THUD! THUD! THUD!
Chen Ping'an's hands rubbed and kneaded his body nonstop. He was wrapped in several layers of close-fitting clothes, so the sound was a dull thud, almost like the sound of striking tanned leather.
In the small courtyard, Chen Ping'an gritted his teeth and practiced the repetitive motions again and again.
Finally, after half an hour, a "+1 experience" symbol flashed past in his vision.
"It worked!"
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: None
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt (Not Yet Entry Level) (4/5)
...
Looking at the stat panel in front of him, Chen Ping'an was thrilled.
'It really works. If I stick to this schedule, I can practice Iron Cloth Shirt twice a day. And on my day off, I might even be able to try for three times a day.'
'At this rate, my training speed for Iron Cloth Shirt will shoot right up.'
Young Master Xiao Hu of the Tiger Head Gang had come looking for him the day before yesterday. Including today, two days had already passed. He didn't have much time left.
However, the success of his early morning Iron Cloth Shirt practice gave Chen Ping'an a glimmer of hope for rapid growth.
'I can get the 5 Experience Points I need by tonight.'
Chen Ping'an's heart burned with anticipation. He fetched some clean water to wash himself. He had to go on patrol during the day, and he certainly couldn't leave drenched in sweat.
By the time Chen Ping'an finished washing up, Chen Erya had already cooled his bowl of congee. It was just the right temperature to eat.
Today's breakfast: a large bowl of congee, an egg, and leftover braised pork from yesterday.
Chen Ping'an picked up the large bowl and slurped down the congee.
Chen Erya was not even halfway through her portion when he had already downed his entire bowl.
"Nannan, your big brother is heading out for duty. Remember, don't just make do for lunch. Eat something good."
Chen Ping'an peeled his egg, planning to eat it on the way.
"I know, Big Brother."
Chen Erya replied.
...
After eating the peeled egg on the way, Chen Ping'an hurried along and soon arrived at the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office.
It was the same pre-shift meeting, with numerous constables gathered to listen to the Constables in charge speak.
But today, Constable Zheng didn't show up. Constable Li was there, along with Constable Yan, who had been absent yesterday.
The Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office had five Constables in total, and two of them were present today. He had no idea what the others were busy with.
As for the Inspector and Vice Inspector, they were also nowhere to be seen. It was unclear if they had already arrived but hadn't shown themselves, or if there was some other reason.
However, none of this had anything to do with Chen Ping'an.
Right now, his mind was completely preoccupied with getting off duty early so he could go back and practice his Iron Cloth Shirt.
In fact, if not for the rule that his practice sessions couldn't be too close together, he would have been tempted to slack off for a while at noon to get his Iron Cloth Shirt to 5 Experience Points in one go.
The ones on duty with Chen Ping'an were, once again, Monkey Head and Da Shan. And as usual, Mr. Qin was nowhere to be seen.
This was normal. Generally, Chen Ping'an would only run into Mr. Qin once every five or six days.
Today, their patrol route was Niu Ye Square. Niu Ye Square was on Niu Ye Street, the busiest, most crowded place in all of Nanquan Lane.
Normally, the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office would assign at least five squads of constables to Niu Ye Street for regular patrols to deter troublemakers.
For instance, today, the three of them—Chen Ping'an, Monkey Head, and Da Shan—were considered one squad of constables.
Compared to Willow Leaf Street, the number of ruffians hanging around Niu Ye Square was much higher. Niu Ye Square was also the territory of the Iron Bull Gang.
Like the Tiger Head Gang, the Iron Bull Gang was one of the many gangs in Nanquan Lane.
But in terms of power and influence, the Tiger Head Gang was a cut above the rest.
After all, the Tiger Head Gang had Master Hu, the Gang Leader, and Master Qing, the deputy leader. It also boasted three renowned Protectors, seven Captains who acted as its pillars, and over a hundred members as fierce as wolves and tigers.
The Young Master Xiao Hu that Chen Ping'an had dealt with was one of the Tiger Head Gang's Protectors, and also the most valued adopted son of the Gang Leader, Master Hu.
'But when you get down to it, the Tiger Head Gang is just a gang of ruffians from Nanquan Lane. All this talk of Gang Leaders, Protectors, and Captains makes them sound like some major sect from the Jianghu. It's all a bit theatrical, if you ask me.'
But whenever this topic came up, Monkey Head was completely used to it. After all, they were in Weishui County City. Compared to the gangs in bigger cities or smaller towns, they naturally had a different kind of prestige.
Still, as impressive as the Tiger Head Gang was, they were nothing to the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office. If the gang ever truly crossed a line, the Inspector wouldn't even need to get involved. Just two or three Constables could gather their men and crush them.
That was why even the Tiger Head Gang's leader, Master Hu, had to be respectful when he met one of the Constables from the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office.
If Chen Ping'an's father, Old Chen, were still around and had been fortunate enough to become a Constable, the Tiger Head Gang would never have dared to come knocking to collect this debt. Not only would they not demand repayment, they would have probably sent over some extra silver taels just to curry favor.
Temporary constable, constable, Constable... the difference in status between these ranks was like that between the clouds and the mud.
The patrol in Niu Ye Square today went smoothly, with nothing out of the ordinary happening. The only incident was a few ruffians shouting curses at each other, but they showed some respect when the constables appeared and stopped their squabbling.
At noon, he slacked off and rested as usual. He had woken up early, and practicing Iron Cloth Shirt had taken a lot out of him, so Chen Ping'an slept for almost an hour before waking up.
The afternoon was spent lazily wandering around, and just like that, another day was over.
'Ah, the life of a constable. You only go on duty so you can get off duty!'
After handing in his saber and Waist Token, Chen Ping'an rushed home, full of excitement.
When he got home, Chen Erya had almost finished making dinner. With Chen Ping'an lending a hand, things sped up considerably.
Tonight's dinner: a bowl of stir-fried pork kidney, a bowl of steamed egg, a plate of steamed pumpkin, and two bowls of fluffy white rice.
It wasn't as lavish as the heavy meat dishes from the past two days, but it was still a meal that would make the neighbors envious.
The rich aroma of their cooking often drifted over to the neighbors' homes each evening. Fortunately, with Chen Ping'an's status as a constable, a few decent dishes like these weren't enough to attract any real trouble.
After dinner, he and his sister cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks together. Then he relaxed for a while to let his food digest properly.
Then, Chen Ping'an began to stretch his body, preparing for his practice.
With several sessions of experience under his belt, his practice this time went off without a hitch.
Half an hour later, the familiar "+1 experience" symbol appeared in his vision before slowly fading away.
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: None
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt (Not Yet Entry Level) (5/5)
...
"I have enough Experience Points!"
Staring at the information on the panel that only he could see, Chen Ping'an's heart pounded in his chest, and his palms and feet grew faintly sweaty.
At this very moment, his anticipation and excitement were stretched to their absolute limit.
'So, what's next...?'