At the breakfast stall at the entrance of the alley, stacks of steaming bamboo steamers sent up billows of vapor.

Peddlers and laborers gathered around the stall, ordering two buns and a bowl of porridge, then slurping and gulping down their meal.

“Eight buns, one bowl of tofu pudding, wrap the buns up for me.”

Andrew Warren walked up and called out to the stall owner.

The stall was run by a middle-aged couple.

The man was in charge of kneading dough, preparing fillings, making buns, and frying dough sticks, while the woman busied herself washing dishes and wiping tables.

Today, their daughter had also come to help serve porridge and bring buns to the customers.

“Sir, do you want your tofu pudding salty or sweet?”

The daughter looked up, revealing a delicate oval face, elegant brows and almond-shaped eyes, her features made even more ethereal by the swirling steam.

“Slurp~” A porter sitting across from her was stunned by her beauty, sucking in a mouthful of saliva.

“Of course, salty.”

Andrew Warren, however, paid no attention to the girl’s looks, surprised that she would even ask such a question.

Is sweet tofu pudding even edible?

“Oh, oh, alright.”

The girl lowered her head, scooped out a bowl of tofu pudding, added pickled vegetables, chopped scallions, fried soybeans, poured on a ladle of savory sauce, and handed it to Andrew Warren.

The colorful side dishes contrasted beautifully with the snowy white tofu pudding, greatly whetting Andrew Warren’s appetite.

He took a small spoon and repeatedly skimmed the surface of the tofu pudding, mixing the sauce and toppings layer by layer, then slurped it all down.

He finished the bowl of tofu pudding in less than three minutes.

Just as he finished, the stall owner’s daughter had already wrapped the buns in oiled paper and placed them on the table for him.

Grabbing a steaming hot bun, he bit through the skin, and scalding juices gushed out from the opening.

Andrew Warren blew on it to cool it down, then slowly took a few bites.

Once he felt the temperature was just right, he stuffed the rest of the bun into his mouth in one go.

The firm meat filling, mixed with the juices, soaked into the soft, tender skin, bursting with flavor in his mouth.

“Whew—” Andrew Warren exhaled a breath of hot air, blowing past several tables at the breakfast stall.

He saw someone walking over from across the way, greeting him: “Andrew Warren!”

It was none other than the original owner’s childhood friend, Emily Thompson.

He didn’t really want to have much to do with this friend who always hid a knife behind his smile, but since they’d run into each other here, he could only smile and respond, “Here for breakfast too?”

“That’s right, wait for me.”

Emily Thompson smiled kindly, then went to the stall owner’s daughter to pay and buy a few buns.

When he saw the stall owner’s daughter’s face, he clearly paused for a moment.

“Andrew Warren, did you see that?”

Walking up to Andrew Warren, Li An suddenly said something out of the blue.

Andrew Warren was quite puzzled: “See what?”

Meeting his gaze, Emily Thompson shook his head: “Nothing, nothing.”

The two of them walked a few steps together, and Emily Thompson glanced back at the stall owner’s daughter once more.

Andrew Warren seemed not to notice these details.

But when he saw him turn his head to look back, he pursed his lips, further strengthening his resolve to keep his distance from this person.

……

In the backyard of the Nanping yamen.

On the spacious open ground, sets of stone locks had already been laid out in advance.

The stone locks were arranged in order from smallest to largest, with the lightest weighing at least sixty jin.

A dozen large cages were placed by the wall, each containing a Nu Mountain Wolf—its fur snowy white, its body as strong as a calf.

The Nu Mountain Wolves’ eyes glowed green as they stared at the group of candidate constables gathered in the yard, drooling and occasionally letting out a roar that sent chills down everyone’s spine.

“The first part of the appointment test is lifting the stone locks!

The stone locks range from sixty jin to five hundred jin. Any candidate constable who can’t lift a two-hundred-jin stone lock with both arms will be sent off to the county yamen.

If there are no vacancies at the county yamen, it’s not uncommon to be assigned as a lone pavilion chief in some remote mountain area!”

In the corner, Eric Clark looked at the children of his colleagues, his expression stern as he gave them a serious warning.

Those taking the appointment test weren’t just this class of Nanping candidate constables.

There were also candidate constables from all the counties under Nanping’s jurisdiction, totaling around a hundred and twenty people.

The appointment test was held once every two years.

Even with over a hundred constables filling the prefectural and county yamen, it was still not enough.

The reason, simply put, was that demons and evil spirits were rampant, social order was collapsing, and the Shang State’s control over its territories was growing weaker and weaker.

“If you all just practice the spear and fist techniques I’ve taught you every day for the next few days, and eat well at home, lifting a two-hundred-jin stone lock will be no problem.”

Eric Clark swept his gaze over the group of youths and lowered his voice, “Most of these kids from the counties haven’t even learned martial arts!”

Chapter 6: Reward

Hearing what Second Master Cui said, the previously worried youths all felt relieved.

Andrew Warren was also moved.

It seemed that even the spear and fist techniques that every Nanping constable knew would be rare outside of Nanping.

Then what about the martial arts that could train all six hundred-plus muscles in the body? Wouldn’t those be even rarer?

His heart tightened, and while Second Master Cui paused to let the boys chat among themselves, he took the opportunity to ask this question.

“A martial art that can temper all six hundred-plus muscles in the body to manifest internal strength?”

Second Master Cui was slightly taken aback, looked at Andrew Warren, and sighed, “You kid, don’t go getting lofty ideas just because you have a bit of talent.”