Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: Qi Blood First Layer
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt, Entry Level (14/15)
...
Chen Ping'an looked at the panel that appeared before him, his heart soaring.
Finally!
After seven straight days of relentless practice, his Experience Points for the Iron Cloth Shirt had reached 14.
All he had to do was wait for tonight. One more practice session with the Iron Cloth Shirt, and he could push it to the Minor Achievement Realm in one go.
'What kind of changes will the Iron Cloth Shirt bring at the Minor Achievement Realm?!' he wondered. 'Will it push my Martial Arts Realm directly to Qi Blood First Level Perfection?'
Today was the ninth day. Of the ten days Young Master Xiao Hu had given him to repay the debt, only one remained.
Tomorrow afternoon, or perhaps even tomorrow morning, Young Master Xiao Hu would come knocking to demand his silver coins.
Coincidentally, tomorrow was his one day off in ten.
"Just have to wait for tonight!"
With Chen Erya's farewell echoing behind him, Chen Ping'an left home full of confidence.
Over the past few days, he had bought paper and a brush. All preparations were complete; everything was waiting for tonight.
When Chen Ping'an arrived at the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office, constables were already gathered in small groups. He noticed that a small crowd of constables had formed around Zheng Shiyong, subtly treating him as their leader. It seemed a new clique had officially formed.
"That was fast!"
Chen Ping'an mused.
The Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office had over a hundred constables, so it was only natural for different cliques to exist. Usually, only official constables could become the core of these groups, while ordinary temporary constables were merely sidekicks and atmosphere-setters.
Not everyone liked it, but sometimes, when you were part of the system, you had no choice.
Even Chen Ping'an, Monkey Head, and Da Shan had their own clique. The core of their group was Mr. Qin.
Although, it was true that Mr. Qin rarely showed up.
Only one Constable was present today: Constable Li. Constable Li was usually taciturn and a man of few words.
So, today's pre-patrol meeting was simple. It was over in no time.
"Tiger Run Lane!?"
Chen Ping'an was somewhat surprised as he listened to Monkey Head list the streets for today's patrol.
Tiger Run Lane was the very place where the Tiger Head Gang was based. It was only two streets away from Pear Blossom Lane.
In Tiger Run Lane, moneylending was rampant and gambling dens flourished. You could find stalls for all levels of gambling, from small-stakes games worth a few copper coins to high-stakes bets involving several taels of silver.
Gambling dens have always been places where dragons and fish swim together—a messy mix of good and bad. Ruffians, gangsters, and gang grunts were common sights.
'A place like this won't be easy to patrol,' he thought. 'Looks like there won't be much time for slacking off today.'
Sure enough, Chen Ping'an, Monkey Head, and Da Shan had only been on patrol for a short while when they ran into a brawl.
In a corner of the alley, several ruffians were surrounding a man, kicking and punching him. The man was crouched in the corner, clutching his head and letting out the occasional miserable cry.
"My lords, stop! Please, stop! I'll pay you back! I swear I'll pay you back!"
"Goddammit! You owe the Tiger Head Gang silver and you think you can run? Who do you think you are?!"
The lead ruffian shouted viciously, punctuating his words by landing a heavy kick on the man's body.
"Sixth Master, I was wrong! It won't happen again!"
"Next time?! You think there'll be a next time? In your dreams!"
The ruffians' actions were violent and unruly.
"Stop!"
Seeing this, Monkey Head, as a constable of the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office, naturally stepped in to stop them.
"Who's the blind fool who dares to get in the way of the Tiger Head Gang's business!"
A cold sneer on his face, the lead ruffian turned to see who would dare to interfere.
When he turned, he saw three constables from the Town Patrol Office in their black uniforms. Their hands rested on the hilts of their sabers, and they watched with stern expressions, looking ready to draw their blades at the slightest provocation.
"Well, well, if it isn't a few of the Lord Officials from the Town Patrol Office!"
Realizing they were constables from the Town Patrol Office, the cold sneer on the lead ruffian's face faded slightly, but his tone held no respect.
In just a few breaths, he had already sized them up: there were no official constables present, just a few temporary ones.
"It's the Tiger Head Gang!"
Monkey Head's expression changed slightly as he recognized the Tiger Head Gang emblems on their clothes.
Their status as constables might be enough to intimidate common ruffians, but it had limited effect on gangsters from a gang the size of the Tiger Head Gang.
Still, since they had already intervened, they had to see it through.
"Town Patrol Office constables on patrol! Stop what you're doing, now!"
Monkey Head shouted. Beside him, Chen Ping'an and Da Shan took a coordinated step forward.
They had coordinated like this several times before; their teamwork was well-practiced.
However, Monkey Head's shout had no effect. The ruffians continued their beating.
"The Lord Officials from the Town Patrol Office have spoken. Hurry up and stop," the lead ruffian said to his men with a cold laugh. At his words, the other ruffians finally stopped.
"Lord Officials, this man borrowed three taels of silver from my Tiger Head Gang, then turned around and lost it all in a gambling den. When we asked for it back, he just gave us excuses. As the saying goes, 'a debt must be repaid'—it's only natural. We're just blowing off some steam by giving him a beating. It's perfectly normal, so I hope you gentlemen can understand."
The lead ruffian gave a perfunctory cupped-fist salute. As he spoke, he seemed to have just recognized Chen Ping'an.
"Well, if it isn't the Chen Family's kid! What a coincidence, meeting you here."
The lead ruffian was none other than Liu'Er, the same man who had been with Young Master Xiao Hu that day. He was the one who had slammed his palm on the wooden table, splattering bone broth everywhere and making the pork belly jump out of the bowl.
SHING!
Monkey Head drew his saber from its sheath and pointed it at the men, roaring with a powerful voice.
"What 'Chen Family's kid'?! Call him Master Chen!"
Monkey Head's reaction startled Da Shan. The big man was tall and imposing, but his courage was only average. He hadn't expected Monkey Head to react so strongly.
Chen Ping'an also glanced sideways, watching him.
He hadn't expected the lean and scrawny Monkey Head to have such an astonishingly loud roar.
Seeing Monkey Head draw his saber, the ruffian Liu'Er's eyelid twitched slightly.
"My fault, my fault. My tongue got ahead of me."
Liu'Er looked into Monkey Head's eyes and said with a smirk that didn't reach his eyes.
Then, he turned to the middle-aged man cowering on the ground.
"Tomorrow! If you still haven't paid up by tomorrow, my brothers and I will pay you a personal visit. I hear that chubby son of yours is surprisingly fair-skinned and clean-cut."
"Alright boys, let's show some respect to the Lord Officials from the Town Patrol Office. We'll leave it at that for today. Let's go."
With that, the ruffian Liu'Er led his men away.
"Lord Officials, if you'd please step aside."
Holding his saber, Monkey Head stepped aside with a grim expression.
"Lord Chen, Young Master Xiao Hu is merciful and gave you a ten-day extension. If I recall correctly, tomorrow is the final day. What's the matter? Have you prepared those fourteen taels of silver? If you haven't, that sister of yours..."
The ruffian Liu'Er paused for a moment as he walked past Chen Ping'an, leaving him with those words.
Chen Ping'an's head snapped up, meeting a pair of mocking eyes.
"Don't you worry about it."
"In that case..."
The ruffian Liu'Er studied Chen Ping'an's expression. He didn't see the reaction he was hoping for, only a pair of incredibly deep eyes.
"See you tomorrow, Lord Chen."