Cao County.

Liu Family.

Liu Shuanghe, dressed in a long blue robe, sat at the head of the table, his face expressionless as he listened to the news of what happened to Liu Changzhi and Liu Ruoqing in Ping An County, his brows tightly knitted.

This was a crucial moment for the Liu family, and he hadn't expected such a thing to happen, which was utterly vexing.

The old man standing respectfully before Liu Shuanghe also wore a grave expression.

"What's the background of this Chen Yuan?"

Liu Shuanghe asked in a cold voice after a moment of silence.

"According to the information we've gathered, this Chen Yuan doesn't have much of a background, and his strength isn't particularly outstanding. He was able to become the constable of Ping An County entirely because of Li Mingqi's support."

"Li Mingqi..." Liu Shuanghe's eyes flickered with uncertainty. Cao County and Ping An County were not far apart, and he had naturally dealt with this county commandant, knowing that Li Mingqi's roots were in the prefectural capital and that he was no simple character.

"It's a pity the Huang family fell so quickly; otherwise, with the Huang family around, Qing'er and Changzhi wouldn't have been in danger."

Liu Shuanghe sighed.

"Master, young master..."

Before the old man could finish speaking, a beautiful woman in a red dress rushed in, looking anxious, and asked,

"Master, what happened to Qing'er?"

Liu Shuanghe frowned,

"How did you know?"

"You still have time to ask how I know? I'm asking you, did something happen to Qing'er in Ping An County?" the woman asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Indeed, Qing'er and Changzhi have been arrested and taken to the Ping An County Yamen."

Liu Shuanghe said in a deep voice.

"What? The Yamen?" The woman suddenly exclaimed.

"Who, who dares to arrest Qing'er!"

"Silence!"

Liu Shuanghe frowned and rebuked.

"Liu Shuanghe, you... you're not going to save Qing'er, and now you're yelling at me? Don't you know what kind of place the Yamen is? If anything happens to Qing'er, I..."

"Slap!"

Liu Shuanghe slapped the woman, his voice stern,

"It's all your fault for raising such an arrogant daughter, daring to slander a county constable in broad daylight, utterly lawless!"

The woman fell to the ground, her eyes vacant, as if stunned by Liu Shuanghe's slap. After a moment, she reacted.

"Master, Master, you must save Qing'er."

Liu Shuanghe sighed, ignoring the woman on the ground, and said to the old man,

"Uncle Yun, send a greeting card to Li Mingqi, saying that I want to visit him personally..."

"Yes."

...

...

On the second day after Chen Yuan subdued Zhu Sihai, the Beihai Gang began to take action. Without interference from the Yamen, they wiped out two sizable gangs in just one day, and most of the northern part of the city was within the Beihai Gang's sphere of influence.

Chen Yuan also briefly reported the matter to Li Mingqi. Li Mingqi remained silent for a long time and did not object. After all, Chen Yuan had done a good job this time, resolving the Beihai Gang issue without much fanfare.

The monthly tribute of two hundred taels of silver was no less than what they received from the Huang family.

Therefore, he tacitly approved Chen Yuan's decision, allowing the Beihai Gang to completely dominate the northern part of the city.

For this reason, County Magistrate Wu Qingfeng made a special trip to Li Mingqi, warning him to maintain a balance and prevent gang power from overshadowing the imperial court.

Previously, the Beihai Gang had not completely dominated the northern part of the city because of County Magistrate Wu Qingfeng's obstruction.

In addition, other forces within the County Yamen wanted a share of the pie.

No one knew that Chen Yuan himself had also made a killing, because communication with the Beihai Gang generally required an intermediary like him.

Official collusion with Jianghu forces was a serious offense that would result in the removal of one's official hat if caught with evidence.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed quietly. Chen Yuan used the silver Zhu Sihai compensated him for the Wang Meng incident to exchange for six Tiger Bone Pills from the County Yamen, and he completed his fourth blood refinement in a very short time.

His strength had once again increased by a notch.

Chen Yuan had punctured his skin with silver needles. If one looked closely at his blood, they would see a faint glimmer of gold hidden within.

Chen Yuan had completed half of the nine blood refinements in just one month, which no one would believe if they heard it.

Having become a constable for only a few days, he was able to exchange for six Tiger Bone Pills and even allowed Wang Ping, who had only joined the County Yamen for a little over a year, to choose a saber technique. Chen Yuan's reputation in the County Yamen was also being criticized.

But... Chen Yuan didn't care.

He was abusing his power for personal gain, he was profiting from it, so what?

With Li Mingqi around, Chen Yuan had nothing to fear.

The monthly tribute of two hundred taels of silver was not for nothing; Li Mingqi had to protect him.

Appreciation alone was not enough; it needed to be tied to mutual benefit.

In the past three days, besides blood refinement, Chen Yuan had been practicing the Six Harmonies Saber technique. After a few days of exploration and Zhao Nanshan's explanations, Chen Yuan had basically understood it.

Zhao Family Six Harmonies Saber is divided into Three Harmonies and Inner Three Harmonies. Inner Three Harmonies: Mind and Intent Harmonize, Intent and Qi Harmonize, Qi and Strength Harmonize. The saber is drawn like a tiger, with imposing momentum.

The Outer Three Harmonies are simpler: Hands and Feet Harmonize, Elbows and Knees Harmonize, Shoulders and Hips Harmonize. They rely on hands, eyes, and body.

With Chen Yuan's solid saber skills, he could master it after practicing a few times.

But the true essence of the Six Harmonies Saber is still the Inner Three Harmonies, which cannot be achieved in just a few days.

Chen Yuan had promised Zhao Nanshan that he would protect the Sanhe Martial Arts School after three days, so he naturally couldn't go back on his word. In fact, Chen Yuan knew in his heart that even if he didn't go, the Sanhe Martial Arts School wouldn't be in any trouble.

No matter what, Zhao Nanshan was once a Ning Gang realm expert. As the saying goes, a lean camel is bigger than a horse. Even if he was half-crippled, he could still deal with one or two Bone Tempering martial artists.

Chen Yuan led a group of constables straight to the east of the city. During the journey, Chen Yuan glanced at the ruins of the Huang family for a moment. The Marrow Cleansing Spiritual Pearl he had obtained had greatly helped him.

He only learned after becoming a constable and reading through the County Yamen's records that taking too many pills not only leads to drug resistance but also accumulates pill toxins in the body, which will eventually cause disaster.

But Chen Yuan wanted to increase his cultivation in a short period, so he couldn't do without the assistance of pills.

Therefore, he was very fortunate.

The Marrow Cleansing Spiritual Pearl had not only washed and refined their bodies, removing impurities, but had also not completely dissipated, faintly exuding a coolness that cleared away pill toxins for him.

Only then did Chen Yuan dare to swallow pills so unscrupulously, without fear of damaging his foundation.

At this moment.

Within the Sanhe Martial Arts School, a martial arts competition was underway.

Although the three martial arts schools in the city were trying to squeeze out the Sanhe Martial Arts School, they wouldn't do it too obviously, or they would be criticized. Their method was through martial arts competitions.

Martial arts instructors from each school would compete, and the weakest party would have to leave Ping An County.

"Master Ye, try to cut through his middle!"

A martial arts instructor watching the fight shouted.

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Thanks to book friend Mu Siyu for the reward of 500 points!