Enforcement

The crowd marveled at the Bald Man's abundant blood, but something even more outrageous happened. The Bald Man's enlarged body flew five zhang through the air, crashing straight down onto the dock and into the rolling Dragon Whisker River.

While the crowd was speechless with shock, Xu Yi, carrying Qiu Wa, charged into the fray.

A giant hammer, in the Bald Man's hands, might have been more for show than practical use, but in Xu Yi's grasp, it was a veritable instrument of death.

His strength was peerless, perfectly suited for wielding such a heavy weapon. The over-hundred-jin giant hammer, swung with his immense power, moved with unmatched force. Every blow landed, inevitably accompanied by the sound of bone snapping and flesh breaking, showering blood as figures were sent flying into the river.

In just a few breaths, an incredibly fierce battle came to an end.

Xu Yi paid no mind to the onlookers, whether they were flushed with excitement, mesmerized, or filled with unease and sudden fear.

He calmly strode towards the fallen Steward Zhou and said coldly, "Since you are responsible for receiving the fish catch, my Uncle Mu is willing to sell the Great Green Carp to you at a fair price. You should uphold justice, so why did you act as a lackey and bully the weak and elderly? The market price for the Great Green Carp exceeds a hundred taels. According to the Great Yue Royal Court Edict, seizing property worth over a hundred taels is punishable by three hundred strokes of the cane and exile to the border."

"Stop F***ing scaring me. You don't know who I am! The Deputy Magistrate of Baima County is my brother-in-law. Damn it, you think you can scare me with your pathetic Great Yue law? You're too green!"

Xu Yi's astonishing display of power had instantly annihilated his carefully assembled thugs. Zhou Yaya was already terrified, fearing Xu Yi would simply kill him. But upon hearing Xu Yi speak of laws, he suddenly remembered his own status and immediately puffed up with renewed bravado.

Xu Yi ignored him and turned to the little girl in his arms. "Qiu Wa, you sleep for a while. When you wake up, we'll be home. Uncle Bearded will buy you something delicious tonight."

As he spoke, Xu Yi reached towards Qiu Wa's neck, but then he heard her say, "Uncle Bearded, I want to watch you beat up bad guys. I'm not scared!"

The little girl was frighteningly intelligent.

"Alright, then watch Uncle Bearded get justice for you!"

With that, Xu Yi turned his gaze back to Zhou Yaya and said coldly, "Originally, I intended to waste some words explaining your crime of violent resistance to the law. Now, it seems unnecessary. Heh heh, what a joke, this Great Yue law. You dare to defy the edicts set by the Great Yue Royal Court. It seems you truly deserve to die!"

Whoosh!

The copper hammer distorted the air, and after a deafening roar, dust billowed. The ground seemed to crack under the impact. As the dust settled, everyone looked closely, but Zhou Yaya was nowhere to be seen. Only a pit, over a foot deep, filled with a bloody, unrecognizable mess remained.

Zhou Yaya, who had dominated Furong Town for years, was smashed to death with a single blow, dying a gruesome death.

The dual impact, both visual and emotional, made countless onlookers unable to believe their eyes.

Xu Yi, however, was as calm as if he had just crushed an ant. He dragged the copper hammer and stopped steadily about a zhang in front of the black-robed youth. In the golden sunset, Xu Yi's lean, hard figure seemed like a god descending to earth.

"I didn't expect a mere constable in a small town to possess such refined Body Tempering Late Stage cultivation. You could easily be a green-robed captain in the Baima County patrol office. To be stuck in Furong Town is truly a waste of talent. How about it? If you're willing, I can be your guide."

The black-robed youth said indifferently, as if everything that had just happened had not registered in his eyes.

"The ones who attacked my Uncle Mu were these dogs in green behind you, weren't they!"

Xu Yi, having lived two lives, understood the black-robed youth's attempt at reconciliation. However, he valued loyalty above all else. What the black-robed youth saw as merely toying with a lowly commoner was, to Xu Yi, like touching a dragon's reversed scales – even the King of Heaven would be useless.

"Your Excellency, do not refuse a good offer. Let me give you a warning: no one who has offended my Black Dragon Hall has ever had a good ending. Indeed, this feud started with me. You killed that Zhou fellow, and that's a loss of face for me. Considering both sides, we're even. You are young, and perhaps you haven't ventured into the martial world. You should know that in this world, the more friends you have, the more paths open up!"

The black-robed youth's face was stern, but his heart was filled with extreme anger. If he hadn't been unsure of his ability to defeat Xu Yi, he would have exploded long ago.

"Go to hell!"

Xu Yi's voice was like ice. He pointed the great hammer in his hand at the green-robed men and declared loudly, "You lot ganged up to beat the weak and elderly, causing severe injury. According to Great Yue law, you deserve a hundred strokes of the cane. I shall act on behalf of the Royal Court. Since there are no canes here, I shall use my hammer. The hammer is heavier than the cane, so one strike will suffice for a hundred. In other words, you only need to endure one of my blows."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding crowd let out knowing chuckles.

Anyone with a brain understood the meaning of those laughs. The sheer weight of Xu Yi's hammer was evident from the Bald Man, who had vanished without a trace, and Zhou Yaya, whose remains were non-existent.

To say "one blow" actually meant taking a life. The onlookers had long resented the black-robed youth and his thugs for coming to Furong Town to bully people. Now that Furong Town's defensive force could make these people pay, they were excited, and a sense of pride swelled within them.

The green-robed men were enraged but dared not act rashly. They exchanged glances as the long-suppressed black-robed youth finally erupted.

"Damn it all, what are you all standing around for? The Black Dragon Hall doesn't have anyone who's scared to death! Go, dismember him!"

Before he finished speaking, he grabbed a green dagger with his left hand and a white iron gall the size of a duck egg with his right. His face contorted in ferocity as he charged at Xu Yi.

He was truly pushed to his limit by Xu Yi. Previously, he had shown Xu Yi some respect out of self-preservation, unwilling to confront him directly. Judging by how Xu Yi had dealt with the Bald Man and his group, he had concluded that Xu Yi was also at the Body Tempering Late Stage, and judging by Xu Yi's skill, he had likely been in this stage for some time, unlike himself who had only just broken through.

As for whether Xu Yi was at the Body Tempering Peak, he never considered it. In the entire Guang'an City, there were fewer than five people under thirty who had reached the Body Tempering Peak.

Although the man before him was scruffy and looked older, the bright clarity in his eyes and the sharp lines of his face betrayed his youth.

Moreover, if he were truly a master at the Body Tempering Peak, not only Furong Town but even Baima County would be too small for him.

Having assessed Xu Yi's cultivation, the black-robed youth had been willing to exchange pleasantries and make a friend.

He never expected Xu Yi's words to be like knives, stripping him of all dignity. If he backed down now, he would face severe consequences even upon returning to the Black Dragon Hall.

Furthermore, he believed he possessed a trump card. Even if Xu Yi's cultivation was slightly higher, he had a significant chance of winning if he fought with all his might.

With his mind made up, the black-robed youth launched his attack.