Pear Blossom Lane, the Chen Family Courtyard.
Listening to Chen Erya's even breathing beside him, Chen Ping'an lay in bed, quietly thinking.
Hairy Fish of the Cyan Fish Gang.
The Wanted Poster.
Official constable.
The Tiger Head Gang's monthly pay.
...
One by one, these matters intertwined in Chen Ping'an's mind.
After getting off duty today, while he was in the middle of dinner with Chen Erya, Uncle Zhang had delivered the stones he'd requested.
Chen Ping'an cleared the sand and gravel from the courtyard, and together with Uncle Zhang, he had carried over several more baskets of stones.
The switch from sand and gravel to solid stones had further increased the speed of Chen Ping'an's Iron Cloth Shirt training. Acquiring a single point of Cultivation Experience now took considerably less time. Not only that, but tonight, Chen Ping'an had also practiced the Iron Cloth Shirt four times in a row, successfully gaining 4 points of Cultivation Experience.
That brought him to 3 experience points in the morning and 4 at night, for a total of 7 points a day.
In a little over ten days, he would be able to train his Iron Cloth Shirt to the Perfection realm!
Once he achieved Iron Cloth Shirt Perfection, he would have no other Martial Arts to practice. His current rapid pace of Cultivation, which could be described as a thousand miles a day, would have to slow down, or even stagnate.
'I have to become an official constable of the Garrison Commandant's Office before my Iron Cloth Shirt reaches Perfection! After I get that status, I can logically acquire the Public Door Thirteen Sabers. Then, everything will be on the right track, and I can start gradually revealing my Cultivation!'
As Chen Ping'an thought this, a panel that only he could see appeared in his vision.
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: Qi Blood Second Layer
Martial Arts: Great Success in Iron Cloth Shirt (13/100)
...
Perhaps it was because of the matter with the remnants of the Cyan Fish Gang and the Wanted Poster. After two straight days with no sign of his target, Chen Ping'an was starting to feel anxious.
He, who usually fell asleep with ease, was suffering from a rare bout of insomnia tonight. All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind.
Outside the window, the bright moon was obscured by dark clouds, and the faint moonlight made everything look exceedingly dim.
A dark figure silently vaulted over the courtyard wall. The moment it landed, it made a sound so faint it was nearly inaudible.
A sound of that volume would be impossible for an ordinary person to detect.
But it couldn't escape the notice of Chen Ping'an, who had already reached the Qi Blood Second Layer.
Inside the room, a jolt ran through Chen Ping'an's body, and his expression changed abruptly.
'Someone's in the courtyard!'
His body tensed, arching slightly. He focused all his senses on the situation outside.
Although he wasn't looking, the sounds the person made allowed him to track their movements with perfect clarity.
The intruder's footsteps were light, almost silent, as they entered the small kitchen.
'Why go to the kitchen? Could they be... stealing food?'
Then came an extremely faint CREAK.
Chen Ping'an knew the intruder had opened the kitchen cupboard.
This was followed by the soft clinking of porcelain bowls.
Footsteps sounded again. The intruder left the kitchen and seemed to be heading toward his room.
In that instant, a myriad of thoughts flashed through Chen Ping'an's mind.
'Who is it?'
'What are they here for?'
'What's their goal?'
...
The footsteps grew closer and closer.
THUMP! THUMP!
Chen Ping'an's heart began to race.
He was ready to leap up and counterattack.
'One step! Two steps! Three steps!...'
Chen Ping'an estimated the distance. In just a few more steps, he would leap up and subdue the intruder in one move.
Somehow, at this critical moment, his heart gradually calmed. It was as if he had entered a wondrous state of mind.
Chen Ping'an counted silently, ready to launch a fatal blow at any moment.
But suddenly, the footsteps stopped. They paused for about three breaths, then turned and began to leave.
At this, Chen Ping'an didn't relax. The first thought that flashed through his mind was: 'Follow them!'
In the dim moonlight, he glanced at Chen Erya beside him. He rose silently, and just as he reached the door, the dark figure was vaulting back over the courtyard wall.
Chen Ping'an moved softly, also climbing onto the courtyard wall. Seeing the dark figure running not far ahead, he felt a slight sense of relief and vaulted over the wall as well.
Having already entered the Qi Blood Second Layer, he had an extremely high degree of control over his body, and his every step was nearly soundless.
He maintained a certain distance, stealthily trailing the figure.
After twisting and turning for about five minutes at a light jog, the dark figure suddenly vaulted into another courtyard.
'Is this their base? Or somewhere else...?'
Chen Ping'an watched the figure enter the courtyard and hesitated for a moment.
After waiting a short while, he approached the courtyard and vaulted onto the wall.
Lying flat on the wall, he scanned his surroundings. The courtyard was a bit larger than his own but was overgrown with weeds. The only sign of life was a pile of firewood not far away. He observed for a moment but saw no trace of the intruder.
'Did they go inside?'
Chen Ping'an guessed.
After confirming the courtyard was empty, he flipped down from the wall.
BANG!
He had just landed and hadn't yet steadied himself when the nearby woodpile seemed to explode. A dark figure lunged out from behind it.
The figure was tall, a full head taller than him.
WHOOSH!
A fierce gust of wind rushed toward him as a fist the size of a sandbag closed in.
'Not good!'
Warning bells blared in Chen Ping'an's mind.
His mind hadn't fully processed the attack, but his body reacted on pure instinct, swinging an arm up to block.
This was a practical application of the Iron Cloth Shirt, a piece of combat memory he had comprehended from the Starlight Entering the Body.
BANG!
The man's fist slammed viciously into Chen Ping'an's arm.
The immense force sent Chen Ping'an stumbling back several steps, and he felt his Qi and Blood churn within him.
'Qi Blood Second Layer!'
Chen Ping'an was reeling, but his opponent wasn't much better off. The ambusher had expected his surprise attack to completely take down his pursuer, but he never thought he'd run into a brick wall.
It was also at this moment that Chen Ping'an, by the hazy moonlight, got a clear look at his opponent's face.
A buzz cut, a square face, large ears, and a long, thin scar by the corner of his eye.
It was the major leader of the Cyan Fish Gang, Hairy Fish!
A flash of excitement crossed Chen Ping'an's face.
'To think I'd run into him like this after searching high and low!'
Realizing he'd run into a brick wall, Hairy Fish's first reaction was to flee.
His opponent's Martial Arts Realm was on par with his own, but his injuries hadn't yet healed. If he got entangled in a fight, he would be no match for him. Moreover, if the commotion grew too loud and attracted the night patrol officers from the Garrison Commandant's Office, he would be dead for sure!
"Where do you think you're going!"
Seeing Hairy Fish about to escape, Chen Ping'an wasn't about to let him. With a great shout, he lunged forward.
"Get lost!"
Hairy Fish roared and threw a roundhouse kick at Chen Ping'an.
The kick carried a fierce gust of wind and was packed with power.
If an ordinary person took a direct hit from that kick, they would be gravely injured, if not killed.
But Chen Ping'an paid it no mind. His posture unchanging, he spread his arms, intending to take the kick head-on and then grab Hairy Fish in a bear hug.
The roundhouse kick landed heavily on Chen Ping'an's chest.
A cruel smile appeared on Hairy Fish's face.
'Even a skilled martial artist at the Qi Blood Second Layer would be in a world of hurt after taking that kick head-on.'
'Looks like my opponent is still young and reckless. His eagerness to keep me here has given me an opening.'
But in the next moment, the smile on Hairy Fish's face froze solid.
"This... how is this possible!?"