It was just a minor leader from the Flying Sand Gang, hardly something that required Chen Ping’an to go in person. Dispatching two constables with his Constable Token was more than enough.

As he watched the two men hurry away, a sense of pride swelled in Chen Ping’an’s heart.

’He wasn’t sure when it started, but now, a single word from him was enough to make others bend over backward to carry out his orders!’

’Is this the authority of a Constable?’

However, he quickly stamped out that flicker of pride.

’A Constable!? This little bit of influence is far from enough...’

When Chen Ping’an returned home, Aunt Zhang was there, sipping a cup of hot water while Chen Erya stood beside her.

"Lord Chen."

Seeing Chen Ping’an return, Aunt Zhang set down her cup and hurried over to greet him.

"Did... did it not go well?"

Seeing Chen Ping’an back so soon, Aunt Zhang’s heart sank, her high hopes deflating.

"It’s being handled. Just wait for news, Aunt Zhang, and try not to worry," Chen Ping’an said, offering a reassuring smile.

But despite Chen Ping’an’s reassurance, Aunt Zhang couldn’t rest easy. She couldn’t stop thinking about Uncle Zhang. He wasn’t a young man anymore. He’d been beaten and was now being held captive. ’How could he possibly endure it?’

’My husband has been a decent, law-abiding man his whole life. How on earth did he offend those devils from the Flying Sand Gang!’

’Those gangsters aren’t ordinary people. They’re all vicious and cruel. They’re not people common folk like us can afford to cross.’

’Oh, my poor husband...’

The more she thought about it, the more agitated Aunt Zhang became.

She couldn’t stop herself from pacing back and forth in the Chen Family Courtyard.

Just when Aunt Zhang couldn’t bear the wait any longer and was about to go out to check on the situation, a large, intimidating crowd of people appeared outside. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

There were at least a dozen of them, and they swarmed to the gate of the Chen Family Courtyard.

They all looked fierce and menacing, burly and imposing. Their sudden arrival gave Aunt Zhang a terrible fright.

"Chen Constable, mission accomplished. The men from the Flying Sand Gang are here, and we’ve brought Uncle Zhang back."

The two men at the front were indeed the constables from the Garrison Commandant’s Office.

"Mm," Chen Ping’an grunted, not even bothering to look up from his seat on the courtyard’s stone bench.

"My dear!"

Just then, Aunt Zhang spotted Uncle Zhang in the crowd. His face was black and blue with bruises, and he looked quite disheveled. His clothes, however, were brand new.

"Wife!" Uncle Zhang cried out upon seeing Aunt Zhang.

The man at the very front barked, "Let him go, now!"

At his words, the two men holding Uncle Zhang hastily let him go.

"My dear, are you alright?" Aunt Zhang rushed forward.

"I’m fine, I’m fine..."

Seeing Uncle Zhang standing right there in front of her, safe and sound, felt completely surreal to Aunt Zhang.

’He’s back? Just like that?’

"Lord Chen, I am Peng Liutong, Vice Gang Leader of the Flying Sand Gang. We truly meant no offense; this was all a misunderstanding."

Peng Liutong was the man leading the group. He explained himself while watching Chen Ping’an, who remained seated in the courtyard.

To be honest, his back was soaked in a cold sweat the entire way here.

He had been enjoying a drink at the Flying Sand Gang’s headquarters, shooting the breeze with his subordinates, when one of them reported that constables from the Garrison Commandant’s Office had come calling.

At first, seeing they were only a couple of temporary constables, he’d planned to throw his weight around and act tough. But then they whipped out a Constable Token.

Honestly, when he saw the Constable Token, he nearly pissed his pants. Normally, his reaction wouldn’t have been so extreme, but...

...what happened to the Tiger Head Gang was still a fresh memory!

Who would dare mess with a Constable from the Garrison Commandant’s Office!?

He had scrambled to welcome the two men, and after a round of questioning, he finally understood what was going on.

’And it was all because of trouble caused by one of his own minor leaders!’

’That blind fool!’

Just thinking about it made Peng Liutong’s blood boil.

"Lord Chen, I’ve brought the man. This is the blind fool who detained one of your neighbors."

A man, trussed up securely, was shoved forward from behind Peng Liutong.

"Kill him or torture him, it’s all up to you!"

Aunt Zhang was completely dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before her.

She suddenly realized that the whole crowd was packed outside the gate, not a single person daring to step into the courtyard. Their leader, the Vice Gang Leader of the Flying Sand Gang, was watching Chen Ping’an with the utmost caution, waiting for him to give the word.

’The Vice Gang Leader of the Flying Sand Gang is here apologizing in person, and the man who detained my husband has been tied up and offered to Lord Chen to kill or torture as he pleases!?’

Looking at Chen Ping’an, who remained as serene and unshakable as a mountain, Aunt Zhang felt a little dizzy. It was as if she were seeing him for the very first time.

...

Uncle Zhang’s matter was resolved smoothly. Given Peng Liutong’s sincere attitude, the trussed-up leader merely received a few lashes before the matter was considered closed. Of course, Peng Liutong’s "sincerity" was quite substantial. Chen Ping’an hadn’t expected that helping Uncle Zhang on a whim would also bring such an unexpected windfall.

A full fifty taels of silver!

Based on his Monthly Allowance, it would take him over a year to earn fifty taels of silver. Now, it had fallen right into his hands with no effort at all.

’As expected. After becoming a Constable, the opportunities to rake in money were appearing more and more frequently.’

Sometimes, he didn’t even have to look for it; the money would come knocking on his door by itself.

Counting the three hundred taels of silver from Constable Zheng, his cut from the destruction of the Tiger Head Gang, and a few other miscellaneous gains, he now had nearly five hundred taels of silver on hand.

Speaking of which, he had also gone to retrieve the silver buried in the stone pile from when he’d killed Popei Liu’Er a few days prior.

Five hundred taels. In Nanquan Lane, that was more than enough to live a very comfortable life.

But for Chen Ping’an, this silver had far greater uses. Beyond daily expenses, he needed silver to purchase things like Martial Arts Skills and better weapons.

And...

Chen Ping’an glanced at his courtyard and the small, one-and-a-half-room house that stood within it.

’This residence is a little too humble for me now,’ he thought.

’But... I can wait a while longer!’

According to Mu Wanjun, she would find an opportunity to have him transferred to the South Town Garrison Command. Given his rate of progress in the Martial Dao, he was confident that day would come soon.

Rather than get a new residence in Nanquan Lane, he might as well go all the way and move directly into South City Lane, the heart of the South District.

In terms of both security and quality of life, South City Lane was undoubtedly on a higher tier than any of the surrounding lanes.

Over the next few days, Uncle Zhang brought his entire family to Chen Ping’an’s home to thank him profusely. He said frankly that if not for Chen Ping’an, he would have lost his life.

Uncle Zhang’s son and daughter-in-law were immensely grateful, even kowtowing to Chen Ping’an.

Even their little grandson, the toddler he had seen before, said in a sweet, childish voice, "Thank you, Lord Chen, for saving my grandpa’s life."