Becoming a Saint From the Iron Armor Skill-Chapter 33: Brown Bear Body Tempering

The next morning, Chen Cheng woke up early as usual. He practiced a few rounds of the Wind Chasing Saber Technique in the courtyard, ate two bowls of lean-meat congee made by Mu Xiaowan, and then strode confidently out the gate.

"Ah... Brother Cheng, morning."

Wang Chun greeted him with a smile, carrying a wood-chopping knife and a shoulder pole.

He was nineteen this year, two years older than Chen Cheng. Hearing himself called "Brother Cheng" caught Chen Cheng a bit off guard.

"Morning," Chen Cheng replied with a smile.

Besides Wang Chun and his father, Wang Laoshu, there were quite a few other people in the lane, most of them holding wood-chopping tools.

In a year of severe cold, the poor families had to go out of the city in groups to cut firewood during winter.

The forests where you didn’t have to pay a fee were very far from the city. Normally, they would set out long before dawn, but today they were a bit late.

It looked like they had purposely waited in the lane to greet Chen Cheng.

"Uncle Wang, why are you all heading out to cut firewood so late today?" Chen Cheng asked.

The good-natured Wang Laoshu scratched his head and said with a smile, "It’s a year of severe cold, so the Government Office is showing consideration for the people. Yesterday, the City Lord’s Mansion issued a public notice. For one month, the Firewood Gang and local gentry in the nearby mountains and forests are forbidden from collecting fees."

"We figured it’s too cold to go early, so we’re leaving a little later. We can still make it back by evening."

’In a year of severe cold, with the land frozen solid and firewood prices skyrocketing, many commoners had frozen to death. Public discontent was boiling over. The City Lord’s Mansion was only issuing this notice now. This isn’t about showing consideration for the people; it’s clearly a move forced by necessity.’

"Oh, I see," Chen Cheng nodded.

The other residents of Locust Tree Lane also came forward one by one. With an air of trying to curry favor, they exchanged a few words with Chen Cheng before heading out of the lane.

Chen Cheng could naturally see that these neighbors were all waiting in the lane to suck up to him. It was because he had transferred from being a Prison Guard to a constable in the City Guard Department.

He didn’t point it out, simply smiling and responding to each of them.

After everyone had walked away and Chen Cheng was about to continue on his way, Er Lengzi, Widow Tian’s son, came out of his family’s gate.

Upon seeing Chen Cheng, Er Lengzi’s gaze was shifty and he seemed somewhat panicked and fearful. He broke into a trot and scurried out of the lane.

Ever since Widow Tian had gotten together with Zhou Biao, Er Lengzi had started calling Zhou Biao his godfather.

The kid still hadn’t learned his lesson and was working as an errand boy at a gambling den run by the Flying Eagle Gang.

Chen Cheng, of course, wasn’t bored enough to bully a young punk like him. He glanced at Widow Tian’s house and walked straight out of the lane.

After arriving at the Ruyi Square Sub-Office and answering the morning roll call, he went on street patrol with Liao San as usual.

For three straight days, he clocked in on time and got off work punctually. Nothing major happened. During that time, they dealt with dead bodies in the alleys twice, but with Liao San looking out for him, the task of moving the corpses naturally didn’t fall to Chen Cheng.

Life as a Preparatory Constable was much more carefree and pleasant than being a Prison Guard.

From Liao San, Chen Cheng also gained some understanding of the Ruyi Square Sub-Office.

Six months ago, Shen Qingshuang was appointed as the Branch Chief Constable of the Ruyi Square Sub-Department. She had a cold and arrogant personality, was obsessed with the Martial Dao, and rarely handled official business.

Most of the affairs of the Ruyi Square Sub-Department were handled by the several Chief Constables.

Among these Chief Constables, Liu Yunfeng and Zhao Yongfeng were the strongest and most prestigious.

Zhao Yongfeng was backed by a prominent family from the Inner City, making him more assertive.

Liu Yunfeng came from an ordinary background, but he was kind and handled matters tactfully, which won him more popular support.

As a scion of a prominent Inner City family, Shen Qingshuang was naturally no ordinary person. When she first took office, she had tried to recruit several of the Chief Constables.

The other Chief Constables had, overtly or covertly, already thrown their lot in with prominent Inner City families. Only Liu Yunfeng had always been unwilling to get involved.

He only paid lip service to Shen Qingshuang’s recruitment efforts and didn’t take them to heart.

As a result, Shen Qingshuang had some complaints about Liu Yunfeng and targeted him at every turn.

These matters were common knowledge within the Ruyi Square Sub-Department of the City Guard Department.

As for the struggles between his superiors, Chen Cheng was of low status and had no say, so he just listened.

Over these three days, Chen Cheng ran into Zhou Biao a few times. However, the man didn’t greet him as he had before. Each time, he wore a cold and detached expression, acting as if they were strangers.

Naturally, Chen Cheng didn’t bother with him either.

On this day, after the usual morning roll call, Chen Cheng patrolled the streets with Liao San. After making his rounds, he was taking a short break with the other constables when another constable hurried over, saying that Chief Constable Liu Yunfeng was looking for him.

So, Chen Cheng headed toward the building where Liu Yunfeng had his office.

At the Ruyi Square Sub-Department of the City Guard Department, Branch Chief Constable Shen Qingshuang’s Government Office Hall was a separate, small courtyard.

The other six Chief Constables each had their own private office as well.

The constables and Preparatory Constables, on the other hand, rested together in a row of low, large, open-plan buildings.

"Mr. Liu, you were looking for me?"

Chen Cheng knocked on the door and was welcomed inside by Liu Yunfeng.

Liu Yunfeng’s room was simply furnished with a desk and chair for work and some plain, solid wood furniture. A charcoal fire was burning in the room, and there was a bed in an adjacent partition for resting.

Compared to the large, shared quarters where the constables rested, the environment was far superior.

Liu Yunfeng closed the door and led Chen Cheng into the partitioned area, acting rather mysteriously.

"Ah Cheng, are you getting used to being a constable in the City Guard Department?"

Liu Yunfeng asked with a smile.

Since the day of the assessment test, Liu Yunfeng had personally taken Chen Cheng to handle his registration but had shown him no special treatment afterward.

Chen Cheng performed his duties normally, and his few encounters with Liu Yunfeng were just the typical exchange of pleasantries between a superior and a subordinate.

Chen Cheng was naturally happy with this arrangement, content to quietly get by while secretly Cultivating the Martial Dao.

’But Liu Yunfeng personally summoned me today, so there must be something important.’

"Thanks to the care of you, Mr. Liu, and Brother Liao San, everything is going smoothly for me at the City Guard Department."

Chen Cheng cupped his fists and answered earnestly.

"Mm, good." Liu Yunfeng nodded in approval, then promptly asked, "Have you ever practiced an Inner Cultivation Technique before?"

"An Inner Cultivation Technique?" Chen Cheng paused for a moment, not understanding why Liu Yunfeng would suddenly ask this. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Liu Yunfeng explained with a smile, "Since you haven’t formally studied under a master to cultivate the Martial Dao, you probably aren’t very clear on this. An Inner Cultivation Technique is the Dharma Gate a Martial Artist uses to advance their Martial Arts Realm."

"Inner Cultivation Techniques are divided into Body Tempering Techniques and Inner Breath Techniques. However, Inner Breath Techniques are extremely rare; there aren’t any in all of Linji City."

"So, when we talk about Inner Cultivation Techniques, we are generally referring to Body Tempering Techniques."

Chen Cheng was actually familiar with this knowledge, so he answered truthfully, "I have never cultivated a Body Tempering Technique."

He wasn’t lying. After all, the Iron Armor Skill was an Inner Breath Technique, not a Body Tempering Technique.

"In that case, you really haven’t entered the Skin Grinding Realm yet." Liu Yunfeng’s eyes lit up. "To not have entered the Skin Grinding Realm, yet possess strength exceeding the Beginner Level of the Skin Grinding Realm... you kid, you really are extraordinary."

Chen Cheng smiled humbly. "Mr. Liu, you flatter me. My meager strength is nothing in your presence."

"Sigh... I’ve been cultivating for most of my life, and just reaching Skin Grinding Realm Perfection was incredibly difficult. My achievements in this life are limited. Sooner or later, I’ll be surpassed by you young people." Liu Yunfeng sighed softly, then took out a thin book.

"This Bear Skin Grinding Technique is a relatively top-tier Body Tempering Method. If you can cultivate it successfully, you will surely become a powerful Martial Artist."

Liu Yunfeng was offering him a top-tier Skin Grinding Technique right off the bat, which Chen Cheng found somewhat hard to believe.

He knew that back at Luo’s Shop, a single, most basic Iron Sand Skin Grinding Technique had cost fifty taels of silver.

If this Bear Skin Grinding Technique was truly a top-tier Skin Grinding Technique, wouldn’t it be worth over a hundred taels of silver, or even more?

’No matter how highly Liu Yunfeng thinks of me, there’s no reason for him to give me such a valuable Cultivation Technique Manual.’