Position confirmed

Yi Yang looked at Zhao Gang without rushing to answer. Steam drifted up from the tea, carrying a faint bitterness into his nostrils.

Zhao Gang knew how to handle people. First he laid out the benefits of the Heaven Patrol Office, then openly admitted his own motives.

There was calculation tucked inside his honesty, and a layer of goodwill draped over that calculation.

Now that was how a man of the martial world behaved.

Had he opened with serving the nation and its people, slaying demons and defending righteousness, Yi Yang would instead have checked whether his woodcutting saber was still at hand.

Zhao Gang made no attempt to hide anything. He tapped the table with a finger. "The leaders of several smaller factions in Cloud Pattern Town have all joined the Heaven Patrol Office."

"We pass along information, run errands, and investigate leads on evil sects. The title isn't much, but once I put on this official skin, the Red Tiger Gang has to weigh the strength of its teeth before trying to swallow me."

Yi Yang listened, rubbing the rim of his tea bowl. Those words carried considerable weight.

He had killed quite a few people lately.

No one cared about Sun Mazi, and Yang Er's death could be pinned on an evil sect.

But Yang Shuqing was different.

A Deputy Chief Constable of the County Office, newly credited with a meritorious deed, who had left the county seat carrying a Sinew-Breaking Bone-Pulling Pill.

With that man gone, the County Office would investigate sooner or later.

Did anyone really think those drawing government pay were blind?

More troubling still, Yi Yang's cultivation was now rising far too quickly.

Ordinary resources from the Black Market could no longer keep up.

Bone tempering at the qi-blood fourth level required costlier medicinal ingredients, available through even fewer channels. Sometimes, silver in hand was worth less than a waist token that could get him through the door.

Yi Yang had lived sixty years and carried the knowledge of his previous life. He understood one truth all too well.

Developing off the books was far too risky. An official appointment was the winning strategy in the current game.

He lifted his tea and slowly took a sip. "Chief Zhao, did you invite me here today to recruit me into the office?"

Zhao Gang slapped the table, making the teacups jump.

"Straight to the point! Talking to a clever man saves my tongue."

Outside the door, Ren Hao poked his head in at the noise. Zhao Gang waved him away.

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Old Man Yi, I won't hide it from you."

"If you join, it benefits you, and it benefits me."

"Recommending a Muscle Training Realm expert earns me credit with the Heaven Patrol Office. And I'll have another person in the office who can help me, and whom I can help in return."

Yi Yang glanced at him.

"You're certainly honest."

Zhao Gang spread his hands, his grin carrying a touch of roguishness. "There are too many lies in the martial world. When I occasionally tell the truth, people think there's something wrong with me."

"A Patrol Guard earns three taels a month, and a Patrol Captain earns fifteen. There are internal channels for medicinal ingredients, too."

"Qi-Blood Pills, Bone Tempering Pills, Sinew-Strengthening Powder-all those things that are hard to buy outside can be exchanged for merit in the office."

At the words "Bone Tempering Pill," Yi Yang's grip on his tea bowl paused for half a beat.

Sharp-eyed Zhao Gang noticed and felt reassured. His words grew more confident. "Old sir, judging by your abilities, you have a chance of becoming a Patrol Captain."

"With the Heaven Patrol Office opening the way, perhaps this old tree can welcome spring again, and you can climb a little higher."

Yi Yang gave no answer. Only the chaotic shouts of drinking games downstairs filled the room.

Zhao Gang watched him and slowed his speech. "I can tell you're at the qi-blood second level, and no weakling among those at that level. About on par with me."

"If you're willing, I'll write your recommendation."

Ignoring Zhao Gang's words, Yi Yang reviewed his own strength.

His true cultivation was at the qi-blood third level, and he had achieved minor mastery of the superior martial art, Nine Peaks Saber.

Revealing only the qi-blood second level kept the risk manageable.

He could not conceal his martial abilities for much longer. Rather than let others guess, he might as well offer them himself in exchange for a position.

The official skin of the Heaven Patrol Office would not only secure resources, but also shield him from old debts.

If the County Office ever reopened Yang Shuqing's case and traced it to the Heaven Patrol Office, things would become interesting.

Who would be investigating whom remained to be seen.

Yi Yang set down his teacup. "Does the Heaven Patrol Office keep a tight leash?"

Zhao Gang understood the meaning behind the question and shook his head.

"We're expanding right now. There aren't that many rules."

"Normally, you answer summons, investigate evil sect activity, and receive rewards for merit."

"If a major case comes up, the higher-ups send someone to lead."

Yi Yang asked again, "What if an investigation finds one of our own committing crimes?"

Zhao Gang looked at him for a moment. "Depends how serious the crime is, whether someone will protect him, and whether your position is high enough."

Yi Yang smiled. This organization suited his tastes perfectly.

In these troubled times, a place as clean as white paper was probably not holy ground, but a graveyard.

"All right."

Yi Yang pushed his tea bowl back toward the center of the table. "Then I'll trouble you to recommend me to the Heaven Patrol Office, Brother Zhao."

Zhao Gang slapped his thigh.

"Good!"

Zhao Gang could not suppress the delight on his face. "Old Man Yi, that's a very sound decision."

"As the saying goes, a great tree offers good shade. The Heaven Patrol Office's canopy is broad enough to cover half of Qing Province."

Yi Yang offered a reminder.

"A tall tree draws lightning, too."

Zhao Gang froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"You have a vicious tongue, old sir."

"But you've got a point."

He took a blank wooden token from inside his robe, then a small booklet, dipped his brush in ink, and began writing.

"Name, birthplace, age, cultivation level."

Yi Yang supplied his details.

"Yi Yang, from Three Trees Village, Yunlin County, Suining Prefecture, Qing Province."

"Sixty."

"Qi-blood second level."

Zhao Gang's brush tip paused.

Sixty years old.

Qi-blood second level.

Written together in the booklet, those words seemed rather absurd.

Martial training demanded vigorous blood qi: laying the foundation in youth, coming into strength in one's prime.

To possess this cultivation at sixty meant either he had concealed it well in his earlier years or he had encountered some extraordinary opportunity.

Zhao Gang asked no further questions. Nothing was more unwelcome in the martial world than digging into someone's roots.

After completing the registration, he closed the booklet.

"Once I send the list to the Cloud Pattern Town branch, we should hear back within a day or two."

"If it's approved, you'll be one of us, old sir."

Yi Yang rose, slung the bundle of medicine over his back, and headed out. "Let's hold off on 'one of us' for now."

"There'll be time enough to say that once the waist token is in my hand."

As he went downstairs, Ren Hao stood beside the staircase and politely made way, bending even lower than last time.

Once Yi Yang was gone, Ren Hao returned to the private room.

"Boss, are you really recommending him as a Patrol Captain?"

Zhao Gang held his tea without drinking for a long while.

"I'm not recommending him."

"I'm inviting him."

Ren Hao stared.

Zhao Gang looked out the window. People streamed along the street, and Yi Yang's stooped figure had already blended into the crowd, utterly unremarkable.

"Half a month ago, he felt like someone who had only just entered the Muscle Training Realm."

Zhao Gang drank his tea, its bitterness numbing the root of his tongue. "Now, looking at him is like looking at a mountain through fog. I can only see its outline, not judge how high it is."

A chill ran down Ren Hao's back.

"Didn't you say he was at the second level, boss?"

Zhao Gang set down his teacup. "The second level is all I could see."

Ren Hao fell silent.

Two days later.

In the northwest corner of Cloud Pattern Town, the gates of an inconspicuous gray-brick compound stood tightly shut.

There was no sign bearing the words "Heaven Patrol Office" above the entrance, only an old wooden plaque reading "Inspection Storehouse."

An outsider would merely take it for a government storage facility for miscellaneous goods.

But inside lay another world.

Stone slabs paved the front courtyard. Iron posts stood at its four corners, and sabers, spears, staffs, and chains hung along the wall.

In the center, a powerfully built middle-aged man was practicing martial arts.

He wore a short black tunic, with thick arms and a composed face. A few white hairs marked his temples, but rather than making him look old, they lent him the ruthless edge of a man weathered by many storms.

His name was Fang Yue.

He was the Patrol Superintendent of the Heaven Patrol Office's Cloud Pattern Town branch.

He planted both feet, lowered his waist and back, and drove a fist out from beneath his ribs.

Crack!

The wind of his punch swept forward. A wooden post three paces away shook, fine cracks opening across its weathered surface.

Then came a palm strike.

Hiss!

The edge of his palm sliced through the air, sweeping a hemp rope hanging beside the wall sideways. Its end snapped against a wooden rack with a crisp sound.

Several Patrol Guards nearby stood ramrod straight. None dared whisper among themselves.

Fang Yue was not practicing empty flourishes.

Every move was short, every step steady.

His punches followed the centerline, his elbows guarded his ribs, and his kicks never rose above the knee.

An ordinary qi-blood third-level martial artist struck by him would spend ten days bedridden at best. At worst, he would be making his final arrangements on the spot.

When Fang Yue withdrew his fists, his chest and abdomen rose and fell steadily. Only a thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead.

A young Patrol Guard hurried into the courtyard, presenting a booklet with both hands.

"Superintendent, this is the list of candidates recommended by the various localities this month."

Fang Yue took it and flipped through two pages.

"Five at the qi-blood second level, thirteen at the blood qi first stage, and twenty-seven ordinary informants."

"Mm."

His fingertip moved over the names.

"Those at the qi-blood second level will become Patrol Captains directly."

"For those at the blood qi first stage, investigate their backgrounds first. Keep those who pass as Patrol Guards."

"Those who haven't entered blood qi cultivation can run errands on the periphery."

The Patrol Guard nodded hastily. Fang Yue turned to the later pages and stopped.

"Recommended by Zhao Gang. Yi Yang."

"Sixty years old."

"Qi-blood second level."

Fang Yue's brows drew down.

Wind passed between the iron posts in the courtyard, gently fluttering the booklet's pages.

The Patrol Guard said quietly, "Superintendent, Zhao Gang says this man has seasoned saber skills, plenty of experience, and a steady hand in handling matters."

"He's just rather old."

"Old?"

Fang Yue slapped the booklet against his palm. "At sixty, he's at the qi-blood second level, and his blood qi is already nearing its decline."

"You want him charging into battle? Is the coffin shop not doing enough business for you?"

The Patrol Guard lowered his head, not daring to answer.

Fang Yue took two steps through the courtyard.

The Heaven Patrol Office was expanding, and its shortage of manpower was very real.

The Nine Evil Sect was like rats in the gutters, with nests here and there, biting into a granary tonight and gnawing on dead men's bones tomorrow.

The county seat's three families and two gangs stood on the sidelines watching the spectacle, eager to see the Heaven Patrol Office stumble a few more times.

At a time like this, anyone useful could not be wasted.

Fang Yue turned back to Yi Yang's page. "The qi-blood second level is still the qi-blood second level, even if he's old."

"If Zhao Gang dared submit his name, he's at least no useless sack of straw."

The Patrol Guard asked softly, "Then shall we appoint him as a Patrol Captain?"

Fang Yue shook his head.

"A Patrol Captain has to lead investigations, travel at night, and pursue and kill evil sect disciples."

"A sixty-year-old man may have experience, but his legs might not keep up."

"We're short-handed right now, so assign him to the Archive Hall."

The Patrol Guard paused, taken aback. "To look after the case records?"

"That's right."

Fang Yue closed the booklet.

"The Archive Hall is piled with old case files, leads on heretical cults, registers of local powers, and records of unusual activity in the villages and towns over the past few years."

"It's a quiet post, but it still needs someone with a brain."

"Let him put his remaining spark to use."

At that, Fang Yue paused.

"Give him the treatment of a Patrol Captain."

"He's at the qi-blood second level, after all. Don't leave Zhao Gang out in the cold and cost him face."

The Patrol Guard hurriedly noted it down. "Understood, sir."