A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

Zhou Yuan pushed open the courtyard gate and strode towards the north of the city.

The yamen of the North City Patrol Office appeared particularly solemn in the night.

Zhou Yuan changed into a dark blue official robe, with a token at his waist, and walked in.

When the soldiers on duty at the gate saw him, they immediately straightened their backs and respectfully bowed.

"Zhou Chatou."

Zhou Yuan nodded slightly in response.

He briefly greeted the soldiers around him and then wandered around the patrol station alone.

It was bigger than he had imagined; besides the front hall and back courtyard, there was also a sizable training ground.

The most eye-catching feature is the two watchtowers that stand tall on either side of the courtyard.

Zhou Yuan climbed up one of the narrow wooden stairs.

A night breeze blew by, carrying a hint of coolness, and the view suddenly became extremely open.

The lights of the inner city stretched out behind us like a galaxy fallen to earth.

Ahead lay endless darkness, with only a vast, silent outline lying prostrate on the horizon.

That is Black Wind Mountain.

It contains countless rare and precious materials, and also buries the bones of countless martial artists.

Zhou Yuan recalled his senior brother Shen He, whom he had met a few days ago. It was said that he spent most of his time wandering the Black Wind Mountain, making a living by killing fierce bandits and demonic beasts, and that his strength was unfathomable.

One day, I will go and try my luck in there.

Just then, a small light suddenly appeared in the darkness in the distance.

Next, the second point, the third point...

In the blink of an eye, a large number of torches converged into a fire dragon, which was rapidly moving towards the north of the city.

Zhou Yuan's heart tightened.

It is highly unusual for so many troops to appear outside the city at this hour.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately turned around and walked down from the watchtower, giving a stern order to several soldiers who were chatting idly in the courtyard.

"Close the watchtowers! Everyone, assemble in front of the city gates, be on high alert!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

The soldiers were taken aback for a moment, but seeing Zhou Yuan's serious expression, they dared not delay and immediately sprang into action.

The heavy city gates slowly closed, making a creaking sound.

Zhou Yuan stood behind the city gate, listening to the approaching sound of horses' hooves and the clamor of people outside, and his internal energy began to circulate slowly.

A moment later, the large contingent finally appeared in front of the city gate.

In the firelight, Zhou Yuan peered out through the crack in the door.

Although the group of people downstairs all looked travel-worn and disheveled, they were clearly wearing official robes.

The leader rode a tall horse; he was fat, but sitting upright, he exuded an air of authority that came with long-held power.

As Zhou Yuan pondered the man's identity, an older soldier beside him lowered his voice, sounding somewhat surprised and suspicious.

"It's...it's Lord Zhao! Inspector Zhao Dacheng is back!"

Zhao Dacheng? Wasn't it said that he led men to Black Wind Mountain to suppress bandits?

Zhou Yuan suddenly realized that it was his immediate superior.

He immediately ordered, "Open the city gates and welcome Lord Zhao back to the city!"

The city gates opened again.

Zhao Dacheng took the lead, guiding the exhausted team slowly into the area.

Zhou Yuan noticed that many people in the group were injured, and there seemed to be corpses covering several carriages.

The main hall of the patrol office was brightly lit.

Zhou Yuan bowed and said, "Zhou Yuan, the newly appointed constable of Beicheng, greets the Inspector."

Zhao Dacheng's cultivation level was clearly at the Bone Forging Realm. He forced a smile onto his fat face, stood up from the main seat, and personally helped Zhou Yuan up.

"Brother Zhou Yuan, no need for such formalities. I've heard the steward from the headquarters mention you; you're young and promising! Your arrival in our northern city is a great help to me!"

He seemed quite tactful, and his words conveyed no hint of arrogance.

Then, he pointed to a burly man beside him and introduced him: "This is Wang Meng, also a taxi driver in our North City."

Zhou Yuan looked at Wang Meng.

This man was tall and powerful, and his cultivation level was also at the Skin Refining Realm. However, he had a hideous scar on his face that stretched from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth, making him look quite terrifying.

Wang Meng simply nodded slightly to Zhou Yuan before standing silently to the side, displaying a rather aloof personality.

Zhou Yuan noticed that both Zhao Dacheng and Wang Meng were somewhat listless and carried a faint smell of blood.

It seems that this bandit suppression mission is not going smoothly.

However, being new to the place, he knew the saying that too much talk leads to mistakes, so he didn't ask any more questions. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he took his leave and left the hall.

Zhou Yuan sat down in front of the city gate checkpoint, ready to begin his night watch.

Not long after, several soldiers who had just returned with Zhao Dacheng also came over dejectedly and gathered not far away, talking quietly.

"Damn it, we've really lost out this time!"

"Who can argue with that? There were over two hundred people when we set off, but now, I'm afraid less than half of them have returned."

"It's all those damned bandits' fault! They were too cunning! They actually set up an ambush in Huilong Valley!"

"I have a bad feeling about this. The road back to Long Valley is so well hidden, how could the bandits have known our route in advance and set up a trap for us?"

A soldier lowered his voice and voiced everyone's doubts.

"Shh! Keep your voice down! I heard... our marching route map has been leaked..."

Upon hearing this, the surroundings fell into an instant of deathly silence.

Zhou Yuan sat not far away, listening to every word, and his heart skipped a beat.

Roadmap leaked?

The water in this pool was deeper than he had imagined.

Zhou Yuan composed himself. These matters were too far removed from his own life, and with his current strength, he had no right to get involved.

The only thing he can do is improve his strength as quickly as possible.

For the next few days, Zhou Yuan remained stationed at the patrol and inspection office.

He finally confirmed the news: the patrol battalion's expedition into the mountains to suppress bandits had indeed ended in a major defeat, with heavy losses.

The atmosphere in the patrol office became particularly oppressive as a result.

As a taxi driver, he was mostly quite idle unless something major happened.

So, during the day he would handle some trivial matters of inspection at the checkpoint, and whenever he had free time, he would practice the Six Harmonies Stance Exercise repeatedly in the martial arts training ground of the patrol office.

Five days passed slowly.

That evening, it was time for the taxi drivers to change shifts.

Wang Meng arrived on time, but he was accompanied by a middle-aged man in a long gown.

The man looked like a businessman, but he walked with a steady gait and slightly bulging temples, clearly indicating that he was also a trained martial artist.

Zhou Yuan glanced at the man in the long robe but didn't ask any further questions.

He exchanged a few words with the expressionless Wang Meng, then took off his official robes and left the patrol office.

He spent five whole days at the patrol station, and he was a little worried about his sister.

My steps quickened as I headed home.

The muddy alley was still as dirty and messy as ever, with a complicated smell permeating the air.

Zhou Yuan walked to the gate of his own courtyard, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The courtyard gate was ajar.

He remembered clearly that before leaving the house, he had specifically told his sister to make sure to lock the door.

Have someone come to visit?

Zhou Yuan's heart sank, his muscles tensed instantly, and his blood and qi began to surge.

Just as he was about to push the door open, the wooden door creaked open from the inside.

A thin young man walked out of the courtyard.

The young man was dressed in black, and his aura was extremely fierce. He exuded a powerful aura belonging to a Bone Forging Realm martial artist without any concealment.

His face bore a striking resemblance to Gao Qiang, who was killed by Zhou Yuan, with seven or eight points of similarity!

......