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

"Young Master, it's absolutely true! It was a constable named Chen Dongquan under Constable Chen who relayed the message through an informant. The source is Constable Chen himself... I've heard that Constable Chen is also extremely troubled by this matter..."

The color drained from Luo Haoxuan's face in an instant, his surprise turning into shock, followed by a chilling sense of lingering fear.

Deputy Chief Constable Xing was someone the Fierce Tiger Gang had to be careful to deal with and dared not easily offend.

And the chief officer of the General Garrison Command... was a high-ranking official whom they could never even meet and dared not even think about!

His legs went weak, and he slumped back into the chair with a thud as the animal-hide cushion creaked.

He froze for a brief moment, then suddenly shuddered.

As if splashed with cold water, he suddenly looked up, his panic replaced by a resolute ruthlessness.

"Quick! Go to the storeroom!" His voice was urgent, carrying an unquestionable command. "Pick out a few decent gifts for me, valuable and presentable! Also, have Chen Hu prepare his apology gift immediately, add it to the list, and get it done right away!"

The news spread like wildfire throughout the southern part of the city.

Soon, all the gangs entrenched in the area learned that a new constable surnamed Su had recently risen to prominence in the Zhenfu Division, and his momentum and background were so strong that he was even more untouchable than many veteran constables.

The news even spread to other districts through the words of merchants and travelers. In just a few days, the name "Su Bai," along with his young but not-so-tough image, had become a symbol of sustenance for gang members in the streets and alleys.

In countless gang headquarters, portraits of Su Bai, painstakingly copied through connections, were quietly displayed, accompanied by a strict order:

Keep your eyes peeled; this person is absolutely not to be trifled with.

On this day, Su Bai led Sun Hou and the other three on a symbolic tour of several streets.

As the sun began to set, he went to Chunfeng Tower early to make arrangements.

That evening, the building was bustling with activity as Su Bai and his four squads of constables toasted each other, creating a lively atmosphere.

Only when the moon was high in the sky did he, with a touch of just the right amount of drunkenness, bid farewell to everyone and walk home alone under the moonlight.

The night breeze was slightly cool, dispersing some of the smell of alcohol.

Even from some distance from his house, Su Bai noticed four or five figures standing in front of his simple wooden door, looking rather out of place in the dim night.

He walked slowly closer, his steps unwavering and his expression unchanged.

The lantern's light was weak, but enough to make out who was coming.

The man in the lead was none other than Luo Haoxuan, the young leader of the Fierce Tiger Gang.

He was wearing a brand-new brocade robe today, but he couldn't hide the deliberate tension in his eyes. The people following behind him bowed with their hands at their sides, keeping their posture extremely low.

"Chief Luo?" Su Bai stopped a few steps away, a half-smile playing on his lips. "What, you've taken the time to grace my humble abode with your presence today? I thought that, given Chief Luo's temperament, he would have simply broken down the door."

Luo Haoxuan's face instantly lit up with a smile, a smile that was extremely sincere, even carrying a hint of obsequiousness. He quickly stepped forward and awkwardly clasped his hands in a fist salute, as if he wanted to bow:

"Lord Su! You're finally back! I've come all this way to pay my respects. Congratulations on your promotion, Lord Su! May your future be bright!"

"Oh? Congratulations?" Su Bai raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over Luo Haoxuan and then landing on the few gang members behind him who were cowering with their heads down. He said mockingly, "I thought Gang Leader Luo was here to settle scores with me. After all, I recently 'accidentally' taught a few of those ignorant Tiger Gang brothers who dared to lay a hand on me a lesson, didn't I?"

"A misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding, Lord Su!" Luo Haoxuan's voice rose, sounding urgent and sincere. He turned around abruptly and shouted sternly, "Chen Hu! Old Wolf! Get over here now and kowtow to Lord Su to apologize!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the two people behind him staggered forward.

It was Chen Hu and Old Wolf who had besieged Su Bai that day.

The two still had bruises on their faces and were walking with a limp, clearly indicating that their injuries had not yet healed.

They dared not raise their heads, and with a thud, they all knelt on the bluestone slab, crawling half a step, each taking out a heavy coarse cloth bag from their bosom, and holding it high above their heads with both hands.

"Lord Su! Little Tiger (Little Wolf) was blind and offended the tiger's might, he deserves to die! Please, Lord Su, have mercy on us this time! This little bit is just a token of our apology!" The two men's voices trembled, their foreheads almost touching the cold ground.

Su Bai didn't take the two bags, but slowly shifted his gaze back to Luo Haoxuan's face, his smile deepening, but his eyes remained devoid of warmth.

"Oh? I could accept their apologies. It's just..." He deliberately dragged out his words.

"The Fierce Tiger Gang is such a powerful force that the ground trembles when they stomp their feet in the South City. How could I, Su Bai, a mere constable, possibly afford to offend them? How could I dare to trouble Chief Luo to personally come to my door with such a grand display?"

Luo Haoxuan's face stiffened slightly, then a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. He suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the cheek with a crisp "smack"!

That blow was quite severe, and a red mark immediately appeared on my face.

After he finished, his smile grew even brighter, as if the blow had merely brushed away some dust.

"Lord Su, you flatter us, the Fierce Tiger Gang! It was all our fault for our subordinates' ignorance and disrespect towards you! We've become friends through this conflict! From now on, if you need anything, Lord Su, just give the order, and the entire Fierce Tiger Gang will do everything in our power to serve you without hesitation!"

As he spoke, he raised his voice and shouted, "Little Knife! Bring the goods here!"

"Yes, young master!" Two gang members stepped forward in response, each carrying a carved wooden box about a foot long, which they opened in front of everyone.

Su Bai's gaze swept casually across the area, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

Inside the box on the left, neatly arranged were gleaming silver ingots, all official ten-tael pure silver coins. The silver gleamed with a cold, hard texture under the dim light, layer upon layer, and at a rough glance, they amounted to no less than two hundred taels.

The box on the right contains an even more dazzling golden color.

The gold bars lay quietly, and although there were fewer of them than silver, their heavy color and weight suggested that they were worth about fifty taels.

At market price, this would be equivalent to five hundred taels of silver.

Seven hundred taels of snowflake silver.

This is close to the total amount that the Fierce Tiger Gang "tributes" to their superiors in a year, and it is also the sum of Su Bai's salary for more than three years!

Most importantly, the scales in his mind clearly reflected the requirements of the next level:

[Golden Bell Cover - Lesser Mastery → Greater Mastery]

[Sacrificial offerings: Fifty taels of gold, one hundred catties of refined iron]

Converted to silver, that's about 1,500 taels. This "apology" almost makes up half of that amount!

Adding to that the two bags of "gifts" that Chen Hu and Lao Lang were carrying, which looked quite heavy, they could probably add another hundred or so taels.