The Great Martial Saint!

Bang! Bang! Bang! 

Chen Ping'an's hands continuously rubbed against his body. Due to the several layers of tight undergarments wrapped around him, the rubbing sound resembled the dull thud of hitting cowhide. 

In the small courtyard, Chen Ping'an gritted his teeth and repeated the exercise over and over again. 

Finally, after half an hour, a "+1" experience symbol flashed before his eyes. 

"Success!" 

**Name:** Chen Ping'an 

**Realm:** None 

**Martial Arts:** Iron Shirt (Not Yet Mastered) (4/5) 

Looking at the panel information in front of him, Chen Ping'an felt a surge of excitement. 

It really worked! If he maintained this routine, he could practice Iron Shirt twice a day. And if he took advantage of his rest days, he might even try practicing three times a day. 

If that were the case, his progress in mastering Iron Shirt would accelerate significantly. 

Little Tiger from the Tiger Head Gang had come to see him two days ago. Including today, that made it two days already. Time was running out for him. 

However, the success of practicing Iron Shirt early in the morning gave Chen Ping'an a glimpse of rapid growth. 

"By tonight, I'll have accumulated enough experience points." 

Chen Ping'an's heart burned with anticipation as he fetched water to wipe himself down. He couldn't go to work patrolling the streets drenched in sweat. 

By the time Chen Ping'an finished cleaning up, Chen Erya had already cooled his bowl of porridge to just the right temperature. 

Today's breakfast: a large bowl of porridge, an egg, and some leftover braised pork from yesterday. 

Chen Ping'an picked up the large bowl and slurped down the porridge. 

Before Chen Erya had even finished half of her meal, he had already devoured the entire bowl. 

"Little one, I'm off to work. Remember, don't skimp on lunch—eat something good." 

Chen Ping'an peeled the eggshell, planning to eat it on the way. 

"Got it, brother," Chen Erya replied. 

After eating the peeled egg on the road, Chen Ping'an quickened his pace and soon arrived at the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office. 

As usual, the pre-shift meeting was held, with all the constables gathered to listen to the sergeant's instructions. 

However, today, Sergeant Zheng didn't show up. Instead, it was Sergeant Li and Sergeant Yan, who had been absent yesterday. 

Out of the five sergeants at the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office, only two were present today. It was unclear what the other sergeants were busy with. 

As for the chief and deputy chief, they were nowhere to be seen, as usual. It was unknown whether they had already arrived and were staying out of sight or if there was some other reason. 

But none of this concerned Chen Ping'an. 

Right now, all he could think about was finishing his shift early and going back to practice Iron Shirt. 

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that there needed to be a sufficient gap between practice sessions, he would have considered sneaking away during lunch to push his Iron Shirt experience to 5 points. 

Chen Ping'an was once again paired with Houzi and Big Mountain for patrol duty, while Qin, their usual leader, was absent as usual. 

This situation was normal. Generally, Chen Ping'an would only run into Qin once every five or six days. 

Today, they were assigned to patrol Niuye Lane. Niuye Lane, located on Niuye Street, was one of the busiest areas in Nanquan Lane. 

Normally, the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office would deploy at least five teams of constables to patrol Niuye Street regularly to deter troublemakers. 

Today, Chen Ping'an, Houzi, and Big Mountain formed one of these teams. 

Compared to Willow Leaf Street, Niuye Lane had a much higher number of troublemakers and thugs. It was also the territory of the Iron Ox Gang. 

Like the Tiger Head Gang, the Iron Ox Gang was one of the many gangs in Nanquan Lane. 

However, in terms of influence, the Tiger Head Gang was more formidable. 

After all, the Tiger Head Gang had Tiger Lord and Qing Lord, the main and deputy leaders, respectively, along with three renowned guardians. They also had seven captains as their backbone and over a hundred gang members who were as fierce as wolves and tigers. 

The Little Tiger Lord, whom Chen Ping'an had interacted with, was one of the guardians of the Tiger Head Gang and the most favored adopted son of Tiger Lord, the gang's leader. 

However, when you thought about it, the Tiger Head Gang was just a gang of thugs operating in Nanquan Lane. The way they styled themselves with titles like "lord," "guardian," and "captain" made it seem as if they were some prestigious martial arts sect. To Chen Ping'an, it felt a bit out of place. 

But whenever this topic came up, Houzi found it completely normal. After all, they were in Weishui County City. Compared to gangs in smaller towns, they naturally had a different level of prestige. 

That said, despite the Tiger Head Gang's intimidating reputation, they were nothing in the eyes of the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office. If the Tiger Head Gang ever crossed the line, it wouldn't even require the chief to step in. Just two or three sergeants leading a team would be enough to suppress them. 

Therefore, even Tiger Lord, the leader of the Tiger Head Gang, had to show respect when encountering the sergeants of the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office. 

If Chen Ping'an's father, Old Chen, were still alive and had somehow become a sergeant, the Tiger Head Gang wouldn't have dared to come demanding the money owed. Not only would they not have pressed for payment, but they might have even sent some extra silver as a gesture of goodwill. 

The difference in status between a temporary constable, a regular constable, and a sergeant was like night and day. 

Today's patrol in Niuye Lane went smoothly, with no major incidents. The only notable event was a group of thugs exchanging insults. When they saw the constables, they gave some face and stopped the argument. 

As usual, Chen Ping'an took a break during lunch. Having woken up early and exhausted from practicing Iron Shirt, he ended up sleeping for nearly an hour before waking up. 

In the afternoon, the three of them wandered around, and just like that, another day passed. 

Constables were constables—showing up for work just to finish the shift! 

After handing in his saber and badge, Chen Ping'an hurried home with excitement. 

By the time he arrived, Chen Erya had almost finished preparing dinner. With Chen Ping'an lending a hand, the meal was ready in no time. 

Tonight's dinner: a plate of stir-fried pork kidneys, a bowl of steamed eggs, a plate of steamed pumpkin, and two bowls of white rice. 

Though not as lavish as the meals from the past two days, it was still enough to make the neighbors envious. 

Every night, the rich aroma of their dishes would often waft over to the neighboring houses. However, thanks to Chen Ping'an's status as a constable, such meals didn't attract any trouble. 

After dinner, Chen Ping'an helped his sister clean up the dishes. Then, they relaxed for a while to let the food settle. 

After that, Chen Ping'an began stretching and preparing for his practice session. 

With several sessions under his belt, this time Chen Ping'an's practice went smoothly. 

Half an hour later, the familiar "+1" experience symbol appeared in his vision before slowly fading away. 

**Name:** Chen Ping'an 

**Realm:** None 

**Martial Arts:** Iron Shirt (Not Yet Mastered) (5/5) 

"I've got enough experience points!" 

Looking at the panel information that only he could see, Chen Ping'an's heart pounded, and his hands and feet began to sweat. 

At this moment, his anticipation and excitement had reached their peak. 

"So, what's next..."