Chapter 50: Pursuit and Sparring

When Chen Shijie led in the young man, who had twin iron rulers at his waist, a brown felt hat on his head, and cloud-treading boots on his feet, Zhao Xing recognized him immediately.

"Brother Zhao? Is it you?" Shen Zhui was also somewhat surprised when he saw Zhao Xing.

"It seems you know each other?" Chen Shijie asked with a smile.

"Of course, Head Catcher Shen is the most outstanding and youngest catcher in the Martial Squad Room." Zhao Xing cupped his hands.

"I wouldn't dare say that. The Martial Squad Room is full of experts; I just happened to complete a few more missions by luck." In front of Chen Shijie, Shen Zhui appeared very humble. "My acquaintance with Brother Zhao is mainly because the 'Anping Town' area he is responsible for is also the security jurisdiction I am responsible for."

Agricultural officials have the responsibility of encouraging farming and checking land taxes, while catchers from the Martial Squad Room are responsible for township security.

Zhao Xing had dealt with Shen Zhui a few times when going down to the townships, and his impression of him was quite good.

"Since you know each other, that saves me the introduction." Chen Shijie laughed. "Shen Zhui, Zhao Xing, you two chat yourselves."

Chen Shijie left space for the two young men. Shen Zhui looked at Zhao Xing and spoke first: "I didn't expect the person I was to protect would be you, Brother Zhao. It really is fate."

"Protect?" Zhao Xing was stunned. "The order Brother Shen received is to protect me? Could it be the Profound Heaven Sect causing trouble again?"

Shen Zhui adjusted the iron ruler at his waist and explained: "Because of the Profound Heaven Sect, the capture of officials in various counties of Nanyang Prefecture has brought about a bad influence. They have disappeared without a trace, but many strongmen have taken the opportunity to cause trouble and have committed many murder cases, making it truly restless."

"Plus, East Lake Mountain is about to open, so everywhere in Gucheng is loose on the outside but tight on the inside, and the defense level has been raised significantly."

Hearing Shen Zhui say this, Zhao Xing finally understood that Chen Shijie hadn't just found him a sparring partner, but had also found him a bodyguard from the Martial Squad Room.

Old Chen was a good person to be around; when there was something to be done, he really helped.

"Then I'll have to trouble you during this time, Brother Shen."

"It's my duty, no need to be polite."

Although he had an extra bodyguard, Shen Zhui wasn't protecting him closely around the clock.

When Zhao Xing went to the Office of Agriculture for work or study, he didn't need to go, unless he was leaving the city, in which case he would accompany Zhao Xing.

Otherwise, at Zhao Xing's request, they would spar for one hour each morning and afternoon.

The location was set at the Chen residence, which was large enough and allowed for the use of magic.

Their first sparring session was like a game of cat and mouse.

That is, one person runs, one person catches, and the range was within the Chen residence.

Shen Zhui stood in place, waiting for Zhao Xing to cast his magic first.

He was a martial artist, and the training ground was only so big. If he were to move first, Zhao Xing would have no way to play at all.

So the rule was that ten seconds after Zhao Xing cast his magic, he could begin the pursuit.

"Rise, Wind!"

Zhao Xing cast his magic, and the strong wind blew up dust and sand, not to attack, but to disturb his vision.

Whoosh~

Shen Zhui narrowed his eyes and pressed down on his brown felt hat.

Although he couldn't see Zhao Xing's position with his eyes, a martial artist's perception of human origin energy still allowed him to sense Zhao Xing's direction.

But the next moment, a strange look flashed across Shen Zhui's face.

"He actually disappeared?!"

On the training ground, Shen Zhui stood in place, looking in surprise at the dark clouds above his head.

"Moving clouds covered his origin energy fluctuations? But when did these clouds appear? I didn't even notice!"

"Two spells in one breath? While raising the wind, the clouds were also moved?"

Just as it started, Shen Zhui felt that this agricultural official, Zhao Xing, was clearly different from the others he had seen.

However, he was still wrong; Zhao Xing didn't cast two spells in one breath, but three.

In an instant, he had cast Moving Clouds, Raising Wind, and Spreading Rain.

"Pitter-patter~"

Raindrops fell on Shen Zhui's brown felt hat, and before the ten-second countdown ended, it had become a torrential downpour!

"Splashing~"

Shen Zhui's vision was completely blurred, and his visibility was compressed to within five meters.

"Swish, swish, swish~"

The iron ruler vibrated, locked onto a direction, and suddenly two beams of white light lit up, quickly disappearing into the rain.

The light split the rain curtain for twenty or thirty meters, and his vision suddenly became clear for a moment. A sharp light burst from Shen Zhui's eyes, locking onto a blurred figure.

The ten-second countdown ended, and he began his 'pursuit'.

Zhao Xing was hiding behind a willow tree on the east side of the training ground, beginning his second spell—the Grass Man Technique.

"I just broke a God-Speed Grass Man; that should have attracted his attention. But to escape the pursuit, one grass man isn't enough."

Zhao Xing gently broke off a willow branch while carefully listening to Shen Zhui's movements.

"Brother Zhao, the game is over." Shen Zhui flew down from a rockery, instantly overtaking the blurred figure.

"Is that so?" The blurred figure made Zhao Xing's voice. "Brother Shen, why don't you take a closer look?"

"A grass man?" Shen Zhui was stunned.

"Brother Shen, it's still very early."

The grass man disintegrated on its own because it touched Shen Zhui; the mission of this grass man was over. A grass man couldn't possibly beat Shen Zhui, unless it was twenty or thirty Mighty Vajras, but this was a [God-Speed Grass Man], and its material was just an ordinary willow branch.

"I was actually fooled by a grass man? His Grass Man Technique is actually so exquisite, and can even make sounds?" Shen Zhui's eyes began to change.

You have to know, he was at the seventh stage of Qi Gathering, and Zhao Xing, according to Chen Shijie's introduction, was only at the third stage!

As the greatest genius of the Martial Squad Room, he was being toyed with by a third-stage Qi Gathering agricultural official?

Shen Zhui drew both rulers.

He was going to start getting serious.

"Tap, tap, tap~"

His cloud-treading boots stepped rhythmically in the rain.

But Zhao Xing also discovered something wrong. After the first grass man disintegrated, Shen Zhui's movements also became difficult to capture.

Two seconds later, Shen Zhui's footsteps disappeared.

Or rather, they didn't disappear, but completely blended into the rhythm of the raindrops.

Zhao Xing controlled the moving clouds, using origin energy for micro-manipulation to change the rhythm of the rain.

But every time, Shen Zhui could adjust his movement technique within two seconds, quickly blending into the environment.

In this way, while moving quickly, Zhao Xing couldn't distinguish his specific position either.

For Zhao Xing, Shen Zhui had also disappeared.

"His movement technique has reached the level of Nine-Turn Micro-Control. Old Chen picked a good sparring partner for me." There was some excitement in Zhao Xing's eyes.

This was exactly the intensity of resistance he wanted. In this kind of confrontation, the efficiency of his origin energy purification would also become higher.

"Re-walking Grass Man, rise!"

Soon, a second grass man appeared under the willow tree; its height and build were about the same as Zhao Xing's.

"Go!"

Zhao Xing ordered the grass man to hide elsewhere in the Chen residence to confuse Shen Zhui's vision.

Another ten seconds passed, and the third grass man took shape.

But just as the third one began to move, it stepped on two dead branches.

"Crack~" The dead branches broke, the sound crisp.

Although it was quickly covered by the sound of the rain, in Zhao Xing's ears, it was so piercing.

At the same time, Shen Zhui in the rain also grasped the anomaly, no longer hiding his figure, and charged over fiercely.

"Not good." Zhao Xing's expression changed slightly; he immediately gave up making grass men and ran in another direction. ===== CHAPTER 51 =====