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

Back home, the courtyard wall shut out the noise of the outside world.

Su Bai unfastened his sword, took a stance in the courtyard as dusk fell, took a deep breath, and began to practice.

If there's no extra money for offerings, then make up for it with sweat and time!

The blade whistled through the air, making a distinct "whoosh" sound that was particularly clear in the quiet courtyard. His figure moved nimbly and darted in the gradually dimming light, each move executed with all his might.

The next day, Su Bai arrived at the Zhenfu Division on time as usual to report for duty.

Cheng Hu and Zhao An remained the same as always, maintaining basic respect for him on the surface, addressing him as "Officer Su," and bowing and greeting him without fail.

But Su Bai could clearly sense that beneath the respect lay a perfunctory and distant attitude. Their eyes often darted around, and their smiles were only superficial.

Zheng Shijie, on the other hand, became increasingly invisible, almost avoiding eye contact with him, and doing things quietly.

Nothing special happened that day; it was just another routine business trip.

……

Inside the Zhenfu Division, there was a private room for Chief Chen.

Cheng Hu and Zhao An stood with their hands at their sides, reporting in hushed to Officer Chen, who was sitting behind the desk.

"You mean, Su Bai had a conflict with Luo Haoxuan from the Fierce Tiger Gang yesterday?" Chen Cha Tou fiddled with a copper paperweight in his hand, his eyelids slightly raised, his voice calm and emotionless.

"Yes, sir." Cheng Hu stepped forward and lowered his voice, "There was quite a commotion. That Su Bai... even chopped off the arm of one of Luo Haoxuan's men with a single stroke."

"Oh?" Chen Chatou paused slightly in his hand holding the paperweight, his face remaining calm, only his eyes becoming somewhat unfathomable. "Explain the specifics. Also, how did Luo Haoxuan deal with it?"

"Back to the taxi," Cheng Hu licked his slightly dry lips, recalling carefully.

Yesterday at Yangtianjing, Luo Haoxuan and his men were beating up a gambler who owed loan sharks and couldn't pay back his debts. Later, Su Bai arrived, and the two sides got into an argument.

One of Luo Haoxuan's thugs, probably having gotten a glimpse of Su Bai, tried to attack him, but... Su Bai swiftly sliced ​​off his arm instead.

Later, Luo Haoxuan recognized that Su Bai had been promoted to a formal constable, and his expression immediately changed. He said that Su Bai could deal with that scoundrel at will, his attitude... extremely humble. In the end, Su Bai didn't pursue the matter further and let them go.

"Su Bai has been in the Zhenfu Division for two months now, all told?" Chen Chatou's brows furrowed slowly, forming a deep "川" character.

"Yes, exactly two months." Cheng Hu lowered his head, his tone becoming even more respectful. "Moreover, I had inquired beforehand and everyone said that Su Bai's family was poor, and he himself was weak in his early years and had poor physique, so he was not suitable for martial arts training."

"Two months..." Chen Chatou gently placed the paperweight on the table, making a soft "tap" sound. For the first time, he truly placed the name "Su Bai" in a position that required careful consideration.

"Someone who was previously considered unsuitable for martial arts training, how could they develop such skills in just two months? And even dare to actually fight, severing an arm in the process? Was the previous intelligence incorrect, or... is there something else going on?"

"Taxi driver," Cheng Hu looked up, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes.

"I think either his deceased father left him some unknown treasure, or... this kid has recently had some incredible luck and encountered a fortuitous event."

I witnessed it with my own eyes yesterday: he drew his knife, severed his arm, and retreated. His movements were swift and decisive; in terms of reaction time and ruthlessness alone, he's probably not much less capable than me.

Keep in mind, he was about to break through to the Skin Refining Realm.

This means that Su Bai has actually reached this level without anyone noticing.

"Hmm..." Chen leaned back in his chair, narrowed his eyes, and stared at a point in the air. He slowly nodded. "I didn't expect this kid to actually have such good fortune, being noticed by his superiors and promoted to a regular officer. Now, it'll be a bit troublesome to deal with him."

He suspected that Su Bai might have already achieved something in martial arts, but had not yet broken through to the Skin Refining Realm, so he had been holding back.

Now that they have the "skin" of a formal constable to protect them, they dare to show a little bit of their sharpness.

After all, with this identity, even if someone covets a treasure or encounters, it becomes much more difficult to obtain it easily.

Chen Chatou tapped his fingers lightly on the smooth tabletop a few times, his eyes growing increasingly calculating.

"In that case," Chen Chatou suddenly spoke, his voice even lower, carrying an undeniable air, "it's almost the end of the month. As usual, it's time to go to Yangtianjing to collect the 'donations' from the various gangs. This time, I'll send Su Bai."

"Donation silver?" Cheng Hu was taken aback. "Taxi drivers, donation silver has always been collected according to old customs, and those gangs usually pay obediently. Luo Haoxuan just suffered a setback yesterday, so he probably doesn't want to provoke Su Bai again anytime soon... He probably won't actively seek trouble in this matter, right?"

A cold smile curled at the corner of Chen Chatou's lips.

"Simple. Go find Luo Haoxuan for me." He turned to Cheng Hu, his tone slow and clear.

"Tell him to spread the word that the Tiger Gang's donation this month needs to be increased by one-fifth."

He'll incite trouble beforehand, directing all the discontent over this 'new donation' at Su Bai, who's going to collect it. As for Su Bai," he paused, "I'll personally give him the task, explicitly requiring him to increase the total amount of donations he collects this time by 20% compared to last month."

"This..." Cheng Hu was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then a chill ran from his tailbone straight up to the top of his head, and his hair stood on end.

He looked at Chen Chatou in horror, cold sweat seeping down his back.

Donating silver was an unspoken "tribute" between the Zhenfu Division and various underworld forces in the city, serving as a lubricant to maintain a semblance of peace.

Under normal circumstances, as long as the amount isn't outrageous, the gang will hand it over in full to buy peace of mind.

However, if Chen Cha Tou asked him to deliver this message, Luo Haoxuan would immediately understand that someone above wanted to use him to trip up Su Bai and set a trap for him!

Luo Haoxuan had a grudge against Su Bai, but he had to tolerate it for the time being because of Su Bai's status as a constable.

Now that they have received such hints and encouragement, how could they let go of this opportunity to both take revenge and appear to be "following orders"?

When the time comes, Su Bai will be ordered to collect the "extra" donations, only to find himself facing a Tiger Gang that has been instigated in advance and is seething with resentment... A conflict is almost inevitable, and it will certainly not be a minor one.

No matter how powerful Su Bai is, he is no match for the dozens of members of the Fierce Tiger Gang, many of whom are experts at the Skin Refining Realm.

What can he do by himself?

While they might not be seriously injured, in a large group of people, someone could easily break an arm or leg.

With Chen Chatou (a high-ranking official) keeping things under control, the Fierce Tiger Gang will probably just pull out two people to take the blame and call it a day.