Jumping Clown, Seeking Death

"I'll take this bounty!"

As the seven words left his mouth, all the martial artists still in the courtyard who hadn't managed to retreat looked towards Su Chen in unison.

Their eyes held scrutiny, curiosity, and even mockery.

It was as if they couldn't understand why someone would dare to boast about taking on this bounty after hearing Tian Boguang's name.

Did he truly have the skill, or did he not know how he was going to die?

Everyone subconsciously categorized Su Chen as the latter.

After all, experts capable of dealing with Tian Boguang likely wouldn't care about ten thousand silver taels.

Master Zhao, however, seemed to have grasped a lifeline. He immediately sprang up from his chair and quickly walked over to Su Chen.

"Young hero, my daughter's reputation rests entirely on you."

Su Chen nodded in response, "As long as the silver is in place, everything else is negotiable."

Master Zhao repeatedly nodded, "Young hero, please rest assured. As long as you can protect my daughter's reputation, these ten thousand silver taels are yours."

As he spoke, he glanced at the other martial artists in the courtyard, muttering resentfully under his breath, "These people always brag about how powerful they are. Now, just hearing a name, they're scared stiff. It's you, young hero, who is truly accomplished."

Although Master Zhao spoke softly, everyone else in the courtyard possessed martial arts skills and had good hearing.

Therefore, they clearly heard Master Zhao's words.

Instantly, the remaining dozen or so martial artists present felt a burning sensation on their faces, losing a great deal of face.

If everyone had chosen to flee, no one would have been shamed.

But this brat had to step forward.

Compared to him, didn't it make them all look like cowards?

In the martial world, regardless of skill level, reputation was one of the most important things.

Now, everyone felt that Su Chen had caused them to lose face, and for a moment, their gazes towards Su Chen carried a hint of resentment.

The burly man who had spoken first directly began to mock him.

"Master Zhao, I advise you to reconsider my proposal."

"Don't just casually hire some unknown person, only to find they can't handle Tian Boguang and end up angering him, causing your entire family to be buried with them."

As soon as the burly man finished speaking, the others seemed to have found an outlet for their frustration and joined in the mockery.

"Yes, yes, some young ones who have just entered the martial world, unaware of the immensity of the heavens and the earth, and the dangers of the martial world. It's fine if they lose their own lives, but to drag their entire family down with them would be an eternal disgrace."

"If you ask me, in the martial world, the most important thing is self-awareness, knowing who you can provoke and who you cannot..."

Listening to the uniform taunts from all around, Master Zhao began to waver slightly.

He stealthily glanced at Su Chen, muttering to himself.

This young hero looks so scrawny. Even some of my household servants look stronger than him. Does he really have the strength to deal with that flower thief?

If, as they say, this young hero can't handle Tian Boguang and instead angers him, causing my entire family to be buried with him, that would be terrible.

The more Master Zhao thought about it, the more frightened he became, and he began to consider abandoning the idea of hiring Su Chen.

Su Chen naturally noticed Master Zhao's wavering, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

In the three years since his transmigration, he had only had one principle: money first.

As long as there was silver, the customer was God.

But if someone dared to prevent him from earning silver, then he was sorry, but the troublemaker would only have one outcome: to meet King Yama.

These clowns dared to bark here; they were simply seeking their own demise.

A murderous intent rose within Su Chen. He placed his right hand on his saber hilt, his qi subtly surging, about to draw his blade.

But just then, a lazy voice drifted from the courtyard gate.

"What's going on, Old Zhao? Why do you have such a large group of martial thugs in your house? Are you planning a rebellion?"

Upon hearing this voice, Master Zhao and the others instinctively looked towards the courtyard gate.

With just one glance, their expressions immediately changed, and their attitudes became extremely respectful.

This was because the few people standing at the courtyard gate were all uniformly dressed in flying fish robes, with Chunxiu sabres hanging at their waists.

These were actually several Imperial Guards.

In the Ming Dynasty, the reputation of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Imperial Guards was no less than that of living Yama.

The individuals who had arrived were the Imperial Guards stationed in Hengnan County.

In an instant, the dozen or so martial artists who had been mocking Su Chen all fell silent, not daring to utter another word, for fear of attracting the attention of these living Yamas.

"Captain Xing, you mustn't say such things. How would I dare to rebel? That's a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of kin." Master Zhao abandoned Su Chen and scurried over to Captain Xing, speaking fawningly.

Captain Xing patted Master Zhao's face, "If you're not rebelling, then explain to me why so many martial artists are gathered at your house. Are you planning to put on a play?"

Master Zhao, despite being slapped on the face in a somewhat insulting manner, didn't dare show any displeasure. Instead, he continued to explain, "Sir, sir, you know, I was planning to find someone to deal with that lecherous thief, Tian Boguang..."

Upon hearing this, Captain Xing's expression turned stern. "Are you saying I'm intentionally framing you?"

Hearing this, Master Zhao's face flickered, and he felt his heart tremble.

He hurriedly took out a banknote from his bosom, stuffing it into Captain Xing's sleeve.

"Sir, please be merciful, be merciful, don't make things difficult for me..."

With the banknote in hand, Captain Xing finally showed a smile. He said cheerfully, "Old Zhao, look, you're so anxious. I was just joking with you, and you took it seriously."

Master Zhao dared not show any dissatisfaction. He carefully wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "Haha, sir, as long as you're happy, as long as you're happy..."

Captain Xing nodded. Having extorted the silver, he naturally wouldn't continue to trouble Master Zhao.

He yelled at the martial artists in the courtyard, who were cowering like quails, "In my territory, all of you behave yourselves. If I find out you're committing any crimes, hmph..."

After flexing his authority, Captain Xing prepared to leave with his men.

Before leaving, he glanced back and saw Su Chen's back.

"This person looks so familiar..."

Captain Xing couldn't help but stop and examine Su Chen carefully.

After looking for a few moments, his expression suddenly became excited, and he quickly walked forward, stopping in front of Su Chen.

He called out very familiarly, "Brother Su, it really is you. I thought I was mistaken."

Su Chen glanced at Captain Xing, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"Brother Su, it's me, Xing Daorong. Three months ago, we chased Zhao Huai'an together in the frontier."

Upon hearing Zhao Huai'an's name, a sense of familiarity finally flashed in Su Chen's eyes.

As a reasonably competent bounty hunter, Su Chen had naturally taken on official jobs.

His most recent one was three months ago, helping the imperial guards chase down the wandering martial artist Zhao Huai'an.

It seemed that this Xing Daorong was present during that battle.

"So it's you. Long time no see," Su Chen replied with a smile.

Meanwhile, the group of martial artists who had been mocking Su Chen just moments ago now had ashen faces, looking utterly terrified.

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