Lihua Lane, Chen Family Courtyard.
Listening to Chen Er'ya's even breathing beside him, Chen Ping'an lay on the bed, quietly contemplating.
Qing Yu Gang's Za Mao Yu.
Reward notice.
Official Yamen Runner.
Tiger Head Gang's monthly pay.
...
One by one, these matters intertwined in Chen Ping'an's mind.
After getting off duty today, while halfway through dinner with Chen Er'ya, Zhang Dabo delivered the stones he wanted.
Chen Ping'an cleared out the gravel in the courtyard and, with Zhang Dabo, carried in several more baskets of stones.
The change from gravel to stones once again increased the speed at which Chen Ping'an practiced Iron Cloth. He still gained 1 point of cultivation experience, but the time required was significantly less than before. Not only that, but Chen Ping'an even practiced Iron Cloth four times in one go tonight, successfully gaining 4 points of cultivation experience.
Thus, with 3 points of experience in the morning and 4 points at night, he gained 7 points of experience in a single day.
In just over ten days, he would be able to cultivate Iron Cloth to Perfection!
After Iron Cloth reached Perfection, he would no longer have any other martial arts to cultivate, and his cultivation progress, which was currently advancing by leaps and bounds, would slow down, or even halt.
"I must become an official Yamen Runner of the Zhenfu Division before Iron Cloth reaches Perfection! Once I have the identity of an official Yamen Runner, I can naturally obtain Gongmen Thirteen Blades, and then everything will be on the right track, allowing me to gradually reveal my cultivation!"
As Chen Ping'an pondered, a panel visible only to him appeared in his vision.
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: Qi Blood Second Realm
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Major Achievement (13/100)
...
Perhaps due to the Qing Yu Gang remnants and the reward notice, Chen Ping'an felt a sense of apprehension after two consecutive days of failing to find any trace of them.
He, who usually fell asleep easily, found himself suffering from a rare bout of insomnia tonight. All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind.
Outside the window, the bright moon was obscured by dark clouds, and the moonlight was dim, making everything extremely gloomy.
A dark figure silently climbed over the courtyard wall. As he landed, a barely audible sound was made.
Such a slight sound would be impossible for an ordinary person to detect.
However, it could not escape Chen Ping'an, who had already reached the Qi Blood Second Realm.
Inside the room, Chen Ping'an's entire body tensed, and his expression suddenly changed.
There's someone in the courtyard!
His body tautened, and he slightly hunched over, concentrating fully on sensing the situation outside.
Although he hadn't looked with his eyes, the other party's sounds formed an incredibly clear trajectory in his ears.
The other party's footsteps were light, entering the small kitchen almost silently.
"What's he doing in the kitchen? Could it be... stealing food?"
Then, an incredibly faint creak.
Chen Ping'an knew that the other party had opened the cupboard door in the kitchen.
Followed by a few clinks of porcelain bowls.
Footsteps sounded again, and the other party left the kitchen, seemingly walking towards their location.
At this instant, a myriad of thoughts flashed through Chen Ping'an's mind.
Who is he?
What is he doing here?
What's his purpose?
...
The footsteps grew closer and closer.
Thump! Thump!
Chen Ping'an's heart rate accelerated.
He was ready to get up and counterattack.
One step! Two steps! Three steps!...
Chen Ping'an counted the steps; in a few more steps, he would flip over and subdue him in one fell swoop.
He didn't know why, but at this moment, his heart gradually calmed down, as if he had entered a wondrous Realm.
Chen Ping'an silently counted, ready to launch a fatal blow at any moment.
But suddenly, the other party's footsteps stopped. He stood still for about three breaths, then turned and left.
At this moment, Chen Ping'an's reaction was not one of relaxation. The first thought that flashed through his mind was: Chase!
Using the dim moonlight, he glanced at Chen Er'ya beside him. He quietly got up, and just as he approached the doorway, the dark figure had just climbed out over the courtyard wall.
Chen Ping'an stepped lightly, also climbing onto the courtyard front. Seeing the dark figure running not far ahead, he felt slightly relieved and likewise climbed out of the courtyard wall.
Having already entered the Qi Blood Second Realm, he had extremely high control over his body; every step he took was almost silent.
He maintained a certain distance, secretly following the other party.
After winding through several turns and running for about a quarter of an hour, the dark figure suddenly climbed into a courtyard.
"Is this a stronghold? Or something else..."
Chen Ping'an watched the dark figure enter the courtyard, hesitating for a moment.
After waiting a little while, he approached the courtyard and climbed over the wall.
Lying on the courtyard wall, he looked around and found that the courtyard was slightly larger than his own, but overgrown with weeds. The only sign of life was a woodpile not far away. He observed for a while but found no trace of the other party.
"Did he go inside?"
Chen Ping'an speculated.
After confirming there was no one in the courtyard, he flipped down from the wall.
Bang!
He had just landed and hadn't even steadied himself when the nearby woodpile suddenly seemed to explode. A dark figure leaped out from behind the woodpile.
The other party was tall, a full head taller than him.
Whoosh!
A strong gust of wind assailed him, and the other party's fist, as big as a sandbag, neared his body.
"Not good!"
Chen Ping'an's danger instincts blared repeatedly.
His mind hadn't fully processed it, but his body, as if by instinct, swung his arm to block.
This was the practical application of Iron Cloth, derived from the memories and insights gained after the starlight entered his body.
Bang!
The other party's fist and Chen Ping'an's arm collided heavily.
The immense force caused Chen Ping'an to involuntarily retreat a few steps, feeling a surge of Qi and blood.
"Qi Blood Second Realm!"
Chen Ping'an was not feeling well, but the other party was not much better. He had expected this sneak attack to completely defeat the person trailing him, but he never thought he would hit a steel plate.
It was also at this moment that Chen Ping'an, using the dim moonlight, clearly saw the other party's face.
A buzz cut, a square face, large ears, and a long, thin scar at the corner of his eye.
It was the Qing Yu Gang's big boss, Za Mao Yu!
An excited look flashed across Chen Ping'an's face.
He had searched high and low for him and never expected to encounter him like this!
Upon realizing he had hit a steel plate, Za Mao Yu's first reaction was to run.
The other party's martial Dao Realm was on par with his, but his injuries had not yet recovered, so he would definitely not be the other party's opponent if they got entangled. Moreover, if the commotion was too great and attracted the Zhenfu Division's night patrol Yamen Runner, he would surely die!
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Seeing Za Mao Yu about to flee, Chen Ping'an would not allow it. He immediately shouted and lunged at him.
"Get lost!"
Za Mao Yu roared, unleashing a whip kick towards Chen Ping'an.
This kick carried a strong gust of wind and immense power.
If an ordinary person were to take this kick squarely, he would either die or be severely injured.
But Chen Ping'an ignored it, maintaining his posture, spreading his arms, intending to take the kick head-on and then embrace him.
The whip kick landed heavily on Chen Ping'an's chest.
A cruel smile appeared on Za Mao Yu's face.
Taking this kick head-on, even a skilled martial artist in the Qi Blood Second Realm would not fare well.
It seemed the other party was still young, eager to keep him here, which instead gave him an opportunity.
However, in the next moment, the smile on Za Mao Yu's face completely froze.
"This... how is this possible?!"