"Alright, I understand." Chen Cheng nodded, then added after a moment’s thought, "Once Ma Zehua and Li Sheng finish up with the Zhang Family matter, have them gather all the constables from our shift. We’ll assemble at the City Guard Department at noon."

...

Pingsha Lane was situated deep within the slums of the Qingshui Pier district, surrounded by a chaotic sprawl of low, dilapidated shacks.

Beneath a broken, yellow-mud wall in the middle of the lane, a campfire burned. Two beggar children, about eleven or twelve years old and dressed in ragged, coarse-cloth clothes with filthy faces, warmed themselves by the fire, periodically peeking out toward the lane’s entrance.

Just then, a tall figure walked into the mouth of the lane. He wore a black, cloud-patterned uniform with a Long Saber at his waist and a gleaming silver Iron Claw on one hand.

"Oh no, it’s an Official from the City Guard Department."

"It’s the Iron Hand Chief Constable."

Spotting the newcomer, the two beggars hurriedly ran toward a dilapidated courtyard house not far away and quickly vanished from sight.

’Just as expected of the Thief Gang. So vigilant. They hide out in the slums but are still too paranoid not to post lookouts.’

Chen Cheng strode toward the dilapidated courtyard house where the two beggars had disappeared.

As the Chief Constable of the Qingshui Pier district, Chen Cheng patrolled its streets and alleys daily. But he was far more than just the Iron Hand Chief Constable who only knew how to walk a beat. He had long been well aware of the various Jianghu Influences within his jurisdiction.

The Thief Gang was skilled at hiding their tracks, but they couldn’t escape Chen Cheng’s sharp eyes. Pingsha Lane was the secret hideout for the Thief Gang members active in the nearby streets.

Chen Cheng stepped into the courtyard. The ground was pitted and uneven, and the whole place was a filthy mess. The only two shacks were dilapidated and drafty, covered everywhere in cobwebs. It looked as if it had been abandoned for a long time.

"G-Greetings, Lord Officer!" The two beggars were hiding behind one of the dilapidated shacks. Seeing Chen Cheng enter, they scrambled forward and kowtowed in a panic.

Chen Cheng looked around the first shack but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He then turned and entered the other one, but found nothing unusual there either. He couldn’t help but frown slightly.

The two beggars looked terrified. The slightly older one mustered his courage and asked, "What are you looking for, Lord Officer? I can help."

"Have the person in charge come out and speak," Chen Cheng said flatly.

"The... the person in charge?" The beggar looked confused and said tremblingly, "Lord Officer, do you mean the owner of this house? My brother and I fled here as refugees. We saw this courtyard was empty, so we’re just staying here temporarily. We’ve never seen the owner.

Besides my brother and me, there’s no one else in this courtyard."

"You two must be freezing. I’ll start a fire for you." Chen Cheng suddenly picked up a dry branch, broke it into several pieces, and gathered them into a bundle. He then rubbed them lightly in his Iron Claw.

With a SIZZLE, the bundle of twigs instantly began to pour out thick smoke and quickly burst into flame.

This feat left the two beggars stunned speechless. When they saw Chen Cheng make a motion as if to throw the torch at a pile of dry hay in the corner, the color drained from their faces.

"That’s our firewood for the winter! Please have mercy, Lord Officer!" the older beggar pleaded, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Still not going to tell the truth?" Chen Cheng’s expression darkened.

"I... I really don’t know anything! Please have mercy, Lord Officer!" The beggar continued to kowtow.

"Fine then!" Chen Cheng sighed softly and moved to throw the torch at the pile of hay.

Just then, the pile of hay was suddenly moved aside, revealing a hidden door. A stooped old man emerged from it.

The old man’s hair and beard were white, his face deeply weathered. He looked to be in his fifties or sixties and wore a patched cotton jacket with a large tobacco pipe hanging from his waist.

"This old one greets Master Chen," the old man said, cupping his fists in salute.

Chen Cheng’s gaze was frigid. He raised his Dragon Eagle Iron Claw and said, "Is your Thief Gang going to keep playing dumb with me? I’m looking for the person in charge of the Thief Gang. I don’t want to say it a second time."

The old man gave a wry smile. "I wouldn’t dare. My name is Jian Luchuan, and I am the Incense Master of the Thief Gang in Lishui District. I can also make the decisions for matters in the Qingshui Pier area."

"Oh?" Chen Cheng nodded slowly. "Then it seems I misjudged you."

"Not at all, not at all. You honor us with your presence, Master Chen. Please, step inside my home to talk." Jian Luchuan repeated, then pointed to the hidden door.

"Alright." Chen Cheng nodded and walked to the front of the hidden door.

The hidden door was only half a man’s height; one would have to bend over and squeeze through to get past it.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Cheng’s Dragon Eagle Iron Claw shot forward in the move known as Dragon Eagle’s Probing Claw.

BOOM!

With a deafening rumble, a large section of the wall exploded outward, revealing the courtyard behind it.

The outside of the wall was coated in yellow mud, making it look like it was made of rammed earth. In reality, it was constructed from hard bluestone more than three feet thick, yet it couldn’t withstand a single, seemingly casual strike from Chen Cheng’s claw.

Jian Luchuan was secretly aghast. ’That one strike from Chen Cheng must have carried the force of two thousand jin! How could any ordinary Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm possess such power?’

The courtyard behind the wall was quite spacious. The ground was paved with clean, tidy bluestone slabs, and the buildings were large and impressive, no different from the inner courtyard of a typical gentry family home.

The people in the courtyard, both men and women, all stared in utter shock at Chen Cheng’s appearance.

"Master Chen, this way, please."

Jian Luchuan led Chen Cheng to a seat in the main hall and ordered someone to serve tea.

"Master Chen, please have some tea."

Chen Cheng had no intention of drinking the tea. He looked at Jian Luchuan, his expression suddenly grim. "Incense Master Jian, your Thief Gang has some nerve, committing three major crimes in a row in my jurisdiction, one of which was the massacre of an entire family."

Jian Luchuan was startled and hurriedly said, "Master Chen, there must be some misunderstanding. We in the Thief Gang have always strictly disciplined our members. We would never dare to commit murder."

"Besides, while my men did steal some things last night, they only targeted wealthy and unethical families. And the stolen goods were only worth ten or twenty taels of silver!

If we accidentally offended one of Master Chen’s relatives, I am willing to accept any punishment."

All along, Chen Cheng had turned a blind eye to the Thief Gang’s activities, only occasionally stepping in to punish thieves who preyed on the poor.

Jian Luchuan had seen all this and could more or less guess at Chen Cheng’s way of thinking. That was why he had always restrained his men, forbidding them from stealing from the poor and making sure they kept a respectful distance from anyone on good terms with Chen Cheng.

Because of this, ever since Chen Cheng had taken his post, things had been smooth sailing for the Thief Gang, with no major incidents.

So for Chen Cheng to suddenly show up at his door demanding answers left him utterly bewildered.

"I’m talking about the cases at Gentry Shu’s House in Bailiu Lane, Gentry Li’s House in Liuyun Lane, and Gentry Zhang’s House in Red Stone Lane," Chen Cheng said, staring at Jian Luchuan.

"Master Chen, we’ve been framed!" Jian Luchuan’s heart sank. He quickly said, "Those three gentry families all have Hospital Martial Artists guarding them. How would my men dare to target them?

Master Chen, I’ll confess the truth to you. Last night, my men stole some bolts of cloth from Feng’s Cloth Shop on Qingshui Street. We truly wouldn’t dare commit any major crimes."

In truth, even before coming here, Chen Cheng had already guessed the matter had nothing to do with the Thief Gang. He had only come to fish for information.

After all, it was highly likely that Ji Jingbei and Yang Xingyao had ordered the crimes. Why would they choose to use the Thief Gang?

"If it wasn’t your Thief Gang, then who else would use Mist Smoke to commit their crimes?" Chen Cheng’s expression remained stern as he spoke in a cold voice.

This logic was obviously flawed. Jian Luchuan smiled wryly. "Master Chen, Mist Smoke is widely available in the Jianghu. It’s not just used by the Thief Gang; many ordinary figures in the Jianghu use it as well."

"Hmph!" Chen Cheng snorted, then continued, "Among your men, are there any who are proficient in lockpicking and skilled in Light Body Techniques?"

Jian Luchuan felt a growing bitterness in his heart. ’Lockpicking and Light Body Techniques... aren’t those the trademark skills of the Thief Gang?’

"Oh, right. Add one more thing: a Martial Artist at Great Success in Skin Grinding Realm, or even Skin Grinding Realm Perfection."

Fortunately, after a moment’s thought, Chen Cheng’s addition put Jian Luchuan’s mind at ease somewhat. He replied solemnly:

"Among my subordinates, only two are Martial Artists who have reached Small Success in the Skin Grinding Realm.

As for a Great Success Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm... well, this untalented one did manage to reach Skin Grinding Realm Perfection in my youth through Cultivation. But now, my vitality has faded, and my strength is a shadow of its former self. I’m probably equivalent to a Great Success Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm.

However, I haven’t fought in many, many years. I ask Master Chen to take this into consideration."

Jian Luchuan’s words didn’t seem to be false. Chen Cheng asked again, "Within the Lishui District’s Thief Gang, is there anyone like that?"