He Said He Was Itching for a Beating

"Headman, Headman, what happened to you?"

A constable sat slumped on the ground, clutching the unconscious Headman Chen and howling. Bloodied and battered, was this really the mighty, awe-inspiring Headman Chen he knew?

He raised his head, eyes bloodshot, and roared, "What have you done?"

To the constables who came running, the scene before them was like the sky collapsing. This man surnamed Lin was truly lawless—utterly lawless!

Yang Ming stood dazed at the prison entrance, mouth slightly agape as he stared blankly.

He'd heard the commotion and come out to take a look. The moment he saw it, he was dumbstruck. Brother Lin was wildly swinging a whip, beating Headman Chen until he ran around clutching his head. He was really beating him to death, showing not the slightest mercy.

Just then, Song Qing arrived. Seeing so many constables gathered there, he was startled and hurriedly pushed through the crowd. The first thing he saw was Headman Chen in a truly wretched state, and then Lin Fan holding a blood-soaked whip.

He didn't need to think twice to know what had happened.

He just hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.

"What's going on?" Captain Song asked.

"What's going on? Ask him!"

Headman Chen's trusted aide was like a crazed lioness, aching for and pitying his headman. He tightened his grip around Headman Chen.

Lin Fan said, "Headman, here's what happened. Early this morning, I was interrogating a prisoner in the jail. When I came out, I saw Headman Chen hurrying over. He said he was itching for a beating and asked me to whip him. Then he pressed himself against the corner of the wall. That's all there is to it."

"You're talking bullshit!" Headman Chen's trusted aide roared.

Lin Fan shrugged indifferently. That was exactly what had happened. Believe it or not, it was up to them.

Song Qing gave a few light coughs. "All right, what he says is probably true. My subordinate can be a little hot-tempered, but he's an honest man who's never stooped to lying. It's just strange—when did Headman Chen develop such an unusual kink? Truly strange."

"You're talking bullshit too!" Headman Chen's trusted aide roared again.

"Impudent!"

Captain Song snapped at him. A mere constable dared to call a headman like him impudent? The man was brazenly arrogant and had no respect for anyone.

The trusted aide lowered his head and shouted to the people around them, "What are you standing around for? The stretcher! Where's the stretcher?"

They were all men who served under Headman Chen.

Now that their headman had been humiliated and beaten, they wanted to stand up for him. But they knew Lin was terrifying and that they weren't his match. They could only wait until their headman came around before doing anything.

"Here! The stretcher's here!"

Four constables hurried over with a stretcher. They carefully laid the headman on it, then quickly carried him toward the clinic.

With a ripping sound, the stretcher couldn't bear Headman Chen's weight and broke apart. With a thud, Headman Chen hit the ground.

"Ah... Headman!"

The constables cried out in anguish.

A moment later, silence fell.

Captain Song shook his head. "Lin Fan, you've completely fallen out with Headman Chen now."

"We fell out long ago," Lin Fan said cheerfully. He hadn't taken Chen Xingzhi seriously; the only advantage his opponent had over him was his status. "Headman, with the merits I've earned, I should be able to rise from rookie officer to full constable now, right?"

"Mm, no problem. A rookie officer only needs to earn enough merit to be promoted to full constable. I'll write a recommendation and submit it to the clerk. It shouldn't be an issue," Captain Song said.

Yang Ming was terribly envious.

He was already a full constable.

But it had taken him a long time. He hadn't earned enough merit, and the clerk's office was difficult to deal with. Headman Chen had also been quietly tripping him up. If he hadn't earned merit with Brother Lin's help some time ago, his promotion would have been far from easy.

Lin Fan looked at the headman and Yang Ming.

Their faction had too few people—there was hardly anyone useful among them.

Headman Chen's side, on the other hand, had plenty of constables, most of whom followed him.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Headman," Lin Fan said.

Captain Song nodded and said no more.

Lin Fan left the Security Bureau with Yang Ming. First, they went to the docks to gather the brothers and continue patrolling and sweeping through the city. The petty thieves and chicken stealers had just met the most terrifying nemesis of their lives.

His goal was to build his reputation and leave a good impression in the hearts of the people.

The things he'd done lately had indeed earned him some goodwill, but it was still far from enough. What he wanted was for every citizen in the city to hear the name Lin Fan.

And for them all to give him a thumbs-up and say, "He's the best!"

The tavern.

The tavern, once bustling with business, was now deserted. Inside, the tavernkeeper sat there helplessly, gazing around in a daze. He'd thought things would gradually get better.

But who could have imagined something like this would happen?

The neighbors knew Old Wang had run into trouble, but they were ordinary people too, with no way to help. All they could do was come by and offer a few words of comfort.

"Old Wang, we can't fight them. Wait until Xiao Hao gets out, then start over and live a good life. Don't dwell on things that'll only make it worse."

"Corrupt officials! They're all corrupt officials! Beasts, every last one of them!"

The neighbors were furious, but their anger abruptly vanished when they saw someone standing in the doorway. It was a constable. The people who'd been scowling in outrage just moments earlier lowered their heads, afraid to meet his eyes.

They were afraid he'd heard what they'd just said and would beat them black and blue for it.

To ordinary people, rookie officers and full constables alike were untouchable. They had knives and power. A few words from them could destroy a family, and praying to every god under heaven wouldn't help.

Xu Ming walked into the tavern.

Old Wang, who'd been hanging his head listlessly, suddenly looked up and rushed over to Xu Ming, pleading, "Officer, I already gave you the recipe. When are you going to release my son? I won't make trouble anymore. I gave it to you—I gave you everything. I just want my son back."

The recipe was the fruit of his labor.

When people tried to snatch it by force, he'd naturally fought back. But they were too ruthless, and he couldn't resist them. By arresting his son, they'd seized him by the throat.

Xu Ming looked at Old Wang, then at the crowd with their heads bowed. Though they kept their eyes down, he could sense the contempt and disgust in their gazes.

He hadn't dealt with the tavern's case.

Nor had he taken it over.

When he'd first joined the Security Bureau, he'd been full of ambition. But before long, the people he'd arrested had been released. One of them had even flipped him the bird right in front of him and mocked him.

When he walked home at night, people had even sneaked up on him and attacked him from behind.

They'd beaten him until his face was bruised and swollen.

Gradually, he'd accepted it. The fire in his heart had slowly gone out, and he'd begun drifting with the current.

Xu Ming lowered his voice. "Tavernkeeper, things have changed. The people above want to add another charge against your son because he bit Young Master Hu. There's nothing I can do about it."

"Ah..."

The tavernkeeper heard this and collapsed to the ground, nearly fainting. Fortunately, Xu Ming caught him.

The people who'd come to comfort him clenched their fists, wishing they could beat the constable to death right there.

"Officer, please help me! Please, I'll sell everything I own. I'll repay you properly." The tavernkeeper had only one son. How could he stay calm after hearing they wanted to add another charge?

Xu Ming said, "I can't help you. I only came to warn you. If you really want to appeal the case, there's only one person you can go to."

"Who? Who should I find?"

"Lin Fan. Go to him and plead your case. He might be able to help."

Xu Ming thought of what had just happened. The man dared to beat Headman Chen black and blue. What wouldn't he dare do?

With that, he turned and left, ignoring the tavernkeeper's desperate pleas.

The tavernkeeper looked at everyone, at a loss.

"Old Wang, I think I've heard of this Lin Fan. He's arrested a lot of people lately. They say he's an incorruptible constable, a true servant of justice."

"I think this is going to be difficult. In my opinion, it's just a power struggle because they can't agree on how to divide the spoils. What incorruptible constable? What servant of justice? It's nothing but infighting."

"Why not give it a try, Old Wang?"

"The Hu family has connections. They're one of the prominent families around here. Can one constable really do anything?"

"If he can really get justice for Old Wang, I'll eat shit in public."