Constable Yan

That afternoon.

Chen Guan carried a box of premium tea, strolling through Little Liuzi Town until he reached the vicinity of the yamen.

If there was any "acquaintance" left to see, it would be Constable Yan.

Over the years, the constable had helped his family with a few minor matters. Although this was largely due to his own high level of strength, help was help.

Constable Yan and I have dealt with each other across two lifetimes.

Chen Guan looked at the yamen ahead, then down at the tea in his hands. This box of tea was worth fifty taels, a famous variety from Qing City nearly a thousand miles away. Chen Guan had entrusted an inter-city escort agency to bring it back specifically from abroad. The gift wasn't extravagant, but the sentiment was there. Furthermore, this would be his first meeting with Constable Yan in this lifetime. If he were to give something worth hundreds or thousands of taels, the man wouldn't dare accept it, even if he dared to think about it.

It's interesting. I originally intended to wait for Constable Yan to seek me out, yet here I am seeking him out first.

As Chen Guan walked, he found certain things quite amusing. For instance, after such a slaughter, the constable would naturally come to find trouble with him. Things that should follow protocol often didn't end up that way. In the current reality, whether or not they sought each other out didn't seem to matter. Because in the end, everything depended on a person's intentions.

However, through this, Chen Guan roughly understood that the practice of chivalry in this world seemed to enjoy a certain leniency in the law. Of course, this was only within this dynasty. Other dynasties were at least tens of thousands of miles away. The area of activity for an ordinary person's entire life was basically within a radius of ten thousand miles of this dynasty. A radius of ten thousand miles meant ten thousand miles in both length and width. Within such a vast territory, for the Imperial City to maintain control, they had to rely on certain cultivation sects or their own deep-rooted foundations.

One common method of information transmission was the God-Speed Pigeon, capable of traveling ten thousand miles a day. Generally, in large cities and counties, prefects and magistrates kept them. Even some large families possessed these "exotic beasts," which were clearly distinct from ordinary carrier pigeons. Even the best-raised ordinary carrier pigeon could only travel about a thousand kilometers a day. Little Liuzi Town, however, was a small town in a remote corner. Such exotic beasts were rare here. Perhaps only the yamen might keep a few.

While lost in thought, as Chen Guan drew closer to the yamen, he heard a slightly light set of footsteps emerging from within. The person approaching had at least the foundation of a Houtian Great Completion, though they were twenty percent inferior to the Bamboo Swordsman.

At the same time, the two yamen runners in front of the building felt a jolt in their hearts when they saw Chen Guan approaching; they hadn't expected this "star of slaughter" to show up! Chen Guan was a person of interest in the town, and the yamen naturally had a portrait of him.

"Chen..."

The two were a bit nervous, yet they prepared to step forward to ask what the Fifth Young Master of the Zhao Family wanted. Had it been an ordinary person, they wouldn't have bothered to move. However, before they could step forward, a hearty laugh rang out.

"Hahaha!"

The owner of the footsteps emerged from the yamen—it was none other than Constable Yan. He had previously heard a patrol officer returning from his rounds mention that Young Hero Chen would be passing by the yamen entrance.

"Constable..." The two men saluted.

"Constable Yan?" Chen Guan looked toward him as well.

"Young Hero Chen, I have long admired your reputation."

Constable Yan spoke with a smile, cupping his hands toward Chen Guan in front of the yamen.

"For the past few days, I have wanted to pay you a visit, but I feared it might be an intrusive disturbance."

Chen Guan spent almost all his time at home and rarely went out.

To a martial artist like Constable Yan, that was clearly a sign of secluding oneself to practice.

Interrupting such a process would naturally be improper.

But now that Chen Guan had emerged, it was time to meet.

"Constable Yan, you are too kind." Seeing this old friend, Chen Guan felt a sudden wave of emotion.

It was because he hadn't recognized him immediately.

But thinking about it, more than twenty years had passed since the appointment with the Black Bear Spirit in his second life.

The two had only met once before.

Chen Guan really didn't have such a perfect memory.

"Shall I host? Let's go to Yanhe Pavilion for a drink?"

Constable Yan was as straightforward as ever, directly inviting Chen Guan to a meal.

"Does Young Hero Chen have any spare time?"

"Since the Constable has invited me, I certainly do."

Hearing the name of the restaurant, Chen Guan couldn't help but suppress a smile.

The Bandit Brother was right under Constable Yan's nose, yet the Constable hadn't recognized him.

But then again, that bandit was truly ruthless; he had smashed his own teeth and facial bones, effectively "shattering his features."

It was comparable to a major plastic surgery.

"Let's go."

Chen Guan didn't expose the bandit's identity, intending to treat this as a simple meal.

Even if he were to point it out, he would wait until his grandson arrived.

As they walked along the road, accompanied by passersby occasionally greeting them with "Good day, Constable" and "Young Hero Chen," Chen Guan carried his tea leaves and pondered for a few moments before turning to the Constable, who was returning the greetings of the pedestrians.

"Constable Yan, I notice your movement technique has a certain structure. Is it the Cloud Treading Skill from the Zhenxi Martial Arts Hall? This technique emphasizes legwork, connecting twelve meridians in the legs during the circulation of internal energy to form a small heavenly cycle. However, looking at you now, the internal energy circulation in two of those meridians still seems unfamiliar."

"Oh?" Constable Yan glanced at Chen Guan and cupped his hands with a smile. "Young Hero, you have a sharp eye!"

"My eye isn't that sharp; it's just a coincidence that I have practiced this movement technique myself." Chen Guan returned the smile. "I have some personal insights. I wonder if you would mind if I shared a few?"

"Young Hero, you jest." The Constable laughed. "Young Hero Chen, your martial arts are superb and your internal energy is incomparably profound. If you were to teach me now, I would be overjoyed; how could I possibly mind?"

"Very well." Chen Guan looked back at the road they had traveled. "I will write down my insights regarding the circulation of internal energy tonight. Tomorrow morning, I will send someone to deliver the handwritten notes to your residence. I hope you will not decline."

"Thank you." The Constable did not refuse, but asked curiously, "Young Hero, I have a question."

"What is it?" Chen Guan raised a hand slightly. "Please, Constable, speak."

"You and I are only meeting for the first time today." Constable Yan asked, "Why would you want to impart these insights to me?"

As he said this, he looked suspicious. "I feel a bit uneasy in my heart; I wonder what your intentions are?"

"No particular intention." Chen Guan shook his head.

"No intention?" Constable Yan was even more puzzled, setting a baseline for himself. "Of course, if you are to guide me today, I will also provide some secret manuals copied from the yamen. I have heard that Young Hero Chen is fond of collecting such things. Beyond that, if you wish to entrust me with a task, I will do my utmost for any ordinary matter. But if it involves anything contrary to righteousness, I fear I will be unable to help."

"No need. I am not here to ask Constable Yan for a favor today." Chen Guan gazed toward the Yanhe Pavilion ahead. "It is just that there was a prior agreement, and I failed to keep it.

Yet, the Constable has kept his word."

"What?" Constable Yan's expression grew even more curious.

"Young hero... has an agreement with me?"

After carefully recalling for a few seconds, he looked earnestly at Chen Guan again.

"Why am I unaware of this?"