Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Patrol
"I see." Chen Mu revealed a look of understanding.
In these times, any opportunity for advancement would naturally lead to fierce competition. Older constables like Liu Song and Li Tie might not be interested, as their declining energy and physical strength made them doubt their ability to master any martial arts. However, the younger constables naturally held dreams of soaring to the sky and achieving rapid success.
Chen Mu wasn't particularly interested in this, though. On the one hand, with the existence of the system, even the most skilled martial arts master couldn't compare. On the other hand, Ren Yan himself had just started learning. How could he have the ability to guide others? Even if he did learn some skills, whether he could teach them was another matter entirely. Teaching and practicing oneself were two different things.
Wanting to curry favor with Ren Yan and seek his guidance in the hopes of mastering some martial arts was undoubtedly a pipe dream.
However, in this world, even the slightest glimmer of hope could attract a swarm of people.
"Chen Er, at your age, if you had the opportunity to practice the blade, you might be able to achieve something. We older folks don't have such aspirations anymore. Why don't you go take a look?" Li Tie said to Chen Mu with a smile.
Chen Mu shook his head and said, "Martial arts are not that easy to learn. If you don't practice well, it's no different from ordinary hand-to-hand combat."
He hadn't understood true martial arts skills before, but now that he had achieved mastery in his blade technique, he understood many things. At least at the 'Initiation' level, the difference between it and the slashing and hacking of hand-to-hand combat wasn't that great. Even if it was slightly stronger than hand-to-hand combat, in actual combat, blades and swords had no eyes, and even a graze could cause injury. Life and death were still unpredictable matters.
One had to at least reach the 'Minor Accomplishment' level to be considered somewhat skilled.
And to reach 'Minor Accomplishment' usually took one or two years. If one's talent was a bit lacking, it could even take several years. Although he didn't know how talented Ren Yan was, reaching this level was still quite a distant matter for the time being.
"Hehe, indeed, martial arts are not that easy to learn." Liu Song also said with a chuckle. He was older and knew some people who had learned martial arts in the inner city martial arts schools. After a year or two of practice, they did come out with some skill, but there were also many who ended up being hacked to death by random blades, making the difference not that significant.
The conversation between the few wasn't loud, and it wasn't noticeable in the noisy corner of the courtyard. However, Ren Yan, who was surrounded by people, flattering and fawning over him, had noticed Chen Mu the moment he entered the courtyard.
Although they were a bit far apart and he couldn't hear exactly what Chen Mu and Liu Song were saying, he could discern a few scattered words and lip movements, and he immediately felt a bit displeased.
Chen Mu was the youngest constable in the Ninth District City Guard besides himself, but several times he had invited Chen Mu to drink together, and Chen Mu had refused, never giving him face. This made Ren Yan quite unhappy, feeling that Chen Mu was looking down on him because he was young.
Now, his family had a stroke of luck and arranged for him to learn blade techniques at a martial arts school. After the news spread, the constables in this courtyard were all trying to get close to him and flatter him. Even the older constables had more smiles for him. Only Chen Mu, upon entering the courtyard, didn't come over and didn't show any respect in his eyes when looking at him.
Ren Yan felt a surge of displeasure but still walked a few steps towards Chen Mu with a smile on his face and said, "Brother Chen said that if martial arts are not practiced well, they are no different from hand-to-hand combat. I've only been learning for a few days, so why don't I ask Brother Chen for some guidance?"
Chen Mu naturally had no interest in fighting with Ren Yan. Besides, Ren Yan was younger than him, and for someone who had lived two lives, he was considered a child. So he shook his head and said, "It was just an outsider's joke. Brother Ren Yan has this opportunity. In the future, when you master a blade technique, you will naturally rise to prominence."
That sounded more like it.
Ren Yan's expression improved a bit. He nodded at Chen Mu and turned to chat and laugh with the other constables.
In the future, he would master blade techniques and rise to prominence, becoming a constable leader or even a constable commander. There was indeed no need to bother with an ordinary constable like Chen Mu. He had heard that Chen Mu's family was also very poor, and they wouldn't be on the same level in the future.
The many constables in the courtyard didn't pay much attention to the brief exchange between Chen Mu and Ren Yan, each just smiling. Only some of the younger constables secretly glanced at Chen Mu, thinking that he didn't understand the opportunity. He should take advantage of this time to curry favor with Ren Yan. In the future, when Ren Yan rose to power and truly became a constable leader, how could he still pay attention to them?
But no one would remind Chen Mu of anything. After all, everyone had their own aspirations. If he was willing to stay with those older constables and be a constable for the rest of his life, muddling through life at the bottom, there was nothing much to say.
Even Liu Song and Li Tie didn't say anything.
They were just a little surprised because they were quite familiar with Chen Mu and knew that he was usually cautious in his actions but seemed to have some ambition in his heart. They didn't expect him to be so indifferent today. Perhaps he had encountered something and suddenly come to his senses, willing to live a simple life?
That was good too.
If he didn't have any ambition, he wouldn't do anything risky. Even if they, as low-level constables, were poor, they could at least live a stable life and have enough food to eat. It was a job that they could do until they were old.
"Alright, time for patrol. Otherwise, if Head Constable Qin sees us, we'll get scolded." Liu Song finished his bitter tea, stood up, and called out to Chen Mu and Li Tie.
"Okay." Chen Mu drank half of his tea and also stood up, leaving the courtyard with Li Tie and Liu Song to go on patrol.
With the three of them taking the lead, the other constables in the courtyard also dispersed in twos and threes. However, many of them shook their heads secretly as they looked at Chen Mu's departing figure.
...
The Ninth District wasn't small. The most prosperous street was lined with restaurants and bustling with people.
Chen Mu's patrol with Liu Song, Li Tie, and others basically just involved walking around the more prosperous and important streets and alleys. The purpose was simply to deter some local ruffians and hooligans, preventing them from causing trouble in broad daylight on the bustling restaurant streets.
After all, many restaurants and shops, in addition to paying off the local gangs and factions with silver every month, would also send silver to the City Guard. They didn't expect the City Guard to protect their safety, but at least they needed to keep up appearances.
Of course, this silver never reached the hands of low-level constables like Chen Mu.
It basically went to the constable commanders, who then distributed some of it to the constable leaders below them.
After swaggering around for a while, Liu Song somehow got the urge to drink at a restaurant and dragged Li Tie and Chen Mu along. However, after Chen Mu repeatedly refused, they eventually settled for tea instead.
Although in these times, it wasn't a big deal for constables to openly drink a couple of cups at a restaurant, and even if they were unlucky enough to run into a constable leader, at most they would just get scolded and nothing more would happen, Chen Mu had always been cautious in his actions. He would rather be patient than make mistakes, so as not to leave any handles. After all, if he was caught as an example and they made a big deal out of it, it would be for no reason.
After Chen Mu said that, Li Tie also felt it made sense, and Liu Song didn't insist anymore. The three of them went to a restaurant, sat by the window under the obsequious greetings of the waiter, and ordered a pot of tea, along with a plate of peanuts and fennel beans.
Just as they were eating and chatting leisurely, a commotion broke out outside.
Chen Mu turned his head and looked out the window. He saw a group of people fighting not far away, causing passersby to retreat.
One group was clearly losing, being beaten back step by step. Even some of the street vendors who were too late to pack up their stalls were caught in the chaos, unsure of who was being beaten and who was being robbed. It was a mess.
Despite this, neither Chen Mu, Liu Song, nor Li Tie, the three constables sitting in the restaurant watching from afar, stood up to intervene. They all just drank their tea and watched.
This kind of thing was too common.
Generally, as long as it didn't involve the restaurants, shops, or pawnshops on the street and was just a fight in the alley, they basically wouldn't interfere. Only if someone died in broad daylight would the City Guard possibly deal with it.
Moreover, both Chen Mu and Liu Song could tell at a glance that the two groups fighting were gang members. The City Guard constables would be even less likely to get involved in such disputes.
"It looks like the Black Snake Gang is about to fall." Liu Song squinted at the fight in the distance, recognizing the identities of the retreating group.
"Oh? How do you say that?" Li Tie popped a fennel bean into his mouth and looked over in surprise. "Didn't they say the Black Snake Gang had over a hundred members, with a bunch of skilled fighters in the gang? They've been doing quite well for the past year."
Chen Mu also looked at Liu Song, waiting for the rest of the story.
He also knew about the Black Snake Gang. They were one of the more powerful gangs in the Ninth District. Even the street he lived on and the neighboring streets belonged to the Black Snake Gang. Every month, they would come to collect the so-called "protection money."
Of course, they didn't ask for money from him, a proper constable, and whenever those gang members saw him, they would nod their heads in greeting.
"Heh, you guys don't know? The Black Snake Gang suffered a great disaster a while ago. The gang leader was seriously injured, and several of the incense masters below him were either killed or injured. I'm afraid they won't last much longer."
"Look at that group that's hot on their heels. I remember they're called the Red Gold Gang. A few months ago, they were still unknown, but now it's said they've swallowed up a lot of the Black Snake Gang's territory. I think it won't be long before they replace the entire Black Snake Gang." Liu Song chuckled and took a sip of his tea.
Hearing Liu Song's words, Li Tie couldn't help but be slightly moved. "So, the Black Snake Gang is finished? That Black Snake Gang leader was a remarkable figure. I heard his spear technique was as venomous, fierce, and sharp as a snake. He was someone who had cultivated spear intent and once killed dozens of people with a single spear. In our City Guard, I'm afraid only Lord Constable Commander could suppress him."
Not just Li Tie, even Chen Mu had an impression of the Black Snake Gang leader. He had once come to the City Guard to demand someone be released due to some matter. At the time, even his constable leader couldn't suppress him, and in the end, the constable commander had to step in and personally give an explanation.
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