Merit and Fame Stolen, Sudden Thunder

In the alley, a tall, slender figure stood with his back to him, bathed in the cold moonlight.

Ye Qingxuan's body tensed, his right hand already on the short-handled saber at his waist. The dried bloodstains on the hilt still felt slightly sticky to the touch.

He pushed off the ground with his toes, making not a sound, his entire body clinging to the shadows along the wall like a gecko as he slowly approached.

The person remained motionless, as if looking at his courtyard gate, or perhaps at the faded Spring Festival couplets on the door.

Ten steps, five steps, three steps...

Just as Ye Qingxuan was about to launch a surprise attack, the person suddenly moved. He turned around, his face, reeking of alcohol, appearing lost and weary in the moonlight.

It was a drunkard.

The drunkard staggered, leaning against the wall, muttering something incoherently. He had taken a wrong turn down the alley and mistaken his courtyard gate for his own.

Ye Qingxuan released his grip on the saber, and the surge of true qi he had gathered slowly sank back into his dan tian. He remained silent, quietly watching the drunkard fumble his way away, eventually disappearing into the depths of the alley.

He pushed open the courtyard gate and entered the house. His sister, Ye Caiwei, was sleeping soundly, her small body curled up in her quilt, breathing evenly.

He sat on the edge of the bed, using the faint light filtering in from the window to look at his sister's peaceful sleeping face. The scene at the alley entrance just now had tightened the string of anxiety in his heart by another notch. In this chaotic world, unseen dangers lurked everywhere.

He reached into his embrace and pulled out a dark, heavy iron token. It was the token Zhang Zhenglong had given him. The token felt cool to the touch, a metallic chill that gradually calmed his agitated heart.

This was his proof.

With this, tomorrow's matter would have a seventy percent chance of success. Thirty taels of silver, a meritorious deed, the identity of a formal constable... These things that were once out of reach were now within his grasp.

The corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn upwards.

He carefully put the token back into his embrace, hiding it close to his body. The night's journey and battles had left him exhausted, but his spirit was unusually high. He didn't sleep, but instead sat cross-legged on the floor by the bed, quietly regulating his breathing to recover his depleted stamina.

And as he regulated his breathing, in the back hall of the Fengtian Division, in the room belonging to the night-shift constables, the lights were still on.

Zhang Lingxiao pushed the door open, a suppressed excitement on his face.

"Constable Tan, did that kid leave?"

Tan Zhenglong was sitting at the table, meticulously wiping his waist saber with a coarse cloth. He didn't look up, only grunting in response.

"That meritorious deed..." Zhang Lingxiao rubbed his hands together and leaned closer. "Don't you think we should report it to my uncle?"

Tan Zhenglong's hand, which was wiping the saber, stopped. He raised his head, his tiger-like eyes revealing no emotion in the lamplight.

"Your uncle has already retired for the night."

"Chief Constable Hong may have retired, but my uncle might not have." Zhang Lingxiao chuckled. "Such a great meritorious deed, if my uncle knew, he would surely reward us handsomely. Constable Tan, you..."

"That meritorious deed was achieved by that kid," Tan Zhenglong interrupted him, his voice flat. "He killed the person. I merely received the report."

The smile on Zhang Lingxiao's face faltered.

"Constable Tan, you can't say that," he lowered his voice. "That kid, an unregistered temporary constable, what right does he have? If we say he killed them, who would believe it? If this got out, people would just laugh. But if it were you or me, it would be legitimate."

Tan Zhenglong said nothing, continuing to wipe the saber blade with the cloth, over and over, as if there were an indelible stain on it.

Seeing this, Zhang Lingxiao's eyes darted around. He pulled a heavy cloth bag from his bosom and silently placed it on the table. The bag made a soft "ding" sound as it touched the tabletop.

"Constable Tan, you've spent half your life toiling in the Fengtian Division, with great merit and hard work, yet in the end, you're still just a constable?" Zhang Lingxiao's voice was seductive. "My uncle said that as long as this matter is handled well, he will put in a good word for you with Deputy Envoy Xiao in the future. A deputy chief constable position, I dare not say it's a sure thing, but it's not impossible."

Tan Zhenglong's hand, wiping the saber, finally stopped.

He raised his eyes, looking at the cloth bag on the table, then at Zhang Lingxiao's face, filled with greed and calculation.

After a long pause, he slowly said, "This matter must be handled cleanly."

Zhang Lingxiao was overjoyed. "Of course! I'll go find my uncle right now to discuss this matter thoroughly..."

As he spoke, he cupped his hands towards Tan Zhenglong and turned to leave quickly, his back filled with impatience.

In the room, Tan Zhenglong picked up the cloth bag on the table, weighed it, and casually tossed it into a drawer. He blew out the lamp and sat back down in the darkness, his weathered face obscured in the moonlight filtering through the window.

The next day, at the first hint of dawn.

Ye Qingxuan was already practicing in the courtyard. He was shirtless, using the roughest, sharpest-cornered stone to scrape his body.

A night of regulating his breathing had fully restored his energy. After Body Tempering second level, his body's recovery ability was far superior to before.

Sharp pain radiated from his skin, but he was oblivious, his mind completely immersed in the scroll in his mind.

[Mysterious Stone Body Tempering, skin and flesh toughened, Merit +1.]

After a long while, he stopped. He fetched well water to wash away the sweat and bloodstains, feeling refreshed and invigorated, his limbs filled with strength.

He brought up the scroll.

[Name: Ye Qingxuan]

[Realm: Body Tempering Second Level (Muscle Training)]

[Martial Art: Indestructible Vajra Body (Realm: Great Accomplishment, Progress: Four Inches, Merit: 16/100)]

The one hundred points to reach perfection were still a long way off. But his current state of mind was completely different from yesterday. The meritorious deed from last night was the greatest resource, allowing him to save countless hours of arduous cultivation.

He put on his clothes, ate two flatbreads his sister had left for him, and then walked briskly out the door.

By the time he arrived at the Fengtian Division, it was already bright daylight. The courtyard was bustling with people, a scene of busy activity.

"Morning, Qingxuan!" Wei Datong called out to him from a distance, yawning.

"Morning, Brother Wei," Ye Qingxuan replied with a smile.

Xiong Tiezhu also nodded at him with a simple, honest expression.

Ye Qingxuan was in an exceptionally good mood, finding even the drab government office more pleasing to his eyes. He patted the hard iron token in his embrace, waiting for Constable Tan to summon him so he could claim the credit that was rightfully his.

He stood in the courtyard with Wei Datong and the others, chatting idly as they awaited the daily roll call.

Before long, the courtyard suddenly fell silent.

Three figures emerged from the back hall together. Leading them was the uncle of Zhang Lingxiao, Chief Constable Zhang. Beside him were two other chief constables, Chief Constable Yan and Chief Constable Huang.

The appearance of three chief constables at once was no ordinary event. All the constables in the courtyard, whether official or temporary, fell silent and stood at attention with their hands at their sides.

Chief Constable Zhang walked to the stone steps in the center of the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces. His expression was unreadable, but the sheer authority he exuded made it difficult to breathe.

"Everyone," Chief Constable Zhang began slowly, his voice carrying across the entire courtyard, "last night, the Fengtian Division achieved a great deed."

Upon hearing this, a slight stir rippled through the crowd below.

"The remnant of the Green Fish Gang, 'Mottled Fish,' who has been on the wanted list for days, has been apprehended and executed last night!"

"Whoosh—"

The crowd erupted.

"Killed? That was a bounty of thirty taels of silver!"

"Which brother was lucky enough to do that?"

"A master of Body Tempering second stage, gone just like that? I wonder which chief constable personally took him down?"

Wei Datong, standing nearby, beat his chest and stomped his feet, whispering to Ye Qingxuan, "Ah! Thirty taels! That's enough for you and me to eat well for half a year! Why does such immense fortune never fall upon us?"

Ye Qingxuan just smiled, saying nothing. He straightened his back, waiting for his name to be called by Chief Constable Zhang.

On the stone steps, Chief Constable Zhang raised his hand, making a gesture to calm them. The courtyard fell silent again.

His gaze swept through the crowd, finally landing on Ye Qingxuan.

Ye Qingxuan's heart skipped a beat.

Here it comes.

Chief Constable Zhang cleared his throat and announced the final result in a toneless voice:

"After investigation, last night, temporary constable Ye Qingxuan provided effective clues."

He stopped after saying only this.

In the crowd, many gazes turned towards Ye Qingxuan, filled with surprise, envy, and jealousy. Wei Datong even nudged him with his elbow, his face full of disbelief.

The smile on Ye Qingxuan's face froze.

Provided clues?

Just provided clues?

A sense of foreboding washed over him.

Chief Constable Zhang continued, "Official constable Tan Zhenglong and temporary constable Zhang Lingxiao, upon receiving the clues, swiftly pursued and successfully located 'Mottled Fish' in the abandoned tile yard west of the city."

The name Zhang Lingxiao struck Ye Qingxuan's ears like a needle.

He instinctively searched the crowd, but couldn't find Tan Zhenglong. He only saw Zhang Lingxiao standing behind his uncle, his face filled with arrogance and smugness.

Chief Constable Zhang's voice continued, each word like a heavy hammer striking Ye Qingxuan's heart.

"The two engaged in a fierce battle with the criminal, eventually cornering him. During the fight, Constable Tan charged forward, engaging the criminal, while Zhang Lingxiao seized an opportunity and, remaining calm under pressure, delivered the final blow, killing 'Mottled Fish' on the spot!"

"For this battle, Zhang Lingxiao deserves the primary credit! Constable Tan is second! Ye Qingxuan, for providing the clues, also deserves merit!"

"Boom—"

It was as if a thunderclap exploded in Ye Qingxuan's mind.

All the sounds around him – Wei Datong's exclamation, the whispers of others – faded instantly. In his world, only Chief Constable Zhang's moving lips and Zhang Lingxiao's triumphant face behind him remained.

The credit had been stolen.

Stolen by Tan Zhenglong, by Zhang Lingxiao, by the uncle and nephew duo.

Last night's clever words, the life-and-death struggle, the meticulous plan – all of it had amounted to nothing more than the dismissive phrase "provided clues"!

He was the one who had killed the man!

He was the one who should have received the primary credit!

A surge of heat rushed to his head. It felt as if a volcano was about to erupt in his chest. The churning rage burned through his very being, causing his internal organs to ache.

He instinctively clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deeply into his palms. The iron token in his embrace pressed against his chest, feeling like a searing hot brand.

Proof?

What kind of proof was this?

This was nothing but a joke! A joke that proved just how naive and ridiculous he was!

He looked at the sanctimonious Chief Constable Zhang on the stone steps, then at the arrogant Zhang Lingxiao behind him, and a chill shot up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

This was the rule of the Fengtian Division.

This was the justice of this corrupt world!

They could openly twist black into white.

They could stand before everyone and strip away, piece by piece, his achievements, his future, everything he had risked his life for, and feast on it!

And he, a temporary constable not on the official roster, didn't even have the right to utter a single word of protest.