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Chen Laosan did not even know how he got back.

After Finished Dealing With Wang Laoshuan's family, he returned to the courtyard in a daze. He did not even hear Old Man Liu greeting him at the mouth of the alley.

"It's over!"

Chen Laosan sat in the courtyard, utterly at a loss for a moment.

There was no escaping.

Even the broker responsible for helping people run away was dead.

Where could a nobody like him possibly flee to? More importantly, the people who had taken action were from the palace. He suspected that even if the County Magistrate knew, he would be powerless to do anything. Moreover, Chen Laosan suspected that the Old Eunuch surnamed Wei did not intend to leave any survivors. The whole of Qingya County was within his target range. He could guess as much from the fact that the Checkpoint he had gone to investigate during the day had been sealed off.

Could the Great Masters in the county office possibly be unaware of something even a lowly ant like him could see?

"Third Uncle?"

Who knew how long passed before the sound of the door opening rang out.

Chen Luo, returning from his training, looked at his Third Uncle sitting in the courtyard in a state of utter desolation and asked a question.

"Why did you come back?!"

Chen Laosan jolted and sprang to his feet.

He had thought Chen Luo was still staying at Crippled Ma's house today. He had never expected him to sneak back on his own this late at night. Now, Uncle and Nephew alike, neither of them could escape.

"What happened?"

Chen Luo could tell at a glance that something was wrong with his Third Uncle. In his impression, Chen Laosan had always been an optimist, the sort who drank today's wine today. Seeing terror written all over his face like this, it was obvious he had run into trouble.

"Hurry and leave! Go find your master. You can't get involved in my affairs!"

Chen Laosan was frantic inside.

By his reckoning, those people would surely come for him tonight. If his worthless life ended here, so be it, but if he dragged his nephew down with him, he would have no face to meet the Chen Family's ancestors after death.

Chen Luo was about to ask more questions when he suddenly sensed several powerful presences outside.

Chen Luo had been burying himself in hard training these past days. Even he could not tell what level his strength had reached, but his perception had improved. The moment movement appeared outside, he Detected it.

"Someone's here."

Chen Luo pressed a hand onto his Third Uncle's shoulder and spoke in a low voice. He did not know who the visitors were, but even he could clearly feel the malice spilling from them.

"What?!"

Chen Laosan's face paled in shock, and he instinctively tried to pull Chen Luo behind him.

Bang!

Before his words had even faded, the gate was kicked open.

Three people brimming with Sha Qi walked in from outside. On the left and right stood two Jianghu Wanderers. The man in the middle had a soft, feminine face and a head full of white hair. He was Too Lazy even to cover his face. He was Eunuch Wei, the White-haired Eunuch who had assigned him the task of burying corpses.

"It's been several days, yet no fish have taken the bait. Looks like your bait was wasted."

The Black-clothed Person beside Eunuch Wei Swept Across the courtyard and, after confirming there was no one else, spoke. From the way the two acted as though no one else existed, they had clearly already regarded Chen Luo and his uncle as dead men.

"They are Imperial Clan members, after all. They are not that foolish."

Eunuch Wei was not surprised.

When he had let those three go that day, he had merely placed a casual Chess Piece. He had not held much hope for it in the first place.

The true plan had been laid down by the Important Figure behind him. He himself was merely a Chess Piece in that grand scheme.

The repercussions of slaughtering Imperial Clan members were far beyond what a country bumpkin like Chen Laosan could imagine.

In Order To erase the trouble, the Important Figure behind him had decided to use the entire Qingya County as a sacrifice!

"Gathering a mob to rebel."

This charge was especially useful.

Once everyone in the city had been slaughtered, would the actual details not be whatever they said they were? If handled well, all these heads would become merit.

This matter involved many people. Qingya County's magistrate was also involved, one of the executors.

It was a carnival bought with the lives of commoners, and the merit rolls had already been written.

The reason they had dragged it out for so long was to fabricate a "battlefield." After several months of bandit suppression, the grudge of the Imperial Clan member's death could be considered "avenged." The higher-ups would have their explanation, the lower ranks would have their benefits, and everyone would be happy.

Thud!

Chen Laosan dropped to his knees and kowtowed once to the three men.

"Eunuch Wei, I know nothing. Please, spare my nephew. This Old Man is willing to leave his life to you. I only beg you to leave the Old Chen Family a bloodline."

Having truly witnessed the skills of these three men, Chen Laosan was now filled with despair.

These Jianghu Wanderers who came and went on roofs and walls were simply not opponents he could contend with. His nephew had only learned martial arts for a few days; there was no way he could be a match for such masters. Let alone him, even his master Crippled Ma might not be able to stop these three.

"You are a little smarter than those two idiots. At least you did not use poison to disgust me."

Eunuch Wei's indifferent gaze Swept Across them. After looking around once, it finally settled on Chen Luo.

"Kill them all."

His voice was cold and calm. Such indifference toward human lives as though they were blades of grass was something ordinary people could never understand.

As soon as the words fell—

A flash of blade light appeared, and the man on the left swung his saber straight at Chen Laosan's neck.

Bang!

A figure suddenly flashed over. Before the saber-wielding man could react, a palm like a Tiger Claw smashed viciously into his chest. With a crack, the man's chest caved in On the Spot, while a huge bulge rose from his back. He flew backward like a cannonball, crashed into the wall behind him, then rolled onto the ground. His legs twitched twice before he fell silent.

It happened too quickly. By the time everyone reacted, the man had already been beaten to death.

Chen Luo stood in the middle, like a ferocious tiger, Ferocious Qi rising from his entire body.

After practicing the Black Tiger Fist for so many days, it had finally come in handy.

Chen Laosan, who had been saved, stared blankly at his nephew standing before him, wondering if he was dreaming. A family knew its own affairs best. He knew exactly how long his nephew had been practicing martial arts. It had only been a few days—how had he become so fierce already?

"I misjudged you. I never expected you to be an expert."

Before he had even finished the word "expert," the man on the right took action. He used a sword, and he was extremely fast. In just two breaths, he reached Chen Luo's left side, his sharp blade thrusting straight for Chen Luo's throat.

Watch the sword tip.

In Chen Luo's mind, the brain of a Jianghu Wanderer gave him feedback.

This let Chen Luo discover the second use of the External Brain.

Combat!

The "brains" he borrowed all belonged to Jianghu Wanderers. All Are those who had died in Jianghu Grudge Killings. There were inevitably some combat experts among them. It was not obvious during ordinary training, but when life and death were on the line, the brains suddenly became exceptionally active.

Sensing danger, Chen Luo stepped half a pace back and watched the Sneak Attack sword pass right by his throat, missing by only three inches.

He could even feel the icy chill emanating from the sword tip.

The swordman who had launched the Sneak Attack also revealed a look of astonishment, as though he had never expected Chen Luo to evade that strike.

Take Action.

Strike the throat.

Almost at the same instant the thought arose, Chen Luo's body moved with it. All the Internal Qi he had cultivated over these days gathered in his palm, and his hand, shaped like a Tiger Claw, slammed viciously into the other man's throat.

With a crisp crack, the neck vertebrae of the swordsman who had taken the initiative to attack were shattered. His head snapped back at an unnatural angle. After rolling twice on the ground, he died On the Spot. The sharp treasured sword in his hand spun twice through the air before scraping into the ground behind him at an angle, its blade still trembling without cease.

"Who are you?"

In the blink of an eye, his two subordinates had been beaten to death. The White-haired Eunuch could not help but reassess Chen Luo.

Martial arts were forbidden throughout the dynasty. How had such a Great Expert been hidden away? Judging by the ruthlessness of his attack just now, he was at least a vicious character who had practiced for more than ten years, the kind who had killed before. Why would such a person hide in the home of a corpse-burier?