Tang Sect Assassin!

The moment Ou Tian Hao entered the city, he stopped a commoner and asked for directions to the Jade Water City Yamen.

His tone was rather overbearing.

The commoner felt a surge of disgust, but seeing Ou Tian Hao dressed in an official uniform and mounted on a tall steed, he did not dare defy him and could only answer obediently.

Once Ou Tian Hao had learned the route, he lashed the horse's rump and sped away in a cloud of dust.

The commoner inhaled the dusty air and coughed twice. After Ou Tian Hao had gone far away, he faced his retreating back, pinched his thumb between his index and middle fingers, and made a gesture.

On the street where Su Que had beaten the White Lotus Sect members.

The Yamen men had already cleaned up most of the aftermath.

Zhan Qing Tian, the Advisor, and a group of constables were heading back.

Zhan Qing Tian's brows were tightly knitted as he pondered fleeing.

Of course, fleeing did not mean truly running away. He still intended to remain an official.

He merely wanted to hide himself for a while and let the storm pass.

He could go to the Prefecture City and pull some strings, asking the court to send troops to Jade Water City to suppress the bandits—or hire a formidable expert as a bodyguard to protect him.

Just as Zhan Qing Tian was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a rapid clatter of hooves.

Not only he, but everyone else heard it as well, and they all turned toward the source of the hoofbeats.

They saw a man riding toward them, clad in a Dark Official Uniform. He stood straight in the saddle, with handsome features and bright brows, and looked to be only in his twenties.

Zhan Qing Tian and the constables all recognized that official uniform.

The last time Prefecture City Constables had come here, they had worn similar uniforms.

However, this man's uniform bore embroidered patterns, and its fabric was finer than that of the Prefecture City Constables who had come last time.

Clearly, this man held a higher rank than those Prefecture City Constables.

Ou Tian Hao galloped forward at full speed, yet even as he reached Zhan Qing Tian and the others, he did not slow down in the slightest.

Just as Zhan Qing Tian and the others were about to scatter out of the way, Ou Tian Hao suddenly yanked hard on the reins.

The fine horse beneath him abruptly reared, its forelegs leaving the ground, and stopped just short of Zhan Qing Tian and the others.

Zhan Qing Tian and Advisor Lin Gu, neither of whom knew Martial Arts, were frightened into a cold sweat.

"Are you the Jade Water City constables?"

"Take me to see your magistrate!"

After reining in his horse, Ou Tian Hao demanded bluntly.

The constables were dressed in official uniforms, while Zhan Qing Tian wore plain clothes, so Ou Tian Hao did not know that he was Jade Water City's magistrate.

"I am Jade Water City's magistrate. You must be a Constable Captain from the Prefecture City, sir? May I know how to address you?"

Within the Prefecture City Yamen, there were often several Martial Arts experts hired at great expense by the prefectural office to investigate major and strange cases involving members of the martial world.

The title "Constable Captain" was merely a convenient name people used because the work they did was similar to that of a constable captain.

Their status was vastly different from ordinary Yamen runners known as "constables."

To facilitate their investigations, they also possessed special authority granted by the Prefect, making their standing even more exalted than that of some low-ranking officials.

Zhan Qing Tian did not dare be negligent and cupped his hands in salute.

"Oh, so you are Magistrate Zhan. I am Ou Tian Hao, Constable Captain of the Prefecture City. I have come to handle the matter of the White Lotus Sect."

Ou Tian Hao remained on horseback, looking down at Zhan Qing Tian.

"Magistrate Zhan, find a place and tell me about the situation."

Ou Tian Hao actually wished to speak with Zhan Qing Tian in private, so he could fleece him for a hefty sum.

He had learned from the Prefect that the White Lotus Sect in Jade Water City was extremely rampant and had even sought to kill Zhan Qing Tian's entire family. To preserve himself and his family, Zhan Qing Tian would certainly be willing to spend money.

"Very well. Then Constable Captain Ou, please come to the county yamen and have a seat," Zhan Qing Tian said.

Seeing that Ou Tian Hao had become a Constable Captain at such a young age and had been dispatched by the Prefect to deal with the White Lotus Sect, he knew this man was no ordinary person. His tone was therefore exceedingly respectful.

After arriving at the county yamen, Zhan Qing Tian invited Ou Tian Hao to sit in a side hall used for receiving guests and had a servant brew a pot of fine tea.

He dismissed everyone, leaving only himself, the Advisor, and Ou Tian Hao.

But when Ou Tian Hao saw Advisor Lin Gu standing at Zhan Qing Tian's side, he shot the Advisor a glare.

Noticing Ou Tian Hao's look, Zhan Qing Tian had Advisor Lin Gu withdraw as well.

"May I ask what Constable Captain Ou wishes to discuss with me?" Zhan Qing Tian asked after Advisor Lin Gu had left.

Ou Tian Hao picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Magistrate Zhan, I already know of your situation."

"I have come here to help you kill Bai Wuji."

"You know Bai Wuji is no weakling. If I want to kill him, it will take quite a bit of effort..."

At this point, he paused and fixed Zhan Qing Tian with his eyes.

He believed that after so many years in officialdom, Zhan Qing Tian should understand what he meant.

If the money was not enough, he would not make a move.

Yet Zhan Qing Tian merely smiled. "Oh, there is no need for you to trouble yourself over that, sir."

"However, Constable Captain Ou has come from afar. Everything Constable Captain Ou spends in Jade Water City will be on me!"

"What is going on?" Ou Tian Hao frowned.

He had come here to fleece Zhan Qing Tian, not to eat, drink, and make merry.

In this tiny Jade Water City, how could the wine and women compare to those in the Prefectural City?

Zhan Qing Tian then told Ou Tian Hao about how the Mysterious Martial Artist had killed Bai Wuji.

When Ou Tian Hao heard this, his pupils widened slightly.

—Bai Wuji had actually been killed!

—Then had he not come all this way for nothing?!

Suddenly, as though he had thought of something, his eyes lit up and he asked:

"Where was Bai Wuji staying in Jade Water City?"

One of his purposes in coming here had been to take the silver, treasures, and Martial Arts manuals Bai Wuji had hidden away.

Now that Bai Wuji was dead, he could no longer fleece the county magistrate, but he could still go collect Bai Wuji's belongings.

The moment Zhan Qing Tian heard Ou Tian Hao ask this, he understood what Ou Tian Hao was thinking.

Just now, he himself had entertained the same thought.

He had spent no small amount of silver to deal with Bai Wuji, and he wanted to make up for it with the things Bai Wuji had left behind.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhan Qing Tian did not dare conceal it and told Ou Tian Hao where Bai Wuji had been staying.

"Good!"

Ou Tian Hao lifted his teacup, drained the tea within, and abruptly rose to his feet.

With a flash, he swept out of the reception hall. In another flash, his entire body shot into the air and streaked toward the Yamen gates.

The Heavenly Crippling Foot contained an internal cultivation method, leg techniques, and qinggong.

The Heavenly Crippling Foot focused on training the legs; thus, its qinggong was also among the finest in the Liang Kingdom's martial world.

When Ou Tian Hao unleashed the Heavenly Crippling Foot's qinggong, he moved with astonishing speed. As he leaped across the rooftops, pedestrians below with poor eyesight could not even catch a glimpse of his shadow.

After seeing Ou Tian Hao leave, Zhan Qing Tian thought to himself that he would never be able to go to Bai Wuji's place to retrieve silver and treasures.

He drank tea and sighed mournfully for a while, then decided to go home, pack his valuables, and leave Jade Water City later.

He walked out of the reception hall and was just about to head toward the county Yamen's main gate when, suddenly, a black shadow landed beside him with extreme abruptness.

"Ah!"

Zhan Qing Tian could not help crying out, his body shuddering violently.

Hearing Zhan Qing Tian's startled cry, the Constables he had dismissed rushed out.

They saw a tall masked man in a Night Raider Outfit standing beside Zhan Qing Tian.

The masked man's eyes, exposed beyond his face covering, watched Zhan Qing Tian's frightened expression with great interest as he said:

"Zhan Qing Tian, do not be afraid. I am the one you summoned."

"Y-You... who are you?"

Upon suddenly seeing this night-clad man, Zhan Qing Tian suspected that the White Lotus Sect had come to seek revenge. Terror filling his heart, he backed away as he asked.

"I am Greedy Wolf, a Tang Sect Assassin!"

A voice came from beneath the masked man's face covering.

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