The next day, Chen Cheng reported for duty at the Lishui Sub-Department as usual.

After making a round through his district, he returned to his second-floor office, brewed a pot of tea, and began to sip it leisurely.

He had only taken a few sips when a constable came to report that Chief Constable Ji Jingbei was summoning all the Chief Constables to the Government Office Hall for a meeting.

Chen Cheng hurried to the Government Office Hall.

When he arrived at the Government Office Hall, Ji Jingbei was seated upright in his chair, with several Chief Constables already lined up and waiting. After paying his respects, Chen Cheng joined the line.

Standing alone beside the line was a young man with a longsword at his waist. He looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, dressed in a black, cloud-patterned uniform. He also appeared to be a Chief Constable.

Standing beside Ji Jingbei was a young man in a black constable’s uniform. This was Ji Jingbei’s maternal nephew, Yang Xingyao.

Although Yang Xingyao was only a constable, his Martial Arts Power was formidable. He had long since cultivated his Saber Technique to Perfection and had broken through to the Skin Grinding Realm Perfection just two months ago.

Such strength was enough for him to become a Chief Constable in any of the other Sub-Departments in the South City District. Chen Cheng had heard rumors that Ji Jingbei was planning to secure a Chief Constable position for his nephew and, until a suitable one was found, was letting Yang Xingyao work at the Lishui Sub-Department.

After Wang Li’s death, a Chief Constable position had opened up in the Lishui Sub-Department. With Ji Jingbei’s connections, it seemed logical that Yang Xingyao would take over for Wang Li and be promoted to Chief Constable.

However, a Chief Constable at the Lishui Sub-Department was half a rank higher than those in other Sub-Departments. Whenever a vacancy appeared, the Four Great Clans of the Inner City would all try to place one of their own people in the position.

Ji Jingbei was only a Chief Constable; his influence was not enough to install Yang Xingyao as a Chief Constable of the Lishui Sub-Department.

Besides, Wang Li had been from the Inner City’s Wang Family, and the Wang Family would obviously not relinquish the position of Chief Constable in the Lishui Sub-Department. The position had remained vacant for days, perhaps because the Wang Family had no suitable candidate available at the time.

Although Ji Jingbei didn’t have the influence to promote Yang Xingyao to Chief Constable of the Lishui Sub-Department, he did pull some strings, allowing Yang Xingyao to temporarily lead Wang Li’s former team and manage his old district.

Yang Xingyao, for his part, lived up to the opportunity. During his time in charge, he managed the district quite well. The constables under him all respected him, addressing him as Mr. Yang.

Although Yang Xingyao wasn’t promoted to Chief Constable, having led a team in a major district like Lishui would give him a significant advantage for future promotions.

Chen Cheng turned his attention back to the unfamiliar Chief Constable. The man’s aura was deep and steady, his Martial Arts Power seemed quite formidable, and his expression held a faint hint of arrogance. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Seeing the expressions on the faces of the other Chief Constables as they looked at this man, Chen Cheng made a guess. ’He must be the one the Wang Family sent to take over Wang Li’s position.’

At that thought, Chen Cheng couldn’t help but frown slightly. ’When I first arrived at the Lishui Sub-Department, Ji Jingbei certainly didn’t arrange such a grand reception for me. It seems our Chief Constable, Ji Jingbei, doesn’t have much of a relationship with Shen Qingshuang. He clearly plays favorites with his subordinate Chief Constables.’

’Ji Jingbei is backed by the Jiang Family, who controls the City Lord’s Mansion, so he’s never paid much mind to Chief Constables cultivated by other Inner City Clans. He shouldn’t be making such a big fuss just because of the Wang Family’s power.’

’In that case, there’s only one possibility: this Chief Constable sent by the Wang Family has such incredible Martial Arts Power that even Ji Jingbei has no choice but to take him seriously.’

Before long, all the Chief Constables of the Lishui Sub-Department had arrived. Ji Jingbei stood up, swept his gaze over the crowd, and nodded slightly to the young man before announcing in a clear voice, "Everyone, this is Chief Wang Xiongjie. From now on, he is a Chief Constable of the Lishui Sub-Department. Chief Wang will be taking over Chief Constable Wang Li’s former district..."

As he spoke, Ji Jingbei introduced the other Chief Constables to Wang Xiongjie one by one, finally adding, "Chief Wang is young, but he is already a Great Success Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm and has even cultivated Sword Momentum."

Upon hearing this, the Chief Constables were all secretly shocked, and their gazes toward Wang Xiongjie now held a measure of respect.

Great Success in the Muscle Strengthening Realm, combined with having cultivated Sword Momentum—such power made one a remarkable figure even in Linji City.

Wang Xiongjie was only twenty-five or twenty-six; his future achievements were limitless. He would surely surpass Ji Jingbei someday. No wonder Ji Jingbei treated him with such importance.

Furthermore, the City Guard Chief of the Dongcheng District was Wang Xiongying. Since Wang Xiongjie was of the same generation, he was clearly one of the Wang Family’s Direct Descendants. With the Wang Family’s power in Linji City, it was only a matter of time before Wang Xiongjie became a major figure at the City Guard Chief level, or perhaps even higher.

Realizing this, the Chief Constables began to cup their fists in salute to Wang Xiongjie one after another, eager to build a connection with him early on.

This was understandable. Although the Chief Constables were all young talents cultivated by their respective clans, they still had to maintain a good relationship with a future powerhouse like Wang Xiongjie, at least for appearance’s sake.

Chen Cheng disliked feigning civility and deliberately fawning over others. However, when he saw both Yan Jian and Sun Xinyang—the other Chief Constable cultivated by the Shen Family—eagerly trying to curry favor with Wang Xiongjie, he realized it would be inappropriate to stand out by being aloof. After a moment’s thought, he followed suit and offered Wang Xiongjie a cupped-fist salute.

"Heh, I’ll be counting on everyone’s support in the days to come," Wang Xiongjie chuckled, returning their salutes one by one.

Once everyone had exchanged greetings, Ji Jingbei raised his hand and turned to Wang Xiongjie, his expression growing serious. "Chief Wang, please join the line for now."

"Yes." Wang Xiongjie cupped his fists and immediately moved to the very front of the line. None of the other Chief Constables objected.

Ji Jingbei slowly walked out from behind his desk and stopped in front of Wang Xiongjie. He continued, "Chief Wang, now that you are with the Lishui Sub-Department, you must obey my orders, enforce the law impartially, and maintain peace and order in your assigned district."

Wang Xiongjie nodded. "Understood."

Ji Jingbei gave a slight nod, then turned to the other Chief Constables and said sternly, "When each of you first arrived at the Lishui Sub-Department, I announced the rules."