The Daqian Dynasty, Canglong Province, Weishui County City.
Daylight had broken.
SZZZLE!
Inside a small house in Pear Blossom Alley, the sound of meat sizzling in a hot wok echoed.
Strips of marbled pork belly danced in the wok as the scorching oil rendered out their fat, filling the small courtyard with a savory aroma.
Outside, a little girl with her hair in twin buns rested her chin on the windowsill, staring eagerly inside, a small puddle of drool forming beside her.
"Brother, it smells so good~~"
Chen Erya watched the busy young man inside, feeling that her brother seemed a little different today.
Her brother had worked all night and hadn't come home until the crack of dawn, when his shift finally ended.
Usually, after a night patrol, he would grab a quick bite and fall straight into bed. Today was unusually different.
Not only had he bought meat, but he was also cooking it himself.
"Nannan, just a little longer. It's almost ready."
The busy young man inside skillfully tossed seasonings and a pinch of salt into the iron wok, then smiled at the little girl on the windowsill.
The young man's smile was a bit dazzling. Chen Erya thought her brother looked especially handsome today.
He expertly transferred the cooked pork belly into a bowl, then heated the wok again to stir-fry a plate of seasonal vegetables.
The vegetables were grown by Chen Erya herself and were so fresh they had practically gone straight from the garden to the wok.
The young man's movements were remarkably practiced; he finished everything in a flash.
"Nannan, come get the dishes. We're eating in the courtyard today."
Chen Ping'an filled two bowls with rice and carried them out to the courtyard.
In the middle of the small courtyard stood an old wooden table flanked by two stools. The stools were covered in scratches, bearing the marks of time.
"Okay!"
Chen Erya was quick on her feet. With a bowl in each hand, she excitedly placed the dishes on the table.
"Brother, did something good happen today? Why did you make so many delicious dishes~"
Chen Erya stared at the fragrant food on the table, her mouth watering uncontrollably.
On the table were two bowls of fluffy white rice, completely free of impurities—clearly cooked from high-quality polished grains.
There was a bowl of pork belly, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a large bowl of rich, aromatic meat and bone soup.
The creamy white broth steamed invitingly, making one's mouth water.
A meal of this quality was a rare treat, not just now.
Even when Father Chen was still alive, they had rarely enjoyed such a feast.
Hearing this, Chen Ping'an patted his sister's head.
"I just felt like it had been a while since we had meat. So I thought we could have some today."
"Brother~ I'm a big girl now, stop patting my head!"
Chen Erya shook off her brother's hand and shot him an adorably fierce glare. But as she looked at him, she froze for a moment.
There seemed to be a light shining in her brother's eyes.
It was a light she hadn't seen in his eyes since their father passed away.
'What's different about today...?'
Chen Ping'an looked at his sister gently and placed a piece of rich but not greasy pork belly into her rice bowl.
"Don't just stare, eat up!"
"Okay."
Chen Erya snapped back to reality, drawn in by the aroma of the meat in front of her. She took a large bite, shoveled some rice into her mouth with her chopsticks, and swallowed it all down with the pork.
"Soooo delicious~"
"If you like it, then eat more."
Chen Ping'an said with a smile.
"You eat too, Brother."
Chen Erya said sensibly.
"Alright."
Chen Ping'an picked up a piece of meat and watched Chen Erya eat with relish, a sudden daze coming over him.
'It's already been several years since I transmigrated here.'
'I had originally planned to practice martial arts, but my aptitude was poor. I just wasn't cut out for it. Forget an introduction to the Martial Dao; even the most basic conditioning was incredibly difficult to practice.'
'My initial soaring ambition and eagerness eventually gave way to bitter failure and resignation to my fate.'
'I thought my life would just drift by, one day at a time.'
'But who could have known that disaster would strike my family?'
'My father, who had always been so strong, was severely injured during a mission.'
'Speaking of Father Chen, he was a well-respected man in Pear Blossom Lane.'
'He was an official constable serving in the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office!'
'An official constable—someone truly registered in the Garrison Commandant's Office roster, whose status was recognized by both the authorities and the various gangs, big and small.'
'When Father Chen was around, our family wasn't wealthy, but we lived much better than the average commoner.'
'But once he fell ill, our family lost its source of income, and our lives grew worse day by day.'
'Over half a year ago, Father Chen passed away, leaving me and my sister to fend for ourselves.'
'Truth be told, if he hadn't spent the last month of his life completely exhausting his Heart Power trying to secure my future, he probably could have lived for at least another six months.'
'A parent's love is truly farsighted.'
'Thanks to his efforts before his death, I became an unlisted constable in the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office.'
'Even though it wasn't an official position, the status of a constable guaranteed that my sister and I could survive.'
'I knew what it had cost him. To secure this position for me, Father Chen had forfeited his injury compensation and all future support. He spent every last bit of his savings and even went into debt to pull the necessary strings within the Garrison Commandant's Office.'
'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime!'
'No matter how large one's savings, they would eventually be depleted.'
'But by securing the position of a constable for me, he provided a steady, unending source of income.'
'As an unlisted constable, not even counting any under-the-table earnings, my Monthly Allowance was eight mace.'
'For an ordinary commoner, that was not a low income at all!'
'Furthermore, with Father Chen gone, I wouldn't have had the protection of his status. It would have been difficult for me alone to hold onto the property he'd accumulated. The assets would have undoubtedly attracted unwanted attention and trouble from others.'
'Considering everything, my father's decision was unquestionably the right one.'
And so, over half a year ago, Chen Ping'an officially joined the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office as an unlisted constable, living a bland and unremarkable life.
The light in his eyes gradually dimmed with each repetitive day.
But... yesterday!
Yesterday, he hadn't returned all night, but it wasn't for a routine night patrol. He had received a secret directive and joined the Chief Constable and other constables of the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office to raid a small gang.
This small gang had been preying on the local streets, running rampant with an abysmal reputation.
Its downfall was naturally a wonderful thing for the common folk.
However, Chen Ping'an was not so naive as to believe the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office acted simply to punish evil, promote good, and uphold the majesty of the Daqian Law.
The real reason for last night's raid likely had everything to do with the power struggles and political machinations happening behind the scenes.
He feared that with one gang gone, a new one would simply rise to take its place.
But none of that had anything to do with Chen Ping'an.
Yesterday, his luck had been exceptionally good. Amid the chaos of the clash between the constables and the gang members, he had accidentally found a Martial Arts Technique manual inside the gang's hideout.
It wasn't some Divine Skill and Secret Technique, just a perfectly ordinary Lower Grade Body Refining Technique: Iron Cloth Shirt!
But even this Common Iron Cloth Shirt, he couldn't manage to bring out with him.
After a raid like this, there was always a body search before leaving to prevent anyone from smuggling out loot.
Unable to take it, Chen Ping'an proactively turned in the Iron Cloth Shirt.
However, before handing it over, he gave it a good look-through.
And that one look-through had filled Chen Ping'an with infinite hope for his future.
At this thought, the expression on Chen Ping'an's face grew a fraction more fervent.
He blinked a few times, and several lines of text materialized in his vision.
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: None
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt (Uninitiated, 0/5)
...
"Brother, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and eat~ If you don't start soon, I'm going to finish all of it~"
Chen Erya said, reminding the dazed Chen Ping'an.
"Haha, I was just giving you a head start. Watch me catch up right now."
Chen Ping'an picked up some vegetables, popped them into his mouth, chewed a few times with his rice, and was just about to swallow.
Suddenly, a brutally loud banging erupted from the courtyard gate. Along with the banging came a vicious shout.
"Open up! Tiger Head Gang!"
...