A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

The atmosphere among Su Bai and the other three was so tense and suffocating that day was over.

When it was time to leave, Su Bai was too lazy to say anything more to the two men. He just glanced at them expressionlessly, then turned and left, his clothes stirring up a slightly chilly breeze.

"Hmph, I'll settle this score with you sooner or later."

On his way home, as dusk settled, Su Bai walked alone, the image of Chen Dongquan's arrogant and cocky demeanor from earlier in the day repeatedly flashing through his mind. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning slightly white, a surge of resentment rising in his chest, impossible to shake off.

Inside the duty room, watching Su Bai's figure disappear into the dim light outside the door, Zhao An nervously approached Cheng Hu and whispered, "Brother Cheng, what do we do? Why did Officer Chen have to assign us to Officer Su's team? We're stuck in the middle, it's really difficult."

Cheng Hu, arms crossed, leaned against the table, and snorted a light laugh through his nose upon hearing this, his face full of disdain:

"What are you afraid of? He just got lucky and got a little favor from above. In reality, he hasn't even touched the threshold of the Skin Refining Realm. To put it bluntly, apart from having the title of a constable, he has nothing. Following Constable Chen's orders is the right way."

As he spoke, he tapped the table with his knuckles, appearing confident and composed.

He paused, then turned his gaze to Zheng Shijie, who had been mostly silent, and his tone became somewhat enticing:

"By the way, Brother Zheng, if you're sensible enough to work with us for Officer Chen, you'll reap the rewards in the future. You should know what Officer Chen is capable of and what his background is."

Zheng Shijie was pretending to adjust his cuffs when he heard this, he paused, and a troubled look immediately appeared on his face.

He just wanted to make a living peacefully and didn't want to get involved in any of this trouble.

Although it's unclear what the specific grudge is between Su Tou'er and Chen Cha Tou, what good would it do to get involved?

He himself has neither the talent to practice martial arts, and he only managed to get into this government office by relying on his father's influence. Could it be that Chief Su or Chief Chen would be generous enough to help him become a formal constable?

"Brother Cheng, I... I don't need to," Zheng Shijie raised his head, forced a dry smile, and waved his hand. "I just want to live a carefree life, I don't have any great ambitions. Don't worry, you two, I definitely won't go against you."

"You're mistaken," Cheng Hu leaned forward, his voice low but increasingly seductive, "Following Officer Chen, you're bound to get something for nothing, aren't you?"

"What are the benefits?" Zheng Shijie asked, following up on the topic.

"Of course there are lucrative opportunities. Don't worry, you don't need to actually go and fight."

After all, on the surface, Su Bai is still our leader, and we just do whatever he tells us to do.

But as long as Chen the constable gives a signal, you stand on our side and give him a little setback together.

"Think about it, if something really bad happens, we can just ask Officer Chen to pull some strings and get us transferred," Cheng Hu tempted.

Of course, frequent personnel changes are not advisable, as the Zhenfu Division is not solely owned by Chen Chatou.

However, as long as the timing is right, or a pretext is found, it is not difficult to change the personnel.

As long as the three of them are of one mind, and with Officer Chen protecting them from above,

Aren't many things decided by them?

"Ah...this..." Zheng Shijie rubbed his hands together, his eyes darting around. He glanced at Cheng Hu, who looked confident and had a smile on his lips, and then at Zhao An, who was standing next to him, agreeing but still unable to hide his apprehension. He felt even more conflicted.

"Brother Zheng, what are you still hesitating for?" Seeing that he was wavering, Cheng Hu pressed his advantage, his tone becoming more urgent.

"Don't forget, Chief Chen is on his way up, he's doing really well, and many people want to curry favor with him but can't find a way."

Even if the Chief Constable takes a liking to Su Bai for the time being, his own strength is what it is. Want to climb higher? It's as difficult as ascending to heaven!

You absolutely mustn't choose the wrong side and ruin your future.

Zheng Shijie felt a surge of excitement upon hearing this, and a feeling of warmth welled up inside him.

But he wasn't a decisive person, and he understood that once he got involved in this mess, it would be difficult to extricate himself cleanly.

At that point, I'm afraid I won't be able to do it whether I want to or not; I won't have a choice.

After much deliberation, Zheng Shijie finally gritted his teeth and put on a sincere yet troubled expression: "Brother Cheng, how about... you give me some time to think it over?"

"Alright," Cheng Hu said, seeing that he hadn't refused outright, knowing there was still a chance. He patted him on the shoulder, his tone softening. "Then Brother Zheng, think it over carefully. Once you've made up your mind, I'll take you to see Young Master Chen. You'll naturally reap the rewards then."

"Okay, okay..." Zheng Shijie nodded repeatedly, chuckling in agreement, but he had already made up his mind to delay as long as possible, preferably until the matter fell through.

In the end, he just wanted to drift through life. All those complicated interpersonal relationships, choosing sides and betting on others were too tiring and too risky.

Su Bai dragged his slightly tired body back home, where the house was quiet and cold.

As usual, he casually prepared some food—two cold, hard steamed buns with a little pickled vegetables, which he swallowed whole to appease his stomach.

After a hasty tidying up, he began his daily, uninterrupted cultivation in the cramped courtyard.

First, he sat cross-legged, calmed his mind and focused his spirit, and began to practice the rather strange "Meridian Skull Needle" method.

His breathing gradually became long and rhythmic, and his brow furrowed slightly.

It felt as if a very subtle airflow was passing through the skull, bringing a strange sensation that was a mixture of tingling and dull pain.

A silver needle flashed in his hand and pierced the big tree in the courtyard with a whoosh.

With swift speed, the silver needle entered.

If this were to be stuck in a person's body, it could probably pierce through instantly.

About an hour later, Su Bai let out a long sigh of relief, with a light sheen of sweat on his forehead.

After a short rest, he activated the "Blazing Sun Force" again.

This time, his blood and qi were subtly surging, and there seemed to be a warm current flowing under his skin. In the dim light, the blood vessels on his exposed neck and the back of his hands were slightly bulging and tinged with a light red, which made the surrounding air feel a bit warmer.

He only slowly stopped practicing when he felt his meridians slightly full and his blood and qi were flowing smoothly.

He got up and stretched, his bones making a slight cracking sound.

Immediately, he picked up the standard-issue sword leaning against the wall.

Now that I am a formal constable, I can carry both this knife and the token with me, which are also symbols of my status.

He stood with his knife in hand, his eyes focused, and began to practice each move.

The blade flashed in the moonlight, tracing a chilling arc. The sound of it cutting through the air was sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Though it lacked any fancy moves, it carried a deep and ruthless intensity. Sweat gradually soaked his inner shirt, but he seemed oblivious, channeling all the pent-up frustration of the day into each slash and strike.

The night passed without incident, accompanied only by the monotonous chirping of insects and the intermittent whistling of blades.