Chief Constable Zhang's surname was Zhang and his given name was De. In this small patch of Southern District, he was the law.
His gaze swept across the courtyard. The temporary constables all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes. The regular constables, meanwhile, straightened their backs even further.
Zhang De walked beneath the eaves to the grand chair there, but he did not sit down immediately. Instead, he turned around to face everyone. Two more people walked out side by side behind him.
The man on the left was tall and lean, with fair, clean features and three wisps of goatee. His sleeves swayed lightly as he walked, giving him the air of a scholar. This was Chief Constable Li.
The man on the right was short, plump, and solidly built, with a kindly face. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into a slit, making him look exactly like a wealthy old gentleman. This was Chief Constable Huang.
The three men stood beneath the eaves, and the air throughout the courtyard seemed to grow heavier.
Wei Datong stood beside Ye Qingxuan, his head hanging even lower, nearly burying itself in his chest. He only stole glances from the corners of his eyes.
Zhang De cleared his throat. His booming voice echoed through the courtyard:
"Fellow colleagues, there are a few words I would like to say at this morning's roll call."
"The day before yesterday, our Fengtian Division struck like thunder and wiped out the Green Fish Gang, which had occupied the southern part of the city for years! In that battle, we killed their gang leader, captured their core members, seized countless stolen silver and goods, and upheld the might of our Fengtian Division!"
He paused, his tone growing even more impassioned. "We eat the ruler's food and bear the ruler's worries. Beneath the official order of Linyuan Prefecture, turbid currents surge, gangs run rampant, and crime breeds. Our Fengtian Division is the sharp sword suspended above these turbid currents! Where our duty lies, there we must cut down every demon and monster and return a clear and bright world to the common people!"
His words rang out like metal striking stone. Several young regular constables' chests heaved, excitement already showing on their faces.
"Well said!"
"Wiping out black gangs is our duty!"
Several constables beneath the eaves joined in, and the atmosphere briefly soared.
Beside him, Wei Datong curled his lip and lightly nudged Ye Qingxuan with his elbow. His voice was pressed extremely low, squeezed out between his teeth. "They only talk about how impressive it was, but they're not handing out any reward money. The Green Fish Gang's fat profits still ended up in the pockets of those few."
Ye Qingxuan said nothing.
Half his attention was focused on his body's reaction. After two nights of arduous cultivation, he stood in the morning breeze without feeling the slightest chill. Instead, warmth steamed through his entire body. Beneath the skin around the bruises from last night's beating, there was a tingling, itching sensation, as though countless ants were crawling there, bringing new life.
His other half of attention rested on the three grand chairs beneath the eaves.
Chief Constable Zhang was full of spirit, speaking with a torrent of eloquence.
Chief Constable Li stroked his beard and nodded slightly, looking as though everything was under his control.
Chief Constable Huang listened with a beaming smile, occasionally lifting the teacup beside him, blowing away the foam, and taking a small sip.
The tea was fine pre-Qingming Longjing. Its fragrance mingled with the steam and drifted a long way. Even Ye Qingxuan could smell it.
As he listened to Chief Constable Zhang's impassioned words, another calculation was turning over in his mind.
He had gained another bit of Merit from cultivating last night. His body's recovery was even faster than he had expected. The qi and blood provided by that bowl of beef and ten eggs had been devoured by his body almost completely.
If I can eat another good meal at noon... perhaps I can cultivate one more time tonight.
When ordinary people tempered their bodies, they practiced once every three days and endured the pain once every five, while also needing to soak in medicinal broth to avoid damaging their foundations. His Heavenly Machine Codex, however, could dissolve the damage without a trace.
Twice a night... perhaps even three times?
As long as he could keep up with the food, his progress would be beyond ordinary people's imagination.
Money.
When all was said and done, it still came down to money.
Ye Qingxuan's gaze returned to the three Chief Constables.
Whenever they sat there, hot tea was brought to them. With a single word, they could decide the Green Fish Gang's destruction and determine the destination of countless stolen silver coins. The uniforms on their bodies represented power. They represented silver.
A true man should be like this.
This thought had not appeared out of thin air. It was like a seed buried deep underground. Under Duan Tianbao's coercion last night, and amid this clearly stratified courtyard that morning, it had finally broken through the soil and seen the light.
Staying alive was only the first step.
What he wanted was to live standing up, to live with dignity.
He wanted Nannan to have enough to eat and warm clothes to wear, without needing to read people's expressions or live in fear and alarm.
He did not want to keep listening to others speak from above.
He wanted to sit up there and listen.
No—he wanted to stand up there and speak eloquently to the people below!
Ye Qingxuan's hand hanging at his side quietly clenched, then slowly relaxed.
The speech from the platform continued, moving from praising those who had rendered meritorious service to reprimanding negligence on duty. It went on at length for another quarter of an hour.
Most of the temporary constables in the courtyard were already nodding off, merely forcing themselves not to sway.
Xiong Tiezhu stood not far away like an Iron Pagoda, motionless as a mountain. No one knew whether he was listening or thinking about his fist techniques.
At last, Zhang De finished speaking and lifted his teacup to moisten his throat.
A regular constable stepped forward, unfurled a roster, and began assigning the day's duties.
"East of the city, Heavenly Official Street—Zhang San, Li Si..."
"West of the city, Grain Alley—Zhao Wu, Wang the Pockmarked..."
One name after another was called. One pair of temporary constables after another stepped out, took their waist badges, and hurried away.
Ye Qingxuan's heart, however, sank lower.
He needed money. He needed an opportunity to make money quickly. Patrolling the streets was as bland as water; after a whole day, he would not even scrape off a speck of grease.
What he needed was an assignment with a bounty, or one that would let him come into contact with all sorts of people and investigate information.
"Pear Blossom Alley." The constable's voice rang out again. "Ye Qingxuan, Wei Datong, Xiong Tiezhu."
Three people?
Everyone remaining in the courtyard turned to look over.
Street patrols were usually done in pairs. Sending three people together was unusual.
Wei Datong was also stunned, then a hint of delight appeared on his face. He nudged Ye Qingxuan with his elbow again, waggling his eyebrows. In a hushed voice, he said, "Pear Blossom Alley? That's a fine place. The Fragrant Courtyard there just got a new Little Phoenix Fairy. I hear she's quite good at her work..."
Ye Qingxuan ignored his lewd remarks and simply answered, "Here!"
Xiong Tiezhu also answered in his deep, rumbling voice.
The three of them stepped out and walked over to the constable.
The constable looked them over. His gaze paused on Xiong Tiezhu's burly frame, then swept over Ye Qingxuan and Wei Datong. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Pear Blossom Alley hasn't been peaceful lately. Some ruffians and scoundrels, relying on their numbers, have been bullying businesses and collecting 'protection money.' The three of you go there, walk around more, and keep your eyes open. If something happens, don't act rashly. Come back and report it first."
The words sounded like instructions, but in truth they were a warning.
The meaning was clear: you three temporary workers are only going there to put on a show of strength. Don't actually think you're important and get into a fight with anyone.
Wei Datong nodded and bowed repeatedly. "Yes, yes, Chief, don't worry. We understand."
The constable said no more. He tossed them three waist badges, then turned and went back into the rear hall.
The meeting was over.
In the blink of an eye, everyone in the courtyard had left.
Holding his waist badge, Wei Datong was brimming with excitement. "Come on, come on, let's go to Pear Blossom Alley! I'm telling you, that place is nothing like our Southern District. It's crawling with fat profits. That 'Sun's Roasted Goose' at the mouth of the alley—tsk, tsk, you can smell that flavor from half a mile away."
Xiong Tiezhu slung his thick-backed saber over his shoulder, took long strides, and walked at the very front.
Ye Qingxuan followed behind, his mind still calculating.
Pear Blossom Alley...
He knew that place.
It was one of Linyuan Prefecture's pleasure districts. The Southern District was the "den" of the poor, while Pear Blossom Alley was the "playground" of the wealthy and idle.
There were restaurants, teahouses, gambling dens, and several pleasure houses and brothels. The crowds were dense, and all sorts of people were mixed together.
The fact that ruffians were collecting "protection money" meant that the Fengtian Division was already struggling to keep the place in order.
The more chaotic such a place was, the more the government, gangs, and local powers would be tangled together like the interlocking teeth of a dog. The waters would be all the murkier.
Only in muddy waters could one fish.
The three of them walked out through the government office's main gate. The morning sunlight was just right, shining warmly over their bodies.
Ye Qingxuan drew a deep breath of air carrying the scents of dust and cooking smoke.
Today might be the beginning.
The beginning of turning his strength into silver.
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