Street Patrol

Morning rays pierced through the clouds and spilled across the Martial Suppression Office's towering vermilion gates. The gilded plaque gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight, radiating an inviolable majesty.

Lin Qing straightened his brand-new Martial Suppression Office uniform. His task today was to patrol the streets alongside Shen Lie, the Chief Banner Officer. It was the first official assignment he had taken on since joining the Martial Suppression Office, and it could not have been more ordinary.

Before long, several figures arrived one after another. The man at their head stood tall and handsome, with a touch of warmth and frankness between his brows. His aura was steady but not sharp. He was Shen Lie, the Chief Banner Officer leading this street patrol. Three others followed behind him, each with a condensed, formidable presence.

Shen Lie's gaze fell upon Lin Qing, and an amiable smile immediately appeared on his face. He stepped forward, raised a hand to pat Lin Qing's shoulder, and introduced the people beside him one by one in a clear voice:

"Xie Chen, from now on, we'll be colleagues carrying out missions together. Let me introduce everyone first. My name is Shen Lie, and I serve as Chief Banner Officer. In the future, I'll lead the street patrols, sentry duties, and all other matters."

As his words fell, he turned and pointed at the first young man beside him. The man looked about eighteen or nineteen, lean and thin, with a cold, stern face. His indifferent eyes rested on the ground, and he gave off an aura that kept strangers at arm's length. He was as silent as a boulder. "This is Su Ye. He's quiet and not much of a talker, but his skills are exceptionally sharp and he gets things done reliably," Shen Lie said with a smile. Su Ye merely lifted his eyes and gave Lin Qing an indifferent glance, then nodded slightly in greeting without making another move.

Next, Shen Lie pointed to a burly man on the right. The man stood eight feet tall, broad-shouldered and thick-backed, his muscles knotted like coiled dragons. His face was honest and plain, his eyes bright and clear; one look was enough to tell that he had a straightforward temperament. His entire body exuded a solid, dependable air. "This is Shi Man. His hard-body training is quite impressive, and he's honest and loyal. If there's anything you don't understand in daily life, you can't go wrong asking him." Shi Man scratched the back of his head, flashed Lin Qing a broad grin, and boomed in a voice like a bell, "Brother Xie Chen, please look after me from now on!"

Finally, Shen Lie looked toward the remaining man. He had regular features and lively eyes that carried a hint of shrewdness. He was about the same age as Shen Lie and carried himself with ease. "This is Lu Xuan. He's meticulous and knows all the rules and ins and outs of the Martial Suppression Office like the back of his hand. Our team has only one Chief Banner Officer—me—and I lead the four of you Banner Officers. From now on, we only need to work together wholeheartedly and do our missions well." Lu Xuan smiled warmly at Lin Qing and cupped his hands in greeting, his manner exceptionally friendly. "Brother Xie Chen, welcome aboard."

Lin Qing hurriedly returned each greeting with cupped hands, wearing a suitably modest smile as he committed everyone's appearance and temperament to memory. "I'll be relying on Chief Banner Officer Shen and all of you for guidance in the future."

Shen Lie waved a hand, his tone easygoing. "We're all colleagues here, so there's no need to be so reserved. When the Martial Suppression Office patrols the streets, we don't bother with rigid formation rules. Just walk naturally and keep an eye on what's happening around the streets. If you discover local thugs causing trouble, martial conflicts, or any other unusual circumstances, deal with them promptly and look out for one another."

With that, the five of them left the Martial Suppression Office and entered the bustling city streets. Though it was still early morning, the roads were already abuzz with voices. Vendors' cries, pedestrians' chatter, and the rumble of passing carts and horses mingled together, brimming with the lively air of everyday life.

Lin Qing walked beside the others, his gaze sweeping unobtrusively across both sides of the street. He secretly observed everything around them while familiarizing himself with the procedures of a Martial Suppression Office street patrol.

As they walked, Lu Xuan quietly moved closer to Lin Qing. After glancing around, he lowered his voice and struck up a conversation. "Brother Xie Chen, there's something I'm curious about. Yesterday, I saw Qin Hundred-Household Commander personally bring you over. Do you know Qin Hundred-Household Commander?"

Lin Qing's heart tightened. Having just arrived, what he feared most was being seen as some rich young master who had entered through the back door on connections. If his colleagues isolated him, he would find it impossible to take a single step in the Martial Suppression Office in the future. He immediately explained:

"Brother Lu Xuan, you misunderstand. Qin Hundred-Household Commander and I have no prior relationship. I didn't know that the Martial Suppression Office's recruitment assessment was held on the first day of every month. I rashly came to register yesterday and happened to encounter Qin Hundred-Household Commander. Seeing how determined I was to join, he made an exception and gave me a chance to take the assessment. I only managed to stay in the Martial Suppression Office because I fortunately passed it."

Lu Xuan suddenly understood. He nodded gently, and the trace of probing in his eyes instantly vanished. Smiling, he said:

"So that was it. Some time ago, our Martial Suppression Office went out on a mission and lost quite a few men. We're short-handed right now, so Lord Hundred-Household Commander made an exception and allowed you to take the assessment and join. Under normal circumstances, I'm afraid you would have had to wait an entire month."

At that moment, the burly Shi Man also hurried over and joined their conversation. His voice was naturally loud, and even though he deliberately lowered it, it still sounded thunderous.

"By the way, Brother Xie Chen, after joining, did you go to the Scripture Pavilion to choose a martial art?"

A look of confusion appeared on Lin Qing's face. He turned to Shi Man and asked doubtfully, "Brother Shi Man, what do you mean by choosing a martial art?"

"Ah, that's one of the benefits for newcomers to our Martial Suppression Office!" Shi Man slapped his thigh and said as if it were only natural. "Any newcomer who joins can go to the Book-Collection Tower for free and select one Yellow-Tier Martial Art. Fist arts, palm arts, blade arts, movement arts—you can choose whatever you want. That's a benefit people outside would beg for and never get."

So this was a newcomer benefit. But compared to martial arts, what Lin Qing needed more urgently was a cultivation art. After all, cultivation arts were the foundation of martial cultivation, while martial arts were merely the application of techniques.

After considering it for a moment, Lin Qing asked naturally, "Then can cultivation arts also be selected?"

Shi Man's face immediately showed some surprise. Somewhat puzzled, he replied, "Cultivation arts? I'm not sure about that. Generally speaking, a martial artist focuses on cultivating only one cultivation art per realm. Most people already have a cultivation art they're practicing before joining the Martial Suppression Office, so hardly anyone goes to the Book-Collection Tower to choose one."

At that point, Shi Man seemed to remember something. His eyes lit up as he leaned closer. "Brother Xie Chen, don't tell me you want to cultivate a Second-Tier Cultivation Art in advance? You seem to have only just reached First Tier, right? You can't aim too high. If you forcibly cultivate a high-tier cultivation art, your body won't be able to bear it."

Lin Qing quickly waved his hands in explanation. "Brother Shi Man, you misunderstand. I don't intend to cultivate one immediately. I'm only curious and want to visit the Book-Collection Tower in advance to have a look and learn a little."

Lu Xuan took over, patiently explaining to Lin Qing. "Brother Xie Chen, you may not know this, but as the Summer Kingdom's official martial law-enforcement organization, our Martial Suppression Office may not offer the highest monthly salary, yet its various benefits are exceptionally generous. Cultivation arts are the foundation of martial cultivation. If the martial artists under its command improved in strength but had no suitable high-tier cultivation arts to practice, wouldn't those martial sects of the jianghu laugh at our Martial Suppression Office for being shabby? That is why the Martial Suppression Office provides cultivation arts to its members for free."

After a pause, Lu Xuan added, "However, there is a clear requirement for claiming cultivation arts for free: at most, you may choose one cultivation art that is a single level above your current realm. Once this morning's street patrol ends, you can use your identity token to visit the Book-Collection Tower in the afternoon and make your selection."

As his words ended, Lu Xuan's expression suddenly turned solemn. He lowered his voice again and warned him seriously, "Let me remind you in advance: once you reach the Book-Collection Tower, you must be polite and respectful to Steward Zhang, who guards the tower. You must not slight him in the slightest, much less get into a dispute with him."

Lin Qing's heart jolted. The steward guarding the tower? Could he be about to encounter some sweeping monk? His interest instantly piqued. He hurriedly cupped his hands to Lu Xuan and asked respectfully, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Lu Xuan. Please enlighten me in detail—what exactly is Steward Zhang's background?"

With a trace of reverence in his eyes, Lu Xuan said softly, "Within the Martial Suppression Office, those old men who appear inconspicuous are all powerful figures from the older generation who have retired. People like Old Zhang of the Book-Collection Tower and Old Wang from Logistics were all ruthless figures who once dominated their regions. Now they hide behind the scenes, and their strength is unfathomable. They might even be stronger than Qin Hundred-Household Commander. Such senior experts must never be offended."

Lin Qing understood and thanked Lu Xuan once more.

Afterward, they continued strolling through the streets on patrol while casually chatting about miscellaneous matters within the Martial Suppression Office. The morning patrol soon ended amid the relaxed atmosphere. They had encountered only minor incidents, such as vendors fighting over spots, so it had gone quite smoothly.

According to Martial Suppression Office rules, Lin Qing would not need to carry out any more missions for the next two days.

As the Summer Kingdom's core violent law-enforcement organization, the Martial Suppression Office naturally placed great importance on its members' strength. Therefore, it gave them ample free time to cultivate and improve their realms.

Once the patrol ended, Shen Lie gave a few simple instructions before leading everyone back to the Martial Suppression Office, where they headed together to its dining hall for a meal.

The Martial Suppression Office dining hall was naturally different from ordinary taverns in the marketplace. The meals provided here were specially prepared for martial artists. There was ferocious beast meat, as well as soups that replenished Qi and Blood.

Using his identity token, Lin Qing collected his meal. As a Banner Officer, he could receive one jin of ferocious beast meat each day. But Lin Qing's physical consumption now far exceeded that of an ordinary First-Tier Martial Artist. This mere one jin of beast meat was only a cup of water against a cartload of firewood; it could not possibly meet his energy needs.

Lin Qing quietly considered the matter. It seemed that in the future, he would still have to find a way to gather resources himself and set up a separate stove if he wanted to keep pace with his cultivation progress.

After a simple lunch, everyone dispersed. Some returned to their residences to cultivate, while others went to handle private affairs.

Lin Qing bade everyone farewell and followed the direction Lu Xuan had given him toward the Book-Collection Tower deep within the Martial Suppression Office. He was preparing to select his own cultivation art and martial art, opening his path of cultivation within the Martial Suppression Office.