Breaking Limits in Martial Arts: Grinding Your Way to Becoming a Martial Saint in a Chaotic Era

Officer Qi turned around, his smile fading.

"Xu Qing, let me tell you the truth." He lowered his voice, "I know about you saving Miss Su, and about the banquet that Young Master Su hosted at Fu Rui Lou last night."

Xu Qing sat on the bench, looking at him without saying a word.

"The Su family has some connections with your Zhao family's martial arts school. Su Mingkong from your inner courtyard is a member of the Su family. You should know that."

After returning to his desk, Constable Qi leaned back in his chair, rested his hands on the armrests, crossed his legs, and narrowed his eyes, revealing a shrewdness unique to seasoned veterans. It was the kind of shrewdness that comes from spending over a decade in the government office, witnessing the coldness and warmth of human relationships, and seeing countless acts of deceit and treachery.

"You're from Blackwater Bay. You went back there on your day off and stayed overnight before returning," Officer Qi said calmly, as if chatting casually. "Do you know that the Giant Whale Gang of Blackwater Bay was wiped out overnight?"

"Oh, that was the night you stayed at home," he added.

Xu Qing's expression remained unchanged. He stared directly at Constable Qi, his gaze steady and unwavering, showing no sign of anything amiss, and he didn't even blink.

"I heard about it when I came back this morning," Xu Qing said.

Officer Qi smiled, picked up the teacup, took another sip, put it down, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

He glanced at Xu Qing, his gaze carrying a hint of amusement mixed with admiration. Not admiration for his skill level, but for his composure.

For a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy to have such a thing exposed to his face without even a ripple of emotion—that composure is something not everyone possesses.

"The Giant Whale Gang was wiped out, dozens of members, not a single survivor. The case file was expedited yesterday, and I looked at it first thing this morning." He paused, tapping his fingers lightly on the table twice. "The entire gang was wiped out, no one witnessed it, and no evidence was left behind."

Officer Qi spoke casually, as if he were catching up with Xu Qing.

"I've worked in the yamen for over ten years. What kind of cases haven't I seen? Family annihilation, revenge killings, robberies—I've handled at least three hundred, if not five hundred."

His gaze fell on the roof beam, as if he were recalling something, or perhaps he was sighing with emotion.

"Blackwater Bay was dirt poor. The Giant Whale Gang had been running rampant there for years, bullying men and women, extorting protection money, lending money at exorbitant interest rates, and driving people to ruin. To be honest, I'm secretly delighted that they've been taken down this time."

He paused, his gaze falling on Xu Qing's face, a slight smile playing on his lips, a knowing look in his eyes: "I'm not interrogating you, nor am I investigating you. I'm just telling you that this case is now in my hands, personally assigned by County Magistrate Su."

Xu Qing looked at Constable Qi calmly, without saying a word. He didn't know what Constable Qi meant by those words.

Officer Qi suddenly laughed again, lowered his crossed legs, leaned forward, and said in a slightly lower, more serious voice, "Do you know who's behind the Giant Whale Gang?"

He answered his own question, enunciating each word clearly: "The magistrate's third son, Lin Mu."

"The Giant Whale Gang's annual tribute money is sent to the Lin family residence. Not many people in the government know about this, but I do. County Magistrate Su knows as well. Lin Mu supports the Giant Whale Gang, making them collect bribes and do dirty work for him, treating Blackwater Bay as his own money bag."

Officer Qi looked at Xu Qing with a scrutinizing gaze.

"The county magistrate and the county assistant magistrate are polite to each other on the surface, but everyone knows what's really going on underneath."

He narrowed his eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips: "To tell you the truth, I'm one of Magistrate Su's men, and this case was deliberately assigned to me by Magistrate Su. If I don't investigate, it will never be properly investigated."

Officer Qi snorted and chuckled, "Even if Lin Mu really suspects something, he doesn't have any evidence, so he wouldn't dare cause trouble. Why? Because the Giant Whale Gang is his money bag, and he doesn't dare admit it. Whoever helps him investigate this case is helping him cover up his dirty deeds. If I don't investigate, he can only suffer in silence."

"Besides, Lin Mu has many gangs like the Giant Whale Gang under his command. One more or one less won't make a difference. He won't, and dares not, let the county magistrate and the county assistant magistrate fall out over a small gang like the Giant Whale Gang."

Officer Qi leaned forward again, lowering his voice even further: "Xu Qing, I asked you to come with me on a errand, and this is the errand you're on."

"You're from Blackwater Bay, you're familiar with the situation there, so you're the most suitable person to come with me to investigate. How to investigate? Who to investigate? We decide. If we really can't find any results, the matter will just have to be dropped, and Lin Mu won't have anything to say. The case will be closed, and everyone will be relieved."

He suddenly stopped talking, his gaze sharpening as he stared at Xu Qing, asking each word carefully, "Xu Qing, are you willing to come with me to Blackwater Bay to investigate the case?"

Xu Qing wasn't stupid. He understood the underlying meaning in Officer Qi's words.

If you agree, it means you've tied yourself to the Su family's ship; from now on, you're in the same boat, sharing both prosperity and adversity.

Even if they were unwilling, the outcome was clear. Officer Qi would handle matters impartially, investigating what needed to be investigated and reporting what needed to be reported, and would not take the blame for the magistrate's son's retaliation for a fisherman's son.

Officer Qi wasn't asking him if he was willing to investigate the case; he was asking him if he was willing to take sides, asking him... which side would you choose?

Why did the Su family allow them to board the ship?

Xu Qing probably knew in his heart that it was because of the potential he had shown, and also because of his master.

The Su family must have investigated him and knew that he had been taken in as a personal disciple by Zhao Yan and that he had mastered the Ming Jin skill in twenty days.

As for the sayings about having a mediocre foundation and reaching the limit of internal strength, the Su family probably has their own opinions.

They would only assume that Zhao Yan was deliberately creating a diversion, protecting him from being too conspicuous, and not wanting him to suffer the same fate as Ning Yun. A disciple whom a master of the Transformation Realm was willing to impart all their knowledge to was worth winning over, worth betting on, even if the odds weren't high—what if you won?

Moreover, he also saved the Su family's cousin. The Su family will remember this favor.

Xu Qing remained silent for a moment.

Then he stood up, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Constable Qi, and said in a low but firm voice, "Constable Qi, I am willing."

Qi the constable's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth curved into a wider smile.

He stood up, walked around the table, and stood in front of Xu Qing. He reached out and patted Xu Qing on the shoulder lightly, with a touch of elder's affection and a hint of accomplice's intimacy.

"Okay." He only said one word, then looked into Xu Qing's eyes and said seriously, "From now on, we're all on the same side. When you work in the yamen, I'll protect you. When you practice martial arts at the school, Master Zhao will protect you. Magistrate Su also appreciates you very much. You saved Miss Su's cousin, and the Su family remembers that favor."

Xu Qing bowed deeply to Constable Qi, saying, "Thank you, Constable Qi."

Officer Qi waved his hand casually and said with a smile, "Let's go, on the county government's fast horse, we'll go to Blackwater Bay. We're going to investigate, that's official business. Whether we find anything or not is another matter."

As he walked out, he said, "Even though it's winter, we can't leave those corpses from the Giant Whale Gang lying around forever. The people at the mortuary should collect them; we can't let the whole street stink. Their property should also be confiscated; we can't let others benefit from it."

The two horses left the government office and headed west, exiting the city gate and onto the official road.

The horses' hooves pounded the yellow earth, raising a trail of dust.

Xu Qing rode on his horse, the wind blowing on his face, feeling cool.

Officer Qi practically spelled it out. Officer Qi knew everything. He knew he had returned to Blackwater Bay, he knew the Giant Whale Gang had been wiped out, and he knew he was inextricably linked to the affair.

But he chose to protect him. Not because of friendship, not because of conscience, but because of factionalism.

He was one of Magistrate Su's men. By protecting Xu Qing, he was protecting a capable and promising person, someone with ties to the Su family, and someone who might be useful in the future.

From this day forward, he was now aligned with the county magistrate's faction.

He didn't choose this path; circumstances pushed him to it. Yet he didn't resist. The magistrate's third son, Lin Mu, had ruined his family and caused his parents' deaths in the river.

He was determined to avenge this.

He wouldn't be on the same side as the county magistrate; he could only side with County Magistrate Su. This was the path Heaven had chosen for him, and the path he himself was willing to take.

Besides, siding with Magistrate Su isn't a bad thing; it's an opportunity that many people would kill for.

Officer Qi is right; from now on, they're all on our side. With the county magistrate as his backer, his safety is guaranteed. Not a foolproof guarantee, but rather a few extra walls to protect him for a while.

He was no longer the fisherman's boy who fished in Blackwater Bay, no longer the boy who could only grit his teeth and endure being robbed of his silver.

He has status, a mentor, powerful backers, and fists.

He tightened his grip on the reins, quickened his pace, and caught up with Constable Qi's horse.

The two horses walked side by side, their hooves clattering.

The wind blew, causing the hems of their clothes to flutter, mixing the indigo and black fabric together, making it impossible to tell which was which.