Patrol III (Thanks to Qianzai Nanfengli for Becoming Alliance Leader)

Amid a clanging chorus of strikes, Qiu Yiren rapidly exchanged moves with the Feiyun Hall disciple. Both moved with astonishing speed; to the surrounding onlookers, all they could see were strings of afterimages colliding between them.

Lin Hui frowned slightly as he watched the combatants closely, one hand gripping his sword hilt, ready to intervene at any moment.

Qiu Yiren had yet to fall into a disadvantage, so naturally he was in no hurry to act. The longer this dragged on, the better it was for them. After all, they were patrol auxiliaries. With such a commotion breaking out here, constables on patrol would naturally come to investigate.

Since he did not move, the two men watching him from across the way were equally happy to stay put. After all, no one enjoyed picking a fight for no reason with patrol auxiliaries representing the authorities.

They were all people making their way through the martial world. If they could avoid fighting, they would avoid it. Wasn't it perfectly fine to strike a pose, show some support, and serve as the atmosphere crew?

Though the two looked fierce on the surface, that was what they were thinking inside.

Then they looked at Lin Hui opposite them. Their gazes met, and at once, each saw through the other's little scheme.

Lin Hui, too, thought it best not to fight if possible. Fighting and killing every day—if someone got bumped or bruised, things might blow up into trouble. Better for everyone to put on a show, strike a few poses, and create an atmosphere where a spark could set everything off. That way, everyone could save face.

When they returned, they could say: "It wasn't that we didn't step in. The situation was so tense then that it would have exploded with just one tiny spark. Fortunately, at the critical moment..."

With a turn of phrase, wouldn't that make the whole affair sound suitably full of twists and turns?

For a time, Lin Hui and the two men opposite him found their thoughts strangely aligned. As they watched the fight, they began hurling insults at one another.

"Try laying a hand on us, brat!"

"I'm a patrol auxiliary! Touch me, and you're defying the yamen!"

"Which eye of yours saw us move first? Just because you're a patrol auxiliary, you can bully common folk and strike first at law-abiding citizens!?"

"You were clearly the ones who moved first! You barged in here with weapons in hand—that's against the law!"

"Against the law?? Which statute in Tuyue says we aren't allowed to wear arm guards!?"

While the three of them bickered, Qiu Yiren and the Feiyun Hall disciple continued trading moves.

After fighting for a while, Qiu Yiren and the Feiyun Hall disciple grew tired. They each retreated and withdrew their moves, asked a waiter nearby for some water, then charged back in to resume the fight after quenching their thirst.

But when they saw Lin Hui and his two lackeys off to the side doing nothing but arguing, cursing at one another with tremendous fervor, the fighting spirit in both of them vanished in an instant.

Lin Hui stood there as steady as a mountain. Yet as he traded insults, his voice was full of vigor, and his face had even reddened slightly from all the shouting. He was clearly enjoying himself immensely.

Qiu Yiren was rendered speechless. Sword in hand, she exchanged a look with the Feiyun Hall disciple.

"Forget it, forget it! We'll let you off today!" Qiu Yiren waved a hand helplessly and said impatiently.

The Feiyun Hall disciple had actually suffered a slight loss. Though they had seemed evenly matched, several small wounds had been cut into his waist. He said nothing further, merely snorted coldly.

"Leave your names if you've got the guts!" he shouted at last.

"Qiu Yiren of Qingfeng Temple!"

"Fine! Ning Dong of Feiyun Hall. I've learned much today!" The man stormed off with his elder brother and several grumbling followers, quickly heading downstairs and leaving in a huff.

There were too many of them, so Qiu Yiren and Lin Hui did not stop them. They had left their names behind; later, the patrol could simply visit them.

But since the other party had dared to leave their names, they were clearly not people afraid of trouble.

Once the two sides announced their names, the onlookers watching the show immediately remembered them.

Qiu Yiren and Ning Dong.

"Good heavens, those sword flashes were so fast I couldn't see them clearly! Incredible!"

"Martial artists really are different from ordinary thugs and gangs when they fight! Both sides were far too fast. As expected of Qingfeng Temple and Feiyun Hall, who put footwork first!"

"What an eye-opener. This Lady Qiu Yiren is beautiful, and her swordsmanship is even more formidable!"

"Brother, brother, let me ask you—where is this Qingfeng Temple? Can I send my son there to learn martial arts?"

Having enjoyed the spectacle, the crowd was thoroughly satisfied and began discussing it with great excitement.

The reputations of Qingfeng Temple and Feiyun Hall spread outward in widening circles, like pebbles cast into a lake.

After her bout, Qiu Yiren returned and saw that Lin Hui had not moved at all. She could only sigh helplessly.

"Why didn't you make a move?"

"Why should I? Isn't it best if we don't have to? As long as we don't fight, there won't be any danger at all. Everyone came out here for safety. If we can earn money safely while standing around, why insist on seeking danger?" Lin Hui said seriously.

"That's true, but we're martial artists. When something happens and we don't step up, isn't that..." Qiu Yiren frowned.

"Junior Sister, look." Lin Hui lightly gestured around them. "Neither you nor that Feiyun Hall fellow was injured. It was basically just a sparring match, and no grudge was formed. That's the first point. Second, everyone around us saw how strong Qingfeng Temple and Feiyun Hall are. In the future, they'll think about bringing their children to learn martial arts—so we've expanded the business. Third, the dispute at this restaurant has also been resolved indirectly. They took the initiative to leave, which is really the same as giving up."

Lin Hui smiled faintly.

"No grudge was formed, our reputation expanded, and the matter was resolved. Isn't that a perfect result? Must everyone fight to the death until the whole thing blows up and causes trouble, forcing our already busy elders to come deal with the headache? The bigger the mess, the better—is that it?"

Qiu Yiren nodded unconsciously, feeling that he had a point.

Yet she also felt that this was different from the martial world she had imagined. She opened her mouth, wanting to argue, but could not find any reason to do so.

Seeing this, Lin Hui felt more at ease. He had begun learning martial arts in the first place to be safer. Naturally, he would not fight lightly when there was no need. If he could avoid fighting, he would—that was his principle.

These past few days, while patrolling, he had also been studying the exact mechanics of his special effects.

On top of that, practicing the Nine Section Fast Sword took time. Under normal circumstances, without activating his special effects, his real combat ability was truly nothing special. So avoiding a fight was naturally the best outcome for him.

"Even though what you said seems reasonable, are you sure you're not just timid and afraid of trouble?" Qiu Yiren could not help adding. But the moment the words left her mouth, she felt they were inappropriate and immediately waved her hand.

"Forget it, forget it. Since you're unwilling to make a move, then from now on, just watch from the sidelines again. If things really look bad, go get help for me. Is that alright?"

She thought that Lin Hui's actual combat ability was a complete mess anyway. Forcing him to fight might only get him hurt, so she might as well let him make full use of his Body Tempering speed advantage—if things went south, he could run away and call for help.

"Senior Sister, how magnanimous!" Lin Hui immediately changed his tune and smiled.

"So I'm Senior Sister when I'm useful to you, and Junior Sister when I'm not?" Qiu Yiren said helplessly.

The two left the tavern. After waiting in place for a short while, the patrolling constables finally sauntered over.

The constables were Martial Artists as well, all of them at the Body Tempering stage. Each was tall and powerfully built, and upon closer inspection, faint gray streaks could be seen showing through their skin.

That was a peculiar manifestation produced by cultivating certain hard martial arts.

After the handover, Lin Hui and Qiu Yiren slowly accumulated some patrol time before returning to their usual resting spot.

The second day, the third day, the fourth day...

After that, Qiu Yiren and Lin Hui encountered two more minor conflicts similar to the previous ones, but each ended after a few exchanges. Sometimes Qiu Yiren won; sometimes martial artists from other schools did.

But regardless of which side it was, everyone stopped at the proper point and did not strike heavily. They merely determined who was superior through sparring, then immediately withdrew. Afterward, they loudly proclaimed the martial school or sect they came from.

Through these measured exchanges, Qiu Yiren's combat experience grew increasingly abundant. Her strikes became ever more precise, and she handled fights with growing ease.

Lin Hui, meanwhile, only fought occasionally, and even then merely tangled with others. He had never achieved any eye-catching results.

Yet Qiu Yiren had faintly noticed from the side that this senior brother, who had entered the sect before her, had become faster and steadier in both his moves and swordplay than before. Clearly, he too was improving.

Time slipped by in a flash, and more than half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Qingfeng Temple's patrol support assignment was also nearing its end. Such support assignments were not continuous, but carried out once every so often.

Nor had the town been entrusted to Qingfeng Temple alone. Several other groups took turns getting their share of the meat.

With only the last few days remaining.

Lin Hui could clearly feel that the effects of his Body Tempering were growing stronger and stronger, his sword becoming faster and faster whenever he struck.

He knew very well that he reached his Body Tempering limit every day: ten extreme attempts.

During patrol duty, however, Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, Eldest Senior Brother, and the others all had to reduce the number of times they practiced swordsmanship and tempered their bodies because too much of their time was occupied.

That was because their Body Tempering did not succeed every time they practiced it. To reach the limit of ten successful attempts, they needed to spend at least most of the day repeatedly trying their luck. That was even under favorable conditions.

Now that patrols consumed their time, they could manage no more than four Body Tempering attempts in a day.

As one side waned and the other waxed, Lin Hui's progress appeared exceptionally rapid.

In just over half a month, he could distinctly feel an extra afterimage trailing his attacks. He had evidently and silently raised his Body Tempering by one rank.

From Subordinate First Rank to Second Rank, he had achieved it so quietly.

But that was not what he cared about most. What truly held his attention was the Lightness special effect.

Rumble.

Thunder churned as lightning flashed. Rain was coming.

On a street in Xinyu Town near the oil mill.

Lin Hui and Qiu Yiren had just returned from patrol and sat down in the tea stall at their resting spot. Before the owner could even bring them tea to quench their thirst, they saw Huang Shan returning alone with a cold expression.

"Eldest Senior Brother has something urgent to do today and can't lead the team. I don't want to patrol with Chen Chong alone. Senior Brother Lin Hui, could you switch with me? Just this once." Huang Shan could not suppress the irritation in her voice as she walked up to Lin Hui and pleaded.

"Well... Junior Sister, don't you know that I've had conflicts with Senior Brother Chen too?" Lin Hui frowned.

"One thousand coins." Without another word, Huang Shan took a Tuyue banknote from her purse and placed it on the table before Lin Hui.

"...Deal." Lin Hui glanced at the money. Though he did not lack money for the moment, he had little in savings. He still wanted to save enough for his parents to move into the inner city with him. A house in the inner city cost at least a million coins; there was no harm in saving more.

As for Chen Chong, he intended simply to split up from the man and patrol separately. Out of sight, out of mind.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Lin." Huang Shan let out a breath of relief and nodded gratefully.

She then looked toward Qiu Yiren beside him, a smile blooming across her face as she stepped forward to exchange accounts of what they had seen and heard over the past few days.

Lin Hui sat alone on the long bench. Seeing that Chen Chong had not returned, he continued turning his thoughts to the Lightness special effect.

The Blood Seal was still strengthening the sealing patterns on the insect egg and could not be used for the time being, but his testing of the Lightness special effect had indeed yielded some gains.

Sitting on the long bench, Lin Hui's left hand seemed to hang naturally at his side. In truth, his fingertips kept flicking lightly—curling his fingers, flicking them out, then repeating the motion.