"Those officers are the worst. If I were their squad leader, I'd cut every last one of them down."
Lin Fan was very unhappy. He hadn't been in this world long, but he already knew just how much power officers held over ordinary people.
"See? There you go, talking nonsense again." Wang Changhai tossed a few peanuts into his mouth. "The Hu family has been rooted in our Yong'an City for three generations. One of their ancestors was a Martial Scholar, so they've got at least a little of that prominent-family pedigree. The officials in the government will give them some face."
A Martial Scholar?
Lin Fan narrowed his eyes. Anything connected to the Martial Way had to mean something.
Seeing Lin Fan fall silent, Wang Changhai kindly tried to talk him around. "A-Fan, I know you've got a warm heart and can't stand seeing people use their official connections to bully others. But that's just the way things are now. Getting by in officialdom is harder than making it in a gang. The twists and turns in there will eat you alive without even spitting out your bones. Why insist on joining the Security Bureau? Even if you pass and become a Rookie Officer, how much money will you make in a month?"
He truly didn't want Lin Fan to join the Security Bureau.
It wasn't a place just anyone could get by in.
You had to be tactful.
Now that Lin Fan was his wife's sworn younger brother, he was one of their own. It would be great if Lin Fan stayed by his side, and when the time was right, Wang Changhai could step down, put Lin Fan in his place, and let him take over as hall master.
That would make him a big name in Yong'an City.
Wang Changhai saw that Lin Fan still said nothing and sighed. He knew the kid had made up his mind and wouldn't turn back. Fine, fine. He'd already started finding connections for him and pulling strings, so they might as well go through with it.
Once Lin Fan had handled a few cases and found himself blocked at every turn, he'd understand how hard it was.
Did Lin Fan think being an officer was easy?
Those who just coasted through the days had it fairly comfortable.
But if you genuinely wanted to get things done, you had to rise earlier than a chicken and sleep later than a dog. On top of that, the people would jab you in the spine and call you a corrupt official who did nothing but pocket their money.
Being attacked in both body and spirit was an everyday occurrence.
Several days later, early in the morning, Lin Fan had packed everything up. Today was an important day: the Security Bureau was holding its examination, and his sworn elder sister had arrived early.
To be honest, Lin Fan had never been this nervous in his life.
Even when he'd taken the college entrance exam, he'd gotten up early and gone to an internet café to play a few rounds of Haki Mouse.
Search, bow, withdraw.
Then he'd gone to the exam, perfectly content.
After all, he'd known exactly how well he'd done in school. If he wasn't going to pass, there was no point getting nervous. But this time was different. He'd actually studied hard.
Sure enough, people really did rise to the occasion when pushed.
"Sis, it's fine. I can go by myself." Lin Fan had a boiled egg stuffed in his mouth.
Madam Wang checked the paper and brushes, then made sure they were packed in the cloth bag. "How can you go alone? This is a big deal. I'm worried you'll rush off and forget something, so I have to check everything for you."
"All right."
They left and climbed into the carriage his sister had prepared. Inside, Madam Wang took Lin Fan's hand and reminded him, "Just take the exam calmly and do your best. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. I've already found you connections and paid everyone who needed paying. As long as you don't do too poorly on the Law Examination, you should be able to pass."
"And I personally went to Qingfang Private School to deliver a thank-you gift to your teacher. That old gentleman worked in the government when he was young and still has connections. I'm giving you an extra safeguard. We have to make absolutely sure you pass."
Listening to his sister ramble on, Lin Fan almost wanted to cry.
He truly hadn't expected that, just three months after arriving in this world, he'd meet someone who genuinely cared about him.
"Sis, I understand."
"Good. That's my boy. Keep it up. You're the one I can count on."
Before long, the carriage stopped outside the Security Bureau. Quite a few people were taking the exam, and most of them came from well-off families. As soon as Lin Fan appeared, someone hurried over to greet him.
"Master Lin."
It seemed that title had caught on.
After all, he was incredibly good at fighting.
He was a big name in Yong'an City, too.
Yang Ming, who was keeping order at the entrance, spotted Lin Fan and immediately brightened. He hurried over. "Brother Lin, I hope you pass with flying colors. We might be colleagues before long."
"Brother Yang, it's not in the bag yet," Lin Fan said.
"No, no, you'll definitely pass."
Yang Ming grinned. He dreamed of becoming Lin Fan's colleague. Having Lin Fan nearby made him feel so safe that even his master had grown tired of hearing him talk about it every day and made an exception to put in a good word for Lin Fan.
The Security Bureau was only hiring five people this time, with one person for each post.
Someone had to give up a spot first.
Lin Fan noticed that Yang Ming was wearing different clothes and smiled. "Congratulations, Brother Yang. From now on, I'll have to call you Officer Yang."
He was now an officially appointed officer, with a position on the roster and a salary to collect.
He had no official rank, but he was still one of the imperial court's grassroots officials.
"Thanks to you, Brother Lin."
Yang Ming wasn't being modest or making things up. A murderer had been caught and brought to justice. Without Lin Fan, he and his master would probably have died. The same thing had happened once before, and that time had been even more dangerous.
Add in the merits he'd earned before, and his promotion was inevitable.
Even though his master had been pushed aside, some people still didn't dare interfere in the face of real accomplishments. After all, reports of their Security Bureau's achievements went straight to the next level up.
Even the county magistrate had no authority to question them.
"Brother Lin, who's this?" Yang Ming looked at Madam Wang. She seemed familiar, but he didn't dare assume.
"My sister, the wife of my hall master."
"Oh, so you're my sister-in-law."
He'd heard a few rumors: Madam Wang of Loyalty Hall, Wang Changhai's wife, had taken Brother Lin as her sworn younger brother. Seeing the way things were now, it was clear this sworn elder sister cared a great deal about Lin Fan.
Madam Wang smiled and nodded.
The three of them chatted for a while, and soon it was almost time for the examination to begin.
Yang Ming personally escorted Lin Fan into the examination hall. Once Lin Fan had found his seat, he took out his paper and brush, drew a deep breath, and waited for the exam to start.
Before long, a middle-aged man walked in, followed by several officers. They each found a spot, sat down, and watched over their assigned sections without blinking.
They looked just like exam proctors.
The examination papers were handed out.
Lin Fan looked at the questions, took a deep breath, and picked up his brush. He started scribbling whatever came to mind... No, he drew on everything he'd learned, dug up every last scrap in his brain, and carefully wrote down all the knowledge he had.
The middle-aged proctor glanced at Lin Fan.
Lin Fan had been making quite a name for himself in Yong'an City lately.
They said he was a fearsome fighter.
The man walked down the aisles with his hands behind his back. When he passed Lin Fan, he lowered his head to look at Lin Fan's paper. After reading it for a moment, he nodded with satisfaction.
The young man really did know his stuff. He wasn't scribbling nonsense.
Someone had put in a word for him.
And it hadn't just been one person.
They'd been extremely generous.
Since he'd accepted their gifts, he naturally had to get the job done. One of the five posts was already spoken for.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
The exam ended, and the candidates filed out.
When Lin Fan went outside, his sworn elder sister was still waiting. As soon as she saw him, she hurried over with questions. "Little brother, how did it go? Was everything all right? Were there any questions you couldn't answer?"
Lin Fan couldn't help laughing.
"Sis, don't you trust my abilities? That was easy."
"That's good. I knew my little brother would be fine. Come on, I've reserved a table for us. Let's celebrate properly."
The exam was over, but the results wouldn't come out until tomorrow.
There was no point worrying about it now.
He was determined to join the Security Bureau and use it as a stepping stone. He'd earn merits, climb to the top, meet the truly powerful aristocratic families and high officials, and uncover the mysteries of the Martial Way.
Martial Way, your grandfather is coming.
Before you continue