Free Web NovelChapter 17: Chapter 17: Periphery Patrol
After the Iron Bull Skill entered the Skillful Realm, the feeling of connecting its five forms was completely different from before.
The Qi Blood circulated through his body without needing to be deliberately guided. His body had already formed a muscle memory, making the transitions between each form much smoother.
After practicing the Iron Bull Skill, Li Yuan went out to patrol the marketplace along East Street, maintaining order while keeping an eye on the roadside stalls.
When he reached the intersection where East Street met North Alley, a small crowd had gathered around a stall by the road.
Li Yuan walked closer for a look. The stall displayed a few miscellaneous items: two old Magical Artifacts, a rusty throwing knife, several chunks of unremarkable ore, and a thumb-sized, cyan Jade Bead placed in the very center of a cloth pad.
Li Yuan placed his finger on the cyan Jade Bead.
The panel didn’t react.
He moved it to the rusty throwing knife.
Still nothing.
Finally, his finger touched a copper ring.
[Detectable equippable item: Gathering Spirit Ring (Intact)]
[Item Entry Grade: White]
[Note: This is not your item. Cannot equip. Cannot view detailed information.]
Li Yuan flipped the copper ring over. Beneath the patina, he could faintly make out several fine, intricate lines—the traces of a Spirit Pattern.
This thing must have been a Magical Artifact used to aid cultivation. Its grade wasn’t high, but it wasn’t some piece of street-stall junk either.
"How much for this?" Li Yuan asked, holding up the copper ring to the stall owner.
The stall owner was a lean, middle-aged Loose Cultivator. His eyes lit up.
"Fifteen Spirit Stones. This is a genuine Gathering Spirit Ring. They used to sell for about twenty on the market. I’m just clearing out stock, so it’s cheaper."
Li Yuan put the ring back down without haggling.
He didn’t have enough Spirit Stones on hand.
Over the past few days, Li Yuan had touched various items from time to time, and sometimes a system prompt would pop up. But most of the items were things he couldn’t afford, and the few he could weren’t very useful.
Based on his current equipment, the function of the entries was closely related to the item’s purpose.
’Besides, even if I could afford it, I don’t have an open equipment slot. The Nourishing Essence Skill and the White Corn are still waiting.’
Li Yuan continued down North Alley, his mind churning with ways to earn Spirit Stones.
’My monthly stipend is fixed. It’s unrealistic to count on saving up through normal means.’
’If I want to earn Spirit Stones quickly, the most direct way is to join the Guard Squad.’
’The Guard Squad’s monthly stipend is ten Spirit Stones, almost double that of an Inspector General. And since I’m already a deputy captain, I’d definitely earn more than that if I joined them.’
’Besides, the Guard Squad’s duties aren’t just limited to patrolling the marketplace’s perimeter anymore. To deal with the migrating Demon Beasts, the squad has expanded its operations—they proactively head out to the outskirts of the Yuanheng Mountain Range to exterminate them. The materials from the hunted Demon Beasts are split among the members, and if you’re lucky, you can make several dozen Spirit Stones from a single trip.’
’On top of that, the marketplace has a permanent list of bounty missions, ranging from clearing out Demon Beast lairs to tracking down robber cultivators. The rewards vary from a few to dozens of Spirit Stones, and whoever completes the mission gets the prize.’
’These are all fast ways to make money.’
But Li Yuan dismissed the idea almost immediately.
’Making money quickly is predicated on coming back alive.’
’The attrition rate for the Guard Squad’s proactive strike teams has always been high.’
’I have my equipment panel and a promising future. It’s not worth risking my life for a few Spirit Stones.’
’I’ll just have to save up slowly.’
As his patrol was coming to an end, Li Yuan headed back to the Inspector General station to report in.
The door to the main building was open. Wang De was sitting behind his desk with a long roster spread out before him. A clerk from the Management Office stood beside him, and the two were discussing something. freёwebnovel.com
Li Yuan waited at the doorway for a moment.
After the clerk left, Wang De waved Li Yuan inside.
"Perfect timing. I have something to tell you."
Wang De pushed the roster aside and pulled out a new document from underneath.
"The Wang family is conscripting a group of Loose Cultivators."
Li Yuan took the document and glanced over it.
The document wasn’t long. The gist was that due to a severe manpower shortage in the Guard Squad, the Wang family had decided to hold an open recruitment for Loose Cultivators from both inside and outside the marketplace. Those selected would become outer members of the Wang family, signing short-term contracts. Their main duty would be to assist the Guard Squad in maintaining security around the marketplace.
The compensation was similar to that of an official guard. The monthly stipend would be based on one’s Cultivation level and strength, basic pills would be provided, and a share of the profits from demon hunting would be calculated proportionally.
However, there would be a screening process.
The contract terms were a minimum of three months and a maximum of one year.
"Are they that short on people?" Li Yuan asked.
Wang De leaned back in his chair and took a sip from his teacup.
"About half of the Guard Squad is out on patrol now, while the other half is standing watch around the marketplace. Add to that the increasing number of offensive missions, and the fact that the Wang family doesn’t want to transfer more people from the main family, their only choice is to recruit from the Loose Cultivators."
Wang De set down his teacup and glanced at Li Yuan.
"The Loose Cultivator situation is the Guard Squad’s business, you don’t need to worry about it. But there is something that concerns you."
"With Guard Squad members being dispatched outward, they can no longer handle the patrols on the marketplace’s outskirts. The Management Office’s decision is to temporarily transfer the outer patrols to the Inspector Generals."
Li Yuan’s brow twitched.
’The outskirts of the marketplace... that used to be the Guard Squad’s jurisdiction.’
’The area extending several miles out from the marketplace walls, including the Loose Cultivator settlement and the main roads leading in and out of the marketplace—all these places were originally patrolled by the Guard Squad.’
’If you included the Spirit Field District, the area was even larger.’
’The Inspector Generals only handled matters within the marketplace walls. The two sides’ responsibilities were clearly divided.’
"I’ve already arranged the routes and times for the outer patrols for you," Wang De said, handing over another document. "You don’t have to go every day. Just one patrol every three days."
Li Yuan took the document and looked it over. It detailed the patrol route, waypoints, and points of caution.
The route wasn’t long, but the problem was safety.
’The Loose Cultivator settlement, for example, was attacked just a few days ago. Two people died.’
"Is there any extra pay?" Li Yuan asked.
"You’ll get an extra half a Spirit Stone for each outer patrol. That’s about ten times a month."
’Five Spirit Stones a month, plus my original six-stone monthly stipend, makes for eleven in total.’
’Compared to the risks of joining the Guard Squad, this income is pretty good. Besides, it’s not like I can refuse.’
Li Yuan put the document away and nodded in agreement.
By the time he left the station, the sun was already setting in the west.
Li Yuan walked along North Alley toward his residence.
As he reached the residential area, Li Yuan saw someone in the distance, standing in front of the row of wooden houses where he lived.
A tall, thin young Cultivator was standing at the door of the room next to Fang He’s, hanging an old cloth curtain on the doorframe.
Noticing Li Yuan’s footsteps, the young Cultivator straightened up and turned to look.
He looked to be twenty-five or twenty-six, with a fair complexion. He wasn’t short but was on the thin side, dressed in a faded, blue-gray robe. His aura was steady.
Their eyes met for a moment.
The young Cultivator politely clasped his hands in greeting.
"I’m Chen Shu. I just moved in."
"Li Yuan."
Chen Shu nodded but said nothing more, turning back to hang his curtain.
’Unlike Fang He, who had come over to chat for a while when he moved in, this one considered an exchange of names to be a sufficient greeting.’
Li Yuan didn’t press for more conversation. He just nodded, pushed open his own wooden door, and went inside.
From next door came the sound of the cloth curtain rustling in the wind, which quickly fell silent.
Li Yuan slid the bolt on his door and sat down on the edge of his bed.
He first practiced the five forms of the Iron Bull Skill, his Qi Blood surging through his organs and limbs along a fixed path. After reaching the Skillful Realm, the transition between each form was smoother by more than a level compared to the entry stage, and his body’s muscle memory grew stronger.
After finishing the Iron Bull Skill, he practiced the first three forms of the Nourishing Essence Skill twice.
’Progress with the Nourishing Essence Skill was still slow. Without the boost from equipment infusion, he had to find every Qi Blood node by feel. Completing the third form, "Blood-Nourishing," just once took longer than all five forms of the Iron Bull Skill combined.’
[Nourishing Essence Skill: Entry (78/200)]
After practicing both Cultivation Techniques, Li Yuan sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the Spirit-Introducing Skill.
Spiritual Qi entered his body, pure and without impurities, and his meridian cycle began to revolve at high speed.
