A moment later, inside the inner room.
Beside the fire basin, Song's Mother was making straw mats and raincoats, while Father Song was drinking wine, his face flushed and his eyes blurry.
Song Changming didn't drink much, he just quietly accompanied his old father.
"Changming, do you still remember Song Family Village?" Father Song suddenly asked.
Song Changming nodded. In the beginning, the Song Family was not in this County City, living on Baiyi Street, but was a farming household in a small village outside the city, and only later moved to the County City.
"Song Family Village is gone. A few days ago, a group of outlaws of unknown origin ransacked it, leaving only a few survivors." Father Song said with a bitter expression.
Upon hearing this, Song's Mother, who already knew about it, silently wiped her tears beside him.
Even though Song Changming hadn't spent much time in that village, he was silent, deeply feeling the brutality of it all.
"Alas, such is the world. The greatest achievement of my life was finding a way to desperately squeeze into the County City and take root here..." Father Song took another sip of wine and spoke in a muffled voice.
As someone who experienced it firsthand, Song Changming agreed.
Their current life was indeed impoverished, but in the past, the Song Family had not fallen to such a state.
In his early years, Father Song struggled alone in the County City, mastering the craft of blacksmithing from scratch.
At that time, although he was not a renowned smith, the quality of his creations was decent, even good enough to be invited by many large smithy workshops in the County City, which showed his remarkable skill.
Over time, when Father Song's skill became more masterful and his fame grew, the Song Family even had the possibility of achieving a class leap and moving to other districts.
But unfortunately, a sudden change left the Song Family in a decline from which they never recovered.
"The greatest regret of my life was sending your elder brothers to join the military..." Father Song's voice trembled, his eyes reddened as he said this.
To this day, he has not moved on from it.
Song Changming was the fourth in the family, above him were his third sister Song Yu, and his elder brothers who passed away early.
Eldest brother Song Changping, second brother Song Chang'an.
At that time, both were filled with zeal, unwilling to learn Father Song's blacksmithing skills, and wished to make a name for themselves in the military.
Years later, due to a tragic battle, Father Song and Song's Mother suddenly lost two children.
The massive blow hit Father Song like a thunderbolt, causing his already frail health to worsen.
Since then, with the loss of the family's pillars and their two children in the military, the Song family declined to its current state, managing with difficulty to raise Third Sister Song Yu and the young Song Changming.
"Yu'Er is already married, and I can see that Huaiming truly cares for her, so I don't worry. Now, you're the only one left unmarried, and that's what I can't let go of..." Father Song shook his head.
Originally, he wanted Song Changming to grow up, inherit his crafting skills for a livelihood, find a matchmaker, start a family, and live a peaceful life.
But an unexpected military draft from the government disrupted his plans for Song Changming.
On the draft list, the name of Song Changming from Baiyi Street was prominently displayed.
Having already lost two children on the battlefield, Father Song was determined not to let Song Changming meet the same fate.
Thus, he sought help from the Zhao Family, willing even to kneel to secure a position for Song Changming with the Patrol Armor Bureau.
Only by entering the Patrol Armor Bureau in the County City and becoming someone nominally under the Governor's Mansion could he avoid this forced conscription.
"Being a Night Patrol is not enough; only by becoming a Patrol Guard can people look up to you, making it likely for a good girl to want to marry you..." Father Song, intoxicated, began to speak unclearly.
"I'm glad to see you practicing the saber recently. I'll find a way to send you to a martial arts school to learn real skills..."
As he left the inner room, Song Changming carried little scent of alcohol; he merely drank to accompany his father.
Father Song told him much—about the fall of Song Family Village, past events, and future plans.
As the only remaining son of the Song Family, Father Song hoped he would become a Patrol Guard, marry, have children, and continue the family line.
This was Father Song's last wish in his later years.
"To become a Patrol Guard, there's still a way to go..." Song Changming checked the panel.
[Soul-breaking Saber: Basic level (410/500)]
After reaching the basic level, the progress in saber practice had slowed considerably. Even under the state of Heaven Rewards Diligence, he could only increase by six or seven points a day.
Moreover, he couldn't constantly maintain the motivation similar to an adrenaline rush from Heaven Rewards Diligence; he needed occasional rest. Thus, after more than two months of hard training, the progress bar had yet to be filled.
Truly, entering the hall is easy, but mastering is difficult.
For ordinary people, mastering this sword skill, entering the hall, would typically take years, at least half a year to many years.
In comparison, Song Changming was still faster than most.
He wasn't in a hurry, expecting to succeed by the end of the year at the latest.
...
As the old year bid goodbye and the new welcomed, the city buzzed with boat tours, night theater meetings, poetry gatherings, and fireworks festivals, with various grand occasions following one another.
The cheer of the New Year spread across every district of the County City. Every household was festively decorated in bright red.
Only Baiyi Street seemed to have fewer decorations.
Accustomed to Baiyi Street's plain New Year's atmosphere, Song Changming did not yearn for such ungiven hustle and bustle, continuing to practice his saber at home.
Suddenly, at a certain moment, he gained a newfound understanding, feeling the long saber in his hand become lighter.
His sword skill became more fierce and cunning, with a profound interplay between movement and stillness, realism and illusion.
Entering the hall!
This marked his stepping onto a higher stage.
Filled with joy, Song Changming opened the panel, and sure enough:
[Soul-breaking Saber: Mastery (0/1000)]
He had mastered the entire Soul-breaking Saber technique in less than three months.
Thus, he finally had a certain level of self-defense ability.
With this saber in hand, he felt confident handling three to five ordinary thugs or bandits without issue.
In terms of ability, this qualified him to work as a Patrol Guard in the Patrol Armor Bureau.
But ability was one thing; to truly be promoted to Patrol Guard, he still lacked an opportunity.
An opportunity to gain merit, to be recognized and appreciated by those above.
Exhaling deeply and calming his mind, Song Changming put away his saber. Regardless, today's task of improving his sword skill was completed; the future matters could be dealt with later.
Looking at the sky, he reckoned it was about time to patrol the streets.
Song Changming dressed neatly, ensuring his parents secured the doors and windows before heading out.
During the cold winter, especially at the start of the New Year, numerous outsiders would flood into the County City.
Many thieves and bandits would mix in, aiming to cause chaos amidst the festivities for their advantage.
Thus, the city's security issues were somewhat severe during this period; the Patrol Armor Bureau's Patrol Guards not only did not get rest, but instead, their duties became more demanding.
Even Song Changming, as a Fire Patrolman, was scheduled for nightly duties with a larger group to deter evildoers.
"Changming, did you see the Changhe River Lantern Festival at the Fragrant Painting Boat yesterday? It was stunningly beautiful, and the people inside were... cough..."
Li Fu'an stopped himself, feeling slightly embarrassed for being lurid.
"I haven't yet. I'll go see it when I get the chance." Song Changming said with a faint smile.
"Opportunities exist, but it takes silver coins to board the boat. If I could experience it once in my life, I wouldn't die with regrets," Li Fu'an said, clearly envious of those who could board.
Those were people of wealth and nobility in the County City.
Though he lived on Houli Street, he was just a lowly Night Patrol, limited to watching such extravagance from afar, never truly partaking in it.
As they chatted, suddenly, from the distant street alley, a signal flare shot into the sky.