Daily Patrol Routine

"It's not fair! Why doesn't Li Feng have to be weeded out? He got in through the back door too!"

At that moment, a white runner who had been cleared out shouted loudly.

"That's right, that's right! Why shouldn't Li Feng be weeded out? He's just like us, neither of us has the strength of the Qi-Blood First Stage."

The other white runners had also been cleared from the ranks. Seeing this situation, they looked at each other and began to speak as well, their eyes filled with defiance, wanting a reasonable explanation.

Jiang Yue's gaze turned cold, and a hint of chilliness surfaced on her delicate face.

She was an inner-city aristocratic scion and the newly appointed chief constable. Yet as soon as she took office, some unranked white runners publicly disobeyed her orders.

"Audacious!"

Jiang Yue let out a cold drink, and the martial artist's imposing aura instantly pressed down upon everyone present: "Do I, this chief constable, need to report to you white runners who don't understand the Martial Dao on how to do things? Rules are rules, and I won't have you shouting and hollering here."

The ringleading white runner was shaken back half a step by this force, his face turning pale as paper, but he still gritted his teeth and said:

"Since My Lady wants to go by the rules, then let's go by the rules. That Li Feng hasn't even reached the Qi-Blood First Stage, so logically he shouldn't stay in the City Guard Office either. Why are you only driving us out, but not him? What kind of fairness is this? We refuse to accept this even if we die!"

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere at the scene instantly turned tense.

The surrounding constable and white runner onlookers all cast their gazes toward Li Feng.

Watched by so many gazes, Li Feng could only silently sigh in his heart.

He originally didn't want to forcefully flex in an occasion like this, but the current situation had already developed to this point. If he didn't reveal a trick or two, the new chief constable definitely wouldn't be able to save face.

Li Feng could only helplessly step out from the ranks.

Only to see his expression calm as he took a deep breath, beginning to mobilize the qi and blood within his body. In an instant, a faint wave of blood Qi emanated from his surface.

The genuine martial dao initiation, the Qi-Blood First Stage!

The few white runners who were still clamoring instantly froze in place, their mouths slightly agape, completely dumbfounded.

Never had they expected that Li Feng, who had only joined the force a few months ago and whom they had never seen practicing martial arts seriously on ordinary days, had actually reached the Qi-Blood First Stage without a sound!

The face of the leading white runner turned alternately red and white, and he could no longer utter a single word of retort. He could only dejectedly lower his head and hurriedly walk out of the front courtyard. Seeing this, the other few white runners also followed along and walked out.

"Alright, disperse."

Seeing this, Jiang Yue waved her hand to announce the dismissal, then turned and walked back to the administrative office.

The crowd in the front courtyard gradually dispersed.

At this moment, Zhang San's eyeballs were practically popping out of his sockets.

It shouldn't be, it was impossible! This Li Feng had accompanied him on official duties ever since he first arrived at the City Guard Office. He himself was a martial artist of the Qi-Blood First Stage at the very least, and after a few days of observation, he had concluded that Li Feng was a completely ordinary person who had never touched any martial arts.

Yet how long had it been? Counting it all up, had Li Feng even been in the City Guard Office for a few months? He had actually already reached the Qi-Blood First Stage!

One had to know that the path of the Martial Dao was extremely difficult.

Years ago, his family had pooled together some money to send him into a martial arts hall. Because his talent was mediocre, even under the guidance of a martial arts master, he had practiced for several years before barely reaching the Qi-Blood First Stage. Later on, unable to afford the exorbitant master-admission fee and unable to continue staying in the martial arts hall, he had left it to become a white runner right here in the City Guard Office.

This was precisely why martial artists were so few. The poor study literature while the wealthy practice martial arts; the vast majority of people simply didn't have the money to persist until martial dao initiation before giving up.

Zhang San grabbed Li Feng's arm, his face full of shock and disbelief: "Brother Feng, when did you reach the Qi-Blood First Stage?"

Watching Zhang San's ghost-seeing expression, Li Feng patted his shoulder and said earnestly:

"It just happened these past few days. I had good luck before; while cleaning the grounds, I picked up a tattered cultivation manual and casually practiced it when I had nothing to do. Who would have thought that as I practiced, I suddenly had a breakthrough."

"C-casually had a breakthrough?"

The corners of Zhang San's mouth twitched violently, his entire person instantly petrified in place as he felt that comparing oneself to others truly infuriated a person!

Suddenly, as if recalling something, he fiercely slapped his forehead and stared straight at Li Feng:

"That's not right, Brother Feng! Two days ago, the logistics office sent over two large boxes of heavy goods, and I asked you to lend a hand and help me lift them together. At the time, you clutched your waist and cried out, saying your body was frail and weak and you couldn't move them at all. But for a martial artist at the Qi-Blood First Stage, those two boxes of heavy goods were nothing at all. Why did you refuse me back then?"

Watching Zhang San's crazed expression, Li Feng guiltily touched his nose, gave a dry cough, and said: "Ahem... Well, you see, the sun was so harsh back then, how miserable would it be to break out in a sweat? I was too lazy to move, felt it was too much trouble."

"Too lazy to move? Too much trouble?!"

Hearing this outrageous reason, Zhang San almost spat a mouthful of old blood, rolled his eyes speechlessly, and then playfully laughed as he hooked his arm around Li Feng's neck and said:

"You good old Li Feng! You hide yourself deeply, don't you? I don't care, in the future if you attain wealth and success and make something of yourself, you must fiercely pull your brother up, you hear me?"

Li Feng was choked by him to the point of being neither able to laugh nor cry. He broke free, smiled, and nodded in response: "Fine, fine, fine. If I make something of myself in the future, I will definitely pull you up."

The two of them bantered and laughed for a while, and the morning assembly officially came to an end.

Since the roll call was finished, it was time to begin today's chores.

Li Feng, Zhang San, and Chen Song walked out of the gates of the City Guard Office together and began today's routine street patrol.

Yesterday the South City District was not peaceful; the Black Tiger Gang and the Green Bamboo Gang had fought a great battle to contend for territory, and the streets everywhere leaked an atmosphere of desolation.

When their group patrolled to a secluded dark alley, they suddenly discovered that a bloody, mangled corpse was actually lying in the alley. It was presumably left over from yesterday's gang fight, and not even a soul had collected the body.

"Eh? Look at these clothes and the waist medallion... It seems to be an incense master of the Black Tiger Gang. Tsk tsk, he died a truly miserable death, he doesn't even look human anymore." Chen Song had sharp eyes, pointing at the corpse on the ground and shouting in surprise.

He glanced left and right, confirming that besides the few of them there was no one else around, before growing bold enough to step forward and squat down to grope around the corpse. Naturally, he found absolutely nothing.

Chen Song stood up with a crestfallen expression and spat toward the corpse: "Bah, and he was even an incense master! He's truly poor enough, from head to toe not even half a copper coin on him."

Normally, if Chen Song were given several times his courage, he wouldn't dare to be so presumptuous toward an incense master of the Black Tiger Gang, even if it were just facing a corpse.

Yet right now, the Black Tiger Gang was being beaten back step by step by the Green Bamboo Gang, suffering heavy casualties. An imposing incense master was exposed on the streets and not even a soul came to collect his body, which showed how things stood.

Li Feng watched from the side without a word.

Then the three of them worked together to find a battered handcart,lifted the corpse, which had met a gruesome death, onto it,pushed it all the way out of the city,and dumped it in a mass grave.

On the return journey, Chen Song patted the dust off his hands and said with a face full of emotional sighs:

"People who mix in gangs look like they're eating delicacies and drinking fine wine, but actually they're living with their heads tucked into their belt loops. Who knows when they'll end up like this incense master, exposing their corpse on the streets? When all is said and done, doing our shifts at the City Guard Office is what's truly steady. Even though there isn't much grease and water or opportunity for advancement, at least we can safely preserve our lives."

"Hey, Brother Song, that's where you're wrong. Brother Feng is still young; who knows, he might still have opportunities for promotion in the future." The one speaking was precisely Zhang San.

Hearing this, Chen Song also nodded repeatedly, leaned over to pat Li Feng's shoulder, and chuckled lewdly:

"Ain't that the truth! Brother Feng casually practiced and reached the Qi-Blood First Stage; in the future, he's definitely going to become a constable or even a chief constable. Right, Brother Feng, you now count as having some foundation, but you haven't started a family yet, have you? When the next rest day comes, this older brother will entrust a few famous matchmakers in the South City to introduce a few pristine young maidens to you, and arrange a marriage so you can live your days in steady peace."

Listening to these two singing in harmony, Li Feng smiled helplessly, waved his hand, and said: "You two older brothers shouldn't make fun of me anymore. Your sister-in-law's injuries have yet to fully heal, and right now I just want to scrape together a bit more silver for her medical treatment; how could I have the mind to consider these things?"

"What do you mean no hurry, how can that even work? How can a man not know the wonders of a woman?" Zhang San winked repeatedly at Li Feng, wearing a bad-boy smile as he said: "How about after we get off shift tonight, this older brother treats you, takes you to the Spring Breeze House to properly break your fast and have some fun?"

Chen Song off to the side was amused, gave Zhang San an irritated kick, and cursed: "Your guts are getting fatter by the day, Zhang San! If you dare to corrupt him, when Constable Lin recovers from his injuries and comes back, he'll definitely break your legs! First thing tomorrow morning, I'm going to the Spring Renewal Hall to lodge a complaint against you to Constable Lin!"

"What kind of trouble are you stirring up right now?!" Zhang San immediately grew anxious. "I'm doing this out of good intentions to arrange things for Brother Feng. If you dare to go to Constable Lin and file a complaint against me, I'll spread the word about how you got drunk before and hugged the pillar at the entrance of the Spring Breeze House for a frantic make-out session!"

"You dare!" Chen Song's aged face turned red, his eyes bulged, and then he guiltily looked left and right, fearing that passing pedestrians might overhear.

A burst of cheerful laughter suddenly rang out in the alley.

Watching these two bicker and play around, Li Feng's tightly strung heartstrings couldn't help but relax a little bit.

He needed to hurry up and pay off the debt for the Water-Cutting Saber Art, and then quickly practice the next martial dao cultivation manual.