"You're asking for death!" The rugged man couldn't see who had come, but felt even more furious after being obstructed. He formed fists with his hands, determined to have a showdown with the newcomer.
Song Changming frowned, staring at the person in front of him.
With a face full of stubble, this person was probably not young anymore, yet still so reckless.
The opponent used fists, but Song had no interest in engaging in hand-to-hand combat. He directly drew his sword.
He unsheathed the long blade at his waist, the blade traced a slightly eerie arc in the air, emitting a humming sound.
In the blink of an eye, the cold glint of the blade was already against his opponent's neck.
The icy stabbing pain on the neck produced a bleeding cut.
It was only then that the rugged man's anger restored some reason, realizing that if he continued, he would lose his head.
As sweat formed on his forehead, he also noticed the official uniform on Song Changming.
Undoubtedly, the person confronting him was from the government!
This realization sent a chill through his heart.
"Disturbing the peace, committing a street assault, attacking a patrol guard - these crimes are even worse, cuff yourself, don't wait for me to do it." Song Changming took out the shackles and said blandly to this Jianghu martial artist.
The rugged man glanced sideways at the few 'knights' who were drinking with him.
Just moments ago, they were passionately discussing together, but now each one had vanished without a trace.
Clearly, unlike him, the others were smarter and had no intention of hot-bloodedly rescuing him.
In fact, the other companions were also speechless. They mouthed that the government was ineffective and useless, wishing they could storm the Patrol Armor Bureau tonight to rescue those loyalists.
But that was just talk. Who would have thought this rugged man would take it seriously and dare to really attack a patrol guard...
The rugged man gritted his teeth and shouted, "You damned thief, die!"
As he spoke, he was about to reach for something.
Song Changming's eyes flashed sharply, his long blade twisted in his hand, speeding up abruptly, slicing open the man's wrist, precisely severing the tendons, leaving no chance for him to throw hidden weapons.
Following that, he struck the rugged man's head with the back of the blade.
With a series of smooth moves, the opponent couldn't even let out a groan before fainting on the spot.
"It's over." Song Changming said to the shopkeeper, casually lifting the two-hundred-pound rugged man as effortlessly as picking up a rag bag, with no weight at all.
"Thank you, Lord Official. If it weren't for you today, I would have suffered a severe beating." The shopkeeper repeatedly clasped his hands towards Song Changming in gratitude.
As Song Changming began overseeing this area, many businesses had come to recognize this young patrol guard newly appointed to his position.
On normal days, they were also polite to Song Changming, always addressing him as Lord Official.
"What's his story?" Song Changming glanced at the old man lying on the ground and asked.
"This old troublemaker was the cause today. Earlier, I pitied him, gave him some food, and planned to let him help in the back kitchen as a staff member.
Who knew this old man was not grateful, stealing wine from the shop every few days, and today even stole silver coins, caught in the act. How could I continue to keep him, so I was about to drive him away when this troublemaker appeared and started a fuss without discerning right from wrong..."
The shopkeeper explained the cause and effect, Song Changming glanced at the old scoundrel. Since the shopkeeper had no plans to report the old man to officials, Song was not interested in meddling further and directly left with the Jianghu guest in hand.
In a corner of the restaurant by the window, three people were seated.
Two female attendants in white brocade robes with swords at their waists, and a young gentleman dressed in a long gown with a black hat.
One female attendant was lively, the other stern, both remarkably dashing, sitting on the bench with straight backs, their feet poised to spring into action, seemingly on guard at all times.
The livelier-looking female attendant, watching Song Changming leave, suddenly smiled and said.
"Young master, did you find the show to your satisfaction today?"
The young gentleman, fair and handsome, withdrew his gaze and said, "I didn't expect such sword skills from a city patrol guard. With skills like these, he could be a patrol captain."
The stern-looking female attendant shook her head, explaining, "Minor achievement in sword skill is indeed enough, but his body refinement level is a bit lacking, like someone who just entered the basic level of body refinement, with considerable qi power, suggesting focus on bone forging skill.
Given how young he looks, he could indeed become a patrol captain in the future."
The other female attendant then said, "If the young master is interested in that junior patrol guard, why not recruit him to work under you."
The young gentleman shook his head, saying nothing, as he stirred the wine in his glass with a chopstick, seeming preoccupied.
To him, a mere city patrol guard, even with potential among patrol guards, was insignificant.
"Let's go, let's clear our heads and head back."
...
In the evening, Song Changming carried a few pounds of beef and lamb along with a jug of fine wine, heading home.
The meat and wine were a small gift from the shopkeeper of the restaurant earlier that day as a token of gratitude.
Song Changming didn't refuse after a simple effort to decline, accepting it with a smile.
This was one of the perks of being a patrol guard. He just needed to maintain good relations with the merchants during his patrols, offering minor favors and not causing them trouble.
As they warmed up to him, they would naturally offer Song Changming benefits in return, looking out for each other.
Unlike the night patrol who could only scavenge leftovers, there were many ways for patrol guards to gain advantages.
Song Changming wouldn't claim to be incorruptible, merely refusing undue gains. He only needed to hold onto his moral baseline, not causing too much evil, and avoiding excessive greed was sufficient.
"If Father sees this wine, it might make him crave..." As he walked along, Song Changming muttered to himself.
He's not much of a drinker himself, accepting the jug of wine primarily for his father at home.
On Baiyi Street at night, without rain, a few strange figures in straw raincoats and hats passed by an old crooked-necked tree.
"Who is it?" Song's Mother heard the commotion outside the yard, coming out of the kitchen. Upon seeing those in straw raincoats, her expression changed abruptly.
"What do you want?!"
"Auntie, don't be alarmed. We only heard that your husband has a stubborn ailment. We've specially brought some life-saving incense. Just light it, and the illness will be gone in three days." One of the raincoat-clad figures said.
Her voice was that of an elderly woman, with a slightly hoarse throat. As she spoke, she pulled out three sticks of red incense from her large sleeve, intending to give them to Song's Mother.
Seeing them, Song's Mother immediately waved her hands, slightly flustered, and said, "No, no need, my husband's illness is already cured."
"Cured?" The elderly woman paused, exchanging glances with the others in straw raincoats before continuing.
"No matter, even if it's not for curing, the incense can be used to invite gods, the God of Wealth, the God of Fortune. It's very useful."
Saying this, the elderly woman extended the three sticks of incense towards Song's Mother behind the fence.
"No, we don't want it." Song's Mother shook her head repeatedly, seemingly unwilling to be associated with them.
"We kindly offer the incense, why refuse!" A taller person among the raincoat men couldn't hold back, coldly snorted and said in a low voice.
Saying this, the raincoat men seemed ready to cross the fence and enter the yard.
"What are you doing!" At this moment, Father Song heard the commotion, emerged from the room with a carrying pole in hand, and shouted.
"If you dare enter, I'll call the officials. Don't be afraid to hear this; my son serves as a patrol guard at the Patrol Armor Bureau!"
These words finally caused the raincoat men to restrain themselves a bit, yet they stubbornly persisted, as if they wouldn't leave unless Song's Father and Mother accepted the three sticks of incense.