Imperial Brocade Guard Captain

Lin Feng stared at the cold metal Treasure Box beneath his palm. The faint response to his internal energy convinced him that this was no ordinary object.

His adoptive parents had been Imperial Brocade Guards. Perhaps by some twist of fate, they had truly obtained something extraordinary, yet for some reason had been unable to open it—or perhaps... it had brought about their deaths.

At that thought, Lin Feng's gaze darkened further.

His internal energy was still shallow. Forcing more into it would be useless; perhaps he needed to find another path.

He recalled certain rumors about ancient restrictions. Sometimes, the blood of one's closest kin—or blood carrying a special aura—was the key.

His adoptive parents were dead, and he was their only adopted son. Though they were not related by blood—

What if this Treasure Box was connected to his biological parents?

The method of recognizing an owner through blood was worth trying.

With that thought, Lin Feng no longer hesitated. He used the dagger he had taken from Zhang Kuang and lightly cut open his fingertip.

A crimson bead of blood seeped out. He let it fall into the palm-print depression on the lid.

The blood did not slide away. Instead, as though absorbed by a sponge, it instantly seeped into the metal.

"Hummm—"

A deep tremor, like the tolling of an ancient bell, rang out from within the box!

The entire Treasure Box abruptly gave off a hazy glow. The dull gemstones set into its surface lit up one after another. Though not dazzling, they shimmered with an uncanny radiance.

Then came a soft "click," and the perfectly sealed lid sprang open by a narrow crack.

Holding his breath, Lin Feng carefully lifted the lid all the way open.

Inside lay a sheathed long saber in complete stillness.

It was a little over three feet long, and its sheath was likewise made of dark metal.

The hilt was wrapped in tightly wound black thread, showing barely any wear, as though no one had held it for a very long time.

Lin Feng reached out, gripped the hilt, and drew the saber from its sheath.

"Clang—"

Lin Feng's gaze swept toward an abandoned pig-iron scale weight in the corner of the room.

With a flick of his wrist, the long saber drifted down in a light slash.

There was no harsh clang of metal striking metal, only an almost imperceptible "shhk."

The scale weight split cleanly in two, its cross-section smooth as a mirror!

Lin Feng's pupils contracted.

It cut iron like mud!

No ordinary hundredfold-forged steel blade could possibly achieve this.

He tried channeling the faint internal energy within him into the blade. The dim gleam on its surface seemed to brighten slightly, but apart from that, nothing else happened.

He could not make out the saber's grade at all. The ordinary weapons, treasured weapons, and even the legendary spirit weapons recorded in the Imperial Brocade Guard armory seemed unable to match it.

"Good saber!"

A surge of delight rose in Lin Feng's heart.

With such a divine weapon in hand, his combat strength would surely rise by an entire level.

He had been lacking a suitable weapon. This long saber had arrived at exactly the right time. He sheathed it, fastened it at his waist, and concealed it beneath his outer robe.

Just as he hid the Treasure Box away again, a dense flurry of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the courtyard. Accompanied by the clang of armor plates grinding together, a murderous aura instantly blanketed the small yard.

"Bang!"

The courtyard gate was kicked open, sending wood splinters flying.

Seven or eight Imperial Brocade Guards in Flying Fish Robes, Spring Embroidered Sabers at their waists, filed in swiftly. In an instant, they spread into a semicircle and blocked the entrance to the small house.

The man at their head was around forty, with a stern face and eyes as sharp as an eagle's. The patterns on his Flying Fish Robe revealed his rank—Captain!

It was Chen Jiong, one of Lin Feng's direct superiors!

Chen Jiong swept his gaze across the courtyard before fixing it on Lin Feng, who had just stepped out of the house upon hearing the commotion. A cold curve lifted at the corner of his mouth.

"Lin Feng! You've got some nerve!"

Chen Jiong's voice was gloomy, carrying an unquestionable pressure.

"You openly committed murder at the entrance to the Northern Garrison Command's grounds, killing fellow guard Zhang Kuang and another sentry. The evidence is conclusive!

"According to the iron laws of the Imperial Brocade Guard, anyone who harms a fellow guard shall be beheaded on the spot!"

The Imperial Brocade Guard junior officers behind him all rested their hands on their saber hilts, glaring at Lin Feng with ill intent as their auras locked onto him.

At a single order from their captain, they would swarm him like rabid dogs.

Lin Feng's thoughts raced. They had come far too quickly.

Someone had clearly tipped them off, or Zhang Kuang had prepared a backup plan from the start.

His expression did not change as he answered calmly, "Captain Chen, Zhang Kuang colluded with outsiders and tried to harm me. He even used my sister's safety to threaten me. I was merely defending myself. What crime have I committed?"

"Self-defense?" Chen Jiong sneered, his tone dripping with mockery. "You, a piece of trash who only just luckily stepped onto the martial path? Zhang Kuang had already reached the middle stage of Ninth-Rank Martial Artist. You think you could have been his opponent?

"You clearly used some underhanded scheme and succeeded with a sneak attack! And you still dare argue? It seems you won't shed tears until you see the coffin!"

He waved a hand. "Take him! If he dares resist, kill him without mercy!"

"Yes!" the junior officers answered in unison.

With a chorus of clanging, Spring Embroidered Sabers were drawn one after another. Cold light flashed as they advanced on Lin Feng step by step.

An immense pressure bore down on him. These Imperial Brocade Guard junior officers were all at least early-stage Ninth-Rank Martial Artists.

Quite a few were even middle-stage Ninth-Rank Martial Artists. There were many of them, and they coordinated seamlessly.

Lin Feng's hand closed around the saber hilt at his waist, his eyes icy.

He was only an early-stage Ninth-Rank Martial Artist, and two fists could not beat four hands. The outcome was uncertain.

His sister was still inside the house. He absolutely could not drag her into this!

Just as the tension reached a breaking point, a loud, angry voice rang out from beyond the courtyard:

"Stop! Chen Jiong, who gave you the nerve to lay hands on my people within the Northern Garrison Command?!"

Before the voice had faded, a middle-aged man in a Battalion Commander's official uniform strode into the courtyard.

He was tall and broad, with a resolute face and eyes like lightning. Even without anger, he inspired awe.

The newcomer was Zhou Gang, Battalion Commander—the close friend and fellow guard of Lin Feng's adoptive parents during their lifetime!

The moment Zhou Gang arrived, the atmosphere changed abruptly.

The Imperial Brocade Guard junior officers closing in on Lin Feng halted, all turning to look at Captain Chen Jiong.

Chen Jiong's expression shifted slightly. He was clearly quite wary of Zhou Gang, yet he still forced himself to cup his hands and say, "Lord Zhou! This Lin Feng murdered fellow guards. Your subordinate was about to arrest him and deal with him according to the law!"

"Deal with him according to the law?" Zhou Gang snorted coldly. He walked to Lin Feng's side, shielding him behind himself, and stared sharply at Chen Jiong. "I already know what happened!

"Zhang Kuang colluded with outsiders and plotted to murder a fellow guard first. He deserved to die!

"Lin Feng killed in self-defense. It was entirely reasonable!

"You intend to act without distinguishing black from white. Are you trying to silence him forever, or were you acting on someone's orders?"

Zhou Gang's choice of side warmed Lin Feng's heart.

After his adoptive parents died, Zhou Gang had looked after him both openly and in secret. Otherwise, as a "good-for-nothing" who had not yet entered the Ninth Rank, he would have been unable to remain in the Northern Garrison Command long ago.

Chen Jiong's face shifted from green to white under Zhou Gang's repeated questioning. In particular, the words "acting on someone's orders" made a flicker of panic flash through his eyes.

Gritting his teeth, he said, "Lord Zhou! Don't slander me! Even if Zhang Kuang was in the wrong, it was not Lin Feng's place to kill him! Besides..."

He suddenly raised his head. Bone-deep hatred burst from his eyes as he stared fixedly at Lin Feng.

"Of the two junior officers Lin Feng killed, one was my own elder brother! The hatred of killing my brother cannot exist beneath the same sky!

"Lord Zhou, even if your rank is one level higher, you cannot stop me from avenging this sea of blood, can you?!"

At those words, Zhou Gang frowned deeply.

Fellow guards killing one another and a private blood feud were two different matters. Within the Imperial Brocade Guard, the latter was sometimes even tacitly permitted to be settled between the two parties themselves.

Seeing Zhou Gang hesitate, Chen Jiong turned toward Lin Feng, his voice venomous.

"Lin Feng! You fatherless, motherless bastard! You useless trash who only wormed your way into the Imperial Brocade Guard by relying on the lingering protection of your dead adoptive father!

"Do you dare face me on the Life and Death Arena?! We shall decide both victory and defeat, life and death! I will personally flay you alive and offer you as tribute to my brother's spirit in heaven!"

The Life and Death Arena!

It was a common method within the Imperial Brocade Guard for resolving irreconcilable private grudges. Once the life-and-death contract was signed, those who entered the arena accepted their fate.

The courtyard instantly fell silent. Every gaze focused on Lin Feng.

At that moment, a cold notification sounded in Lin Feng's mind right on cue:

Killing Imperial Brocade Guard Captain Chen Jiong will grant 1.0 Slaughter Points!

Facing Chen Jiong's venomous gaze, Lin Feng showed not the slightest fear. There was only an icy chill on his face.

He gently pushed aside Zhou Gang, who seemed about to speak, then stepped forward. His voice was clear and resolute, carrying through the entire courtyard:

"What is there to fear? Chen Jiong, the Life and Death Arena—I, Lin Feng, accept!"