Patrol Duty

Wei Ping suddenly scolded him loudly, giving Wei Yuan a fright.

"What did I do?"

"What possessed you to introduce your junior brother Zhao Feng to Cousin Xiangling? How could you do something so foolish?" Wei Ping sighed and pointed at the exquisite pastries on the table.

"Today, I had someone deliver pastries from the Fragrant Joy House in the Provincial Capital to Cousin Xiangling, but she sent them back. Only afterward did I find out what had happened."

"Xiangling may be our distant cousin, but Aunt and Xiangling have always been close to our branch of the family since we were young. Why were you foolish enough to introduce that Zhao Feng to her? Aren't you asking her to settle beneath herself?" Wei Ping said, her delicate brows tightly knitted.

"What's wrong with Junior Brother Zhao?" Wei Yuan asked, unconvinced.

"He comes from an honest background, he's dependable and hardworking, and his martial skills are solid. He could make a comfortable living anywhere. How is that asking her to settle?"

"Not asking her to settle? It's an outright insult!" Seeing that her younger brother still failed to recognize his mistake, Wei Ping's voice grew even sterner.

"The Xue Family may not compare to our Wei Family, but they do have some standing in the Prefecture City. Xiangling is educated and well-mannered, and she's been visiting the Prefecture City regularly since childhood. Now she even runs Xue's business. How could an ordinary girl from a wealthy household compare to her breadth of vision?"

"And that Zhao Feng comes from a poor peasant family in the countryside. Never mind his narrow horizons-he's only a Martial Master with fifth-grade root bone, and he's already exhausted his potential. Tell me, how is he worthy of Xiangling? Isn't this an insult to her?" Wei Ping and Xue Xiangling were close friends, so she naturally knew that Xue Xiangling had always set her heart on disciples of the sects in the Prefecture City. Even if she lowered her sights and looked within the County Seat, she would want at least a young Hidden Force expert. How could Zhao Feng, a mud-legged peasant with no potential left, possibly deserve her cousin?

"But Junior Brother Zhao really is a good man. He keeps himself out of trouble, works hard, and has solid martial skills," Wei Yuan argued. Wasn't a woman supposed to marry someone who would treat her well and was hardworking and dependable?

"Why can't you get it through your head?" Wei Ping sighed, exasperated that iron would not turn to steel.

Her younger brother was too much of a nice guy. He had never understood how to judge people or navigate social relationships, leaving her sighing helplessly.

"Just look at yourself. You've spent all these years supporting and befriending so many supposedly promising retainers, and what came of it? Whenever we actually needed help, every one of them either made endless excuses or turned out to be mud that couldn't hold to a wall. They were just swindling you out of your money. You really can't keep being so indiscriminately generous." Wei Ping rubbed her temples helplessly.

In her eyes, Zhao Feng was just like the retainers her brother had supported before-a pretender filling out the ranks. Her brother was far too kind and a poor judge of character.

Wei Yuan fell silent at that. He had indeed supported some retainers over the years, and all of them had turned out to be embroidered pillows-pretty on the outside, stuffed with straw within. But Junior Brother Zhao really was different. He knew, however, that nothing he said would change his sister's mind.

"Since Father passed away, you and I have been the ones holding up Mother's branch of the family. The Xue Family and Xiangling are among the few people close to us who can help us maintain our footing, and you've gone and ruined it," Wei Ping said, shaking her head.

In a day or two, she would buy some expensive rouge and jewelry from the famous shops in the Provincial Capital, then visit Xiangling, say a few kind words, and apologize. Whatever it took, she had to soothe her cousin's anger.

As for Zhao Feng, whether he was hardworking and dependable or not, his potential was exhausted. Her brother gave him so much silver each month, along with a meat allowance, yet he spent most of his time with little to do. She had long been dissatisfied.

I'll find a pretext to dismiss him after a while. That should save our branch some expenses.

That was what she thought to herself.

The next day, Zhao Feng had just finished practicing on the Plum Blossom Stakes at the Martial Arts School when he saw Wei Yuan approach with a slightly awkward expression.

"Senior Brother Wei, did something happen?"

"Well... Junior Brother Zhao, that Miss Xue I wanted to introduce you to last time turned me down."

Zhao Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had never wanted a matchmaking arrangement in the first place, so this saved him the trouble of finding a way to refuse.

"Don't take it to heart, Junior Brother Zhao. I'll introduce you to someone from another good family in a couple of days," Wei Yuan said apologetically.

Zhao Feng's head immediately began to ache. He hurriedly waved his hands.

"Senior Brother, there's really no need. Right now, I only want to focus on practicing martial arts. I'm not thinking about marriage. I appreciate your kindness-let me treat you to a drink." What he meant was: Please stop being so helpful.

Wei Yuan still felt he had let him down and was about to say more when Huo Shan emerged from the rear courtyard, his expression solemn. The other Inner Disciples-Shi Mao, Wang Yu, Zhou Xue, and Chu Fan-followed behind him.

"All disciples, stop practicing. I have an announcement."

"Yes, Master!" All the disciples stopped.

"The County Magistrate has issued a notice. Given the rampant banditry in Big Stone County, particularly the many notorious thieves and vicious bandits who have slipped into the County Seat and committed one major crime after another, the County Yamen's constables are short-handed. He has decided to establish a civilian Patrol Squad to patrol at night, maintain order, and arrest bandits and marauders. He has invited the major martial arts schools, escort agencies, and Martial Masters in the martial world to volunteer. Anyone who captures marauders or bandits will receive a reward from the County Yamen, and their deeds will be announced throughout the county," Huo Shan said.

As soon as he finished speaking, the disciples were eager to try their hand, immediately recognizing an excellent opportunity to make names for themselves. A reward and an announcement throughout the county would bring tremendous honor to their families and even their ancestors, second only to passing the Martial Examination.

At that moment, Eldest Senior Brother Shi Mao gave a light cough and spoke.

"To uphold the prestige of our Huo Family Martial Arts School, Master has decided that we should discuss together who will participate."

With Shi Mao's reminder, everyone understood. Not every disciple could join this Patrol Squad; only the elite disciples qualified. Anyone lacking strength or courage would only disgrace the Martial Arts School and Huo Shan, especially since Martial Masters from other martial arts schools and the wider martial world would certainly be taking part.

"Aside from the five of us at the Hidden Force realm, whose participation is already confirmed, we need to select three Bright Strength junior brothers," Shi Mao said.

"I recommend Junior Brother Liu Jinjie. He's a veteran at Bright Strength, with solid fist techniques and ample experience in real combat. He's more than capable," he continued.

"Junior Brother Liu Jinjie is a good choice." The other core disciples all nodded. He was indeed at bright strength peak and the strongest among them.

"I recommend Junior Brother Zhang Hao. He's also at bright strength peak, and his position at an escort agency has given him plenty of real combat experience," Zhou Xue said next.

"Zhang Hao works too." No one objected.

Wei Yuan spoke up then. "I recommend Junior Brother Zhao Feng. He's resolute, his foundation in fist techniques is very solid, and he has real combat experience escorting cargo."

"Zhao Feng?" Shi Mao, Wang Yu, and Zhou Xue looked toward him, all frowning.

Zhao Feng rarely interacted with them and only knew how to bury himself in practicing his fist techniques. Naturally, they did not want to give him such an opportunity to make a name for himself.

"Junior Brother Zhao Feng only completed his gate breakthrough three months ago. His foundations and experience are both lacking. He isn't a suitable choice," Wang Yu said first.

"That's right. Members of the Patrol Squad will inevitably spar with other Martial Masters. If he performs poorly, wouldn't that damage the reputation of our Huo Family Martial Arts School?" Zhou Xue also voiced her opposition.

"I spar with Junior Brother Zhao Feng often. His strength definitely exceeds that of most Bright Strength practitioners," Wei Yuan said. He knew Zhao Feng's abilities and had great confidence in him.

"Senior Brother Wei, I believe joining the Patrol Squad is not just about making a name for the Martial Arts School. It's also an extremely valuable opportunity to develop our disciples. I think this opportunity should go to a disciple with better root bone and greater potential, rather than simply being wasted." Chu Fan, who had remained silent until now, spoke calmly.