He had been injured in the earlier operation and had lost a great deal of strength.
Desperate to escape, he had grown careless.
Only because of all that had his son managed to win by luck.
But judging by the man's current state, was the situation different from what he had imagined?
Wu Dongrong gave it no further thought. He stood and went forward to interrogate the man himself, intending to extract valuable information while the man was psychologically broken.
Inside the cell, the crack of a whip, shouted questions, screams, and sobs... all mingled together.
The constabulary, rear courtyard.
Wu Shuangren had practiced with Hou Huai for another half hour that afternoon and had gained a basic familiarity with how to apply force when wielding a saber.
A weapon was an extension of one's limbs, and the fighting techniques Wu Shuangren had practiced in the past had given him a solid foundation.
On top of that, [Match for One Person] let him personally experience the most correct postures for applying force and the techniques behind the moves, and he also had Hou Huai's guidance.
Wu Shuangren was progressing at lightning speed!
At the hour of you, five in the afternoon, the sun sank in the west.
Head Constable Liao Yu gathered all the constables and bailiffs at the constabulary.
"We're heading out of the city to capture people tonight, and blood will be spilled!"
Liao Yu swept a stern gaze over everyone. "The county office has put up a reward, and the Mo Family has added another sum. Ten guan for every bandit's head!"
In the courtyard, everyone's eyes grew heated.
The Wu Dynasty used an equal-field system. In theory, everyone could farm enough land to support themselves.
If an ordinary commoner lived by farming, the grain left from a year's harvest after taxes and his own food would fetch roughly nine hundred wen.
That was the theoretical figure. In practice, many places fell far short of it.
So ten guan really was enough to buy a life!
"Anyone with the guts to join, sign up with Old Yang. You'll come out of the city with me tonight."
With that, Liao Yu turned and left.
He hadn't gone into detail, but everyone knew the people they were heading out to capture had to be the bandits who had entered the city last night.
The crowd surged toward one of the constables.
"Brother Yang, count me in."
"Brother Yang, I want to go tonight!"
"Form a line, one at a time."
"..."
Everyone was eager to join.
Wu Shuangren looked at Hou Huai beside him. "Uncle Hou, are you going tonight?"
Hou Huai shook his head and smiled. "I'm getting old. I can't handle that sort of exertion anymore."
Wu Shuangren nodded and went over to join the line as well.
Yang Ming wrote down the names of the volunteers one by one, a little surprised by how eager everyone was this time.
This wasn't an ordinary capture operation. They would be facing real desperadoes, and there could be casualties.
Most of the people in the constabulary had gotten in through connections. Few of them truly had the guts to take up a saber and fight someone to the death.
So Yang Ming hadn't expected so many to sign up.
Only when he saw Wu Shuangren standing in front of him did it finally dawn on him.
Word of Wu Shuangren defeating a bandit one-on-one last night had already spread throughout the constabulary.
In everyone's eyes, Wu Shuangren was just a second-generation young master from a well-connected family. How strong could he be?
How tough could a bandit be if even he could beat one?
That was why everyone was so eager.
It was less like they were heading out of the city to risk their lives and more like they were going to pick up money.
"Uncle Yang, I'd like to join tonight's operation too."
Wu Shuangren spoke to Yang Ming.
Liao Yu had personally promoted Yang Ming, who now served as his deputy.
Yang Ming said helplessly, "Little Brother Wu, if you want to join the operation, you'll need Boss Liao's approval. I don't have the final say."
Wu Shuangren nodded. Without making things difficult for him, he ran off to find Liao Yu.
After Wu Shuangren turned and left, Yang Ming looked at Hou Huai in the corner and asked, "Old Hou, aren't you joining tonight's operation?"
Yang Ming knew what Hou Huai was capable of. More than anyone else, he hoped Hou Huai would join, which would give them a better chance of success tonight.
"I'm getting old, so I won't put myself through it."
Hou Huai gave the same answer as before, smiling as he spoke.
A little disappointed, Yang Ming didn't press him further.
The other few full constables in the courtyard cast Hou Huai contemptuous glances.
Elsewhere, Wu Shuangren entered a room where Liao Yu was writing something with a brush.
"Shuangren, you're just in time."
Liao Yu looked up at Wu Shuangren and beckoned him over. "You have good handwriting. Come help me write a requisition slip. We need to draw ten heavy bows and twenty sets of leather armor from the storeroom for tonight's operation."
Wu Shuangren stepped forward. "Uncle Liao, I want to join tonight's operation."
Liao Yu slammed down his brush and said angrily, "Nonsense! What would you be going for? You were only injured last night!"
Wu Shuangren said, "My injury has already healed. Look."
He lifted his clothes and bared his chest for Liao Yu to see.
The palm print on his chest was gone.
Liao Yu frowned. "You still can't go!"
Then his tone softened. "Shuangren, thanks to you injuring that bandit last night, we were able to capture him alive and interrogate him for important information. You've already rendered meritorious service this time, and there'll be a reward for you afterward. Just stay at home. Once this case is over, I'll personally request a reward for you."
Wu Shuangren shook his head.
He wanted to keep earning merit, earn more reward money, and even more than that, pit himself against experts!
One of his coaches in his previous life had once said: a combat athlete who didn't like fighting could never become a champion.
And Wu Shuangren had always had a heart unwilling to settle for mediocrity, eager to challenge his limits!
Now that he had [Match for One Person], he was even more eager to try it out, like a driver who had just picked up a new car.
"Uncle Liao, since I wear this uniform, I should bear the risks that come with it. You've always protected me, but can you protect me for the rest of my life?"
Wu Shuangren spoke as calmly as he could.
"..."
Liao Yu pressed his lips together and frowned at him.
Wu Shuangren continued, "Besides, Uncle Liao, I'm actually quite good at fighting. I didn't beat that bandit last night through luck."
At those words, Liao Yu immediately recalled what the bandit had shouted in his cell that afternoon-
He's an expert! He has to be an expert!
Liao Yu eyed Wu Shuangren suspiciously. "You brat, have you been secretly practicing martial arts?"
Wu Shuangren nodded.
Liao Yu's eyes widened. "Who taught you?"
Wu Shuangren said, "I can't tell you that."
Liao Yu sprang to his feet. "Come with me!"
The two then made their way to the constabulary's rear courtyard.
Liao Yu picked up the two wooden sabers Wu Shuangren and Hou Huai had used that afternoon and tossed one to Wu Shuangren. "Come on, let me see how good you are."
Wu Shuangren caught the wooden saber. "Uncle Liao, if I beat you, you have to let me join tonight's operation."
"Huh?"
Liao Yu laughed, then nodded. "All right. If you can beat me, I'll let you join."
"You mean it?"
"I mean it!"
Swish-
The moment the words left Liao Yu's mouth, Wu Shuangren stepped in and seized the initiative, gripping his saber in one hand as he chopped down.
One look at the strike told Liao Yu that the form was decent, but Wu Shuangren clearly wasn't using internal power. His speed and strength were both nothing special.
Liao Yu casually raised his saber horizontally to block the descending blow.
Crack!
The two sabers clashed, and the impact was even weaker than Liao Yu had expected.
Wu Shuangren turned his wrist, swiftly twirling the wooden saber in a flourish. It slipped beneath Liao Yu's blade and thrust forward.
[Match for One Person] could guarantee that the final result would be a victory, but the way that victory was achieved could vary endlessly, depending mainly on Wu Shuangren himself.
With the experience of sparring against Hou Huai, this time he wanted to catch his opponent off guard and win with an unexpected move!
Liao Yu was somewhat surprised by how quickly Wu Shuangren changed moves. He hurriedly turned sideways to evade the thrust, then, seeing Wu Shuangren's outstretched arm, swung his saber at it almost instinctively.
Just as Liao Yu struck, Wu Shuangren snapped his forearm and gave his wrist a violent flick. The wooden saber flew from his hand, spinning sideways toward Liao Yu's chest!
Crack!
Liao Yu's saber grazed Wu Shuangren's forearm, while the saber Wu Shuangren had released struck Liao Yu in the chest.
"Uncle Liao, you lost."
Wu Shuangren smiled brightly.
"..."
Liao Yu's expression was a sight to behold.
9: Militia Training
Liao Yu didn't think Wu Shuangren had won through luck or by resorting to a trick.
That flicking flourish, the speed at which he changed moves, and the arm he had used to lure Liao Yu into striking were none of them simple things to use well.
More crucial still was that final move, when he had released the saber.
Without the proper technique, even if the wooden saber had been a real one, it would have done no more than cut Liao Yu's chest.
But judging by the impact he had felt against his chest, Liao Yu was certain that if the wooden saber had been real, Wu Shuangren's released blade would have pierced his chest.
In other words, in a real fight, Wu Shuangren's arm would at most have been cut, while he could have taken Liao Yu's life within a few moves!
"Who on earth taught you that saber technique?"
Liao Yu couldn't help asking.
No wonder that bandit had insisted Wu Shuangren was an expert. His saber technique really was extraordinary!
Wu Shuangren gave the same answer as before. "I can't say."
Liao Yu cursed. "Your parents sent you off to study, and instead of applying yourself, you little bastard secretly ran off to learn martial arts from someone?!"
Although the Wu Dynasty had been founded through martial might, and martial artists, like scholars, both had paths to advancement-one through the military examinations, the other through the civil examinations.