82: Chapter 82 Silver-Badged Constables, the Four Great Families!

In the afternoon, sunlight reflected off the bluestone pavement.

A cacophony of footsteps and the clanking of iron chains broke the silence.

Lin Wan wore a flying fish suit, a long saber hung at her waist, and her cold, frost-like face carried a hint of exhaustion.

Behind her followed a dozen disheveled men, all thick-skinned and burly, their hands tied behind their backs with heavy iron chains.

This was a Gang stronghold she had just raided after days of tracking clues related to hard-body techniques and the prison.

Although these people had some connection to the prison, it was mostly financial.

There was absolutely no clue about that mysterious expert.

Perhaps her investigative direction was also wrong?

Could that person be from some Family?

Lin Wan's thoughts were in chaos, with various guesses rising and vanishing in her mind.

During these days, she had handled many cases, but there hadn't been much actual progress.

Clack.

A sound in the distance interrupted her thoughts.

The prison gates slowly opened, and several members of the Demon Suppression Division waited respectfully.

"Lock them up!" Constable Lin ordered coldly.

Several Six Doors constables immediately stepped forward to drive these Gang members into the prison.

Upon seeing this, the jailers at the prison entrance braced themselves and straightened their backs.

This Constable Lin was a hot figure in the capital recently; not only had she cracked the Official Silver Case, but her methods were also swift and decisive.

As a Silver Badge Constable, Lin Wan's status in the Six Doors was not low, especially considering her age and excellent talent.

Anyone with eyes could see that Lin Wan's promotion was a certainty.

Lin Wan's gaze swept over the jailers, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

She was not familiar with the people in the prison; most of them were slick and worldly, shirking responsibility whenever they had to do something.

Just as she was feeling annoyed, she suddenly saw a familiar figure in the crowd.

Chen Ran seemed to have just come out of a cell, his expression calm, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding jailers who were craning their necks to watch the excitement.

Lin Wan's tightly locked brows unconsciously relaxed; she had been in contact with Chen Ran for a while.

She knew that although this jailer had a lazy Heart-Nature, he was extremely reliable when it came to handling matters.

So, Lin Wan thought for a moment and pointed at Chen Ran, saying:

"You are responsible for locking these people up; here are the case files."

Chen Ran was stunned, thinking to himself why this woman was targeting him again.

But he remained calm on the surface, respectfully stepping forward to take the files:

"Rest assured, Constable Lin, I will handle it immediately."

When Chen Ran returned, the eyes of the surrounding jailers were about to pop out.

"Old Chen, what... what is your relationship with Constable Lin?" a familiar jailer from the Internal Affairs Department lowered his voice, his face full of shock and envy.

"Yeah, that's a lucrative job! Locking up so many prisoners, that's quite a bit of merit." Another jailer also leaned in, his tone sour.

Chen Ran was speechless, but he just smiled faintly: "There's no relationship; I guess Constable Lin just thinks I handle things properly."

He didn't want to say more and turned to call a few odd-job jailers to start arranging the reception of the prisoners.

But this behavior was seen by other jailers as a sign of being unfathomable.

Combined with the previous times Lin Wan had specifically asked Chen Ran to do things, everyone was even more convinced that this kid Chen Ran was definitely not simple and must have latched onto Constable Lin's thigh.

For a time, even the jailers from the Internal Affairs Department looked at Chen Ran with a bit more awe and fawning.

As the prisoners entered the prison, the heavenly book of prison suppression in Chen Ran's mind slowly turned.

[Prisoner: Gao Xu]

[Realm: Seventh Grade Bone Forging Realm]

[Sin: Medium]

[Background: Core member of the Iron Body Gang, Cultivating the Cultivation Technique "Iron Body Technique"...]

[Prisoner: Guo Dongsheng]

[Realm: Seventh Grade Bone Forging Realm]

[Sin: Medium]

[Background: Core member of the Cloth Gang, Cultivating the Cultivation Technique "Copper Wall Secret Art"...]

After seeing the information about those prisoners, Chen Ran was a bit surprised.

"These imprisoned prisoners are all focused on hard-body techniques; I estimate they can also assist my Cultivation."

He didn't know much about hard-body Cultivation Techniques now. Except for Niu Hong who was locked in the cell, other Martial Artists rarely put energy into this kind of Cultivation Technique.

Because hard-body Cultivation Techniques were a niche Dao, even if ordinary people practiced hard-body methods for decades, they couldn't become impervious to swords and spears.

Compared to hard work for decades for a little progress, it was better to buy a handy weapon to increase strength.

But for Chen Ran, the prisoners locked up this time were all non-trivial experience packs.

Even if each person could only drop some Cultivation Technique experience, the accumulation would far exceed that of ordinary prisoners.

"It just so happens that I can use these people's martial arts to reflect on my Glazed Golden Body Art..."

Chen Ran whispered in his heart, already having a judgment.

The further he practiced, the more he could perceive how strong the hard-body Cultivation Technique rewarded by the Flower Rain Pavilion was.

He didn't know which School the Imperial Dynasty snatched this sect-suppressing martial art from, to actually distribute it to organization members so lavishly.

Watching Chen Ran methodically lock the prisoners into the cells, Lin Wan nodded with satisfaction.

Although this Chen Ran's cultivation was mediocre, he was steady and cautious, making people feel at ease.

"Watch them well; if there are any mistakes, you will be held accountable." Lin Wan left a routine warning and turned to leave.

Once Lin Wan was far away, the jailers who had been surrounding Chen Ran gathered around again, their tone even warmer this time.

"Old Chen, you really are unfathomable!" A fat jailer leaned into Chen Ran's ear mysteriously, "Do you know, Constable Lin is about to be promoted!"

Chen Ran raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise: "Oh? A promotion? Isn't she already a Silver Badge Constable?"

"Hehe, you don't understand this." The fat jailer lowered his voice, his eyes flashing with gossip,

"I heard from the brothers at the Six Doors that because the Official Silver Case was handled beautifully, the higher-ups intend to promote Constable Lin to a Gold Badge Constable!"

"Gold Badge Constable?" Chen Ran's heart stirred.

"That's right! A Gold Badge Constable, that's a core figure of the Six Doors! The authority is shockingly large; it's said that the status is comparable to our prison branch's commander!"

The fat jailer spat as he spoke, "Not only that, a Gold Badge Constable can even directly mobilize part of the Demon Suppression Division's forces. That prestige, tsk tsk..."

After hearing this, Chen Ran couldn't help but be surprised. Lin Wan's promotion speed was too fast. It seems that the Official Silver Case involved a wide range of things, and the merit was great.

"Not only that." Another thin jailer also interjected mysteriously,

"I heard that for Constable Lin's promotion, besides the great merit, more importantly... her background!"

Chen Ran's heart stirred slightly. He had long suspected that Lin Wan's origin was extraordinary, so he asked along the way: "Background? What kind of background can make a young woman rise so quickly?"

The thin jailer looked around, and seeing no one paying attention here, lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of awe: "Do you know the Four Great Families of the Great Wei Imperial Dynasty?"

Chen Ran nodded.

At the beginning of the Great Wei's founding, there were four great clans with meritorious service in following the Dragon, deeply rooted and powerful.

"Among those four great clans, one of them is surnamed Lin!" The thin jailer swallowed his saliva and continued,

"I have a cousin who works at the entrance of the Demon Suppression Division. He saw with his own eyes that our Centurion Zhao Wuji, who usually looks down on everyone, was nodding and bowing in front of an Elder of the Lin Family, like a grandson!"

Chen Ran suddenly realized.

No wonder Lin Wan, a Silver Badge Constable of the Six Doors, could enter and leave such an important place as the prison at will; it turns out she came from the Lin Family.

A Family of such meritorious officials who followed the Dragon had unfathomable foundations; who would dare to easily provoke them?

"So, Old Chen, you've climbed onto a high branch. In the future, when you become successful, don't forget to pull your brothers up!" The fat jailer patted Chen Ran on the shoulder, his tone full of fawning.

Chen Ran laughed it off, perfunctorily said a few words, and then turned to continue working on locking up the prisoners.

In the evening, after Chen Ran finished brushing the participation points for those newly imprisoned prisoners.

He finished his duties and returned to his courtyard.

Pushing open the courtyard door, a cold wind blew, bringing a bit of late autumn chill.

Chen Ran walked to the table and poured himself a cup of hot tea.

His current situation was somewhat delicate; Li Luo was dead, and the clues to the Flower Rain Pavilion were temporarily broken, but the crisis in the dark had not been lifted.

As the news from Wenxin Hall spread, his side was becoming more and more eye-catching, as if he had been pushed into the spotlight.

Just on the way home, he had already felt the curious gazes of many colleagues.

What gave him a headache was the "hot potato" in the room.

Chen Ran put down his teacup and cast his gaze toward the tightly closed door.

Ever since her Seal was lifted, Jiang Mengli had been hiding in this small courtyard to heal her wounds.

Now that her injuries had fully recovered, continuing to stay here might not be a good choice.

It was time to let her leave.

Chen Ran took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and walked in.

The room was somewhat dim. Jiang Mengli was sitting cross-legged on the bed, with a faint red glow circulating around her, her breath steady and long.

Obviously, her cultivation had recovered by seven or eight out of ten.

Hearing the door open, Jiang Mengli opened her eyes.

A flash of vigilance crossed those cold eyes, but when she saw it was Chen Ran, she quickly restrained it.

She stood up, although she was wearing ordinary green clothes, she still couldn't hide that noble and cold temperament.

"You are looking for me?" Jiang Mengli's voice was cold, with a hint of doubt.

After she was rescued, apart from delivering medicine and food, Chen Ran rarely communicated with her.

Today, he suddenly took the initiative to find her, making her heart rise with a bit of defense.

In the past few days, she had already learned the methods of this little jailer; unfathomable and ruthless.

She had always suspected that Chen Ran didn't intend to hand her over for a reward, or... did he have some other ulterior motive for her?

Chen Ran looked at Jiang Mengli's slightly tense body, and a faint arc hooked at the corner of his mouth.

He found a chair and sat down, pointing to the stool opposite.

"Sit down, let's talk."

Jiang Mengli didn't move, just stared at him fixedly, as if she wanted to see through his inner thoughts.

Chen Ran didn't care, his fingertips gently tapping the tabletop, making a thump-thump sound.

Chen Ran spoke lightly, his tone flat.

"You have recuperated for so many days; it is time for you to hit the road."