Serving as a Li Family Patrolman, Testing One's Skill

Chapter 18: Serving as a Li Family Patrolman, Testing One's Skill

Chapter 18: Serving as a Li Family Patrolman, Testing One's Skill

"Why, brother? Do you think the silver is too little?" Li Qing asked again.

A monthly salary of four taels, and one mace of silver for each water ghost—this was already top-tier treatment. It was no worse than what martial artists newly entering the Second Stage received.

The Li Family truly had immense wealth. They controlled more than half of Changhe County's river transport business.

Rumors had long spread through Changhe County that although the Li Family was only a Third-rate Power, their river transport trade brought in tens of thousands of taels of silver every year, putting them close to the county's great families.

Unfortunately, their martial strength still fell short. That Martial Master Li from Changhe Martial Arts School, though he shared their surname, had no connection to them. The River Transport Li Family had only a few Third Stage Practitioners holding the fort.

"Your kindness is immense, Young Master. Lin Mo would not dare refuse."

Lin Mo clasped his fists in salute, his voice ringing with force.

He knew his own measure as well. If the Li Family had not been short on men, he might not necessarily have obtained this position.

If he kept refusing, or tried to hike the price while the house was on fire, he believed the young master before him was no fool.

"Good. Since that is settled, take this letter to the residence of the Li Family Chief Patrolman at South Pier No. 1. He will arrange everything that follows."

"Thank you, Young Master!"

Lin Mo did not linger at Li Family Manor. Taking the letter, he headed straight for his destination.

Dusk had fallen, and the sky was somewhat dim. Merchants and peddlers pushed wooden carts, while shop assistants shouldered bundles large and small as they hurried through the streets.

Perhaps because there were more docks along the southern bank, and they lay closer to the residential districts, even the air here carried the mixed scent of fish and river water.

The Li Family Chief Patrolman's residence was far from small. It had three courtyards and even a martial training ground. This courtyard alone would likely cost no less than a thousand taels of silver.

He pushed open the gate and walked inside, casually stopping a Li Family servant to ask, "Brother, do you know where Head Patrolman Li Zhiming is?"

"You are too polite." Though the servant spoke courteously with a smile, he still sized Lin Mo up from head to toe.

Seeing Lin Mo's long arms and large hands with clearly defined knuckles, he could tell at once that Lin Mo was no ordinary man. Only then did he say, "Head Patrolman Li is chatting with the other patrolmen at the training ground. Just follow this corridor over here."

He pointed to a narrow passage on the right. Lin Mo thanked him and followed the indicated path inward.

He had barely reached the end when cheers and cries of approval drifted out from within.

As he rounded the corner, his view suddenly opened up. A training ground spanning several hundred square meters lay ahead, brightly illuminated by four massive torches.

Quite a few people surrounded the training ground. Two figures were sparring in the center, their movements swift and their force explosive. The sounds of fists and kicks striking each other rang like metal and stone.

Head Patrolman Li Zhiming stood over eight feet tall, with a physique far more robust than that of ordinary men. His iron fists alone were enough to make Third Stage martial men tremble in fear.

Yet his martial cultivation still fell one step short. He had only reached Third Stage Perfected.

With a single glance, Lin Mo spotted that outstandingly tall figure. He clasped his fists and stepped forward in greeting. "Greetings, Head Patrolman Li. I am Lin Mo, here to take up the post. This is Second Young Master's letter."

Li Zhiming stood with his arms folded, watching the lively spar with great interest.

When he saw Lin Mo approach, he took the letter and glanced over it twice. A strange look crossed his face as he gave a soft exclamation. "You are Martial Master Yang's disciple from Changhe Martial Arts School?"

"I am," Lin Mo replied.

Li Zhiming smiled and merely said, "First, watch the excitement with us. Once you join the Li Family patrolmen, everyone here will be brothers."

Once he joined?

Could there still be some kind of assessment? With such generous treatment, an assessment would be perfectly normal.

Lin Mo quietly stood to one side and watched the two men fight. This was different from training at the martial arts school. What showed through in battle were skills tempered over decades through real blades and real blood.

The two men in the field used fierce moves. Every collision of fist and foot carried ruthless force, and when their blood and qi erupted, the gusts of wind swept several meters away.

Li Zhiming pointed at the two men. "Let me introduce them. That skinny one on the left, thin as a monkey, is Wang Dongcheng. He manages Piers No. 1 and No. 2 on the east side. He also came from your Changhe Martial Arts School and belongs to Martial Master Wang's side. They say he can barely trace some distant family connection to Martial Master Wang. He practices Thirteen Gale Legs."

"The one on the right practicing Entangling Ape Fist is Zhu Hao. His martial art was passed down through his family. He offended someone in the prefectural city and came to our Li Family to make a living."

While Li Zhiming introduced them, Lin Mo also activated [Insightful Eye] and looked around. Judging by the strength of their blood and qi, both men were skilled fighters at First Stage Perfected.

He also used it to inspect their destinies. Nearly everyone present had white mist swirling above their heads, and Lin Mo had no intention of wasting his stamina examining them in detail.

Only Li Zhiming had Azure Mist coiling above his head. Clearly, it was an Azure Grade destiny.

"[Insightful Eye] has already been raised to this level. Examining an Azure Grade destiny alone should not be a problem."

Lin Mo focused his gaze. The Azure Mist instantly dispersed, then gathered again in the blink of an eye, forming four large characters...

[Late Bloomer]

It truly was a decent destiny. It was simply that no results could be seen in the early stages. Perhaps this was also an important reason Li Zhiming had been stuck at Third Stage Perfected.

"The winner is about to be decided!"

Li Zhiming muttered softly, his gaze immediately settling on the two sparring men. Lin Mo had no time to spare for anything else and looked over as well.

Wang Dongcheng made the first move. He drew in a breath and shouted, then suddenly swept out with a low kick, forcing Zhu Hao back.

Then he tapped his toes against the ground, his body abruptly soaring upward. Blood and qi burst forth from him in rising waves as his high whip kick came crashing down like a giant axe splitting a mountain.

The howling wind pressed down so fiercely that Zhu Hao's face stung. Even Lin Mo and the others, standing dozens of meters away, were secretly shocked.

"Good move!" Zhu Hao shouted, his eyes gleaming.

Yet rather than retreat, he advanced. Entangling Ape Fist emphasized "power from the waist and back, carried through to the fingertips."

He twisted his waist and hips, his whole body slithering sideways like a swimming snake. With the force of his shoulder and back, he rammed into his opponent's centerline, while his arms shot out like those of a nimble ape.

One hand rose upward, avoiding the fiercest force of that "mountain-splitting axe," while he used his shoulder and hip together to take the blow head-on.

His other hand struck out like a venomous snake, stabbing straight toward Wang Dongcheng's face. The move was silent and stealthy, yet it concealed murderous intent.

This was another essential principle of Entangling Ape Fist: if you would not let me open the distance, then I would press close to your body and use the length of my "entangling arms" to turn close quarters into an advantage.

At such close range, Wang Dongcheng's long legs could not unleash their greatest power, while Zhu Hao's long arms moved with unparalleled continuity and ease.

Bang! Smack!

Unable to gain the upper hand with that strike, Wang Dongcheng saw the fist wind rushing at his face and raised both hands to block, only to lose his balance instead.

Zhu Hao pressed his advantage without mercy, neither dodging nor evading as he brought Entangling Ape Fist's "hard opening, hard advance" to its utmost limit.

His front leg suddenly stepped forward, planting itself behind and to the side of Wang Dongcheng's supporting leg. At the same time, both arms surged upward and outward like great spears, smashing and hooking!

Crack!

Wang Dongcheng still wanted to seize the advantage with his leg technique, but a crisp sound like torn silk burst from his trouser leg.

The instant Zhu Hao caught Wang Dongcheng's leg again, his arms wrapped around it like vines coiling around a tree. Following the motion of Wang Dongcheng's leg, he wrapped and pressed down, combining Entangling Ape Fist's "entangling hands" with grappling techniques.

He locked Wang Dongcheng's ankle tightly!