Constable Yan

That afternoon.

Chen Guan carried a box of fine tea as he strolled around town, eventually arriving near the yamen.

Now, if there was still any "old friend" he hadn't seen,

it could only be Constable Yan.

And over the years, the constable had also done his family a few small favors.

Though to a great extent, that was because of his own formidable strength, a favor was still a favor.

"Constable Yan and I have crossed paths in two lifetimes."

Chen Guan gazed at the yamen ahead, then at the tea in his hands.

The tea was worth fifty taels. It was famous tea from Qing City, nearly a thousand li away.

Chen Guan had asked a caravan escort agency that traveled between cities to bring it back specially from out of town.

It wasn't an extravagant gift, but it carried a token of goodwill.

Besides, this was the first time he had met Constable Yan in this life.

If he really gave him something worth hundreds or thousands of taels, the man might dare to dream of accepting it, but he wouldn't dare actually take it.

"It's rather amusing. I'd meant to wait for Constable Yan to seek me out, yet now I'm the one seeking him."

As Chen Guan walked, he found some things quite interesting.

For example, after he'd killed so many people, the constable was bound to come looking for him.

Some things ought to happen according to reason, but in the end, they didn't always go that way.

And even by the standards of reality, it seemed there was nothing wrong with whether the constable came or not.

Because no matter what happened, in the end, it all came down to what people thought.

Still,

this incident had also given Chen Guan a general sense that the world seemed to be somewhat lenient toward the sort of chivalrous acts that involved helping others.

Of course, that leniency applied only within this dynasty.

The other dynasties were tens of thousands of li away, even the nearest ones.

Ordinary people spent almost their entire lives within a radius of ten thousand li in this dynasty.

That meant roughly ten thousand li in each direction, east to west and north to south.

To govern such a vast territory, the Imperial City relied on certain cultivation sects—or else had its own deep reserves of power.

One relatively common method of sending information was a "God-Speed Pigeon" that could travel ten thousand li in a single day.

The prefects and county magistrates in most large cities and counties kept them.

Some great lineages also had these "strange beasts," which were clearly different from ordinary carrier pigeons.

No matter how well they were raised, ordinary carrier pigeons could travel only around a thousand kilometers a day.

Little Liuzi Town, however, was a small town in a remote corner.

These strange beasts were rarely seen here.

Perhaps only the yamen might keep a few.

As Chen Guan pondered,

he drew nearer to the yamen and heard the faint footsteps of someone coming from inside.

The person had at least reached Post-Heaven Great Accomplishment.

But compared with the Bamboo Swordsman, he was still twenty percent weaker.

At the same time,

when the two constables at the yamen gate saw Chen Guan approaching, their hearts jolted. They hadn't expected this killer to show up!

Chen Guan was one of the town's most important figures.

The yamen naturally had a portrait of him.

"Chen..."

The two men were a little nervous, but still prepared to step forward and ask what the Fifth Young Master of the Zhao Family had come for.

If they'd been dealing with an ordinary person, they wouldn't have gone out of their way to approach him.

But before either of them could step forward,

"Hahaha!"

Accompanied by a hearty laugh,

the owner of the footsteps emerged from the yamen. It was Constable Yan.

He had already heard from a constable returning from patrol that Young Hero Chen would be passing by the yamen.

"Constable..." The two constables saluted.

"Constable Yan?" Chen Guan looked at him too.

"Young Hero Chen, I've heard so much about you."

With a smile in his voice, Constable Yan cupped his fists and greeted Chen Guan at the yamen gate.

"For the past few days, I've wanted to visit you, Young Hero, but I was afraid I'd be imposing."

Chen Guan spent most of his time at home and rarely went out.

To a martial artist like Constable Yan, that meant he was in seclusion, practicing his martial arts.

It wouldn't do to disturb him out of the blue.

But now that Chen Guan had come out, they could meet.

"Constable Yan, you're too kind." Seeing this old friend, Chen Guan felt a pang of emotion.

Because he hadn't recognized him right away.

But it made sense. More than twenty years had passed since their appointment concerning the Black Bear Spirit in his second life.

The two of them had met only once.

Chen Guan's memory wasn't that good.

"Shall I treat you to a meal at Yanhe Pavilion?"

Constable Yan was as forthright as ever. He immediately invited Chen Guan out to eat.

"Do you have time, Young Hero Chen?"

"If the constable is inviting me, of course I do."

Hearing the name of the restaurant, Chen Guan couldn't help smiling to himself.

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

But then again, the bandit had been truly ruthless. A few blows to his teeth and bones had thoroughly "broken his features."

It was practically a full-on cosmetic surgery.

"Let's go."

Chen Guan didn't reveal the bandit's identity. He'd just treat it as a meal together.

Even if he planned to tell him, he'd wait until his grandson arrived.

As they walked along,

passersby greeted them now and then with "Greetings, Constable" and "Young Hero Chen."

Chen Guan carried the tea and mulled things over for a few moments. Then he suddenly turned to the constable beside him, who was returning the passersby's greetings, and said:

"Constable Yan, your Lightness Skill seems to have some structure to it. Are you practicing the Cloud Treading Skill from Zhenxi Martial Arts Hall?

"This skill focuses on legwork. As the inner force circulates, it links the twelve meridians in the legs, forming a Lesser Celestial Circuit of its own.

"But looking at you now, the inner force still doesn't flow smoothly through two of those meridians."

"Oh?" Constable Yan glanced at Chen Guan and smiled, cupping his hands slightly. "Young Hero, you have a keen eye!"

"My eye isn't especially keen. It's just that I happen to have practiced this Lightness Skill too." Chen Guan smiled back. "I've gained a few insights of my own. Would you mind if I shared some with you?"

"Young Hero, you must be joking." The constable smiled. "Young Hero Chen, your martial arts are superb, and your inner force is unfathomably deep.

"If you teach me, I'll be delighted. Why would I mind?"

"Good." Chen Guan looked back along the road they'd come.

"I'll write down my insights on the circulation of inner force tonight.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll have someone deliver the handwritten insights to your residence. I hope you won't refuse them."

"Thank you." The constable didn't refuse, but asked curiously, "Young Hero, there's something I'd like to ask."

"What is it?" Chen Guan raised a hand slightly. "Please, go ahead."

"Today is the first time you and I have met," Constable Yan said. "Why do you want to teach me some of your insights?"

As he spoke, suspicion crept into his expression.

"I can't help feeling uneasy about this. I don't know what you have in mind, Young Hero."

"Nothing in particular." Chen Guan shook his head.

"Nothing?" Constable Yan was even more puzzled. He set down a boundary first, saying,

"Of course, if you offer me some pointers today, I can provide you with some copied manuals from the yamen.

"I've heard that Young Hero Chen is fond of collecting them.

"Besides that, if you need me to do something for you, I'll do my best as long as it's ordinary business.

"But if it involves anything against the chivalrous code, I'm afraid I won't be able to help."

"No need. I'm not asking you to do anything for me today." Chen Guan looked toward Yanhe Pavilion ahead. "It's just that we once had an appointment, and I failed to keep it.

"But you kept your promise."

"What?" Constable Yan looked even more curious.

"Young Hero... you and I had an appointment?"

He thought carefully for a few seconds, then looked seriously at Chen Guan.

"I don't remember any such thing."