Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Public Door Thirteen Sabers

Just like that, he had gone from a temporary constable to an official constable. Even after his shift ended, Chen Ping’an felt as if he were walking in a dream. He had imagined this moment countless times, but now that it was real, he was utterly ecstatic.

When he returned to their small courtyard, Chen Erya was still busy in the kitchen. He greeted her just as he did every other day. But when she saw Chen Ping’an appear in the kitchen wearing a saber, the little girl froze.

"Brother, that saber..."

She remembered clearly: when Father Chen was still alive, she saw him come home with his issued saber every day. But since her brother had become a constable, she had never seen him return wearing one. The little girl knew that only official constables could bring their sabers home.

’Now, could it be...’

The little girl’s expression instantly turned to one of utter delight.

"Brother! You’ve become an official constable?"

"Mhm," Chen Ping’an nodded with a smile.

After getting Chen Ping’an’s affirmative answer, the little girl jumped for joy, completely forgetting about the food she was stir-frying in the wok.

"This is wonderful! Wonderful! Brother is an official constable! This is wonderful!"

Seeing Chen Erya so happy made Chen Ping’an’s heart fill with joy.

’It feels so good to have someone to share my joy with!’

"Brother, things are getting better, bit by bit," the little girl said excitedly, her voice full of hope for the future.

"Yes, they are." Chen Ping’an affectionately patted Chen Erya’s head.

After becoming an official constable, his Monthly Allowance had increased from eight mace of silver to one tael and two mace! And as he gained seniority as an official constable, his monthly pay would only continue to go up!

But Chen Ping’an wasn’t focused on that. His next goal was Constable Head!

"Ah! The food is burning!"

White smoke billowed from the wok. Chen Erya wriggled out of Chen Ping’an’s embrace, grabbed the spatula, and went back to stir-frying.

A knowing smile touched Chen Ping’an’s lips.

...

After dinner, Chen Ping’an began to study the Public Door Thirteen Sabers he had just been granted that day.

The Public Door Thirteen Sabers was the standard-issue Saber Technique for official constables of the Garrison Commandant’s Office and was considered a Lower Grade Saber Technique. However, even though it was a lower-grade technique, if one could practice it to the point of mastery, its power was terrifying.

Back in the day, Father Chen’s mastery of the Public Door Thirteen Sabers was fearsomely impressive. With his Cultivation at Qi Blood Second Realm Perfection, he could battle opponents at the Qi Blood Third Layer without being defeated.

As Chen Ping’an read through the Saber Technique manual, its contents were successfully recorded by his Golden Finger Panel.

He happened to have the saber granted by the Garrison Commandant’s Office right at hand. His hands were itching to try it out, so Chen Ping’an immediately began to practice. Speaking of his saber, although it was an ordinary weapon, it couldn’t be compared to civilian blades like wood-chopping knives.

A single strike from it would leave an ordinary person either dead or gravely injured.

Horizontal slashes, vertical chops!

Chen Ping’an stood firm in the center of the courtyard, saber in hand. He spun and slashed.

WHOOSH!

A powerful gust of wind stirred!

At the Qi Blood Third Layer, his strength was astounding.

Next, Chen Ping’an began to practice the Public Door Thirteen Sabers, form by form.

The Public Door Thirteen Sabers consisted of thirteen forms, each with different applications for various situations. It emphasized methods of power generation, execution techniques, and flexible application.

In about an hour, Chen Ping’an had completed one full run-through of the Public Door Thirteen Sabers.

+1.

An experience symbol appeared.

Name: Chen Ping’an

Realm: Qi Blood Third Layer

Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt (Perfection), Flying Locust Stone (Minor Achievement, 23/40), Public Door Thirteen Sabers (Uninitiated, 1/5)

...

"Again!"

A hint of delight flashed in Chen Ping’an’s eyes. This progress was faster than he had imagined.

’I really am a Martial Dao genius!’

After breaking into the Qi Blood Third Layer, Chen Ping’an’s Qi Blood had greatly increased, allowing him to practice the Public Door Thirteen Sabers three times in a row. As Chen Ping’an practiced his saber, Chen Erya sat inside the house, her chin propped in her hands, watching him with a gaze full of admiration.

’Sigh, this courtyard is still too small!’

He hadn’t felt it when practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt and Flying Locust Stone, but now that he was practicing a Saber Technique, he felt a bit constrained. This small courtyard was barely adequate!

’I have to keep working hard and move to a new house soon!’

After finishing his saber practice, Chen Ping’an had no intention of stopping and immediately began practicing the Flying Locust Stone technique.

’The path is long and arduous; only through daily toil can one succeed!’

Compared to many others, he was undoubtedly fortunate. Every bit of his progress could be recorded, ultimately turning the mundane into the magical.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

One after another, Flying Locust Stones were thrown into the pile of rocks, creating a series of sharp cracks.

Normally, he could practice the Flying Locust Stone technique four times, but since the saber practice had drained a lot of his stamina, this time Chen Ping’an only managed to practice twice.

Name: Chen Ping’an

Realm: Qi Blood Third Layer

Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt (Perfection), Flying Locust Stone (Minor Achievement, 25/40), Public Door Thirteen Sabers (Uninitiated, 3/5)

...

Looking at the Golden Finger Panel floating in the void, Chen Ping’an felt a sense of reassurance. At this rate, he could successfully reach the Entry Level for the Public Door Thirteen Sabers by tomorrow morning!

That night, Chen Erya was in high spirits and chatted with Chen Ping’an late into the night. They talked about many things: about Father Chen and Mrs. Chen, about the old days, and they dreamed about the future.

As she spoke, Chen Ping’an could see little stars twinkling in Chen Erya’s eyes.

"Nannan, what kind of person do you want to be when you grow up?" Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but ask.

The little girl thought for a moment before answering his question.

"I don’t know what will happen in the future. But back when Dad was still around, he taught me quite a few characters. I want to keep learning!"

"You want to learn to read and write! That’s wonderful, Nannan. Your brother supports you!"

This was the first time Chen Ping’an had learned of his sister’s dream. As her older brother, he was determined to help the little girl achieve it.

But he knew. Learning to read and write was one thing, but to truly master it required a great deal of effort. The resources needed for that were far beyond what he could provide with his current status as a mere official constable.

’Faster, I need to get stronger faster!’ Chen Ping’an urged himself inwardly.

...

Early the next morning, Chen Ping’an practiced the Public Door Thirteen Sabers twice in a row. He successfully accumulated enough Experience Points. As his mind focused, a flood of starlight entered the space between his eyebrows, and all sorts of usage techniques for the Public Door Thirteen Sabers poured into his mind.

Public Door Thirteen Sabers, Entry Level!

As his Saber Technique reached Entry Level, the Qi Blood in his body was pushed forward a bit. If it were quantified, he was now at a level just shy of the mid-point of the Qi Blood Third Layer.

"Keep going! Keep going!"

After practicing the Saber Technique, Chen Ping’an practiced the Flying Locust Stone technique twice more. On the panel, the experience for Flying Locust Stone changed from 25 to 27.

After all that, he wiped himself down, ate breakfast, and hurried to the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office.

Today, he would receive his new work assignment.