Chapter 16 Urgent Work
When Bai Changkong vomited blood, he was guarding the palace and the small training ground.
At the archery range a little further away, several guards in white robes were holding bows and arrows, shooting arrows at a human-shaped target a hundred steps away.
The specially made arrow with a whistle cut through the air, accompanied by an extremely sharp and unpleasant whistle, and hit the target heavily.
The guards were very good at archery. Even from a distance of a hundred steps, every arrow hit the bull's eye.
The arrows were particularly powerful. The one-foot-thick target made of flexible vines was constantly pierced by the arrows, making a muffled "puff" sound.
Lu Yi put his hands in his sleeves and looked at the guards in horror.
The archery skills of these few white-robed guards have surpassed those of most of the retainers in the Duke of Lai's mansion.
Moreover, compared with the pampered and fat servants of the Duke of Lai's Mansion who have no intimidation at all, these guards all have murderous looks on their faces and are obviously experts who have been tempered by life and death.
The sky was cloudless, and the warm sunshine shone on our bodies and fell on the roofs of the long dormitory buildings surrounding the parade grounds.
The snow melted, and drops of water fell along the eaves, making a crisp "da da" sound when they hit the ground.
The whistling sound of arrows was incessant.
The three-tailed black scorpion brothers standing next to Lu Yi looked at the guards who were drawing their bows and shooting arrows with grim faces - if the detectives from the Sikoutai who were chasing them before had the archery skills of these guards, they would probably not be able to escape from the Guard Palace Guard and would have been shot into sieves along the way.
"This bunch of damn eunuchs." The eldest of the three brothers muttered a curse.
Lu Yi looked again and again at the guards who were shooting arrows.
That’s right, the robes they wore were slightly different from those worn by Lu Yi and the three brothers. The geckos on their sleeves had a thin single horn.
This proves that these guards are not "outsiders" like Lu Yu and the three brothers who came from outside to seek refuge!
They are the 'own people' of the palace guards, young eunuchs who have been trained since childhood and entered the palace after being castrated.
They have received systematic training since childhood and have access to the vast resources of the imperial city, so their strength is much stronger than that of ordinary "outsiders" and the constables and military officers recruited by other government offices.
Look at their archery skills, so sharp and terrifying.
The young eunuch who brought them here had already left. The three brothers looked around for a while and their attention was immediately focused on Lu Yi.
The small parade ground was deserted, except for Lu Yi, who had joined the Guardian Guard with them.
They still remembered the little eunuch's "invitation" to Lu Yi when they were registering their information in the hall.
The three brothers were very dissatisfied with Lu Yi's treatment.
Isn't it just that she looks more decent?
Isn't it just that he looks a little more burly?
Doesn't he just look like a good person?
Why did the young eunuch "graciously invite" Lu Yi but then describe the three brothers as "oddballs"?
"Boy, come on, let's get to know each other brothers!" The Black Scorpion boss coughed heavily, yelled in a muffled voice, shook his arms and took two steps closer to Lu Yi, then stretched out his hand to Lu Yi with a strange smile.
Lu Yi narrowed his eyes and smiled at the Black Scorpion leader. He was just thinking about how to respond when he heard dull footsteps. A group of white-robed guards surrounded a green-robed man and quickly broke into the small training ground.
The cuffs of those white-robed guards were embroidered with "gecko" patterns.
Unlike the white geckos on the sleeves of Lu Yi and the three-tailed black scorpion brothers, the geckos embroidered on the cuffs of these white-robed guards are clearer, and blood-red stars are clearly visible on the midline of the geckos' backs.
From beginning to end, the geckos of these guards were embroidered with as many as seven or eight red stars, and as few as three or five.
The man in a green robe, a black hat, a black belt, black boots, and a sword at his waist had a gecko tattoo on his chest.
This big gecko had its head facing toward its chest, its two front paws pressing on its left and right shoulders, and its two hind paws pressing on its left and right soft ribs. Three blood-red dots were clearly visible on the midline of its back.
This is a 'three star' wrestler.
Lu Yu knew the rules of the Palace Guard.
In other words, inside and outside the city of Haojing, and in the Dayinwu Dynasty, most people knew the rules of the Palace Guard.
The newly joined guards of the palace guards all wear white robes.
Guarding the palace guards, they supervise the execution of military laws and the work of the soldiers, and they will be rewarded for their merits.
The military merits in the Palace Guard Prison are divided into two types, big and small. Three small merits can be combined into a big merit. For every big merit, a blood-red star will be filled on the midline of the Palace Guard’s spine.
Nine blood-red stars represent nine major merits, or twenty-seven minor merits, which is the highest achievement among the guards.
After becoming a Nine-Star Guard, if one makes further contributions and passes assessment and verification, one can change into a green robe, have a gecko tattoo on the chest, and be promoted from the Guard status.
One-star, two-star and three-star ranks wear green robes and are called strong men. They can command ten to a hundred guards.
Four-star, five-star, and six-star officers wore blue robes and were called colonels. They could command hundreds to thousands of guards.
The Seven Stars, Eight Stars and Nine Stars wear red robes and are called generals. They can command thousands to tens of thousands of soldiers.
The Guard Palace Supervisor is a special agency set up by the inner court, with ranks ranging from one to nine stars, equivalent to officials of the ninth to first ranks in the court.
A three-star strongman is comparable to a seventh-rank official in the imperial court. If he is sent out, he will be the chief official of a county.
And precisely because the Palace Guard is a special agency set up by the inner court, the deterrent power of the Palace Guard's strongmen is much stronger than that of a county chief.
The three brothers of the Three-tailed Black Scorpion who were about to cause trouble and bully Lu Yi, saw the strong man and his men walking quickly towards them. They quickly suppressed their malice, put on bright smiles, and bowed to the strong man.
"Sir!" The three brothers used their social skills to try to get close to the three-star wrestler.
"Oh, what poor people they are!"
The tall and thin Sanxing Hercules, with a pretty face, small eyes, a flat nose, and a rather shabby appearance, put his hands into his sleeves, looked at the three brothers of the Three-tailed Black Scorpion, and then looked at Lu Yi, who also had his hands in his sleeves.
"You're welcome. I, Lu Tianxing, you can call me Lord Lu. That's fine too. Of course, I prefer you to call me Big Brother Lu." Lu Tianxing narrowed his eyes and forced a little smile through his thin lips as he greeted Lu Yi and the others enthusiastically.
“Oh, it’s not easy.”
Lu Tianxing shook his head and sighed to Lu Yi and the other three.
"It's Chinese New Year, and it's not even the fifteenth day of the first lunar month yet. In previous years, no one came to join our palace guards on this day."
"If you are not pushed into a corner and have run into difficulties, wouldn't it be nice for everyone to spend the New Year happily by the stove? Who would come to join our palace guards in the first month of the year?"
"It can be seen that they are all in trouble. I understand this kind of suffering!"
"However, rest assured, my four brothers, once you enter the Guardian Prison, you will be a family. I, Lu Tianxing, take the best care of my brothers. Since you have been assigned to my service by the eunuchs, you will naturally understand what kind of person I am in the future."
"In short, I will not let my brothers suffer losses or hardships."
"Brothers, is this the truth?"
The dozen or so white-robed guards who followed Lu Tianxing all laughed at once, praising Lu Tianxing for his "loyalty", "magnanimity", "generosity", "generosity" and so on.
Lu Tianxing nodded in satisfaction, and continued, "Okay, now we are all acquainted. Well, four new brothers, can you please introduce yourselves? There is no need to mention your origins, as we, the Palace Guardian, don't care about that."
"However, can you please tell me your names and your cultivation methods?" Lu Tianxing narrowed his eyes and said softly, "In the future, when brothers go out to do things together, I know your methods, so that I can use them according to my abilities and avoid mistakes!"
The three black scorpion brothers looked at each other and nodded.
"Brother Lu, I have a great grudge and have reached the twelfth level of Tuomai. I use a scorpion tail whip and am good at hitting poisoned caltrops."
"Brother Lu, I am Qiu Er, and I have reached the eleventh level of Tuomai. I use a scorpion tail whip and am good at using a three-edged flying knife that penetrates bones."
"Brother Lu, I am Qiu San, and I am at the eleventh level of Tuomai. I use a scorpion tail whip and am good at using various knockout drugs."
Lu Tianxing's eyes widened, and he looked at the third brother seriously again and again: "Oh, you can use medicine? I will remember you, you are a talent!"
The guards brought by Lu Tianxing looked at the three brothers seriously with flickering eyes.
No matter where they are placed, those who have cultivated to the eleventh or twelfth level of Tuomai are all extraordinary masters.
With the addition of such a good player, Lu Tianxing's team's strength has soared, which is undoubtedly a good thing.
However, because of the addition of such talented players, the competitive pressure has increased a lot.
You have made achievements, received awards, been promoted, and made a fortune, but now someone comes to compete with you.
Especially the lucrative gray income of the palace guards, who gets more and who gets less, isn't it just determined by the size of their fists?
Just by looking at their faces, you can tell that these three brothers are not good people and are definitely not easy to deal with.
From now on, I must be more careful and watch out for these three.
Lu Tianxing looked at Lu Yi.
Lu Wu stretched out his hand, bowed to Lu Tianxing, and said softly: "Brother Lu, I am Lu Wu, please take care of me in the future. I have just opened my meridians and have no experience in the martial arts world. If I have to say what I am good at, I can run very fast. Is this useful?"
Everyone's eyes fell on Lu Yi at the same time.
It doesn't matter if you have no experience in the martial arts world and you can run very fast.
But looking at Lu Yi’s young face, he has already opened up his meridians?
This talent and aptitude is really a bit scary.
Lu Tianxing raised his eyebrows and nodded slowly: "Oh, not bad, at such a young age, you have such a high level of cultivation. Are you from a wealthy family?"
Lu Yi just smiled and said nothing.
Lu Tianxing shook his head: "It doesn't matter what your background is. Once you enter the palace guard prison, your life, property, and future all depend on your own actions!"
After looking Lu Yi up and down, Lu Tianxing put his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice: "No more polite nonsense. According to the rules, you newcomers should be given two days to familiarize yourself with the Palace Guard. We should also send someone to take you on a few tours of the territory that our team is responsible for. At least you should understand what we, the Palace Guard, do on a daily basis."
"But, there is a big job recently. The higher-ups are pushing us hard and we are short on manpower, so the four new members have to get busy. We will make up ."
"Here is the thing. There is a portrait of a person here. The person in the portrait is Liu Wu, the young master of Liujia Manor in Jingufang."
An eight-star guard took out a charcoal drawing, which showed a portrait of a handsome man.
"Find him, and then, keep an eye on him!"
"Remember, remember, find him and keep a close eye on him, but never, ever alarm him."
Lu Tianxing narrowed his eyes and warned Lu Yi and the other three seriously: "Remember, don't be greedy for credit. Once you find anything, report it immediately."
After a pause, Lu Tianxing warned word by word: "I'm not afraid to tell you that since the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month before last, in order to investigate this case, more than a dozen old brothers in my team have been killed."
"I don't want to collect your bodies next time!"
"So, be careful, be careful, and be careful again!"
