Amidst the CLANG of colliding steel, Qiu Yiren and the disciple from Feiyun Hall rapidly exchanged blows. Their movements were so fast that onlookers could only see a series of afterimages clashing between them.
Lin Hui frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on the two combatants. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, ready to intervene at a moment's notice.
Qiu Yiren wasn't at a disadvantage yet, so he was in no hurry to act. The longer this dragged on, the better it was for them. After all, they were assistants on patrol; a loud commotion would naturally attract the patrolling Officials.
Since he didn't move, the two men staring him down were happy to remain still as well. After all, no one wanted to pick a fight with patrol assistants representing the Government Office for no good reason.
Everyone was just trying to make their way in the martial world; it was best to avoid fights if possible. 'Just striking a pose to offer support... being part of the hype squad isn't so bad, right?'
They looked fierce on the surface, but this was what they were really thinking.
Then they glanced at Lin Hui. Their eyes met, and in that instant, they all understood each other's unspoken intentions.
'It's best not to fight if I can help it,' Lin Hui thought. 'All this fighting day in and day out... if I get even a scratch, things could escalate and cause real trouble. It's much better if we all just put on an act, strike a pose, create some on-the-brink-of-violence tension, and let everyone save face.'
'Then when I get back, I can just say, "It's not that we didn't want to fight, but the situation was so tense that a single spark could have set it all off. Fortunately, at the critical moment..."'
'With a little twist like that, doesn't the whole affair sound much more dramatic?'
For a moment, Lin Hui and the two men opposite him were completely in sync. While keeping an eye on the duel, they began to hurl insults at one another.
"You punks dare to make a move!"
"I'm a patrol assistant! If you dare to touch me, you're going against the Government Office!"
"Since when did we make the first move? Does being a patrol assistant give you the right to bully law-abiding citizens and attack us first!?"
"You were clearly the ones who started it! You stormed up here with your men, wielding weapons—that's against the law!"
"Against the law? Show me which of Tuyue's laws says we can't wear arm guards!"
The three of them bickered on one side, while Qiu Yiren and the Feiyun Hall disciple traded blows on the other.
As the fight wore on, Qiu Yiren and the Feiyun Hall disciple grew tired. They retreated to disengage, got some water from a waiter, and after quenching their thirst, charged forward to fight again.
But when they saw Lin Hui and the two lackeys just standing there, waging a war of words with fiery enthusiasm, their will to fight instantly evaporated.
Lin Hui stood there, stock-still, yet his insults were full-throated and vigorous. His face was even flushed with the effort; he was clearly giving it his all.
Qiu Yiren was speechless. Sword in hand, she exchanged a look with the disciple from Feiyun Hall.
"Forget it! I'll let you all off the hook today!" Qiu Yiren said impatiently, waving her hand in exasperation.
The Feiyun Hall disciple had actually gotten the worse end of the deal. While it looked like an even match, he had sustained several small cuts to his waist. He didn't say anything more, just snorted coldly.
"If you have any guts, leave your name!" he growled.
"Qiu Yiren of Qingfeng Temple!"
"Fine! Ningdong of Feiyun Hall. I've witnessed your skills today!" Fuming, the man led his brother and a few muttering lackeys quickly down the stairs and stormed away.
There were too many of them, so Qiu Yiren and Lin Hui didn't try to stop them. Besides, he had left his name, so they could just have the patrol Officials pay him a visit later.
But the fact that he dared to leave his name meant he wasn't afraid of trouble.
By announcing their names, the two had made sure the crowd of onlookers remembered them.
Qiu Yiren and Ningdong.
"Wow, the flash of her sword was so fast, I couldn't even see it! So strong!"
"Martial Artists really are different from your average gang thugs! Both of them were so fast. As expected of Qingfeng Temple and Feiyun Hall, who are known for their Body Techniques!"
"What an eye-opener! That Female Knight Qiu is not only beautiful, but her Swordsmanship is incredible!"
"Hey, excuse me, friend, let me ask—where is this Qingfeng Temple? Can I send my son there to learn martial arts?"
The crowd, satisfied after watching the spectacle, broke into lively discussion.
The reputations of Qingfeng Temple and Feiyun Hall spread outwards like ripples from a pebble tossed into a lake.
After her fight, Qiu Yiren turned to see that Lin Hui hadn't moved an inch, and she sighed, completely exasperated.
"Why didn't you do anything?"
"Why would I? Isn't it better not to fight? As long as you don't make a move, you're in no danger. We're all out here just trying to stay safe. If I can earn money safely on my own two feet, why go looking for trouble?" Lin Hui said earnestly.
"That may be true, but for us Martial Artists, to not step up when things happen... isn't that..." Qiu Yiren frowned.
"Look, Junior Sister." Lin Hui gestured around them. "First, neither you nor that man from Feiyun Hall were seriously injured. It was effectively a sparring match, so no new enemies were made. Second, everyone here saw how strong Qingfeng Temple and Feiyun Hall are. In the future, they'll think about sending their kids to learn martial arts, which expands our business. Third, the dispute in this restaurant was resolved. They left on their own, which means they effectively gave up."
Lin Hui smiled faintly.
"No new enemies, a bigger reputation, and the problem solved. Isn't that a perfect outcome? Or would you have preferred a bloody brawl that escalated, caused a huge scene, and forced our already-busy masters to step in and deal with the headache? Would it really be better to let things spiral out of control?"
Qiu Yiren nodded unconsciously. It did make sense.
And yet, it felt different from the martial world she had always imagined. She opened her mouth to object but couldn't think of a single counterargument.
Seeing this, Lin Hui felt a little more at ease. After all, he had started learning martial arts from the very beginning to be safer. He wouldn't fight without a good reason; not fighting if he didn't have to was his core principle.
These past few days, while on patrol, he had also been studying the specific mechanics of his Special Effects.
Besides, practicing the Nine-Section Swift Sword took time. In a normal state, without activating his Special Effects, his actual combat skills were pretty mediocre. So, of course, avoiding a fight was the best outcome for him.
"I feel like you have a point, but... are you sure you're not just a coward?" Qiu Yiren couldn't help but ask. The moment the words left her mouth, she felt they were out of line and immediately waved her hand.
"Never mind, forget I said that. Since you're unwilling to fight, just stand by and watch from now on. If things get really bad, just go get help for me. That works, right?"
'His combat skills are a mess anyway,' she thought. 'Forcing him to fight would probably just get him hurt. It's better to let him make full use of the speed advantage from his Body Tempering to run for help if things go south.'
"Senior Sister, you're so generous!" Lin Hui immediately changed his tune, smiling.
"So it's 'Senior Sister' when I'm useful to you, and 'Junior Sister' when I'm not, is that it?" Qiu Yiren said, exasperated.
The two of them left the restaurant and waited for a short while before the patrol Officials finally sauntered over.
These Officials were also Martial Artists who had undergone Body Tempering. They were all tall and strong, and if you looked closely, you could see a faint gray sheen to their skin.
It was a unique phenomenon produced by practicing certain Hard Skills.
After the handover, Lin Hui and Qiu Yiren leisurely continued their patrol for a while longer before returning to their daily rest spot.
The second day, the third day, the fourth day...
Over the next few days, Qiu Yiren and Lin Hui encountered two more minor conflicts similar to the first. But each time, the fights stopped as soon as a victor was clear. Sometimes Qiu Yiren won, other times a Martial Artist from another school did.
But regardless of who won, everyone pulled their punches. They would only fight until a winner was determined, then immediately stop. After that, they would loudly announce which martial hall or gang they came from.
Through these controlled exchanges, Qiu Yiren's combat experience grew, and her strikes became more precise and effortless.
Lin Hui, on the other hand, only acted occasionally, and when he did, he would just get tangled up with his opponents, never achieving any noteworthy victories.
However, Qiu Yiren did notice from the sidelines that this senior brother, who had joined the sect before her, was making his moves and striking with his sword faster and more steadily than before. He was clearly improving as well.
「In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.」
Qingfeng Temple's patrol assistance mission was nearing its end. This kind of mission wasn't continuous; it was carried out periodically.
The town didn't entrust the task solely to Qingfeng Temple, either. Several other sects took turns getting a piece of the action.
As the final days approached, Lin Hui could clearly feel the effects of his Body Tempering growing stronger, and his Sword Speed was increasing.
He knew very well that he was reaching his Body Tempering limit every single day—the maximum of ten times.
Meanwhile, during the patrol period, Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, and their Eldest Senior Brother had their time so occupied that they were forced to reduce their Swordsmanship practice and number of Body Tempering sessions.
This was because their Body Tempering wasn't successful on every attempt. To reach the limit of ten successes, they had to spend at least half a day repeatedly trying their luck—and that was on a good day.
Now that patrolling took up their time, they could manage at most four Body Tempering sessions a day.
With them falling behind and him surging ahead, Lin Hui's progress seemed exceptionally rapid.
In just over half a month, he could clearly feel his strikes leaving an additional afterimage. He had clearly, and quietly, advanced his Body Tempering by a full grade.
He had advanced from First Grade to Second Grade, just like that.
But this wasn't his main focus. What truly held his attention was the Light Body Effect.
RUMBLE.
Thunder rolled and lightning flashed. It was about to rain.
「On a street in Xinyu Town, near the oil mill.」
Lin Hui and Qiu Yiren had just returned from their patrol and sat down at a tea stall at their rest stop. Before the owner could even bring them tea to quench their thirst, they saw Huang Shan return alone, a cold expression on her face.
"Eldest Senior Brother had something come up today, so he can't lead the team. I don't want to patrol with Chen Chong. Senior Brother Lin, could you please switch with me? Just this once." Huang Shan's tone couldn't hide her irritation as she walked up to Lin Hui and pleaded.
"But... Junior Sister, don't you know that Senior Brother Chen and I have had our own conflicts?" Lin Hui frowned.
"One thousand cash." Without another word, Huang Shan pulled a Tuyue silver note from her money pouch and placed it on the table in front of Lin Hui.
"...Deal." Lin Hui glanced at the money. While he wasn't in dire need of cash at the moment, he didn't have much in savings. He was still hoping to save up enough for his parents to move into the Inner City with him. A house in the Inner City cost at least a million cash, so there was no harm in saving more.
As for Chen Chong, he figured he'd just patrol separately. Out of sight, out of mind.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Lin." Huang Shan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded gratefully.
She then turned to Qiu Yiren, a smile blooming on her face, and went over to chat with her about the events of the past few days.
Lin Hui sat alone on the bench. Since Chen Chong hadn't returned yet, he turned his thoughts back to the Light Body Effect.
The Blood Seal was still strengthening the sealing patterns on the insect egg, so it was unusable for now. However, his tests on the Light Body Effect had indeed yielded some results.
Sitting on the bench, Lin Hui's left hand hung naturally at his side. In reality, though, his fingertips were constantly flicking out, curling back in, and flicking out again in a repetitive motion.