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

"Phew—! They're finally gone, they scared the hell out of me!"

As the figures of those thugs disappeared completely around the street corner, Sun Hou's tense shoulders instantly collapsed.

He was practically "hanging" on the sword, the tip of which was braced against the ground, supporting his somewhat limp body.

He was panting heavily, the imposing demeanor he had just maintained on his forehead was now replaced by a fine layer of cold sweat, his face was pale, and his chest was heaving.

At this moment, Sun Hou was a completely different person from when he drew his sword and roared angrily.

This is more in line with Su Bai's usual impression of him as shrewd and cautious.

"Damn it," Sun Hou wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, his voice still trembling with lingering fear.

"If I were alone here, I probably wouldn't dare to come over... But it's okay, I doubt they would dare to lay a knife on us."

He caught his breath, and as if regaining some face, forced a smile and looked at Su Bai.

"Brother Su, how was it? Was I... cool enough just now?"

Looking at his post-disaster-stricken and self-praising demeanor, Su Bai felt a growing sense of admiration for him.

It is commendable to be able to suppress one's fear and stand up, even if one's legs go weak afterward.

"Brother Sun, you were really amazing just now!" Su Bai gave a sincere thumbs up, his tone affirmative.

"I hadn't even fully reacted before you rushed up there, and your momentum completely intimidated that group of people."

"snort."

Old Wang, who was standing to the side, finally let out a muffled groan. He remained rooted to the spot, his face showing some displeasure.

"Xiao Sun, next time something like this happens, at least give me a heads-up. It's good to try to stop it, but pulling out a knife all the time can easily escalate things."

"Old Wang, what are you afraid of!"

Sun Hou recovered his strength, and his voice became louder, though it still lacked confidence.

"Even if we are temporary servants, we are still wearing the tiger skin of the Zhenfu Division!"

"We represent the face of the government. These thugs, who would dare to truly oppose us?" He became increasingly convinced of his point, straightening his back.

"If I ever become a proper police officer, I'll definitely throw all these thugs in jail!"

"Alright, alright, stop with this nonsense." Old Wang interrupted him impatiently, his deeply wrinkled face full of disapproval.

"In short, next time, give them a heads-up beforehand, don't rush in alone."

Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two, Su Bai quickly tried to smooth things over, but his words clearly favored Sun Hou:

"Alright, alright, Old Wang has a point. Safety first."

"But Brother Sun, next time something happens, you have to let me know in advance. If I let you rush to the front alone to block things, what kind of person would I, Su Bai, be?"

These words can be considered as a statement of position.

Upon hearing this, Old Wang glanced at Su Bai with some dissatisfaction, but ultimately said nothing more.

Sun Hou's face immediately lit up with a smile, as if he had received a reward, and his previous fatigue vanished considerably.

"No problem! We brothers should stand together through thick and thin! Next time, Brother Su, let you join me, Old Sun, in showing off your prowess!"

He patted his chest and became smug again.

Following his words, Su Bai affirmed again, "Brother Sun was really impressive today. I should learn more from Brother Sun in the future."

Hearing Su Bai's praise once again, Sun Hou's smile grew even brighter, as if a surge of warmth had returned to his limbs and bones. He even gripped the sword he was holding more firmly and straightened his back.

"cough,"

He cleared his throat and analyzed the situation with an air of experience.

"Don't I know what kind of people these thugs are?"

They might dare to use a club or other underhanded tactics, but to lay a hand on our officers in broad daylight?

"Even if they had ten times the courage, if we just show our strength and intimidate them, they'll back down on their own."

At this point, he changed the subject, his expression becoming more serious as he looked at Su Bai:

"However, even so, we still need to be careful. What I did just now only ruined their plans a little, and they wouldn't really do anything to me because of it."

But Brother Su, you…” he lowered his voice, “you must be very careful.”

After rambling on about all this,

Sun Hou seemed to have thought of something, and the initial excitement on his face quickly faded.

He sighed, his expression a mixture of obvious frustration and envy.

"Sigh... I wish I were a proper constable... With a bronze badge hanging from my waist, they'd see me from afar and probably go around me, they wouldn't dare glare at me..."

"Alright, Brother Sun," Su Bai reached out and patted Sun Hou's slightly thin shoulder firmly, reassuring him with a resolute tone, "You'll definitely become a formal constable, I, Su Bai, am telling you!"

"Hahaha, good, good, good!" Sun Hou's spirits lifted after being patted on the back, and a smile returned to his face. "Then I'll take your good wishes, Brother Sun!"

The group said no more, straightened their clothes and swords, and continued patrolling along the noisy street.

As for the gambler who had been beaten to the ground and was now groaning and trying to get up, no one paid him any attention, and no one mentioned helping him or sending him to the authorities.

In places like this, those who owe gambling debts and don't pay them back aren't necessarily any better than the thugs who commit violence in the streets.

Their intervention was simply their duty to prevent major chaos on the streets.

......

And so, another half month slipped by in the seemingly peaceful routine of patrolling the streets and secretly practicing asceticism.

On the surface, all was calm; the Tiger Gang did not immediately take any drastic action.

But that feeling of being constantly threatened weighed heavily on Su Bai's heart.

He knew he couldn't just sit and wait for the other party to come to him; he had to improve his strength much faster.

Becoming a formal constable and gaining more solid protection from official positions is undoubtedly the most direct way to make local tyrants like the Fierce Tiger Gang wary and back down.

However, accelerating one's cultivation inevitably involves those thirty taels of silver.

This money blocked his way.

With that meager monthly salary, it would take three months to save up even without eating or drinking, not to mention the five taels of silver I owed before.

Why would someone ask to borrow such a huge sum of money?

He couldn't bring himself to ask, and he knew perfectly well that no one would lend him the money.

Driven to the brink, an idea he had carefully suppressed finally surfaced uncontrollably—to go to the black market.

The only thing he could offer that might be worth some money was the book "Tiger and Leopard Strength".

Although this technique is nominally under the name of the Zhenfu Division, it is actually quite widespread and many forces have collected it, so it is not considered a particularly rare secret.

But for grassroots gangs, independent martial artists, or ordinary people who aspire to enter the world of martial arts, it remains something that is difficult to reach.

For the past two weeks, whenever the night was quiet, Su Bai would carefully copy down the cultivation method of "Tiger and Leopard Strength" word by word under the oil lamp using cheap paper and pen he had bought.

He wrote with utmost care, not only including all the key points of the original version, but also adding detailed notes as "insights" on his own cultivation to this point, especially on the various insights, key points, and even detours he had taken in the process of breaking through to a minor level.

This cultivation method contains annotations based on the personal experiences of cultivators.

Its value naturally far exceeds that of ordinary manuscripts; it should have a good chance of selling for thirty taels.

Tongluo Lane, the pulse of Fenjiang County in the shadows, is home to the black market.

Even during the day, the place is cold and quiet, with narrow and winding alleys lined with low, dilapidated houses with mottled stains on the walls. The air always seems to be filled with a faint musty smell and the scent of secret transactions.

People from all walks of life—desperate criminals, receivers of stolen goods, hitmen, and buyers searching for contraband—converge and surge here like undercurrents beneath sewage.

Most people who enter or leave this place have ulterior motives, and they cover their faces with wide hoods, coarse cloths, or deliberately lowered brims.

Here, completing the transaction is only the first step.

More importantly, it is about how to escape unscathed with what you have gained amidst countless greedy or scrutinizing eyes, without being targeted by the "wildcatcher".

Su Bai knew that with his strength, he might be able to deal with a few ordinary hooligans, but if he were targeted by a cunning martial artist or even a more ruthless character, he would be trapped with no way to escape.

This is precisely why he had hesitated before, regarding the black market as a last resort.

If he hadn't been forced into a corner by the Fierce Tiger Gang, and his desire for power had overwhelmed his underlying fear, he would never have easily stepped into this den of dragons and tigers.