From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

The night watch at the Jinyang Prefectural Government Office had just ended at 7 PM.

As night falls, the number of pedestrians on the long street gradually decreases, with only a few hurried footsteps passing by on their way home, disappearing into the depths of the alleyways in an instant.

"De, de, de..."

A rapid sound of horses' hooves came from the end of the long street, growing louder as it approached.

The two bailiffs on night duty at the yamen were dozing in the sheltered spot by the doorway when they heard the noise. They jumped in fright and almost dropped the weapons in their arms.

"Who's the blind fool?"

The older constable straightened up, cursing and rubbing his sleepy eyes, muttering, "Daring to run wild in front of the government office in the middle of the night, do they have a death wish?!" He picked up the lantern, shook its dim light, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"stop!

"If you don't want to die, get the hell out of here..." Before he could finish shouting, the word "get lost" got stuck in his throat.

In the dim light:

Two nags, puffing out thick white smoke, slowly came to a stop. The two men on their backs were covered in filth, their clothes tattered, looking as if they had just crawled out of a mass grave.

"Are you blind?"

Lin Jizhi grinned, his cheeky expression particularly chilling under the lamplight. "Second Shift Constable, Lin Jizhi, Zhu Hong." He raised his hand and waved the iron badge at his waist: "I almost ran my legs off, and now I have to listen to you yelling at me like this?"

"This is the brand."

"Shall we move closer and take a better look?"

His tone was arrogant, yet it couldn't hide his superficial exhaustion.

"Oh, Mother!"

The constable squinted, leaned closer, and when he saw the highly recognizable face clearly, he gasped sharply: "Ji... Brother Ji?!" the constable roared.

"Which bandit den have you infiltrated?"

Did I run into a mountain demon? How did I end up looking like this?!

"Enough with the nonsense," Lin Jizhi said, too lazy to pay attention, and dismounted. But as soon as his feet touched the ground, his knees buckled and he fell to the side.

"Brother Lin, be careful."

Zhu Hong reacted quickly, pressing down on the saddle with one hand and landing lightly on the ground. He then grabbed Lin Jizhi's arm and steadied his swaying body.

"It's nothing, just sitting for a long time."

Lin Jizhi waved his hand to indicate that he was alright, then looked up and shouted at the dumbfounded constable, "Has the boss left?"

"We didn't see Constable Wang leave."

The constable, regaining his senses, hurriedly replied, "He should still be on duty."

……

The guardhouse, with its inner corridor and guard rooms.

Several thick whale oil candles were burning brightly, illuminating the small room.

"Boss! Boss!"

Before anyone was even seen, Lin Ji knew that the hoarse voice had already started yelling, the echoes reverberating throughout the corridor.

"Clang—"

The curtain was suddenly flung open.

Wang Zhenshan was bent over his desk, writing something, when he heard the sound. He frowned and put the wolf-hair brush in his hand on the brush rest.

"What are you yelling about? It's the middle of the night, like you're wailing at a funeral!"

Having said that, he raised his eyes and quickly scanned the two disheveled figures. Seeing that although they looked miserable, they were still able to stand and their eyes were still clear, he felt slightly relieved: "How did they get into this state?"

"The matter cannot be left unresolved."

Before he could finish speaking, the side door next to him was pushed open.

Cao Wanhai leaned out halfway, his gaze first sweeping over Lin Jizhi, then glancing at Zhu Hong beside him, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes: "Boss, don't worry about handing Hong over to him!" He had just finished reporting to Jingu Garden, with half a half-eaten biscuit still dangling from his mouth.

"Aren't you afraid he'll lead people astray?"

"Go to hell, Cao Wanhai!" Lin Jizhi was exhausted today and didn't have the energy to bicker, but upon hearing this, he suddenly felt a surge of energy.

"Don't you fucking look down on people."

He plopped down on the chair next to him, gulped down a large mouthful of leftover cold tea, wiped his mouth haphazardly with his sleeve, and couldn't hide his smugness: "Do you know what kind of job I've done this time?"

"What's wrong?"

Cao Wanhai raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and looked like he was all ears.

"Hmph, it'll blind your dog eyes."

Lin Jizhi slammed his teacup down on the table, glanced at Wang Zhenshan sitting behind the desk, then pointed to the empty space in the center and gestured with his chin towards Zhu Hong: "Zhu Hong, pour it out!" He deliberately dragged out the words: "Let the boss and Xiao Cao see for themselves!"

As he spoke, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.

"Well……"

Zhu Hong stood still, glancing at Lin Jizhi before shaking his head and saying, "Brother Lin, the things are with you."

"Me?"

Lin Jizhi was taken aback. He looked down at his waist and then realized what had happened. He stood up awkwardly. "Haa... I got so excited that I forgot about that." He muttered to himself, then focused his attention on the empty space in the center.

boom,

Bang--!

Two loud bangs, and two monstrous beasts pounded the ground.

One was a plain-looking wolf. The other was a bear, over ten feet long, resembling a small black mountain, with exposed fangs. Even though it was dead, it still exuded a terrifying ferocity.

That?

What is that?!

Cao Wanhai stared intently, his large, round eyes widening in disbelief. "A fully grown bear that has completed its initial meat-refining stage!"

"You...you two did this?"

Before the two could speak, Wang Zhenshan frowned, stood up, walked around the ground wolf, and went straight to the bear, squatting down beside it. His gaze fell on the wound on its chest:

The skin and flesh were rolled up, and the bone fragments were broken.

A deep pit, shaped like a fist, sank in, and the fur around it was soaked in blood.

"this……"

Wang Zhenshan gently touched it, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, then disappeared in an instant. "Did you do this?" He raised his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, shooting straight at the two men.

"Boss!"

Lin Jizhi finally couldn't help but interject, his eyebrows dancing with excitement, as if he had just drunk three bowls of strong liquor:

"You didn't see it, the two of us were cornered in the woods by that beast. I, Old Lin, thought I was going to die there." He waved his hands, gesturing to the scene, his eyes gleaming:

"As it turns out, that kid Zhu Hong..."

"Tsk tsk, instead of retreating, he advanced head-on, charging straight at that black bear and throwing a punch." He paused, stroking his bald chin, and muttered:

"What's that fist called?"

Anyway, they managed to blast that big beast back repeatedly.

Zhu Hong's expression changed slightly. He wanted to stop them, but it was too late. He could only inwardly lament his predicament and hurriedly said:

"Brother Lin is too modest!"

"This success was entirely due to his main attack, using his goose-feather blade to entangle that beast, leaving it unable to defend itself. I merely took advantage of the beast's distraction." He finished speaking and looked at Lin Jizhi with a solemn expression:

"This great achievement should be attributed to Brother Lin."

"Look at what you're saying!" Upon hearing this, Lin Jizhi couldn't help but break into a wide smile, unable to hide it.

He glanced sideways at Cao Wanhai beside him, and saw that the other man was staring at him with a pair of big, round eyes. He felt incredibly pleased, but he still had to be a little reserved when he said, "Hey~ we're all on the same side, why talk about 'you' and 'me'? We can't be missing... we can't be missing."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

After saying that, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.