Chapter 462: End of the Probation Period

Before dawn, Cheng Feng caught the person.

It was not complicated to explain.

This was all thanks to the merit of the Immortal Dao Cigarettes.

The effect of focusing the mind and calming the spirit more than doubled the efficiency with which Cheng Feng's mind and five senses received information.

He mobilized six capable constables from the Constable Camp, secretly sealed off the three streets surrounding Tongluo Lane, and then spent the night searching through nearby empty houses and abandoned temples.

When he checked the third location—an abandoned City God Temple—the overturned incense burner under the offering table caught his attention.

There was no incense ash in the burner, but there was half a candle that hadn't finished burning; the wax was still soft, having solidified for no more than an hour.

Yet, there were no signs of human presence in the temple.

Cheng Feng had the constables stand guard on the perimeter while he slipped into the Rear Courtyard of the City God Temple.

The Rear Courtyard was empty, but there was a dry well.

Cheng Feng tentatively jumped down.

He discovered a secret door chiseled into the well wall; after pushing it open, it was a tunnel only wide enough for one person to pass through.

Cheng Feng bent over and squeezed into the tunnel, walking about twenty steps before the view suddenly opened up—an underground secret chamber three times larger than the cellar in the Tongluo Lane empty house. The four walls were densely carved with Red Lotus Sect formation runes, and in the center sat a copper pot, the residual black medicinal paste inside emitting a nauseating, fishy stench.

The person in the secret chamber lunged from behind at this very moment.

It was a poisoned short blade, the tip pointing straight at the Dazhui Acupoint on the back of Cheng Feng's neck. The angle of this strike was extremely tricky, and the force was sufficient; if an ordinary Martial Artist in the Organ Refining Realm had been hit while completely unprepared, they would have been dead or at least crippled.

But Cheng Feng was not an ordinary Organ Refining Realm martial artist.

He didn't even turn his head, merely tilting it slightly to let the blade tip pierce his shoulder instead of the back of his neck.

The blade tip pierced the fabric and stabbed into his skin, emitting a crisp "ding" sound, as if it had struck a steel plate, not even leaving a white mark.

The attacker's pupils contracted violently; before he could retract the blade and retreat, Cheng Feng reached out with his backhand and gripped his wrist with five fingers.

The terrifying grip strength brought by the Flood Dragon Body erupted instantly, the wrist bone emitted a crisp cracking sound, and the short blade fell to the ground in response.

Cheng Feng turned around and, by the dim light of the oil lamp on the chamber wall, saw the other person's face clearly. It was a thin, withered man in his forties with a sallow complexion and sunken eye sockets, wearing a gray Daoist robe stained with blood and filth, with a faded Red Lotus embroidered on the hem.

In one encounter, the outcome was decided.

"Red Lotus Sect?" Cheng Feng squeezed his broken wrist, his tone as calm as if he were asking about the weather today.

The thin, withered man's face showed incredulous terror: "You—who are you?!"

Cheng Feng did not answer, merely adding another fraction of force to his hand. The power of the Flood Dragon Body was so overbearing that the thin, withered man spasmed all over from the pain and screamed, falling directly to his knees.

"Two things." Cheng Feng held up three fingers. "First, did you kill the three children in Tongluo Lane? Second, do you have any accomplices?"

The thin, withered man gritted his teeth and stayed silent, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes as his left hand secretly reached toward his waist.

Cheng Feng didn't even look, stepping on the back of his left hand, another crisp sound of bone cracking following.

"Ahhh—"

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" The thin, withered man finally broke down. "I killed the children! It was just me! No accomplices! The refined pills are in—in the secret compartment under the copper pot! I'll give them all to you! I'll give them all to you! Spare my life!"

Cheng Feng pried open the secret compartment under the copper pot, and sure enough, three dark red pills were hidden inside, emitting a thick, bloody scent. He wrapped the pills in oil paper and tucked them into his bosom, then made a rubbing of the formation runes in the secret chamber before dragging the thin, withered man out of the tunnel like a dead dog.

Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Cheng Feng escorted the prisoner into the prison of the Suppressing Commissioner's Office.

The news spread quickly. In less than half an hour, Chen Wenjing arrived. He first examined the three evil pills, then carefully compared them with the formation runes Cheng Feng had rubbed, and finally went to the cell to look at the thin, withered man with both hands broken; when he came out, the expression on his face was unclear whether it was shock or relief.

"Zhou Kui, a remnant of the Liefuoyimai of the Red Lotus Sect, disappeared three years ago; I didn't expect him to be hiding in Heimu Prefecture City."

Chen Wenjing flipped through the case file, his tone carrying a bit of emotion. "Although this person's cultivation is not very high, his methods are vicious, and he is extremely good at disguising and hiding; the government has been hunting him for three years without catching him. You, on the other hand, dragged him out in the middle of the night."

Cheng Feng stood before the desk in the Merit Hall, his clothes still stained with the mud and wall dust from the tunnel, and the tear in his shoulder where the short blade had pierced it had not yet been mended.

He didn't look like someone who had performed a great service, but rather like a laborer who had just finished heavy work.

"Good luck," he said.

Chen Wenjing raised his eyes and looked at him, smiling without smiling: "Good luck? Single-handedly sneaking into the secret chamber of a Red Lotus Sect demon, taking a blade without a scratch, and capturing the person with a backhand—this is called good luck?"

Cheng Feng's expression did not change: "His skills were average; he was just good at hiding."

Chen Wenjing stared at him for two seconds, ultimately not pursuing the matter.

"He is, after all, a Martial Artist in the Organ Refining Realm; you make him sound like someone on the side of the road."

He closed the case file, picked up a brush, and scribbled a few lines on the official document, stamping it with the vermilion seal of the Suppressing Commissioner's Office.

"This case is closed. Zhou Kui has been brought to justice, the evil pills have been confiscated, and the case facts are verified. According to the standard for exterminating evil cult demons, you are awarded 150 merit points, plus a special reward of 50 points, totaling 200 points. Adding the 65 points you previously accumulated, that is a total of 265 points."

He pushed a brand-new merit slip toward Cheng Feng, on which the words "Two Hundred and Sixty-Five" were clearly written, with the official seal of the Suppressing Commissioner's Office stamped next to it.

"Additionally, your Apprentice Constable mission quota has been exceeded. From today on, you are officially promoted to the rank of Official Constable."

Chen Wenjing took a new token from the drawer, a size larger than the previous Black Iron Token.

The material had also been changed from Black Iron to Brass; the front still bore the three characters "Suppressing Commissioner's Office," but the Xiezhi on the back now had an extra pair of wings, spread as if to fly.

"Official Constables can freely accept bounty orders and are occasionally subject to unified dispatch by the office. Of course, the rules that must be followed still apply."

Cheng Feng took the brass token; it felt much heavier than the Black Iron Token, weighing heavily in his palm, and the texture was excellent.

"Many thanks, Lord Chen."

Chen Wenjing waved his hand: "Don't thank me, you earned this yourself. You have been in the office for less than half a month, and from Apprentice to promotion, you have cracked a robbery case and a Red Lotus Sect case; your record is clean, and no one can pick out any faults."

He paused, as if remembering something, and looked up at Cheng Feng, his gaze carrying a bit of profound meaning. "To be honest, I originally thought you would have to grind for at least three months. You were quite a bit faster than I thought."

"By the way, tomorrow you can apply for the Constable rank promotion assessment. With your strength, getting a Gold Medal Constable should be easy. Then you won't have to accept unified dispatch, which will be very beneficial for taking on missions or specifically setting aside time to practice martial arts in the future."

Cheng Feng did not respond, merely putting away the merit slip and the brass token together, cupping his hands in farewell.