Chapter 27: In the Spotlight (Hello to all the readers)

"Ping'an, this..."

The forced smile that had been struggling on Old Pan's face froze completely.

"When we borrowed the silver before, you never said we had to pay interest!?"

"That's right! We already returned the silver to you, why bring up interest now? Fifty small coins—this is extortion!" Auntie Pan pointed fingers and nagged. "If word of this gets out, people will be pointing fingers at you!"

Looking at the couple before him, Chen Ping'an's patience was slowly vanishing.

"Extortion? If I were extorting you, I would be discussing the logic of 'nine out, thirteen in.' I wouldn't be asking for a mere fifty small coins!"

"Borrowing money and paying interest is only natural! No matter where this story goes, I am in the right. As for people pointing fingers, on what grounds would they do so!?"

Chen Ping'an's eyes were bright and piercing as he stared directly at the two of them, possessing an indescribable aura.

Auntie Pan, who was usually accustomed to throwing tantrums, was stunned into silence. Beside her, Old Pan's courage vanished.

"Ping'an, she's just a woman talking nonsense, don't take it to heart," Old Pan said with a sheepish smile. "Just wait a moment, I'll go get the money."

With that, Old Pan walked into the inner room. A moment later, he emerged carrying a handful of small coins and handed them to Chen Ping'an.

After taking the coins and confirming the amount was correct, Chen Ping'an's expression remained calm. His attitude held neither the arrogance of someone who had successfully reclaimed interest nor the desire to smooth things over after a confrontation.

"With that, we are even."

"Ping'an, this time it was your Uncle Pan and Auntie Pan's fault. Please, don't hold a grudge," Old Pan said with a dry laugh, trying to ease the atmosphere.

However, before he could finish, Chen Ping'an had already departed with the money.

Forcibly swallowing the remaining words he intended to say, Old Pan let out a long sigh. "The youth is to be feared! I misjudged him; this boy from the Chen family is quite a formidable character!"

He had always thought Chen Ping'an was an easy person to talk to—that although he worked for the Zhenfu Division, he valued the feelings of neighbors and would swallow his grievances if handled with a bit of reason. Who would have thought this young man would be so sharp? The methods Old Pan took pride in were utterly ineffective against him.

This time, not only had they soured the relationship, but they had also lost both the principal and the interest. It was a total loss!

"Old Pan, that Chen kid is truly unscrupulous. I need to go out and spread the word so all the neighbors know his true colors!" Auntie Pan chimed in.

"You woman! Long hair, short vision!" It was fine if Auntie Pan hadn't approached, but her arrival gave Old Pan a perfect outlet for his pent-up frustration. "Why did you have to provoke him in the first place? If we had talked things through properly, we might not have had to pay this fifty-coin interest. Now look what you've done!"

"I provoked him!? It was you, you old geezer, who insisted that since the Chen family only had one young lad, there was no rush to repay the money! Now look, you're pushing all the blame onto me!"

Auntie Pan was not one to be bullied; she stood with her hands on her hips, fuming.

"You woman! Before was before, now is now. Tell me, if it wasn't for you, would it have come to this?"

"Get lost, you old man!"

Old Pan and Auntie Pan fell into a heated argument. Their son and daughter-in-law, watching their parents and in-laws act this way, felt their faces burning with embarrassment.

"Father, Mother, please, say a few less words," Little Pan tried to intervene.

"Get lost! Shut up! This is all for your sake, so you can marry a wife!"

"..."

By the time Chen Ping'an returned home, Chen Erya had already set the dishes, waiting for him.

"Brother, you're back!"

Seeing him return, Chen Erya hurried forward to take the bowl from his hands.

"Mm, I'm back," Chen Ping'an nodded.

"Why were you out so long? The food is almost cold," Chen Erya said, setting the bowl down and bringing out the covered dishes.

With a smile, Chen Ping'an briefly recounted what had happened to Chen Erya.

"How could they be like that!?" The young girl's chest puffed out, looking very angry.

"The world is vast and full of wonders; there are plenty of people like that," Chen Ping'an said calmly. If everyone followed the rules, what would be the use of the Zhenfu Division?

"Hmph! We were the ones lending them money, yet in the end, we were the ones in the wrong."

"Haha, it's fine. It's resolved now. Oh, right, here is some money. Remember to buy more meat tomorrow."

Chen Ping'an smiled as he handed the pouch of money to Chen Erya. With this money, they could supplement their household expenses. Since he was eating meat every night now, his expenses were quite significant. Salt, fine rice, meat—everything cost money.

Now that the family had repaid their debts, their savings were at their lowest. However, things would improve in the future.

After dinner, Chen Ping'an helped Chen Erya wash the dishes. Then, he went to the small courtyard to exercise. Once he was sufficiently warmed up, Chen Ping'an began practicing the Iron Cloth technique amidst the gravel and sand.

To practice is to practice with tireless daily devotion!

Through constant rolling and movement, Chen Ping'an's entire body's blood qi and skin were continuously stimulated.

An hour later.

Name: Chen Ping'an Realm: Blood Qi Level 1 (Consummation) Martial Arts: Iron Cloth (Minor Success) (13/40)

"Refreshing! Truly refreshing!"

Emerging from the sand, Chen Ping'an's skin was flushed red and covered in tiny broken capillaries. However, his mood was incredibly buoyant.

2 experience points in the morning, 3 in the evening—that was 5 experience points a day. At this rate, he would likely achieve Great Success in the Iron Cloth technique in just a few days. By the morning of the sixth day, he would have accumulated the required 40 experience points.

"Brother, let me help you."

Chen Erya ran up with a basin of clean water to help wipe his body.

"Mm, Nannuan is such a good girl," Chen Ping'an smiled.

The night remained warm and peaceful.

Early the next morning, after completing two sessions of the Iron Cloth, Chen Ping'an headed to the Zhenfu Division for duty. During the pre-shift meeting, he noticed that the number of constables surrounding Zheng Shiyong had increased slightly compared to before.

"What's going on?" Chen Ping'an wondered.

Logically, although Zheng Shiyong was the nephew of Head Constable Zheng, he had only recently arrived at the Nanquan Alley Zhenfu Division and was still a temporary constable. He shouldn't be able to draw such a crowd. After all, many constables maintained a respectful distance from him.

However, Chen Ping'an's doubts were quickly answered during the meeting.

The meeting was presided over by Head Constable Yan. He stood on the high platform, looking down at the crowd.

"Our Nanquan Alley Zhenfu Division truly is a land of good fortune; talents truly emerge here in abundance. As everyone knows, Zheng Shiyong has only been here a short time. Yet, just the day before yesterday, he entered the martial path and officially stepped into the first level of Blood Qi! I hope everyone can learn from Zheng Shiyong, work hard in their training, and enter the martial path to contribute to our Nanquan Alley Zhenfu Division."

As Head Constable Yan's words fell, cheers erupted from the crowd, all praising Zheng Shiyong and the division.

"It is all thanks to the guidance of the many masters that I was able to make my breakthrough the day before yesterday," Zheng Shiyong stepped forward at the opportune moment to say a few words. "In the days to come, I will certainly fulfill my duties and give my all for the Nanquan Alley Zhenfu Division."

Zheng Shiyong's words were met with cheers from the constables and approval from Head Constable Yan. However, one could not tell how many of those cheers were sincere.

The Monkey Head beside him curled his lip but said nothing.

Watching Zheng Shiyong basking in the glory, Chen Ping'an felt neither joy nor sorrow.