A flash of light streaked past, brilliant as fireworks, yet gone in the blink of an eye like a shooting star.
Right before the other guard's eyes, it took a living life.
"You..."
The guard who had been struck wore a look of utter bewilderment. In the blink of an eye, it gave way to resentment, plain on his face.
Thud!
Even as he fell, his eyes remained fixed on Su Chen's other arm. The fury blazing in them never faded, not even in death.
"Second Brother..."
The other guard stood rooted to the spot for a long moment before finally coming to his senses. Seeing his second brother dead beneath Su Chen's blade, he let out a furious roar.
"Ah! I'll kill you!"
The next instant, he shot forward like lightning, every move pouring out the fury in his heart without restraint.
Facing the guard's ferocious assault, Su Chen remained calm as still water, his gaze sharp as a blade as he advanced cautiously, step by step.
"Bastard, don't run if you've got the guts!"
After failing to land a hit despite his relentless attacks, the guard roared, his face dark with frustration.
He had kept up his fierce assault in hopes of making contact with Su Chen, so he could use his inner force to shatter Su Chen's heart meridians and avenge his brother.
But Su Chen had no intention of meeting him head-on. Instead, he dodged from side to side, occasionally striking with his blade, as if merely humoring him.
Their exchange didn't feel like a fight to the death at all. It was more like Su Chen was toying with a child.
That feeling only stoked the fury in his heart, and his moves grew more and more frenzied.
Su Chen naturally noticed the change. After teasing his opponent for a while, he couldn't help the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
The moment had come!
Su Chen halted, then suddenly sprang forward, taking a quick step and charging in.
"Good! You're coming right to me!"
The guard's face lit up at the sight. He shouted in delight, then covered the distance in a few swift strides, darting straight in front of Su Chen.
"Hahaha! Your time's up!"
As Su Chen drew closer, the smile on his face grew more pronounced. His lips gradually split into a grin, betraying his mood.
His hand moved just as quickly. The muscles in the arm Su Chen hadn't been watching flexed rapidly, and inner force gathered in his palm.
Whoosh!
The guard swung his arm, clenched his hand into a fist, and drew it back. As he gathered himself, an invisible wave of air seemed to ripple around him. Then he struck with a fierce punch. A howl split the air as a fist as large as a cooking pot shot toward Su Chen like a high-speed drill.
Su Chen's eyes narrowed. He raised his arm, clenched his five fingers into a fist, and threw a punch. The air around him seemed to be forced aside.
Bang!
Their fists collided, unleashing an invisible wave of air that swept in every direction, whipping up their sleeves and hair.
The muscles in both their faces trembled from the tremendous impact, rippling like waves.
"What? Y-you're a Practice Force Warrior too!"
The guard had just begun to look like he'd avenged his brother when his expression froze the instant their fists collided. He stood rooted in place, as if turned to stone.
He stared at Su Chen in shock, seemingly never having expected that Su Chen was also a Practice Force Warrior.
But the fierce inner force surging from Su Chen's arm was now ravaging his organs without mercy.
No, you damn bastard! If you were a Practice Force Warrior, why were you pretending to be weak?
He roared soundlessly in his heart, a huge swell of frustration and fury erupting like a volcano.
If he could still speak, he would have cursed Su Chen out.
A Practice Force Warrior had not only disguised himself as a one-armed man to ambush them, but had also deliberately hidden his inner force to mislead his opponent. In all his life, he had never seen a Practice Force Warrior so despicable and underhanded!
"Cough, cough, cough!"
In his fury, a flush spread across his cheeks. He coughed violently several times, then spat out a mouthful of blood that had pooled in his throat. Only then did his complexion improve slightly.
Then he looked up at Su Chen and finally couldn't hold back an insult: "Damn your mother!"
That was the last scrap of defiance he managed before death!
Su Chen paused, saying nothing as he watched quietly.
In less than a few breaths, the guard's body tipped backward. Under the combined force of Su Chen's powerful attack and inner force, just shouting those words had drained the last of his strength.
Now he could no longer hold on. His breathing grew faint, and not long after he fell, he departed this world and stopped breathing for good.
Su Chen calmly went to the two bodies and searched them. Looking at the silver he had found, he sighed.
"Only thirty-three taels of silver between them. Why risk your lives for so little?"
He shook his head, pocketed the silver, and turned to leave.
Not long after Su Chen left, a group of constables in official uniforms arrived and carried the two bodies away.
After leaving, Su Chen changed clothes and, while it was still light, headed to the County Office.
The constables at the County Office clearly recognized Su Chen. They didn't give him much trouble; after going in to announce his arrival, they called the secretary out.
"Yang Zhuangshi!"
The secretary cupped his hands toward Su Chen, his expression shifting slightly. Just moments ago, he had received news that Chu Ming was dead.
What's more, the authorities had found two additional bodies. An investigation revealed that they were Chu Ming's guards.
Chu Ming had been killed, and now the two guards were dead as well. It went without saying that their deaths had to be connected to Su Chen.
Su Chen nodded, still wearing his usual aloof expression. The secretary didn't mind and said, "Yang Zhuangshi, the county magistrate has been waiting inside for some time. Please!"
The county magistrate, Tao Wenxuan, came forward to greet Su Chen as the secretary led him into the main hall. Smiling, he said, "Yang Zhuangshi, your skill is truly formidable. You completed the bounty with such ease."
He wasn't just flattering him. Before Su Chen took the bounty, several Blade Catchers had accepted it, but without exception, they had all mysteriously disappeared.
So many days had passed since Su Chen took the job that Tao Wenxuan had thought he'd vanished like the others. He hadn't expected Su Chen to surprise him today by successfully killing Chu Ming.
Tao Wenxuan clapped his hands lightly, and a maid brought out one hundred taels of silver. Su Chen, who had remained expressionless until then, forced a smile at the sight of it. "You're too kind, Magistrate Tao."
Seeing Su Chen accept the silver, Tao Wenxuan smiled and gestured for him to sit down and chat. But Su Chen shook his head. "I still have things to do, so I won't keep you both."
"Wait." Tao Wenxuan helplessly called out to stop Su Chen. How could this fellow not understand what he meant?
"Does County Magistrate Tao have something else?" Su Chen asked.
Tao Wenxuan didn't answer. The secretary beside him spoke at just the right moment. "Yang Zhuangshi, we have another bounty here. Would you be interested?"
Without waiting for the secretary to continue, Tao Wenxuan spoke as if he had Su Chen's measure. "The reward is two hundred taels!"
"Let's hear it." Su Chen raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
The secretary glanced at Tao Wenxuan, then said, "The target for this bounty is named Wei Jie. He's also a member of the Rebirth Sect."
Su Chen looked at the secretary. What was this—had they declared war on the Rebirth Sect or something?
Before you continue