In the days that followed, Chen Xia stuck to his routine: patrolling the streets during the day and occasionally coming across scenes of deadly clashes.
He himself was never in much danger. The local Mercenary Groups generally didn't go looking for trouble with them.
Outside of work, whether during his lunch break or after he got home, Chen Xia spent nearly all his time cultivating.
He kept practicing Seven Injuries Fist, and his strength gradually improved.
During this time, something else happened.
Yang Hua of the Patrol Inspection Office had been promoted to deputy squad leader after the previous deputy squad leader of Chen Xia's Eighth Squad was transferred to a post in his hometown. The higher-ups had appointed Yang Hua to fill the vacancy.
To celebrate, he treated everyone in the Eighth Squad to drinks, including Chen Xia.
But Chen Xia had to train hard, so he politely declined.
The previous owner of this body and Yang Hua had never gotten along particularly well.
On top of that, Chen Xia's refusal to show up had left Yang Hua somewhat annoyed. From then on, Yang Hua often nitpicked his work.
Now that Chen Xia had a chance to break through and become a martial artist, he didn't care about such trivial matters. He avoided direct conflict with others and focused solely on training.
As he practiced Seven Injuries Fist, two months passed in the blink of an eye.
One day, Chen Xia finished work early. He wasn't on duty that evening, so he headed home.
To his surprise, he found guests waiting there.
His mother was entertaining a man and a woman. Chen Xia recognized them.
They were his second aunt and her husband.
Seeing them, Chen Xia called out to them.
As relatives, their families hadn't visited each other very often.
Chen Xia's family was poor, nowhere near as well-off as his second aunt's. Her husband ran a small factory in town, and they were much better off.
A few years ago, his grandfather had suffered a heart attack. Chen Xia's father had asked his second aunt's husband to lend him thirty thousand yuan, but the man had refused, saying his funds were tied up.
Later, his second aunt had secretly come over and given them the thirty thousand yuan herself. That was how they had managed to pay his grandfather's medical bills. It had left her husband very unhappy.
Although they had repaid the money later, the two families had grown even more distant. Chen Xia had heard that his cousin—his second aunt's son—had even called their family a bunch of poor losers.
It wasn't until Chen Xia joined the Patrol Inspection Office that the relationship between the two families began to thaw a little.
Chen Xia still respected his second aunt. She had helped their family a lot, and when he was little, she often gave him red envelopes.
This time, his second aunt's husband wore a smile. He and his wife spoke to Chen Xia in a very friendly manner.
"Xiaoxia, I had no choice but to come ask you for help!"
As she spoke, his second aunt suddenly grabbed Chen Xia and began to cry. It was clear that the two of them had been going through a difficult time lately; their faces were lined with worry.
"Please don't, Second Aunt. Whatever the problem is, just tell me..."
Only after hearing them out did Chen Xia learn that his cousin, Zhu He, had gotten into trouble.
With a little money behind him, Zhu He liked to loaf around and flirt with women.
He'd been living like that for a while, and as long as he didn't do anything reckless, nothing too serious was likely to happen. But somehow, Zhu He had gotten involved with people from the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group.
Not long ago, he'd been drinking with members of the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group when people from the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group ambushed them. Zhu He happened to be there. He was injured, then arrested by the Yijiang City Patrol Inspection Office. It had been several days, and he still hadn't been released, leaving his family frantic with worry.
Apparently, the higher-ups had recently started treating the two Mercenary Groups differently. If Zhu He had been with members of the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group, they might have let him go right away. But he'd gotten mixed up with people from the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group.
People arrested in situations like this were usually locked up and tortured. They wouldn't get out for at least six months, and even if they did, they'd be half-dead.
The High Martial Era was nothing like Chen Xia's old world. Unless something unexpected happened, Zhu He would most likely come out of this ruined. He'd gotten involved in something he shouldn't have.
As for the Blazing Fire and Gathering Justice Mercenary Groups, despite their names, they were actually local powers.
The copy of Seven Injuries Fist Chen Xia had obtained had once belonged to a member of the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group.
After hearing the story, Chen Xia frowned. "Second Aunt, I'm afraid I can't do much about this. Besides, I think Zhu He was arrested by the West City Patrol Inspection Office. That's not our district. I'm just a patrol officer; I don't have any say there."
He wasn't wrong.
Yijiang City was divided into five districts: east, south, west, north, and central. Each district had eight streets, and each street had eight squads. Each squad had a leader and deputy leader, plus eight other members. Chen Xia was an ordinary patrol officer in the Eighth Squad on Xingou Street, under the South District Patrol Inspection Office.
The people who had arrested Zhu He belonged to the Patrol Inspection Office on Liren Street in the West District, Fifth Street.
Chen Xia didn't know anyone there. What could he possibly say to them? Whether Zhu He was released wasn't up to him. It was up to the chief captain of the branch office over there, whom he didn't know.
The matter could be seen as serious or trivial. After all, Zhu He wasn't actually a member of the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group. But once he was arrested, that was another matter entirely.
Regardless, Chen Xia didn't have the standing to get him out.
At that, his second aunt and her husband went pale. His second aunt said, "Zhu He isn't a member of the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group. We tried to find connections, and eventually heard that those people from the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group don't want to let your cousin off. We had no choice but to trouble you."
"Your uncle and I didn't come today expecting you to get him released. We just want you to put in a good word with them. As long as he isn't made to suffer in there, he can tough it out for a few months and then come home."
"Xiaoxia, could you see if you can find someone to talk to them..." His second aunt looked at Chen Xia, fretting. "I heard that people who get locked up over something like this usually come out ruined. But if he doesn't suffer and can tough it out, he should be able to get out after a while.
Your cousin really isn't in that Mercenary Group. He just likes hanging out with those people. He has nothing to do with them! I'm begging you..."
His second aunt looked anxious. As she spoke, she handed Chen Xia a black plastic bag.
Seeing her like this, Chen Xia hesitated, but in the end, he took the bag. "All right... I'll try asking around. But don't get your hopes up. It might not work."
If Zhu He had no connection to the Mercenary Group, there might be a chance. But some things were hard to say. After all, Zhu He had gotten mixed up in a rather sensitive matter.
Chen Xia wasn't confident he could help.
He also knew the money wasn't for him. It was meant to get him to do something.
"That would be wonderful! Thank you, Xiaoxia. You've done your second aunt a huge favor..."
Seeing that there was at least some hope, the two of them were overcome with excitement.
Chen Xia felt immense pressure. Fortunately, Zhu He hadn't hurt anyone or done anything too outrageous.
He'd just gotten mixed up in it, and it wouldn't be easy to get him out. But if someone could put in a word for him, it might help.
Chen Xia thought it over. He had only two options.
The first was to go straight to the West City Patrol Inspection Office and find its chief captain or director, or whoever was in charge of holding Zhu He.
The second was to go to the chief captain or director in his own district and ask them to talk to the people there. But either way, given his position, the chances of success weren't high.
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