Breaking into the Qian Household

"Quick, quick, quick! Anyone who's collected their copper coins, come here at once to collect your weapons."

The Qian Family's steward looked at the disorderly crowd before him and shouted loudly.

Those ragged, disheveled people paid no attention to his shouting. After taking their reward money, they simply stood around lazily, making the steward seethe inside.

He forcibly suppressed his anger and shouted, "There's another reward after this is over. Anyone who hasn't gathered by the time I count to ten can get the hell out! One... two..."

As soon as he said that, the bunch of idlers suddenly sped up. By the time the steward counted to seven, they were already standing neatly before him.

"What happened at the Qian Family?"

"I heard bandit troubles have been severe lately, so they're looking for people to protect the residence."

"Don't listen to his nonsense. They probably offended someone."

"Who cares? Why ask so many questions when they're giving us money for free?"

These people were all idle fellows from Qingshan County. Normally, they were too lazy to farm or work, spending all their time on petty thievery and other shady dealings.

They held the "weapons" issued by the Qian Family—some sticks and dung forks, with the luckier ones receiving a rusty kitchen knife—and chatted among themselves, without the slightest trace of order.

Looking at the noisy crowd below, the steward felt somewhat uneasy.

"Are these people... really reliable?"

He knew why Old Master Qian had called so many people together at the last minute.

That lawless Young Master Fu had finally kicked an iron plate.

Everyone in Qingshan County knew that Constable Kong hated evil like an enemy. Whenever he encountered injustice, he gave no one face.

Previously, Steward Fu's son had beaten one of his own maidservants to death. Not only had he shown no remorse, he had even bragged about it everywhere afterward. That was when Constable Kong came knocking.

He had fought his way straight into the Fu Household and dragged Young Master Fu out.

Steward Fu had gone to the county magistrate, hoping to beg for mercy, but Kong Wu had shown him not the slightest consideration. In front of the county magistrate, he had dragged Young Master Fu to the market and chopped off his head.

He was a living Yama.

And now, this Yama was coming to kill his way into the Qian Household.

Looking at the shouting ruffians and thugs before him, the steward felt certain they couldn't stop Kong Wu.

Fortunately, they only needed to delay him for a while.

The steward raised his head and glanced at the sun.

Master Zhou's senior brother would arrive in Qingshan County that afternoon. As long as they held out until then, everything would be fine.

As he was pondering this, a tremendous crash came from behind him.

A figure flew past his side and slammed heavily into the ground.

But the steward merely stood there in a daze, staring toward the main gate. He unconsciously swallowed.

A hole had been smashed through the Qian Family's ten-foot-tall redwood gate.

Through that opening, the steward saw the living Yama.

Behind him, the figure who had just flown over lay limp, his neck twisted at an eerie angle.

A mortal body had smashed through the gate. Clearly, there was no chance he had survived.

Kong Wu stepped forward, seized the opening in the gate with both hands, and pulled outward in opposite directions.

The redwood gate tore apart as easily as a sheet of paper.

Boom!

Kong Wu crossed the threshold, his feet landing on the grounds of the Qian Household.

Opposite him, a crowd of assorted men wielding all kinds of weapons stared at him blankly.

"Get... everyone, get... get him! Beat him to death! Ten taels of silver for his death!"

The steward retreated trembling, his voice hoarse.

Behind him, the ruffians had witnessed what Kong Wu had just done. How could they dare make a rash move? They retreated even faster than the steward.

Just then, a bearded man walked out from the side courtyard.

More than a dozen men followed behind him.

Every one of them was sturdy and vigorous, each holding a steel saber.

They were the Qian Household's guards. Anyone could tell at a glance that they were different from those ruffians.

"The old master said that anyone who captures this man will receive fifty taels of silver. Whoever can chop off his head will receive five hundred!"

With that, he nodded toward the men behind him. The guards surged forward together and charged at Kong Wu.

At the right moment, someone in the crowd shouted, "Get up there, brothers! Those men have knives—don't let them snatch the five hundred taels!"

The generous reward immediately made the ruffians forget what Kong Wu had done earlier. Their eyes reddened, and they charged forward howling.

Too excited, they failed to notice that the guards in front of them were gradually slowing down, leaving themselves behind.

Kong Wu saw everything and stroked his chin, understanding the bearded man's plan.

He wants this rabble to wear down my strength?

Hah!

With a snort of disdain, Kong Wu reached out.

The young man charging at the very front had yet to swing down his club when a palm as broad as a cattail fan blotted out his view.

Kong Wu grabbed him and casually hurled him into the crowd, knocking down a whole group of people.

But the people whose eyes had been blinded by profit paid no attention to this scene. Their feet never paused.

In an instant, seven or eight wooden clubs struck Kong Wu.

Without taking any action, Kong Wu simply stood there quietly.

Amid a series of crackling sounds, the people surrounding him stared dazedly at the wooden clubs broken in their hands.

"Heh!"

Kong Wu bared his teeth in a grin.

Against these thugs and ruffians, there was no need to show any consideration.

He took one step forward, grabbed a man, and swung him in a full circle. Within a ten-foot radius centered on him, no one remained standing.

The crowd behind them, itching to make a move, immediately stopped when they saw their companions sprawled on the ground, groaning without end.

The people lying on the ground had limbs twisted out of shape. On some of them, their ghastly white bones were even exposed.

The horrifying sight crushed the greed that had clouded their minds.

The courtyard fell eerily silent.

Whoosh!

A sound tore through the air.

The bearded man standing behind the crowd held a crossbow in his hands, his face lighting up with delight as he watched the bolt fly toward Kong Wu.

This fellow's aim was excellent. He had seized the opportunity to fire from within the crowd, sending the bolt straight toward Kong Wu's forehead.

I've got him!

The bearded man secretly rejoiced.

Although this fellow is extraordinarily brave and strong, he's only focused on the trash before him and hasn't noticed the danger lurking in the shadows.

The short crossbow in his hand was standard equipment in the Great Jin army. He had spent a fortune acquiring it.

No matter how formidable Kong Wu was, he was still a mortal. As long as this bolt struck...

His thoughts were still turning when the crossbow bolt struck Kong Wu's head.

But the scene of it piercing straight through his skull did not appear.

With a crisp clang, the bolt snapped on the spot and ricocheted away.

Kong Wu did not even tilt his head.

The smile vanished from the bearded man's face. He widened his eyes and stared at the scene in disbelief.

Before he could react, Kong Wu looked toward him.

"You're even hiding a controlled weapon?"

After saying this, Kong Wu split his lips into a grin. A row of large white teeth gleamed beneath the sunlight, and paired with his muscular body, they looked especially intimidating.

The next moment, a smile appeared right before the bearded man's eyes.

"Wha..."

Before he could finish, Kong Wu slapped him.

Smack!

Amid a dull thud, the bearded man's head spun three full times.