Light Body Technique

2024-07-31

Light Body Technique

Song Changming listened in silence and offered no opinion. After a moment, he asked, "Those Nine Bends Society members sent in for detention tonight might be able to tell us something about the society under interrogation."

"Mm, I was just wondering how to catch some Nine Bends Society men without alerting them. A few delivered themselves to our door tonight, which saves us the trouble. Pass the order down—interrogate them harshly," Liang Chuanshan said with a nod.

"Understood," Song Changming replied.

The next day, inside a teahouse.

"I looked into it. Your men were courting death last night, causing trouble and openly defying the Patrol Guard Headquarters!" Qian Wen sat down boldly and snorted heavily at the man across from him.

"If they had merely defied patrol guards under my command, there might still have been room to smooth things over. But yesterday, your men drew their blades on Song Changming. Do you know who he is?

"He is the new Director's trusted confidant and the newly appointed Patrol Captain. I can't help you with this at all."

Zhu Changyi pinched the small Jade Cup in his hand and slowly turned it, his expression unchanged. After listening, he took out a small box from beneath the table and pushed it before Qian Wen.

"Thank you, Brother Qian, for helping me look into the matter. I failed to discipline my men. Though those brats cannot be bailed out, the money is still all here."

Only then did Qian Wen's expression improve, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Brother Zhu is straightforward. No need to stand on ceremony. Come, have some tea."

"Heh heh." Zhu Changyi chuckled along with him, then asked, "I do not know much about that new Patrol Captain. Could Brother Qian tell me more? I can prepare a gift and visit him another day to apologize."

"What is there to say about him? He is only relying on his connection to the new Director. He got lucky and rose to prominence overnight. Becoming Patrol Captain at such a young age is nothing more than good fortune," Qian Wen said with a curl of his lip.

There was more than a hint of resentment in his tone. Clearly, he had long been displeased with Liang Chuanshan placing such importance on a greenhorn like Song Changming.

His and Zhao Dezhi's standing within the Patrol Guard Headquarters had steadily declined, and it was inseparable from the rise of Song Changming and Lu Gang.

The new generation replaced the old.

But who was willing to become one of those faded old hands?

He had wanted to say a few more bad things about Liang Chuanshan, but considering that the man before him was not trustworthy, he cautiously shut his mouth again.

Meanwhile, at the Patrol Guard Headquarters, in a small courtyard.

Song Changming stepped across a row of uneven wooden stakes, darting and weaving back and forth.

He had ordered these stakes driven into the courtyard specifically to practice that high-level Light Body Technique.

As the days passed, although the technique was difficult to cultivate, he was steadily improving bit by bit.

Checking the progress bar now, he was not far from reaching the beginner level.

"Captain Song."

Jiang Chunzi hurried over from outside the courtyard.

Song Changming performed a swallow flip from a stake over three meters high and landed steadily. Taking a towel to wipe the sweat from his upper body, he asked, "What did you get from the interrogation? Why are you in such a rush?"

"It's serious!" Jiang Chunzi quickly said.

"We just pried it out of Wang Liuzi's mouth. The ones who hired Dark Night Pavilion assassins to ambush our Patrol Guard Headquarters a year ago were not the Tengya Mountain Bandit Army, but the Nine Bends Society!"

Song Changming stopped wiping himself and looked at Jiang Chunzi. "Has this been confirmed repeatedly?"

"There can be no mistake. He said all the Nine Bends Stars approved it, all to retaliate against the Patrol Guard Headquarters for seizing the Qinghe Gang back then." Jiang Chunzi nodded heavily.

"So the Nine Bends Society was already this brazen a year ago," Song Changming murmured.

Back then, the Dark Night Pavilion assassins hired for the job had thrown the entire Patrol Guard Headquarters into turmoil.

It was not as simple as several patrol guards dying. Even Patrol Captain Sun Wenyen had been killed in the incident, severely damaging the Houli Street Patrol Guard Headquarters' reputation and prestige.

This was no small matter.

When Song Changming reported the matter to Liang Chuanshan, Liang Chuanshan's face darkened with fury, and his resolve to wipe out the Nine Bends Society grew even firmer.

This was a grave threat. Liang Chuanshan did not mind keeping dogs, but the dog had to be obedient and not bite people.

For the time being, the matter was not disclosed publicly, lest the Nine Bends Society be alerted too soon.

Several more days passed.

That day, one of the Nine Bends Society's Nine Bends Stars came bearing gifts to visit Song Changming, seemingly intending to apologize for Wang Liuzi's earlier offense.

Song Changming refused to see him outright. At the moment, he had no desire to have anything to do with the Nine Bends Society.

He had no favorable impression whatsoever of this arrogant gang.

Before long, they would be enemies anyway. There was nothing to discuss.

"That brat really thinks he is somebody. He is only relying on Liang Chuanshan backing him. Brother, why not find a chance to take him out and avenge Liuzi!"

After being turned away, several Nine Bends Society members cursed all the way back.

Ever since the Qinghe Gang's destruction, they had run rampant throughout the Houli Street district. Over the past year, when had they ever been ignored and slighted like this?

Even though Song Changming had become Patrol Captain, they had become so swollen with arrogance that they dared to entertain thoughts of murder.

Wu Fei, one of the Nine Bends Society's leaders, was also burning with rage.

"Don't think becoming Patrol Captain makes him so impressive. It's not like we haven't killed one before!"

After all, Sun Wenyen's death had been arranged by him personally.

"Let's go back!"

This small district appeared as peaceful as ever on the surface, but beneath it, undercurrents were already surging.

That night, in the courtyard.

Song Changming, hanging upside down from the old locust tree, suddenly flipped down onto the ground. His legs abruptly felt hot and numb, while his muscles spasmed and trembled.

At the same time, the previously hazy methods of the technique in his mind suddenly became clear, as though enlightenment had struck.

The entire process lasted only about a minute, as if nothing had happened.

When he brought up the panel, it was exactly as expected: his Light Body Technique had finally reached the beginner level.

"Not easy," Song Changming sighed. Practicing this high-level Light Body Technique from scratch had truly cost him too much time and effort.

Fortunately, it had finally paid off.

He glanced at the courtyard wall, then used the techniques he had just comprehended. His legs exploded with force as he leaped.

For an instant, Song Changming felt as if he were riding clouds and mist. By the time he came back to himself, he was already standing steadily atop the courtyard wall.

The wall was nearly three meters high. Previously, he would have needed both hands and feet, borrowing leverage to climb over it.

Now, without the slightest effort, he reached the top with a simple push from both feet.

It was as though springs had been fitted into his legs.

In theory, after cultivating the Great Strength Bull Demon Art, someone with his current body weight could hardly be described as light as a swallow. He was more like a savage bull with wings.

Or perhaps a fusion of a savage bull and a flying swallow.

Jumping down from the courtyard wall, he drew his saber and performed his saber techniques while using the newly initiated Light Body Technique.

With the two combined, he soon found that his movements had become noticeably more nimble.

Wind seemed to rise beneath his legs, his footwork became ever-changing, and he could arrive in an instant.

Even his saber techniques became more fluid, and his attack speed increased slightly.

Both the Soul Severing Saber and the Flying Swallow Style he had mastered belonged to the category of fast blades. Now, they had become even faster!