The Ropes

The bounty notice posted by the Suppression Office was undeniably an opportunity for Chen Ping'an. Just as he was pondering how to legitimately secure the status of a registered runner, someone had tossed him a pillow right when he was nodding off. On the surface, he was merely a temporary runner who knew nothing of the martial path. With the aid of his golden finger, even someone as formidable as Deputy Office Chief Tian Fuliang could not see through to his true state. If he wanted to become a registered runner, the simplest way would be to reveal his true martial realm. Combined with a certain amount of merit, he could naturally step into the role of a registered runner of the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office. However, that path was a dead end! How had he stepped onto the martial path? Where had he acquired the martial art he practiced? And where had this martial cultivation at the qi and blood second layer come from? These were all pitfalls, all impossible questions! Chen Ping'an had no way to explain them. His past background and life were laid bare for all to see; they could not withstand even the slightest scrutiny. Therefore, the path Chen Ping'an had planned for himself was to first find a way to secure the status of a registered runner without revealing his martial cultivation. Once he became a registered runner, the Suppression Office would, according to custom, bestow the standard saber technique for registered runners: the Thirteen Yamen Sabers. Using the Thirteen Yamen Sabers as his pretext, he could then naturally take his first steps onto the martial path and embark on martial cultivation. Later, he could reveal his martial talent bit by bit, solidifying his reputation as a martial genius, gradually making a name for himself within the Suppression Office until he was entrusted with heavy responsibilities. A journey of ten thousand li began with a single stride, and now he was about to take that very first step! To become a registered runner of the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office. Right now was the perfect opportunity. If he could earn a medium merit, he would immediately become a registered runner. At that point, almost every problem would resolve itself naturally. If he became a registered runner, would he still have to pay the Tiger Head Gang's monthly dues? Laughable! Even if he were willing to pay, the Tiger Head Gang wouldn't dare accept! A registered runner of Nanquan Lane represented not just himself, but the prestige and dignity of the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office. Collecting monthly dues from the family of a registered runner of the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office? The Tiger Head Gang would have to be hanging themselves like an old codger who was sick of living! If he were a registered runner, would Little Tiger of the Tiger Head Gang dare to kick down his door in broad daylight? Would the rogue Liu'er dare slap his table? Dare sneer at him to his face? None of them would dare! Yet they had dared to do all of it to him in reality! The only thing missing was the status of a registered runner. In many matters, when one felt powerless, it was simply because one lacked sufficient ability! Lacked sufficient status! Lacked a sufficient background! Chen Ping'an had no background; all he could rely on was himself. He would fight for what he wanted piece by piece, weaving together a life for himself and Nannan. During that day's patrol, Chen Ping'an, Monkey, and Dashan carried out their duties with extraordinary diligence. Even their midday slacking was drastically cut short. Unfortunately, by the end of their shift, they had found nothing. Come to think of it, if they were so easily discovered, those remnants of the Black Carp Gang would never have broken through the encirclement in the first place. "Where did he go? Where's he hiding?" "Trash Fish, oh Trash Fish, Monkey's bright future is riding on you, you know!" Even when returning his waist token and saber, Monkey was still muttering discontentedly. Chen Ping'an patted Monkey on the shoulder and gave him a look. "No rush! What's meant to come will come!" "Yeah, we'll try again tomorrow!" Monkey was brimming with fighting spirit, looking utterly determined. "Dashan, get some good rest tonight. We keep at it tomorrow!" "Yeah, got it," Dashan nodded heavily. The men parted ways at the Suppression Office and headed home. After finishing his shift, Chen Ping'an did not head straight home. First, he visited Uncle Zhang's house and asked for some sharp, angular stones, roughly in the same quantity as the previous sand and gravel. Uncle Zhang happened to be home and gladly agreed. Chen Ping'an offered to pay some silver up front, but the man repeatedly refused. Seeing that Uncle Zhang was not merely being polite, Chen Ping'an let the matter drop for now, silently figuring out how he would return the favor later. When he returned home, what welcomed Chen Ping'an was, as always, Chen Er Ya's thoroughly familiar smiling face. "Big Brother, you're back~ Dinner's almost ready!" Warmth surged in Chen Ping'an's chest, filling him with tender comfort. "All right," Chen Ping'an replied with a smile, stepping into the courtyard. It felt so good to have a home! After dinner that evening, Chen Ping'an began practicing Iron Shirt. He had thought he might try for four points of experience, but in the end, he gained only three. *I'll try again tomorrow once the stones arrive!* Now that Iron Shirt had reached greater mastery, training with sand and gravel was far less effective. With repeated stimulation, the gains diminished, making it rather difficult to produce four experience points in a single session. ... The next day, after finishing his Iron Shirt practice and gaining three points of cultivation experience, Chen Ping'an went on duty as usual. Bearing yesterday's lesson in mind, he arrived even earlier than normal today. Only two head runners showed up for today's pre-shift assembly. Clearly, head runners attending the morning assembly was not the norm. As head runners, making an appearance to coordinate assignments during critical moments was more than enough. How could they be expected to show up for daily roll call like ordinary runners? After the assembly, Chen Ping'an, Monkey, and Dashan began their day's patrol. "Dashan, let me tell you, that question you asked was brilliant. Why address Lord Tian as 'Lord' instead of 'Deputy Office Chief Tian'? Listen closely and take note; there's a real art to this." "In the Suppression Office, the rules are strict. Every rank sits above another! Even if you don't flatter your superiors, you certainly can't afford to offend them. So knowing how to speak properly is a whole discipline in itself." "When you run into the deputy office chief in public and the office chief isn't around, you must call the deputy office chief 'My Lord'! That shows respect to him, and it also shows respect to Lord Office Chief. It highlights the deputy office chief's status while subtly demonstrating your reverence for the office chief. A form of address like that offends neither the deputy nor the chief." "Now, if you meet the deputy office chief in private, don't call him 'My Lord' anymore. You address him as 'Lord Office Chief'! Whatever you do, don't be stupid enough to call him 'Lord Deputy Office Chief.' What, are you slapping him in the face? Doesn't he know he's the deputy? Does he need you to remind him?" "And when you see the office chief, no matter the occasion, you always call him 'Lord Office Chief'! That marks his exceptional standing as the one and only authority in Nanquan Lane! Calling him 'Lord Office Chief' is a display of his authority and your submission to it." "And when both the office chief and the deputy office chief are present, the office chief is called 'Lord Office Chief,' and the deputy office chief is called 'My Lord.'" "All of this is the ropes. You won't learn this from any book. It's all Monkey's hard-earned wisdom. Dashan, you'd better commit every word to memory." "..." All along the way, Monkey showed off his deep and seasoned store of esoteric street smarts to Dashan. Chen Ping'an listened from the side, thoroughly amused. *This kid Monkey really is something else!* With his antics, the day passed exceptionally fast. That day, they came up empty-handed once again, finding no sign of the Black Carp Gang fugitives. Upon returning to the Suppression Office, Monkey asked around in all directions before excitedly sharing the news with the two of them. "Ping'an, Dashan, no one's found any trace of the Black Carp Gang fugitives yet. There's still a chance! We'll keep at it tomorrow!" "Yeah, tomorrow we continue," Chen Ping'an agreed.