Zhao Gang came calling

Late that night, Three Trees Village fell quiet.

Yi Yang sat cross-legged beneath the Old Locust Tree, the parchment he had taken from Yang Shuqing spread across his knees.

The parchment's edges had worn black, and its creases ran deep. Unfurled, it still carried the stale smell of medicinal herbs and sweat.

There were few words on it, but what they described was strange-not the usual martial hall approach of "stance training to generate force, tempering skin and flesh."

Instead, it began with the lungs, liver, spleen, heart, and kidneys, using qi and blood to vibrate the organs, then letting the organs nourish the body in return.

Yi Yang studied it for half a tea's time, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"Train sinew, bone, and skin without; refine the breath of life within."

He murmured the opening line on the parchment, lightly tapping the writing with a finger.

Most martial arts in the world trained the exterior.

Skin Refining, Flesh-Training, Tendon Refining, Bone Tempering-layer upon layer of outward training, relying on meat, medicinal powders, and fists and feet to grind the body hard.

But this Five-Organ Internal Refining Force was different.

It nourished the inside first.

Strong organs meant abundant qi and blood; abundant qi and blood gave skin, flesh, sinew, and bone their roots.

On the Black Market, this was probably not something a few dozen taels of silver could buy.

To think Yang Shuqing, a Deputy Chief Constable of the County Office, had carried a technique like this. Who knew where he had stumbled upon such fortune?

"Yang Da, oh, Yang Da."

Yi Yang smoothed the parchment and sighed.

"You were a nuisance alive, but dead, you certainly know how to give gifts."

With that said, he cleared his mind of stray thoughts and began circulating his qi and blood according to the method on the parchment.

At first, nothing changed.

The courtyard's night breeze slid across his skin, carrying the scent of grass and damp earth.

A moment later, warmth rose in Yi Yang's abdomen, coming neither from his dantian nor from his flesh and blood.

That warmth appeared out of nowhere, first circling beneath his ribs, then moving through his chest and abdomen, traveling to his spine before sinking into his limbs.

It neither scorched nor surged.

Yi Yang's skin began to redden. Beneath his age spots, a flush slowly showed through. Then his five organs stirred.

Dong.

Dong.

Dong.

It was not a sound anyone outside could hear. Rather, it was as though five ancient bells inside his body were being struck awake, one after another, by an unseen hand.

With each beat of his heart, qi and blood pushed toward his limbs.

As his lungs expanded, his chest opened up, and even the night air he breathed became clean.

His liver, spleen, and kidneys answered in turn, their rhythm strange yet interlocking.

Sitting beneath the locust tree, Yi Yang's back no longer bent.

Drawn by his five organs, the qi and blood inside him gathered into a torrent, washing through his flesh again and again along the paths written on the parchment.

His meridians stretched open.

His skin and flesh were steeped through.

Years of soreness lodged in his joints were squeezed out little by little.

Had someone cut open his skin then, they would have seen the flesh beneath glowing a warm, mellow crimson, like an ancient artifact polished from blood jade-unassuming, yet worth a fortune.

Sweat beaded on Yi Yang's forehead.

It fell onto his beard, then dripped onto his collar.

After completing one cycle, Yi Yang opened his eyes, and small text appeared before him.

[Five-Organ Internal Refining Force, beginner: (60/5000)]

Yi Yang stared at the line for a long while without blinking.

One initial practice session, sixty points of progress.

Indeed, an old steed in the stable still aspired to gallop a thousand miles. So long as he could practice, no threshold could bar him-but this technique's requirements were far too high. It would take over a month just to reach the beginner stage.

Just as Yi Yang put away the parchment and prepared to practice another half-cycle, three soft knocks came from outside the courtyard.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Yi Yang looked up, walked behind the gate, and asked quietly:

"Who is it?"

Zhao Gang's lowered voice came from outside. "Old man, it's me."

Hearing the familiar voice, Yi Yang opened the gate.

Zhao Gang stood outside in a short gray cloth tunic, a bamboo hat on his head.

Yi Yang stepped aside half a pace. "Dressed like that? Can't the Heaven Patrol Office afford uniforms?"

After entering, Zhao Gang brushed his sleeves and said irritably, "It can. But if I came to your house in that uniform during the day, half of Three Trees Village would have their ears pressed against your walls. How would you keep pretending to be sick then, Old Man Yi?"

Yi Yang closed the gate. "Something the matter?"

Zhao Gang took a Black Iron Token from inside his tunic and handed it to him.

The Command Token was small, about the width of a palm.

The words "Heaven Patrol" were engraved on the front, and a number on the back.

34.

Its iron faces had been polished smooth, with subtle patterns pressed into the edges. It had weight in his hand.

Zhao Gang said, "Your appointment has been approved. From today onward, you're a member of the Heaven Patrol Office."

Yi Yang turned the Command Token over. "What does this number mean?"

Zhao Gang scratched his chin, for once not starting with a boast.

He glanced toward the kitchen, then lowered his voice further. "Your rank."

"The Heaven Patrol Office's Cloud Pattern Town branch currently has over thirty registered Patrol Captains, all capable fighters at the Qi-Blood Second Level or above. The smaller the number, the higher the position and the stronger the fighter. You also get a better share when resources are distributed."

Yi Yang weighed the Command Token in his palm. "Thirty-four. Near the bottom?"

Zhao Gang gave two dry coughs. "Near the bottom."

Yi Yang looked at him.

Thick-skinned as Zhao Gang was, even he looked a little embarrassed now.

"Old man, I didn't handle this well."

He clicked his tongue, anger creeping into his voice.

"I originally wanted to get you into the top twenty. You're at the Qi-Blood Second Level, and you've got real combat skills. By rights, that wouldn't have shortchanged anyone."

"But Steward Fang saw your age."

"Sixty."

"And he wouldn't give you too high a rank."

Looking at Yi Yang, he sighed. "In short, I embarrassed myself. I made the boast, but I didn't get the job done."

Yi Yang was not angry. Thirty-four was fine.

A lower rank meant he would not stand out.

Zhao Gang continued, "Keep the Command Token safe. It isn't just proof of identity. It also records your merits."

"From now on, taking missions, investigating evil sects, securing leads, killing people, saving people—as long as the office recognizes the merit, it'll be recorded under your Command Token."

"With merit, you can exchange for resources."

"Qi-Blood Pills, Sinew-Strengthening Powder, Bone Tempering Pills, healing medicines, fragments of techniques-all of it goes through this."

Yi Yang asked, "What if I lose it?"

Zhao Gang's expression immediately turned serious.

"Losing it means trouble."

"If someone picks it up and uses your Command Token to swindle people, or even do dirty work, the blame will fall on you first."

"The Heaven Patrol Office respects rules, but it also respects fists. Being in the right doesn't mean you won't get a beating first."

Yi Yang nodded and tucked the Command Token into a cloth pouch against his body. "Understood."

Then Zhao Gang remembered the main business and said quietly, "Also, your duties in the Heaven Patrol Office have been decided."

Yi Yang looked up at him with some curiosity.

Zhao Gang looked even more guilty. "You've been appointed Patrol Captain of the Archive Hall."

Yi Yang said nothing.

Afraid he did not understand, Zhao Gang explained, "It's the place where case records are kept. Old case files, leads on evil sects, registers of local factions, unusual happenings in the villages and towns-it's all piled up there."

"Put plainly, you've been put on the cold bench."

"Other people lead squads out to investigate cases, kill evil sect members, and snatch up merit. You'll sit indoors looking at paper."

"It really is easy work, but resources are exchanged for merit. No work means no merit. No merit means no medicine, and without medicine, martial training goes slowly."

The more Zhao Gang spoke, the more annoyed he became. He raised a hand and slapped his own forehead.

"That old fellow Fang Yue said you're getting on in years, so he'd let you put your remaining warmth to use."

"Remaining warmth, my ass. Just hearing it makes my skin crawl."

Yi Yang, however, was not angry. Instead, delight stirred inside him. The Archive Hall? Reading case files? Easy work? And a Patrol Captain's benefits?

This was no cold bench. It was clearly the Grand Tutor Chair best suited to him. After all, he had plenty of secrets outsiders must never learn.

Yi Yang coughed twice, putting on the helpless air of a country old man assigned to an idle post.

"That's fine too. These old legs are slow. If you really sent me chasing evil sect members, I'd chase myself into the grave before covering two li."

Zhao Gang glared at him. "Old man, don't comfort me. The more you talk like that, the more I feel I've botched this."

Yi Yang brought over some coarse tea and poured him a bowl.

"Brother Zhao, getting through the door is enough. Standing outside the threshold, you can't even see what's in the room. Get inside first, then decide where to sit."

Zhao Gang's hand paused on the bowl. He stared at Yi Yang for a good while.

"You old fellow, you really know how to keep your footing in life."

Yi Yang said, "Without steady footing, I'd have died long ago."

Zhao Gang took a sip of tea, and the bitterness made his whole face crumple.

"This tea of yours is downright lethal. Even an evil sect member would confess after drinking it."

Yi Yang said calmly, "Have another couple of bowls next time. It'll help clear that heat of yours."

Zhao Gang waved a hand. "Spare me. I'd like to live a few more years."

He set down the tea bowl and continued his briefing.

"Competition inside the Heaven Patrol Office is fierce."

"Command Token rankings determine resource distribution."

"There's a major assessment once a year. The numbers are reassigned based on merit, strength, and mission completion."

"You're thirty-four this year. If you earn enough merit next year, you can fight your way up."

"But there's one thing-the office's rules on the surface are strict."

"Defeating the Nine Evil Sect comes first."

"Anyone caught deliberately holding colleagues back to steal merit will, at best, be stripped of their post. At worst, they'll be dealt with on the spot."

At this point, Zhao Gang tapped the tabletop with a finger.

"Of course, what's on the surface stays on the surface. There's no shortage of little tricks behind the scenes."

"Old man, when you go to the Archive Hall, don't really treat it as retirement. Keep your wits about you."

Yi Yang committed these words to memory. The Heaven Patrol Office was expanding, its people a mixed bag and its affairs a mess.

For him, chaos meant opportunity.

A pond too clean could not raise big fish. The treasures hid in muddy water.

Zhao Gang rose and brushed the hem of his tunic.

"I've delivered the message, so I should go. Someone will notify you tomorrow to report for roll call at the Inspection Storehouse. Don't dress too shabbily. Leave the Heaven Patrol Office at least a little dignity."

Before leaving, Zhao Gang took one last thing from inside his tunic-a small porcelain bottle-and pressed it into Yi Yang's hand.

Yi Yang frowned.

"What's this?"

Zhao Gang stepped back twice. "A Water Essence Pill."

"It nourishes qi and blood and protects the organs. A pill for the Qi-Blood Second Level is just right for someone your age."

Yi Yang held the porcelain bottle back out.

"Brother Zhao, this isn't appropriate."

Zhao Gang had already reached the courtyard gate. His hand rested on the latch, and he did not look back.

"Cut that out."

"I didn't get you a good position this time. It doesn't sit right with me."

"If you refuse, I'll take it as you looking down on me, Zhao Gang."

Yi Yang said, "Owe too many favors, and the accounts become hard to settle."

Zhao Gang grinned, showing white teeth.

"Then leave the debt outstanding."

"Isn't a debt owed the most valuable thing in the martial world?"

With that, he opened the gate and slipped into the night, his steps swift, giving Yi Yang no chance at all to follow him out.