Daily News: You promised yourself to be a fisherman, but you've become a martial arts god?

After leaving the pavilion, Li Nian followed Ma Shoutian along the plank road.

"Ma Shoutian, I'm new here. Tell me about the island."

Li Nian asked the question.

Ma Shoutian nodded and slowly began to speak:

"Your Excellency, Crescent Moon Island is located in the center of the lake. To the south of the island is a major thoroughfare for merchant ships, and to the south is Shenyuan Village. Its location is extremely important."

"The pirates of Shenyuan Village are all ruthless killers who plunder merchant ships year-round."

"Due to manpower issues, we are stationed on this island to investigate the movements of the pirates and report the information to various merchant ships and the county government as much as possible, avoiding direct confrontation with Shenyuan Village."

"Although we don't confront Shenyuan Village head-on, they don't take us seriously and send people to cause trouble from time to time, taking several lives."

"Two and a half years ago, Shenyuan Village, together with Nutao Gang and Tunhu Hall, launched a large-scale invasion of the island. At that time, Lord Yi Linchuan could have escaped, but he resolutely chose to stay and guard the fortress to cover our retreat from the back of the island."

"Lord Linchuan faced a three-way encirclement, yet managed to keep his opponents at bay. Unfortunately, he eventually exhausted himself and was defeated by that..."

"Back then, Lord Linchuan was already in the late stage of the Tendon Refining realm. If he were still alive, he would most likely have already entered the Dark Force realm."

As he spoke, Ma Shoutian sighed helplessly.

Yi Linchuan!

Li Nian's gaze sharpened.

He had heard at the temporary posting meeting that this genius, originally one of the Five Heroes of Qianhu, was killed by the people of Shenyuan Village while patrolling the lake.

Unexpectedly, this person chose to sacrifice himself to protect his subordinates.

Li Nian sincerely admired such a person of great righteousness.

Take Yi Linchuan as an example. Even in the later stages of tendon training, he is not necessarily safe. He must improve his cultivation and strength as soon as possible!

How many Ming Jin martial artists are there on the island now?

Composing himself, Li Nian asked.

Knowing yourself and the enemy is the only way to survive a hundred battles.

Ma Shoutian thought for a moment and then answered truthfully:

"Currently, apart from Lord Zhendao, only you and the other three inspectors are Ming Jin martial artists."

Five Ming Jin martial artists!

Li Nian lowered her eyebrows.

Their strength is too weak.

If Shenyuan Village launches a large-scale attack, they simply cannot withstand it!

After a moment, Li Nian relaxed her brows.

Being weak is not necessarily a bad thing.

In recent years, Shenyuan Village has not launched a large-scale invasion, mainly because the forces here are relatively weak and do not pose a significant threat to them. A large-scale invasion would not yield much benefit.

As for seizing the island.

Crescent Moon Island is an island where the government is stationed. If Shenyuan Village dares to seize it, even if the Qianhu County government agrees, the prefectural government will not agree!

Profit should be the top priority in all endeavors.

Shenyuan Village was naturally aware of the stakes involved, so they only harassed the island and did not attempt to seize it.

The Yi family's limited manpower here is likely due to this consideration.

It was a wise choice.

The head of the Yi family is no fool; he hasn't lost his mind because of revenge.

Chatting along the way, the two soon arrived at several wooden houses by the lake on the east side of the island.

Ma Shoutian shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Everyone from Team C, come out!"

A moment later, four wiry figures rushed out of the wooden house.

Li Nian looked at the four men, all dressed in military uniforms, strong and with dark skin; the oldest was less than thirty years old.

"This is Lord Li, a guest elder of the Yi family. From now on, he will be the patrol officer of Team C. You must obey his orders!"

"What are you standing there for? State your identities!"

The four men dared not be negligent; they stood upright, their expressions serious.

"Loyal and Brave Swordsmanship Hall, Cao An!"

"Changlin Martial Arts Hall, Huang Gang!"

"Zhiwu Hall, Sun Tao!"

"The Zheng family, Zheng Changgong!"

The four men spoke with strong, resonant voices, full of youthful vigor.

Li Nian was somewhat lost in thought.

The soldiers under his command were all just as passionate back then.

"I am Li Nian from Qinyun Martial Arts School. I look forward to your guidance in the future."

Li Nian clasped her hands in a fist salute.

After a brief introduction, Ma Shoutian gave Li Nian a set of uniforms and brought over a covered boat.

After informing Li Nian of the details of the inspection, Ma Shoutian left alone.

It gradually got dark.

Cao An walked to the door of Li Nian's room.

"Your Excellency, dinner is ready."

"it is good."

Li Nian tidied the bed, took the meat-filled flatbread given to her by her sister-in-law Zhao Lijuan, and went out.

Inside the house, Cao An and the others stood around a simple table, waiting for Li Nian to come and start the meal.

Li Nian glanced at the food on the table; it was pickled vegetables and white porridge.

On the empty seat, there was an extra small bowl of cured meat, presumably reserved for the inspector.

Due to the inconvenience of water transportation, the county government did not deliver supplies every day, and the meat that was transported was mostly cured meat that was easy to store.

"Please sit down, everyone. There's no need for formalities."

Li Nian gestured for the group to sit down.

Then, he pushed the cured meat in front of him to the center of the table.

"We're all in the same team, so whatever I eat, you eat too."

"The patrolman..."

"We're all grown men, don't act like women and drag your feet."

Seeing that Cao An and the others were declining, Li Nian pretended to be angry, and the four of them had no choice but to shut up.

Li Nian nodded in satisfaction, took out the meat fritters from the package, and distributed them to the four people.

"I brought some meat sesame cakes over, one for each of you."

The four exchanged a glance, took the meat cakes, and thanked them in unison.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

The paper wrapper was opened, and the aroma of meat-filled flatbread filled the air. The long-lost smell of meat made the four people's eyes light up.

Huang Gang, being very easygoing, was the first to pick up a meat-filled flatbread and take a big bite, his mouth instantly becoming greasy.

"Crispy crust and tender meat, with a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth—this is the first time I've ever had such a delicious meat-filled flatbread!"

Seeing this, the other three picked up the meat-filled flatbreads and started eating.

"tasty!"

"I wonder where in Qianhu County I can buy this meat-filled flatbread?"

"Next time I have a day off, I'll definitely buy a whole bagful and bring it to the island!"

The delicious meat-filled flatbread was so good that the four of them couldn't stop eating, praising it as they ate.

Seeing the four of them enjoying their meal, Li Nian also showed a satisfied smile.

"This meat pie was made by my sister-in-law."

"She set up a pancake stall 300 meters away from the Qinyun Martial Arts School in the south of the city, selling meat pancakes."

"If you all find it delicious, you can come and support us when you go back on your days off."

Upon hearing this, the four men clasped their hands in a fist and laughed heartily.

"So it was my sister-in-law's cooking! Her skills are truly superb!"

"Just because you are our Inspector General, we will definitely patronize this business!"

"Yes, and besides, this meat pie is really delicious, with plenty of filling and fresh meat!"

While eating meat-filled flatbreads, the four of them started chatting.

All four were young and talkative, and Li Nian quickly struck up a conversation with them, gaining some understanding of the island's affairs.

Li Nian then asked, "I met with the island lord during the day. He's quite young. I wonder why the government sent him here?"

The four exchanged glances. Cao An went outside to check that no one was around, then closed the door.

"Your Excellency, don't let our island garrison commander's youthful appearance fool you. He is actually twenty-five years old and has reached the peak of the Ming Jin realm. He is a well-known figure in the entire Qianhu County."

"With such talent, given time, he would surely become the next generation leader of the Yi family after Lord Linchuan. What a pity..."

With that, Cao An sighed, picked up a cup of hot tea, took a large gulp, and said:

"Lord Zhendao is not a direct descendant of the Yi family. He and Yi Xiao, the head constable in the yamen, are brothers from a collateral branch of the Yi family and hold dangerous positions in the county yamen."

"Although the two brothers have made some achievements in martial arts, they are still a collateral branch and cannot enjoy the same pampered life and abundant cultivation resources as the direct line."

Li Nian nodded knowingly.

The relationships within large families are complex, and good resources tend to favor the direct descendants.

However, to Li Nian's surprise, this island-guarding master, Yi Huan, was actually at the peak of the Ming Jin realm, which truly surprised him.

This is a good thing for him.

With more experts stationed on the island, he would be safer.