Chapter 475: Steady Progress and Settling the Past

Chapter 475: Chapter 382: Steady Progress and Settling the Past

‘Yes, it’s about time he was allowed to live out his golden years in peace.’

With a thought, Chen Ping’an added Mr. Qin’s name to the list. Speaking of which, when Mr. Qin retired, he ought to prepare a small gift as a way of repaying the kindness he was shown back then.

Strictly speaking, he only had a few old brothers. If he were to consider the next tier down, people like Shen Shikang and Tian Fuliang could be included, along with a few Constables from his time in Nanquan Lane, some people from the South City Prison, and a few heads of the Task Rooms at the South Town Garrison Command.

‘But adding them would be rather pointless.’

Chen Ping’an thought for a moment before adding Shen Shikang’s and Tian Fuliang’s names anyway. However, in terms of the level of care he would provide, they were two notches below Monkey Head and the others.

Having written all this, he put down his pen.

“Someone!”

As soon as Chen Ping’an’s voice rang out, a person walked in from outside, bowing and clasping his hands in a salute to Chen Ping’an.

“My lord, your subordinate is here!”

“Take this to Lin Shaohua and have him grasp its spirit,” Chen Ping’an said faintly, pointing to an envelope on the side of the long table.

“Yes, my lord! Your subordinate accepts the order!” The man bowed his head, took small steps forward, and picked up the envelope with both hands.

Chen Ping’an waved his hand gently.

“My lord, this subordinate takes his leave!”

After the man left, a glint flickered in Chen Ping’an’s eyes as a panel, visible only to him, materialized in the air before him.

Name: Chen Ping’an

Realm: Early Jade Balance Stage – Condensed Spiritual Flower

Martial Arts: Great Success in Dragon Elephant Dominating Body Technique (785/1600), Minor Achievement of Soul-breaking Blade (0/640), Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill Perfect, Three-Third Human Tribulation Finger Perfection, Great Vajra…

…

‘After so many days of cultivation, I’ve barely reached the halfway point. It seems I’ll need another twenty days or so to cultivate the Dragon Elephant Dominating Body Technique to the Perfection Realm!’

Twenty days wasn’t a long time, but it wasn’t short either. However, if you equated that time with perfecting a Divine Skill, it was undoubtedly a brief period!

According to Chen Ping’an’s own estimation, if his Dragon Elephant Dominating Body Technique reached Perfection, he would also be considered to have reached perfection within the Early Jade Balance Stage. His combat strength would be fully comparable to that of an ordinary Mid-Jade Balance Stage practitioner.

In the past few days, Chen Ping’an had made other gains besides his cultivation. The biggest one was that, after his repeated persuasion,

and a suitable display of the Divine Wonders of the Martial Dao, the little girl finally agreed to try practicing it.

Although she still wasn’t very interested after trying, she did at least promise Chen Ping’an that she would practice the Martial Dao in her spare time from her studies.

Chen Ping’an was naturally overjoyed that the little girl was going to cultivate. After considering her needs, he carefully selected a Qi Nourishing Technique for her.

Although this Qi Nourishing Technique offered mediocre combat power, its strength lay in its balanced and gentle nature, with almost no side effects. Even if the little girl didn’t achieve much in the Martial Dao, practicing this technique would still strengthen her body, nourish her Qi and Blood, and harmonize her internal organs.

Besides getting the little girl to agree to practice the Martial Dao, Chen Ping’an also took the opportunity to settle a matter from the past. Previously, Fan Zheng Heng had mentioned that during an encirclement operation, the Weishui Garrison had captured a group of villains from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect. They had now been escorted to Weishui County City to be publicly tried and sentenced.

After returning, Chen Ping’an checked the list of prisoners and saw two familiar names.

Grand Steward Wu Haihua! Great Guardian Kuang Dahai!

Back then, Wu Haihua had, in a way, contributed to him being registered as an official constable! At that time, he was still a temporary constable. In Jiming Lane, Wu Haihua, along with several other Ten Thousand Demons Sect Stewards, had attempted to assassinate Mu Wanjun. Chen Ping’an, for his merit in warning her, earned Mu Wanjun’s favor and was successfully registered!

Furthermore, when Chen Ping’an was the South City Prison Chief, he had also imprisoned Wu Haihua. Unfortunately, during the chaos of the Ten Thousand Demons, Wu Haihua managed to escape.

At that time, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect Protector, Mai Xiongbo, had tricked and sneak-attacked Mu Wanjun, severely injuring her. Chen Ping’an was forced to flee with Mu Wanjun. During their escape, a Great Guardian of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, Kuang Dahai, appeared to kill them. Fortunately, Yan Wu’s timely rescue prevented any major trouble.

After finding a secluded spot, Chen Ping’an finished off Mai Xiongbo. He even obtained another piece of a Treasure Map from his body.

When Chen Ping’an saw these two names, many scenes surfaced in his mind. It felt as if those events had happened a long time ago, yet also as if they had just occurred.

That time, he had swept Mu Wanjun up by the waist and fled for their lives. After killing Mai Xiongbo, Mu Wanjun was unconscious and critically injured; the slightest misstep could have been fatal. Desperate times called for desperate measures, so he tore her clothes to treat her wounds.

When the chaos of the Ten Thousand Demons had subsided slightly, Chen Ping’an, carrying Mu Wanjun on his way back, happened to run into Fu Yuanming. But that is another story.

With these memories surfacing, Chen Ping’an didn’t suppress his impulse and immediately went to the Weishui Prison. Unlike the South City Prison, the Weishui Prison was heavily guarded and built underground. It housed the most vicious and wicked criminals. Besides villains from the Demon Sects and Evil Dao, there was no shortage of notorious bandits.

A high-security prison like this wasn’t a place one could enter just by wanting to. A wealthy merchant had once spent a fortune trying to visit an inmate. He got in, but he never saw the person he was there to visit. Separated by a wall, the merchant barely spoke two sentences before he was escorted out.

The strictness of the Weishui Prison was clear to see!

For Chen Ping’an, however, it posed no difficulty at all. He sent a verbal edict from afar, and before he even arrived, the Weishui Prison’s Prison Chief was already outside waiting respectfully. Seeing Chen Ping’an approach, the Prison Chief welcomed him in with a fawning, sycophantic smile.

Inside the Weishui Prison, Chen Ping’an met the two men.

“It’s you!” Wu Haihua’s eyes were bloodshot as he recognized Chen Ping’an instantly.

CLANG CLANG~

The sound of chains rang out. Wu Haihua struggled to get up, but he was firmly shackled to the wall and couldn’t move an inch.

“It is,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile, looking at the man who seemed ready to devour him. “I’m glad you still remember me. We meet again!”

In the next cell, Kuang Dahai heard the commotion and had apparently also recognized Chen Ping’an. His gray-white hair was a disheveled mess.

Amid the rattling of chains, Kuang Dahai roared, “Chen Ping’an! If I had known it would come to this, I would have killed you back then, even if it cost me my life!”

“Unfortunately, Kuang Dahai, you never had the chance,” Chen Ping’an said with calm eyes, offering Kuang Dahai a faint smile.

Back then, Kuang Dahai and Wu Haihua could never have imagined that in just two short years, the junior from their past would grow to such heights. Even an Elder from their Ten Thousand Demons Sect had fallen at Chen Ping’an’s hands.

That day, Chen Ping’an stayed in the Weishui Prison for a full quarter of an hour.

When he came out, his face was filled with relief.

The karma of the past was all settled!

…

‘Time to get off work.’ Chen Ping’an checked the hour, then rose and left his office. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t time to leave yet, but for someone of his status, the so-called schedule was merely a suggestion.

Never mind that no one would dare to scrutinize such things; even if someone was audacious enough to do so, many more people would step forward to tell them just how diligently Lord Chen worked.

Leaving early!?

No, Lord Chen was leaving to handle important official business!

Previously, Gu Qingchan had sent a letter saying she would arrive in Weishui County City in the coming days. By his calculations, she should be arriving soon. On the little girl’s end, preparations were basically complete.

Chen Ping’an planned to take the little girl on a proper tour of Weishui County City, the place where she grew up, before she left. Once she was in Canglong State City, coming back wouldn’t be so easy!

Canglong State City was a full ten thousand li away from Weishui County City! For an ordinary person, this was a distance they could never cross in a lifetime.

Most people in this world lead unremarkable lives. For them, Weishui County City—no, the Weishui Outer City, the South District of the Outer City, or even just Nanquan Lane—was the entire world they would ever know.

The footprints of their entire lives would be confined to such a small piece of land!

For the little girl to be able to leave Weishui and travel to Canglong State City for her studies, she had already surpassed countless men. Her ability to reach this point was all thanks to Chen Ping’an lifting her up.

People in this world who use their platforms to achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary folk are often proud of it. Little do they know, this is the greatest misunderstanding of themselves, and the greatest insult to ordinary people.

For the vast majority of them, if they were to trade places with an ordinary person, stripped of their platforms and opportunities, they might not even be able to live better lives.

At this thought, a sense of solemnity washed over Chen Ping’an.

‘Life is a journey against the current, and I am but a traveler.’

‘In this life, one must maintain a sense of reverence and always be cautious! Never become arrogant or complacent!’

‘Especially in times of prosperity, one must cultivate the mind!’