On Assignment

After getting the answer he wanted, He An let out a long breath of relief. Even his steps felt lighter as he hurried home.

When He An returned, Wang Rou asked anxiously, "He An, how is your eldest brother?"

He An understood at once.

"Eldest Sister-in-law, I can't hide it from you, can I?"

"It's because you were being so obvious. Hurry and tell me—how is your eldest brother? How much longer until he can come back?"

"He's fine. He should be back in the next couple of days."

"That's good."

Wang Rou let out a long breath of relief.

Then He An changed the subject.

"Eldest Sister-in-law, I'm going on assignment tomorrow."

"You and Ru'er stay at home, and be sure to keep safe."

"If anything happens, you can send someone to find me at the Town Martial Division. If that doesn't work, you can go to Brother Wang."

"All right!"

With that, He An headed for his room. "Eldest Sister-in-law, it's late. Get some rest."

The next day.

He An opened his eyes.

After breakfast, he arrived at the Town Martial Division early.

"Brother Wang, you're here too." Seeing Wang Zheng, He An greeted him with a smile.

"I am."

He looked He An up and down, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Perhaps because He An had broken through to the Body Refining Realm, he now looked vigorous and full of spirit, with a hint of martial valor about him.

"He An, your Yi Jin Jing practice is paying off. How did you change so much? I didn't even notice yesterday."

"I've been practicing for a long time. It's only natural that I'd change a little."

He An gave a vague reply.

"Is it?"

Wang Zheng couldn't help feeling that something was off.

"He An, go get yourself checked in. It's your first day on duty, so don't be late. I'll visit you in the Criminal Prison when I have time."

"Sure!"

He An made his way to another secluded courtyard.

Quite a few people were already gathered there.

"Brother Sun!"

He An clasped his fist toward a man.

The man was named Sun Wangxian, an old hand at the Town Martial Division who was responsible for managing their batch of newcomers.

At the Town Martial Division,

he had been there even longer than He Ping.

As for his strength, he had already reached the Blood Circulation Realm.

He was only one step away from Entering the Ranks.

Among the many minor officials at the Town Martial Division, he was one of the strongest.

Sun Wangxian turned his head and gave a slight nod.

Since everything had been assigned in advance and everyone knew the arrangement, the roll call and postings went quickly.

He An was assigned to the Criminal Prison.

A chubby young man named Wu Wenming was assigned alongside him.

The name reminded He An of the Wu Family of Fangcheng.

Fangcheng's three great families.

The Wu, Meng, and Xu.

Together, they controlled half of Fangcheng.

What's more, the heads of the Wu and Xu families were both government officials, and even the County Governor treated them with respect.

Wu Feng, the head of the Wu Family, was Fangcheng's registrar and oversaw the Fangcheng County Yamen's prison.

As for Xu Hetong, he was Fangcheng's County Assistant, in charge of many of Fangcheng's affairs.

In modern terms,

one was the chief of a county public security bureau, and the other a deputy county magistrate.

Both were figures of considerable standing.

"Brother He, how'd you get in? This place isn't easy to get into." Wu Wenming sidled up to He An with surprising familiarity.

"I paid for it."

He An didn't bother hiding the truth.

In a place like this, it was perfectly ordinary.

Wu Wenming looked surprised. The flesh on his face bunched up as he grinned.

"What a coincidence. I paid to get in too."

"How much did you pay?"

"And you?"

The two chatted on and off.

In just two minutes, they were already on familiar terms and had reached the Criminal Prison.

For some reason,

as soon as they entered the small courtyard where the Criminal Prison stood, they both felt the temperature drop several degrees.

"Damn it, weren't they saying this post was easy? Why's it so freezing?"

Wu Wenming muttered under his breath.

The Town Martial Division's Criminal Prison had two levels.

One was aboveground.

It held Martial Artists whose crimes were relatively minor.

The other was underground.

It held the most vicious criminals, all of whom were at least in the Bone Forging Realm. Several were even Martial Artists who had Entered the Ranks.

He An and Wu Wenming's job was to guard the Criminal Prison.

They had to make their rounds once in the morning and once in the evening.

As long as the prisoners were all accounted for and nobody had escaped, their job was done.

On top of that,

they had to record the details of any new prisoners.

As for cleaning and bringing food to the prisoners, that was handled by another veteran.

Under the veteran's guidance,

the two soon made a complete circuit of the Criminal Prison.

A ring of keys was tossed into He An's hands.

"Kid, you seem decent enough. I'll leave the keys in your charge."

"As for you..."

The veteran looked at Wu Wenming with disdain. "Just follow him. How does someone who practices martial arts get this fat?"

"..."

Watching the veteran walk away, Wu Wenming seethed with anger.

"That old bastard, how dare he talk about me like that?"

"Talk about carrying a lantern into the outhouse—he's just asking for death."

"What do you know? I'm not fat. I'm sturdy."

"Once I become a Martial Artist, all this will turn into Qi and Blood."

He cursed for quite a while.

He An shook his head and chuckled. "Brother Wu, don't stoop to his level."

"I believe you. Once you become a Martial Artist, you'll give him a real slap in the face."

"Exactly."

Wu Wenming snorted, then grinned at He An.

"Once I become a Martial Artist, I'm definitely going to slap him in the face."

Then he changed the subject and asked, "Brother He, we've got nothing to do right now. What should we do?"

Wu Wenming asked.

"Practice martial arts."

He An answered with two words.

As Wu Wenming watched in shock, He An strode into the courtyard without a care in the world. He took up a stance and began practicing, while the golden numbers in his mind changed without pause.

Working as a clerk in the Criminal Prison had one major advantage.

Whenever he had free time, he could practice martial arts whenever and wherever he wanted.

He didn't even need to worry about anyone interrupting him.

Hardly anyone ever came to this gloomy place.

Ordinary criminals weren't brought here at all.

Wu Wenming's eyes lit up.

Still, he didn't disturb He An. He simply found a spot and lay down for a nap.

Every so often, he opened his eyes, took a look, and then went back to sleep.

The morning flew by.

[Destiny: Success Comes Naturally.]

[Yi Jin Jing: (7/300) Minor Accomplishment.]

"Whew!"

After finishing the final move, He An let out a long breath. He wiped away his sweat and was about to go eat.

The Town Martial Division provided lunch.

It wasn't anything special, but at least it was enough to fill you up.

No sense turning down a free meal.

As for Wu Wenming, he had disappeared somewhere while He An was practicing his punches.

He An didn't feel like keeping track of him, and assumed he had gone to eat as well.

But just as he reached the gate,

Wu Wenming came rushing over in a flurry.

He carried a cloth bag in his left hand and a jug of wine in his right.

"Brother He, come eat with me. The food here at the division isn't good."

"I bought some dishes, a pork knuckle, and a bottle of wine."