A Long River Myth

A chaotic end of the street.

Wang Hu held a gleaming longsword, his whole body tense.

call out!call out!

Suddenly, a whooshing sound rang out from the crowd!

Two iron pellets, each the size of a thumbnail, flew out and struck Wang Hu with precision.

clap clap!

The blade was dented in two places, but Wang Hu, who was on high alert, easily blocked it.

"Oh! My child, my child!"

A woman suddenly screamed in terror, and the crowd was immediately alarmed, scattering like a tidal wave!

Li Hong gripped the knife handle tightly.

A thief wearing a straw hat and dressed in all black snatched a two-year-old child from the woman's arms!

They came to challenge the obstacle course with incredible speed!

"You dare!"

Wang Hu, enraged, brandished his knife and intercepted the attack!

In an instant, Cheng Jiu, with a sinister expression, used one hand to forcefully feed the toddler straight towards Wang Hu's blade!

Even though Wang Hu was usually considered to have a heart of stone, when it came to this split second, he hesitated for a second before making his move!

In that split second, Cheng Jiu struck Wang Hu's right rib with full force, his left hand forming a palm.

With a sudden change of movement, he forcefully flung the child toward Wang Hu's chest to restrain his hands, and with a light step, he was about to break through the barrier!

"Stop him!"

Wang Hu grunted, and flew several meters backward while holding the toddler before crashing to the ground, blood gushing from the corner of his mouth!

The two martial arts hall disciples in front of the barricade were closest to Wang Hu just now.

If they had formed a pincer movement, Cheng Jiu would not have been able to succeed so easily.

But in the rush, these two had never seen such a ferocious scene before, and their legs were trembling!

They even forgot that they had knives in their hands, and even more so that they had been practicing martial arts for over a year!

Cheng Jiu glanced at them earlier and knew the quality of the three inexperienced young men and the seasoned officers all too well.

Once Wang Hu falls, the Xishui River will be just a stone's throw away at the end of the street, opening up a path to survival for him!

However! Just as he was about to rush through the pass, a cold glint suddenly flashed from the side.

Li Hong had already drawn his sword and was slashing wildly at the place Cheng Jiu was bound to pass, forcing Cheng Jiu to change his original route!

"court death!"

Cheng Jiu coughed up black blood, and with a wave of his hand, his eerie pale fingers seemed to grow longer, and his entire hand appeared boneless!

In an instant, it entangled Li Hong's hand holding the knife; this was the skill of Ghost Entangling Sleeve and Seizing the Blade!

"Bang!"

Li Hong felt a tingling sensation in his wrist, his acupoints were temporarily sealed, and the knife fell to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a strong wind swept across his face as Cheng Jiu struck with a palm!

Snapped!

When their fists and palms collided, Cheng Jiu was forced back several steps by the impact and coughed up another mouthful of black blood!

Li Hong was also slightly surprised; he had actually gained the upper hand with that punch.

Cheng Jiu's eyes were black, and his face was full of resentment.

He was seriously injured and had been fleeing all the way. The effort he had just put into throwing the iron ball and fighting Wang Hu had further aggravated his injuries.

At this moment, he had lost 70% of his power, and he couldn't even defeat a strong young man in a head-on confrontation!

"Ah~ Why do you dare block my way!"

Cheng Jiu was filled with anger and resentment. Damn it! Damn it! He was just one step away from escaping!

Li Hong's pupils contracted sharply, and the last bit of fear in his heart vanished. This cunning and ruthless beast deserved to be beaten while he was down!

Boom!

He unleashed a powerful "Long Pass One Rider" strike from his Hundred Refinement Fist technique, causing Cheng Jiu's right cheek to cave in, four or five teeth to fly out, and he spun 360 degrees before landing.

At that moment, Wang Hu leaped up with his knife in hand!

Outside the crowd, Liu Ming, who was moving with the steps of a cicada chaser, had also arrived. He couldn't help but take a deep look at Li Hong!

"puff!"

Cheng Jiu, lying prone, coughed up black blood and was on the verge of death.

As he was kicked and fell backward, six knives were already pointed at his face!

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

More than an hour later.

Outside the crimson gates of the outer city patrol office, Li Hong walked down the steps alone.

When Cheng Jiu was captured alive and brought to justice, Liu Ming was clearly overjoyed.

When I got back from the case, I heard the constables talking about other connections, and capturing them alive would naturally be the best outcome.

Like hawks spotting a hare, Liu Ming and his men rushed back to the patrol office and immediately began the interrogation, having no time for anything else.

Li Hong, who was unfamiliar with the area, did not stay long while assisting in escorting the prisoners back.

"Brother Li, please wait a moment."

Wang Hu's lips were a little pale, and he staggered out the gate.

He took a blow from Cheng Jiu, breaking several of his ribs, but he didn't suffer any internal injuries and only needed a few days of rest.

"Brother Tiger, is something the matter?" Li Hong stopped and turned around with a smile.

Wang Hu smiled sincerely: "Brother, I won't say thank you. If you ever need anything in the future, don't hesitate to ask!"

If it weren't for Li Hong, and Cheng Jiu had actually escaped from his grasp, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Even if his career as a patrol inspector doesn't end, he'll probably just be stuck in the same place forever.

"Oh, right."

As he spoke, Wang Hu took out five taels of silver from his waist and handed it to Li Hongdao:

"Boss Liu has been pursuing this case for too long. While the thief is still holding on, he'll definitely dig deeper. He'll never forget your contribution. This five taels of silver isn't much, but consider it a reward from me on behalf of the boss."

"Hmm...then I'll accept it without hesitation."

After a moment's hesitation, Li Hong accepted it, but he couldn't refuse it out of courtesy or reason, otherwise it would be offensive.

"Brother Tiger, I'll take my leave now. Take care!"

Wang Hu nodded: "Take care, brother!"

After leaving the patrol office and walking through two streets, Li Hong had his hands on his waist.

Touching the five taels of silver, a sense of pleasure welled up in his heart.

During this period of time, I have been hearing the disciples of the West Courtyard talk about how effective the Qi and Blood Pills are.

How powerful are the actual effects?

Looks like today is the perfect time to give it a try!

.........

The following afternoon.

Li Hong was practicing his stance training for the fifth time in the training ground in the west courtyard of the martial arts hall.

The matter of participating in the pursuit of Cheng Jiu by the Inspectorate yesterday is currently classified as it is still related to other cases.

The five people who accompanied him were also ordered not to spread the word, so it did not spread within the hall.

Li Hong's steps were steady on the plum blossom stakes.

Although he was soaked to the bone, his face was full of energy, with a faint rosy glow.

The five taels of silver that Wang Hu gave me have been converted into five Blood-Regulating Pills from 'Bai Cao Xuan' last night.

He ate one before going home.

After absorbing nutrients all night, I woke up this morning feeling light and refreshed, with smooth blood circulation and seemingly inexhaustible energy!

It's far from the usual state of feeling slightly tired after a slight overexertion!

Today, he practiced more than a dozen sets of boxing techniques, plus five rounds of stance training.

Up to this point, I haven't felt any signs of overwork.

"I only bought a low-grade Blood-Regulating Pill from Bai Cao Xuan, and it has such effects... It's more effective than eating ten large pork knuckles!"

He felt the heat rising from his body, and his spine made a very slight "crackling" sound, like a great dragon.

"But one pill every two days... five taels of silver will only last ten days. This martial art is not something a poor person can afford to practice!"

Li Hong inwardly complained, realizing that the effects of the blood-regulating pill from yesterday were almost over after being consumed.

If he opens his mouth one more time, he'll eat two taels of silver!

A rough calculation shows that if one takes medicine to nourish oneself, just the low-grade blood-regulating pills alone, plus meat... would cost nearly twenty taels a month.

This is a number he doesn't dare to think about in detail right now.

I estimate that my family's grocery store won't even earn half of what it would have earned in a year.

However, Li Hong also naturally understood one principle.

Expensive things usually have only one drawback: they're expensive!

Soon, the fifth round of stance training was completed.

The panel appeared in front of him:

[Minor Success in Hundred-Refined Stance Training (235/500)]

[Basic Mastery of the Hundred-Refined Fist Technique (106/500)]

In just two days and one night, I practiced stance training ten times!

The progress of his fist technique has increased by more than 20 points!

As long as there is a sufficient supply of resources to keep up with the body's consumption, his martial arts cultivation will indeed advance rapidly and unstoppably.