You Didn't Want to Live, but I Still Did

The next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

Sanyang Street was packed shoulder to shoulder, with no fewer than a thousand people passing through, yet it was unusually quiet.

Everyone was watching a shop in the middle of the street called Good Fortune Cloth Shop.

The Imperial Guards were carrying valuables onto carriages, one chest after another. After Shen Qing led men to wipe out the Black Water Gang's hideout at dawn, he had ordered all assets under the gang's name to be sealed.

Before long, everything in the cloth shop had been cleared out. Without the slightest hesitation, the Imperial Guards hastily pasted up seals, then drove the carriages back to the Hundred Households Office.

Only after the Imperial Guards had disappeared from sight did discussion finally break out on the street.

"What's going on? The cloth shop was doing perfectly well. Why was it suddenly sealed?"

"Good Fortune Cloth Shop was run by the Black Water Gang, wasn't it? Did the Black Water Gang get into trouble?"

"There was trouble at the Black Water Gang yesterday too. Several houses collapsed, and dozens of people were injured."

"Someone nearly died. An Imperial Guard Centurion who used a green saber saved him."

"Imperial Guards? Saving people? I understand each of those words separately, but put them together and I don't recognize them anymore."

In the past, when the authorities handled a case, if you blocked the road, at most they would drive you away and bark a few reprimands.

But when the Imperial Guards moved, it meant a major case. If commoners blocked their path, they really would get whipped. They could slap you with a charge of obstructing official business, beat you to death, and there would be nowhere to seek justice.

A man in black spoke up, his voice low and heavy.

"He really did save someone. The one he saved was my neighbor, a laborer."

"Is that true? Could the Imperial Guards have changed their nature?"

Someone sneered.

"The Imperial Guards changed their nature? Are you dreaming? Do you just say whatever comes to mind in your dreams?"

"Go try it in front of some other Imperial Guards. Be careful you don't get fed whips until you're full."

At noon, roars constantly rang out from Shen Qing's courtyard, like the howls of savage beasts and the thunder of massive boulders colliding.

As time passed, the sounds grew more and more intense.

Inside the room stood three medicine vats in a row, and the entire room was filled with a rich medicinal fragrance.

These were all brewed from the thousand catties of herbs Scholar had bought.

The moment Scholar received the order, he had gone knocking on the doors of medicine shops before dawn.

In just one hour, Scholar had bought up all the medicinal herbs in Luoshui City. He had also purchased ten large cauldrons.

After making a few simple arrangements, he began boiling herbs in Shen Qing's courtyard. Ten cauldrons could produce three vats of medicine at a time.

Once Shen Qing had absorbed all the medicinal properties from the three vats, they were replaced with the next batch. This was already the fourth batch.

Shen Qing slowly opened his eyes. His qi and blood surged through his body, emitting continuous beastlike roars. Faintly, there was already a trace of dragon-and-elephant intent.

Shen Qing clenched his fist and felt the vast power within it.

The Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill truly deserved its title as the foremost body-tempering cultivation art. The increase in strength was far from minor.

His strength had already reached a terrifying level under the enhancement of the red trait Body Sanctification, yet after cultivating the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, he could still feel a fierce improvement.

Shen Qing exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, leaped out of the medicine vat, and shouted in a low voice.

"Change the medicine!"

The guards who had been waiting outside immediately rushed in. They carried the medicine vats out, then brought in three that had long been prepared.

Very soon, the room once again filled with the roars of wild beasts.

The immense medicinal power continuously tempered every inch of Shen Qing's skin and flesh.

His body was rapidly strengthening, and his power was soaring violently.

Second by second, time passed, and the sky gradually darkened.

Meanwhile, Ma Kui had gathered several trusted subordinates for drinks.

Although Shen Qing had kicked him unconscious the day before yesterday, Ma Kui still refused to accept it.

He found plenty of excuses for himself.

For example, he had not slept well the night before, he had been ambushed, he had been careless and failed to dodge...

Still, it had been a blessing in disguise. Shen Qing's kick had broken through the shackles holding back his Xiantian Realm, allowing him to advance into it.

Ma Kui's face was flushed from drinking, and alcohol fumes rolled off his body. With one foot planted on a stool, he shouted.

"Shen Qing? The Luoshui Town Pacification Department? They're nothing but shit!"

"If this place won't keep me, another place will!"

Several Lieutenant Officials raised their cups high and cheered loudly.

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"That's right, that's right! Congratulations, Brother Ma, on breaking through to the Xiantian Realm! From now on, the sea is broad enough for fish to leap through!"

Ma Kui excitedly took a huge swig of wine. "Good, good, good. I won't hide it from you anymore. I'll lay my cards on the table."

"Last night, I got in touch with Ma You, a Centurion from Qiushui City. Before long, I'll be heading to Qiushui City to become a Centurion."

"When the time comes, you'll all come with me. We'll change places and still eat fragrant food and drink fiery liquor!"

The Lieutenant Officials froze for a moment, then hurriedly cupped their hands in salute.

"Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations!"

After a burst of cheers, Pang Xiyuan, a dark-skinned Lieutenant Official, rubbed his reddened cheek.

"Boss, we should keep a low profile lately. The transfer order won't come down overnight, and we can't draw the Pacification Bureau's attention."

Ma Kui waved a broad hand. "Eat when you should eat, drink when you should drink!"

"Times are different now. Luoshui City has suffered such a huge mess that they can barely look after themselves."

"And the Qiushui City Pacification Bureau, which competes with the Luoshui Town Pacification Department, would love nothing more than to kick them when they're down."

"They promised the transfer order would arrive within two days."

Then Ma Kui gave a mysterious smile and slammed the wine jar onto the table.

"Besides, the moment they heard that I had broken through to the Xiantian Realm and could bring an entire Banner Commander squad to join them, they directly promised me a Centurion position, skipping Acting Centurion altogether."

The Lieutenant Officials immediately beamed with joy. He was becoming a Centurion outright? That was truly ascending to heaven in a single step. Naturally, their own status would rise with the tide as well.

It also meant they would be able to skim even more profit.

Ma Kui burst into laughter, as though he could already see his bright future.

"The Luoshui Town Pacification Department? You blind fools can regret it all you want. The days ahead are long!"

Just then, a tall, skinny Lieutenant Official put on a heartbroken expression.

"My lord, after suffering such humiliation, are we really just leaving like this? Are we really letting Shen Qing off?"

"If you ask me, Boss, you should challenge Shen Qing directly! Who's afraid of whom?"

The smile on Ma Kui's face instantly vanished.

"Damn it, don't force me to slap you when I'm at my happiest. Why did you have to mention him?"

"I've only just broken through to the Xiantian Realm. My cultivation is not yet stable. Once it is stable, dealing with Shen Qing will be as easy as turning over my hand."

The moment Ma Kui thought of Shen Qing's kick, his heart still trembled. Before breaking through to the Xiantian Realm, that kick had not seemed like much. Only after entering the realm did he understand how terrifying Shen Qing truly was.

Still, he had to keep his words tough. Otherwise, how could he intimidate his subordinates?

At that moment, the Lieutenant Official with the mustache pinched his beard, his eyes rolling as he smiled.

"Why must revenge be taken head-on? I have a plan. Let me explain it to you all slowly."

Everyone around him turned to look at the mustached Lieutenant Official. It was this fellow who had fanned the flames the day before yesterday. Otherwise, Ma Kui would not have become so overconfident, and they would not have been thrown out by Shen Qing.

"Fang Ming isn't exactly tight-lipped. I learned something: yesterday, they captured Sun Yun, the Cloud-Piercing Hand responsible for the Luoshui City theft case eight years ago."

The others were puzzled. "They already caught him, so why bring it up?"

"As far as I know, Sun Yun is still in the Hundred Households Office prison." The mustached Lieutenant Official narrowed his eyes, swept his gaze around the room, and gave a sinister smile. "Tell me, if Sun Yun escaped, could Shen Qing still claim the credit?"

The surrounding Lieutenant Officials immediately wore looks of disgust. "I thought you had some brilliant scheme. Just as expected, no ivory ever comes out of a dog's mouth."

The mustached Lieutenant Official immediately grew anxious. "Listen to me finish! The Hundred Households Office only has one capable man, Shen Qing, but he can't be there all the time, can he?"

"Tonight, at the beginning of the Xu hour, Fang Ming will escort Sun Yun to the execution platform at the Pacification Bureau. When the time comes, we can..."

Pang Xiyuan placed several peanuts into the mustached man's bowl. "Privately releasing an Imperial Guard death-row prisoner? Ten lives wouldn't be enough to pay for that."

"Come on, drink up, drink up. Stop stirring up trouble. Once we get to Qiushui City, good days will be waiting for us. Don't keep staring at these petty squabbles."

They played finger-guessing games, bragged, and drank through three rounds of wine.

Everyone was utterly drunk. Pang Xiyuan was the last one still able to remain upright at the table, standing on a chair and drinking alone.

"A bunch of weaklings, trying to compete with me in drinking... Hic... Ugh..."

Pang Xiyuan hurried to the window, braced himself against the wall, and vomited until his soul seemed to turn upside down.

After an unknown amount of time, he raised his head and felt the world spinning. He suddenly pushed open the window and leaned against it, greedily gulping down fresh air.

Then he saw Ma Kui striding toward the courtyard gate. Pang Xiyuan drunkenly called out.

"Commander Ma... No, I should call you Centurion Ma now. Centurion Ma..."

"Hm? Why isn't Centurion Ma drinking? Why is he carrying a weapon... Carrying a weapon..."

Pang Xiyuan's eyes suddenly widened. Ma Kui could not really be planning to attack the prison carriage, could he?

Pang Xiyuan fiercely slapped himself three times. The blows were so heavy that he even used internal force, and the right side of his face swelled high.

But Pang Xiyuan was completely sober now, a crazed expression appearing on his face.

"Madness, madness! He has to be fucking mad!"

"You don't want to live! But I still do!"

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