After a brief word, Chen Cheng led the way, rushing to the scene.

...

Gentry Sun’s estate was brightly lit.

In the main hall, Sun Chengbang wore a solemn expression as he carefully kept Chen Cheng company.

He watched the young Chief Constable gently sip his tea, seemingly lost in thought.

Sun Chengbang did not interrupt him.

Sun Chengbang was in his thirties, a master at Skin Grinding Realm Perfection, and the senior disciple of the Qingcheng Gang’s leader, Wu Qingcheng. He was a well-known figure around Qingshui Pier.

He had heard about the theft at Qingshui Pier the previous night, but confident in his own influence, he hadn’t given it much thought.

’No matter how brazen this Flying Thief is, would he dare target me, Sun Chengbang?’

But to his utter surprise, the Flying Thief had indeed paid his home a visit. If the City Guard Department constables hadn’t discovered it in time, the Sun Family’s Hospital Martial Artists would have stood no chance against a Flying Thief of such skill.

The over one thousand taels of silver in the counting house would likely have been stolen without a sound, and his losses would have been immense.

Moreover, the thief’s power was truly terrifying; he had gravely injured two Hospital Martial Artists in a single clash.

Sun Chengbang knew he stood no chance against the thief himself, and a wave of fear washed over him.

To be honest, Sun Chengbang had never thought much of this Iron Hand Chief Constable, Chen Cheng. He’d dismissed him as just some lucky fellow who’d curried favor with a powerful family, nothing special.

But tonight’s events changed everything. First, Chen Cheng’s own constables discovered the formidable Flying Thief and fired a Whistling Arrow for reinforcements.

Then, shortly after, Chief Constable Chen Cheng arrived in person. In less than ten minutes, a bustling group of over twenty City Guard Department constables had assembled.

Their response time was shockingly fast. It was no exaggeration to say that in the entire Lishui Sub-Department, no other team could match the speed of Chen Cheng’s unit.

Most importantly, Chief Constable Chen Cheng conducted himself like a true professional. After a preliminary survey of the scene, he dismissed his men to continue their patrols, only then beginning his own detailed investigation.

’Seeing him in person is more impressive than just hearing about him. This young Iron Hand Chief Constable is decisive, acts with lightning speed, and commands a team of formidable subordinates. He’s an extraordinary man!’

Sun Chengbang was genuinely impressed with Chen Cheng. So, when Chen Cheng finished his investigation and was about to leave, he invited him to the main hall for tea as a show of gratitude.

’I’m almost certain the thief is the man in black I ran into on the way here,’ Chen Cheng thought. ’And it seems he was working alone.’

"Brother Sun, I doubt you asked me to stay just for tea."

Sun Chengbang hastily pulled a stack of silver notes from his robes and said with profound gratitude, "Tonight, thanks to Master Chen and the Lord Officers of the City Guard Department, the Sun Family was spared a financial loss."

"This is a small token of my appreciation. Please, Master Chen, treat your men to some tea. I hope you won’t refuse."

Chen Cheng did not accept the silver notes. "Maintaining peace and order is our duty," he said calmly. "There’s no need for such formalities, Brother Sun."

"Er..." Sun Chengbang froze for a moment, then quickly counted out another stack of silver notes. Forcing a smile, he said, "If not for you, Master Chen, the thief would have made off with the five hundred taels of silver in my counting house. This is two hundred taels. Please, Master Chen, you mustn’t refuse."

Sun Chengbang had clearly misunderstood, assuming Chen Cheng thought the amount was too small. So, he tried a little trick of his own, claiming there were only five hundred taels in the counting house. ’Surely two hundred taels out of that is enough, right?’ was the implication.

"I mean no offense, I simply wish to befriend Master Chen."

Seeing Chen Cheng’s placid expression, Sun Chengbang added with great sincerity.

The pretext mattered. If Sun Chengbang offered it as a reward, it would be improper for Chen Cheng to accept. It would tarnish his reputation. But framing it as a gesture between friends was a different story.

"In that case, I will befriend you, Brother Sun. And I will accept this silver."

Chen Cheng accepted the silver notes, took out fifty taels worth, and pushed the rest back to Sun Chengbang.

The gesture was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. Sun Chengbang was even more impressed. He quickly rose and bowed formally. "Master Chen, you are a man of principle. I am truly in awe."

With that, he counted out another fifty taels in silver notes and pushed them toward Chen Cheng. "If you don’t accept this, Master Chen," he said earnestly, "then you’re looking down on me as a friend."

With things put that way, Chen Cheng could hardly refuse. He accepted the silver notes graciously.

"Then I thank you, Brother Sun."

"Not at all, Master Chen, not at all!"

...

「Lishui District. Tiger and Leopard Gang Headquarters.」

The main hall was brightly lit. Gang Leader Li Hu and Vice Gang Leader Zhang Bao were drinking and talking, each with an arm around two seductive women.

Li Hu, about thirty-five or thirty-six, was a mountain of a man with a fat head and large ears. He was so stout that he took up nearly an entire long bench by himself.

Despite his oafish, nouveau-riche appearance, his Martial Arts Power was formidable. He had few rivals among Perfect Martial Artists of the Skin Grinding Realm.

He even boasted an impressive record of single-handedly slaying two other Perfect Martial Artists of the Skin Grinding Realm.

It just went to show: size and strength go hand in hand.

Zhang Bao had a coarse, purplish-red face and a full beard. His frame was just as burly, and he too followed a Martial Dao path that relied on overwhelming force. His Martial Arts Power was a notch below Li Hu’s, but he was still far stronger than your average Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm.

With this Tiger and Leopard duo occupying a pier in Lishui District, a place teeming with experts, how could their reputation be unearned?

"Big Brother, the men just reported that the Whistling Arrow seems to have come from Sun Chengbang’s place."

"Sun Chengbang is a Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm and has some skill. Don’t tell me Ren Fei was discovered by him?"

Zhang Bao raised his wine bowl and drained it in one gulp, his face flushing even redder.

Li Hu finished gnawing on a large pig knuckle, wiped his greasy hands on the woman beside him, and downed another bowl of wine. His double chin quivered as he spoke in a slow, booming voice like muffled thunder:

"Second Brother, Sun Chengbang may have some skill, but Ren Fei is no ordinary man. That bastard is as slippery as an eel. Even you and I together couldn’t pin him down!"

"That’s true!" Zhang Bao nodded, but then voiced a concern. "Sun Chengbang isn’t that strong, but his master, Wu Qingcheng, is another story. By targeting Sun Chengbang, we risk offending the Qingcheng Gang. If they find out we were behind Ren Fei, there’s bound to be trouble down the line."

Li Hu shot him a glare. "Second Brother, why have you been acting like such a coward lately? The one committing the crime is Flying Thief Ren Fei. What’s that got to do with our Tiger and Leopard Gang?"

"Besides, even if Wu Qingcheng comes knocking, don’t we have Second Master Zhou at our backs? You think Wu Qingcheng would dare to go against Second Master Zhou?"

"On top of that, we have Yang Xingyao and his backer, Ji Jingbei, involved in this. The Tiger and Leopard Gang’s connections are solid as steel. What is there to be afraid of?"

"Don’t tell me you’re actually scared of that so-called Iron Hand Chief Constable, Chen Cheng? He’s just a punk. If we ever get our hands on him, we could crush him with a single slap."

Zhang Bao nodded. "You’re right, Big Brother. In the Skin Grinding Realm, there’s no one the two of us can’t handle!"

"Heh! Such arrogance, Second Master Zhang!" At that moment, a shrill voice cut in, and a short figure suddenly darted into the main hall.

The intruder was so fast that the Tiger and Leopard Gang members guarding the entrance had no time to react.

Seeing Ren Fei appear empty-handed, Li Hu frowned slightly. ’He must have stashed the stolen silver somewhere,’ he thought. He immediately put on a smile and asked:

"Master Fei, your work is never in vain. You caused quite a stir tonight. I trust the haul was a big one?"

Ren Fei snorted, took an empty seat, poured himself a bowl of wine, and GULPED it down. Then, with a sly grin, he pulled a single copper coin from his robes and tossed it onto the table.

"Of course. The haul was huge!"

Li Hu’s face instantly darkened, and Zhang Bao’s expression filled with rage.

The Tiger and Leopard Gang had hired Ren Fei to pull a job in Qingshui Pier, with the understanding that they would get a cut—the lion’s share, at sixty percent.

"Master Fei, what’s the meaning of this?" Zhang Bao demanded furiously. "Are you trying to keep it all for yourself?"

Ren Fei shot him a look. "What the hell are you so worked up about, Second Master?" he said irritably. "Do you really think this is just a copper coin?"

"If it’s not a copper coin, then what is it?" Zhang Bao asked, confused.

A self-satisfied smirk appeared on Ren Fei’s face. "This," he said slowly, "is the head of Iron Hand Chief Constable Chen Cheng!"

Before Zhang Bao could ask, he went on, "Didn’t you say some big shot wants to deal with Chen Cheng? This copper coin represents his strength. You all thought he was weak, that you could crush him whenever you wanted, right?"

"Well, I’m telling you now, Chen Cheng’s power far surpasses that of an ordinary Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm. He might even be on par with the two of you!"

"So, I wonder... how much silver is that piece of information worth?"