Chapter 87: Deep-Seated Enmity

’This Little Tiger has some sense!’

Chen Ping’an looked up at Young Master Xiao Hu, sighing to himself.

Though their positions were different, this ability to be so adaptable was something most people lacked.

"Lord Chen, you’re back."

Young Master Xiao Hu’s face was a mask of brutish flesh, and the smile he now forced onto it looked rather ridiculous.

"Well, if it isn’t Young Master Xiao Hu. What’s this? Here to cause trouble for me again?"

Chen Ping’an said this with a deadpan expression. With his current Martial Arts Realm and status, he could afford to vent a little without worrying about others.

"Lord Chen, what are you saying? You must be joking. I came here specifically to apologize to you."

Young Master Xiao Hu said, smiling profusely.

"Apologize? What for? I’m just someone who has to pay the Tiger Head Gang a monthly fee. How could I dare accept an apology from the renowned Young Master Xiao Hu of the Tiger Head Gang?" Chen Ping’an watched Young Master Xiao Hu with a mocking gaze.

"A monthly fee? There’s no monthly fee! Lord Chen, you’re going to be the death of me. If the Tiger Head Gang dared to collect a monthly fee from you, that would be a slap in my, Little Tiger’s, face."

As he spoke, Young Master Xiao Hu slapped himself hard across the face.

"Oh? Is that so?" Chen Ping’an said nonchalantly.

"Feizi," Young Master Xiao Hu called out.

"Yes, Young Master Xiao Hu." A ruffian from behind him stepped forward, holding a wooden box. "Lord Chen, please, have a look."

With that, Feizi opened the wooden box in his hands.

Chen Ping’an glanced over and saw the box was neatly filled with rows of Silver Ingots. The ingots were bright and of high purity, each one a solid ten taels of silver. There were six ingots in total, which meant sixty taels.

Sixty taels of silver!

For an ordinary person in this world, that was an incredible sum. Even for a Preparatory Constable like Chen Ping’an, it was no small amount.

Chen Ping’an’s current Monthly Allowance was one tael and eight mace. Sixty taels of silver was more than two and a half years of his allowance.

Of course, after his promotion to Constable, Chen Ping’an’s income wouldn’t be limited to just that small Monthly Allowance.

"Lord Chen, it’s just a small token of our sincerity. Please accept it. I hope you can forgive us for our previous offenses," Young Master Xiao Hu said, shamelessly trying to curry favor with a smile as he watched Chen Ping’an’s expression.

The original usurious loan was for fourteen taels of silver, and even with the subsequent monthly fees, it hadn’t exceeded fifteen taels.

For him to come apologize and offer sixty taels of silver in one go—this was a truly sincere gesture.

"I wouldn’t dare accept apology money from the Tiger Head Gang. Who knows if one day you’ll show up at my door demanding I pay it all back with your ridiculous interest rates."

Chen Ping’an glanced indifferently at the silver and turned to walk into his courtyard.

Chen Ping’an was not satisfied with the sincerity represented by sixty taels of silver.

"Lord Chen, please wait." Young Master Xiao Hu shot a look at another ruffian behind him, who then produced another wooden box.

The box opened to reveal four Silver Ingots lying quietly inside.

Forty taels.

Added to the previous sixty, that made one hundred taels.

In the Outer City of Weishui County City, that was enough to buy a decent residence.

Chen Ping’an glanced at the silver in the box, a sneer touching his lips. "Little Tiger, I don’t think you understand the situation. Do you really think a little silver is all it takes to get rid of me? Originally, I had no quarrel with the Tiger Head Gang, but you have provoked me time and time again."

"The first time, you took advantage of me being an orphan with no one to stand up for me and broke down my door. Old Chen borrowed ten taels of silver but only received nine, and the loan was for a year. But you? You showed up early demanding repayment. Principal and interest, fourteen taels!"

"The second time, I scraped together fourteen taels from various sources. Once the owed silver was repaid, that should have been the end of it between us. But you said, from then on, I had to start paying you a monthly fee."

"The third time, my sister was home alone. You took advantage of my humble status and powerlessness, forcibly demanding the monthly fee and terrifying my sister."

"The fourth time, without any cause or reason, you sent your thugs to my house to interrogate me. Did you even for a moment treat me as a constable of the Garrison Commandant’s Office?"

"The fifth time, you ignored the Daqian Law, preyed on the locals, and publicly made trouble for me."

"After all that, the grievances between us run deep. Who do you take me for? You think a hundred taels of silver is enough to settle things? Do you really think I’m some good-tempered pushover?!"

With that, Chen Ping’an gave Young Master Xiao Hu no face at all and strode into his courtyard.

Young Master Xiao Hu was about to step forward and explain, but the courtyard door was slammed shut with a harsh BANG.

At this sight, Young Master Xiao Hu’s face flushed with a mixture of anger and humiliation.

"Young Master Xiao Hu," one of the ruffians couldn’t help but say.

Young Master Xiao Hu stared at the closed gate, suppressing the urge to kick the wretched door down. He snorted angrily, "Let’s go. We’re heading back for now!"

"Yes."

And so, the group from the Tiger Head Gang left Chen Ping’an’s doorstep.

....

"Brother, is everything okay outside?" Chen Erya had been waiting in the courtyard the whole time. She had been nervous when the Tiger Head Gang arrived, but once her brother returned, she felt fine.

"It’s nothing. Just a bunch of useless thugs," Chen Ping’an said with a wave of his hand, stepping forward to comfort Chen Erya with a few words.

’In less than a month, the Tiger Head Gang was willing to break their own rules about the monthly fee for my sake. It wasn’t because of anything else—it was because of my status as a Preparatory Constable!’

’I’m finally starting to understand this world. If you want to live well and not be pushed around, you need strength, you need power!’

’My reputation as a Martial Dao genius has already laid the foundation. From now on, I can move a little faster!’

After dinner, Chen Ping’an stood in the courtyard, quietly thinking.

Now that he was a Preparatory Constable, it was time to settle the score with Young Master Xiao Hu. And the sooner, the better. He wasn’t afraid of Young Master Xiao Hu, but Nannan, who didn’t know the Martial Dao, certainly was.

Fortunately, by bringing up the amount of silver, he had ensured they wouldn’t do anything stupidly desperate for the time being. They would just try to find other ways to de-escalate the situation between them.

’This business with the Tiger Head Gang needs to be resolved quickly!’

’Sneaking out to raid their stronghold in the middle of the night was just a petty tactic! Since I’m a Preparatory Constable of the Garrison Commandant’s Office, I should use the grand Orthodox Dao, crushing them with my authority!’

’It’s not just Young Master Xiao Hu that needs to be dealt with, or the trouble will be endless!’

’...’

Chen Ping’an mentally calculated a way to resolve this.

...

"Monkey Head, Da Shan, Xiaozeng, you three, help me gather some information."

Inside the Head of the Office, Chen Ping’an gave orders to Monkey Head, Da Shan, and Zeng Jihe.

"Your orders, Constable."

Monkey Head and the others had a very proper attitude. On official business, one should address him as Constable, not rashly call him Ping’an.

"Go and help me collect information on the Tiger Head Gang’s illegal activities. I have a use for it."

"Yes."

Monkey Head and the others accepted their orders and left.

Watching Monkey Head and the others leave, Chen Ping’an tapped his fingers lightly on the table. He thought quietly for a moment, then got up to find Constable Li.

After sitting with Constable Li for nearly an hour, Chen Ping’an then went to see Constable Huang and Constable Liu.

「A day passed quickly.」