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

"Ugh—! Chief Constable! I'm innocent—!"

Despite having his mouth and nose covered, Cheng Hu still managed to squeeze out intermittent sobs from his throat, his eyes bloodshot as he stared in the direction of Officer Chen, his legs kicking and struggling desperately.

Zhao An burst into tears, screaming hoarsely, "It's Officer Chen... Chen Dongquan! You're silencing me! You bastards! Let me go—!"

Chen Dongquan's face was so dark it could drip water, and he growled, "Drag him out! Quickly!"

Several henchmen dragged and pulled, their black boots scraping against the bluestone ground with a harsh screech.

Cheng Hu's angry curses, Zhao An's cries, and the muffled sounds of struggle mingled together, gradually fading into the distance, eventually being shut out by the heavy vermilion gate.

The courtyard returned to silence, but it felt even more oppressive than before.

Su Bai stood still, gazing in the direction where the others had disappeared, his brows furrowed slightly.

Xing Huai'an must know that he went to the General Garrison yesterday;

The selection of "outstanding constables" today was most likely given by Wei Zhiyao himself.

However, Cheng Hu and Zhao An's identification before leaving was very convincing.

Logically, Xing Huai'an should at least have questioned Chen Chatou in public and conducted a preliminary investigation.

Just now, Xing Huai'an simply stood with his hands behind his back, watching coldly, and did not utter a word until the voices faded away.

This is not simply "not pursuing the matter," but rather tacitly condoning favoritism.

Su Bai's gaze sharpened slightly, and he understood.

The waters within this garrison were far deeper than he had imagined.

There is likely a complex and intertwined relationship between Xing Huai'an and Chen Chatou.

However, given his current position, he cannot see or touch the key to it.

On the high platform, Xing Huai'an slowly withdrew his gaze, as if the farce that had just occurred had never happened.

He straightened his cuffs and calmly swept his gaze over the assembled officials below the platform.

He paused briefly on Su Bai before turning away, his tone as usual:

"That's all for today. Everyone may disperse, but those on duty must not slack off."

Having said that, he stepped down from the platform, the hem of his official robe brushing against the stone steps, and walked straight toward the inner hall.

Chen Chatou followed closely behind, his back ramrod straight, but he never looked back.

The servants in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had been granted a pardon, and dispersed in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.

Su Bai accepted the task of patrolling the streets. He had just stepped out of the Zhenfu Division gate, and before his black boots had even touched the stone outside the gate, he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

A stranger in blue robes caught up and called out in a low voice, "Officer Su, please wait. Chief Constable Xing requests your presence for a chat."

Su Bai paused slightly, turned around, his face expressionless, and simply nodded, saying, "Thank you for leading the way."

He turned back and entered, passing through the quiet corridors, until he arrived at a spacious office. The clerk bowed at the door, and Su Bai straightened his clothes before pushing the door open and entering.

The room was simply but neatly furnished. A large desk stood against the north wall, behind which was a floor-to-ceiling filing cabinet. Xing Huai'an was sitting behind the desk, toying with a copper paperweight in his hand. Hearing the sound, he looked up and a warm smile spread across his face.

"Greetings, Lord Xing!" Su Bai stopped three steps in front of the desk, clasped his hands in a salute, and stood tall and straight like a pine tree.

"No need for formalities, please sit." Xing Huai'an gestured with his hand, pointing to an elm wood armchair in front of the table. His gaze lingered on Su Bai, and his smile deepened. "Not bad, truly not bad. He possesses an inner spirit and is composed and measured. Constable Su is indeed a leader among the younger generation of our Southern Garrison."

"You flatter me, Lord Xing." Su Bai sat down as instructed, only sitting on the front half of the chair, his back still straight. "I am a junior officer with little experience. I still need to hone my skills and learn a lot from the seniors in the department, especially Lord Xing."

"Hmm," Xing Huai'an gently placed the paperweight back on the table with a soft click, leaning slightly forward, his tone gentle like that of an elder.

"Young people, it's good to know how to be humble. But being too rigid will lead to breakage, and being too soft will lead to weakness. One should not hide one's sharpness and spirit."

I heard... that yesterday, Chief Emissary Wei summoned you for a talk? That's truly an extraordinary honor.

He changed the subject, a hint of inquiry creeping into his smile.

"Our newly appointed Chief Constable Wei has extremely high standards and is very strict in his administration. If you've caught his eye, Constable Su's future is limitless..."

Next, Xing Huai'an delivered a series of seemingly casual but actually pointed praises and inquiries, his words tactful yet always subtly steer the conversation toward the relationship between Su Bai and Chief Constable Wei Zhiyao.

Anyone with eyes can see that Su Bai is now highly favored by the Chief Constable, and this Deputy Chief Constable Xing naturally wants to figure out the ins and outs of it.

Faced with Xing Huai'an's meticulous probing, Su Bai responded with even greater caution.

He spoke respectfully and acted sincerely, but in reality, he often used phrases like "I am grateful for the Chief Commissioner's favor" and "I am just doing my duty" to evade the issue. When it came to key points, he would be vague and avoid the important issues.

He knew in his heart that he and Wei Zhiyao were actually connected by Ning Yuechan, but he was determined to keep quiet about Ning Yuechan and not reveal a word about her.

After several exchanges, Xing Huai'an, seeing that he couldn't get any substantial information, maintained his smile, but a barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes. He leaned back in his chair, picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and his demeanor returned to its usual composure.

"Well, in short, you need to be even more diligent in your work from now on and live up to the expectations of your superiors."

Xing Huai'an put down his teacup, tapped his knuckles lightly on the smooth table, and then changed the subject again.

"Officer Su, there is actually another appointment today, which was not announced in public just now, mainly to avoid arousing too much speculation among the brothers below."

Su Bai's expression hardened, and he bowed again: "Please enlighten me, sir. I have already received commendation and am filled with trepidation. How dare I seek further credit and reward?"

"Oh, you're mistaken." Xing Huai'an waved his hand, his smile becoming more genuine. "It's not an extra reward, but rather an additional responsibility. The higher-ups have decided to assign three more squads of constables to your command. This is also for future considerations, to let you familiarize yourself with how to lead a larger force sooner."

"Teach three more classes!" Su Bai was shocked.

A squad consists of one regular constable and three temporary constables, making a total of twelve people. Including his original command, he can have up to sixteen people under his command.

Although their numbers are not extremely large, they account for more than one-tenth of the total manpower of the Southern Garrison, and their authority and responsibilities are comparable to half a courier.

This was definitely not Xing Huai'an's own idea; it must have been instructed by Wei Zhiyao, the chief clerk.

Su Bai quickly sorted out his thoughts and looked up at Xing Huai'an, who was smiling broadly behind the desk.

The deputy chief inspector appeared gentle and friendly, but there was always a layer between his smile and his expression, which gave people an invisible sense of estrangement and scrutiny.

In a flash, Su Bai stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute again, and said in a steady and firm voice, "This subordinate is young and inexperienced, and I fear I may fail in my duty. But since my superiors and Lord Xing have trusted me, Su Bai will do his utmost to manage his subordinates well and fulfill his duties!"

"Good, good!" Xing Huai'an clapped his hands and laughed, his eyes unreadable. "That's the kind of spirit and responsibility I need. Officer Su, do your job well and make more contributions. I... will be watching."

"Yes! I will follow your instructions, sir!" Su Bai bowed and then slowly left the guardhouse at Xing Huai'an's signal to "go."