Chapter 52

Chen Ping'an's expression was cold, his eyes deep and unfathomable. His words carried a weight that made it hard not to believe him.

Little Tiger Lord narrowed his eyes, studying Chen Ping'an as if seeing him for the first time.

For a moment, he thought he caught a glimpse of Old Chen in the young man.

Old Chen hadn't lived in vain—he had raised a son with both courage and skill!

But...

A fight to the death?

Ridiculous!

Did Chen Ping'an really think Little Tiger Lord was someone who could be intimidated?

Just as Little Tiger Lord was about to take another step forward, a sharp shout came from the other end of the alley.

"Town Patrol night patrol! What's going on over there!"

Little Tiger Lord turned his head and saw two constables in the distance, each carrying a sword. One held a lantern, the other a gong, walking toward them.

At first, the two constables walked with confidence, but as they got closer, their demeanor faltered. When they recognized Little Tiger Lord's imposing figure, they seemed to shrink.

"It's Little Tiger Lord!"

Constables in Nanquan Alley naturally recognized high-ranking members of the Tiger Head Gang like Little Tiger Lord. Not only did they recognize him, but they also knew better than to offend him unless absolutely necessary.

As they approached and realized Little Tiger Lord was here, the two constables couldn't help but regret their decision to intervene.

Especially under the hostile gazes of the seven or eight thugs, they felt a chill run down their spines.

Little Tiger Lord was clearly up to no good! If only they had pretended not to see anything and walked away, they wouldn't be in this mess now!

Now that they were here, they couldn't just leave, but they also couldn't stop him. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place!

Even if they were determined to stop Little Tiger Lord, they were only temporary constables. With their status, trying to stop a Tiger Head Gang enforcer like Little Tiger Lord was nothing short of a pipe dream.

As they were racking their brains, they suddenly noticed Chen Ping'an sitting in the courtyard.

"Chen Ping'an?"

As fellow temporary constables in Nanquan Alley, they naturally knew each other.

Little Tiger Lord glanced at Chen Ping'an in the courtyard, then at the two approaching constables. His thoughts shifted, and he decided to abandon his earlier plan.

To be honest, he hadn't taken Chen Ping'an's threat of a fight to the death seriously. However, teaching Chen Ping'an a lesson in front of two Town Patrol constables would be somewhat inappropriate. He wasn't afraid, but he didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble over this.

After all, the gang's internal situation was delicate right now, and many people were watching him closely. He couldn't afford any complications—securing the Qi and Blood Pills was his top priority!

"Kid, you've got some luck today!"

Little Tiger Lord forced a dry laugh as he spoke to Chen Ping'an.

"Let's hope your luck holds! But..."

He didn't hesitate to threaten Chen Ping'an in front of the two constables.

Indeed, as a high-ranking gang member, Little Tiger Lord had little to fear from ordinary constables, as long as he didn't offend any powerful figures. Unless someone higher up ordered his arrest, he wasn't worried.

Little Tiger Lord gave Chen Ping'an a sinister smile, staring at him for a long moment before finally waving his hand and leading his men away.

Before leaving, the thugs each shot Chen Ping'an a menacing glare.

"Kid, just you wait!"

Feizi made a thumbs-down gesture, mouthing the words silently.

Luck? If anyone was lucky, it was you!

Chen Ping'an sneered inwardly.

By now, the two constables had also realized what had happened. They couldn't figure out why Little Tiger Lord had left so quickly after their arrival.

Did they really have that much influence?

Chen Ping'an nodded slightly at the two men in acknowledgment.

"Care to come in?"

He invited them.

The two constables, Zhao Hu and Cheng Yuan, had similar seniority to Chen Ping'an. They were better off than him because they knew how to curry favor with the right people.

"No, no."

They waved their hands in refusal.

No way!

Little Tiger Lord's intentions were clear—Chen Ping'an had offended him, and he wasn't going to let it go.

If they entered Chen Ping'an's house, it would be like taking his side.

Getting involved in a conflict with a high-ranking Tiger Head Gang member like Little Tiger Lord was the last thing they wanted.

As for being colleagues? What did that even mean? Could it be eaten?

Chen Ping'an was just a nobody. Helping him would only bring trouble, with no benefits in return.

Only a fool would do that!

Seeing their refusal, Chen Ping'an didn't press the matter. He could guess what they were thinking.

But it was human nature, and he understood.

Although unintentional, their actions had helped him nonetheless.

After watching Zhao Hu and Cheng Yuan leave, Chen Ping'an got up and closed the courtyard gate.

Well then!

The latest updates are first released on 69shuba!

The horizontal beam was broken again!

He'd have to find another piece of firewood to use as a temporary beam.

"Little sister, were you scared just now?"

The scene earlier, with Little Tiger Lord bringing seven or eight men, had been quite intimidating.

"With you here, I wasn't scared," Chen Erya replied with a sweet smile.

"Good, that's good," Chen Ping'an responded with a smile.

After all the commotion, it was already dark.

"I can't practice throwing stones at the wall anymore!"

As Chen Ping'an practiced more and more, and with his skill in throwing stones improving, the force behind his throws had increased significantly. If he kept practicing like this, the wall would eventually develop a large hole.

Since he couldn't practice against the wall, Chen Ping'an turned his attention to a pile of stones in the corner of the yard. These were left over from when he practiced Iron Shirt.

"I'll practice on the stone pile!"

Chen Ping'an positioned himself as far away as possible, holding a suitably sized stone, and began his practice.

Perhaps because his skill in throwing stones had improved, or maybe because of the day's events, Chen Ping'an's emotions were stirred, and he managed to gain 4 points of practice experience that night.

Name: Chen Ping'an 

Level: Third Level of Qi and Blood 

Martial Arts: Iron Shirt (Mastered), Stone Throwing (Small Achievement) (6/40)

Looking at the data on his panel, Chen Ping'an felt quite satisfied. He could now gain 6 points of experience per day. At this rate, in six days, he would achieve mastery in stone throwing!

Once he mastered stone throwing, his overall strength would increase significantly, giving him more confidence to face the unknown.

He didn't believe that Little Tiger Lord would let today's incident slide.

Trouble was sure to come his way soon!

But it didn't matter. From the moment he had shouted at those thugs to get out, he had already prepared for the worst.

Since he had stepped onto the path of martial arts, he would forge ahead with determination!

If Little Tiger Lord kept causing trouble, he would just find a night to finish him off!

The night passed quickly.

Early the next morning, Chen Ping'an arrived at the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office, exchanged a few words with Monkey Head and Big Mountain, and after the morning briefing, he returned home.

"Night patrol duty again!"

According to the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office's schedule, tonight he would be on night patrol with Constable Qin.

However, most of the time, Constable Qin only showed up for roll call and was nowhere to be seen afterward.

So, when assigned to patrol with Constable Qin, it usually meant Chen Ping'an would be patrolling alone.

Tonight, he would be patrolling Jiming Alley.