Chapter 29

The voice behind him was deep and familiar to Chen Ping'an. He often heard it during the daily pre-shift meetings. It was the voice of Constable Zheng!

"Constable Zheng."

Chen Ping'an quickly turned around and bowed.

Constable Zheng had a square face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a thin mustache.

"What's your name?"

Constable Zheng frowned, clearly displeased as he looked at Chen Ping'an.

"Reporting to Constable Zheng, this humble one is Chen Ping'an."

Chen Ping'an replied with a mix of fear and respect.

However, his heart remained calm. Aside from his strong mental fortitude, his recent breakthrough to the second level of Qi and Blood had given him confidence. This inner calm was a natural reaction, not something he had to force.

With the golden finger panel at his disposal, Chen Ping'an's mindset allowed him to regard Constable Zheng as an equal, or even look down on him from a psychological standpoint.

Of course, this was only in terms of mindset. On the surface, he still needed to maintain a humble demeanor.

"Chen Ping'an?" Constable Zheng's face showed a flicker of thought. "Are you Chen Tian'an's son?"

"Yes, sir." Chen Ping'an's face showed a trace of panic as he quickly responded. Chen Tian'an was his father, Old Chen's name.

Constable Zheng had other matters to attend to today and had no intention of engaging with Chen Ping'an further. Additionally, Chen Ping'an's attitude was appropriate. Aside from his earlier behavior, there was nothing else worth reprimanding.

"In the Town Guard Office, everything must follow the rules. No one likes those who don't follow the rules."

After scolding Chen Ping'an, Constable Zheng ignored him and walked straight into the Town Guard Office.

The rules of the Town Guard Office dictated that constables had to arrive earlier than shift leaders, and temporary constables had to arrive earlier than official constables. An unregistered temporary constable had no right to make official constables or shift leaders wait.

"Constable Zheng's lesson is well taken. This humble one, Chen Ping'an, understands." Chen Ping'an lowered his head, his eyes calm, though no one could tell what he was thinking.

Although he had left home late today, he had rushed all the way and still hadn't been late. But...

It didn't matter anymore!

Because Constable Zheng had arrived earlier than him, and that was enough!

In the eyes of the rules, he was late.

"Constable Zheng!"

"Good morning, Constable Zheng."

"..."

Greetings rang out intermittently in the Town Guard Office as constables paid their respects to Constable Zheng.

Shift leaders were only mid-level in the Nanquan Lane Town Guard Office, but they wielded authority and influence that was hard to imagine.

"Shift leaders..."

Chen Ping'an stood with his head lowered, waiting for a dozen breaths after Constable Zheng entered before he finally walked in.

Many constables had witnessed what had happened at the Town Guard Office gate.

As Chen Ping'an entered, some constables gloated, clearly waiting to see how things would unfold. Others remained indifferent, while a few showed sympathy.

When he reached his usual spot, not only were Houzi and Dashan there, but even the rarely seen Qin was present.

"Qin."

Chen Ping'an greeted him first.

Qin nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"Ping'an, are you okay?"

Houzi asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Chen Ping'an waved his hand slightly, indicating that there was no need to worry.

"Ping'an, did something happen today? Why were you so late?" Dashan asked in his usual gruff tone.

"Well, I ran into something this morning and left home a bit late," Chen Ping'an replied. Seeing the concerned looks on Houzi and Dashan's faces, he added, "But it's all resolved now. No need to worry."

"Resolved? Heh! Looks like I missed my chance to help out. Ping'an, you know how eager I am to lend a hand," Houzi said with exaggerated gestures.

Chen Ping'an knew Houzi was trying to lighten the mood and distract him.

In the eyes of ordinary constables, being scolded by a shift leader, especially Constable Zheng, was no small matter. At the very least, one would feel down for a few days.

In other professions, if you offended a supervisor, you could switch jobs and still make a name for yourself. But in the Town Guard Office, that was impossible! Offending a shift leader meant either apologizing until they were satisfied or being crushed into the dust.

However, Chen Ping'an's situation today wasn't exactly an offense against Constable Zheng. It was more about leaving a bad impression. There was still room to turn things around.

Still, it wasn't a good situation.

"By the way, why did Constable Zheng come so early today? And why are the other shift leaders here too?" Chen Ping'an glanced around and noticed that besides Constable Zheng, Constable Yan, Constable Li, and Constable Huang were also present.

Out of the five shift leaders in the Nanquan Lane Town Guard Office, four were here today.

"Yeah, it's strange," Houzi said, also puzzled. "Is there something special happening today?"

"Qin, do you know anything?" Houzi asked.

"You'll find out soon," Qin replied with a grin, his wrinkles deepening.

As the group whispered among themselves, another figure entered the Town Guard Office gate.

"Constable Liu is here too?" Houzi was stunned.

With Constable Liu's arrival, all five shift leaders were present. What was going on today?

All five shift leaders gathering was an extremely rare occurrence, aside from the bi-monthly duty meetings. And according to the schedule, it wasn't time for one yet.

In the Town Guard Office, aside from Houzi and Chen Ping'an, many other constables were equally puzzled.

By now, the pre-shift meeting should have started. However, the five shift leaders stood on the platform, none of them stepping forward to speak.

On the platform, the shift leaders faced the Town Guard Office gate, none of them sitting. Below, the constables waited in silence.

"Could it be..."

Seeing this scene, Chen Ping'an had a flash of insight.

He glanced at Houzi and saw a look of understanding on his face.

"It seems something important is happening today," Houzi said in a low voice.

Chen Ping'an nodded slightly.

The only people who could make the shift leaders wait like this in the Nanquan Lane Town Guard Office were the two Constables.

Constable Shen Shikang and Deputy Constable Tian Fuliang of Nanquan Lane.

In the Town Guard Office, the five shift leaders and over a hundred constables waited in silence.

Amidst the anticipation, a figure entered through the gate of the Nanquan Lane Town Guard Office.

The man wore a dark fish-scale uniform, a goose-feather saber at his waist, and leather boots. Each step he took was firm and powerful.

The fish-scale uniform was dark, as if dredged from the depths of the sea. The scales on it were meticulously crafted by skilled artisans. Under the sunlight, the scales shimmered with a deep, mysterious glow.

In the entire Nanquan Lane Town Guard Office, only two people had the privilege of wearing the fish-scale uniform.

"Greetings, Deputy Constable Tian!"

A thunderous voice echoed through the Town Guard Office. As the voice rang out, all the constables bowed deeply.

Amidst the bows and greetings, Tian Fuliang walked calmly to the platform and took a seat in the central chair.

"Rise," he said indifferently.

The response was another thunderous chorus.

"Yes, Deputy Constable Tian."

The constables stood up, Chen Ping'an among them.