Under the moonlight, a beautiful woman in her early twenties stood not far from Chen Ping’an. She held a Longsword, its blade still wet with blood.

Although the two First-class Stewards from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect had managed to delay Mu Wanjun, they had also paid a heavy price.

Chen Ping’an looked up at the woman, his gaze faltering for a moment.

From a distance, he couldn’t see her clearly. Now that he was closer, Chen Ping’an could make out her features.

’Which lane’s Lord Chief is she? How can she be so young!?’

Chen Ping’an was surprised, but he still bowed respectfully at once.

"This subordinate greets you, milady!"

’I don’t know where she’s from or what her rank is, so calling her ’milady’ is the safe bet.’

"Quick-witted. What’s your name?"

Mu Wanjun’s cool voice rang out.

"Replying to milady. This subordinate is Chen Ping’an, a temporary constable from Nanquan Lane."

"A temporary constable?" Mu Wanjun looked Chen Ping’an over, a little surprised.

’A handsome face, red lips, and white teeth. A fine-looking young man.’

’A pity he knows nothing of the Martial Dao!’

"How old are you?"

Mu Wanjun looked at Chen Ping’an thoughtfully.

"Replying to milady, I am nineteen. In less than three months, I will reach the age of majority."

’This boy is quite pleasing to the eye. She had originally thought of transferring him to the South Town Garrison Command to train him a bit. But at his age, he hadn’t even achieved Martial Arts Introduction. Even if he had some talent, the value of training him would be extremely limited. Besides, forcing it would place an unimaginable burden on him. In that case, it would be better to...’

Hearing that Chen Ping’an was about to reach the age of majority, Mu Wanjun changed her mind.

The appearance of Wu Haihua, a Grand Steward of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, in the County City was no small matter. Mu Wanjun was in no mood for pleasantries with Chen Ping’an.

"Chen Ping’an, I will remember your name. I will handle things here. You may continue your night patrol!"

"Yes, milady."

Chen Ping’an was overjoyed and cupped his fist in response.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps and shouting came from the distance.

"Constables of the Garrison Commandant’s Office are here! Surrender now, you scoundrels!"

A gong sounded the signal—reinforcements from the Garrison Commandant’s Office had arrived!

"Hmph." Mu Wanjun snorted coldly, her face showing displeasure. She paid Chen Ping’an no further mind, and with a single leap, she was gone from his sight in just a few bounds.

Chen Ping’an watched Mu Wanjun leave, his heart soaring.

’She remembered my name. Her meaning was clear. There will definitely be a reward for this later.’

’My luck is pretty good! This time, it was all thrill and no danger!’

’I won the gamble!’

Chen Ping’an didn’t dare linger. He wanted to leave this dangerous place immediately. Who knew if those people would circle back? If they did, he’d be in deep trouble.

’Sigh, in the end, I’m still too weak.’

Originally, after breaking through to the Qi Blood Third Layer, Chen Ping’an had felt a little smug. He was now a somebody in Nanquan Lane. In terms of strength, he was already at the level of a Constable.

But the battle he had just witnessed from afar was like a sharp blow to the head.

Even the most unremarkable and seemingly weakest among them could easily smash down a wall.

For Chen Ping’an, the contrast was too stark!

’Cultivation! Cultivation! I must keep cultivating! I can’t let my guard down!’

After witnessing this scene, not a shred of the smugness and contentment in Chen Ping’an’s heart remained.

For the rest of the night, Jiming Lane was no longer quiet and deserted.

A large number of constables arrived, conducting a massive search of Jiming Lane and the surrounding streets.

’What a massive operation!’

Chen Ping’an marveled inwardly. It seemed that woman’s influence was even greater than he had imagined.

He hoped she was as powerful as possible; that way, the benefits he could gain later would naturally be greater.

The night passed, and Chen Ping’an smoothly got off duty.

What he didn’t know was that over the next few days, because of last night’s events, the entire South City District Garrison would be shaken to its core.

Because he had been on night patrol, Chen Ping’an had the next day off.

He got off duty and returned home, where Chen Erya had already prepared a sweet, soft rice porridge for him. He downed three large bowls in a row before feeling about sixty or seventy percent full. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

After finishing his morning Flying Locust Stone practice, Chen Ping’an exchanged a few words with Chen Erya, then went into his room, collapsed onto his bed, and fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was already past noon. Although he had only slept for a few hours, Chen Ping’an felt refreshed and in high spirits.

"Brother, you’re awake." Stepping outside, he saw Chen Erya washing clothes in the courtyard.

"Yeah, I’m awake," Chen Ping’an replied.

"Brother, it seemed like a lot of constables came by this morning."

"Oh?" Chen Ping’an’s mind immediately went to the events of last night.

After all, the appearance of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect in the County City, and their clash with a Lord Chief from the Garrison Commandant’s Office, was no small matter.

"Are they still here?"

"They’re already gone," Chen Erya replied. "They were questioning people door-to-door this morning. It was a huge commotion."

"I see." Chen Ping’an nodded.

’With the Garrison Commandant’s Office conducting such a high-profile investigation, the gangs in Nanquan Lane probably won’t figure out the reason for a while.’

’Under this pressure, the gangs are sure to lay low for a while.’

’This way, he and Erya should be safe for the near future. Young Master Xiao Hu of the Tiger Head Gang won’t dare to show his face while the heat is on.’

His mind at ease, Chen Ping’an exchanged a few more words with Chen Erya and then began his Flying Locust Stone practice.

Having had a nap, he was full of energy, enough to get through several sessions of Flying Locust Stone practice.

Time always seemed to fly by at home. He practiced with the Flying Locust Stone three times in the afternoon. Before he knew it, evening had arrived.

After dinner, the two siblings talked for a long time.

Chen Erya seemed worried about the situation outside, but Chen Ping’an appeared calm. Beneath that calmness, however, a trace of concern remained.

’Members of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect are appearing in the County City. What if, one day, they start slaughtering innocents and happen to come to our home? What would I do then?’

’Strength! It all comes down to strength! Without strength in this world, you can’t even stand up straight.’

...

Arriving at the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office, Chen Ping’an could clearly feel the grim atmosphere inside. The constables who usually gathered in twos and threes were nowhere to be seen today. Most were silent, not speaking a word.

Even Zheng Shiyong, who was usually quite lively, seemed subdued.

Chen Ping’an asked Monkey Head and learned that members of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect had appeared in Nanquan Lane. The Urban Garrison Command had issued orders, putting the entire Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office under immense pressure. At yesterday’s pre-shift meeting, Vice Inspector Tian Fuliang had flown into a rage over numerous overlooked details.

As time passed, more constables arrived, most of them wearing grave expressions as they entered.

"Ping’an, Monkey Head, Da Shan."

Even Mr. Qin, who rarely showed up, was not absent today, and he greeted the group.

"Mr. Qin," Chen Ping’an and the others replied.

Chen Ping’an observed that Mr. Qin’s expression wasn’t good either. He looked a bit worse for wear than when he had last seen him a few days ago. Chen Ping’an thought for a moment and understood why.

’The night patrol there... it was supposed to be his and Mr. Qin’s shift. He never expected something to happen. Mr. Qin was lucky this time; no one held him accountable, so he got away with it. But he might not be so lucky in the future. This meant that for a long time to come, Mr. Qin probably wouldn’t be able to slack off and enjoy his leisure time.’

...

PS: Good Tuesday morning. Has everyone managed ’three months without leakage’ and achieved the ’three abundances’ of essence, energy, and spirit?