Guo Huai

To set Wu Qi's mind at ease, Wu Ming briefly mentioned how he had dealt with several bandits in the city and caught the eye of a patrol officer from the Cautious Punishment Division.

He had then been recruited to work for the Cautious Punishment Division, leaving Wu Qi dazed for a while.

As an ordinary commoner, Wu Qi did not know much about martial artists' affairs, but he understood the difference between "commoner" and "official."

Ordinary martial artists might have some standing and need not kneel when meeting officials, but they were not true "officials" after all and held no real power. Once one entered the Cautious Punishment Division, however, it was a different matter entirely.

The Cautious Punishment Division wielded enormous authority and could interfere in every aspect of Jingye City. Aside from the Demon Suppression Bureau, all the other major offices were either subject to the Cautious Punishment Division's control or were directly subordinate to it. In this world where martial strength was revered above all, the Cautious Punishment Division, the most purely martial government office, ruled all of Jingye City through violence.

The far bank of the Quicksand River.

The Quicksand River was a surging river roughly a hundred zhang wide, passing near Jingye City. The nearby river by Wu Village was in fact merely one of the Quicksand River's branching tributaries.

A few li from Jingye City, the Quicksand River's current happened to be at its slowest, and a broad dock stood there.

Not far from the dock was a cluster of houses, home to residents who made their living by the river.

These days, order within Jingye City was maintained by the Cautious Punishment Division. The surrounding villages were governed by their respective Clan Heads and Village Elders, while loose areas such as docks and riverbanks were controlled by mixed-bag gangs.

The gang governing this area was the Sandboat Gang. It had originally been formed by all the boatmen at the dock, but ordinary boatmen occupied only the lowest rung and had no standing whatsoever. Only Blood Forging martial artists could become gang leaders.

At this moment,

A burly man reeking of alcohol sauntered into a courtyard.

"Brother Huai!"

"Brother Huai's back! Hurry and pour him some tea!"

Some Sandboat Gang members in the courtyard promptly stepped forward to greet him.

Guo Huai ambled lazily into the courtyard and sat down on a stone stool with the commanding ease of a great general. He said nothing, waiting until the gang's ruffians brought over a tea set and brewed him a pot of tea before slowly taking a few sips.

"Brother Huai, why didn't you go into the city to have some fun today?"

A somewhat more respectable-looking man in a training jacket came out. Smiling, he sat beside Guo Huai and greeted him.

"Someone treated me to drinks, so I didn't go. Besides, there's nothing worth doing in the city. Everywhere you turn, you have to hold yourself back. It's a damned nuisance."

Guo Huai let out a lazy, drunken belch.

Jingye City was a place where fish and dragons were mixed together. Even he did not dare act recklessly there, or he would only bring trouble to his elder brother. But in the villages outside the city, he could run wild without restraint. If he took a fancy to a woman from some village, widow or not, he could force himself on her if he wished, and no one would dare do anything to him.

"Hahaha, that's true. There are too many rules in the city. How could it compare to the comfort outside?"

Lu Yuan grinned, then suddenly recalled something. "Oh, right, Brother Huai. The other day at the market, you beat someone up. It seems the other party has some background. Their family also has a martial artist making a living in the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall in the city."

Guo Huai had long since tossed the events of the other day beyond the nine heavens. Only upon hearing Lu Yuan's words did he barely remember a little. Frowning slightly, he shook his head. "That happened? Hm, I didn't pay attention to it. But he's only making a living in the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall. It's nothing serious."

A trace of contempt flashed deep in Lu Yuan's eyes. He actually looked down on Guo Huai as well. What did it amount to, throwing one's weight around by relying on an elder brother? Though he himself was also a Blood Forging martial artist, he usually neglected training. If he went up against those genuine Blood Forging martial artists who earned their living through martial arts, he likely would not last three to five moves.

However.

Though contemptuous inwardly, Lu Yuan revealed nothing on his face. He merely lowered his voice and reminded him, "People from the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall naturally amount to nothing in Brother Huai's eyes. But that family's martial artist is not yet twenty. If he gets carried away by anger and comes looking for trouble with Brother Huai regardless of the consequences, Brother Huai should still stay alert."

These days, an open spear was easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow was hard to guard against. The only fear was encountering some hotheaded fool who would seek revenge on Guo Huai without caring about the consequences. If something truly happened, even the Sandboat Gang might be dragged into the trouble.

Guo Huai paid no heed whatsoever to Lu Yuan's reminder. In fact, with the alcohol rushing to his head, he felt a surge of fire rising within him and abruptly sprang to his feet. "No need to talk about such trivial matters. I'm feeling fired up right now. I'll go vent some steam first."

Having said that,

He turned and left the courtyard.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly. He could not control Guo Huai. Not only could he not control him, even the Sandboat Gang's several leaders could not do so. After all, the Sandboat Gang was a gang that existed under the protection of the Black Fiend Sect. Given Guo Xiang's status in the Black Fiend Sect, even the Sandboat Gang's Great Leader had to treat him with the utmost respect, much less Guo Huai.

After leaving the Sandboat Gang's main courtyard, Guo Huai turned several corners and arrived before a house. With a bang, he shoved the door open.

Inside was a somewhat shabby bedroom. On a slightly disheveled bed sat a woman with tangled hair, exposed clothing, and lifeless eyes. When she saw Guo Huai enter, she showed no reaction at all.

Guo Huai lunged at her viciously and pinned her to the bed. Yet no matter what he did, the woman remained numb and unresponsive, like a walking corpse.

"Damn it, this is no fun at all!"

Guo Huai cursed under his breath. He still remembered how the woman had struggled and screamed on the first day she had been brought here, stirring his interest so much that he had toyed with her for more than half a month. But later, she had gradually become like this, leaving him utterly bored.

Just as Guo Huai shoved the woman aside, pulled up his trousers, rose to his feet, and turned to open the door and leave—

Hiss!

A point of icy, dazzling light suddenly shot in through the crack in the door and stopped before his throat.

The sight sent a chill through Guo Huai's entire body. He shuddered violently and dropped onto the ground on his backside. The sharp spear tip remained aimed at his neck, and he could even feel its icy, keen edge against his skin!

"Y-you, who are you? What do you want?"

Guo Huai looked at the figure appearing in the doorway, terror filling his heart. Though the other party looked very young, he could clearly sense a cold, grim Baleful Intent. It was absolutely the Baleful Intent of someone who had seen blood and had more than one life on his hands!

The arrival was none other than Wu Ming.

Finding Guo Huai had been easy. With only a little inquiry, Wu Ming learned that Guo Huai often frequented the Sandboat Dock and was himself a member of the Sandboat Gang. The Sandboat Dock was not far from Wu Village either.

Wu Ming looked indifferently at Guo Huai. This tyrant who ran rampant throughout the surrounding villages was, somewhat unexpectedly, a worthless waste. Compared to the vicious bandits and desperate outlaws Wu Ming had killed at night before, he was not worth mentioning at all.