After resting, Zheng Jun followed Zhou Pu and Liu to the Lin Workshop.
By the time they arrived, the sky was already bright. Various shouts echoed through the alleys of the neighborhood. The city housed 140,000 civilians and covered a massive area. It contained both markets and residential wards, divided into twenty-three wards of various sizes.
Zheng Jun, Zhou Pu, and Liu Yaozu were responsible for patrolling the streets and alleys of the Lin Workshop. To maintain public order, the Market had its own stationed Strong Shift Officials. Constables like Zheng Jun and Zhou Pu were more like "mobile patrols," able to move rapidly across the area.
The Lin Workshop was bustling with noise and activity, making it one of the more prosperous wards in the county town. The patrol conducted by Zheng Jun, Zhou Pu, and Liu Yaozu mostly involved inspecting key locations to deter pickpockets and hooligans, ensuring they didn't cause any visible trouble. Whatever happened in the shadows was none of their business.
Zheng Jun wondered, "When fighting Zhao Er, I merely broke free and struck back with my scabbard. At most, I took an extra step. How did I manage to gain ten progress points? Perhaps my mindset was different when I drew my blade?"
He felt his understanding of the Great Tao Martial Book was still too shallow. Having only the Cloak and Dagger Saber Technique as a reference was far from enough. He needed to observe more and practice more.
"Old Zhou, Zheng San, there's a sweet water shop ahead. Want to get some tea?" Liu Yaozu's voice suddenly rang in Zheng Jun's ears.
Hearing this, Zheng Jun glanced at the shop ahead and immediately asked, "Can we really drink tea while patrolling the streets?"
"Ah, in broad daylight, who would dare commit a crime?" Liu Yaozu laughed heartily. "Just taking a quick stroll for show is enough. Patrolling all day isn't just exhausting for us; it makes the ordinary civilians uncomfortable too."
Hearing this, Zheng Jun said nothing more. He glanced at Zhou Pu, who seemed weighed down by his thoughts. Zhou Pu finally snapped out of his daze and joined Liu Yaozu in heading to the sweet water shop for tea.
Once inside, the three of them sat together. Liu Yaozu was quite familiar with the place; he ordered two plates of appetizers and some tea. They chatted as they ate and drank.
"Sanlang, the way you beat up Zhao Er just now was truly satisfying! To be honest, I've found that guy displeasing for a long time. I just didn't dare do anything because I was afraid of Zhao Da's power..."
Liu Yaozu was quite talkative and began to ramble on to Zheng Jun. "That Zhao Da is an expert in Body Tempering! It's a good thing things didn't escalate today; otherwise, it would have been hard to resolve."
Zheng Jun silently refilled his teacup and asked curiously, "Liu, what does the 'Body Tempering' Realm mean? I hear people talking about Body Tempering and Qi Storage all day, but I don't understand the profoundness of it at all. Could you explain it to me?"
"Well, about that, haha..." Liu Yaozu awkwardly scratched the back of his head. He had only heard about it from others; how could he possibly know the underlying principles?
Aside from these two levels, he had only ever heard terms like Outer Gang General or Primordial Pill Martial Saint from storytellers. Regarding Martial Arts, he only knew that one needed to cultivate both internally and externally; aside from Saber Techniques, internal training was also required. He wasn't an experienced constable either. Like Zheng Jun, he was a replacement brought in after the previous County Captain led many constables and Quick Hands into the Black Mountain, resulting in massive casualties. His uncle was a Scribe in the Six Departments, which was how he got the job through the backdoor. When it came to these profound matters, he was completely clueless.
Just as Liu Yaozu was feeling embarrassed, Zhou Pu suddenly spoke up out of the blue. "For Martial Arts practitioners, whether they use sabers, spears, swords, or Halberds, they ultimately rely on strength to win. It's a competition of who has greater physical power and faster speed. Once the body is polished to a certain degree, one must undergo Blood Refining for Body Tempering."
"Blood Refining?" Zheng Jun's spirits lifted, and he asked earnestly, "Zhou Pu, what does Blood Refining mean? If I want to do it, what preparations do I need to make?"
"Based on your performance just now, you should be capable of Qi Absorption. When we get back later, I'll go request an audience with the Historian to pass down the Pile Skill Cultivation Technique to you." Zhou Pu sighed softly and continued, "The so-called Blood Refining is nothing more than practicing the Pile Skill and Inner Power, extracting the True Qi from heaven and earth, and absorbing it into the body. This True Qi flows along with your internal Essence Blood, forming a positive circulation within your body.
"Every time the True Qi circulates with the blood, ninety-nine percent of it will dissipate, leaving only a single wisp of True Qi darting through your blood to nourish your physique. Over time, this will naturally temper your Martial Body until it reaches Perfection.
"As for Qi Storage, it means your body can contain a sufficient amount of True Qi. The dissipated True Qi gradually condenses and gathers in your Dantian, becoming your very own True Qi."
"I see!" Zheng Jun immediately understood. There was only one fundamental reason why he had not yet achieved Body Tempering. He lacked an Inner Power manual.
But why was this Inner Power so difficult to obtain? Were there any prerequisite conditions? Zheng Jun asked about the reason.
"If you want to circulate your power and practice Blood Refining, you need a strong physique, fully opened muscles and bones, and sufficient Qi and Blood!
"If your physique is too weak, circulating the Pile Skill will only damage your foundation.
"In light cases, you'd need years of bed rest. In severe cases, you'd be paralyzed for life. Some even suffer from explosive blood flow and die. Naturally, one must practice moves that strengthen the physique first.
"That's why knowledgeable constables all go to the Martial Arts Hall. Through the special techniques taught by the masters there and by eating meat day and night, they can quickly reach a state capable of containing True Qi. This prevents their Qi and Blood from churning violently, which would cause them to explode and die."
Zheng Jun was enlightened. Cultivating Inner Power had a threshold. If one didn't meet it, they couldn't practice it at all. It seemed that old saying was right: Train the muscles, bones, and skin externally; cultivate a single breath internally!
"So that's how it is." Beside them, Liu Yaozu also nodded repeatedly. He felt he had grasped the profundity of it and resolved to eat more meat after getting off work.
The conversation didn't go much deeper. Regarding the Realms above Qi Storage, Zhou Pu only knew of Outer Gang. The County Magistrate, who had served in Black Mountain County for nine years, possessed Outer Gang abilities. Zhou Pu had once watched the County Magistrate take action from afar. Even from several meters away, he could Slash through trees using Gang Qi—he was already beyond ordinary humans. As for the Primordial Pill and Dharma Aspect frequently mentioned by storytellers, to Zhou Pu, they were no different from myths.
Afterward, Zhou Pu brought up Zhao Da specifically. Perhaps because an outsider like Liu Yaozu was present, Zhou Pu couldn't speak too plainly. He only revealed a secret, mentioning that the old patriarch of the Zhao Family had built his fortune on loan shark money.
Zhou Pu stopped there, but Zheng Jun wasn't stupid. Loan shark money meant usury. Could loan sharks possibly be easy to deal with?
After finishing their tea, which took up more than half a two-hour, the three finally prepared to resume their street patrol. However, just as they stood up, Zheng Jun sensed that something was wrong.
The surroundings were unusually quiet. The bustling, deafening noise from earlier was completely gone.
Zheng Jun furrowed his brows slightly. Something was wrong, very wrong! The veteran constable Zhou Pu also sensed that the atmosphere was off.
"Let's go," Liu Yaozu said, noticing no issues. He stood up and immediately headed out of the shop without another word.
Seeing this, Zheng Jun hurriedly stood up. Just as Liu Yaozu stepped out of the shop, a cold gleam suddenly flashed in his line of sight. Liu Yaozu didn't realize it at all and was still talking non-stop. At that moment, Zheng Jun hastily grabbed him and yanked him backward, helping him dodge a heavy blow from a club!
After dragging Liu Yaozu to the ground, Zheng Jun's hairs stood on end. Almost instinctively, he drew his saber, faced the door, and delivered a forward Slash!
"Ah!"