Daqian Martial Saint

The main streets of Five Peaks Mountain City teemed with bustling crowds. Unlike before, most of them were dressed like Jianghu travelers. Besides them, there were also guards from merchant caravans and various vagrants. Most of these people carried weapons like sabers, spears, and staves, a truly terrifying sight in the eyes of the common folk.

As law and order in Five Peaks Mountain City gradually collapsed, most of the common folk who lived there dared not leave their homes. The few times they did venture out, they scurried about in a hurry to buy necessary supplies.

On the streets, constables from the Garrison Commandant's Office would occasionally pass by on patrol. But unlike before, the crowds walking around showed them no respect whatsoever, with no intention of making way when they approached.

Some with peculiar tempers would even deliberately turn and stick a foot out to trip them.

Although the constables saw this, they were furious but dared not speak out.

Everyone could see the current situation in Five Peaks Mountain City. The authority of a law enforcement body like the Garrison Commandant's Office no longer carried the weight it once did!

"These people act so barbarically. If they dare to mess with us, what about the common folk? They must be even worse! They deserve to die!"

In a secluded alley, a young constable muttered under his breath as he rubbed his foot.

While on patrol just now, he was walking at the head of the group when he saw a burly, flesh-faced man to the side suddenly stick out a foot, intending to trip him.

Young and hot-blooded, full of vigor, how could he tolerate such a scene? He believed his Qi Blood was strong and that he had already stepped onto the path of Martial Dao Cultivation. Seeing the man's action, he didn't alter his stride but instead threw a kick as he walked, wanting to teach the other man a lesson.

But who would have known? The man's leg was like a pillar of refined iron and stone. The moment his foot connected, a sharp pain shot through him.

'Thick skin and membranes, bones like refined steel!'

'He's a Martial Artist at the Bone Forging Realm, at the very least!'

Seeing the young constable's pained expression, the flesh-faced man gave him a mocking look. When he saw the other constables catching up, he turned and left without a backward glance.

The group hesitated again and again, but ultimately didn't dare to stop him, and could only watch as he sauntered away.

"These people have no respect for the Garrison Commandant's Office at all!" another constable said, filled with righteous indignation. "It's absolute lawlessness!"

"These people are used to living on the edge. This is just a Small City with limited defenses, why would they be afraid? If they actually commit a crime, they'll just skip town without a care. Except for the high-ranking officials, us grunts at the bottom can't arrest them!"

"It's so infuriating!"

"Don't be angry. Compared to the common folk in the city, we're still better off! We have this official uniform, we move in groups, and we stick together for safety. Even if they want to mess with us, they don't dare go too far!" an older constable advised, then sighed unconsciously. "Just endure it! It'll pass if we just endure it!"

"..."

As the few of them were talking, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from the other end of the alley.

"Who's there?"

The expressions of the constables present grew taut, their faces turning serious. With Jianghu Travelers running rampant in the city, they couldn't afford not to be cautious. If they were really injured here, the Garrison Commandant's Office might not even step in for them! And even if it did, they might not be able to find the culprits afterward.

As the footsteps drew closer, a young man in a blue shirt appeared before them. The youth was handsome, but his features held a heroic and extraordinary air.

None of the constables spoke. They looked at the young man, finding him vaguely familiar, but they couldn't immediately recall where they had seen him.

The constables said nothing, standing around in twos and threes. The young man also remained silent, simply smiling at them. Then he walked past them, heading out of the alley.

"That guy looks so familiar! Have you guys seen him before?"

"I don't think so! But I also think he looks familiar! I just can't place him."

"Same here! My brain... Xiaosong, what about you?"

The one called Xiaosong was the young constable with the injured foot. At that moment, he hadn't heard his colleague's question at all. His face was flushed as he stared intently at the young man's departing back.

"Xiaosong?" His colleague beside him looked confused and couldn't help but reach out and wave a hand in front of him.

Xiaosong snapped back to his senses, turning to his colleagues with an excited expression, just about to speak. Just then, the young man in the distance suddenly turned around and looked at them.

"Let's go. Take me to see who did it!"

"Yes, Sir!" Xiaosong shouted, his spirits soaring.

The constables beside him, though somewhat puzzled, vaguely sensed something unusual. Driven by a herd mentality, they also voiced their assent.

...

The young man in the blue shirt who appeared in the alley was, of course, Chen Ping'an. He had come out of seclusion yesterday and learned a great deal from Zhong Shanyong. He never expected that in less than half a month, the situation in Five Peaks Mountain City would have deteriorated to this extent. And it was even showing signs of spiraling out of control!

As the saying goes, seeing is believing. After getting a clear picture of the intelligence, Chen Ping'an had immediately decided to come out and see for himself. That was why Chen Ping'an was out and about for quite a while today, dressed in ordinary clothes.

He didn't know if it was his good luck or the troublemakers' good luck, but he had yet to encounter a single conflict. He never thought that by walking down this alley, he would accidentally overhear a case of bullying—one that involved a street patrol constable from the Garrison Commandant's Office.

'To provoke a street patrol constable in public, with no reverence for the law... according to Daqian Law, this warrants severe punishment!'

He had thought that the moment he appeared, he would be met with a thunderous wave of greetings. But unexpectedly, among the four constables, it seemed only the one called Xiaosong recognized him. The others didn't seem to grasp the situation.

'Alright, so I haven't been out enough! Ever since I arrived in Five Peaks Mountain City, I've mostly been in seclusion in the rear courtyard and have barely shown my face outside! The only time I made a public appearance was when I first entered the city. Although many people saw me then, a considerable number of constables from the Garrison Commandant's Office had not. Even if they had, it was likely just a casual glance at my official portrait.'

At this moment, Chen Ping'an suddenly felt from the bottom of his heart that he was an incompetent Commander-in-Chief. He had buried his head in his Martial Dao Cultivation, focused on pushing his Divine Skill to the Great Success Realm. He had paid too little attention to the city's situation and never imagined it could deteriorate so badly in such a short time.

He had to take some of the responsibility for the current state of the city.

As the head of the Garrison Commandant's Office system in Five Peaks Mountain City, now that he had heard his own men were being bullied, he naturally had to step forward to seek justice and win back their dignity.

In all the time since he had taken up his post in Five Peaks Mountain City, the name of Chen Ping'an had yet to truly resound.

This time would be the prelude!

'For the past half-month, I've been in closed-door cultivation. Some people seem to have forgotten that a true rising prodigy is stationed here in Five Peaks Mountain City!'

Mang Blade, Mang Vajra, Chen Ping'an!

...

P.S. 147 days since this book began, and we've welcomed our very first Steward. Just wanted to make a note of it.