Fruit Farmer In A Cultivation World

The impression the people of East Ridge City had of their city guards varied greatly. The wealthy favored the guards who protected their interests reliably while the poor who had to suffer because of gangs looked at them in a negative light.

Still, no one would doubt the strength of the city guards. Each member was a martial artist whose bodies easily eclipsed that of top athletes on Earth.

Because of this, people often tried to form connections with the city guards. As long as you had one backing you, you were free from the harassment of thugs.

The city guards wouldn't move against the gangs without reason, but if they did, the thugs would have no choice but to bow their heads. Putting aside their skills, the city guards were also rumored to have connection to cultivators.

Gao Xuan, who had managed to find constable Wu, lead the law enforcer and his two friends to Sen Lin's farm.

Facing the three, he was incredibly nervous. Thankfully, the constable seemed to have a good disposition and treated him warmly after he showed the token.

"Brother Sen, I've brought constable Wu and his friends." Gao Xuan stood outside the hut and spoke loudly.

Sen Lin walked out of the hut and greeted the leading constable politely, "Constable Wu. It's been a while."

The middle-aged man known as constable Wu had a scar on the left side of his face. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I thought you were either dead or moved away from this region. To think you'd call in the favor now. I just hope it's not a troublesome matter."

Listening to the man's muttering, Sen Lin just smiled before leading the group in. Inside, the three law enforcers listened to what Sen Lin and Lin Zedong had to say.

After getting the story straight, constable Wu turned to Sen Lin with a headache. "Don't tell me you're wasting the favor for this thug. You of all people should understand that you can get a much bigger opportunity with this token."

"I don't want to get involved in the magistrate's business." Sen Lin waved his arms dismissively. "I won't even know how I died if I get targeted by his enemies."

"Forget it. I won't try to convince you."

"That's good."

Lin Zedong, who was scared for his life grew even more worried when he heard the farmer exchanging words casually with the constable.

Though he was a small-time thug, he knew a lot about the shady happenings in East Ridge City. He was also well aware of the magistrate – a figure who made even the gang leaders cower.

He really regretted his actions. Initially, he was happy to hear the constables were coming. At most, he'd be punished to a month or two of labor for trying to steal the chickens. If he could find a reasonable warden, the time could be brought down even further with a little bribe.

But looking at how things were going, he'd probably suffer even more.

Constable Wu ignored the fear-stricken Lin Zedong and got straight to the point, "So what do you want?"

"I'm scared of the Black Blade gang. I hope you'll make sure that trouble doesn't follow me."

"Why go through so much trouble? Even if we lock him up, there's no guarantee that word won't reach the Black Blade gang. In fact, the chances of trouble brewing increased when you involved Gao Xuan and now us three constables. It'd have been cleaner to just kill him and dispose of his body."

Sen Lin shrugged helplessly. The constable was still as rigid as ever.

"How could I kill someone? I'm just a simple farmer."

"You know the easiest way for me to resolve your issue is to kill him silently, right? You won't be able to keep your hands clean either way. Someone will have died because of you regardless."

"Surely you jest constable Wu," Sen Lin replied without much emotion. "How could it compare to killing someone myself. I'll be able to sleep peacefully and my conscience will be clear. As far as I am concerned, what I'm doing is no different than handing over a criminal to the law enforcers."

Constable Wu chuckled in an amused manner. "You're still as strange as ever. Fine, I'll take care of this mess. But it'll be like before."

"As long as my life remains free of trouble, I don't care how you use the token."

"Remember those words." Constable Wu instructed his colleagues to arrest the thief and departed swiftly.

Gao Xuan, who had been watching everything timidly finally couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore.

"Will everything be fine?"

Sen Lin assured the teen in a relaxed manner. "It'll be fine. He may look scary but constable Wu is surprisingly reliable."

*****

At a house in East Ridge City.

Zhou He, who had just locked Lin Zedong in a room, walked up to Wu Bai. Looking at his senior playing with a token, he couldn't help but ask.

"What's so special about that token?"

Constable Wu thought for a while before answering. "If we play our cards right, this token is our way to promotion."

Zhou He sat up straight. The word "promotion" held a special meaning to constables like them. The enforcement office was under the command of the magistrate and there was no distinction in rank between constables.

The ones above them were administrative aides and clerks, and the ones above them was the magistrate and his retinue. There was no way to take up those positions unless they passed scholarly exams or had deep connections.

The common people might treat constables with respect because they were government officials, but Zhou He knew it was a path with no clear route for advancement. They low-ranking officials and had little to no status in the bureaucratic hierarchy.

If they managed to be "promoted," it meant one of two things – they were either taken under the wings of a high-ranking official or they were transferred to another government office with a clear path to advancement.

Zhou He controlled his excitement and questioned. "Are you sure? It's just dealing with a small thug."

Wu Bai answered with a smile. "That's where you are wrong. Who says Lin Zedong is just a small thug. We both know how arrogant those people from Black Blade gang have gotten. We just can't act because we don't have evidence. I have a feeling Lin Zedong will help us get that evidence."

"What about the other gangs? Surely they won't watch while we clean up the Black Blade gang."

"They won't be a problem," Wu Bai brushed off his friend's concern nonchalantly. "They'll even help us as long as we give them a part of Black Blade gang's territory and wealth."

Zhou He put on a knowing smile. He wasn't a stranger to such things. It was just that only small gangs were ever subjected to such treatments.

"Looks like we'll be busy in the coming days."

"Of course. Promotion isn't easy for people like us who work in the enforcement office. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. We have to make sure it doesn't escape our grasp."