From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

The crowd dispersed, each lost in their own thoughts.

Zhu Hong was walking out with the group, already planning his next move and how to accumulate merit points as quickly as possible. But then he saw Pei Lie deliberately slow his pace, and as he brushed past him, he let out a soft, mocking laugh:

"Ha, a mere rookie servant of a broken-down corpse dares to covet merit points?" The contempt in his eyes was almost overflowing:

"Be careful, you might earn the money, but you might not live to spend it."

"Is there nothing else to do?" Before Zhu Hong could speak, Wang Zhenshan suddenly stopped in his tracks without turning his head.

"Qingshan, keep a close eye on these gossipy 'women' under you. If they have too much energy and nowhere to release it," he said, his cold gaze sweeping over Pei Lie, who stood frozen in place.

"I don't mind teaching you manners."

The head constable of Qingshan paused almost imperceptibly, without turning around, only raising his hand and waving it casually behind him: "Aren't you ashamed yet?" With that, he led his men away.

Pei Lie's face turned a deep liver color instantly. He glared at Zhu Hong fiercely, then lowered his head and hurriedly followed.

"Thank you, Officer Wang."

Zhu Hong walked to Wang Zhenshan's side and cupped his hands in greeting.

"No need to thank me." Wang Zhenshan glanced at him, his tone calm, yet revealing a protective edge.

"I'm just trying to save myself trouble."

He tilted his head slightly, his rough hand patting Zhu Hong's arm lightly: "If I let you have this kind of trash shit on your neck in public on your very first day, I, as the leader, would lose face too." He then strode forward, his voice deep and decisive:

"Let's go, we still have a lot to do at the yamen."

"I still have errands to run back to, don't linger here."

……

I returned to my small room.

"That's fucking terrifying."

Lin Jizhi let out a long breath that he had been holding for a while, his carefree demeanor completely gone. He wiped away his cold sweat and said, "Our Manager Gu, I only stood in front of him for a short while, and my legs almost went weak." He complained with a bitter face, "If I had stayed any longer, I'm afraid I would have lost my soul."

"If you say another word of nonsense, you might be kicked out today. Then," Cao Wanhai followed him into the house, grabbed a chair, slammed it to the ground with a thud, and slumped down in it:

"You'll be crying your eyes out."

Before these words were even finished, Wang Zhenshan had already taken his seat at the head of the table, his gaze falling directly on the young man behind him, and called out:

"Zhu Hong".

The room fell silent instantly. Lin Jizhi and the others immediately shut their mouths and turned their heads to look.

"Officer Wang."

Zhu Hong stepped forward in response, his hands hanging down, his shoulders and back ramrod straight.

Seeing the boy's hesitant demeanor, Wang Zhenshan's stern expression softened slightly. He smiled knowingly and relaxed his tone, saying, "Don't be so reserved. As your superior, I'm just asking about what happened yesterday." He continued calmly, "You handled the matter quite well, even the registrar, Gu, didn't criticize you harshly. However, it wasn't quite as meticulous as you could have been."

He pointed to Lin Jizhi and his group:

"From now on, whether it's a public or private matter, if you're unsure about something, call a few brothers along with you."

"So as not to stumble and fall, understand?"

"That's right!" Lin Jizhi glanced at Zhu Hong, slapped his thigh, and teased in a drawn-out tone: "You had a great time going to that brothel yesterday, but you didn't even take me with you. I was busy running around for you the day before."

As he spoke, he lightly touched Zhu Hong's chest with the tip of his index finger:

"I tell you, you probably don't have all your conscience with that young lady, do you?"

Cao Wanhai picked up a bowl of chilled tea from the table, took a sip, his Adam's apple bobbing, and teased Lin Jizhi:

"Take you with me?"

A mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth:

"With the way you get all weak in the knees when you see Manager Gu, you'd be lucky if you didn't cause trouble, let alone help?"

Hearing the two bantering back and forth, Zhu Hong felt a warmth in his heart and became less reserved. When he looked at Wang Zhenshan, he quietly changed his words:

"Boss, I got it."

After saying that, he turned to Lin and Cao and pretended to thank them, saying, "Next time I hold a funeral, I will definitely invite you two brothers."

"Yo~"

Lin Jizhi's eyes lit up, and he suddenly straightened up: "Such sharp teeth!" He turned his head and shouted at Wang Zhenshan:

"Boss, your peaceful days are probably over!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd fell silent for a moment, then clapped their hands and stamped their feet, bursting into laughter.

"He's definitely a troublemaker."

"Oh, no, no, the boss will be the one who gets tired first anyway, it has nothing to do with us. We'll just follow orders and not do anything else!"

"Hahaha……"

Also!

After this commotion, all the previous misunderstandings and misunderstandings vanished.

Looking back on it.

Such quick acceptance is truly unprecedented.

"Alright, time for your banter is over." Wang Zhenshan sat down at his desk, tactfully suppressing the smile that had been playing on his lips.

"Everyone back to your posts, business is important."

The simple phrase "business is business" dispelled all the teasing.

Suddenly, everyone's relaxed postures straightened instantly, their playful eyes vanished, and they all responded in unison:

"yes!"

His smile vanished, and Wang Zhenshan's eyebrows looked as if they had been slashed by a knife.

"The words, the registrar, have already been thrown in your faces." He paused, his tiger-like eyes lowering sharply, scrutinizing everyone's faces. "But large bowls of wine, large chunks of meat, merits, and rewards don't come from thin air."

"If you want it, then risk your life and come forward to place your bet."

Before he finished speaking, his robes billowed, and a sharp, menacing aura emanated from him: "If you're a real man, answer me, this is your bet."

"To deposit or not to deposit?!"

Upon hearing "you"'s words, the response was like a blade being drawn from its sheath, a resounding hum:

"Bet!"

"Only a bastard wouldn't bet!"

Seeing this, Wang Zhenshan nodded slightly: "That's more like someone who works on the front lines." With that, he turned his head to one side of the crowd.

"Old Cao."

Upon hearing the sound, the burly Cao Wanhai immediately perked up his ears.

"Keep an eye on things in Jinyuan Valley for a while." Wang Zhenshan didn't elaborate, simply handing over the task: "Remember not to alert them. Just carefully observe the direction and depth of the 'Rat Hole'."

He paused briefly, then added a sentence.

"The time and effort you've wasted on this trip will be converted into merit points and fully reimbursed to your account."

Cao Wanhai's lips parted slightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Don't worry, boss." A glint flashed in his eyes as he uttered a ruthless statement only those in the martial world would understand: "Even if it really is Six-Fingered Butcher wielding an iron comb, my 'Ash'..." Every word he spoke was filled with confidence in his own footwork.

"He must have made a mistake while sifting!"

Wang Zhenshan nodded: "Go ahead, sharpen the knife."

Cao Wanhai clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and without saying a word, turned and left. His figure rose and fell on the wall like an owl returning to its forest, and vanished in an instant.

"As for you..."

Wang Zhenshan withdrew his gaze: "No rush." ​​He softened his tone: "One must take things one step at a time. We'll deal with the mess at Jingu Garden later." After weighing his words, he solemnly announced: "From today onwards, during the trial period of the new regulations, except for the first and fifteenth of each month when you must be present for roll call, you are not required to be here every day."

"Sharpen the knife that needs sharpening (to slay the demon)."

If you want to do some routine paperwork, go to the "Merit Wall" in the police station to take on tasks.

In short—”

Wang Zhenshan decisively uttered four words:

"Each relies on their own methods."