Becoming a Saint From the Iron Armor Skill

"Chief Yan called Ding the Swordsman a rat, while Ding the Swordsman called Chief Yan a hound. They dueled with swords and traded insults, a battle so fierce it blotted out the sky and hid the moon..."

The patrons had grown a little tired of the tale of the South City Thirteen Thieves. But upon hearing how Ding Mo tried to kill Chen Cheng, bullying the weaker man, they all held him in contempt. Then, the part about his clash with Yan Jian sent them into roaring laughter.

Guo Degao’s performance once again earned him thunderous applause from the whole establishment, and the tips he received were far more generous than before.

The fellow was shrewd. He knew to strike while the iron was hot. Seeing that no other storytellers were recounting the duel between Ding Mo and Yan Jian, he collected his money and hurried off to the next tavern to tell his tale and rake in more coin.

The patrons continued to buzz with excitement:

"That Ding Mo from the Wind and Rain Tower, preying on the weak... he’s truly despicable!"

"Exactly! A martial artist at Skin Grinding Realm Perfection trying to kill someone at the Great Success stage of the same realm. He has no shame!"

"Good thing the youngest Chief Constable in the South City District showed up, otherwise Fierce Ah Cheng would have been in grave danger!"

...

Hearing the chatter from the other patrons, Mu Chuan gave a low chuckle. "Brother Cheng," he whispered, "I guess Ding Mo won’t be coming after us anymore, huh?"

Chen Cheng offered a small smile and raised his wine bowl. "Let’s not talk about it. Drink up!"

...

「South City District, Guangfu District, Zhou Mansion.」

The back garden was secluded and serene. All sorts of rare and expensive flowers were in full bloom, competing in a dazzling display of color as their fragrance filled the air. Such a beautiful sight should have been a delight to the senses.

Yet Zhou Hongjun, Patriarch of the Zhou Family, wore a grim expression as he paced anxiously back and forth within the garden pavilion.

Just then, Zhou Xu, his face dark, hurried over from the pathway.

Before Zhou Xu could speak, Zhou Hongjun asked, "Have you found out what happened?"

"Yes." Zhou Xu nodded. "You were right. The Shen Family really did have people protecting Chen Cheng, just waiting for our men to show up."

"Hmph!" Zhou Hongjun snorted. "A mere constable from the City Guard Department. So what if the Shen Family is protecting him? Killing him should be as easy as crushing an ant. I’m asking you, how exactly did Bo Qi and Lou Hui die?"

Zhou Xu said, "The news has already spread throughout Ruyi District. Zhao Yongfeng also came to report to me personally. Bo Qi and Lou Hui were indeed killed by Chen Cheng’s own hand."

Zhou Hongjun’s eyes narrowed. "Don’t tell me he’s reached Saber Technique Perfection? But even if he has, how could he take on two opponents at once and kill two martial artists who had also reached Saber Technique Perfection?"

Zhou Xu shook his head. "He hasn’t reached Saber Technique Perfection. He killed Bo Qi and Lou Hui with Great Success Level Saber Technique!"

"A martial artist with Great Success in Saber Technique killing two martial artists with Saber Technique Perfection who were ambushing him... that’s impossible. How did he do it?" Zhou Hongjun asked in astonished disbelief.

"I didn’t believe it at first either, but from all the details, it seems to be true." Zhou Xu then recounted to Zhou Hongjun the details he had heard about how Chen Cheng killed Bo Qi and Lou Hui.

After listening, Zhou Hongjun was overcome with rage. His beard bristled and his eyes bulged as he roared:

"Fools! Bo Qi and Lou Hui were absolute fools! They could have just teamed up and killed Chen Cheng easily, but they had to try a sneak attack!"

Zhou Xu sighed softly. "Bo Qi was always cautious, so choosing to ambush him wasn’t the wrong move. The blame lies with Chen Cheng for being too cunning; that’s how Bo Qi fell into his trap.

"As for Lou Hui, they fought at night. Chen Cheng resorted to the low-down trick of throwing lime powder. In his rage, Lou Hui wasn’t paying attention and naturally fell for it."

Zhou Hongjun said angrily, "To be absolutely sure, didn’t you pay for an assassin from the Wind and Rain Tower on the Black Market? Why didn’t he make a move?"

Zhou Xu explained, "The assassin from the Wind and Rain Tower was hired through a posting on the Black Market. The one who took the job, Ding Mo, is arrogant. He disdained the idea of teaming up with Lou Hui to kill Chen Cheng, which is why things dragged on until Yan Jian arrived."

"Useless! They’re all useless!" Zhou Hongjun roared in anger.

Zhou Xu said, "This incident has already alerted Jiang Xinghan. He’s summoned me for questioning. It seems he’s suspicious of our Zhou Family, so I’m afraid we can’t send anyone to the Black Market to hire assassins again.

"Also, Young Master Wang has instructed us not to get too deeply involved with the Black Lotus Sect for now. The City Lord’s Mansion is mobilizing a massive search this time and is preparing to eradicate the Black Lotus Sect."

Zhou Hongjun nodded. "I am relieved you can see the bigger picture. Chen Cheng is just a minor constable; what does it matter if we let him live a little longer?

"Right now, the Zhou Family’s top priority is to find a way to sever our ties with the Black Lotus Sect.

"The Black Lotus Sect may have a Secret Technique to enhance a Martial Artist’s strength and quickly cultivate Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artists, but it’s limited to the Skin Grinding Realm. Creating a Muscle Strengthening Realm Martial Artist is incredibly difficult. How could they possibly shake the City Lord’s Mansion?

"Forget it. You go report to the City Guard Headquarters first. If Jiang Xinghan asks, just push all the blame onto the Black Lotus Sect.

"Every family is secretly training private soldiers. I refuse to believe none of the other Four Great Clans have dealings with the Black Lotus Sect. In the end, even if they find out some of our Zhou Family’s subordinates are mixed up with them, what can they do?

"As long as you secure your position as an Official in the City Guard Department, and with the Wang Family backing us, our Zhou Family will remain standing."

"Yes. I’ll be going then."

Zhou Xu said, then hurried out of the garden and headed for the South City District City Guard Headquarters.

...

「South City District City Guard Headquarters, Third Floor, Office of the Chief.」

Chief Jiang Xinghan sat in the main seat, listening to Shen Qingshuang report on matters concerning Ruyi District.

Jiang Xinghan, a man of about thirty, was dressed in a purple robe adorned with cloud patterns. With sharp brows, bright eyes, and a majestic air, he commanded respect.

The matters Shen Qingshuang reported were mostly about Zhou Xu and the Zhou Family.

Zhou Xu had used his position to secretly cultivate a number of Jianghu Gangs in Ruyi District, and these gangs were all connected to the Black Lotus Sect.

Not only that, but Zhou Xu also meddled in the affairs of the Ruyi Square Sub-Department, roping in Chief Constable Zhao Yongfeng to work for the Zhou Family, secretly protecting the Flying Eagle Gang while they committed evil deeds everywhere.

Then there was the attack on a constable from the Ruyi Square Sub-Department by the South City Thirteen Thieves and the assassin Ding Mo from the Wind and Rain Tower. Although Shen Qingshuang had no proof, she had every reason to suspect the incident was orchestrated by Zhou Xu. It was likely revenge for Chen Cheng killing Zhou Fang during the earlier assessment competition.

"That’s enough. I will handle this matter," Jiang Xinghan said calmly after she finished her report.

As the Chief of the South City District City Guard Headquarters, holding power over the entire South City District, he naturally knew that the Zhou Family and the Shen Family were constantly fighting, both overtly and covertly, for power in the district.

Zhou Xu often came to him to complain about Shen Qingshuang as well.

’There was no right or wrong in these matters, only the competing interests of their respective families.’

’Having the Zhou Family keep the Shen Family in check served the Jiang Family’s interests.’

Before long, Zhou Xu hurried in.

He was already prepared and denied all of Shen Qingshuang’s accusations completely.

"Lord Jiang, Chen Cheng has a clean background and has always been well-behaved. He has only ever offended the Flying Eagle Gang and the Zhou Family.

"In this incident, the South City Thirteen Thieves were clearly preparing to ambush Chen Cheng, and the Wind and Rain Tower assassin, Ding Mo, also admitted himself that he had accepted a reward to take Chen Cheng’s life. Chief Yan Jian from Dongyue District can testify to this.

"The person behind this is definitely connected to the Zhou Family and Lord Zhou."

Shen Qingshuang argued forcefully.

Zhou Xu retorted sharply, "Lord Shen, one must have evidence for everything. Who in the South City District doesn’t know that Yan Jian is a confidant you personally groomed? How can he be a witness?

"As for Chen Cheng, he is also one of your Shen Family’s trusted men. He acted ruthlessly during the assessment competition and killed Zhou Fang. But the fault lay with Zhou Fang that time. Although I was resentful, I never pursued the matter.

"I, Zhou Xu, am an Official of the South City District City Guard Headquarters. Why would I bother with a mere official constable? And even pay to have an assassin kill him?

"If it weren’t for this business with the South City Thirteen Thieves, I would have completely forgotten about such an insignificant person."

"You..." Shen Qingshuang’s face turned livid with anger. Just as she was about to refute him, she saw Jiang Xinghan wave his hand. "Alright, there’s no need for the two of you to argue any further.

"As an Official of the South City District City Guard Headquarters, why would Lord Zhou hire someone to assassinate a City Guard Department constable?

"Lord Zhou, since the misunderstanding has been cleared up, you may leave first."

"Yes." Zhou Xu bowed, then shot a triumphant glance at Shen Qingshuang before walking straight out.

Seeing Shen Qingshuang still fuming with indignation, Jiang Xinghan’s expression softened slightly. He gestured with his hand and said, "Lord Shen, the bigger picture is what’s important.

"The City Lord’s Mansion has issued a strict order this time to uproot the Black Lotus Sect completely. You should focus on monitoring the Black Lotus Sect’s movements in Ruyi District.

"I will be leaving my post soon. If you can achieve great Merit in the Black Lotus Sect case, you will naturally have the opportunity to be promoted directly to Chief of the South City District City Guard Headquarters.

"At that time, however you and the Zhou Family choose to quarrel will be no concern of mine."

"Your subordinate obeys." Shen Qingshuang quickly nodded in agreement.

Jiang Xinghan was about to dismiss her when he suddenly recalled the recent rumors spreading throughout the South City District—about the fierce constable from the Ruyi Square Sub-Department who killed the South City Thirteen Thieves, a deed the common people were all applauding.

As the Chief of the South City District City Guard Headquarters, he felt he should make some gesture to appease the public. He immediately added, "That constable under you, Chen Cheng, performed a great service by killing the South City Thirteen Thieves. In addition to the reward silver, promote him one rank.

"Hmm... let’s promote him to Preparatory Chief Constable for now. When a Chief Constable position opens up, I will arrange for his appointment."