"Constable Chen!"

"Morning, Constable Chen."

"Hello, Constable!"

"..."

Chen Ping’an walked through the entrance of the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office, greeted by a sea of fervent smiles.

It had been seven or eight days since Constable Zheng’s death. Han Li, the official sent by the South Town Garrison Command to investigate, had already returned to report his findings. Chen Ping’an wasn’t sure of the final conclusion, but it was most likely linked to the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.

This time, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect had taken the fall for him.

After Constable Zheng’s death, the six squads of constables under his command were, as expected, divided up among the other Constables.

With the Tiger Head Gang destroyed and no new gangs having taken its place, a temporary power vacuum had appeared in the streets and alleys of Tiger Run Lane and Pear Blossom Lane. How this vacuum would be filled and how the territory would be divided were all directly related to the hard power each faction wielded.

The Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office would naturally take the lion’s share of the profits. But how the rest was divided ultimately depended on the number of men each person had under their command.

With Constable Zheng dead, the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office had returned to a structure of five Constables.

The three constable squads under Chen Ping’an were expanded to five, a total of twenty constables. The other four squads that had been under Zheng Zhenwu were divided up, one squad for each of the remaining Constables.

Chen Ping’an was able to get two squads because, for one, he had the fewest constables under his command, and for another, he had Shen Shikang’s support. Coupled with his great merit in destroying the Tiger Head Gang, the other Constables didn’t voice any objections.

The days of "Xiaochen the constable" were long over! In the eyes of the many constables now, Chen Ping’an was a genuine, powerful Constable who held real authority.

These smiling faces in the Garrison Commandant’s Office were the best proof of that.

With Chen Ping’an’s newfound prestige, men like Monkey Head, Da Shan, and Zeng Jihe also shared in the glory. They could now be considered Chen Ping’an’s trusted confidants.

Neither Shen Shikang nor Tian Fuliang attended this pre-patrol meeting, so it was presided over by the Constables. With the death of Constable Zheng, who had previously held the most prestige, this important task fell to Constable Yan.

He had already been in charge of five constable squads, and now with one more, his influence was comparable to what Constable Zheng once had.

However, Constable Yan acted rather low-key. He said a few words and quickly concluded the pre-patrol meeting.

Previously, he had the best relationship with Constable Zheng and was in subtle opposition to the other three Constables. Now that Constable Zheng was dead, he had become isolated.

Besides Constable Yan, Constable Li’s influence was subtly the greatest, backed by the support of Constable Huang and Constable Liu.

As for Chen Ping’an, although he had already shown his capabilities, in everyone else’s eyes, he had been a Constable for only a short time and his strength hadn’t even reached the Qi Blood Third Layer, so he was still considered a notch below the other two.

Chen Ping’an, however, paid little attention to these twists and turns.

These days, aside from handling some daily official duties, he focused all his thoughts on his cultivation.

In the past few days, his Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Horizontal Training had reached the Minor Achievement stage. A faint, unusual sheen had even appeared on his skin. In terms of Horizontal Training alone, an ordinary person swinging a large cleaver with all their might would find it difficult to break through his defense.

Reaching Minor Achievement in the Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Horizontal Training had also advanced Chen Ping’an’s Martial Arts Realm by a considerable margin. He could now be considered a relatively senior expert among the Qi Blood Five Levels of Refining Organ Realm martial artists.

In the entire Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office, probably only Shen Shikang could overpower him. Even Vice Inspector Tian Fuliang wouldn’t necessarily be his match! After all, Chen Ping’an’s martial arts and combat experience all came from the Golden Finger Panel, having essentially reached a state of theoretical perfection.

After getting off duty, Chen Ping’an headed home as usual. Before he even got close, he saw a figure standing at the gate to his courtyard.

’It’s Aunt Zhang!’

Chen Ping’an recognized the figure at a glance.

’Did something happen?’ A trace of doubt appeared in Chen Ping’an’s mind.

Just as Chen Ping’an approached, Aunt Zhang spotted him and hurried over.

"Lord Chen! I’m begging you, please save us!"

Aunt Zhang wore a desperate expression, her face a mask of anxiety.

"Aunt Zhang, don’t get worked up. Calm down and tell me what happened."

"Lord Chen, I’m at my wit’s end! My old man..." As she spoke, Aunt Zhang couldn’t help but burst into tears.

Chen Ping’an led her into the courtyard and, after careful questioning, learned that Uncle Zhang was in trouble.

Uncle Zhang worked as a sand-hauling laborer and was always an honest, hardworking man. But yesterday, for some unknown reason, he offended a leader of the Flying Sand Gang. He thought if he just endured it, it would pass. Who would have thought that when he went to work today, not only was he beaten, but he was also detained.

The alley where Uncle Zhang hauled sand was Flying Sand Gang territory.

Being beaten and then detained by a Flying Sand Gang leader—for an ordinary family, this was a catastrophe of the highest order!

With Uncle Zhang detained, his son and daughter-in-law were naturally frantic. They tried everything they could think of and even went to negotiate in the afternoon, hoping to find a way to get their father back.

Aunt Zhang went with them, but the other party wouldn’t budge. She was truly at her wit’s end and finally thought of Chen Ping’an.

"So that’s what this is about! Aunt Zhang, don’t worry for now. I’ll look into the situation."

Chen Ping’an carefully soothed Aunt Zhang’s emotions.

Back when he was practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt, he had needed sand and gravel. It was Uncle Zhang who had carried it over for him. Although it wasn’t a big deal, he had to acknowledge the favor.

Hearing Chen Ping’an’s words, Aunt Zhang sobbed, "The person my husband offended is supposedly a newly appointed leader. He’s vicious and haggles over every penny. Anyone he detains will be lucky to escape with their life, let alone without losing a layer of skin. I just wanted to trouble Lord Chen to help put in a good word, so he can release my husband soon."

To a simple woman like Aunt Zhang, a Flying Sand Gang leader was already an incredibly powerful figure. In her heart, she believed that since Chen Ping’an was an official from the Garrison Commandant’s Office, if he stepped in to mediate, Uncle Zhang should be able to come home safely.

"Alright, I understand." Chen Ping’an nodded. "I’ll take care of this."

"Thank you, thank you so much, Lord Chen." Aunt Zhang’s body trembled slightly as she thanked him repeatedly.

"Aunt Zhang, there’s no need to be so formal. Just call me what you used to call me."

After saying this, without waiting to see if Aunt Zhang had heard him, Chen Ping’an walked out of the courtyard.

At night, the Garrison Commandant’s Office also had constables on patrol. Naturally, Pear Blossom Lane had its own dedicated night patrol. Chen Ping’an hadn’t been walking long in Pear Blossom Lane after leaving his courtyard when he ran into two constables.

For the night patrolmen, their shift had just begun. The two were hiding in a corner, slacking off for a bit, when they turned their heads and unexpectedly saw Chen Ping’an. They both jumped in fright and immediately bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Constable Chen."

Chen Ping’an gave a slight nod, untied the Constable Token from his waist, and tossed it directly to the two men. "Take this Token and go to the Flying Sand Gang!"

The two men fumbled to catch the Token, a bewildered look on their faces.

Chen Ping’an briefly explained the situation. Only then did the two understand, and they repeatedly cupped their fists in acknowledgement.

’A chance to handle a task directly for a Constable! This is a golden opportunity! If we do this properly and the Constable remembers us, it’ll be a huge stroke of luck.’

’Once we become the Constable’s confidants, we’ll be living the good life. We’ll even be able to speak with more confidence when we’re out and about.’

At this thought, both men’s eyes lit up.

...

PS: Always hold on to hope, always cherish your dreams. No matter how badly it flops, you have to finish writing the book.

Flop Diary: You little flop, you must remember to write every Chapter conscientiously. Even if your writing skill is lacking, you must still give it your all. (These words are not part of the paid Chapter.)