Petty Officer Candidate!
According to the Zhenfu Division's rank system, this level is eligible to wear the fish-scale uniform.
In the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office, it is considered a true high-ranking position.
If an ordinary Family could produce someone like this, it would definitely mean their ancestral graves were smoking with good fortune.
Even with suitable opportunities, a normal person wanting to reach this level step-by-step would need at least ten to twenty years of accumulation!
They would need to start as an unregistered temporary Yamen Runner, then cross numerous levels such as official Yamen Runner, Chief Constable Candidate, and Chief Constable.
Finally, they would also need to overcome the Bottleneck of Chief Constable to Squad Leader, which would take an unknown amount of time.
It can be said that Mu Wanjun's decision directly saved Chen Ping'an twenty years of detours.
This reward also exceeded Chen Ping'an's expectations. In his estimation, being able to command two more squads this time was already the limit.
He didn't expect that Mu Wanjun would be so generous.
Since Mu Wanjun had promised the reward herself, Chen Ping'an naturally wasn't worried it wouldn't be fulfilled. Subsequently, the two exchanged a few more words. Mu Wanjun also tested Chen Ping'an regarding the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training he had chosen earlier.
Since he had already achieved his goal beyond expectations, Chen Ping'an chose to appropriately conceal his true abilities in this regard.
But even with his concealment, Mu Wanjun was greatly astonished.
In just a few days, Chen Ping'an had actually Cultivated the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training to Minor Achievement!
Such talent...
This made Mu Wanjun value Chen Ping'an even more. Before parting, she gave Chen Ping'an a token, telling him that if he needed anything, he could see her at any time with this token.
Being able to request an audience at any time was an extremely high honor. Enjoying this treatment meant that Chen Ping'an was truly considered a trusted confidant in Mu Wanjun's heart.
"Chen Ping'an is willing to serve you, my Lady. If there are any future assignments, I will certainly do my utmost."
Chen Ping'an expressed his loyalty at just the right moment.
This woman is a powerful backer; he needs to secure this relationship firmly.
"Mm." Mu Wanjun nodded slightly, then waved her hand, signaling Xiao Die to escort him out.
Xiao Die led Chen Ping'an out of the room, curiously observing him along the way.
Mu Wanjun's evaluation of Chen Ping'an was quite high.
"Miss Xiao Die, does Chen have flowers on his face that you find him so interesting?" Chen Ping'an asked with a smile.
In his current situation, it was always good to build closer relationships with those around Mu Wanjun.
Xiao Die rolled her eyes at him, saying nothing more. It wasn't until she escorted him out of the building that Xiao Die said to Chen Ping'an, "Chief Constable Chen, Xiao Die will see you off here."
"Thank you, Miss Xiao Die." Chen Ping'an cupped his hands in a salute.
"Chief Constable Chen, no need to be polite."
...
After Chen Ping'an left, Mu Wanjun pondered for a while in place, then sat down at a long table, spread out a piece of paper, and began to write.
The reason she, at such a young age, could hold the position of Chief Warrant Officer of the Nancheng Suppression Office, besides her Martial Dao Realm, was also due to the indispensable contribution of her Family behind her.
Mu Wanjun was from the Wei River Mu Family.
Weishui County City had a complex mix of forces, but only a few were truly famous. And the Wei River Mu Family was among the best of these forces.
The Family's overall strength was second only to the County Governor Liu Family.
As a member of an aristocratic Family, Mu Wanjun naturally possessed keen insight. She was now preparing to write to her Family, explaining Chen Ping'an's situation.
Chen Ping'an's talent was exceptional; although he started relatively late, his achievements were greatly discounted, but he still had a great chance to enter the Inner Qi Realm.
Such a talent needed to be strongly courted by the Family to bind him to the Family's chariot.
The existence of an Inner Qi Realm expert, even for the Wei River Mu Family, was someone worth winning over.
...
After Chen Ping'an left the Nancheng Suppression Office, he didn't return to the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office but went straight home. Given his current status, no one would say anything if he left work a bit early at the appropriate time.
Along the way, Chen Ping'an reviewed the recent events twice, and after careful thought, finding no flaws, his heart finally settled down.
He never expected it to be the position of Petty Officer Candidate.
To be honest, he was very satisfied with this reward.
Petty Officer Candidate, as the name suggests, is a reserve for Squad Leader. Under normal circumstances, after accumulating enough years, a Petty Officer Candidate would automatically be promoted to Deputy Squad Leader.
After a period of tempering and experience, a Deputy Squad Leader would then have the opportunity to be promoted to Squad Leader.
Of course, the top leader and the second-in-command are different. The former makes independent decisions and possesses unmatched authority, while the latter needs to wait quietly and maintain harmonious relations. The leap from Deputy Squad Leader to Squad Leader can stop a large proportion of people.
After a good while buffering the joy of his impending promotion, Chen Ping'an recalled the book Mu Wanjun had been reading. A book that could engross Mu Wanjun so much would naturally not be as simple as a miscellaneous book.
The New Talent Rankings of Canglongzhou.
Chen Ping'an naturally knew about Canglongzhou. The Weishui County City where he currently resided was a county city within the borders of Canglongzhou. Canglongzhou was vast, its territory stretching an unknown number of miles.
Let alone Canglongzhou, even within Weishui County City, most people would spend their entire lives just going around within the Weishui County City's territory.
As for the New Talent Rankings mentioned later, it sounded like a list.
New Talent, New Talent, could it be a list that records the younger generation?
A hint of curiosity arose in Chen Ping'an.
"I'll have to find an opportunity to understand it."
Lost in thought, Chen Ping'an returned home. Chen Er'ya, Xiao Yatou, was a little surprised by Chen Ping'an's early departure from work.
"Brother is back!"
"Yes, I got off work a bit early today. Nannan, what delicious food are you planning to make tonight?" Chen Ping'an asked with a smile.
Xiao Yatou mostly read books at home now. He would bring back new books every once in a while, and Xiao Yatou was reading more and more books.
"Nannan is going to be a great scholar in the future."
Chen Ping'an teased.
"Brother, don't tease me, I've only read so few books! Still far from it!"
Facing Chen Ping'an's teasing, Chen Er'ya was a bit embarrassed.
"Hahaha..."
Chen Ping'an laughed heartily.
...
For the next two days, Chen Ping'an continuously practiced the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training. He now had ample time, and the number of times he practiced each day increased.
The commendation report for the Ten Thousand Demons Sect stronghold encirclement had also been submitted early. Not only the Squad Leaders and Chief Constables, but even the Yamen Runners below were very concerned about what rewards the Nancheng Suppression Office would bestow for this merit.
Shortly after lunch, a special envoy from the Nancheng Suppression Office arrived and stayed in Squad Leader Shen Shikang's office for quite some time.
The Yamen Runners discussed animatedly, curious about the rewards for the merits of this encirclement.
Compared to the Yamen Runners' slow news, the Chief Constables of the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office, after Shen Shikang and Tian Fuliang, were the first to know about the merits and rewards this time.
"What! This reward... isn't it a bit exaggerated!"
Chief Li, upon hearing the news, was a bit stunned, frozen on the spot.
Not only Chief Li, but also Stern, Chief Liu, Chief Huang, and others who learned the news were all greatly astonished.
"Rocket promotion!"
...
PS: The protagonist has been promoted like a rocket, but the collection increase is slow, though it has finally broken the 5,000 mark. It's still worth celebrating.
The plot behind it is finally going to unfold little by little. It's really exciting~