Chapter 54: Prison Guard Reserve
The Government Constables trickled in to their destination, where the portly County Magistrate had already been waiting for some time.
His main purpose, besides welcoming the crowd, was to deliver some pompous pleasantries, but he was met with only a few scattered replies.
Ren Qing’s lip twitched. ’Not a single Forbidden Guard is here. It seems the County Magistrate’s status within the Government Office isn’t very high.’
Never mind Song Zongwu; even Huang Ziwang couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge him. The portly County Magistrate had probably grown used to it.
The portly County Magistrate droned on for a long time. Only after he had talked himself hoarse did he finally get to the actual rewards. Each person received at least several dozen silver coins.
Ren Qing’s reward was slightly larger, but not extravagantly so.
Xiaowu and the other White Servants were promoted, meaning their duties could henceforth be passed down to their eldest sons.
The portly County Magistrate was still droning on.
Ren Qing felt a little exasperated but had no choice but to be patient. It wasn’t until the better part of an hour had passed that the County Magistrate finally concluded, satisfied.
Afterward, Ren Qing and his group headed for the Firework Hall.
Bo Feng and the Li Brothers had already prepared a table laden with food and had even bought several jars of expensive wine.
Meanwhile, the Fireworkers from Hexing Street were sweeping the courtyard to the side.
It looked as if Bo Feng had whipped them into shape while Ren Qing was away.
Bo Feng hurried over to greet them, clapping Xiaowu on the shoulder. "You’ve bulked up! I bet you learned a lot following constable Ren, eh?"
"Of course! But we almost..."
Xiaowu was about to say more when he suddenly remembered the Forbidden Guards’ order not to reveal any information, and he quickly snapped his mouth shut.
"It’s never as safe outside the city as it is inside. The important thing is that you all came back in one piece."
Bo Feng sighed wistfully. He had accompanied the Forbidden Guards out of the city several times himself, and on every trip, some Government Constables would inexplicably turn up dead.
"Come on, come on, sit down and eat."
Ren Qing eagerly picked up a piece of fall-off-the-bone pork trotter. The rich flavor instantly filled his mouth.
There had been no shortage of meat out in the wilds, but water was scarce, so everything had to be roasted. He was long sick of it.
Bo Feng chuckled. "If this isn’t enough, I’ll have Xiaozhu and the others make more."
From a short distance away, the Fireworkers from Hexing Street shot him a resentful look.
’Making us work without letting us eat. All because we got on your bad side, Bo Feng.’
After eating and drinking his fill, Ren Qing didn’t rush to rest. Instead, he planned to pay a visit to Butcher Zhang.
As soon as he had entered Sanxiang City, Ren Qing had noticed the streets were lined with stalls selling braised offal. There were far too many of them.
It looked as if the Blood Dog Gang was expanding blindly.
But in Ren Qing’s eyes, business was about quality, not quantity. ’Something about this doesn’t feel right.’
He arrived at Butcher Zhang’s residence. The original butcher shop had been converted into a private home; the business of selling braised pork offal had long since moved to another location.
Ren Qing knocked, but there was no response.
He frowned and waited for a long time, but there was still no sign of Butcher Zhang.
Seeing this, Ren Qing started walking out of the alley. He decided he would have Bo Feng investigate during the day to see if the Blood Dog Gang was making any unusual moves.
However, just as he reached the street, the surrounding pedestrians scattered in a panic. Only a few stalls selling the braised goods remained.
Ren Qing snorted, folded his arms across his chest, and stood his ground.
A moment later, a group of Blood Dog Gang members strode quickly toward him, led by none other than Chen Ben.
"Constable Ren, it’s been a—"
Ren Qing cut him off, his face expressionless. "What do you want?"
Chen Ben faltered. It was as if he were facing a hungry, uncaged wolf that was staring him down.
They hadn’t seen each other in only a few days, yet the pressure emanating from Ren Qing was even more intense than before.
He couldn’t help but ask cautiously, "I know you just returned to Sanxiang City, constable Ren. We’d like to throw a welcome-back gathering for you. Would you do us the honor of attending?"
"I don’t have time. Besides, the Forbidden Guards have a lot for me to do."
Cold sweat beaded on Chen Ben’s forehead. ’Since he’s bringing up the Forbidden Guards, he must have their backing.’
He remembered the Dharma Protector’s warning: if they discovered Ren Qing had any connection to the Forbidden Guards, they were not to provoke him.
He found himself unconsciously swayed by Ren Qing’s intimidating presence.
Ren Qing asked bluntly, "This is about the braised offal business, isn’t it?"
A flash of astonishment crossed Chen Ben’s face.
Seeing his reaction, Ren Qing’s suspicion was confirmed. He spoke without hesitation, "It seems the recipe has been leaked."
The Blood Dog Gang must have known the leak came from an internal problem, which is why they were frantically adding stalls to keep from losing business to competitors.
Chen Ben was likely here on orders from above, intending to use Ren Qing as a pawn and frame him as the scapegoat for the leak.
Chen Ben said, hesitating slightly, "Constable Ren, please just pretend this never happened. I apologize for the offense today."
"Where is my uncle, Big Mouth Zhang?"
Chen Ben retreated several steps. "Shopkeeper Zhang went to the west side of the city to stock up on supplies. We don’t have a habit of... burning bridges."
"Fine. I’m heading back."
Ren Qing had no desire to get involved in the Blood Dog Gang’s affairs. Even without a supply of pig eyes, he could just find other eyeballs to collect.
Now that Song Rong was dead, he didn’t need to be so cautious.
He could buy fish eyes and chicken eyes in large quantities, but they were much smaller, and their effects were far inferior to pig eyes.
Chen Ben watched Ren Qing walk away, his mind racing.
’This man is no ordinary person. There’s no reason to make an enemy of him. As for the Dharma Protector... I’ll just have to report the truth.’
He said to his underlings, "From now on, stop sending men to watch Big Mouth Zhang. And when Ren Qing shows up, stay as far away as possible."
After returning to the Firework Hall, Ren Qing still felt uneasy, so he sent Li Mian to Butcher Zhang’s shop to check on the situation.
Butcher Zhang, beaming, welcomed Li Mian, who took the opportunity to restock on pig eyes.
In the days that followed, the Blood Dog Gang, as expected, caused no more trouble.
Ren Qing’s Lifespan steadily increased. As he felt the day of his advancement to the Ghost Envoy Realm drawing near, a sense of urgency grew within him.
Just then, Song Zongwu came looking for him to discuss the matter of joining the Forbidden Guards.
However, things didn’t go as smoothly as Ren Qing had hoped. The Government Office currently had no openings for the Forbidden Guards; the next recruitment would not be until the following year.
But a lot could change in a few months; the uncertainty was too great.
Song Zongwu said in a low voice, "Actually, there is a Prison Guard Reserve. Their duties are similar to those of the White Servants, and they fill the vacancies left by fallen Forbidden Guards."
"Elder Song, are there any drawbacks?"
"The reserve positions are meant for Cultivators who are relatives or friends of current Forbidden Guards. The Government Office naturally prioritizes them during recruitment."
Ren Qing’s mouth fell open. "You mean it’s hard to get into the reserve?"
A smile spread across Song Zongwu’s face. "You’ll have to compete with a few other Cultivators for a spot, but with your strength, it shouldn’t be difficult. It’s merely a formality."
Before Ren Qing had much time to consider, Song Zongwu added, "They’re all just Cultivators fostered by the gangs. With me around, why would you be afraid of offending people like that?"
Ren Qing asked cautiously, "Why do I get the feeling there’s more to this story?"
Song Zongwu chuckled and replied, "The truth is, the gangs don’t actively compete for these reserve spots. They only do it because the Government Office requires it."
Ren Qing had a moment of realization.
’Within a gang, you’re constrained from all sides. It can’t possibly be as comfortable as being a Forbidden Guard. Besides, a gang’s resources are nothing compared to what the Forbidden Guards have.’
To put it bluntly, the gangs were afraid of losing their Cultivators but couldn’t afford to offend the Forbidden Guards. Therefore, the ones sent to compete for the reserve spots were likely the ones nobody wanted—the black sheep of the family.