Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The next morning, Li Yuan was notified and went straight to the residence.

The door to the main room was open. Wang De looked up at Li Yuan and turned to another page of the documents on the table.

"sit."

Li Yuan moved a chair and sat down, and Wang De pushed the documents over.

"The patrol assignment has been adjusted and will be implemented starting tomorrow."

Li Yuan took the document and scanned it.

The content is short: Given the continuous decrease in the number of independent cultivators in the market, the pressure of patrolling inside the market has decreased, while the activity of monsters in the outer areas is frequent, and the guard team is short-handed.

With the approval of the Wang family steward, some of the patrol team members were incorporated into the outer patrol sequence to carry out patrol missions around the market area in conjunction with the guard team.

To put it bluntly, it's about pushing the patrol team members out.

With the departure of many independent cultivators, disputes in the market area decreased, and the patrol officers had less work to do.

With frequent monsters on the outskirts and a shortage of guards, the extra patrol officers were conveniently placed there.

They were nominally part of the patrol team, but in reality, they did the work of a guard team.

Of course, it's much better than being directly recruited by the guard.

As for compensation, Li Yuan, as the deputy captain of the fourth level of Qi Refining, receives a monthly allowance of twelve spirit stones, as well as a subsidy for injury medicine. Since he was not conscripted, his monthly salary can be combined with that of his original inspection team.

Li Yuan looked down.

He was assigned to the third patrol group on the perimeter, which covered the area from south of the market town to east of Lingtian District, a longer route than the perimeter patrol route he was previously responsible for.

"There are three people with you this time."

Wang De took a sip of tea.

"Xu Mao and Lin Xiaowu both went to Lingtian District with you before, and they cooperated quite well. In addition, the guard team sent a captain to lead the team. He is at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and his surname is He, and his name is He Shou."

The fact that a captain at the fourth level of Qi Refining was sent indicates that this patrol was not just a formality.

"The previous pattern of patrolling every three days has been canceled. This time it will be carried out continuously. Patrols will be conducted during the day, and overnight posts will be set up on the outskirts. They will not return to the market."

Wang De pulled out a simple map from under the document and pointed to several points marked on it.

"There are several guard posts on the outskirts. Your group will stay at the one closest to you on the south side. Each post has plenty of rooms."

Li Yuan looked at the location of the outpost on the map. It was about three or four miles outside the south gate of the market town, next to a dirt road leading in and out of the market town.

"How do you coordinate with the guard team during patrols?"

"The guard patrol teams will take the outer route, while you will take the inner route. It's called a patrol, but it's really just a routine patrol."

Upon encountering a demonic beast, first determine its level. Those below the lower rank of Tier 1 can be dealt with on the spot. Those of the middle rank of Tier 1 or higher will be dealt with depending on the situation. Those of the upper rank of Tier 1 should be evacuated immediately, and the guard team should be notified.

Wang De paused. "The same goes for those who undergo tribulation."

Li Yuan put away the documents and maps and nodded in agreement.

"Meet at the East Gate tomorrow afternoon. He Shouhui will come to meet you."

Li Yuan stood up and asked again, "Has the Wang family sent people again?"

Wang De glanced at him but did not give a direct answer.

"The monsters have been causing a ruckus lately, which has affected business in the market. The Wang family won't stand idly by."

This statement already explains the problem.

Qinghe Market is an important business for the Wang family. The disturbance caused by the demonic beasts has led to the departure of independent cultivators and the closure of shops, directly impacting their income. It is inevitable that the Wang family will continue to send people to the market.

The fact that their patrol team was pushed to the outer perimeter was also to help the Wang family strengthen their control over the area around the market.

After leaving the camp, Li Yuan did not go directly back to his residence, but instead turned into East Street.

The old woman selling elixirs is still at the fork in the road to the south.

The stall was still so small, with several porcelain bottles neatly arranged on a white cloth.

The old woman was leaning against the wall, resting with her eyes closed. She opened her eyes when she heard footsteps, saw that it was Li Yuan, and sat up slightly.

"How many Sha Yuan Pills do you have left?" Li Yuan squatted down and got straight to the point.

"That's four left." The old woman held out one hand.

"I'll take them all."

Li Yuan took out eight spirit stones from his sleeve and neatly arranged them on the cloth.

The old woman's eyes lit up, but she didn't immediately take the spirit stone. Instead, she looked Li Yuan up and down.

"Young man, are you planning to take this long-term?"

"I've tried it, and the results are okay."

The old woman frowned and said something.

"It's hard to clear away the accumulated evil energy in your body, so eat slowly and don't gulp it all down at once."

Li Yuan nodded.

"Thanks for reminding me."

The old woman then put the eight spirit stones into her sleeve and handed over the four Sha Yuan Pills in a small cloth bag.

Li Yuan took the cloth bag, weighed it in his hand, and put it into his sleeve.

"If your old man manages to refine another one, save three for me."

"Okay, but I can't guarantee it."

Li Yuan got up and left, walking along East Street towards the East Gate.

As Li Yuan passed by a stall selling pills, he glanced at the items on display. Qi-Nourishing Pills: three spirit stones each, or eight spirit stones for three.

If the old woman can't raise enough, use the Qi-Nourishing Pill to make up the last gap.

The next day in the afternoon, outside the east gate of the market.

When Li Yuan arrived, Xu Mao and Lin Xiaowu were already waiting by the roadside.

Xu Mao is in better spirits today than last time.

Lin Xiaowu carried a small cloth bag on his back, and his hands habitually touched the magical artifact at his waist, looking somewhat nervous.

Li Yuan nodded to the two men, and the three of them stood by the roadside without saying much.

Not long after, a person walked out from the east gate.

He was in his early thirties, of medium to strong build, with a square face and a stubble of beard on his chin. He wore a guard uniform, with a long knife at his waist, and walked with steady and powerful steps.

He Shou.

He Shou walked up to the group, his gaze sweeping from Li Yuan to Xu Mao and Lin Xiaowu before returning to Li Yuan and bowing respectfully.

"Deputy Captain Li? This is He Shou, sent by the guard team."

"Captain He," Li Yuan returned the greeting.

He Shou nodded, and without further ado, began to speak.

"Let's talk on the way. Let's go first."

The four of them walked south along the dirt road.

He Shou walked at the front, his steps slow but steady, his eyes constantly scanning the bushes and low trees on both sides of the road.

After walking for a while, He Shou started talking as he walked. His voice was not loud and his pace was not fast, as if he were chatting casually, but the content was full of solid experience.

"Patrolling the outer perimeter is different from patrolling the market. In the market, you're watching people, but on the outer perimeter, you're watching for traces."

He Shou pointed to a clump of low shrubs by the roadside, its branches bending in one direction.

"These creases are from the wind; the branches bend in the same direction, they're not very pretty. What you should pay attention to are those—"

He Shou pointed forward. "Several branches broke off in different directions, about waist-high or lower. Something must have crawled through the bushes."

He Shou's tone was casual, but it contained a lot of information.

After walking for a while, He Shou stopped on a dirt road and squatted down.

"ground."

Li Yuan squatted down to take a look.

The loess road surface was dry and hard, with no obvious marks visible.

He Shou used the end of his scabbard to lightly scrape the ground, leaving a shallow mark.

"You can't see claw marks on the dry soil, but you can see the indentations."

He Shou pointed to a slightly sunken area on the road, not large, as if it had been pressed down by something.

"This is from an ordinary beast; it's not heavy enough, so there's only this small mark. If a demonic beast came, it would sink much deeper, and the surrounding soil would crack."

He Shou stood up and patted the dirt off his hands.

"The traces of demonic beasts are relatively easy to identify; they are large, heavy, and retain residual spiritual energy. The difficult ones are those of cultivators undergoing tribulation."

When the topic turned to the Tribulation Cultivator, He Shou's tone became somewhat somber.

"The cultivators won't leave claw marks for you to see. What you need to watch out for are things that shouldn't be there, like a few footprints suddenly appearing on a deserted path, a strip of cloth tied to a tree, or a stone that has been moved but then put back."

"These may not have been left behind by the Jie Xiu, but note the location of anything that seems amiss and report back."

Li Yuan wrote down all these details.

He Shou then went on to explain some methods for identifying the types of monsters, such as judging the species from the shape and smell of their feces, estimating their size from the depth and spacing of their claw marks, and distinguishing between ordinary beasts and monsters from the hair residue on the ground.

Xu Mao listened silently, nodding occasionally. Lin Xiaowu, on the other hand, looked very serious, as if he wanted to take notes.

The four walked for about half an hour and arrived at the southern outpost marked on the document.

It was a row of low wooden houses built along the edge of a grove of low trees, with some of the houses showing obvious damage to their exteriors.

He Shou pushed open the door to the first room and looked inside. The furnishings were simple: two wooden plank beds, a table, and several water bags and some miscellaneous items piled in the corner.

"You can sleep separately, but since you don't have any experience yet, you'll sleep in one room for now. Lin and I will share one room, and Li and Xu will share the other."

He Shou entered the first room, leaned his long sword against the corner of the wall, and sat on the edge of the bed to stretch his neck.

Li Yuan entered the second room and placed his belongings on another bed.

"Today we'll familiarize ourselves with the route and environment; we'll begin formal patrols tomorrow," He Shou said.

"Let's take another walk around this afternoon and make a note of a few key locations. Then everyone can rest tonight."

The afternoon patrol lasted for more than two hours, during which He Shou and his three men roughly surveyed the terrain within a few miles of the outpost.

He Shouyi pointed out several main dirt roads, areas with dense bushes, several high grounds with open views, and two streams where water could be obtained, so that everyone would remember them.

It was already dark when we returned to our post.

Li Yuan and Xu Mao went inside and closed the door.

After exchanging a few words with Xu Mao, they began their respective cultivation practices.

Li Yuan sat down on his bed and took out the Killing Yuan Pill from his sleeve.

The scorching medicinal power flowed through his meridians, and Li Yuan's cultivation level began to rise slowly.