Chapter 7: Black Uniform

"The girls at the Chunyu Pavilion are truly made of gold!"

Every time he stepped out of the Chunyu Pavilion, Houtou would look up to the sky and sigh like this.

Chen Ping'an, along with Houtou and Dashan, had just finished collecting their waist tokens and sabers before exiting the main gate of the Town Pacification Office.

As temporary bailiffs like them, they did not have the right to carry sabers during their off-hours. Every time they finished their shift, they had to turn in their tokens and sabers before they could head home.

However, they were allowed to wear their official uniforms home; each person was issued two sets to rotate.

Only official, registered bailiffs were entitled to the right to carry a saber.

"By the way, where is Head Qin?"

After leaving the Town Pacification Office and walking along Willow Leaf Alley, Chen Ping'an asked out of curiosity.

Generally, patrolling the streets required a group of four. With such a number, if they truly encountered any trouble, they could look out for one another.

One person could rush off to report the incident and seek reinforcements, while the remaining three suppressed the lawbreakers.

Furthermore, there had to be at least one official bailiff among the four. Only then could they fully exercise their law enforcement authority.

The "Head Qin" Chen Ping'an asked about was the official bailiff assigned to their group.

According to the rules of the Town Pacification Office, Head Qin should have been with them.

"Him? After the morning roll call, he vanished without a trace. Right now, he’s either at home hugging his wife and kids, or drinking tea at some teahouse."

Houtou curled his lips. Although he expressed disdain, the look on his face betrayed him.

*Ah! I’m so envious! I want that too!*

*Getting paid without doing the work—that’s what you call earning a salary!*

Chen Ping'an didn't find Houtou's reply strange.

Head Qin had been a brave and fierce man in his younger years, working his way up from an unregistered bailiff to a registered, official one.

But as he grew older, he lost that drive. With a family to support, he no longer had the fighting spirit he once possessed. To retire safely and enjoy his twilight years—that was the true path to wisdom!

Being on duty? If you can slack off, slack off! If you can avoid working, avoid it! If something happens, let the young ones handle it. He was old; he just wanted to collect his monthly salary in peace.

Willow Leaf Street was two blocks away from the Town Pacification Office in Nanquan Lane, not a very long distance. As the group talked, they turned a corner and arrived at Willow Leaf Street.

Willow Leaf Street was lined with merchants and was undoubtedly much livelier than other streets. However, it was still morning, and it was far from the busiest time of day.

Chen Ping'an and his two companions, dressed in the black uniforms of the Town Pacification Office, were quite eye-catching as they walked down the street.

The three of them wore green robes covered by red cloth vests, with green silk sashes tied around their waists—the standard attire for temporary bailiffs.

If they were official bailiffs, they would wear green cloth robes with cross-collars, narrow sleeves, and red woven sashes at the waist.

Thus, whether one was an official bailiff or an unregistered temporary one was clear at a glance.

Still, even as temporary bailiffs, the three of them walking together with sabers at their sides looked quite imposing.

"If only I could wear the official bailiff's uniform. That would be truly majestic."

Houtou walked with his saber at his waist, looking grand and imposing.

This kid didn't usually walk with such a posture. He was putting on quite a show.

Chen Ping'an glanced at Houtou and couldn't help but tease him.

"Houtou, why not just wear a suit of fish-scale armor and walk down the street? Wouldn't that be even more impressive? I guarantee those young ladies would be absolutely smitten with you."

"Pfft! If I could have a bailiff's cloak in this lifetime, my ancestors would have burned incense for me. Fish-scale armor? I wouldn't even dare to dream of it!"

If an official bailiff were promoted to a squad leader, their uniform would not only be more refined in detail, but they would also be entitled to a heavy cloak.

Wearing such a cloak represented status and prestige. It not only enhanced one's own authority but also served to intimidate the petty and wicked.

At a glance, others would know this person was a squad leader of the Town Pacification Office and would not dare to offend them.

As for the fish-scale armor...

That was a privilege reserved only for the level of Deputy Pacification Commissioner.

Such power and prestige were things a temporary bailiff like Houtou wouldn't even dare to imagine.

"You have no ambition! It's fine to think about it. Dashan, don't you agree?"

Chen Ping'an teased.

Possessing his "golden finger," his mood was undoubtedly much lighter than before.

"Hehe~"

Dashan chuckled foolishly.

"Forget about fish-scale armor or a squad leader's cloak; if I could just wear the official bailiff's uniform, my dad would probably wake up laughing from his dreams. If I were an official bailiff, the Wild Wolf Gang wouldn't dare to overcharge my family's blacksmith shop for protection money. Forget about waiving the fee—at the very least, they’d have to act properly and wouldn't just name their own price!"

As he got excited, Houtou spoke with great animation, as if he were already an official bailiff in the Town Pacification Office.

"An official bailiff is truly eating from the public trough! In these streets, that’s someone with a bit of face."

The Wild Wolf Gang, like the Tiger Head Gang, was one of the gangs running rampant in Nanquan Lane.

"Then you should work hard."

Chen Ping'an patted Houtou on the shoulder.

"An official bailiff, huh..."

Hearing this, Houtou's face immediately soured.

"It’s not that easy! Even if I have merits, I still need to enter the path of martial arts! And that’s only if I pull enough strings and grease the right palms. Otherwise, even if I reached the peak of the first stage of Qi and Blood and succeeded in skin tempering, I might not necessarily become an official bailiff."

Entering the path of martial arts—how difficult it was!

Without talent or a master, forcing oneself to practice martial arts would not only exhaust one's resources but likely lead to all sorts of physical ailments.

Even if one barely managed to enter the path, they probably wouldn't form much combat power, wasting time and silver for nothing.

Years ago, his old man had let him practice martial arts for a while, but he truly wasn't cut out for it. Although his family was relatively well-off, they couldn't compare to the wealthy and powerful; without medicinal baths or guidance from a master, he had only learned a few superficial tricks after several months.

Those superficial skills were enough to beat up ordinary people, but he hadn't truly stepped onto the path of martial arts cultivation!

"Dashan, I’m a lost cause. You have a natural gift and innate strength; you might still have a chance. Try to get closer to Head Qin; maybe one day when he’s in a good mood, he’ll teach you a move or two."

Houtou said to Dashan.

"Mm."

This time, Dashan didn't chuckle; he responded with a heavy nod. Clearly, he harbored the same thought in his heart.

To rise quickly in the Town Pacification Office, martial arts cultivation was undoubtedly the best method. Even family connections couldn't compare.

Even with a deep background, one still needed to have decent strength on the surface!

Without formidable strength, what good would it do to be forced into a position by powerful connections?

If you couldn't suppress the various factions with your own strength, relying solely on connections would likely turn you into a laughingstock in the lanes. People might obey you to your face, but they wouldn't in their hearts!

*Strength! Strength!*

*If I can master the Iron Cloth Shirt, I wonder if that counts as officially stepping onto the path of martial arts cultivation.*

Chen Ping'an walked with his saber, striding down Willow Leaf Street as if walking through a brilliant, golden light—his future bright and his hope infinite.