"You're really not curious?"
Monkey Head asked, testing the waters.
"Not curious. I'll find out what I need to know when the time is right. There's no point in knowing things I'm not meant to."
Chen Ping'an said calmly.
'What the hell!'
'I was supposed to be messing with you, but you're messing with me instead!'
Chen Ping'an's indifferent expression made Monkey Head feel unbearably frustrated.
"Ping'an, your Heart Nature is really..."
Monkey Head was at a loss for words. He thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a suitable description.
In the end, he could only force out one word:
"Unreal!"
Seeing Chen Ping'an's lack of reaction, the frustrated Monkey Head could only obediently tell him the whole story.
It turned out the reason for all the excitement and lively atmosphere this morning was that the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office had a new constable. Just like them, he was an unlisted temporary constable.
Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal. The Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office did get new temporary constables from time to time. However, this new temporary constable had a special status; he hadn't gotten in through ordinary connections.
The new temporary constable was named Zheng Shiyong, and he was the nephew of their own Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office's Constable Zheng.
This wasn't some distant nephew or a nephew in name only. He was a true, honest-to-goodness, blood-related nephew.
And who was Constable Zheng?!
He was the most famous and powerful of the five Constables in their Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office!
With a connection like that, it was only natural for many of the Nanquan Lane constables to crowd around, hoping to get on his good side.
"Monkey Head, about this Zheng Shiyong. Since he has such strong connections, why is he still an unlisted temporary constable?"
Just as Monkey Head was explaining things to Chen Ping'an, Da Shan, who was standing to the side, unexpectedly chimed in with a question.
"What's this? Da Shan, you're interested too? That's a rare sight."
Monkey Head teased, then explained the reason.
Among the group, he had been serving at the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office the longest, so he knew the most about its affairs and rules.
It turned out that unless one had exceptional talent or a Martial Arts Cultivation that had reached the Qi Blood Second Layer—allowing them to be specially recruited by the Garrison Commandant's Office and become an official constable right away—
everyone else who wanted to join the Garrison Commandant's Office had to start as an unlisted temporary constable.
Those were the rules of the Garrison Commandant's Office, and no one was exempt. Well, saying *no one* wasn't necessarily true. It wasn't clear if the Inspectorate could bend the rules, but at the very least, someone at Constable Zheng's level couldn't.
"I see."
Da Shan said with a nod.
"Monkey Head, you really know a lot."
Da Shan added at the end.
Even though Da Shan was praising him, Monkey Head didn't feel happy at all. Looking at Chen Ping'an's calm expression, his desire to show off had been thwarted. The feeling was truly damn frustrating.
'You'd have to feel it to understand!'
Time passed as the men talked. Finally, a few important figures entered one after another.
Constable Zheng, Constable Huang, Constable Yan, and Constable Li.
Four of the five Constables from the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office had shown up today. This was a rare occurrence indeed.
As the Constables entered, the constables who had been gathered in groups gradually dispersed and went to their respective positions. It was only then that Chen Ping'an got a clear look at the new constable named Zheng Shiyong.
Zheng Shiyong looked quite young, maybe sixteen or seventeen. He had a sturdy build, and his face held a faint trace of arrogance.
To the other constables, this Zheng Shiyong was a second-generation constable of the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office!
With Constable Zheng watching over him from above, his future path would likely be extremely smooth. After putting in a few years to gain enough seniority, he could probably become an official constable with ease—a position most people could only dream of.
No wonder so many people were trying to suck up to him and curry favor in advance, hoping to forge a good connection.
Even the official constables were extremely polite to Zheng Shiyong.
'It's true no matter where you are: having someone powerful watching your back makes the job easier.'
As usual, Constable Zheng was the one who spoke at today's regular meeting. He spouted a lot of grand, empty words—things about the situation in the South Town Garrison Command, the state of the surrounding alley patrols, and the key priorities moving forward.
Surprisingly, Constable Zheng spoke for less than ten minutes today, much shorter than usual.
"Almost free!"
Monkey Head whispered.
Just when they thought the pre-patrol meeting was over, Constable Yan unexpectedly stepped up to add a few words. While speaking, he made a point of mentioning their new colleague who had joined today, Zheng Shiyong.
"Come, Shi Yong, come on up here so everyone can get to know you!"
The normally stern Constable Yan now appeared amiable and approachable.
Zheng Shiyong showed no stage fright. Hearing Constable Yan's words, he immediately walked up onto the platform.
"Fellow colleagues, hello everyone. I am Zheng Shiyong. I've just joined our Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office today. I hope everyone will look out for me in the days to come."
"Good!"
"Welcome, welcome!"
"..."
After Zheng Shiyong finished speaking, the constables below all responded with cheers and applause, giving him plenty of face.
"Good, not bad. Shi Yong, I hope to hear news of your meritorious deeds in the future. Alright, you can step down for now. Go and get familiar with your colleagues."
Constable Yan patted Zheng Shiyong's shoulder as a sign of encouragement.
"Thank you, Constable Yan."
Zheng Shiyong replied and stepped down from the platform, looking proud and pleased with himself.
After that little episode, Constable Yan said a few more words casually and concluded the pre-patrol meeting.
Once the meeting ended, it was time to receive their assignments and begin the day's patrol of the streets and alleys.
Today, the task for Chen Ping'an, Monkey Head, and Da Shan was to patrol White Stone Lane in Nanquan Lane.
White Stone Lane was mostly residential, with few shops or vendors. Correspondingly, the number of local ruffians was also much lower, so the patrol wasn't as stressful as the past two days.
Of course, to be fair, the past two days hadn't really been that stressful either!
For the constables of the Garrison Commandant's Office, as long as there were no tricky cases or operations, life was actually quite comfortable most of the time.
"Let's go, Monkey Head, Da Shan."
Chen Ping'an was the one who had signed for today's patrol duty. After collecting his saber and Waist Token, he spoke to Monkey Head and Da Shan.
He noticed both of them were staring blankly at something in the distance.
Chen Ping'an followed their gaze and saw a dense crowd of people gathered there.
"What's wrong?"
he asked them.
"Sigh... The comparison is just infuriating!"
Monkey Head grumbled.
"I'm so jealous."
Da Shan added, a rare comment from him.
It turned out that just now, a few of the Constables had specifically come over to offer some words of encouragement to Zheng Shiyong. That would have been one thing, but Zheng Shiyong was a new temporary constable. Based on their experience, he should have been starting with the most tiring work.
But who would have thought that Zheng Shiyong wouldn't even have to patrol the streets today? Instead, he only needed to follow Constable Yan as a personal attendant.
After listening to Monkey Head's explanation, Chen Ping'an understood.
It seemed that among the Constables, Constable Yan and Constable Zheng were on good terms. Constable Yan was doing the things that would have been awkward for Constable Zheng to do himself, whether it was the introduction just now or the actual duty assignment.