Conflict

Thud! Thud! Thud! Inside the small courtyard, one stone after another struck against the wall in rapid succession. Standing inside the house, Chen Ping'an repeatedly hurled Flying Locust Stones. A full two days had passed since he achieved entry-level mastery of Flying Locust Stones, and today was the third. +1! Accompanied by the emergence of that all-too-familiar experience symbol, Chen Ping'an brought his morning practice to a halt. With a slight shift of his gaze, a panel materialized before him. Name: Chen Ping'an Realm: qi and blood second layer, perfected Martial Art: Iron Shirt (perfected), Flying Locust Stones (entry level) (12/15) …… "Only three points of cultivation experience left! Tonight, I'll reach lesser mastery with Flying Locust Stones!" Chen Ping'an felt a surge of excitement. According to his deductions, as soon as Flying Locust Stones reached lesser mastery, the surge of qi and blood welling up inside him would be enough to push his realm into the qi and blood third layer. The qi and blood third layer! If he could smoothly step into this realm, he would be considered someone of standing across all of Nanquan Lane. In the smaller gangs throughout Nanquan Lane, even a vice gang leader was merely at the level of the qi and blood third layer. For a gang with a stronger foundation like the Tiger Head Gang, reaching the qi and blood third layer was still sufficient to become part of the upper echelon. In the Tiger Head Gang, there were two gang leaders, Tiger and Master Qing—one primary and one deputy. Their Three Great Protectors enjoyed renowned reputations, seven gang bosses served as the backbone, and beneath them were over a hundred vicious gang members. Among the Three Great Protectors of the Tiger Head Gang, Little Tiger was the weakest in strength, given that he was the adoptive son of Gang Leader Tiger and a prime candidate nurtured by the gang. Apart from him being at the martial cultivation of the qi and blood second layer, perfected, the other two protectors were both in the qi and blood third layer realm. According to the information from the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office, Vice Gang Leader Master Qing was suspected to be at the qi and blood third layer, perfected. As for Gang Leader Tiger, he had been a martial arts expert of the qi and blood fourth layer in his earlier years. However, in recent years, advanced age and declining vitality meant his strength was likely past its prime, only somewhat stronger than an ordinary qi and blood third layer, perfected. "The qi and blood third layer is enough to make the Tiger Head Gang take me seriously! Too bad my true strength cannot be shown in the open, and I still need to keep it hidden." Chen Ping'an felt a spark of ambition in his heart. If the qi and blood third layer could command the Tiger Head Gang's respect, what about the qi and blood fourth layer? Wouldn't they exhaust every effort to curry favor with him?! Carrying high hopes for the future, Chen Ping'an finished breakfast with Chen Er Ya and headed to the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office to go on duty. The Nanquan Lane Suppression Office was the same as always: the pre-shift assembly, the head runner addressing them, and then setting off to patrol the streets according to the routes assigned by the office. Dressed in their black runner uniforms and strolling through the streets and alleys, the men looked quite formidable. With Monkey and Dashan bantering and chatting along the way, Chen Ping'an's day was not the least bit dull. Finishing his shift, Chen Ping'an headed straight for home. "I wonder what dishes Nannan made today?" Chen Ping'an thought to himself on the road home. After a whole afternoon of exertion, he was already ravenous. Rounding a corner, he saw his courtyard gate wide open from a distance. Hm?! Chen Ping'an's pupils constricted sharply. There were people in the courtyard! Several of them! Who were they? His expression darkened. Quickening his pace, he bolted straight for home. "Little girl, don't be ungrateful! If you don't pay up, don't blame me for getting rough!" The one speaking was Little Tiger's henchman from the Tiger Head Gang, Liu'er the ruffian. With a ferocious look, he glared at the young girl standing not far away. Behind him stood two ruffian lackeys, both looking just as sinister. "Auntie next door said the Tiger Head Gang's monthly dues are based on head count! An able-bodied man pays one qian of silver, an able-bodied woman pays half a qian, and elderly folks and children are twenty small cash each! There are only my big brother and me in our house, so for a month, all we need to pay is one hundred and twenty small cash! Why should we have to pay two qian of silver?!" Fear showed on Chen Er Ya's face, yet her gaze remained stubbornly fixed on the men before her, her hands clutching tightly to a black cloth pouch without letting go. "The Tiger Head Gang's rules have never changed! Our monthly collection has never been less than two qian of silver! So there are only two of you—are you expecting Sixth Master here to cover the difference for you?! Speak! Are you paying or not?!" Liu'er stepped closer to Chen Er Ya. "I won't pay two qian of silver!" the little girl said stubbornly. "Fine! Refusing to pay, are you?!" Liu'er turned, seized the table, and shoved it hard onto the ground. The table had been set with dishes of food. With his shove, bowls and chopsticks instantly clattered down, vegetable broth and soup splashed everywhere, and the scene turned into a complete mess. Seeing the havoc in the courtyard, Liu'er felt immensely pleased. "No one gets away without paying the Tiger Head Gang's monthly dues!" With that, he reached out to snatch the black cloth pouch from Chen Er Ya's hands. What he had not expected was that this seemingly frail little girl held on so tightly that his first grab failed to tear it away, instead pulling the girl toward him a little. His temper flared. He shoved Chen Er Ya violently with a burst of force, and the black cloth pouch fell into his grasp. Having entered the martial path, Liu'er naturally possessed considerable strength. Chen Er Ya was shoved to the ground, scraping against an uneven stone. The skin on her arm tore open immediately, and blood welled up. Yet the little girl paid it no mind. Glaring at Liu'er, she screamed, "Give me back the silver!" "The little brat is quite stubborn, eh? Hahaha, interesting," the two lackeys laughed loudly. "Interesting indeed," Liu'er sneered. "Little girl, you value money more than your life, do you?" He stepped forward, grabbed Chen Er Ya by her clothes, and hoisted her up, about to beat her to vent his anger, when a shout filled with rage came from outside the courtyard. "Let go of her!" Moving with blinding speed, Chen Ping'an rushed into the courtyard, bypassed the two lackeys, and clamped his hand firmly onto Liu'er's arm. "Let go!" Chen Ping'an fixed an icy glare on Liu'er. "Big Brother~" It was as though Chen Er Ya had found her pillar of support. "Nannan, don't be afraid," Chen Ping'an said to reassure Chen Er Ya, but the chill in his gaze did not soften in the least. He stared coldly at Liu'er, his voice biting like frost. "Article One Hundred and Seventy-Eight of the Great Qian law: breaking down a door and committing violent acts warrants thirty strokes of the cane and five years' imprisonment!" "If casualties occur, the perpetrator warrants one hundred strokes of the cane and twenty years' imprisonment!" Chen Ping'an's voice rang low and distinct right beside Liu'er's ear. "Chen Ping'an, you dare use the Great Qian law to suppress me?!" Liu'er bellowed, attempting to overpower Chen Ping'an with bravado. "If irreversible consequences are caused..." Chen Ping'an ignored him, enunciating each word with chilling clarity. "...beaten to death with the cane!" "Beaten to death?! Laughable! The Tiger Head Gang is collecting our routine monthly dues! How does that warrant being beaten to death?! Beat me to death?! By your authority?!" "By the authority of the Great Qian law! By the authority of the Suppression Office!" Chen Ping'an glared unblinkingly at Liu'er. It had to be said that at this moment, Chen Ping'an exuded an imposing aura of his own, and under his piercing gaze, Liu'er actually felt uneasy. "Suppression Office! Suppression Office! What kind of dog is a mere temporary runner like you? You dare threaten me with the Suppression Office?!" "If you don't believe me, you can test it." Chen Ping'an's voice was calm. Looking at Chen Ping'an's emotionless face, and whatever thought crossed his mind, Liu'er released his grip on Chen Er Ya's clothes. "Screw off! I don't have time for this nonsense!" He glanced at the black cloth pouch in his hand, then looked around at the situation. "Consider yourselves lucky today! We're leaving!" "Sixth Master?" The two ruffian lackeys were taken aback, having thought they were about to teach this kid a proper lesson. They never expected Sixth Master would actually decide to leave. "Move." With a dark expression, Liu'er walked straight out of Chen Ping'an's courtyard. Seeing this, the two lackeys followed. Before stepping out, one crew-cut ruffian shot Chen Ping'an a vicious glare.