"Sun Yan?"
Li Feng looked closely and saw that it was indeed Sun Yan.
It truly was a narrow world for enemies, and he had not expected to run into him here.
Relying on his family's resources, this Sun Yan had cultivated the Skin-Grinding Method of the Inner City martial arts hall. He had broken through to the Qi-Blood Second Level a few months ago and was already a Regular Constable. Seeing him just coming out of the Administrative Office, he had probably been summoned by some Chief Constable to discuss matters. Given his current status, appearing here was entirely reasonable and proper.
"What are you wandering around blindly for?"
Sun Yan pointed behind him and sneered, "These are the Administrative Offices for the Chief Constables. As a White Runner, what are you doing running blindly in here?"
He had heard that a few months ago, Li Feng had offended Constable Jiang and had been docked a few months' salary. Seeing Li Feng rushing blindly inside again now, it was certainly another botched errand.
If he used the rules here to ruthlessly step on Li Feng and kick him while he was down, he could just curry favor with Constable Jiang. Constable Jiang, after all, came from the Inner City and had a profound background. If he could use this to establish a connection, then when Chief Constable Zhao stepped down, taking over the position of Chief Constable would be a sure thing.
Thinking of this, the arrogance in Sun Yan's eyes grew even thicker, and he directly took a large step across, blocking the path.
Li Feng was forced to stop in his tracks, saying with a calm expression, "I'm looking for Constable Jiang to report on a matter."
Ever since Jiang Yue had privately imparted the Skin-Grinding Method to him three months ago, he had never gone in alone again in order to avoid suspicion. Therefore, aside from Constable Chen, no one else knew that Jiang Yue had already extended an olive branch to Li Feng.
Sun Yan sneered, "Constable Jiang is a busy person with a myriad of affairs. Is she someone a White Runner like you can see just whenever you want?"
Sun Yan spoke with a condescending tone, brimming with a sense of superiority.
As Chief Constable Zhao's alternate, he was frequently able to interact with the chief constables. When facing an insignificant temporary runner like Li Feng, he indeed had the capital to feel superior.
Truth be told, Sun Yan truly lived up to being someone skilled at pulling strings through the back door. How long had he even been a Regular Constable? He was still far from becoming a chief constable, yet his official airs when speaking were quite full of themselves.
Li Feng furrowed his brow slightly, a trace of displeasure rising in his heart.
How could this dog-eat-dog bastard be so annoying?
He was currently in a rush to figure out the matter regarding the Skin-Grinding Method and had no desire to entertain this person at all. If it weren't for the fact that it was inconvenient to make a move here at the City Guard Office, he would have long since struck out and given this fellow a severe beating.
Li Feng ignored Sun Yan, shifted his footsteps, and tried to skirt around him to walk inward.
"Halt! Did I say you could leave?!"
Seeing that Li Feng actually dared to ignore him, Sun Yan felt he had lost face. His expression sinking, he instantly thrust out his arm, blocking Li Feng and refusing to let him pass.
The two instantly reached a stalemate, and the atmosphere grew somewhat tense.
Right at that moment, Chief Constable Zhao Quan walked out from the neighboring Administrative Office.
Zhao Quan glanced at the two of them, and his brow instantly furrowed.
This Sun Yan had offered him no shortage of flattery and tributes on ordinary days, and his family also possessed some connections. By reason and by emotion, he ought to side with Sun Yan.
"Brawling and squabbling, what kind of decorum is this? Do you think this place is a vegetable market?"
Zhao Quan pulled a long face, his gaze landing on Li Feng as he reprimanded him, "Li Feng, as a White Runner, why are you so lacking in manners? So undisciplined and unruly? Sun Yan is now a Regular Constable, and blocking you conforms to the rules of the City Guard Office as well. If you have any matters, you can state them directly to him, or tell me, and I can turn around and mention it to Constable Jiang. What is the meaning of forcibly barging in?"
Li Feng's heart sank slightly. Zhao Quan was clearly shielding Sun Yan and using his authority to oppress others.
If it were in the past, Li Feng would still have given Zhao Quan a shred of face. But now, his Skin-Grinding Method had reached perfection, his martial dao cultivation had also arrived at Qi-Blood Second Level Perfection, and he possessed a blade technique that had manifested Blade Force. If they were to truly resort to hands, this declining Zhao Quan together with Sun Yan might not even be a match for him.
However, they were currently in the City Guard Office after all, and it really was inconvenient to fall out openly on the spot.
Li Feng stood in place, sinking into thought.
"What is going on?"
A voice sounded from behind Li Feng, interrupting his deep contemplation.
He looked back and saw that it was Constable Chen, who was walking in from the front courtyard.
Although the sound of the few of them arguing was not loud, Chief Constable Zhao happened to be holding roll call in the front courtyard. Hearing the sound of Li Feng arguing with someone, he had come over to take a look.
Constable Chen had previously accepted Jiang Yue's commission and knew that Jiang Yue intended to look after Li Feng a bit more. He also understood that Li Feng's martial dao talent was not ordinary; barring any accidents, after a few years, this Li Feng would certainly become a chief constable as well. Therefore, seeing him being picked on by Zhao Quan and Sun Yan at the moment, he walked over, intending to help Li Feng out of a tight spot.
"Old Zhao, you're also someone who will be stepping down soon. Why are you quibbling with a White Runner?" Constable Chen walked over and patted Zhao Quan on the shoulder, then said to Li Feng, "Constable Jiang happens to be right inside the room. Li Feng, since you're looking for her regarding a matter, hurry on in."
With Constable Chen speaking up like this, even though Zhao Quan was displeased in his heart, it was not appropriate for him to strip a colleague of face over such a trivial matter. In the end, he could only give a cold snort and turn away.
Seeing a chief constable step forward to speak for Li Feng, even with complete unwillingness in his heart, Sun Yan could only resentfully lower his arm and back away half a step, not daring to obstruct him any further.
Watching Constable Chen's amiable demeanor toward Li Feng, Sun Yan's expression turned ashen, and in his heart he could not fathom it no matter how hard he thought:
"How strange. Constable Chen has always never meddled in other people's business; why would he have nothing better to do today and stick his neck out for a White Runner? He didn't even care about Chief Constable Zhao's face?"
Yet, upon a second thought, he figured it out. When Lin Yanqiu was still a chief constable, her jurisdiction happened to be right near Constable Chen's. It was estimated that Constable Chen was honoring his past friendship with Lin Yanqiu, which was why he had come out to help Li Feng.
"Many thanks, Lord Chen."
Li Feng cupped his fists toward Constable Chen, then turned and walked toward Jiang Yue's Administrative Office.
He arrived before Jiang Yue's Administrative Office and knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
A crisp voice came from inside the Administrative Office.
Li Feng pushed open the door to the office, a trace of a smile appearing as he walked in.
Inside the room, Jiang Yue was sitting and perusing case files. She was dressed in martial attire, appearing cool and efficient. Hearing the sound of the door opening, she raised her gaze slightly to look over.
"What is it?"
Jiang Yue asked.
Li Feng offered a cupped-fist salute and spoke, "Lord Jiang, after three months of arduous training, this subordinate has already practiced the Iron Robe Skin-Grinding Method to the entry level. It's just that there is one matter I don't understand, and I have come specifically to seek your guidance."
Jiang Yue nodded slightly. Three months to reach the entry level-her talent could still be considered acceptable, and it matched her expectations for Li Feng.
"Oh? Speak," Jiang Yue put down the case files in her hand and asked.
Li Feng took the opportunity to ask, "After this Iron Robe Skin-Grinding Method reaches the entry level, rubbing the skin with coarse hemp cloth now seems to no longer produce any effect, and cultivating with it yields extremely negligible results. Why is that?"
Jiang Yue explained, "That is only natural. Since you have already entered the threshold, your skin and membranes are naturally much sturdier than before. If this Iron Robe Skin-Grinding Method is cultivated step-by-step, a person of ordinary aptitude usually requires three months for entry, one year for minor accomplishment, one year for major accomplishment, and finally another year for perfection."
"Although you have already reached the entry level at present, you can still continue to use coarse hemp cloth to keep grinding. Although at this stage the effect of the coarse hemp cloth will be heavily discounted, it is not completely ineffective. It will only be after reaching minor accomplishment that the coarse hemp cloth completely loses its grinding effect."
Li Feng furrowed his brow slightly. What a pity that he was not cultivating normally at all; right now, this coarse hemp cloth had become completely ineffective for him, and cultivating with it simply made it impossible to raise the debt-repayment progress.
He pondered slightly, then immediately pressed on with a follow-up question, "My Lord, what if I want to cultivate faster, or what is used to grind the skin after minor accomplishment?"
Jiang Yue glanced at him and slowly said, "After minor accomplishment, sand and gravel are generally used for skin grinding."
"Sand and gravel?" Li Feng murmured in a low voice.
"Indeed," Jiang Yue nodded slightly. "After minor accomplishment, the skin and membranes are sturdier, and using sand and gravel to grind the skin is just right. At this time, the harm to the body is also not considered great. If you wish to cultivate faster, it is not entirely impossible to use sand and gravel for skin grinding right now; on the contrary, the speed will even be several months faster than with coarse hemp cloth."
"It's just that this sand and gravel is coarse and sharp. Using sand and gravel for cultivation with skin and membranes that are only at the entry level will cause extreme damage to the body, and it also requires the matching use of more expensive and better medicinal herbs. But even so, it will still leave irreversible hidden injuries to the body in the future, which is why generally no one uses sand and gravel for grinding during the entry stage."
"So that's how it is..."
After hearing these words, the fog in Li Feng's heart scattered, and his entire person suddenly became enlightened.
He immediately bowed with cupped fists and said, "Many thanks for the lord's guidance, this subordinate understands."
Jiang Yue nodded and indifferently said, "Since you already understand, then withdraw. Remember, martial dao cultivation must not seek quick success and instant benefits; do not covet a few months of progress and ruin your foundation. Furthermore, since you have already achieved skin-grinding entry, presumably your martial dao cultivation has also stepped into the Qi-Blood Second Level. After a period of time, I will promote you to a Regular Constable. Go."
She had already said everything that needed to be said. She hoped Li Feng would understand that there were many martial artists of humble origins in this world who simply because they could not endure the long, grinding process of time, forcibly chose intense shortcuts, ultimately leaving behind irreversible hidden injuries that caused their cultivation to be permanently halted for life.
Her words of warning were also seen through the lens of Li Feng's decent martial dao talent; she did not want him to ruin his martial dao foundation due to excessive haste.
The path of martial dao cultivation was long; only by enduring loneliness and remaining firm and steady could one reach the very end.
"Understood. Many thanks, My Lord, this subordinate takes his leave."
Li Feng solemnly acknowledged.
As soon as he went back, he would get a cart of sand and gravel to grind away fiercely.
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