Snake-Person Race Appears (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"Brother Chuan, that man seems to be more than just a Bright Force martial artist; he's at the Dark Force level..."

Li Futian whispered, terrified that his voice might be overheard by other martial artists and reach the ears of that Dark Force expert named Zhou Yun.

That was Dark Force, a realm that people with their First Form Bone could never hope to reach in a lifetime... Just breaking through to Bright Force to qualify for tax exemptions was already enough to make their ancestors' graves smoke with good fortune.

As for Dark Force? They didn't even dare to think about it; it was a dream they didn't even dare to have.

Once one steps into the Dark Force realm, they are considered a top-tier expert in Black Stone County, someone whom every faction must treat as an honored guest.

This was vastly different from an ordinary Bright Force martial artist, whether in terms of the ability to project internal energy or the sheer gap in status between the two.

"I'm not blind!"

Zhou Chuan growled in a low voice, terrified that Zhou Yun might hear him.

Others might not know, but he was all too aware... He had spent his childhood consuming the resources meant for his cousin, even following him into the Sky Sea Martial Arts Hall later on.

His grandfather couldn't even afford the tuition, so they had relied on his mother's dowry to scrape by for a few months.

Although they claimed that Zhou Yun had severed ties with their branch of the Zhou family, he knew better; given his grandfather's stubborn nature, he had likely made things extremely tense with Zhou Yun long ago.

Now, Zhou Chuan's only hope was that Zhou Yun hadn't heard what he just said.

He hoped to keep a low profile during the upcoming patrol, praying that Zhou Yun wouldn't take an interest in "looking after" him.

Otherwise, given the prestige of a Dark Force martial artist, he wouldn't even need to lift a finger himself.

The others in the squad, even the government's own Bright Force martial artist, would view him as an eyesore, perhaps tripping him up at a convenient moment to ensure he perished during this patrol.

He had seen this happen to Outer Courtyard disciples he disliked back at the Sky Sea Martial Arts Hall, so he knew exactly how these things worked.

On the other side, Zhou Yun didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to Zhou Chuan.

He gave a faint nod, acknowledging the government martial artist's words.

"Very well, our squad will patrol Old Fisher Street for two hours... I won't hide it from you all: the Snake-Person Race appeared on this street just last night, which is why we had to invite Master Zhou to anchor the formation."

The middle-aged martial artist said, "My name is Sun Kui. We may only be working together for this mission, but we might cross paths in the government offices later on, so consider us half-colleagues..."

"If you have no objections to this mission, we can set off immediately... If we delay, I will have a hard time explaining it to my superiors."

The many martial artists had no objections; they had chosen this city patrol mission primarily for their own safety.

With a Dark Force expert like Master Zhou present, even if they did encounter the so-called Snake-Person Race, the vast majority would only be at the Bright Force level or below the breakthrough threshold.

Even if they were truly unlucky, it would be easy to escape within the city, and this Dark Force martial artist would certainly be the first target of any threat.

The martial artists shared a tacit understanding; aside from a few greenhorns, everyone who had been performing missions outside for years was a seasoned veteran.

"I'll be counting on you all."

Zhou Yun cupped his hands in a polite gesture before picking up his Black Iron Great Spear and walking to the front of the squad.

There was no help for it; since he was taking the most money, he had to take on the most difficult task.

Although Zhou Yun knew the probability of encountering Snake-People on this route was very low, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Dark Force, Dark Force..."

These two words circled incessantly in Zhou Chuan's mind. His eyes were bloodshot with jealousy, but he gritted his teeth, not daring to say another word.

He knew very well that the gap between him and Zhou Yun was like the difference between clouds and mud; perhaps he would never have a chance to catch up in this lifetime.

Although he possessed a Second Form Bone and had a sliver of a chance to break through to Dark Force, it was only a sliver.

Without vast amounts of medicinal pills and dietary supplements, combined with the forbidden drugs he had taken in his youth that had overdrawn his potential, it was already a miracle that he had reached the six-aperture stage at his age.

While one could reach the six-aperture stage through years of hard work like Li Futian, Zhou Chuan had grown accustomed to taking shortcuts, and practicing punches in the Martial Arts Arena every day had become unbearable.

Whenever he practiced for a while, he would recall the speed at which he had opened his apertures when taking forbidden drugs, and he would be tempted to take them again.

"Don't worry, Brother Chuan. You'll at least be a Bright Force martial artist eventually. Even if there's a gap with Dark Force, it's not impossible for someone with a Second Form Bone to reach it..."

Li Futian whispered.

"Do you think I don't know the difference between Dark Force and Bright Force? Are you trying to make things difficult for me on purpose??"

Zhou Chuan gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with rage.

"No, Brother Chuan, I just..."

Li Futian lowered his head and fell silent. He was afraid that the situation with Zhou Yun would affect Zhou Chuan's state of mind, preventing him from breaking through to Bright Force.

If Zhou Chuan couldn't reach Bright Force, the silver he had shared with him would all go down the drain.

"Bright Force. I must reach Bright Force as soon as possible so I can be registered with the government and not be killed by Zhou Yun on a whim..."

Zhou Chuan gritted his teeth and made up his mind: as soon as he returned to the martial arts hall, he would take the forbidden drugs, and he would increase the dosage.

He had originally intended to stop taking them, using other desires at the Peach Blossom Kiln to replace the urge to consume the drugs.

But the moment Zhou Yun appeared, it ignited the fear and jealousy in his heart. He had to break through to Bright Force at maximum speed, or the drive within him would dissipate entirely.

Along the way, the group circled Old Fisher Street two or three times, finding no traces of the Snake-Person Race.

Old Fisher Street was merely a small street, mostly known for selling seafood caught along the coast.

If not for the Snake-Person Race incident last night, none of the people present would likely have bothered to stroll through this place.

About an hour later, Li Kui, who was leading the group, said to the others, "Everyone can find a place to grab a bite and rest for a while. We will gather back here in the time it takes for one incense stick to burn."

After speaking, Li Kui found a nearby flatbread stall and asked the owner for a piece of flatbread, naturally without paying a single cent.

The other martial artists followed suit one after another; those stall owners dared not make a sound, not only because of the official uniform Li Kui wore, but even more so because this group of martial artists did not look like ordinary folk; their very appearances suggested they were men who had practiced martial arts for years.

In this world, martial artists were inherently superior, whether due to the benefits of being exempt from taxes and corvée labor, or the tangible improvement to their own physiques.

If one were to encounter one or two martial artists on an ordinary day, one might still judge them by their looks and try to beg for a few coins, but when they gathered in a group, no one dared to open their mouths.

"As expected, no Snake-People."

Zhou Yun had anticipated all of this, so he found a noodle stall and ordered a bowl of Spring Onion Noodle.

He casually handed the stall owner a handful of copper coins, and when the other martial artists saw this, they dismissed the idea of eating for free and gave the stall owners at least some copper coins, more or less.

At least half an hour had passed by now, far exceeding the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, yet Li Kui said nothing; he was even still eating his flatbread.

Clearly, he had performed this kind of idle patrol mission more times than he could count.

"Didn't run into any Snake-People? Our luck is not too bad..."

Seeing that no Snake-People had appeared, Zhou Chuan finally relaxed his tightly wound nerves.

"Boss, I'll take another candied hawthorn."

Li Futian said to a stall owner, handing over a few copper coins.

Just as he took the candied hawthorn, his eyes suddenly caught sight of a patch of green scales on the back of the owner's hand, and his pupils contracted violently: "Scales... Snake scales!"

Squelch.

A snake-like hand pierced through Li Futian's chest, and the bloody scene left Zhou Chuan, who was standing nearby, stunned in place.

"Snake-Person! There's a Snake-Person!"

Someone shouted, and the street instantly descended into chaos.