A Long River Myth

Early the next morning.

The sky was still tinged with the pale light of dawn.

Li Hong left his shop at the very beginning of the Mao hour (5-7 AM) to go to the patrol office for roll call.

"Dianmao" means that one should get up at Mao Shi, which is around 5 a.m.

The martial arts hall was alright; entering the west courtyard was relatively free, and most of the time it depended on self-discipline.

However, there are strict regulations for government offices like the Patrol and Inspection Office.

Li Hong was already in the late stage of external strength cultivation, and with the addition of nourishing resources such as blood-regulating pills, three hours of sleep a day was enough for him.

He was chewing on a dry biscuit roll with meat, dressed in a dark blue outfit and wearing thin-soled boots.

He also had a knife hanging from his waist.

We soon arrived at the patrol station and entered through the side door.

On the steps in front of the guardhouse, Liu Ming, facing the courtyard, with his hand on his waist knife, was the first to arrive.

Or perhaps he didn't go home that night.

Li Hong was the second to arrive. He had gotten used to it over the past month and consciously stood at the back of the courtyard.

In the time it takes to drink half a bowl of tea, more than a dozen inspectors arrived one after another, forming two lines with solemn expressions.

No one said a word; the only sounds in the courtyard were the occasional cough and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Wang Hu, who was on night duty, was in front, flipping through the roster and silently recording each person's name.

The roll call ended quickly. After the usual morning training, Liu Ming only had one task for the day: escorting prisoners to the inner city gate for handover.

After assigning tasks, Liu Ming looked at Li Hong at the back of the line and called out his name:

"Li Hong, you're coming with me to escort the prisoners."

For the past month, as a temporary inspector, he was almost always released by Liu Ming after his shift.

He was only allowed to patrol the streets twice in all this time. This favor, though never explicitly stated, was something almost everyone knew in their hearts.

Now, the month is almost over, and if I don't go on a business trip soon, my performance review report won't look good when I hand it in.

"Here he comes, boss."

Li Hong clasped his hands in a fist salute and followed Liu Ming's footsteps.

The group of six went to the prison of the patrol office to retrieve the person.

As luck would have it, upon entering the cell, Li Hong, who was following behind Liu Ming, raised an eyebrow when he saw the prisoners to be handed over to the Inner City County Prison.

It was Cheng Jiu, the "smiling wolf" he had personally arrested before...

After several months apart, Cheng Jiu in the prison cell looked pale and weak, and had suffered new injuries from the interrogation.

The two looked at each other, and the other person couldn't help but stare at Li Hong with considerable resentment for a while.

If it weren't for this kid, he would have almost escaped with his life.

Now, after several months of not seeing him, I was surprised to find that his breathing was deep and steady, indicating that he had made considerable progress.

Cheng Jiu's resentment and malice intensified.

"What are you glaring at me for! Keep glaring if you want to get a beating!"

Wang Hu kicked him from the side, then put iron shackles and steel handcuffs on him.

Before long, Cheng Jiu was put into a cage.

.............

The cobblestone streets were damp, and occasionally a dog's bark could be heard from the depths of the alley.

The shops on both sides of the long street were densely packed together.

The group walked down the street, scattered around the cage cart, with Liu Ming personally driving the donkey.

Behind him, inside the bars, Cheng Jiu was dressed in black, his hair disheveled, and his mouth stuffed with hemp seeds.

This is Changping Street, which is near the southern part of the outer city. The inner city is not far away, and the surrounding area is beginning to become unfamiliar and bustling.

Li Hong looked focused, but he also occasionally glanced at the streets.

Occasionally, when gazing southward, one can see that at the end of the low rooftops of the outer city in the morning mist, it looks as if a majestic beast is crouching.

After crossing the Baodai River, which is not far away, lies the inner city!

Its city walls were as blue as iron, and far exceeded the height of any ancient city that Li Hong knew of in his previous life.

In the distant sky, the scattered lights, like fragments of gold, are actually lanterns under the upturned eaves of the multi-story buildings in the inner city.

One city wall, yet two completely different worlds.

The difference between the inner and outer cities of Muyang County is immense. The inner city is home to the most prominent families, wealthy merchants, and renowned figures of the entire county.

Even ordinary internal martial artists find it difficult to gain a foothold there; it is as precious as gold.

Just then, Liu Ming, who was driving the carriage, suddenly coughed lightly, seemingly unintentionally.

In an instant, everyone quickly came to their senses.

Li Hong had been working under Liu Ming for a month, so he naturally knew these kinds of team codes.

The scabbard was already firmly gripped in his hand.

Suddenly, a buzzing sound erupted!

Several arrows flew from the hidden alleys on both sides!

Liu Ming, who was originally sitting at the front of the car, suddenly rose up to the rooftop, which was three zhang high.

He drew his sword and engaged in battle with a figure, the sounds of weapons clashing fading into the distance.

The remaining inspectors, including Li Hong, scattered to avoid the arrows, some even slipping into the houses.

In the blink of an eye, only the caged cart and the blue donkey riddled with arrows remained on the deserted street.

"The third brother!?"

A moment later, two figures appeared from under the eaves and approached the prison cart that held Cheng Jiu.

These people were the bandits from Yunshan Fortress, who had been lurking around the outer city for a long time, waiting for a chance to rescue them.

One of the slightly overweight bald men was "Ironback Bear".

He was one of the four bandits of Yunshan Fortress, and he was sworn brothers with Cheng Jiu. He ranked second.

Ironback Bear swiftly approached the cage, but when he saw "Cheng Jiu" inside, he panicked and yelled, "Run! We've fallen into a trap!"

The other man in black also panicked instantly. The man in the cage wasn't their sworn brother; he was just a death row inmate of similar build!

Suddenly, dozens of patrol figures appeared on the street, completely surrounding it from all sides.

"Ironback Bear, Ghost Hand Snake, since you're here, stay!"

The one speaking was another inspector from the patrol office!

Cheng Jiu had already given up in prison and collapsed, so Liu Ming had already made a plan yesterday.

The prison cart that was actually used to transport Cheng Jiu should have just set off by now, and has been taken over by the prison guards of the inner city.

This trip was just Liu Ming and another inspector fishing together, but they actually caught something!

Ironback Bear Bai Tieshan roared angrily, and Ghost Hand Snake beside him turned to flee.

But it's a net that can't be cast.

With two teams of about twenty patrolmen, plus Liu Ming who went to chase the "sky-flipping hawk," these fish, once hooked, basically had no hope of escaping!

.........

The sun rises.

The morning market along the Jade Belt River was bustling with activity.

The moat of the inner city was about ten zhang wide at its widest point, and occasionally people dressed in fine clothes from the inner city would enter and exit on the drawbridge.

This morning, in less than half an hour, the four notorious bandits of Yunshan Fort were wiped out in one fell swoop.

Liu Ming did not take too much credit, and had his colleagues escort the three seriously injured thieves back to the patrol office.

He and his men were sitting at a breakfast stall by the Jade Belt River, staring blankly at the towering city walls of the inner city.

The six inspectors were divided into two tables at the breakfast stall, with Li Hong at Liu Ming's table.

Within a month, everyone knew that Liu Tou'er had high hopes for the newcomer, Li Hong.

However, after spending time with him, these veteran inspectors could all tell that this kid was indeed promising and had nothing to hide!

The area north of the outer city used to be a refugee shack area, and people there were unregistered residents for more than ten years.

To stand out from that place, one must have exceptional qualities.

At a nearby table, the inspectors, observing the crowd, chatted: "Is today the day of the martial arts examination?"

Li Hong drank half a mouthful of soy milk before noticing that Liu Ming opposite him was staring blankly at the inner city wall, not having touched his food.

He put down his bowl and asked, "Boss, why aren't you eating?"

Liu Ming turned his head and said in an unusually gentle tone, "Li Hong, have you thought about the matter of evaluating martial arts performers?"

Over the past few months, he has been quietly observing Li Hong's changes.

Li Hong gave a frank smile: "To be honest, boss, I haven't thought about it much."

Since transmigrating, he has focused his mind on several martial arts techniques, and he really hasn't had much interest in thinking about martial arts students, which is the truth.

Instead of getting anxious, it's better to focus on improving your skills.

All he knows so far is that the martial arts examination is held four times a year.

Today is the summer examination. Various government offices and forces in the inner and outer cities of Muyang County will recommend their disciples to enter the inner city to participate in this identity assessment examination.

Liu Ming put down his bowl and sighed softly, "Then you should think about it."