I'll write a manual called the Sunflower Manual, and the entire martial arts world will turn in

Even though Xie An had already broken through the skin-refining barrier, he still felt immense pressure standing in front of this muscular woman.

I reckon this muscular woman must have been a formal disciple of the martial arts school in its early years.

He immediately cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you so much, Sister Shengnan, for taking care of my younger sister. I haven't yet had the chance to ask you any questions, Sister Shengnan..."

Before Xie An could finish speaking, Li Shengnan readily introduced herself: "My name is Li Shengnan. I became a formal disciple of Yongsheng Martial Arts School five years ago. I was previously given a position at the River Pond Bureau thanks to Senior Brother Zhanping. Taking care of your youngest sister was also at Senior Brother Zhanping's behest. Although your youngest sister is young, she is sensible and we get along well."

"Hello, Senior Sister Li."

"We're all brothers from the same martial arts school, no need to be so polite." Li Shengnan patted Xie An on the shoulder heartily. "By the way, you just broke through to the Skin Refining stage, are you currently holding any temporary positions?"

Xie An looked at the other person's hand on his shoulder. Although he felt a little uncomfortable, he didn't pull away. "Not yet."

Li Shengnan chuckled and said, "How about you come with me to the River and Lake Management Bureau for a temporary post?"

Xie An had never heard of this name before and was taken aback. "River and Lake Management Office?"

Li Shengnan explained with a smile, "Because the River and Lake Management Office has a small staff and operates discreetly, and it patrols sections of the Huai River and the Grand Canal, it's normal that ordinary people don't know about it. The full name of the River and Lake Management Office is Wuqiao Town River and Lake Management Office, which is under the jurisdiction of the Baiyun County River Management Magistrate. It is subject to the supervision of the Qinghedao (river channel) of the prefectural city."

Xie An understood and asked, "What are the daily tasks of someone temporarily assigned to the River and Lake Management Office?"

Xie An had a rough plan regarding the temporary posting.

On the surface, this world seems like a martial arts world, but my father encountered a water monster while traveling with the Canal Gang. Later, I heard that the leader of the Dragon King Gang was under a curse and even asked the Yin Sect to perform an exorcism...

This shows that there may be demons and monsters in this world.

Xie An had just embarked on the path of a martial artist and naturally did not want to take up a post in a dangerous force.

With this cheat code, there's no need to rush to get ahead; you can just take it slow.

Seeing Xie An's hesitation, Li Shengnan said, "The Wuqiao Town River and Lake Management Office is mainly responsible for patrolling the Huai River section and the Grand Canal section within a 20-mile radius, including the canal waterway and the confluence of tributaries. Our daily work includes patrolling the dikes, investigating fraud, inspecting suspicious vessels, collecting fishing taxes, and maintaining order in the canal transport. Although there is a very small chance of encountering a water monster, we are only temporary auxiliary patrolmen. If we encounter a water monster, we just need to stay far away and report it as soon as possible. The River God's Office will naturally have experts to eliminate the water monster."

Xie An was somewhat tempted.

My father died from a water monster while traveling as a merchant. Joining the river might help us find the cause of his death and, while we're at it, kill the water monster that plagued him. If we're lucky, we might even find his body and give him a proper burial.

"How's the compensation?"

Li Shengnan smiled broadly: "The auxiliary soldiers patrolling the river are out in the wind and sun all year round, so the conditions are tough. But the pay is still quite good. Junior brother, you've just started training. According to the usual practice, you can receive one dose of Yuan Tang, one dose of Qi Xue San, and two taels of silver in wages each month. Food and lodging are also provided. If you gain the favor of the river official, you can also receive weapons and martial arts techniques. It's not impossible that he might even teach you a few moves occasionally. Compared to practicing hard in the martial arts school all day, you still need to go out and experience real combat to hone your true skills."

Xie An agreed with this.

Flowers grown in a greenhouse, no matter how well they practice their skills, are useless. Once they face a real enemy, if they are nervous and apprehensive, they won't be able to use their usual martial arts skills at all.

To practice martial arts, one must be bold and engage in real combat.

Xie An cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you for your kind offer, Senior Sister. I will consider this matter further."

Li Shengnan wasn't in a hurry. She patted Xie An's shoulder heavily. "Alright. Let me know when you've made up your mind. I've returned your little sister to you unharmed. That girl is sensible and lovable. I'm leaving now."

"Take care, senior sister."

Watching Li Shengnan leave, Xie An took Xie Yu's hand and looked her up and down. "I'm sure you've had a lot of worry these past two days."

Xie Yu looked Xie An, who now appeared much more imposing, and smiled. "Sister Shengnan treats me very well. I'm fine, but I'm worried about whether my brother is in danger while breaking through the barrier."

Xie An led Xie Yu through the alley to the back gate of the martial arts school. Along the way, Xie Yu was very happy and told him about Li Shengnan. "This Sister Shengnan is a martial arts fanatic. Her house is filled with stone locks and weapon racks. She practices until midnight every day before resting. Then she gets up again before dawn the next day to practice. In addition, her medicines, pills, and dietary supplements are all very expensive. The expenses for practicing martial arts are really huge... Sister Shengnan also said that these are just basic expenses. Otherwise, not only would the progress of martial arts practice be slow, but it would also be easy to exhaust her body and cause something bad to happen."

"When my brother earns money in the future, he should also buy these things; he can't ruin his health."

Xie An patted Xie Yu's forehead. "You'll get better. Once I earn some money, I'll buy you some decent clothes. Then I'll buy you a big house in the city and hire two maids to serve you."

"I don't want to waste my money like that."

When Xie An arrived at the back gate, he saw a middle-aged man sitting under a tree in the yard, his hair disheveled and face dirty, muttering something to himself.

Xie Yu said, "This is Liu He, your former martial arts instructor. He resigned from his position to go into seclusion and attempt to break through to the Bone Refining stage, but he failed. Now he can't stay at the martial arts school anymore and has to make a living outside. He's been drinking heavily these past few days."

Xie An's pupils contracted.

It's unbelievable that Liu He, the once spirited instructor, has become so disheveled and颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless, decadent, and dissolute).

Everyone encounters setbacks. The comfort and encouragement of others are ultimately limited. Only by being clear-headed and self-reliant can one emerge from the shadows.

When we arrived at the training ground in the front yard again, it was bustling with noise, with a crowd gathered around, cheering and applauding.

It seems like they're exchanging blows.

Xie An was not one to enjoy crowds, but he heard a familiar voice coming from the crowd.

"Wu Wei, I'm going to kill you today!"

Lin Chong?

How did this guy end up fighting with Wu Wei?

Wu Wei has already broken through the skin-refining barrier.

Xie An squeezed into the crowd with some curiosity and saw Wu Wei sparring with Lin Chong.

It was called a "hands-on" exchange, but it was actually a one-sided beating.

Lin Chong was already bruised and swollen, covered in blood, and blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth. Even so, Lin Chong still attacked Wu Wei like a raging wild dog, tearing at him and biting him. Every time, he was punched away and left lying in a pool of blood.

If this continues, someone will definitely die.

"Don't you dare leave, I'm going to kill you!"

After being knocked away, Lin Chong lunged forward and grabbed Wu Wei's leg, yelling, "Give me back Ying'er! Give me back Ying'er!"

"You're asking for it! Get lost!"

Wu Wei roared in fury, clenched his fist, and slammed it down hard on Lin Chong's forehead.

This punch was delivered with little restraint; if it were to land, it would surely break Lin Chong's nose.

brush!

Without further hesitation, Xie An took a step forward and pulled Lin Chong away. The next moment, a loud "bang" was heard as Lin Chong's fist slammed into the bluestone bricks on the ground, cracking the bricks.