New Chief Constable

Early the next morning.

Because Li Feng stayed up rather late with his activities last night and slept quite little, he woke up a bit late this morning. When he arrived at the front courtyard of the City Guard Office, a fair number of people were already gathered in twos and threes.

"Brother Feng, over here, this way."

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him. Looking toward the direction of the voice, it turned out to be Zhang San waving at him.

Li Feng hurried to Zhang San's side, and Zhang San lowered his voice and said, "Brother Feng, what were you up to last night? Coming in so late today-this doesn't look like your style at all. Did you sneak off behind the brothers' backs to drink flower-wine at the Spring Breeze House?"

Li Feng gave a faint smile. "As if. Last night I went to visit my sister-in-law, got home a bit late, didn't sleep well, and woke up somewhat late."

"So that's how it is. I heard that a new chief constable was assigned down today, supposedly sent out from the Inner City to gild herself with some credentials. She probably won't stay as deputy constable director for long, but I just don't know what this new chief constable's temper is like, whether she's easy to get along with, or what kind of person she is." Zhang San continued.

Even as they spoke, the sound of footsteps came from the entrance of the front courtyard as several people walked in from outside.

Walking right at the front was a cold beauty with exceptionally exquisite facial features. A head of glossy, dark hair was held up by a simple, elegant silver hairpin, and a few strands of hair hung beside her slender swan-like neck, making her look capable and spirited, yet with a hint of aristocratic poise.

Her hands were clasped behind her back, her pace unhurried, and a faint, elusive smile still lingered at the corners of her mouth.

Right beside the new chief constable walked another chief constable-specifically, Constable Chen, who oversaw the jurisdiction right next to Lin Yanqiu's.

Behind Constable Chen followed several neatly dressed Regular Constables.

Li Feng recognized both Constable Chen and the few Regular Constables behind him; these Regular Constables should be Constable Chen's entourage.

At this moment, Constable Chen also spotted Li Feng and immediately spoke up, "Li Feng, how is Chief Constable Lin?"

"Replying to Constable Chen." Li Feng answered at once, "My sister-in-law is still recovering at the Spring Renewal Hall, and she is already out of danger."

Constable Chen nodded and said nothing more.

The cold beauty leading the group cast an interested glance at Li Feng and, without saying anything, led Constable Chen and the others toward the administrative office.

The administrative office was the independent workspace where the chief constables usually handled case files, routine paperwork, and the dispatch of subordinates.

Before long, Constable Chen brought the group into Jiang Yue's administrative office. After closing the door, Jiang Yue glanced at Constable Chen and spoke with a smile, "Constable Chen, who was that young man just now? Is he related to Chief Constable Lin?"

"Yes." Constable Chen nodded slightly. "That is Chief Constable Lin's brother-in-law, named Li Feng. Because the family has no other support, Chief Constable Lin made special arrangements for him to serve as a temporary white runner here at the City Guard Office just to muddle through his days."

"A white runner needs a chief constable to make special arrangements for him?" Jiang Yue raised her brows slightly and smiled meaningfully.

"He's still young, after all, and hasn't really practiced martial arts properly." Constable Chen nodded.

"That won't do." Jiang Yue shook her head. "Even a white runner is part of the City Guard Office's patrol operations; we cannot overlook things just because the issue seems minor. If all white runners were in this kind of situation, how could we carry out our duties?"

"Constable Jiang is right; it was an oversight in our work." Constable Chen nodded, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Since Constable Jiang says so, then... should we clear out these white runners whose basic qualifications don't meet the standards today? And recruit a new batch?"

"Verify the facts clearly. We must ensure such mistakes are avoided in the future." Jiang Yue said with a stern expression.

"Understood."

Constable Chen acknowledged.

Anyone could tell that this newly arrived chief constable was flexing her three fires of a newly appointed official, wanting to use the temporary white runners to establish her authority, but with such a high-sounding excuse, he could hardly say anything.

A short while later, assembly was completed in the front courtyard. Apart from the constables and white runners of their own group, those from the other groups had also all arrived.

Just as Li Feng had guessed, this newly arrived chief constable had donned a brand-new blue constable uniform and stood upon the steps.

After finishing a simple inaugural speech, the other chief constables left one after another, leaving only Constable Chen along with the rest of the ordinary constables and temporary white runners.

"Hello everyone, my name is Jiang Yue. Chief Constable Lin is currently severely injured and can no longer handle the duties of a chief constable. From now on, I will be taking over Chief Constable Lin's former responsibilities."

Jiang Yue swept her gaze across the crowd below and said sincerely, "I have just arrived and do not yet have much experience as a chief constable. I must ask all of you colleagues to bear with me and actively cooperate with my duties."

She paused, her gaze sweeping around, and her tone turned somewhat stern. "However, patrol duties are of utmost importance and allow for not the slightest bit of carelessness or sloppiness! Whether it is myself as your chief constable or any of you, everyone must faithfully discharge their duties."

"I am also aware that there are certain white runners in the ranks who do not meet the recruitment standards. Not only do they violate the rules of the City Guard Office, but they lack even the cultivation of the Qi-Blood First Stage. What will happen when they encounter fierce criminals while executing missions in the future? It will certainly affect the execution of our duties, and I believe this is something no one wishes to see."

As soon as these words left the new chief constable, several white runners beside Li Feng immediately turned to look at him.

Anyone who managed to muddle along as a white runner in the City Guard Office had at least some connection to a chief constable. Several chief constables had also arranged for relatives or friends to enter as white runners; after all, they were not official constables and did not come into contact with any important tasks. The work was simple and relaxed, and generally speaking, as long as it wasn't too excessive, the higher-ups wouldn't interfere.

Yet this new chief constable had just arrived and immediately wanted to make such a fair and upright reckoning of this matter. Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that this was clearly aimed at Lin Yanqiu-the very first blaze of a newly appointed official.

"I won't explicitly name who it is." Jiang Yue continued. "If you voluntarily step forward, hand over your tokens, and resign from your posts, this matter will be let go."

The white runners down below instantly fell into a dead silence, looking at one another in dismay.

After a moment, someone finally failed to withstand the pressure and walked out, crestfallen. Seeing this, the others followed suit and walked out as well.

After handing over their tokens, these individuals looked utterly wretched, and all cast resentful glares at Li Feng. If not for this newly arrived chief constable wanting to use Lin Yanqiu's blunder to establish her authority, how could they have inexplicably lost this job that allowed them to coast by so easily?

"Is there anyone else?"

Jiang Yue said in a deep voice. Wherever her gaze swept, no one dared to meet her eyes, save for Li Feng, who still stood unperturbedly in his spot as if nothing had happened, completely motionless.

The constables and white runners around him who knew Li Feng couldn't help but look at him. This fellow wasn't particularly obtuse on ordinary days, so why wasn't he stepping forward now? Did he seriously think he hadn't been found out yet?

"Must you force me to call out your name?" Jiang Yue sneered, her gaze sweeping across the temporary white runners before finally landing on Li Feng. "Li Feng, you-"

"Me?"

Li Feng froze slightly, feeling rather perplexed.

Hadn't he already gone to the Martial Testing Hall a few days ago to have his strength tested and registered? He was already a genuine martial arts novice.

It seemed this newly arrived chief constable was in such a rush to establish her authority that she hadn't yet gone to look at the registry at the Martial Testing Hall and didn't know he had already reached the Qi-Blood First Stage a couple of days ago.

"Constable Jiang..."

At this moment, Constable Chen at the side suddenly spoke in a low voice and quietly tugged at the corner of her robe.

"What is it, Constable Chen? What's the matter?"

Jiang Yue furrowed her brow, feeling somewhat displeased inwardly. Could it be that Constable Chen intended to plead for this Li Feng in full view of everyone?

Yet Constable Chen did not spell it out; he merely frowned and anxiously kept making eye signals toward Jiang Yue.

Jiang Yue hailed from an aristocratic family and possessed a sharp mind. Seeing Constable Chen's expression, she instantly realized what was happening: Li Feng must have already reached the Qi-Blood First Stage, and Constable Chen was reminding her precisely to keep her from losing face in public.

"Ahem..."

Jiang Yue covered her mouth with a light cough and continued with a composed expression, "Li Feng, you truly are a rare and exemplary role model! Even though Chief Constable Lin is currently bedridden with severe injuries and despite the boundless worries in your heart, you still faithfully discharge your duties, reporting for duty on time and without delaying the City Guard Office's patrols in the slightest! This kind of disposition is worth every single constable and white runner present learning from!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd instantly went silent.

Everyone stared in stunned disbelief at Jiang Yue on the stage, then turned their heads to look at the innocent-looking Li Feng, their eyeballs nearly popping out.

Especially the few white runners who had just been weeded out; their hearts burned with even greater grievance.

Why?

Why was it that everyone got in through connections, yet you, Li Feng, didn't have to be cleared out?

Li Feng was completely baffled as well. He had thought the new chief constable was about to use him to establish her authority right after that.

How did she turn around and shower him with praise instead?

Could it be that this newly arrived chief constable had taken a fancy to him?