A Long River Myth

This continued until evening.

Li Hong declined the banquet invitations from many of his disciples and returned to Jinshui Street.

Some of the inner disciples even took a long detour to follow Li Hong along the same route, escorting him all the way to the end of Jinshui Street before turning around and saying goodbye.

This left him speechless.

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

For the next ten days, Li Hong followed Shen Hezhi's instructions and stayed at home to "stabilize" his Qi and blood.

In fact, he didn't need to do anything unnecessary.

With the panel at his disposal, his foundation was already as solid as it could possibly be.

The reason I'm staying at home is because I want to practice some new martial arts.

Incidentally, I also declined some social interactions.

That day, Li Hong was in his own courtyard, holding a wooden spear and practicing it in a continuous series of movements.

【Iron Wall Skill - Elephant Mountain Strength (125/1000)】

[Mastery of Hundred Refinements of Stance Training (135/1000)]

【Mastery of the Hundred Refinements Fist Technique (125/1000)】

[Introduction to the Shuofeng Spear Technique (101/500)]

He has mastered the "North Wind Spear Technique" he learned in the martial arts school to the beginner level.

The "Tiger Bone Nourishing Qi Pills" that Shen Hezhi gave him were really effective.

The internal strengthening of his body has made Li Hong's physical fitness far exceed that of ordinary people.

Iron Wall Kung Fu has now reached the third level – Elephant Mountain Strength. This horizontal training skill is heavy yet not sluggish.

Especially after he entered the Inner Strength stage, his blood and qi were combined with the Elephant Mountain Force, and it was as if an invisible iron core had been cast beneath his skin and flesh.

As for stance training, with the aid of elixirs and his understanding reaching a high level, his practice speed in the Hundred Refinements Stance Training also increased rapidly.

Practicing stance training ten times a day only takes less than three hours.

With three hours left, he began to work intensely on his fist and spear techniques, making rapid progress!

"Phew~"

It was already dark. After another set of practice with the Shuofeng Spear, Li Hong was drenched in sweat and finally sat down against the wall to rest.

Li Fulin has now built a new wall in the backyard, filling in the vegetable garden and enclosing a new yard.

This place has become his private space.

Li Hong looked at the panel, feeling incredibly fulfilled.

His recent grueling work has resulted in progress in various martial arts skills far exceeding his expectations.

To this day, he still hasn't figured out where the limits of himself and the panel are.

"Thanks to General Manager Shen's instruction on this Tiger Bone Qi-Nourishing Pill, it's truly wonderful, far surpassing the previous mid-grade Blood-Regulating Pill in its ability to nourish the body!"

Li Hong adjusted his breathing. Although his body was slightly tired, he secretly checked the stability of his internal energy and blood. When he tensed up slightly, his energy and blood surged into strength.

"At this rate, if I can continue to receive the aid of elixirs, I should be able to reach the mid-stage of the Inner Strength realm in a month?"

This really surprised even him.

Logically speaking, practicing martial arts too quickly is not a good thing. Everything should be done steadily in order to achieve long-term stability.

However, upon closer inspection, Li Hong realized that although his progress was rapid, it was not superficial; on the contrary, it was solid and firm.

Regardless of the level, as long as the progress on the panel increases, it will grant him a corresponding improvement.

The prerequisite is that there must be enough tonic.

Yesterday, Li Hong tested his strength using a simple method, and now his strongest explosive force can reach 1,800 jin.

It should be noted that the standard for a martial artist in the early stages of internal strength training is to travel 300 li a day and unleash 1,300 jin of force.

It had only been ten days since he broke through the inner barrier.

This progress is partly due to his previous sufficient preparation; he spent an extra month consolidating before breaking through.

Secondly, his success is also attributed to the panel's support and his hard work.

"Tomorrow, we can go out for a walk. I haven't been to the patrol office for more than half a month. It's not good for Chief Liu to stay too long. After all, I still receive a monthly allowance there."

"Besides, I've already become quite powerful, and the patrol office will probably increase my monthly allowance..."

Li Hong touched the wooden gun and thought to himself, "The monthly allowance for temporary posts in the Patrol and Inspection Division is determined by individual ability."

External warriors received five taels of silver per month, while internal warriors generally received fifteen taels.

This government office was in charge of maintaining order throughout the outer city, so the benefits were naturally quite good.

Fifteen taels of silver. Apart from the top ten richest families in the outer city, which family could afford to pay fifteen taels of silver a month to the inner warriors?

Two hundred taels a year—unless one possesses exceptional talent, this amount of money would be enough to befriend a middle-aged master of innate cultivation.

Within the outer city, there are not many innate masters; most are martial artists who have exhausted their potential and succeeded in breaking through their barriers through age and persistent hard work.

There is a fundamental difference between them and those innate martial artists who were rated as martial arts students at a young age and could even participate in martial arts examinations.

However, even so, at least in the outer city, they are considered guests of honor by many forces.

..........

The next day at the beginning of the Mao hour.

Inside the patrol station, in front of the duty room.

When Li Hong, dressed in his official uniform and carrying a sword at his waist, arrived for roll call, he found people moving about.

There were about thirty inspectors. Besides Liu Ming's team, there were two other inspectors gathered to the side.

"Li Hong, come this way."

In the crowd, Wang Hu waved to him in a low voice.

"Tiger, this commotion today... is there a big case?"

Li Hong walked over, puzzled.

Normally, the various inspectors of the outer city patrol office would report for duty separately and handle their own affairs.

Once the check-in points are combined, it means either there will be an unexpected situation or a case that a single team cannot solve.

"It's said that...the case they've been monitoring over the past few months is finally showing promise and they're about to close in, but they don't have enough manpower."

Wang Hu lowered his voice, patted his shoulder and smiled helplessly, "You've got a lucky day today. You're really unlucky. The envoy is coming over in a little while."

Li Hong nodded without saying anything; there was nothing he could do about it now that they had caught up with it.

That's how the patrol and inspection department is; when things are peaceful, there's really nothing going on.

When trouble comes, no one can avoid it; if you really need more people, you'll go to him.

As for Liu Ming, he was currently gathered with two other inspectors.

The three of them all had slightly furrowed brows as they talked, and they were no longer as relaxed as usual.

The case is clearly quite tricky.

Soon, a middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue narrow robe, with a sword hanging on his left and a chain on his right, entered the duty room.

This person has an extraordinary bearing and walks with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger.

Three patrol inspectors immediately surrounded him; this man was Jiang Tao, the chief patrol inspector of the outer city!

Li Hong had heard about it before, but this was the first time he had seen it in person.

He is a seventh-rank official, and I heard that he also serves as the chief envoy. He is a proper martial arts student and is someone who can frequently enter and leave the inner city of the prefecture.

Regardless of their status, position, or strength, they were far superior to the three inspectors present.

After meeting with the three inspectors, Jiang Tao said in a deep voice:

"Gentlemen, tonight the river officials and the river management officers will join forces to catch the thief!"

"After each patrol team has collected their weapons, straw sandals, and waders, return to the duty yard and await orders. Even if your house is on fire, you'd better stay here!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's heart sank.

Judging from the current situation, this case is probably no small matter.

If the patrol and inspection departments and the river management departments work together on a case, wouldn't that involve hundreds of people?

As for Li Hong, he was not surprised. He already knew that he was on a two-month secondment. Whenever there was a major case in the Patrol and Inspection Division, they would not take off their clothes or go to sleep until a day in advance.

When will the case be closed, and when will I be released and sent home?

After the envoy left, the three inspectors also left, clearly indicating that they had important matters to discuss.

Li Hong and his group then went to the armory with the others to collect their equipment.