Chapter 32

In the Chen family courtyard in Pear Blossom Lane, Chen Ping'an lay in bed, listening to Chen Erya's steady breathing as he quietly pondered.

Patchy Fish of the Green Fish Gang. 

Wanted notices. 

Official constable. 

Tiger Head Gang's monthly fees. 

One thing after another intertwined in Chen Ping'an's mind. 

After finishing his shift today, while having dinner with Chen Erya, Uncle Zhang had delivered the stones he had requested. 

Chen Ping'an cleared the sand and gravel from the courtyard and, together with Uncle Zhang, brought over several baskets of stones. 

Replacing the sand and gravel with stones had once again increased the speed of his Iron Shirt training. The time required to gain 1 experience point was now significantly shorter. Not only that, but tonight Chen Ping'an had managed to practice Iron Shirt four times in a row, successfully gaining 4 experience points. 

This meant 3 experience points in the morning and 4 at night, totaling 7 experience points in a day. 

In just over ten more days, he could achieve perfection in Iron Shirt! 

Once Iron Shirt reached perfection, he would have no other martial arts to practice, and his current rapid progress would slow down or even come to a halt. 

"I must become an official constable of the Town Guard Office before Iron Shirt reaches perfection! With the official constable status, I can legitimately obtain the Thirteen Sabers of the Public Gate. Then everything will fall into place, and I can gradually reveal my true strength!" 

As Chen Ping'an pondered, a panel visible only to him appeared in his vision. 

**Name:** Chen Ping'an 

**Realm:** Second level of Qi and Blood 

**Martial Arts:** Iron Shirt, Major Achievement (13/100) 

Perhaps it was the matter of the Green Fish Gang remnants and the wanted notices, or the fact that they had found no trace of the fugitives in two days, but Chen Ping'an felt a sense of unease. 

Normally, he would fall asleep easily, but tonight he was unusually restless. Various thoughts raced through his mind. 

Outside the window, the moon was obscured by clouds, its light dim, casting the surroundings into deep darkness. 

A shadowy figure silently flipped over the courtyard wall. Upon landing, it made a nearly imperceptible sound. 

This level of noise would be impossible for an ordinary person to detect. 

But it couldn't escape the notice of Chen Ping'an, who had reached the second level of Qi and Blood. 

Inside the room, Chen Ping'an's body tensed, and his expression changed abruptly. 

There was someone in the courtyard! 

His body stiffened, slightly arched, as he focused intently on sensing the situation outside. 

Though he couldn't see with his eyes, the sounds formed a clear trajectory in his ears. 

The intruder's footsteps were light, almost silent, as they entered the small kitchen. 

"Why the kitchen? Could it be... to steal food?" 

Then, a faint creak. 

Chen Ping'an knew the intruder had opened the cabinet door in the kitchen. 

Next came the clinking of porcelain bowls. 

Footsteps sounded again as the intruder left the kitchen, seemingly heading toward their room. 

In that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Chen Ping'an's mind. 

Who was this person? 

What were they here for? 

What was their goal? 

The footsteps grew closer. 

Thump! Thump! 

Chen Ping'an's heartbeat quickened. 

He was ready to rise and counterattack at any moment. 

One step! Two steps! Three steps! 

Chen Ping'an counted the steps. A few more, and he would flip over and subdue the intruder in one move. 

Somehow, at this critical moment, his heart gradually calmed, as if he had entered a strange, tranquil state. 

Chen Ping'an silently counted, prepared to deliver a fatal strike. 

But suddenly, the footsteps stopped. The intruder stood still for about three breaths, then turned and left. 

At this moment, Chen Ping'an's reaction wasn't to relax. The first thought that flashed through his mind was: Chase! 

By the dim moonlight, he glanced at Chen Erya beside him. Quietly, he got up, and by the time he reached the door, the shadowy figure had just flipped over the courtyard wall. 

Chen Ping'an moved lightly, also flipping over the wall. Seeing the figure running not far ahead, he felt a slight relief and followed stealthily. 

After winding through several alleys for about half a quarter of an hour, the figure suddenly flipped into a courtyard. 

"Is this their hideout? Or something else..." 

Chen Ping'an watched the figure enter the courtyard and hesitated for a moment. 

After waiting a bit, he approached the courtyard and flipped onto the wall. 

Lying on the wall, he scanned the area. The courtyard was larger than his own but overgrown with weeds. The only sign of life was a pile of firewood not far away. After observing for a while, he saw no trace of the intruder. 

"Did they go inside?" 

Chen Ping'an guessed. 

Confirming that the courtyard was empty, he flipped down from the wall. 

Thud! 

The moment he landed, before he could steady himself, the pile of firewood exploded as if struck by a force. A shadowy figure lunged out from behind the woodpile. 

The figure was tall, a full head taller than Chen Ping'an. 

Whoosh! 

A gust of wind accompanied the figure's fist, which was already closing in on Chen Ping'an. 

"Not good!" 

Chen Ping'an's instincts screamed warnings. 

Before his mind could fully react, his body moved instinctively, raising an arm to block. 

This was the practical application of Iron Shirt, a skill ingrained in him through the starlight's memories. 

Bang! 

The figure's fist collided heavily with Chen Ping'an's arm. 

The tremendous force sent Chen Ping'an stumbling back several steps, his qi and blood churning. 

"Second level of Qi and Blood!" 

Chen Ping'an wasn't the only one feeling the impact. The figure, who had expected his sneak attack to knock his pursuer out cold, was equally shocked to find himself facing a tough opponent. 

At that moment, under the dim moonlight, Chen Ping'an finally got a clear look at the figure's face. 

A buzz cut, a square face, large ears, and a long scar running from the corner of his eye. 

It was Patchy Fish, the high-ranking member of the Green Fish Gang! 

Chen Ping'an's face lit up with excitement. 

After searching high and low, he had unexpectedly found his target! 

Realizing he had bitten off more than he could chew, Patchy Fish's first instinct was to flee. 

His martial arts level was on par with Chen Ping'an's, but his injuries hadn't fully healed. A prolonged fight would be disastrous. Moreover, if the commotion attracted the night patrol of the Town Guard Office, he would be dead for sure! 

"Where do you think you're going?" 

Seeing Patchy Fish try to escape, Chen Ping'an wouldn't allow it. He shouted and lunged forward. 

"Get lost!" 

Patchy Fish roared, delivering a whip kick aimed at Chen Ping'an. 

The kick came with a gust of wind, full of force. 

An ordinary person struck by this kick would be severely injured, if not killed. 

But Chen Ping'an ignored it, his stance unchanged, arms spread wide, intending to take the kick head-on and then grab hold of Patchy Fish. 

The whip kick landed heavily on Chen Ping'an's chest. 

A cruel smile spread across Patchy Fish's face. 

Taking his kick head-on? Even a second-level Qi and Blood martial artist wouldn't walk away unscathed. 

It seemed his opponent was still too young, too eager to keep him here, and had instead given him an opportunity. 

But in the next moment, Patchy Fish's smile froze. 

"How is this possible!?"