must ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment, without any losses, as it also relates to the county magistrate's year-end assessment. If anyone causes me trouble at this time, don't blame me for being unfeeling."

At this point, he paused slightly, his eyes sweeping over everyone present, as if implying something. No one dared to respond.

He snorted coldly and then continued, "Recently, someone reported that the number of beggars on the streets seems to have decreased a lot. I don't know if they have left or if there is another reason. You must pay close attention to it.

As for those taverns, gambling dens, and brothels, you must greet them well and don't cause me any trouble. It's the end of the year, and the dues that should be paid should also be collected, otherwise, what will everyone use to celebrate the New Year?"

Everyone liked to hear these words, and they began to discuss them.

Huang San coughed again, and everyone immediately shut up. He then said, "In view of maintaining local security, from today onwards, you people will take turns guarding the night and patrolling."

Everyone groaned upon hearing this arduous task.

"Li Ergou!"

"Here!"

"From today onwards, you will be responsible for collecting dues from gambling dens, taverns, and brothels, and be prepared to support the other teams at any time. The task on your shoulders is heavy." Huang San said with encouragement.

The other team leaders were furious upon hearing this, thinking, heavy, heavy my ass. Who didn't know that the year-end dues were the most lucrative? Everyone scrambled for it every year.

This Li Ergou, everyone hated him more and more. He was clearly the least experienced, but he relied on accidentally killing a big turtle to get so many benefits. For a time, everyone was very unhappy, and the atmosphere in the hall became subtle.