Patrol Squad

Two stone locks came hurtling at Su Yuan from either side, the wind they dragged in their wake rumbling ominously.

Su Yuan furrowed his brow. Rather than catch or block them, he darted backward and shot straight out of the tent.

The stone locks crashed to the ground, sending dust billowing into the air.

Only then did Su Yuan step forward and heft one of them.

The stone lock was pretty heavy. He lifted one in each hand and weighed them up and down a few times.

"You—you can lift Captain Wei's stone locks so easily? Each one... weighs a full six hundred pounds!" Lu Ning gaped in astonishment.

Were they really that heavy?

Su Yuan hurriedly set them down, thinking, I'd better not let him see what I'm really capable of.

Wei Xian strode out of the tent just then. A glint flashed in his eyes at the sight. "Your reflexes and strength are both first-rate. Your Three-Blood cultivation is solid, too."

What he didn't say was that to lift such a weight with such ease, the strength in Su Yuan's arms had to exceed a thousand pounds by far. He was already among the very best in the Three-Blood Realm, no less formidable than Wei Xian had been at his age.

What a shame he had only a low-grade bone structure.

His father was City Lord Wei, and Wei Xian had learned the details of Su Yuan's condition from him.

The conclusion was clear: if Su Yuan couldn't improve his bone structure, then even with a Break Strength Pill, his chances of developing Savage Strength were practically nonexistent.

They were also deeply skeptical of the Blood Bone Pill.

Su Yuan breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Still, if he hadn't dodged just now, he would have been flattened into meat paste.

They had invited him into the army, only to make things difficult for him.

He would remember this.

After some discussion, Su Yuan received a monthly salary of thirty taels and took command of a ten-man Patrol Squad under Wei Xian's direct authority. Their duty was to pursue fugitives and patrol the South City district.

The small squad was made up entirely of Martial Warriors, and they were quite capable.

South City Patrol Station.

It was the gathering place for the South City Patrol Squads. A Savage Strength Martial Warrior was stationed there, along with dozens of Blood Condensing Martial Warriors.

Eighth Patrol Squad.

When Wei Che heard the news, it struck him like a bolt from the blue.

He had gone to great trouble to get his cousin Wei Xian to secure him this lucrative Patrol Squad post. He hadn't even had time to settle into the position, and now a Jing person had replaced him.

So what if he was Chief?

The Fierce Horse Army belonged to the Liang People. How could they let a Jing person throw his weight around?

The angrier Wei Che got, the more he wanted to storm off and confront his cousin.

He had just stepped out of his room when he collided head-on with someone.

Seeing someone charge into him, Su Yuan dipped his shoulder and lightly knocked the man aside.

Caught off guard, Wei Che stumbled and fell.

"Captain Wei!" Several Martial Warriors nearby hurried to help him up.

Su Yuan swept his gaze over them. Every one of the men in the squad was a Liang person.

He took out his token and said evenly, "As of today, I'm the captain of the Eighth Patrol Squad. You'll serve as deputy captain."

"I refuse to accept this! You're a Jing person. What gives you the right to command us Liang people? Army regulations say that when men of the same realm meet, their fists decide who's superior! Do you dare fight me?" Wei Che shouted as he scrambled to his feet.

Lu Ning, who had come along, quietly urged him, "Brother Wei, you're no match for him."

"Lu Ning, don't go boosting someone else's morale! How could I lose to some low-grade-boned weakling who piled up his strength by guzzling pills?" Wei Che had a shrewd plan in mind. If he could make a name for himself by stepping on Su Yuan, his standing in the army would surely soar.

"Su Yuan, do you dare fight?"

Su Yuan shook his head. "Pointless. Don't waste my time. If you refuse to accept this, then all of you can come at me together."

"Fine! You said it, so don't take it ba—" Wei Che hadn't finished speaking when the figure before him blurred.

Su Yuan was already right in front of him. He raised a hand and slapped out as fast as lightning.

Pain exploded across Wei Che's cheek. The blow sent him spinning to the ground.

"Captain!" The other nine men rushed at Su Yuan all at once.

Su Yuan moved like a wisp of smoke, palms flashing as he slapped, pressed, brushed, and struck.

In the span of a few breaths, all ten men in the tent were sprawled on the ground, groaning.

"Too weak." Su Yuan lowered his hand, his tone flat.

Clutching his face, Wei Che bled freely from the nose. Furious and shocked, he cried, "You dared to sneak-attack me! And you hit me in the face! Do you know who my cousin is? Captain Wei Xian! And my uncle is the city lord!"

Huh?

Su Yuan hadn't known Wei Che was related to Wei Xian.

But it made no difference. He could let Wei Che make a fuss and use the opportunity to get himself out of the Patrol Squad.

His gaze was cold and steady as he waited for Wei Che to kick up a storm.

Under that gaze, Wei Che's bluster faltered.

Then he remembered that his cousin had arranged this transfer in the first place. If he made a scene, he'd only bring trouble on himself. And after seeing Su Yuan's skills, he knew he was no match for him.

The army had strict discipline. He couldn't just do whatever he pleased.

After a few loud complaints, he eventually shut up, looking rather sheepish.

The atmosphere fell silent.

Gu Yi suddenly stood and took several taels of silver from his robes, offering them to Su Yuan. "Congratulations on taking up your post, Captain Su. It's only a small token of our regard."

Su Yuan was a little surprised. He accepted the silver. "You know how to read a room. Starting today, you're a deputy captain, too."

"Thank you, Captain Su!"

Seeing that, the others followed suit. Before long, Su Yuan had received thirty taels in congratulatory gifts.

The Patrol Squad certainly had a nice stream of side income.

"Form up. We're patrolling the streets," Su Yuan ordered.

This Martial Warrior squad's main purpose was to deal with attacks from rebel parties.

Though the resistance had been suppressed some time ago, the Jing rebels had grown even more active, specifically hunting down Liang people who strayed from the group and leaving everyone in a state of panic.

Meanwhile, under Great Liang's conciliatory policies, word had spread that the Great Jing army advancing north on the front lines had recaptured several cities.

Things were looking bright, and the people of Ji City were being urged to hold on.

A patrol once or twice a day was more than enough. The military hadn't set any performance targets for him, and he was only holding an honorary position. He still belonged to the Chai Family, so the conditions were lenient.

Su Yuan only meant to go through the motions before returning home to practice.

He led everyone back to Fengxing Street.

He wore nothing but a black martial outfit, while the men behind him were clad from head to toe in armor. Their helmets were especially conspicuous, as if they wanted to make sure everyone knew they were Liang people.

As they walked through the market, the vendors on both sides bowed and greeted them, calling them "Lord Liang" one after another.

Su Yuan sighed. After all the twists and turns, he had ended up back here again.

As they passed a bun shop, Wei Che and the others casually grabbed a few buns and chewed as they spoke. "Just what I need to tide me over."

The shopkeeper saw them casually taking his buns and didn't get angry. Instead, he greeted them warmly. "Greetings, Lords Liang."

His gaze shifted to Su Yuan up ahead. He paused, then put on an even more obsequious smile. "Greetings, Lord Su!"

He hurriedly wrapped up a few more steaming-hot buns and offered them to Su Yuan.

Su Yuan accepted them.

The buns had thin skins and generous fillings. Fresh from the steamer, they sent the fragrance of dough and savory meat wafting toward him. One bite released a flood of juice; the meat filling was firm and springy, and the chopped scallions added a burst of flavor. They were truly delicious.

He took his time finishing them, then wiped his mouth. "Pay him."

"Pay him?" Wei Che stared. He licked the grease from his lips. "Is Captain Su joking? Do we have to pay for a few buns?"

"Yes, yes! It's an honor for you gentlemen to enjoy my food. How could I possibly take your money?" the shopkeeper hastily said with a fawning smile.

"I said you're paying. You treat them." Su Yuan laid a hand on Wei Che's shoulder and used the motion to wipe the grease from his hand.

The weight pressing down on his shoulder drained the color from Wei Che's face. He had no choice but to reach into his robes and rummage around, only to come up empty-handed.

"Captain Su, I never carry money when I go out," he said with a wry smile.

Su Yuan gave him a glance, took a piece of silver from his robes, and tossed it to the shopkeeper. "Keep the change."

Then he led the squad away. Otherwise, the men would have treated the place like an all-you-can-eat buffet again.

Clutching the silver, the shopkeeper stared after Su Yuan and murmured, "Lord Su really is impressive. Even the Lords Liang don't dare act up in front of him."

"That's right. I've never seen Liang people follow a Jing person around before. So people like us Jing can become high-ranking officials, too."

"But can you still call Lord Su a Jing person? He's taken first-class Liang citizenship..."

Hearing that, the people around them began murmuring among themselves. "You'd better think carefully. Have you ever said anything bad about Lord Su? If you have, hurry up and prepare a gift to apologize."

Those who had once spoken ill of Su Yuan behind his back all turned pale, their hearts filled with dread.

They remembered how, not long ago, a group of people had been arrested and sent to the Void Cloud Horse Ranch for gossiping about Su Yuan.

Now Su Yuan's influence had grown even greater. If he found out about their old grudges, wouldn't he have them dragged off and their homes confiscated before they could even blink?

When Su Yuan returned to the old residence, he made his position clear to the others. "I have no interest in being captain. You two deputy captains can handle the day-to-day duties. From now on, the rest of you can manage the patrols yourselves. I have only one rule: follow regulations. Don't harass the people. Our superiors have ordered us to treat them with leniency and strictly prohibited brutal searches."

"Yes, we'll follow your orders, Captain Su!" the men hurriedly bowed and agreed.

After Su Yuan left.

Once Su Yuan had departed, the men still acted as one in public, but behind the scenes the squad gradually split into two factions, one led by Wei Che and the other by Gu Yi.

Wei Che gave a cold snort. "Those few buns weren't enough to satisfy me. Come on, let's go back and eat some more."

When they returned to the morning market, they saw many stall owners approaching with bundles of all kinds.

"Lords Liang, why didn't Lord Su come with you?"

"If you have something to tell him, tell me. I'll pass it on to Captain Su." Wei Che stood with his hands behind his back.

Though Su Yuan had handed authority to the two deputy captains, Wei Che still thought of himself as the boss.

"Lord Su has just taken up his new post, so we've prepared a few humble gifts as a token of our respect..."

"So that's what this is. I'll accept them on Captain Su's behalf." Wei Che turned nobody away, stuffing every gift into his robes.

When they reached a quiet spot, they counted up what they'd received. The offerings from several streets came to a full fifty taels.

This time, Wei Che didn't keep it all for himself. He split the silver evenly among everyone, leaving out only Su Yuan's share.

"Wei Che, what do you mean by this?" Gu Yi frowned.

"Gu Yi, Gu Yi, how can you still not understand? Su Yuan clearly doesn't care for this sort of extra income. He wouldn't even let us take advantage of the bun shop. If we cut off this source of income, will our little bit of pay cover the cost of training? How are we supposed to live?" Wei Che sneered.

As he spoke, he even pushed his own share toward Gu Yi.

Gu Yi silently accepted it and sighed. "Forget it. But we absolutely mustn't let this get out."

Just then, a gust of wind began to blow, making a whooshing sound.