Daqian Martial Saint

Laiyue Restaurant.

"This is the place, my lord!"

Xiaosong said respectfully, his head bowed.

He had been provoked by the brawny, flesh-faced man not long ago. The man's appearance was quite distinctive, so after leaving the alley and making a few inquiries, they managed to track him to this place.

"Mm, good," Chen Ping'an nodded.

The other constables stood behind Chen Ping'an, their faces filled with awe. After Xiaosong's repeated hints on the way over, they had a vague idea of who he was.

Even now, it felt like they were in a dream!

Had they really just stumbled into... the Lord Commander?

And what's more, the Lord Commander was about to stand up for them!?

What had they, a few mere constables, ever done to deserve this?

Regardless of what the constables were thinking, Chen Ping'an had already walked to the entrance of Laiyue Restaurant.

Laiyue Restaurant wasn't a particularly high-class establishment; only a single servant stood at the entrance to welcome guests. Seeing Chen Ping'an and his group approach, the servant forced a smile and hurried over.

"This way, sirs, please!"

Despite his words, his eyes remained fixed on Chen Ping'an. It was obvious at a glance that he was the leader of the group. Furthermore, the men behind him were all wearing the black uniforms of the Garrison Commandant's Office constables.

To be followed so respectfully by constables, this young man was clearly either rich or noble.

Led in by the deferential servant, Chen Ping'an and his group quickly entered the restaurant.

The first floor of the restaurant was quite spacious, but more than half the tables were empty. Most of the patrons who remained were dressed like people of the Jianghu.

Clearly, the current state of public order in Five Peaks Mountain City had taken a heavy toll on the restaurant's business.

"My lord, that's him!" Xiaosong scanned the room and immediately recognized the brawny, flesh-faced man.

At that moment, the man was sitting at a table by the street, casually sipping his wine.

Qi Blood Fourth Layer!

Chen Ping'an's gaze swept over, and he instantly determined the man's Martial Arts Realm.

'The security here is truly atrocious,' he thought. 'Every Tom, Dick, and Harry dares to step out of line now!'

'If a Cultivator of the Inner Qi Realm had provoked the Garrison Commandant's Office, I could have understood it to some extent. After all, given the current state of the Five Peaks Mountain Town Pacification Bureau, capturing an Inner Qi Realm expert would be an extremely troublesome affair. After the provocation, the culprit could simply dust themselves off and leave.'

'But now...'

'A mere Qi Blood Fourth Layer practitioner dares to step up and cause trouble? And after doing so, he dares to sit here drinking so brazenly?'

'He's simply courting death!'

In that instant, a cold glint flashed in Chen Ping'an's eyes.

However, he wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he found a nearby table and sat down.

'Sometimes, the saying "when a wall is about to collapse, everyone gives it a shove" isn't baseless. Whether for a faction or a family, if they want to truly establish a firm foothold, rules are indispensable. And once rules are set, they cannot be easily changed. If anyone violates them, they must be dealt with via iron-fisted methods, with no room for leniency.'

'Otherwise, once you allow for leniency, the rules will have a loophole. With a loophole, the people will lose their awe. From then on, everyone will follow the bad example, and the one who set the rules will find themselves constantly putting out fires. They might even end up on a path where the law cannot punish the masses.'

'Therefore, once a rule is established, it must be defended with blood from the very beginning. Anyone who violates it, no matter who they are, must be punished severely, without exception.'

'The situation in Five Peaks Mountain City deteriorated to its current state in such a short time not just because of the Beicang Auction's influence, but primarily because there were no iron-fisted methods used to suppress the situation from the start. No one was made to feel the awe that would prevent them from daring to overstep their bounds in the slightest.'

'Of course, this was also because Five Peaks Mountain City lacked truly powerful combat support. The various Loose Cultivators and Guards passing through showed no basic reverence for the Five Peaks Mountain Town Pacification Bureau.'

'Don't you see? In a major hub like Beicang Town, all sorts of demons and monsters gather, yet why have you never heard of chaos breaking out there?'

'In the end, it all comes down to a lack of strategic deterrence!'

"A lack of strategic deterrence?" A faint smile touched Chen Ping'an's lips. "Then let's start here!"

The arrival of Chen Ping'an and his group naturally drew the attention of many Jianghu Travelers in the restaurant. The official uniforms on Xiaosong and the others, in particular, brought a mocking look to many people's eyes.

'The dogs of the Garrison Commandant's Office. Shouldn't they be out patrolling the streets? What are they doing in here?'

The brawny man by the window had clearly noticed Xiaosong's group as well. Recalling their recent encounter, the flesh on his face bunched up into a grin.

"Well, well, Lord Officials. Not busy with your official duties outside? Why did you run in here? What, you getting ready to kick your daddy again?"

The brawny man's voice wasn't quiet, and it immediately drew everyone's attention.

"You!" Anger flashed across Xiaosong's face. But since Chen Ping'an hadn't spoken, he remained standing behind him and made no move.

The other constables were also furious. But with their lord present, they didn't dare to act rashly, fearing they might displease him.

The reactions of Xiaosong and the others only made the brawny man's arrogance swell.

He picked up his large wine bowl and walked straight toward them.

"Yo, you brought another one! Planning to get some backup to save face? Hahaha..."

The brawny man immediately identified the core figure of the group. But after sizing him up carefully, he couldn't detect the slightest trace of Martial Dao Cultivation on him. That, combined with the young man's appearance, put his mind at ease, and his words became even more unrestrained.

"I'm telling you, you guys are really something else. If you wanted to settle the score, you should've done it just now. Why go to all this extra trouble, running over here just to be humiliated again! Or did you think that bringing this pretty boy along would..."

"Noisy!"

Before the brawny man could finish his sentence, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. A chopstick had shot out and pierced his shoulder blade.

"AH..." he screamed in agony.

Chen Ping'an remained seated on the bench, his expression unchanged. "Xiaosong, slap him!"

"Yes, sir!" Xiaosong's expression was excited. He rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward to deliver the slap.

The brawny man was a tough character himself. Enduring the intense pain, he reached for Xiaosong with his good hand, intending to grab him.

SWOOSH!

A shadow flickered, and another chopstick pierced his palm, pinning it firmly to the floor.

"ARGH!" the brawny man cried out in pain. Before he could even react, another shadow flickered past, and his other palm was also pinned fast to the ground.

SLAP!

Xiaosong landed a vicious slap across the brawny man's face.

Sweet!

Revenge is a dish best served immediately!

The feeling was so intense that Xiaosong almost couldn't stop himself from crying out loud.

"Continue," Chen Ping'an said lightly.

"Yes, sir!"

Xiaosong shouted his agreement and began slapping the brawny man's cheeks, one palm after another.

Although the brawny man had reached the Qi Blood Fourth Layer and had achieved success in Skin Refining, Strength Refining, Tendon Refining, and Bone Forging, he ultimately lacked the protection of Inner Qi. Under the barrage of slaps, one of his cheeks quickly began to swell.

Every time the brawny man tried to resist, another chopstick would appear in his hand. After a few attempts at resistance, his palms were already a mangled mess.

Seeing that was enough, Chen Ping'an glanced at Xiaosong. Xiaosong stood up straight and announced loudly to everyone present.

"By order of the Commander of the Garrison, fighting is forbidden within Five Peaks Mountain City! Violators will be dealt with according to the Daqian Law, with the severity of the punishment depending on the circumstances. This man provoked a constable in the street, showing no reverence for the law. He is now being taken into custody in accordance with the Daqian Law!"

By the time the brawny man was dragged out of the restaurant, the Jianghu Travelers present were all dumbfounded. The more timid among them already felt a flicker of awe for the Garrison Commandant's Office's methods.

"Who was that man just now?"

"I don't know! Judging by his appearance, he doesn't seem to be from the Garrison Commandant's Office!"

"..."