Daqian Martial Saint

With the Crocodile Gang’s headquarters breached and the city’s other major powers having withdrawn their forces, the Garrison Commandant’s Office’s cleanup operation went exceptionally smoothly. Both the Quicksand Gang and the Crocodile Gang had their own territories, as well as significant business interests within the city.

Of course, all these interests now belonged to the Garrison Commandant’s Office.

As for whether they could hold onto these interests for the long term, that would depend on the subsequent reactions of the city’s other major powers.

At the Crocodile Gang headquarters, a ferocious search by the Garrison Commandant’s Office constables turned up a great deal of resources and valuables.

Cheng Renjing stood before Chen Ping’an, reporting everything in detail.

"Lord Chen, we’ve found a considerable amount of silver taels within the Crocodile Gang, as well as weapons and cultivation techniques..."

Chen Ping’an sat upright on the main chair in the Crocodile Gang’s central hall, listening quietly to the report. On a nearby table, tea had already been brewed and snacks laid out for his enjoyment.

"Bring all the cultivation techniques to me. Organize and tally the rest, and give me a detailed report tomorrow," Chen Ping’an ordered.

"Yes."

Having received Chen Ping’an’s orders, Cheng Renjing responded respectfully and quickly went to carry them out.

A short while later, a medium-sized wooden chest appeared before Chen Ping’an. Inside were all the cultivation techniques confiscated from the Crocodile Gang.

There were over thirty cultivation techniques in total, but just as before, there were no superior cultivation methods among them.

It seemed the Crocodile Gang, like the Quicksand Gang, kept their superior cultivation methods elsewhere, not in the gang’s main treasury.

However, Chen Ping’an wasn’t too concerned.

More than half of the thirty-odd cultivation techniques overlapped with those from the Quicksand Gang. Chen Ping’an skimmed through the ones unique to the Crocodile Gang, recording each one into his Golden Finger Panel.

’If a day comes when I have nothing left to practice, I can consider training in these techniques. Recording them now is a good precaution! Right now, I cultivate Superior Hard Skills. With my Inner and Outer Cultivation, I can withstand secret techniques of great power. My Superior Leg Technique allows me to attack or retreat at will. With my Superior Saber Skill and Superior Sword Skill, I won’t be outmatched in a clash of weapons. And my Superior Fierce Palm Technique can be unleashed as a surprise attack in special circumstances, perfect for breaking through tough defenses. In terms of my martial arts repertoire, it’s quite complete!’

’In terms of cultivation efficiency, practicing more superior martial arts holds little meaning for me! But, looking at the practical reality, I can only continue seeking out superior martial arts...’

Watching the busy figures hurrying back and forth outside the hall, an earlier scene surfaced in Chen Ping’an’s mind.

Jiang Da and his men. When they saw him approach, they had trembled violently. Then, they broke down in tears, begging for mercy, filled with regret.

Given Chen Ping’an’s current status, a few grunts from the Crocodile Gang were beneath his notice; it wasn’t worth his time to deal with them personally. After watching their tearful display for a moment, Chen Ping’an had simply walked away.

However, this scene was witnessed by many constables and head constables from the Garrison Commandant’s Office.

’These men had offended Lord Chen before?’

’How utterly audacious! A few worthless thugs dared to offend Lord Chen.’

When a superior expresses a wish, his subordinates are quick to act.

For this matter, Chen Ping’an didn’t need to say a word. A single gesture was enough; his men would take care of it for him.

Jiang Da and his men, it was safe to assume, would not meet a pleasant end.

A flicker of light passed through Chen Ping’an’s eyes. For some reason, he suddenly thought of Young Master Xiao Hu.

The Tiger Head Gang was, after all, just a neighborhood gang, while the Crocodile Gang was one of the four major gangs in White Stone City, with far greater power.

As a minor leader in the Crocodile Gang, Jiang Da’s prestige and status were not much weaker than Young Master Xiao Hu’s had been back then.

Back then, when he was just starting on the Martial Dao and had yet to achieve anything, he could only rack his brains and play along cautiously in the face of Young Master Xiao Hu’s provocations. Even later, after achieving a Minor Achievement in the Martial Dao, he hadn’t dared to completely turn against him, fearing that failing to cut the weeds by the root would bring disaster to his family.

It wasn’t until he reached the position of Preparatory Constable that he was able to borrow the power of the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office. Under the righteous banner of the law, he utterly destroyed the Tiger Head Gang, finally closing the matter for good.

The hardships of that process went without saying.

But today...

The likes of Jiang Da were nothing more than clay chickens and pottery dogs—utterly insignificant.

He didn’t even need to get involved personally. A slight indication of his feelings was enough for others to read into it and handle the matter for him.

"Power..." Chen Ping’an tilted his head back, his gaze passing through the doorway to the distant, azure sky above a gray-white wall. "It’s a wonderful thing!"

’But more important than power itself is understanding where it comes from!’

White clouds drifted across the boundless azure sky, but they could not obscure the brilliance of the great sun.

...

Taking inventory, liquidating assets, sorting and transporting goods, interrogating and detaining prisoners—the constables of the Garrison Commandant’s Office worked through the night on the many affairs of the Crocodile Gang, their torches never dimming.

Besides the Crocodile Gang, the same process was underway for the Quicksand Gang.

They were, after all, constables of the Garrison Commandant’s Office. Though they might have been lax in previous years, since Commander Feng’s arrival, their operational and organizational skills had been thoroughly drilled, even if their morale was sometimes lacking.

Everything was handled in an orderly fashion, requiring very little of Chen Ping’an’s attention.

Following the destruction of the Quicksand Gang, news of the Crocodile Gang’s fall spread rapidly through White Stone City.

Setting aside the reactions of the six major powers, the other factions in White Stone City, large and small, were all trembling with fear. They were terrified they would be next.

’Could it be... another Feng Shixian has arrived!?’

When Feng Shixian first arrived, he had been incomparably domineering, cutting down so many that heads rolled in the streets before he finally suppressed the chaos in White Stone City. In recent years, however, Feng Shixian’s overall attitude had grown more lenient, and they no longer felt such immense pressure from him.

They never imagined another god of slaughter would appear!

If the Garrison Commandant’s Office took a hard line, the interests of the city’s many factions would inevitably be affected. Furthermore, in just a few short days, two of White Stone City’s eight major powers had been destroyed. How could the other six possibly let this go?

For a time, panic gripped White Stone City; the populace was in a state of extreme anxiety.

Regardless of the outside world, Chen Ping’an returned home peacefully. His new residence was enormous, and his personal training ground was incredibly spacious.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Chen Ping’an’s Palm Momentum was fierce and powerful. Every strike unleashed a howling Palm Wind that threatened to shatter the very air.

The Great Vajra Palm, a top-level Superior Martial Art, was naturally incomparably fierce!

BOOM!

Chen Ping’an struck out with a heavy palm, hitting the empty space before him and causing it to tremble, letting out a massive bang.

+1.

Within his vision, a cultivation symbol flashed and disappeared.

"Success!"

Chen Ping’an withdrew his palm and stood straight, a hint of joy on his face.

Name: Chen Ping’an

Realm: Profound Light - Spiritual Clarity’s First Illumination

Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt Perfection, Flying Locust Stone Perfection, Public Door Thirteen Sabers Perfection, Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Horizontal Training Perfection, Golden Bell Shield Perfection, Gale Saber Technique Perfection, Eight Steps Chasing Cicada Perfection, Flying Star Swordsmanship (Great Success) (36/400), Great Vajra Palm (Minor Achievement) (160/160)