Chapter 97

After receiving the message from Yang Guo, the next day, Wei He first collected his share of the one-line blue fish meat, then proceeded to the nearby Xuanjing City.

Xuanjing City is adjacent to Tianyin Gate, and there is a lot of interaction between the two.

Therefore, the local government office is quite approachable. Upon hearing that Wei He was a disciple of the Inner Court, their attitude changed immediately, and they quickly assigned him a patrol mission.

They were short on manpower, and the city was becoming increasingly chaotic with more and more outsiders, making the existing manpower insufficient.

Many serious cases had erupted within the city, but there was no one to handle them. The major families and clans in the city had already posted reward notices at the entrance of the government office.

Each case, big or small, needed capable hands to handle them.

Wei He smoothly took on a long-term patrol mission: every evening, he would patrol Xiongshan Town, one of the nine districts of Xuanjing City.

This job allowed Wei He to receive 100 pounds of water bear meat every month.

This type of meat was cheaper than one-line blue fish meat and even cheaper than most other exotic meats on the market.

But the key was the large quantity; the government had plenty of water bear meat, and the supply was abundant. The large quantity was enough to satisfy his needs.

Wei He tried a small piece and found that the water bear meat was not weak in enhancing qi and blood.

However, according to Yang Guo, the meat was impure, with many impurities, making it unsuitable for any martial artist beyond the third blood stage to use in training. Additionally, water bears had strong self-healing abilities, were numerous, and had a lot of meat.

This kept the price from going up.

Many wandering martial artists in the market relied on water bear meat to enhance their qi and blood, but when they reached the third blood stage, the impurities prevented them from advancing further, effectively stalling their progress.

Moreover, due to the excessive impurities, their blood imprints were impure, and the strength they cultivated was also impure.

However, Wei He didn't care much about this. Besides the Fuyu Juyun Gong, he also had the Feilong Gong to practice.

He needed this type of meat that was abundant and satisfying.

As for the excessive impurities and difficulty in breaking through, he had the Breakthrough Pearl, so he wasn't worried.

Thus, Wei He began his daily routine: practicing, patrolling, returning to rest and eat, then practicing and sleeping. This cycle of monotonous life continued.

Life settled down, and Wei He's qi and blood gradually improved.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

During these two months, the stable environment of Xuanjing City and Tianyin Gate gradually calmed the anxious hearts of Wei He and Wei Ying, who had come to this unfamiliar place.

They began to gradually integrate into the local community.

Pfft.

A spark from a flint produced a few small sparks, igniting the fire in Wei He's hand.

A faint yellow-red flame rose, and after stabilizing, Wei He carefully lit the two lanterns in front of him.

"Put it out." He handed the fire to the young constable beside him.

"Sure, Master Wei." The constable quickly took the fire, wrapped it in fireproof cloth, and extinguished it.

"Let's go, it's time." Wei He picked up the lantern and tightened the official uniform that marked him as a temporary constable.

The black uniform with red trim looked even more imposing on his tall, 1.9-meter frame.

"Alright, I'll take the gong." The young constable quickly said.

He hurriedly ran to the inner room to find the gong used for patrols. This gong had to be continuously struck to reassure the people and warn troublemakers.

Standing in the rear courtyard of the government office, Wei He glanced at the sun gradually setting on the horizon.

The red light dyed half the sky, and the thick, dark clouds gave a sense of discomfort and oppression.

"It might rain tomorrow." Wei He judged.

"Master Wei, ready!" The young constable, holding the gong and a knife, rushed out.

This young man was named Yang Xue, who had just turned seventeen. He was skilled in the family's Wind Chaos Blade, a blade technique with power similar to the Back Mountain Fist.

The two had been partners for two months and had become quite familiar with each other.

He called Wei He "Master Wei" because there weren't many third-blood experts in the Xuanjing City Xiongshan Town government office.

Moreover, Wei He was a disciple of Tianyin Gate, with a future that was sure to reach the realm of strength.

For disciples of the sect, advancing from the third blood to the realm of strength was not too difficult; the key was to endure, to rely on time.

"Let's go." Wei He led the way, holding the lantern as he walked out of the rear courtyard.

The rear courtyard of the Xuanjing City government office had many locations, distributed throughout, serving as patrol supply points and temporary rest areas.

There were often resident constables stationed here, ready to respond to the needs of the surrounding residents at any time.

Wei He felt it was similar to the community police officers of his previous life.

Unfortunately, although this system was good, it was no longer being implemented.

Now, only the main government office was still functioning, while most of the rear courtyards were abandoned.

The two slowly walked along the streets of Xiongshan Town, each holding a lantern.

The streets of Xiongshan Town were by the river, not wide, with various shops and residential buildings on the left and the Xuan River on the right.

They followed the river, and after one round, they would have patrolled most of Xiongshan Town.

Wei He held the lantern, and the pale yellow light mingled with the lanterns hanging in front of the shops and buildings, making the originally dim evening much brighter.

"Master Wei, can you tell me what it felt like when you broke through to the third blood stage?" Yang Xue asked, eager to learn.

He very much wanted to improve his strength, but his talent was limited, and he had only just passed the first qi and blood transformation. He was already thinking about the third blood stage, which was too ambitious.

Wei He ignored him and continued walking slowly.

As he walked, he quietly practiced, converting the water bear meat he had eaten in the afternoon into qi and blood to strengthen his legs.

His Feilong Gong had been at the third level for several months. The third level was the second blood stage, and the fourth level was the peak of the second blood stage.

He had a premonition that his Feilong Gong might soon reach the perfect level.

At that time, he could directly use the Breakthrough Pearl to break through to the fourth level.

As for relying on himself, the Feilong Gong was already difficult to practice, and he didn't plan to waste too much energy on it. He would use it as a trump card after improving.

For martial arts, focusing on the Fuyu Juyun Gong was enough.

So, he walked slowly, not even wanting to speak, and continued practicing.

"Hey, Master Wei, you used to respond, but now you won't even say a word. How about a drink later?" Yang Xue pleaded.

"Have you reached the second level of your family's blade technique?" Wei He asked.

"No."

"Go practice." Wei He was brief.

What secrets were there between the first and second blood stages? It was just a matter of talent and hard work. Everyone had gone through it.

This kid was just looking for shortcuts.

Yang Xue, helpless, could only follow behind with the lantern.

On the riverside street, there were a few children playing with willow branches, and cicadas were chirping loudly.

Some old men were exercising on the flat areas by the river, swinging their fists to practice health-preserving techniques.

Wei He and Yang Xue continued walking, and after a while, they found it boring, and Yang Xue started talking again.

"Master Wei, do you know Zhou Ji from this town? He comes from one of the three major families of Xuanjing City, with a strong martial arts background, and is known as one of the three young masters of Xuanjing City."

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Let me tell you, the three major families of Xuanjing City are as famous as your Tianyin Gate. Each is extremely powerful and influential."

"The people of Xuanjing City, if you ask a random passerby, are likely to know about the three major families but not about Tianyin Gate. Of course, it's not that Tianyin Gate is bad, but they are too low-key. In terms of making a name, your side can't compare to the three major families."

Wei He ignored him and continued practicing, feeling that he was almost there, almost there...

"Speaking of the Zhou family's Zhou Ji, he was quite the playboy, enjoying wine and women every night. Unfortunately, he's gone a few days ago." Yang Xue sighed.

Wei He tried harder, feeling that he was getting closer, almost there, almost!

He didn't even listen to what Yang Xue was saying.

"Zhou Ji was reportedly killed by an enemy. He offended some people he shouldn't have during a flower contest. We had to work overtime on patrol a few days ago because of this." Yang Xue continued.

"I saw the reward notice from the Zhou family this morning. The reward, tsk tsk." Yang Xue whistled.

"How much?" Wei He stopped.

"Five thousand taels of gold, five hundred pounds of water bear meat, and a choice of a strength technique." Yang Xue was surprised but quickly answered.

"The three rewards are for different groups. The gold is for those who need money. The water bear meat is for those who need resources. The strength technique is for those who need a technique."

"Reward period?" Wei He asked.

"No limit." Yang Xue answered blankly.

Wei He, having obtained the information he needed, continued his patrol.

The water bear meat he earned from his monthly patrol barely supported him and his sister, with some left to exchange for money and some for his own practice, which was not enough.

So, looking for extra income was reasonable.

However, for one of the three major families of Xuanjing City to offer such a reward, the culprit must be quite strong.

In the two months of his patrol, Wei He had encountered some criminals, but they were all easily dealt with.

After all, he was a third-blood expert from the Inner Court. He might not stand out in the Inner Court, but outside, he was a combat elite.

The entire Xuanjing City Xiongshan Town government office had only one strength-level chief constable and five third-blood constables.

This dangerous job required confidence and ability, and not just any third-blood could take it on.

After all, there weren't many sect third-blood martial artists as short on money as Wei He.

Other senior students had already found sponsors.

But as an outsider with an unclear background and a short stay, he had no sponsors for the time being, so he had to rely on himself.

The two continued walking and soon reached a corner.

"Wait!" Wei He suddenly stopped and raised his hand.

"What's wrong, Master Wei?" Yang Xue asked, puzzled.

Wei He said nothing, sniffed the air, and turned to look at a side alley.

Without a word, he sped up and entered the alley.

The alley was dark and damp, and two stray cats were gnawing on a corpse on the ground.

"Strike the gong." Wei He raised his hand, signaling Yang Xue to act.

He narrowed his eyes, raised his right fist, which turned black, and blocked forward.

Clang!

A black shadow sprang from the dark alley, and a short knife struck Wei He's fist, producing a metallic sound.

"Mind your own business." Pfft!

Wei He lunged forward like a ghost, and in an instant, his fist hit the opponent's forehead.

Thud.

The black shadow's head exploded in a spray of blood and fell backward.

Wei He retracted his hand, his expression unchanged.

"Don't touch him. Strike the gong and notify the government office."

Yang Xue, with a serious expression, nodded and quickly struck the gong according to the prescribed rhythm, then hurriedly headed toward the government office.