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

"Brother Sun, who are those... for?" Su Bai had a guess in his heart.

"Who else could it be?"

Sun Hou curled his lip, his tone sour.

"Naturally, it's a special meal for you taxi drivers. They eat on the second floor of the canteen, in private rooms. They have three meals a day, with a variety of chicken, duck, fish, and meat dishes—that's what a proper meal is. What we're doing here is just filling our stomachs."

"Envious?" Old Wang, who had been eating in silence and rarely interrupted, raised his eyelids, glanced at Sun Hou, and slowly uttered a few words, "If you're so capable, why don't you become a taxi driver yourself, and you'll naturally enjoy the same benefits."

Upon hearing this, Sun Hou's envy instantly turned into sullenness, his shoulders slumped, and he sighed.

"Come on, Brother Wang, stop teasing me."

"Taxi drivers? Those are all experts who have entered the second stage of martial arts, the Flesh Refining Realm! In my entire life, I'd be grateful if I could just manage to break through to the first stage, the Skin Refining Realm, and get a formal position as a policeman. How could I dare to dream of being a taxi driver?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water, cooling down the atmosphere at the table, which had been slightly lively due to the discussion about food.

The youthful exuberance on Sun Hou's face was replaced by the helplessness of reality.

Old Wang stopped talking and just ate his rice faster.

The three of them said no more and just focused on cleaning up the food in their bowls.

……

There is a short lunch break after the meal.

The three of them found a shady spot under the eaves outside the guardhouse, and either leaned or sat down, taking a nap.

The afternoon was exactly the same as the morning.

The three of them went to the bustling area of ​​Daqianmen again and circled around it several times along the same route.

The market was even more bustling in the afternoon than in the morning, with people coming and going and vendors calling out their wares.

But nothing "happened" that required the intervention of these constables.

Occasionally there will be disputes or minor disturbances, but often before they even get close, the parties involved will see their black robes and disperse or lower their voices on their own.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the monotonous street patrols and the occasional nods and greetings with shop assistants.

As the afterglow of the setting sun gilded the cobblestone path with a layer of gold, Su Bai and his companions dragged their slightly weary, but mostly bored, steps...

Upon returning to the Zhenfusi Yamen, he briefly reported to the clerk on duty that "everything is as usual," thus completing his duties for the day.

It's worth mentioning that their temporary three-person team also had a "formal constable" as the team leader, surnamed Li.

But Su Bai didn't see this constable Li at all, from his morning roll call to his evening report.

Sun Hou and Lao Wang seemed to have gotten used to this, and didn't bother to mention it at all.

......

By the time I finished my business trip, it was already getting dark.

Instead of going straight back to the simple rented room, Su Bai took a detour to Changchuntang Pharmacy.

"Shopkeeper, what's the price of a five-year-old ginseng, about one tael? Also, how much is a top-quality sheep penis?" Su Bai leaned closer to the counter and asked in a low voice.

The shopkeeper raised his eyelids and, recognizing the customer as someone who had bought medicine before, his tone remained fairly polite.

"A five-year-old ginseng? A good quality one tael is about three taels and four mace of silver. As for sheep penis, it depends on whether you want it dried or fresh. A good dried one will also cost about one tael. In total, it'll be around four taels and five mace of silver."

This price is not much different from what Su Bai had privately estimated.

He nodded, asked no further questions, thanked them, and turned to leave the pharmacy.

I only walk on main roads and never wander around outside.

Su Bai is recently afraid of being trapped in a sack.

Those guys from the Fierce Tiger Gang, who were rejected by him last time, are probably lurking in some dark corner, waiting to find him alone and take revenge.

Caution is the boat.

Back home, Su Bai quickly prepared some food to fill his stomach, then closed the doors and windows. In the small open space inside the house, following the basic techniques of Tiger and Leopard Strength, he slowly assumed a stance, attempting to guide the faint but real heat flow within his body to circulate throughout his body.

However, more than an hour passed, and even as he was sweating and his limbs felt weak, the increase in the heat flow was negligible, and he could hardly feel any substantial progress.

In the stillness of the night, the faint sound of a wooden clapper could be heard outside.

Su Bai stopped his stance, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and a hint of helplessness and determination flashed in his eyes.

At this point, he completely gave up the illusion that he could improve quickly simply by "studying hard".

The original owner of this body was judged to have extremely poor martial arts talent, and it seems that this was not an exaggeration.

Without special opportunities, if one cultivates step by step, it might really take forever.

The next day, it was dawn.

Su Bai appeared precisely on time at the Zhenfu Division's drill ground, just like a pre-set clock.

After yesterday's "baptism," he has begun to adapt to the pace of life here.

It was still the usual pre-meeting.

However, things seemed to have returned to "normal" today, with only Chief Wang present to give a speech.

Wang Cha Tou still had that stern, square face, and delivered a string of encouraging and admonitory platitudes, but his speech was noticeably shorter, ending in less than half an hour.

It seems that yesterday's situation, where all three arrived at the same time and delivered lengthy speeches, was indeed an exception.

These things are not relevant to Su Bai at present.

He tossed and turned all night, and had already come up with some initial ideas for how to make money.

That means borrowing money!

The meeting ended, and the crowd began to disperse.

Su Bai did not immediately go to find Sun Hou and Lao Wang, but instead searched the crowd and quickly found a familiar middle-aged constable—Xiang Quan.

Su Bai walked over quickly, and just as Xiang Quan was about to leave, he called out to him in a low voice:

"Uncle Xiang, wait a moment. I need your help with something."

Xiang Quan stopped and turned around. Seeing that it was Su Bai, he gave a kind but somewhat distant smile: "Oh, it's Xiao Bai. What's the matter? Tell me, and I, your Uncle Xiang, will definitely help if I can."

Although the words were well-spoken, there was already a hint of wariness in his eyes. This was the instinctive reaction of someone who had spent many years in the public sector when they heard the word "help".

Su Bai rubbed his hands together, revealing a slightly troubled yet earnest expression:

"Uncle Xiang, then I'll be frank... I don't know if you have any money on hand, but could you lend me some to tide me over? I'll definitely pay you back once I get my paycheck this month."

Xiang Quan's smile suddenly became somewhat dry. He looked around before whispering:

"Borrow money? Xiaobai, what do you need money for? It's not that Uncle Xiang doesn't want to help you, but your Uncle Xiang also has a large family to support, and the expenses are not small. The spare money he can move is really limited." He first laid out the difficulties and bottom line.

Su Bai was prepared, and said with a bitter face:

"Uncle Xiang, to be honest, I've recently been trying to practice the Tiger and Leopard Strength. You know the expenses of martial arts training—medicine, food, everything costs money. I won't borrow too much, just eight taels of silver, is that alright? I'll pay you back as soon as I get paid!"

"Eight ounces?" Xiang Quan gasped, shaking his head vigorously, his voice even lower.

"Xiao Bai, you... Your Uncle Xiang's monthly salary may seem high, but with this whole family to feed, drink, and take care of, it's already difficult to have two or three taels left at the end of the month."

You asked for eight taels right off the bat, and I lent you the whole thing, even if it meant I couldn't make ends meet this month?

Besides, you're not going to practice next month? Martial arts training is something you have to do according to your ability, and it has to be a gradual process..."

Su Bai knew that borrowing money was not easy, especially when the amount was large.

He had originally planned to "start with a high price and then make concessions," so he immediately backed down and became even more earnest:

"Uncle Xiang, it was my oversight. How about five taels? Five taels should be fine, right? I really need it urgently, otherwise I wouldn't have asked for it."

Xiang Quan's face showed a struggle. After a long silence, he sighed and said earnestly:

"Oh dear, you silly child... Here's what we'll do, Uncle Xiang can only lend you three taels at most. It's not that Uncle Xiang is stingy, it's just that these days... we're really strapped for cash."

Don't blame Uncle Xiang for being blunt. Learning martial arts to strengthen the body is a good thing, but the most important thing is to study and practice diligently. External aids are useful, but they are ultimately just aids. Don't put the cart before the horse and take on too much of a burden for them...

He went on and on, lecturing me as if this would alleviate some of the psychological pressure of refusing to lend more money, and also make his three taels of silver seem more "valuable".

Once he was satisfied, Xiang Quan reached into his inner pocket, fumbled for three small pieces of loose silver, weighed them in his hand, and reluctantly handed them to Su Bai: "Here, that's all. Remember to use them sparingly, and be sure to pay them back when you get your pay."

"Thank you, Uncle Xiang! I will definitely remember!" Su Bai quickly accepted the silver, which was slightly warm but heavy in his hand, and he thanked him sincerely.

These days, being able to borrow money is really a blessing.

Although they didn't get the ideal amount, three taels of silver was a lifesaver at this critical juncture.

With the silver tucked away, Su Bai found Sun Hou and Old Wang, who were already waiting impatiently, and began his new day of patrolling the streets.

Halfway there, seeing an opportunity when no one was around, Su Bai shamelessly asked Sun Hou for money.

Upon hearing this, Lord Sun merely raised an eyebrow, sized Su Bai up and down, but didn't ask any further questions or lecture him. He simply took two taels of silver from his purse and tossed it to him.

"Here, just two taels, that's all. Remember to pay me back when you get your pay, Brother Su."

"Definitely! Thank you so much, Brother Sun!" Su Bai accepted the gift, feeling grateful.

Although Sun Hou seems a bit cunning, he is quite straightforward when it matters.

Having scraped together five taels of silver, Su Bai felt much more at ease.

After finishing his business trip, he couldn't wait to go to "Changchuntang" again. This time, he didn't ask any questions and directly bought a five-year-old ginseng and a good-quality dried sheep penis as requested.

Back in the rented room, I closed the doors and windows tightly.

Su Bai carefully took out the offerings, silently praying in his heart.

As the light on the right tray of the mysterious scales lit up and then went out, the ginseng and sheep whip vanished as if swallowed by an invisible fire.

At the same time, a stream of air, far stronger and hotter than when he first entered the sect, suddenly exploded from his dantian and instantly flowed to his limbs and bones!

Tiger and Leopard Strength, minor mastery!

Su Bai could clearly feel that the energy within his body had become much stronger and more solid, and its circulation was much smoother.

He tried to get into a fighting stance, and with a slight exertion of his strength, his muscles bulged, his bones resonated, and a powerful sense of energy arose spontaneously.

He estimated that at his current cultivation speed, perhaps... it would only take about a year for him to reach the threshold of the first realm of martial arts, the "Skin Refining Realm"!