Sister-in-Law's Request

Night fell, and the streets of Blackrock City grew much more desolate.

Still somewhat worried about his sister-in-law's injuries, Li Feng left home and made his way all the way to the Spring Renewal Hall.

Pushing open the door to the quiet room, under the dim candlelight, Lin Yanqiu was leaning against the sickbed, her originally pale complexion already much more ruddier.

Hearing the commotion, Lin Yanqiu glanced slightly to the side. Seeing that the visitor was Li Feng, she furrowed her brows slightly. "Xiaofeng, why have you come again? Didn't I tell you that the times are not safe late at night and not to wander outside?" Though her words carried reprimand, they could not conceal her genuine concern.

"Sister-in-law, I really couldn't set my mind at ease. I came to see how your recovery is going." Li Feng gently closed the door and came over to sit by the bed.

"The external wounds have pretty much all recovered. The doctor says that after recuperating for a few more days, I'll be able to get out of bed and walk around."

Lin Yanqiu gave a bitter smile, a hint of helplessness permeating her tone. "It's just these internal injuries... The doctor said the previous injuries were too severe and have already damaged my Martial Dao foundation. Even if my right hand heals in the future, it's not recommended for me to walk the path of Martial Dao again."

After a brief silence, she took a deep breath and said with a solemn expression:

"In the future, if there are any tasks in the City Guard Office, or if you encounter any uncertain matters, come and ask me first so I can vet them for you. Also, there is a notebook in my room that records my insights and principles for dealing with people from my few years as a runner. Make sure you read through it more when you get back and keep it firmly engraved in your heart."

"Alright, I'll read it carefully. Thank you, sister-in-law." Li Feng nodded solemnly, feeling a warm current surge in his chest.

In his past life, he was an orphan who grew up in an orphanage. To him, care, affection, and familial love... these were things he had never experienced. It was only after coming to this world that he truly felt the warmth of being cared about by the woman in front of him.

"What are you being so polite with me for?" Lin Yanqiu shook her head. "Right, what is the current situation at the City Guard Office? What kind of person is the new Chief Constable? They didn't make an example of you, a white runner, did they?"

"The new Chief Constable is actually quite good. Her name is Jiang Yue, and she came down from the inner city. She did make an example of people by dismissing a few white runners without cultivation, but since I am already at the Qi-Blood First Stage, she didn't do anything to me."

As he spoke, Li Feng's expression suddenly became somewhat strange. "Right, there is another troublesome matter. My cousin's son, Zhang Qiang, was hauled into the dungeon."

"Zhang Qiang?" Lin Yanqiu was stunned, a trace of disgust instantly flashing in her eyes. "That bastard from your cousin's family? What kind of trouble has he stirred up this time?"

"At noon yesterday, he drank several catties of yellow wine and recklessly harassed a pretty woman right out on the street." Li Feng spread his hands helplessly. "And that woman was none other than the newly appointed Chief Constable Jiang."

Lin Yanqiu sneered. "What a suicidal fool! You didn't go sticking your foot in this muddy water, did you?"

"My cousin cried as she found me and shoved thirty taels of silver into my hands. I had no choice but to go take a look in the dungeon and slip the silver to the jailer so he would waive the instruments of torture and keep him from being tormented to death in there. But that's all I could do; we'll have to wait until this storm blows over before looking for another way." Li Feng answered truthfully.

"You did the right thing. At a time like this, you must never go directly to plead with Chief Constable Jiang. She's blazing with anger right now; if you went, you'd be walking right into the line of fire."

Lin Yanqiu pondered for a moment and instructed, "Since Jiang Yue comes from the inner city, her methods are definitely not simple. You must be extremely cautious in everything you do from now on, and handle all matters according to the rules."

Li Feng nodded in acknowledgment, then his expression sank as he said, "Sister-in-law, there is one more thing. The Green Bamboo Gang has completely routed the Black Tiger Gang, and now the street where we live has been taken over by the Green Bamboo Gang."

"So fast."

A trace of surprise flashed in the depths of Lin Yanqiu's eyes. "The Black Tiger Gang had entrenched themselves there for many years, and their strength wasn't weak either-especially their gang leader, whom ordinary chief constables might not even be a match for. For the Green Bamboo Gang to uproot them so quickly, it seems their foundation should not be underestimated."

"Indeed. Tonight just as I got off duty, an incense master of the Green Bamboo Gang brought two subordinates over to collect protection money."

As he said this, a hint of coldness flashed in Li Feng's eyes. "He opened his mouth and demanded two hundred cash. I originally wanted to pay according to the rules, but one of the subordinates named Ma San directly reached out and snatched my two fragments of silver."

Lin Yanqiu's gaze tightened, and she hurriedly asked, "You didn't fight with them, did you?"

Li Feng shook his head. "No. The one leading them was named Lei Hu, and he should be at the Qi-Blood Second Level. He casually slapped a palm print into the wooden table, which was clearly to intimidate me. The remaining two lackeys also both possess the Qi-Blood First Stage. My strength is inferior to theirs, so naturally I couldn't fight them."

Hearing this, Lin Yanqiu let out a long breath and smiled with gratification. "Xiaofeng, you've really grown up. I thought that with your temper, you'd draw your blade and fight them to the death on the spot."

She patted the back of Li Feng's hand with her left hand and said earnestly,

"You've just stepped into the Qi-Blood First Stage. If you act on impulse, you'll definitely suffer a huge loss. Even though the Green Bamboo Gang won against the Black Tiger Gang, they must have suffered heavy vitality damage as well, which is why they're in such a rush to collect protection money everywhere to replenish themselves. Since your strength is insufficient right now, temporarily avoiding their sharp edge is the right thing to do."

"Your top priority right now is to honestly perform your duties at the City Guard Office, strive to raise your own Martial Dao cultivation, and also read that notebook of mine more often."

"I understand, sister-in-law." Li Feng nodded solemnly.

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, Lin Yanqiu said, "A few months ago, when I was still a chief constable, something happened at old neighbor Butcher Hu's house."

"This Butcher Hu had sold meat for half a lifetime and saved up a bit of money at home, making a fairly decent living. His son took a wife who was exceptionally pretty and spiritual. When she went out, she caught the eye of a Black Tiger Gang incense master."

"That incense master acted arrogantly. After finding out the situation, he went straight to their door demanding to force a marriage. Butcher Hu was frightened out of his wits, and the next day he came running to me in tears for protection, promising that as long as I could keep his daughter-in-law safe, he would definitely offer twenty taels of silver as a token of gratitude afterwards."

"Seeing that their whole family of old and young was pitiful at the time, I brought a few subordinates along to give that incense master a warning and suppressed the matter. Later on, because of heavy official business in the office, I never managed to spare the time to go collect these twenty taels of silver. Take some time these next few days, make a trip to Butcher Hu's house, and demand this silver back."

"Although these twenty taels won't be enough to buy any Martial Dao cultivation manuals, now that you've stepped into the Qi-Blood First Stage, you are precisely at the time when you need nourishment of qi and blood. Even if all of this silver is used to buy some top-quality meat to nourish your body, it's still good."

Hearing this, a stirring arose in Li Feng's eyes, and he nodded solemnly. "I understand, sister-in-law. I'll spare some time to make a trip there in the next two days."

After finishing the serious matters, the somewhat heavy atmosphere in the room gradually relaxed.

After a moment of silence.

Lin Yanqiu shifted her body slightly, as if feeling some kind of discomfort, and her brows furrowed lightly.

Subconsciously, she raised her left hand to tug at her close-fitting garments, but accidentally tugged at her wound, instantly causing her to gasp in a cold breath of pain.

"What's wrong, sister-in-law? Is something uncomfortable?" Li Feng's heart tightened, and he hurriedly asked.

"No... it's not the wound." Lin Yanqiu shook her head, an unnatural flush appearing on her heroic face.

Biting her red lips, her gaze flickered evasively as she glanced at Li Feng and spoke in a low voice, "Lying on this sickbed for the past few days, I've been breaking out in cold sweats day and night, and my body feels all sticky and genuinely unbearable. You know I'm usually the one who can least tolerate this..."

Saying this, Lin Yanqiu turned her head away, her tone carrying a trace of shyness. "Xiaofeng, go to the back hall and fetch a basin of hot water, take a towel... and help your sister-in-law wipe her body."

Hearing this, Li Feng's heart suddenly leaped violently.

Usually so decisive and heroic at the City Guard Office, when had his sister-in-law ever displayed such a weak, shy, girlish posture to anyone?

What's more, although the two of them were uncle and sister-in-law in name, their ages weren't all that far apart-his sister-in-law was only a few years older than him. Such an intimate gesture in this quiet room between a single man and woman was truly somewhat crossing the line.

Yet, looking at Lin Yanqiu's brows, slightly furrowed due to weakness and discomfort, Li Feng suppressed the anomaly in his heart and nodded. "Alright, just wait a moment, sister-in-law. I'll go right now."

Before long, Li Feng returned to the bedside carrying a basin of hot water.

He placed the bronze basin on the stool by the bed, soaked the towel in the hot water, and wrung it half-dry.

On the sickbed, Lin Yanqiu took a deep breath, raised her intact left hand, and reached toward the cloth loops and toggles of her clothes.

However, undoing toggles with a single hand was already difficult, coupled with her severe blood loss over the past few days and physical weakness. The lapel that she could normally undo with a casual wave now refused to come undone no matter how she tried.

A layer of fine sweat quickly oozed across her fair forehead, and her fingers trembled slightly. After fumbling for quite a while, not only did she fail to undo it, but she pulled the cloth toggle even tighter instead.

"Hah..." After a moment, Lin Yanqiu gave up this futile struggle.

The atmosphere inside the room instantly became somewhat subtle, with only the heat rising from the bronze basin silently permeating between the two of them.

After a long pause, Lin Yanqiu turned her head slightly, half-burying that burning cheek in the flickering candlelight.

Her white teeth bit her lower lip, her eyes brimming with a trace of helpless moisture, and her voice was as thin as a thread. "Xiaofeng... Your sister-in-law can't use her single hand with any strength. You... you help me take off my clothes."

Boom!

Hearing this soft murmuring that carried a trace of shyness, Li Feng's brain instantly went "buzz."

He had already stepped into the Qi-Blood First Stage, and his internal qi and blood far surpassed ordinary people. The moment he heard those words, a scorching stream of air surged straight to his head!

He felt his throat go parched, and even his breathing grew several degrees heavier.

Taking a deep breath, Li Feng looked at the frail and helpless woman on the sickbed, forcefully suppressing his wildly beating heart as his Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.

With a slight tremor in his voice, he said, "Alright... Sister-in-law, don't move. I'll help you."

Li Feng slowly leaned down, approaching the sickbed.

As the distance closed, the faint scent of medicinal herb ointment and warm body fragrance on Lin Yanqiu instantly enveloped his entire person.

"I... I'll try to be as careful as possible. If it hurts you, just tell me." Controlling his somewhat trembling hands to the utmost, Li Feng gently pinched the first cloth toggle at Lin Yanqiu's collar.

"Mn..." Lin Yanqiu responded as faintly as a mosquito, tightly closing her eyes.

In the quiet room at this moment, nothing remained except the subtle friction sound as the toggles were undone, and the increasingly scorching sounds of their breathing...