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

When Officer Chen personally brought the wooden box up, his knuckles paused slightly on the lid before he slowly lifted it.

Inside the wooden box, a row of gleaming silver ingots poured out, just like the large silver ingots that Luo Haoxuan had presented as an apology. The ingots were neatly stacked and gleamed with a soft, cold light.

The total came to a full two hundred taels.

Su Bai glanced down at the table and lightly tapped it with his fingertip.

This price is acceptable, but not enough.

There was a folded piece of paper pressed on top of the wooden box, with neatly trimmed edges.

Su Bai didn't unfold it, but looked at Chen Chatou instead.

"Officer Su, what do you think of this apology?" Officer Chen leaned forward slightly, his sleeve brushing against the edge of the table, the smile lines on his face stretching from the corners of his eyes to his ears. "This deed is for a house in the center of the county town, a courtyard house."

Su Bai raised his eyelids.

It turned out to be the case.

A courtyard house in the center of the county town, even though it only has one courtyard, is worth quite a bit of money.

The place he lives in now is still his ancestral home, an ordinary residential area in the south of the city, and it's not worth much at all.

All things considered, the price is not bad.

"I'm very satisfied with Officer Chen's apology," Su Bai said with a smile.

"Haha, as long as Su is satisfied, that's good."

Chen Cha Tou laughed loudly, then turned and tugged at Chen Dongquan's sleeve, "Come on, Dongquan, let's toast Su Cha Tou again."

The wine glasses are already full.

When Chen Chatou picked up the glass, he immediately tilted his head back and drank it down.

Having received the money, Su Bai also picked up his wine cup.

The atmosphere improved immediately.

After the meal, Officer Chen dabbed his lips with a handkerchief, then suddenly leaned closer, his voice low and carrying a knowing undertone:

"Officer Su, a few new people from the south have arrived at Chunxiang Pavilion. How about tonight..." He didn't finish the sentence, only giving a knowing look.

Su Bai had already stood up, reached out and closed the wooden box, and said politely with a smile, "Officer Chen, that's enough for now. I still need to go back to cultivate."

"From now on, let's all cooperate well and work together for Lord Xing..."

"Alright, alright, take care, Su Cha."

Chen Cha didn't try to stop him, his smile undiminished, even growing more eager.

They kept seeing Su Bai off as he left the restaurant building, watching him disappear into the distance.

Chen Cha Tou's face immediately turned from a satisfied smile to a gloomy expression.

"Father," Chen Dongquan said, his face grim as he watched Su Bai's departing figure, "what should we do next?"

Chen Cha Tou did not answer immediately.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice deep and resonant:

"Don't worry. Now that he's accepted my money, let's continue to cultivate a good relationship with him—especially in public." He paused, raised his eyelids, and said, "After some time, we'll secretly find someone to do it. We need to minimize suspicion as much as possible."

"Father, why did you do this?" Chen Dongquan's brows furrowed into a tight knot, his knuckles unconsciously clenching the fabric of his knee. "Giving him so much money, and still trying to build a good relationship with him..."

"madness!"

Chen Chatou suddenly turned his head, his voice extremely low.

He stared at Chen Dongquan, his eyes filled with both frustration at his son's lack of ambition and a barely suppressed sense of apprehension.

"You think killing a constable from the Garrison Command—a constable favored by the Chief Constable—is that so easy?"

He took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"If this guy weren't so vindictive, I wouldn't have bothered to make a move." His voice suddenly softened, as if he were talking to himself. "But once we make a move, we absolutely cannot leave any loose ends."

Chen Cha Tou never dreamed that what he had done to bully a temporary constable—a young man he hadn't even given a second glance to that day—would lead to this day.

How old is Su Bai?

If one day he climbs above me, will I have a good life?

After all, he was so ruthless towards the Tiger Gang.

Show no mercy whatsoever.

"Alright, let's go back now." Chen Cha turned around. "Su Bai will be going to the Zhenfu Division tomorrow. Remember to make a good impression on him then."

Chen Dongquan lowered his head and squeezed out a single word: "...Yes."

"Don't worry, Father. I understand."

...

The father and son walked towards their home. It was already late, and there were few pedestrians on the road.

The alley is very old.

The shadows cast by the high walls on both sides cut the moonlight into thin fragments, which fell on the bluestone slabs like scattered silver.

Chen Chatou walked through this alley he had walked through countless times, with Chen Dongquan following behind him.

It winds around and around.

Turning past the corner gate of the Wang family's backyard, we went around the crooked locust tree.

It's closer to home now.

Sudden--

Chen Chatou paused in his steps.

It wasn't a stop, but rather like being suddenly gripped by something invisible at the ankle, freezing the whole person in place.

Before the relaxation on his face could fade, a heavy feeling crept up from between his brows, from the corners of his eyes, and from the corners of his tightly pursed lips.

He stared intently into the darkness in the distance.

There was nothing in the darkness.

Yet it seemed to be hiding something.

Chen Dongquan opened his mouth to ask a question, but the words were still stuck in his throat—

A dark figure rushed out from the alley entrance.

That wasn't running.

That's like an arrow leaving the bowstring.

It was an owl swooping down to hunt.

The moment the figure was separated from the darkness, the glint of the blade arrived before the figure itself.

The broadsword cut through the wind, cleaving the stagnant air and leaving a chilling arc in its wake.

Swish!

The blade grazed past Chen Chatou's ear, severing a few strands of hair from his temple.

"Who is it!"

Chen Chatou's face turned ashen, and the sound of his sword being drawn almost simultaneously with his questioning exploded.

The blade reflected the moonlight, and in a hasty move, it parried the incoming blade.

boom!

The clang of metal rang out.

Sparks flew, creating a brief burst of light between the two.

The light illuminated the man in black's features—only to be quickly swallowed by darkness.

Both sides took a step back.

Chen Chatou's boots plowed a shallow half-inch mark into the bluestone slab.

He steadied himself, suppressing the slight tremor in his wrist as he gripped the knife.

Su Bai narrowed his eyes slightly.

The hilt of the knife spun a little bit in his palm.

Through the black cloth covering his face, his breathing was even, long, and light.

—Chen Cha Tou's strength is not bad.

No wonder he's the most promising driver to be promoted to vice president.

The attack was hastily parried, yet the force remained perfectly intact.

Swish swish!

Su Bai gave him no more chance to catch his breath.

Three stabs in a row.

It's not a technique.

It's instinct.

The blade bites the blade, each strike aimed straight for the vital point, without feints or probing.

The flashing blades formed a tight, impenetrable net, completely enveloping Chen Chatou.

"Who are you?! How dare you attack a constable from the Garrison Command!"

Chen Chatou's voice squeezed out from between the blades.

In the darkness, his eyes were so somber they seemed to drip with water.

In fact, he saw the sword.

As a messenger of the Zhenfu Division, how could he not be familiar with the standard-issue sword of the Zhenfu Division?

He even had a guess as to who it was.

But he could hardly believe it.

How could anyone be so bold?

—How could someone who just accepted his money, just drank his wine, and just smiled and said "Let's cooperate well in the future" turn around and draw their knife against him in a dark alley?

He didn't believe it.