"The girls at Spring Rain Tower really are made of gold!"
That was Monkey Head's familiar lament to the heavens every time they walked out of Spring Rain Tower.
Chen Ping'an, Monkey Head, and Da Shan collected their Waist Tokens and sabers, then walked out the main gate of the Garrison Commandant's Office.
Temporary constables like them didn't normally have the right to carry sabers. They had to turn in their Waist Tokens and sabers before they could go off duty and head home.
However, they were allowed to wear their Garrison Commandant's Office uniforms home. They each received two sets to alternate between.
Only official constables had the right to carry a saber.
"By the way, where's Mr. Qin?"
As they left the Garrison Commandant's Office and walked down Willow Leaf Lane, Chen Ping'an asked curiously.
Normally, street patrols were done in four-man teams. With that number, if they ran into any trouble, they could look out for each other.
One could run to report and get reinforcements, while the remaining three suppressed the lawbreakers.
Not only that, but one of the four had to be an official constable. Only then could they fully exercise their law enforcement authority.
The Mr. Qin that Chen Ping'an was asking about was the official constable assigned to their group.
According to the rules of the Garrison Commandant's Office, Mr. Qin was supposed to be with them.
"Him? He vanished right after the morning roll call. Right now, he's either at home with his wife and kids or drinking tea in some teahouse."
Monkey Head said, pursing his lips. Though he acted disgusted, the look on his face betrayed him.
'Ah, I'm so jealous! I want to do that too! Getting paid for doing nothing, that's what I call earning a Monthly Allowance!'
Chen Ping'an wasn't surprised by Monkey Head's reply.
Mr. Qin had been a real go-getter in his youth, fiercely fighting his way up from a temporary constable to an official one.
But as he got older, he didn't dare take risks anymore. With a family to support, how could he still have that same fighting spirit? To retire safely and live out his days in peace—that is the King's Dao!
'He's an Upper Official, after all! Slack off when you can, skip out when you can! If something comes up, let the young guys handle it. He's old and just wants to collect his Monthly Allowance in peace.'
Willow Leaf Street was two streets away from the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office, so it wasn't too far. As they talked, they rounded a corner and arrived at Willow Leaf Street.
Willow Leaf Street was lined with shops and was undoubtedly much livelier than other streets. However, it was still morning, far from the street's busiest time of day.
The three of them, walking down the street in the Black Clothing of the Garrison Commandant's Office constables, were quite an eye-catching sight.
The three wore blue robes covered by red cloth vests, with blue silk sashes tied at their waists—the standard attire for a temporary constable.
An official constable, on the other hand, would wear a blue, narrow-sleeved long robe with a crossover collar, and a red woven belt at the waist.
Therefore, one could tell at a glance from their attire whether someone was an official constable or a temporary one.
But even as temporary constables, the three of them looked extremely imposing walking together with sabers at their sides.
"It would be great if we could wear the official constable's uniform. Now that would be really impressive."
Monkey Head walked with an imposing swagger, his saber at his waist.
'This guy doesn't usually walk like this. He's really putting on an act today.'
Chen Ping'an glanced at Monkey Head and couldn't help but tease him.
"Monkey Head, why don't you just wear a suit of Fish Scale Armor and walk down the street? Wouldn't that be even more impressive? I guarantee all the young ladies would be swooning over you."
"Pfft! If I managed to get an Inspector's Cloak in this lifetime, I would be unbelievably lucky. Fish Scale Armor? A guy like me wouldn't even dare to dream of it!"
When an official constable is promoted to Inspector, their uniform is more refined in its details than that of a regular constable. They also get to wear a great cloak.
Wearing the great cloak was a symbol of status and position. It not only enhanced one's authority but also served to deter petty crooks.
One glance would tell onlookers that this person was an Inspector from the Garrison Commandant's Office, and they wouldn't dare to offend him in the slightest.
As for Fish Scale Armor...
That was a privilege enjoyed only by those at the level of Vice Inspector.
For a temporary constable like Monkey Head, such power and prestige were things he couldn't even dare to imagine.
"Have some ambition! There's no harm in dreaming. Right, Da Shan?"
Chen Ping'an teased.
Possessing a Golden Finger, his mood was undoubtedly more cheerful than before.
"Heheh."
Da Shan chuckled good-naturedly.
"Forget Fish Scale Armor or an Inspector's Cloak, if I could just wear the uniform of an official constable, my dad would probably wake up from his dreams laughing. If I were an official constable, would the Wild Wolf Gang still dare to overcharge my family's smithy for the monthly fee? I'm not saying the fee would be waived, but at least they'd have to be proper about it and couldn't just name their price!"
Growing excited, Monkey Head spoke with great animation, as if he were already an official constable in the Garrison Commandant's Office.
"An official constable... now that's a real government job! On these streets, that's someone with some real standing."
The Wild Wolf Gang, like the Tiger Head Gang, was another one of the gangs that ran rampant in Nanquan Lane.
"Then you'd better work hard."
Chen Ping'an patted Monkey Head's shoulder.
"An official constable, huh..."
Hearing this, Monkey Head's face immediately fell.
"How could it be that easy? Even if I had enough merits, I'd still need to reach Martial Arts Introduction! And that's assuming I've greased all the right palms and pulled all the right strings. Otherwise, even if I reached Qi Blood First Level Perfection and succeeded in Skin Refining, I still might not be able to become an official constable."
Achieving Martial Arts Introduction was incredibly difficult!
Without talent or a master teacher, forcing one's way into Martial Dao Cultivation would not only drain one's resources, but likely also result in all sorts of hidden injuries and flaws.
Even if one barely scraped into Martial Arts Introduction, they probably wouldn't have much combat power to show for it, having wasted their time and silver taels for nothing.
A few years ago, his old man had him try Martial Dao Cultivation for a while, but he really wasn't cut out for it. Though his family was reasonably well-off, they couldn't compare to the truly wealthy households. Without medicinal baths or a master teacher's guidance, after several months of study, all he learned were some superficial moves and flashy, impractical forms.
Those superficial skills were enough to deal with ordinary people, but he hadn't truly stepped onto the path of Martial Dao Cultivation!
"Da Shan, it's a lost cause for me. But you're exceptionally talented and naturally strong, so you might still have a chance. You should talk to Mr. Qin more. Maybe one day he'll be in a good mood and teach you a move or two."
Monkey Head said to Da Shan.
"Mm."
This time, Da Shan didn't give his usual good-natured chuckle. Instead, he grunted heavily in agreement. Clearly, he'd had the same thought.
If one wanted to get promoted quickly in the Garrison Commandant's Office, Martial Dao Cultivation was undoubtedly the best way. Not even connections or a powerful background could compare.
Even with powerful backing, you still had to have a decent level of strength to show for it!
Without formidable strength, what good would it do to be forcibly promoted to head the Inspectorate, even with connections that reached the heavens!?
If his strength couldn't command respect from the various factions, relying solely on connections would just make him the laughingstock of the lanes. People would obey him to his face, but they wouldn't respect him in their hearts!
'Strength! Strength!'
'I wonder if reaching the Entry Level of Iron Cloth Shirt counts as officially stepping onto the path of Martial Dao Cultivation.'
With his saber at his side, Chen Ping'an strode down Willow Leaf Street as if walking through a boundless Golden Light, his future bright and his hopes infinite.