We Are the Imperial Guards

Baiyun County, Changbie Alley. A squad of Black Riders charged through the streets, and wherever they passed, the commoners all retreated to either side.

At the head of the Black Riders was Shen Qing. Behind him stood Lin Zikai, his face twisted as though he were badly constipated.

The commotion was enormous. Shen Qing had never intended to act in secret; he meant to uproot them in one stroke, with the speed of thunder before one could cover one's ears.

Looking at Huang Manor looming faintly ahead, Lin Zikai asked, "My lord, what do you plan to do?"

"What do you mean, what do I plan to do? The Huang Family attacked and murdered the Emperor's personal guards. Exterminate the family. What else is there to say?"

Shen Qing's tone was calm, but his words were ice-cold.

Shen Qing shouted sharply.

"Listen up, all of you! Charge straight in! Leave none alive who dare resist!"

"Yes!"

With that, Shen Qing slapped the horse's belly with both legs, shooting forward like a hunting leopard.

His right hand drew the Wild Goose Feather Saber, and the Roughening Wind Saber Technique began to circulate.

A cold gleam flashed through the air.

Even Huang Manor's thick earthen stone walls were cleaved open with a massive hole by Shen Qing.

The sound was so great that it could be heard for miles around.

Several manor servants wielding steel blades immediately rushed out from within Huang Manor, cursing as they came.

But the next instant, several piercing whistles tore through the air.

Arrows buried themselves in the vital points of those servants.

Then Black Dog and Old Li took the lead and charged directly into Huang Manor. Anyone who dared hold a weapon was rewarded with a sword strike.

Shen Qing narrowed his eyes. A broad, powerfully built man burst out from the study, clutching a black iron spear. It was Huang Zikun.

At the same time, Huang Zikun noticed Shen Qing, but he did not think much of him. After all, at dawn, Shen Qing had still been running from him.

He turned to look at the Imperial Guards slaughtering people in the manor, intending to stop them first.

But the next moment, Huang Zikun's hair stood on end as an icy voice rang beside his ear.

"Bold indeed. You still dare turn your ass toward me?"

Huang Zikun instinctively tried to thrust his spear backward, but before his hand had fully risen, he felt an enormous force slam into his waist and abdomen.

His body flew backward, leaving an afterimage in midair. He smashed through three walls in succession before finally stopping.

Shen Qing's kick made every Imperial Guard in the manor pause for a moment. They all swallowed hard as they looked at him.

At the same time, they secretly rejoiced that the kick had not landed on their own waists.

Amid the rubble, Huang Zikun pushed aside a massive rock pressing down on him. Blood kept spilling from his mouth.

"How... is this possible?"

Huang Zikun struggled to get up, but he simply could not do it. He could no longer feel his lower body. Shen Qing's kick had snapped his spine.

"Master Huang, it has been some time. If I remember correctly, I have never offended you. Why did you frame me?"

Shen Qing walked toward Huang Zikun at an unhurried pace.

A trace of despair appeared in Huang Zikun's eyes. So it truly had been exposed. Still, he had to keep up a stiff front.

"Lord Shen, you must be joking. How could a merchant family like mine possibly have the nerve to frame you?"

Shen Qing smiled.

"Black Dog, bring a few people over. Master Huang seems rather forgetful. Help refresh his memory."

Though the Huang Family had many servants, they were all mere rabble and could not withstand the well-trained Imperial Guards.

When they saw Huang Zikun instantly defeated with a single kick, the remaining men collapsed like a mountain falling apart. After only a few exchanges, the servants retreated step by step.

Before long, the Huang Family's wives and concubines were dragged out by the Imperial Guards as well.

Black Dog swept his gaze over the crowd and immediately picked out several women. They were all Huang Zikun's concubines.

He strode over, grabbed one concubine by the hair, and dragged her to Shen Qing's side despite her wails.

Black Dog drew his steel blade. With a flash of the blade, the woman's hand fell to the ground. Her shrill scream instantly rang throughout Huang Manor.

"Master Huang, do you remember now?"

Master Huang was on the verge of collapse, yet he still refused to speak. He still clung to a sliver of hope that someone would come save him.

"Lord Shen, I really didn't..."

Shen Qing did not even turn his head. He merely tapped a finger lightly. Black Dog's expression turned cold, and with another swing of his blade, the screams abruptly stopped.

A round head rolled to Huang Zikun's feet.

Seeing that Shen Qing said nothing, Black Dog continued toward the crowd. He grabbed a woman in green by the hair. She was Huang Zikun's favorite concubine.

The woman in green immediately wept like pear blossoms in the rain, crying out.

"Husband, save me! Please save me!"

"Husband! Just tell them! They're the Imperial Guards! They won't stop until they get what they want!"

Those words utterly shattered Huang Zikun's mental defenses. Yes, they were the Imperial Guards.

"I'll talk, I'll talk! Stop!"

Shen Qing waved a hand. Black Dog's raised blade stopped only a few centimeters from the green-clad woman's arm.

Shen Qing sneered.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you had spoken sooner? Why force me to go through the whole process?"

Huang Zikun's eyes were filled with regret, and he clenched his teeth hard.

Shen Qing said, "Talk. Where did the silver go?"

"I don't know. I only know that the silver went east all the way..."

There were not many questions, and Huang Zikun cooperated fully. The interrogation was over before long.

Old Li came before Shen Qing with a sheet of paper in hand.

"My lord, Huang Zikun has confessed everything."

"He does not know where the silver went, nor does he know who ambushed us."

"However, the one who recruited him was Imperial Guard Lieutenant Official Xiao Bin. What he promised Huang Zikun was a position as an inspector in the Patrol and Inspection Department."

Shen Qing glanced at Huang Zikun, who lay on the ground like a dead dog, and chuckled.

No wonder a merchant had been willing to risk everything. He had wanted to enter officialdom.

"My lord, should we continue the interrogation?"

Shen Qing shook his head. "Have him sign and seal it."

Huang Zikun numbly signed his name and pressed his seal. Only then did he look at Shen Qing, carrying the last shred of impossible hope.

"I've confessed everything, and I've signed it too. Can you spare the Huang Family?"

"My Huang Family has accumulated some wealth over the years. I am willing to offer it all to you, my lord."

Shen Qing snorted. Silver light instantly flickered throughout the courtyard as countless blades and swords rose high, then slashed down fiercely.

What followed was the sound of heads hitting the ground.

Huang Zikun completely broke down. "Why?! Why?! Shen Qing, why?!"

Shen Qing drew the Wild Goose Feather Saber and slowly approached Huang Zikun.

"You understand less than your concubine did. Didn't she already tell you?"

"We are the Imperial Guards."

Silver light flashed.

[Congratulations, you have successfully plundered the trait: Extraordinary Physique (Green)]

Baiyun County General's Office.

The swelling on Sun Jin's face had finally gone down completely, but his teeth were gone for good.

He wailed bitterly in Sun Yan's room, crying injustice at the top of his lungs.

Only after Sun Yan agreed to avenge him did he finally leave the room in tears.

After Sun Jin had gone far away, a man in a purple robe stepped out from behind the screen. Seeing Sun Yan's ugly expression, he smiled.

"General Sun, why are you so angry? Those carts of silver have already been hidden away. Once this uproar passes, General Sun, you will be rich beyond measure."

Sun Yan was full of worry. "There is something wrong with Shen Qing."

The purple-robed man showed a trace of disdain. "What could be wrong with him? If you ask me, we should have killed him together with the rest."

"You insisted he was a fat fish, saying you wanted to make another haul."

Sun Yan shook his head. "Today, he wiped out the Sishui Gang and beat my men."

"Do you think it is possible that those above noticed something unusual about us, and Shen Qing is their undercover agent?"

"Was all his previous incompetence an act?"

The purple-robed man snapped his paper fan shut and laughed. "If you are afraid, I can make another trip for you."

Sun Yan was still hesitant.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door. The purple-robed man retreated behind the screen.

A captain entered, holding a carrier pigeon in his hand.

"Lord Sun, urgent news."

"Lieutenant Shen and Lieutenant Lin are fully armed and heading toward the western part of the city."

Sun Yan's eyelid twitched.

"The west side of the city?"

"Fine, I understand. Pass down the order: keep a close eye on them and see where they are going."

The captain saluted and was about to leave the room when Sun Yan called him back.

"Oh, right. Tell Xiao Bin to come see me immediately."

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