It wasnât even noon when Chen Pingâan returned home from duty, much to the pleasant surprise of Chen Erya.
When Chen Pingâan arrived, the little girl was engrossed in a book.
The siblings chatted for a bit before Chen Pingâan started practicing his Flying Locust Stone and Public Door Thirteen Sabers.
His usual training schedule was every morning and evening. Since he had some rare free time today, he started practicing the moment he got back.
After reaching the Qi Blood Fourth Layer, his physique had grown stronger and his recovery speed had increased significantly. This allowed him to sustain such a frequent training regimen.
The sound of his saber slicing through the air filled the small courtyard.
+1!
+1!
...
Earning 3 Cultivation Experience points each for his Public Door Thirteen Sabers and Flying Locust Stone left Chen Pingâan feeling quite satisfied.
âAs expected, work is the biggest obstacle to my Martial Dao progress!â
If he could take a day off every day, his progress in the Martial Dao would be at least a third faster.
âA Constable! Once I become a Constable, Iâll have plenty of free time! Then, my Martial Dao progress will be even faster!â
Chen Pingâan quietly set a new goal for himself.
If he became a Constable, while his schedule might not be as fixed as a regular constableâs, he would have a great deal of discretionary time. He could make full use of this time, using it as a resource to further his Martial Dao cultivation.
After Chen Pingâan finished practicing his cultivation technique, Chen Erya had lunch ready. The siblings enjoyed a hearty meal and then went about their own business. In the afternoon, Chen Pingâan went out with Chen Erya and bought a large beef leg from the butcher shop on Pear Blossom Lane.
After dinner, Chen Pingâan resumed his training, practicing tirelessly.
âTo get ahead in this world, the only way is through diligent and arduous training!â
...
The next day, Chen Pingâan arrived bright and early at the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office. There was one less Constable in attendance at the pre-shift meeting than the day before. Constable Zheng was once again the one leading the address.
The main topic was still the matter of the donation silver. He stressed that everyone should pay close attention to it, hoping they would all live up to expectations and complete the task successfully.
As soon as the pre-shift meeting ended, Zeng Jihe went to the Task Room to pick up the collection warrant. He expected it to be a smooth process; once they had the warrant, they would head to the Tiger Run Gambling Square and start collecting the donation silver.
From a distance, Chen Pingâan saw Zeng Jihe running back, his face grim.
"Whatâs wrong?"
"Master Chen, Old Fan from the Task Room said the collection warrant hasnât been stamped yet and told us to wait! What the hell is that Old Fan playing at? Doesnât he know we only have three days to collect the donation silver? A full day has already passed!" Zeng Jihe couldnât help but complain.
"That Old Fan from the Task Room... canât even make an exception for an urgent matter. This is getting a little worrying!"
Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu chimed in sarcastically from the side, looking as if it had nothing to do with them.
They had expected Chen Pingâan to be pacing around in anxiety, but to their surprise, he remained unexpectedly calm.
"Oh. Then weâll wait."
Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu exchanged a look, unable to figure out what Chen Pingâan was thinking.
Logically, Chen Pingâan should have been as anxious as an ant on a hot pan by now.
âThis isnât how we thought heâd react at all!â
"Master Chen, Iâm going to go check on Old Fan again and see whatâs going on!"
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, Zeng Jihe couldnât stand still any longer and ran back toward the Task Room.
It wasnât long before he ran back again.
"Master Chen, he said itâs still not ready! Heâs just dawdling! What the hell is he up to?!"
"Itâs fine. Letâs find a place to sit and rest for a bit." Chen Pingâan found a spot and sat down, looking perfectly calm.
"Master Chen..." Zeng Jihe sighed, pacing back and forth, unable to settle down.
Of course he couldnât. Who could possibly stay calm in a situation like this?
Zeng Jihe ran back and forth several more times, but there was still no good news. There were a few other squads of constables in the same boat, so at least they had some company in their misery.
As noon approached, Zeng Jihe made another trip. This time, when he returned, he was at his witsâ end.
"Master Chen, the other squads have all received their collection warrants! I asked about ours, and Old Fan said he forgot to stamp it for us!"
"Forgot to stamp it?"
"Thatâs right! That Old Fan is so damn unreliable! Heâs really trying to screw us over!"
âSo thatâs their game! Interesting.â
Chen Pingâan saw through the whole charade as clear as day, so his mood remained calm. Given the situation, there was no point in getting anxious.
"Donât worry. Go check again in a little while and see when our collection warrant might be ready."
"Okay," Zeng Jihe agreed, his face fraught with anxiety, not knowing what to do.
Chen Pingâan glanced around, his eyes falling on Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu, and he chuckled softly.
"Xiaozeng, Iâm going to step out for a bit. You wait here for news about the collection warrant."
"Huh? Master Chen, youâre going out?"
"Yes." Chen Pingâan nodded slightly and headed for the entrance of the Garrison Commandantâs Office.
"Xiaozeng, listen to your Brother Cheng. You can stop running around. Just side with us, wouldnât that be better? Look, heâs already given up!" Cheng Yuan sneered as he watched Chen Pingâan leave.
Xiaozeng was still in the dark about the whole collection warrant business, but he himself knew perfectly well what was going on. This was obviously the handiwork of Zheng Shiyong. The longer it took to get the warrant, the less time Chen Pingâan would have.
The task was already difficult enough; with the timeline compressed like this, the outcome was predictable.
"Thatâs right, Xiaozeng. Youâre running around all over the place for nothing. When you fail to collect the donation silver, youâll just face the consequences right alongside Chen Pingâan. Heâs an official constable, so he might be okay. But youâre just a temporary constable. Donât let yourself suffer a major loss over this!"
Zhao Hu chimed in, trying to persuade him.
Listening to them, Zeng Jihe did indeed hesitate. If he sided with Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu, he could probably leverage their connection to Zheng Shiyong to avoid punishment and shift all the blame onto Chen Pingâan.
But...
Zeng Jihe hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to follow his conscience.
"Xiaozeng, you...! What can we say? When the time comes, donât blame us for not showing you any mercy!"
"In this Garrison Commandantâs Office, picking the right side is more important than doing your job! Youâre still young. Youâll understand eventually."
Zeng Jihe chose to turn a deaf ear to Cheng Yuan and Zhao Huâs words, simply moving further away from them.
...
That day, Chen Pingâan returned home much earlier than usual and, as always, dedicated the time to his martial arts. Compared to a normal day on duty, he got in an extra practice session. The siblings laughed and chatted, the atmosphere warm and lively.
The next day, Chen Pingâan was practicing in the courtyard. As his final saber strike landed, a familiar set of characters materialized before him.
Name: Chen Pingâan
Realm: Qi Blood Fourth Layer
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt Perfection, Great Success in Flying Locust Stone (35/100), Minor Achievement in Public Door Thirteen Sabers (25/40)
...
âAt this rate, my Public Door Thirteen Sabers will reach Great Success in another two days!â
Chen Pingâanâs heart soared with excitement and anticipation.
After washing up and eating breakfast, Chen Pingâan composed himself and headed for the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office.
He hadnât checked whether they had received the collection warrant yesterday. However, if Constable Zheng was pulling the strings behind the scenes, it was highly likely they hadnât.
His opponentâs intentions were crystal clear: they were out to ruin him.
When Chen Pingâan arrived at the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office and asked around, his suspicions were confirmed: they still hadnât received the collection warrant.
And it was in this very situation that Constable Zheng began his pre-shift address.