Chapter 21: Patrol III

In the clash of metal, ding, ding, dang, dang, Qiu Yiren and the Flying Cloud Pavilion disciple quickly exchanged moves. Both were extremely fast; to the onlookers, they were just a series of blurred shadows constantly colliding.

Lin Hui frowned slightly, staring intently at the combatants, his hand gripping his sword hilt, ready to move at any moment.

As Qiu Yiren wasn’t yet at a disadvantage, he was in no hurry. The longer the fight dragged on, the more favorable it was for them. After all, they were patrol auxiliaries, and if the commotion was big enough, official patrol officers would naturally come to investigate.

Since he didn’t move, the two men watching him were happy to remain still. After all, no one enjoyed engaging in combat with patrol auxiliaries who represented the government.

Everyone was out to make a living in the jianghu (martial world); if they could avoid a fight, they would. It was better to strike a pose and act as an atmosphere crew.

They thought this even as they maintained a fierce facade.

Looking back at Lin Hui, their eyes met, and they instantly understood each other’s hidden motives.

Lin Hui‘s inner philosophy was also to avoid fighting if possible. Getting into a fight and injuring himself would escalate the matter and cause trouble. It was better for everyone to put on a show, maintain an intense atmosphere, and save face.

When they returned, they could just say: We didn’t fail to act; the situation was so tense that it was only one spark away from an explosion. Fortunately, at the critical moment…

By twisting the narrative, wouldn’t the situation become more dramatic?

Lin Hui and the two men were of one mind. While watching the fight, they began to verbally abuse each other loudly.

“You dare move, little brat, try it!”

“I am a patrol auxiliary. If you move against me, you’re opposing the Yamen!”

“Which eye saw us move first? Does being a patrol auxiliary mean you can oppress citizens and strike us decent folk first!?”

“You were clearly the ones who moved first! You trespassed and were carrying dangerous weapons—that’s illegal!”

“Illegal?? Which Tuyue law forbids us from wearing arm guards!?”

The three people quarreled on one side, while Qiu Yiren and the Flying Cloud Pavilion disciple fought on the other.

As the fight continued, Qiu Yiren and the Flying Cloud Pavilion disciple grew tired. They retreated, put away their moves, requested water from a waiter, and after quenching their thirst, prepared to charge back in.

However, when they saw Lin Hui and the two followers only moving their mouths, engaged in a heated argument, their fighting spirit instantly vanished.

They saw Lin Hui standing immovably, arguing fiercely with fully flushed cheeks, completely engrossed in the verbal battle.

Qiu Yiren was speechless. She exchanged a look with the Flying Cloud Pavilion disciple.

“Forget it, forget it! I’ll spare you today!” Qiu Yiren waved her hand, annoyed.

The Flying Cloud Pavilion disciple had actually suffered a minor injury. While the fight appeared evenly matched, he had several small cuts on his waist. He didn’t argue further, only let out a cold snort.

“If you have the guts, leave your name!” he growled finally.

“Qiu Yiren of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple!”

“Good! Ning Dong of the Flying Cloud Pavilion, I’ve learned a lot today!” The man angrily gathered his older brother and the cursing followers, quickly descended the stairs, and left.

Since they were outnumbered, Qiu Yiren and Lin Hui did not stop them. Since they left their names, the patrol officers could be sent to find them later.

However, since the opponent dared to leave his name, he was clearly someone who was not afraid of trouble.

As the two announced their names, the surrounding onlookers immediately remembered the two names.

Qiu Yiren and Ning Dong.

“Wow, that sword light was so fast, I couldn’t even see clearly! Too strong.”

“Martial artists really fight differently than regular gangs! Both sides were incredibly fast. They truly live up to the reputations of the movement-focused Clear Wind Taoist Temple and Flying Cloud Pavilion!”

“What an eye-opener! That female hero, Qiu Yiren, is beautiful, and her sword style is even stronger!”

“Brother, brother, where is this Clear Wind Taoist Temple located? Can I send my son there to learn martial arts?”

The surrounding people were satisfied with the excitement and began discussing fervently.

The reputations of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple and the Flying Cloud Pavilion spread in ripples, like stones thrown into a lake.

Qiu Yiren finished her fight and returned, seeing Lin Hui hadn’t moved an inch, and she sighed speechlessly.

“Why didn’t you make a move?”

“Why should I make a move? Isn’t it best if we don’t have to? If we don’t fight, there’s absolutely no danger. Everyone is here for safety. If we can earn money safely while standing, there’s no need to seek out danger, is there?” Lin Hui said seriously.

“That’s one way to put it, but we martial artists, when faced with an incident, not intervening, that’s not…” Qiu Yiren frowned.

“Junior Sister, look,” Lin Hui gestured slightly around them. “You and the Flying Cloud Pavilion person were unharmed; it was essentially a sparring match, and no enmity was formed. That’s point one. Point two, everyone around saw how strong the Clear Wind Taoist Temple and Flying Cloud Pavilion are. They will all start thinking about sending their children to learn martial arts, which expands our business. Point three, the dispute in this restaurant was indirectly resolved. The other party voluntarily retreated, which counts as giving up.”

Lin Hui smiled slightly.

“We didn’t form an enmity, we expanded our reputation, and we resolved the matter. Isn’t the outcome perfect? Was it necessary for everyone to fight seriously, cause a bigger scene, and trouble our already busy Masters? Escalating it would be better?”

Qiu Yiren involuntarily nodded, feeling that his logic made sense.

But she also felt that this was different from the Wulin (martial forest) she had imagined. She opened her mouth, wanting to argue, but couldn’t find any good reason.

Lin Hui felt somewhat settled in his heart upon seeing her reaction. His philosophy from the beginning of learning martial arts was to be safer. Naturally, he wouldn’t easily engage in combat for no reason. Avoiding a fight was his core principle.

These days, while patrolling, he was also researching the specific mechanism of his special effect.

Furthermore, practicing the Nine-Section Quick Sword still required time. In his normal state, without activating the special effect, his combat skills were truly poor, so avoiding a fight was definitely the best result for him.

“Although I feel what you said makes sense, are you sure you’re not just timid and afraid of trouble?” Qiu Yiren couldn’t help but say. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt it was inappropriate, and she quickly waved her hand.

“Forget it, forget it. Since you don’t want to fight, just watch from the side in the future. If things go south, just help me shout for people. Is that acceptable?”

She figured that since Lin Hui‘s combat skill was a mess, forcing him to fight would only harm him. It was better to let him fully utilize his Body Tempering speed advantage to run and call for help if the situation turned sour.

“Senior Sister is generous!” Lin Hui immediately changed his title, smiling.

“When it benefits you, I’m Senior Sister, and when it doesn’t, I’m Junior Sister, right?” Qiu Yiren sighed helplessly.

The two left the restaurant and waited a short while on the street until the patrol officers slowly arrived.

The officers were also martial artists, all having completed Body Tempering. They were tall and strong, and if one looked closely, their skin subtly showed a hint of gray.

That was a special phenomenon resulting from practicing certain Hard Qigong techniques.

After handing over the situation, Lin Hui and Qiu Yiren slowly continued their patrol before returning to their regular resting spot.

The second day, the third day, the fourth day…

Subsequently, Qiu Yiren and Lin Hui encountered two more minor conflicts similar to the first, but they were all stopped just short of escalating. Sometimes Qiu Yiren won, and sometimes the martial artist from the other faction won.

But regardless of the winner, everyone knew when to stop and would not strike hard. They settled the rivalry through sparring and immediately ceased combat afterward. Then, they would loudly declare the name of their martial arts hall or gang.

In these controlled clashes, Qiu Yiren‘s practical combat experience grew richer, and her attacks became more accurate and confident.

Lin Hui, however, only intervened occasionally, and his interventions mostly involved stalling, never achieving any remarkable combat records.

But Qiu Yiren subtly observed from the side that this Senior Brother, who had entered the temple before her, was striking faster and more steadily than before. He was clearly improving as well.

Time passed quickly, and another half a month went by in a flash.

The Clear Wind Taoist Temple‘s auxiliary patrol assignment was nearing its end. This type of auxiliary task was not continuous but executed periodically.

The town did not rely solely on the Clear Wind Taoist Temple; several other factions took turns sharing the lucrative assignment.

As the final days approached.

Lin Hui clearly felt that the effect of his Body Tempering was getting stronger. His sword speed was increasing with every strike.

He knew well that he was maximizing his daily Body Tempering, reaching the limit of ten repetitions.

During the patrol period, Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, and the Senior Brother all had to reduce their practice and Body Tempering frequency because their time was too consumed.

Because their Body Tempering was not guaranteed to succeed with every practice attempt, reaching the limit of ten repetitions often required half a day of repeatedly trying, and that was only when their condition was optimal.

Now that the patrol took up their time, they performed Body Tempering a maximum of four times a day.

With this disparity, Lin Hui‘s progress seemed exceptionally fast.

In just over half a month, he clearly felt an additional residual image when he struck. He had quietly advanced one rank in Body Tempering.

The transition from First-Rank to Second-Rank was achieved so quietly.

But this was not what he focused on the most. What truly held his attention was the Light Body special effect.

Rumble.

Thunder surged, lightning flashed, and rain was imminent.

On the street near the oil workshop in Xinyu Town.

Lin Hui and Qiu Yiren returned from patrol and sat down in a tea stall resting spot. Before the owner could serve them tea, Huang Shan came back alone, a cold expression on her face.

“Senior Brother Chen had a sudden emergency today and couldn’t lead the team. I don’t want to patrol with Chen Chong alone. Senior Brother Lin Hui, could you please switch with me, just for once?” Huang Shan approached Lin Hui, unable to hide her frustration in her tone, and pleaded.

“This… Doesn’t Junior Sister know that Senior Brother Chen and I also had a falling out?” Lin Hui frowned.

“One thousand qian.” Huang Shan didn’t say another word, pulling out a Tuyue silver note from her money pouch and placing it on the table in front of Lin Hui.

“…Deal.” Lin Hui looked at the money. Although he didn’t lack money temporarily, he didn’t have much in savings and was still hoping to save up to move his parents into the Inner City. A house there cost at least a million qian, so saving more was always good.

As for Chen Chong, he planned to simply walk a separate route from him and avoid the sight of him.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Lin,” Huang Shan sighed in relief and nodded gratefully.

She then looked at Qiu Yiren beside her, her face breaking into a smile, and went over to discuss the recent events with her.

Lin Hui, sitting alone on the bench, didn’t see Chen Chong return and let his mind wander back to the Light Body special effect.

The blood-red mark was still reinforcing the sealing pattern on the insect egg, so it was temporarily unavailable. However, his testing of the Light Body special effect had yielded some results.

Sitting on the bench, Lin Hui‘s left hand looked naturally lowered by his side, but his fingertips were constantly and lightly snapping, flexing, and snapping again, repeating the process.

(End of Chapter)