In the small courtyard at home, Chen Er'ya was eagerly waiting for Chen Ping'an to return. As soon as Chen Ping'an entered the door, Xiao Yatou jumped up.
"Brother, you're back!"
"Mm." Chen Ping'an nodded: "Nannan, go to bed early. You don't have to wait for me so late next time."
Chen Er'ya said with a giggle: "Brother, if you don't come back, I can't sleep."
The siblings chatted for a few minutes with smiles, then Chen Ping'an began his evening hard work.
Ever since his Flying Locust Stone reached Perfection, he had more time to Cultivate Gongmen Thirteen Blades and Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training. He was now at Qi and Blood Fourth Level Perfection, and his physical strength and endurance had greatly improved.
He could Cultivate Gongmen Thirteen Blades four times in one go in the morning and six times in the evening. Normally, that would be 10 points of cultivation experience per day.
Compared to this, the efficiency of Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training was lower. During the day, he could Cultivate two to three times by stealing time, depending on the situation. After his Flying Locust Stone reached Perfection, he could also Cultivate Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training once in the evening.
Although he had already been promoted to Chief Constable, Chen Ping'an's pace of Cultivating did not stop.
In this world, strength is the foundation!
If you want to protect your family, live with dignity, and not have to depend on others, then Cultivate well!
"According to the current Cultivating progress, in at most three more days, Gongmen Thirteen Blades will be completely Perfect. By then..."
Swish!
A flash of blade light, and Chen Ping'an stopped his movements.
"I will be able to break into the Qi and Blood Fifth Stage of organ refining!"
Qi and Blood Fifth Stage of organ refining means strengthening the five internal organs: heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Once organ refining is successful, it can greatly slow down the natural law of Qi and Blood decline. By then, even if a Martial Artist is seventy or eighty years old, he will still possess eighty to ninety percent of his peak combat power.
...
After being promoted to Chief Constable, Chen Ping'an truly discovered that not only was being a Chief Constable not unpleasant, but the pleasure of being a Chief Constable was beyond imagination.
Someone like Qin Tou, when he stole time, still needed to find a good place, hiding to avoid being discovered, lest he be caught. But for a Chief Constable, there was no such concern at all. He could openly relax and entertain himself in the Chief Constable's office.
As long as there were no special events, being a Chief Constable was very comfortable. On weekdays, he just moved his mouth, assigned personnel, and got the work done.
Throughout the day, Chen Ping'an Cultivated Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training three times. He successfully accumulated 3 points of cultivation experience, moving closer to the Minor Achievement of Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training.
"I want to see what Zheng Zhenwu is really up to!"
Tonight was the day Zheng Zhenwu was hosting a banquet at Spring Rain Pavilion to apologize.
Though it was called an apology, no one knew what Zheng Zhenwu was truly thinking, or if there was a conspiracy involved.
But no matter what Zheng Zhenwu thought, with Chen Ping'an's current strength of Forging Bones Perfection, he was no longer afraid of ordinary challenges.
...
"Chen Chief Constable, please."
In the elegant room on the second floor of Spring Rain Pavilion, Zheng Zhenwu, with a face full of smiles, invited Chen Ping'an to take a seat.
"Zheng Chief Constable." Chen Ping'an responded indifferently and calmly took his seat.
In the elegant room, it wasn't just Zheng Zhenwu; Zheng Shiyong was also there.
"Chen Chief Constable, this is my good-for-nothing nephew." Zheng Zhenwu said with a smile: "Shiyong, why aren't you apologizing to Chen Chief Constable?"
"Yes, yes, yes." At this moment, Zheng Shiyong adopted a humble posture, bowing slightly and holding up a wine cup with both hands.
"Chen Chief Constable. All the mistakes are Shiyong's fault. It was Shiyong who was ignorant. Please, as a great man, overlook the faults of a small man, and spare Shiyong."
After saying that, Zheng Shiyong raised his wine cup and drank it all.
Chen Ping'an remained expressionless, making no move.
"Chen Chief Constable, Shiyong is still young and ignorant. If he offended you in any way before, please don't take offense." Zheng Zhenwu picked up the wine pot and personally poured wine for Chen Ping'an.
"Not just Shiyong, but also Zheng, who has offended you many times before, please forgive me, Chen Chief Constable."
Zheng Zhenwu then heartily drank a cup of wine.
Chen Ping'an did not speak, quietly watching Zheng Zhenwu.
"Look at me, I was so eager to apologize that I forgot." Zheng Zhenwu smiled apologetically, took out a wooden box from his Arms and pushed it in front of Chen Ping'an. "A small token of my regard, please accept it, Chen Chief Constable."
Zheng Zhenwu very thoughtfully opened the wooden box for Chen Ping'an.
Taking a glance, Chen Ping'an couldn't help but be slightly moved.
Inside the wooden box, neatly arranged, lay ten gleaming gold ingots.
It was gold!
Not silver!
Although these gold ingots were not large, each one weighed three taels.
Ten ingots, that was a full thirty taels!
Thirty taels of gold was equivalent to three hundred taels of silver.
This price was more than enough to buy a comfortable three-courtyard house in Nanquan Lane.
Even for a Chief Constable, relying solely on his monthly salary, it would take one to two decades to accumulate this much.
Zheng Zhenwu truly lived up to his reputation as a highly experienced Chief Constable; his generosity was immense.
Could it be that the other party truly wanted to make amends?
Chen Ping'an felt a slight doubt in his heart.
Logically speaking, Zheng Zhenwu was not someone who would easily back down. But from the scale of this offer, it seemed as if he was serious.
"Zheng Chief Constable, what is the meaning of this?" Chen Ping'an asked, feigning confusion.
Zheng Zhenwu smiled and said: "A small token of my sincerity, not enough to express my respect, just a gift of apology from my nephew and me."
Chen Ping'an glanced at Zheng Zhenwu, temporarily unable to fathom the other party's thoughts.
However...
I don't care what you're thinking.
This free gold, why not take it!
Chen Ping'an pondered for a moment: "Since Zheng Chief Constable is so sincere, then Chen will not be modest."
Seeing Chen Ping'an accept the wooden box, Zheng Zhenwu's smile deepened.
"Come, Chen Chief Constable, let me toast you again!"
Zheng Zhenwu refilled Chen Ping'an's cup, raised his own, and drank first as a sign of respect.
After accepting the gold, Chen Ping'an no longer held back and also drank a cup of wine.
He rarely drank alcohol, and even when he did occasionally, it was with Monkey Head Da Shan and a few others, drinking cheap liquor from street vendors. This wine, at first glance, was good wine; as soon as it entered his mouth, he felt it was clear, pure, and incredibly refreshing.
In such a public setting, he wasn't worried at all about Zheng Zhenwu tampering with the wine.
In fact, with his Martial Artist Realm already at Forging Bones Perfection, ordinary medicines would not have much effect on him.
"Chen Chief Constable is straightforward. Come, Shiyong, toast Chen Chief Constable again."
"Yes. Chen Chief Constable, Shiyong toasts you."
For a time, the atmosphere was lively.
Amidst the clinking of cups, Zheng Zhenwu even promised that within the next two days, he would transfer his team of men to Chen Ping'an's command, completing the normal four teams.
The banquet ended with both host and guest content.
Zheng Zhenwu escorted Chen Ping'an all the way to the entrance of Spring Rain Pavilion before stopping.
"Zheng Chief Constable, stay here."
Chen Ping'an, slightly tipsy, greeted him and walked out.
"Have a safe journey." Zheng Zhenwu smiled and waved.
Once Chen Ping'an had walked away, Zheng Zhenwu's smile gradually faded.
"Go, hurry up."
Zheng Zhenwu said to Zheng Shiyong and then walked into Spring Rain Pavilion.
They had already booked girls at Spring Rain Pavilion, preparing to spend the night there.
And their purpose in booking girls was to create an alibi.