Chapter 3: Let's go to South City Alley! Let's make the most chaotic area mine!

In the courtyard, it was so quiet that only the sound of the wind sweeping through fallen leaves remained.

Chen Tai's expression shifted rapidly three times.

Lin Chen's words were not directed solely at him, Clerk Chen, a mere clerk.

It was an open display of the Great Qian laws, pressing directly down upon Chen Tai's head.

This orphan who once cowered in corners, afraid to speak above a whisper—when did he learn to talk back?

Chen Tai felt a surge of anger, but his expression quickly leveled out.

After all, he had been drifting in the yamen for twenty years; he had seen more troublesome people than this greenhorn had eaten grains of salt.

Laws?

What can laws do?

In Qingxi County, the final word on the law always belonged to the Zhao family.

Chen Tai let out a cold snort, clutching the walnuts back into his palm and rotating them.

"What big talk."

"Injured in the line of duty? Just because you say it was in the line of duty, does that make it so?"

"Do you have a duty record? Are there colleagues to testify? Is there confirmation with the seal of the Patrol Division?"

Chen Tai asked three questions in a row, his tone decisive.

Clearly, he held the winning hand.

He knew the operational routines of the Patrol Division all too well.

These bottom-tier Patrol Officers would clock in and collect their badges every day to patrol, then return to hand in their badges and sign off.

The actual duty records on paper were all filled out and managed by his own people.

After the incident with Lin Chen yesterday, he immediately had someone alter the attendance book for that day.

In that ledger, Lin Chen had absolutely no attendance record for yesterday afternoon.

This was the source of Chen Tai's confidence.

He had no evidence.

An orphan with no support, beaten half to death, left to go home and wait for death.

Who would testify for him?

Who would dare speak for him?

"No records, no witnesses, no seal." Chen Tai spat out every word heavily.

"With just empty words, you want to clear yourself of the crime of assaulting the Second Young Master Zhao Hu?"

He deliberately replaced "stopping a violent act" with "assaulting the Second Young Master Zhao Hu".

The Patrol Officers in the courtyard lowered their heads one by one; no one made a sound.

Wang Daniu clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead.

His lips moved.

Old Li beside him grabbed his sleeve with a strong grip.

"Don't be impulsive." Old Li lowered his voice, "If you go against Chen Tai, you'll be kicked out of the yamen too."

Wang Daniu gritted his back teeth, ultimately not daring to move.

Seeing this, a cold smile appeared on Chen Tai's lips.

"Lin Chen, I, this official, consider your youth and ignorance, so I will give you a way out today."

"Hand over your waist badge and saber voluntarily, and leave the Patrol Division on your own, and I, this official, will not pursue your crime of assaulting the Second Young Master Zhao Hu."

"Otherwise," he raised his hand, and two bailiffs at the door stepped forward, holding water-fire staves.

"Twenty heavy strokes, and not a single one will be spared."

These words were spoken with a veneer of righteousness.

All the Patrol Officers in the courtyard understood clearly: this was obviously an attempt to force Lin Chen to resign.

He had to leave, whether he wanted to or not.

Lin Chen had not interrupted once.

He just listened quietly to every word Chen Tai said.

Once Chen Tai's voice trailed off, the courtyard returned to silence.

Everyone's gaze converged on him; some were sympathetic, some indifferent, and some gloating.

Lin Chen moved.

He slowly raised his left hand and reached into his chest.

This action made Chen Tai's muscles tense up instantly.

What Lin Chen pulled out was not a blade.

It was a neatly folded piece of paper.

The paper was yellowed, its edges stained with dried, dark red blood.

"Clerk Chen just asked me three questions."

Lin Chen's voice was steady, his speaking speed neither fast nor slow.

"Whether I have a duty record, whether I have colleagues to testify, and whether I have confirmation with a seal."

He unfolded the paper.

"Patrol Division official document receipt, serial number Bing-37."

"It records that in the autumn of the 372nd year of Yongchang, on the ninth day of the ninth month."

"Patrol Officer Lin Chen, collected the afternoon patrol badge for South City Lane, checked in at the hour of Mao, and returned the badge after completing the patrol at the hour of You."

"There is a signature for collecting the badge at the bottom."

"In the bottom left corner, there is the seal of the Patrol Division duty officer."

Lin Chen looked up at Chen Tai.

"Clerk Chen's seal."

Everyone in the courtyard turned their gaze toward Chen Tai.

Chen Tai's complexion turned green instantly.

There was an old rule in the Patrol Division: when Patrol Officers collected their badges daily, they had to sign a duplicate official receipt.

One copy remained with the division, and one was kept by the Patrol Officer for verification.

This rule had existed for over a decade, but almost no one took it seriously.

Those Patrol Officers couldn't even read many characters, let alone treat a scrap of paper like a treasure.

But the original owner had kept it.

This boy, who had only been on the job for three months, would do so every day when he collected his badge from the Patrol Division.

He would earnestly press his fingerprint on the receipt, then fold his copy and carefully tuck it into his chest.

When the incident in South City Lane happened yesterday, this receipt was kept close to his body.

That punch from Second Young Master Zhao Hu's guard had beaten the original owner into vomiting blood and unconsciousness, but it hadn't managed to destroy the paper in his chest.

Blood had soaked the edges of the receipt, but the handwriting, signature, and seal remained clearly visible.

The evidence was irrefutable.

Lin Chen silently said thank you to the original owner of this body.

Though you were mediocre in talent and not smooth enough.

But you took this job seriously.

Every receipt you kept is proof that you were a Patrol Officer.

Chen Tai's Adam's apple bobbed.

He had never imagined.

A poor kid at the Body Refining stage had actually kept that official receipt that no one cared about.

He had altered the attendance book and erased Lin Chen's attendance record from yesterday afternoon.

But he couldn't change this receipt in Lin Chen's hand.

It had his duty seal on it.

With the seal as proof, it showed that Lin Chen had collected his badge and gone on patrol normally.

Being attacked during a normal patrol meant being injured in the line of duty.

Injured in the line of duty was not absenteeism.

With this logic, even if it were brought before the County Magistrate, he, Chen Tai, could not turn the tables.

"This, this receipt..."

Chen Tai's voice was tight.

His brain raced, trying to find any loophole to refute it.

But Lin Chen did not give him that time.

"If Clerk Chen feels it is fake, you are welcome to submit this receipt to the County Yamen and have the Chief Clerk verify the seal on the spot."

As soon as these words were spoken, beads of sweat broke out on Chen Tai's forehead.

Submit to the County Yamen? Verify the seal?

Wouldn't that be the same as telling everyone present that he, Chen Tai, had altered the attendance book?

He had altered the Patrol Division's attendance book more than once or twice.

Covering up leave for others, reporting fake names, embezzling pay—if these rotten accounts were uncovered...

Let alone the position of Clerk, he, Chen Tai, would likely end up in jail.

A blood-stained receipt had firmly gripped Chen Tai's throat.

The Patrol Officers in the courtyard exchanged glances.

Although most of them were uneducated, they could see the shift in the situation.

Chen Tai had been rendered speechless by the small fry he looked down upon the most.

"You!"

Chen Tai finally couldn't hold it together anymore.

The Qi and blood on his body began to leak out of control, and the pressure of the Blood Refining Realm Early Stage pressed toward Lin Chen again.

This time, it was not a bluff; he was truly enraged.

After twenty years as a yamen veteran, could he really be shamed in public by a sixteen-year-old boy today?

The heavy pressure swept toward Lin Chen.

The surrounding Patrol Officers bore the brunt; a few with weak Qi and blood bent over on the spot, their Faces turning deathly pale.

Wang Daniu resisted hard, but his feet moved backward involuntarily.

"The pressure of the Blood Refining Realm is so strong!" someone spat out a few words with a strained voice.

Everyone's gaze turned to Lin Chen.

For a poor kid, under this pressure, it would likely be difficult even to stand steady.

However.

Lin Chen did not budge; his figure did not sway in the slightest.

He stood in place, his back straight, and not even his hem fluttered extra.

The next moment, the Qi and blood within his body surged naturally.

This was not done intentionally.

It was only because Chen Tai's pressure drew near that the pure and condensed Body Refining Qi and blood within him responded on its own.

A scorching aura quietly spread from Lin Chen's body.

This aura was not as vast as that of the Blood Refining Realm, but it had a characteristic that everyone could feel.

Dense.

Extremely dense.

It was several times more intense than the Qi and blood of any other Body Tempering Realm Martial Artist present.

An invisible wave of heat permeated, baking the surrounding air.

The few Patrol Officers closest to Lin Chen began to sweat on their foreheads.

That was not cold sweat forced out by Chen Tai's pressure.

It was hot sweat steamed out by the scorching heat radiating from Lin Chen.

Wang Daniu's eyes widened.

"Body Refining!"

His voice uncontrollably rose.

"Lin Chen has had a Breakthrough!"

The courtyard immediately fell into chaos.

"Impossible! He was still at the Body Tempering Early Stage three days ago!"

"Early Stage to Middle Stage, it should take at least a year or two of hard cultivation!"

"Did you feel that? His Qi and blood are too thick; they're even more robust than old Ma, who is at the Body Tempering Late-Stage!"

The discussions rose and fell.

But these sounds, Chen Tai couldn't hear a word of.

His gaze was locked on Lin Chen, and the two walnuts in his hand were gripped so tightly they couldn't move.

Body Refining.

This kid was beaten to his last breath yesterday.

In the span of one night, not only had his injuries fully recovered, but he had also had a Breakthrough from the Early Stage to the Middle Stage.

Was this talent?

Was it an Opportunity?

Or was there an expert helping him in secret?

No matter which it was, it meant that Chen Tai could no longer easily manipulate the person in front of him.

What truly shocked Chen Tai was not the improvement in Lin Chen's Realm.

It was those eyes when Lin Chen looked at him.

Calm.

No anger, no triumph, and certainly no pleasure of revenge.

Lin Chen just looked at him calmly and coldly.

In those eyes, Chen Tai felt as if he were nothing more than a trivial stumbling block.

Chen Tai's back was soaked with cold sweat.

He suddenly remembered an old saying: a dog that bites does not bark.

This kid was not arguing with him, but stating an irrefutable fact.

I have evidence, and I have strength.

You cannot move me.

The two sides stood in silent confrontation for a full five breaths.

Chen Tai was the first to look away.

He lowered his eyelids, wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and gave a fake dry cough.

"Since you have the receipt as proof, then the matter of yesterday will be noted for now."

The words "for now" were the last shred of dignity he left for himself.

Lin Chen did not expose him.

He refolded the blood-stained receipt, put it back into his chest, and lifted his eyelids.

"Please, Clerk, assign today's patrol duties."

His tone was flat, as if he were talking about the most ordinary thing.

He did not press for more, did not claim credit, and did not press his advantage.

The matter was finished; it was time to go to work.

This calmness was, on the contrary, more embarrassing to Chen Tai than any mockery.

He turned around and walked behind the duty desk.

A row of patrol badges hung on a wooden rack, each corresponding to a patrol area.

Chen Tai's hand directly took down the dusty badge in the farthest corner.

South City Lane.

That was the most chaotic area in the entire Qingxi County.

The Zhao family had three properties there, and the Black Tiger Gang had also set up two secret outposts.

Thugs and ruffians ran rampant.

Rogues and scoundrels were everywhere.

Previously, the veterans of the Patrol Division would rather take sick leave and have their salaries deducted than take this badge.

Chen Tai flicked the badge away casually.

The wooden badge flipped twice in the air and flew straight toward Lin Chen.

"South City Lane, it belongs to you."

A cold smile appeared on Chen Tai's lips.

Aren't you capable?

Don't you want to perform your duties?

Then go perform your duties in the Zhao family's territory.

See if you can survive today.

The wooden badge traced an arc.

Lin Chen raised his hand and caught it accurately.

He lowered his head and glanced at the three characters "South City Lane" carved on the badge.

He did not hesitate, nor did he frown.

He tucked the badge at his waist, alongside his saber.

He turned around.

He strode out of the backyard.

His footsteps were neither slow nor fast, and the hem of his soap-colored robe was lifted by the morning breeze.

From beginning to end, he did not look back once.

The Patrol Division behind him was silent for a full ten breaths.

Then, there was an uproar in the courtyard, breaking the silence.

"He accepted it! He really accepted the badge for South City Lane!"

"That place claimed two Patrol Officers last year; one had his legs broken, and the other just went missing!"

"Clerk Chen is trying to get rid of him using the Zhao family's hands!"

"But don't you feel that this Lin Chen is completely different from before?"

The discussions buzzed.

Wang Daniu stood in place, watching Lin Chen's back disappear outside the moon gate.

He bent down to pick up the dusty meat bun on the ground, patted off the dust, and stuffed it into his mouth in one bite.

"Damn it." He wiped his mouth hard, his voice rough and muffled.

He looked at the dusty meat bun in his hand, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Lin Chen, this brother of his, had really changed.

Old Li sighed behind him.

"Daniu, don't stir up trouble."

"I know." Wang Daniu tightened the sword at his waist without saying more.

He did not follow him out.

But for the first time, he felt that his once-clumsy brother's back in the sunlight was so dazzling that he couldn't take his eyes off it.

Outside the Patrol Division.

The morning light was bright, and the flow of people on the street was gradually increasing.

Lin Chen walked on the bluestone road, his hand naturally resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist.

The South City Lane patrol badge at his waist glimmered with the luster of old wood in the sunlight.

Lin Chen saw Chen Tai's little scheme clearly.

Sending him to South City Lane was nothing more than wanting to borrow the Zhao family's hands to eliminate him.

But what Chen Tai didn't know was that South City Lane was exactly where he, Lin Chen, wanted to go.

The Zhao family's industries were dense, and the Black Tiger Gang's secret outposts were everywhere.

Thugs and ruffians ran rampant there.

Rogues and scoundrels were everywhere.

The more disputes there were, the more opportunities there would be to perform duties.

The more duties performed, the more points there would be.

Lin Chen's pace quickened a little.

At the end of the street ahead, the silhouette of the South City Lane archway appeared in the morning mist.

Noisy cursing and the crisp sound of broken porcelain bowls could be faintly heard.

Before he even arrived, he could already smell the scent of trouble.

Lin Chen did not stop.

His fingertips tapped lightly on the sword hilt.

Today was a new day.

There was still a full day until the settlement at the hour of Zi.

He wanted every hoodlum in South City Lane to know that this street was now under new management.