Chapter 55

Under the moonlight, a young woman in her twenties stood not far from Chen Ping'an. She held a long sword in her hand, the blade still stained with fresh blood.

Although the two First-Class Deacons of the Demonic Cult had managed to restrain Mu Wanjun, they had also paid a considerable price.

Chen Ping'an looked up at the woman, his gaze slightly dazed.

From a distance, he hadn't been able to see clearly, but now that he was closer, he could make out her features.

"Which alley's inspector is this? How is she so young?"

Chen Ping'an was surprised, but he immediately bowed respectfully.

"Your humble servant greets the inspector!"

Unsure of her identity and not knowing how to address her, calling her "inspector" was the safest bet.

"Quite sharp. What's your name?"

Mu Wanjun's cool voice rang out.

"Reporting to the inspector, your humble servant is Chen Ping'an, a temporary constable of Nanquan Alley."

"A temporary constable?" Mu Wanjun looked at Chen Ping'an with some surprise.

He had a clear and handsome face, with red lips and white teeth—a fine young man.

Unfortunately, he had no martial arts training!

"How old are you?"

Mu Wanjun looked at Chen Ping'an thoughtfully.

"Reporting to the inspector, I am nineteen years old, and in less than three months, I will reach the age of twenty."

This young man had caught her eye. She had initially considered transferring him to the Southern District Town Patrol Office to train him. However, at his age and without any martial arts foundation, even if he had some talent, his potential for growth would be extremely limited. Moreover, forcing such training would place an unimaginable burden on him. Rather than that...

Hearing that Chen Ping'an was nearly twenty, Mu Wanjun changed her mind.

The appearance of Wu Haihua, the Grand Deacon of the Demonic Cult, in the city was no small matter. Mu Wanjun had no time to exchange pleasantries with Chen Ping'an.

"Chen Ping'an, I've noted your name. I'll handle the situation here. You continue your night patrol!"

"Yes, inspector."

Chen Ping'an felt a surge of joy and responded with a fist salute.

At that moment, the sound of rapid footsteps and shouts came from the distance.

"Town Patrol constables are here! Surrender now, villains!"

The gong had served as the signal, and the Town Patrol's reinforcements had arrived!

"Hmph." Mu Wanjun snorted coldly, her face showing displeasure. She paid no further attention to Chen Ping'an and, with a few leaps, disappeared from his sight.

Chen Ping'an watched her leave, feeling a mix of excitement and relief.

His name had been noted, and her tone made it clear that there would be rewards afterward.

He had been lucky! This time, it had been a close call, but he had come out on top!

He had gambled and won!

Chen Ping'an didn't dare linger any longer and quickly left the scene. Who knew if those people might return for a counterattack? If they did, he would be in serious trouble.

Ah, after all, his strength was still too weak.

After reaching the third level of Qi and Blood, Chen Ping'an had felt somewhat proud of himself. In Nanquan Alley, he was now a notable figure, with strength comparable to that of a constable captain.

But the battle he had witnessed from a distance had been a wake-up call.

Even the weakest among them could easily knock down a wall.

For Chen Ping'an, the contrast was stark!

Training! Training! More training! He couldn't afford to be complacent!

After this experience, any sense of pride or complacency in Chen Ping'an's heart had completely vanished.

The latter half of the night in Jiming Alley was no longer quiet.

A large number of constables arrived, conducting extensive searches in Jiming Alley and the surrounding streets.

"Such a big operation!"

Chen Ping'an marveled silently. It seemed the woman's influence was greater than he had imagined.

He hoped she was as powerful as possible, as that would mean greater rewards for him afterward.

The night passed, and Chen Ping'an successfully completed his shift.

What he didn't know was that in the following days, the entire Southern District Town Patrol Office would undergo seismic changes due to the events of the previous night.

Since he had been on night patrol, Chen Ping'an was entitled to a day off the next day.

After returning home, Chen Ping'an found that Chen Erya had already prepared a pot of sweet and soft rice porridge for him. He devoured three large bowls before feeling about seventy percent full.

After completing his morning stone-throwing practice, Chen Ping'an exchanged a few words with Chen Erya and then went into his room to sleep.

When he woke up, it was already past noon. Although he hadn't slept for many hours, Chen Ping'an felt refreshed and in high spirits.

"Brother, you're awake," Chen Erya said as she washed clothes in the yard.

"Yes, I'm awake," Chen Ping'an replied.

"Brother, this morning, it seemed like a lot of constables came by."

"Oh?" Chen Ping'an immediately thought of the events from the previous night.

After all, the appearance of the Demonic Cult in the city and their clash with the Town Patrol inspector was no small matter.

"Are they still here?"

"They've already left," Chen Erya replied. "They questioned every household this morning. It was quite a scene."

"Hmm." Chen Ping'an nodded.

With the Town Patrol conducting such a large-scale investigation, some of the gangs in Nanquan Alley would likely be confused about the reason.

Under such pressure, these gangs would likely lay low for a while.

This meant that both he and Erya should be safe for the time being. The Tiger Head Gang's Little Tiger Lord wouldn't dare make a move during such a sensitive period.

Feeling reassured, Chen Ping'an exchanged a few more words with Chen Erya and then began his stone-throwing practice.

After a good sleep, he was full of energy and could easily manage several rounds of practice.

Time at home always seemed to fly by. After practicing stone-throwing three times in the afternoon, the day quickly turned to evening.

After dinner, the siblings talked for a long time.

Chen Erya seemed worried about the situation outside, but Chen Ping'an remained calm. However, beneath his calm demeanor, there was a hint of concern.

If the Demonic Cult members were active in the city, what if one day they went on a rampage and came to their home? How would he handle it?

Strength! He still needed strength! Without strength, in this world, one couldn't even stand tall.

When Chen Ping'an arrived at the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office, he could clearly sense the tense atmosphere. The constables, who usually gathered in small groups, were now mostly silent and not talking.

Even Zheng Shiyong, who was usually quite lively, seemed unusually subdued.

After chatting with Houzi, Chen Ping'an learned that the appearance of Demonic Cult members in Nanquan Alley had put immense pressure on the Southern District Town Patrol Office. During the previous day's pre-shift meeting, Deputy Inspector Tian Fuliang had flown into a rage over numerous oversights.

As time passed, more constables arrived, most of them looking grim.

"Ping'an, Houzi, Dashan."

Even Qin, who rarely showed up, was present and greeted them.

"Qin," Chen Ping'an and the others responded.

Chen Ping'an observed that Qin didn't look too well either. His complexion seemed worse than the last time Chen Ping'an had seen him. After a moment's thought, Chen Ping'an understood why.

That night's patrol had been his and Qin's shift. Who would have thought such an incident would occur? Qin had been lucky this time, as no one had held him accountable, but his luck might not hold in the future. This meant that for a long time, Qin wouldn't be able to slack off and enjoy life as he used to.