“Nannan, don’t be afraid, big brother is here.”
Chen Ping'an closed the wooden courtyard door, walked to Chen Er'ya, and pulled her into his embrace.
“Big brother, Nannan isn’t afraid!”
In Chen Ping'an’s arms, Chen Er'ya clung tightly, like a startled fawn.
This girl...
Chen Ping'an smiled silently.
She said she wasn't afraid, but her appearance didn't look like it.
Nine years old!
She usually looked like a little adult, but deep down, she was still a child.
In his previous life, at Chen Er'ya's age, children had only just started school! They were treasures in every family, held carefully as if they might melt, cradled as if they might break, and cherished beyond measure.
But here, she had to bear the hardships of the family early on.
Chen Ping'an knew that Chen Er'ya wasn't afraid of Young Master Hu, but of losing the stable life they had managed to build up with such difficulty.
“It will get better, everything will get better.”
Chen Ping'an patted Chen Er'ya's little head, comforting her.
“Mm, it will get better!”
Chen Er'ya leaned in Chen Ping'an's arms for a while, as if she had regained some Life Qi.
“Let’s go, hurry and eat, the food is getting cold.”
Chen Ping'an called out.
On the wooden table, half the soup had spilled, and several pieces of meat had fallen, clearly caused by the Yamen Runner Liu'er hitting the table earlier.
Chen Er'ya didn't mind, carefully picking up the pieces of meat, chewing them slowly, savoring every bit of their flavor before reluctantly swallowing them.
“Nannan, big brother will definitely make sure you live a good life.”
Watching Chen Er'ya’s obedient demeanor, Chen Ping'an swore silently in his heart.
“One day, big brother will make you a carefree little princess! Any storm, big brother will shield you from.”
After several years of living together, Chen Ping'an had long since come to regard Chen Er'ya as his true sister.
After eating, Chen Er'ya didn't trouble Chen Ping'an; she tidied up the dishes and chopsticks, wiped the table clean, and then took them directly to the small kitchen to wash.
Chen Ping'an looked at the broken horizontal beam and wood chips on the ground, his face devoid of a smile.
When Old Chen was still alive, how could he have endured such indignity?
One must know, Old Chen was not an ordinary Yamen Runner in the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office back then; he was someone who was just a step away from becoming a Chief Constable. His Gongmen Thirteen Blades was wielded with fierce might.
If he hadn't been seriously injured in the line of duty, perhaps Chen Ping'an could have lived a simplified version of a second-generation Chief Constable's life.
Speaking of Old Chen, he was quite a figure in his youth.
He ventured alone into this vast Weishui County City, even joining the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office, where he firmly established himself in the county city. He bought this property, gaining a place to settle down. Afterwards, he married a wife and had Chen Ping'an and Chen Er'ya, continuing the family line.
For commoners, he was absolutely a role model of inspiration.
It's just a pity that his life...
His wife died in childbirth while giving birth to Chen Er'ya, and his eldest son drowned several years ago, which is how the Transmigration of Chen Ping'an occurred. Old Chen himself was injured in the line of duty and eventually passed away.
Chen Ping'an tidied up the broken horizontal beam and wood chips, then found a similar piece of firewood from the woodpile stacked in the corner of the courtyard to serve as a temporary door bolt.
“This Young Master Hu has thick skin and has achieved success in Body Refining; he’s probably at Qi Blood Second Stage Perfection!”
Chen Ping'an recalled the scene of meeting Young Master Hu earlier, combined with what he had seen during his daily duties, and secretly speculated in his heart.
Martial Dao Cultivation involves external Body Refining, stretching tendons and bones, and strengthening internal organs.
For ordinary people Cultivating, without the guidance of a renowned master or the supply of resources, it would probably take several months to even step into the door of Cultivation.
To achieve Qi Blood First Realm is already remarkable!
For example, in the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office where Chen Ping'an works, many unregistered temporary Yamen Runners haven't even managed to enter the Qi Blood First Realm.
Qi Blood First Realm means one has stepped onto the path of Martial Dao Cultivation.
Qi Blood Level One Perfection, having trained the skin to be thick like thin cowhide, can be considered a common expert!
Such individuals, if they mix in Gangs, can easily become Gang leaders. If they go the official route, with a little bribery, they can easily become temporary Yamen Runners.
If one is at Qi Blood Second Realm, then among the Gangs operating in the streets and alleys, they are considered core members. Furthermore, as long as their family background is clean and they have no bad records, they can easily pass the examination and become a formal Yamen Runner of the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office.
In fact, most formal Yamen Runners have not yet reached Qi Blood Second Realm.
As for someone like Young Master Hu, who is at Qi Blood Second Stage Perfection, there aren't many like him in the Tiger Head Gang; he can be considered high-ranking within the Gang. In the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office, he could even be considered a probationary Chief Constable.
Furthermore, if he has strong backing and a suitable opportunity, he might even be able to become a Chief Constable.
Old Chen's reputation back then, and the respect he commanded in Lihua Lane, was precisely due to his Qi Blood Second Stage Perfection Cultivation and his perfectly mastered official Yamen Runner standard blade technique, the Gongmen Thirteen Blades.
In ten days, Chen Ping'an would have to repay Young Master Hu fourteen taels of silver, principal and interest. Currently, all he had, including his savings, was at most a little over seven taels, not quite eight taels, of silver.
To pay off the debt, he could only find other ways.
“Strength, strength! To truly establish myself in this world, undisturbed by anything, I still need strength!”
Recalling the Golden Finger panel activated last night, and the Iron Cloth Cultivation Technique recorded within it, Chen Ping'an’s heart burned with infinite anticipation.
Chen Er'ya was busy in the small kitchen, while Chen Ping'an gradually calmed down.
He had stayed up all night yesterday, and today the Zhenfu Division had given him a day off. It was perfect for practicing martial arts.
After reading through Iron Cloth once yesterday, the detailed contents of the Cultivation Technique were recorded one by one by the Golden Finger panel. As Chen Ping'an calmed his mind, the Iron Cloth Cultivation Technique content recorded by the panel appeared one by one in his mind.
Iron Cloth belongs to the most basic Qi and blood tempering Body Refining method.
When first practicing, one needs to first use a soft cloth, wrap it around the chest and back, winding it several times, and then rub it with force by hand. Then, bend and extend the elbows and arms, causing the chest to expand and contract. At night, it is advisable to use a hard wooden board as a bed, so that the bones are constantly in contact with hard objects, gradually becoming solid over time.
The method of practicing Iron Cloth sounds simple, but in actual Cultivation, if the method is improper, not only might one fail to achieve success, but one might also suffer greatly for nothing.
However, for Chen Ping'an, these were not problems at all.
Because the function of his Golden Finger panel was that as long as he Cultivates, he would gain something. Once certified, it would be forever certified, never falling!
Chen Ping'an found a few close-fitting clothes from inside the house, then took off his upper body clothes, wrapped them around his chest and back several times, and began to try according to the Cultivation method of Iron Cloth.
Chen Ping'an rubbed with force by hand, then bent and extended his elbows and arms, causing his chest to expand and contract.
He repeated this, again and again.
Later, after Chen Er'ya finished washing the dishes, she sat on a wooden stool, watching her brother, who was making strange movements, with a curious expression.
“Big brother, are you practicing martial arts? What a strange Cultivation method.”
As the Cultivation progressed, Chen Ping'an only felt his skin getting scorching hot, and it hurt quite a bit.
“Continue!”
Chen Ping'an gritted his teeth and persevered.
He practiced for a full half an hour, just when he was about to give up.
Within his line of sight, a “+1” character symbol suddenly flashed.
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: None
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Not Initiated (1/5)
...
“It works!”
At this moment, a smile finally appeared on Chen Ping'an's face.