It wasn’t even noon when Chen Ping’an returned home from duty, much to the pleasant surprise of Chen Erya.

When Chen Ping’an arrived, the little girl was engrossed in a book.

The siblings chatted for a bit before Chen Ping’an started practicing his Flying Locust Stone and Public Door Thirteen Sabers.

His usual training schedule was every morning and evening. Since he had some rare free time today, he started practicing the moment he got back.

After reaching the Qi Blood Fourth Layer, his physique had grown stronger and his recovery speed had increased significantly. This allowed him to sustain such a frequent training regimen.

The sound of his saber slicing through the air filled the small courtyard.

+1!

+1!

...

Earning 3 Cultivation Experience points each for his Public Door Thirteen Sabers and Flying Locust Stone left Chen Ping’an feeling quite satisfied.

’As expected, work is the biggest obstacle to my Martial Dao progress!’

If he could take a day off every day, his progress in the Martial Dao would be at least a third faster.

’A Constable! Once I become a Constable, I’ll have plenty of free time! Then, my Martial Dao progress will be even faster!’

Chen Ping’an quietly set a new goal for himself.

If he became a Constable, while his schedule might not be as fixed as a regular constable’s, he would have a great deal of discretionary time. He could make full use of this time, using it as a resource to further his Martial Dao cultivation.

After Chen Ping’an finished practicing his cultivation technique, Chen Erya had lunch ready. The siblings enjoyed a hearty meal and then went about their own business. In the afternoon, Chen Ping’an went out with Chen Erya and bought a large beef leg from the butcher shop on Pear Blossom Lane.

After dinner, Chen Ping’an resumed his training, practicing tirelessly.

’To get ahead in this world, the only way is through diligent and arduous training!’

...

The next day, Chen Ping’an arrived bright and early at the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office. There was one less Constable in attendance at the pre-shift meeting than the day before. Constable Zheng was once again the one leading the address.

The main topic was still the matter of the donation silver. He stressed that everyone should pay close attention to it, hoping they would all live up to expectations and complete the task successfully.

As soon as the pre-shift meeting ended, Zeng Jihe went to the Task Room to pick up the collection warrant. He expected it to be a smooth process; once they had the warrant, they would head to the Tiger Run Gambling Square and start collecting the donation silver.

From a distance, Chen Ping’an saw Zeng Jihe running back, his face grim.

"What’s wrong?"

"Master Chen, Old Fan from the Task Room said the collection warrant hasn’t been stamped yet and told us to wait! What the hell is that Old Fan playing at? Doesn’t he know we only have three days to collect the donation silver? A full day has already passed!" Zeng Jihe couldn’t help but complain.

"That Old Fan from the Task Room... can’t even make an exception for an urgent matter. This is getting a little worrying!"

Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu chimed in sarcastically from the side, looking as if it had nothing to do with them.

They had expected Chen Ping’an to be pacing around in anxiety, but to their surprise, he remained unexpectedly calm.

"Oh. Then we’ll wait."

Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu exchanged a look, unable to figure out what Chen Ping’an was thinking.

Logically, Chen Ping’an should have been as anxious as an ant on a hot pan by now.

’This isn’t how we thought he’d react at all!’

"Master Chen, I’m going to go check on Old Fan again and see what’s going on!"

After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, Zeng Jihe couldn’t stand still any longer and ran back toward the Task Room.

It wasn’t long before he ran back again.

"Master Chen, he said it’s still not ready! He’s just dawdling! What the hell is he up to?!"

"It’s fine. Let’s find a place to sit and rest for a bit." Chen Ping’an found a spot and sat down, looking perfectly calm.

"Master Chen..." Zeng Jihe sighed, pacing back and forth, unable to settle down.

Of course he couldn’t. Who could possibly stay calm in a situation like this?

Zeng Jihe ran back and forth several more times, but there was still no good news. There were a few other squads of constables in the same boat, so at least they had some company in their misery.

As noon approached, Zeng Jihe made another trip. This time, when he returned, he was at his wits’ end.

"Master Chen, the other squads have all received their collection warrants! I asked about ours, and Old Fan said he forgot to stamp it for us!"

"Forgot to stamp it?"

"That’s right! That Old Fan is so damn unreliable! He’s really trying to screw us over!"

’So that’s their game! Interesting.’

Chen Ping’an saw through the whole charade as clear as day, so his mood remained calm. Given the situation, there was no point in getting anxious.

"Don’t worry. Go check again in a little while and see when our collection warrant might be ready."

"Okay," Zeng Jihe agreed, his face fraught with anxiety, not knowing what to do. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Chen Ping’an glanced around, his eyes falling on Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu, and he chuckled softly.

"Xiaozeng, I’m going to step out for a bit. You wait here for news about the collection warrant."

"Huh? Master Chen, you’re going out?"

"Yes." Chen Ping’an nodded slightly and headed for the entrance of the Garrison Commandant’s Office.

"Xiaozeng, listen to your Brother Cheng. You can stop running around. Just side with us, wouldn’t that be better? Look, he’s already given up!" Cheng Yuan sneered as he watched Chen Ping’an leave.

Xiaozeng was still in the dark about the whole collection warrant business, but he himself knew perfectly well what was going on. This was obviously the handiwork of Zheng Shiyong. The longer it took to get the warrant, the less time Chen Ping’an would have.

The task was already difficult enough; with the timeline compressed like this, the outcome was predictable.

"That’s right, Xiaozeng. You’re running around all over the place for nothing. When you fail to collect the donation silver, you’ll just face the consequences right alongside Chen Ping’an. He’s an official constable, so he might be okay. But you’re just a temporary constable. Don’t let yourself suffer a major loss over this!"

Zhao Hu chimed in, trying to persuade him.

Listening to them, Zeng Jihe did indeed hesitate. If he sided with Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu, he could probably leverage their connection to Zheng Shiyong to avoid punishment and shift all the blame onto Chen Ping’an.

But...

Zeng Jihe hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to follow his conscience.

"Xiaozeng, you...! What can we say? When the time comes, don’t blame us for not showing you any mercy!"

"In this Garrison Commandant’s Office, picking the right side is more important than doing your job! You’re still young. You’ll understand eventually."

Zeng Jihe chose to turn a deaf ear to Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu’s words, simply moving further away from them.

...

That day, Chen Ping’an returned home much earlier than usual and, as always, dedicated the time to his martial arts. Compared to a normal day on duty, he got in an extra practice session. The siblings laughed and chatted, the atmosphere warm and lively.

The next day, Chen Ping’an was practicing in the courtyard. As his final saber strike landed, a familiar set of characters materialized before him.

Name: Chen Ping’an

Realm: Qi Blood Fourth Layer

Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt Perfection, Great Success in Flying Locust Stone (35/100), Minor Achievement in Public Door Thirteen Sabers (25/40)

...

’At this rate, my Public Door Thirteen Sabers will reach Great Success in another two days!’

Chen Ping’an’s heart soared with excitement and anticipation.

After washing up and eating breakfast, Chen Ping’an composed himself and headed for the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office.

He hadn’t checked whether they had received the collection warrant yesterday. However, if Constable Zheng was pulling the strings behind the scenes, it was highly likely they hadn’t.

His opponent’s intentions were crystal clear: they were out to ruin him.

When Chen Ping’an arrived at the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office and asked around, his suspicions were confirmed: they still hadn’t received the collection warrant.

And it was in this very situation that Constable Zheng began his pre-shift address.