Patrolling the Streets

Long Wind Escort Agency.

After returning from Zhao Cheng's place, Lu Cheng didn't waste any time.

He swallowed Blood-Activating Powder and started practicing.

After three straight hours, darkness had completely fallen.

The training ground was deserted.

Lu Cheng exhaled and finished his practice.

His awareness swept across his Consciousness Sea, and a smile spread across his face.

[Black Eagle Stance, Twelve Forms]

[Grade: Human-Rank Low-Grade]

[Realm: Minor Accomplishment (125/300)]

After a day, the Mystic Eagle Stance Technique had finally entered another period of rapid progress.

But then Lu Cheng sighed.

He'd originally hoped to recruit Zhao Cheng as an ally, but unexpectedly, Zhao Cheng would need four whole months to break into the Late Stage of Strength Refining.

That meant that even though the River-Blocking Halberd Technique was powerful, Zhao Cheng would ultimately be held back by his realm. He probably wouldn't be able to help Lu Cheng much.

Lu Cheng took out another packet of Blood-Activating Powder. Looking at the snowflake-like medicinal powder, he couldn't help shaking his head.

"No wonder it hurt so much."

"It turns out this stuff is all low-quality."

It was only after going over things with Zhao Cheng during the day that Lu Cheng had learned the truth.

Most people, it turned out, used a single packet of Blood-Activating Powder for three days of medicinal baths.

Part of the reason was that its medicinal effects were potent and difficult to absorb.

But the bigger reason was that the Blood-Activating Powder sold on the market was of such poor quality and contained too many impurities.

Or rather, the excessive impurities were what made its effects so potent.

Truly top-grade Blood-Activating Powder was a transparent, colorless, odorless powder.

It only gave off a rich, sweet fragrance when used.

If Lu Cheng had taken top-grade Blood-Activating Powder three days ago, he wouldn't have nearly reached the point where he couldn't hold on.

According to Zhao Cheng, top-grade Blood-Activating Powder wasn't sold on the open market. It was only supplied to the true disciples of a handful of top sects, such as the East Sun Sect.

When he heard that, Lu Cheng had started imagining things.

Perhaps, while he'd been risking his life to digest the Blood-Activating Powder three days ago,

Du Ruo had been enjoying top-grade medicinal powder with her snacks.

"Forget it. Even if she eats top-grade Blood-Activating Powder like rice, she still probably can't cultivate faster than me."

At his current rate, the Mystic Eagle Stance Technique would reach Great Achievement in another six days.

By then, he'd break into the Late Stage of Strength Refining!

And that would be only twenty-three days after he began learning martial arts.

"Patrolling the streets?"

When he returned to the room, only the three Hu brothers were there. Liu Chang'an and Fatty were nowhere to be seen.

After asking around, Lu Cheng learned that the three of them had actually found a job patrolling the streets at night.

South City became extremely chaotic after dark.

The authorities alone couldn't maintain order.

So many wealthy families and merchants had pooled their money to hire disciples from various martial arts halls to patrol the streets around their properties.

The three of them could earn a hundred copper coins a night.

Lu Cheng sighed inwardly. It seemed that Liu Village had truly fallen into dire straits this time.

The three of them had resorted to patrolling the streets for a hundred copper coins.

But Liu Wan'er was still injured.

She needed proper rest, to say nothing of the danger if they ran into night thieves and a fight broke out.

After asking where the three of them were patrolling, Lu Cheng headed there without another word.

Liu Wan'er had been badly injured while saving him.

No matter what, he would take her place first.

South City, in a neighborhood crowded with mansions.

Liu Chang'an and the other two were making rounds through the four streets in the area.

He and Fatty each carried a staff as tall as their brows.

Liu Wan'er had injured her right arm, so she held a torch in her left hand to light the way.

The three of them were responsible for an area containing sixteen mansions and two warehouses. It was a favorite haunt of roof-hoppers and burglars.

Two other patrol teams were also making rounds across the area.

Even so, they still ran into trouble.

"Don't run!"

A commotion suddenly erupted in the direction the three of them were heading.

A flicker of torchlight chased a shadow as it raced toward them.

When the pursuer saw the torches carried by Liu Chang'an and the others, he shouted:

"Stop him! He's a thief!"

Hearing that there was a thief, Fatty groaned under his breath.

"Damn it, trouble on the very first night. Why's Fatty so unlucky?"

Despite his complaint, he and Liu Chang'an hurried forward and took up positions in the middle of the street, one on each side. With a swish, they raised their staffs.

"Petty thief, you're not getting away!"

Besides their pay for patrolling, they'd receive an extra reward for catching a thief.

The amount depended on the value of the stolen goods.

Everyone living around here was rich, so anything worth stealing was bound to be valuable.

If they caught someone, their reward would be no less than their pay for the patrol.

That was why the patrols were so enthusiastic.

Seeing the shadow charge toward them, neither Liu Chang'an nor Fatty dodged.

They swung their staffs down.

"Smack!"

The two wooden staffs stopped in midair.

The shadow caught one in each hand. No matter how hard Liu Chang'an and Fatty pulled, they couldn't wrench them free.

The shadow holding the staffs let out a mocking laugh.

"You think you can stop me with skills like these?"

As he spoke, he twisted both hands with force.

The two staffs spun violently, as if caught in a spiral of force.

Liu Chang'an and Fatty could no longer keep their grip, and both staffs flew from their hands.

With two clatters, the staffs hit the ground.

The two of them shook out their hands, shouted, clenched their fists, and charged again.

But two punches, even faster than they were, came to meet them.

Two dull thuds overlapped.

Pain flared through Fatty's and Liu Chang'an's chests and stomachs. Their bodies went limp, and they fell to the ground.

The shadow stepped over them and ran toward Liu Wan'er.

The two men panicked and shouted to Liu Wan'er:

"He's a martial artist!"

"Wan'er, get back!"

But the shadow was simply too fast.

The moment their warning left their mouths, the shadow was already in front of Liu Wan'er.

Seeing Liu Wan'er swing her torch at his face, the shadow roared:

"Looking to die!"

One hand smacked the torch aside, while the other clamped around Liu Wan'er's neck like an iron pincer.

The two men stared in horror and struggled to their feet.

"Bang!"

The shadow's vicious expression hadn't even faded when he was sent flying, crashing down in front of Liu Chang'an and Fatty.

"What are you standing around for? Hold him down!"

Liu Chang'an and Fatty came to their senses and immediately darted forward to pin the shadow down.

Only then did they look toward Liu Wan'er, disbelief written across their faces.

"Lu Cheng?"

Liu Wan'er had also been startled by the sudden appearance of the shadow.

Only after the three of them spoke did she come back to herself.

She took two steps forward and used her torch to illuminate the newcomer's face.

It was Lu Cheng, who had rushed there in a hurry.

After they bound the shadow and handed him over to the patrol leader, the three of them were given a reward of two hundred copper coins on the spot.

The shadow was a martial artist. Ordinary patrols would never have been able to hold him.

And the goods he'd stolen were worth at least fifty taels of silver.

"Damn it, the stuff was worth fifty taels, and they only gave us two hundred copper coins?"

"That old bastard definitely pocketed a big chunk of it!"

Fatty complained as they walked.

That incident had given him a real fright.

If something had happened to Liu Wan'er, neither of them would have known how to explain it.

Lu Cheng continued patrolling with the three of them. Hearing Fatty's complaint, he shook his head.

"Why are you still worrying about how much money you got?"

"It's lucky I got here in time. Otherwise, you would've been in danger."

As he spoke, he turned to Liu Wan'er.

"You only get a hundred copper coins for a whole night. Compared to the compensation of over four thousand taels, it's a drop in the ocean."

"You have to practice martial arts during the day and patrol at night. How can your bodies keep up?"

"Besides, South City is so dangerous. It's really not worth it."

Fatty shook his head.

"Ah, we know that as well as anyone."

"But what else can we do? Our family is already planning to sell the land."

Lu Cheng was taken aback.

"How did things get this bad?"

The medicinal fields were valuable assets. No matter how much they sold them for, it would still be a loss.

"Don't you still have two carts of medicinal herbs? You only need to make up another four thousand taels at most."

"Even if you have to borrow it, you should be able to borrow four thousand taels of silver."

Liu Xun had previously told Lu Cheng the prices of the herbs and the amount they needed to pay in compensation, so Lu Cheng knew the figures without having to calculate them.

Liu Chang'an shook his head.

"Ah, the medicinal properties of herbs fade over time."

"Aside from herbs that need to be processed and dried in advance, most are only harvested from the medicinal fields shortly before the convoy leaves."

"Those herbs have to be delivered to an alchemist as quickly as possible. Every day they're delayed lowers the quality of the pills."

"Those two carts of herbs have been delayed too long. Their medicinal effects have already diminished considerably."