Guan Wenyen

Jiang Yun leaped into the air, raised his fist, and sent lightning flashing as he brought it crashing down on Yang Qian.

Yang Qian's expression changed in terror. He tried to flee, but it was already too late.

The fist slammed into Yang Qian, and in an instant, a vast force of thunder poured into his body.

With a deafening boom, the thunder's power blasted Yang Qian into countless pieces.

Countless Gu worms were hidden inside him, but the thunder's might had scorched them all to a crisp.

Just like that, Yang Qian was blasted into countless pieces by Jiang Yun, utterly unable to fight back.

The other two Evil Spirits trembled all over, their hearts pounding with terror.

Could this man really draw upon the power of thunder to aid him?

While the two were still reeling, Jiang Yun forced himself to charge forward and threw two punches.

They struck the pair squarely in the forehead.

The power of thunder instantly blasted them into oblivion, reducing them to ashes.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Yun had slain all three Evil Spirits.

Xu Suwen and her younger brother, Xu Xiaogang, stared in dumbfounded amazement.

To be fair, Xu Suwen had known Jiang Yun would be powerful, but she hadn't expected him to be this powerful.

His strength far exceeded her expectations.

Xu Xiaogang, meanwhile, was consumed with envy. When would he ever get to show off in front of everyone like that?

His brother-in-law was a master at showing off!

Jiang Yun, of course, had no idea what the siblings were thinking.

After killing the three, Jiang Yun could no longer hold on.

This body was simply in terrible shape.

It couldn't withstand the thunder's immense power.

"Cough." Jiang Yun coughed heavily, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He couldn't hold on any longer; his eyes rolled back, and he passed out completely.

"What do you think?" Xu Suwen stared at Jiang Yun, unconscious on the ground, her heart sinking. Then she turned to Xu Xiaogang. "The Thunder Incantation he just used must have been at the level of a Daoist Fifth-Rank Shouyi Realm cultivator."

The two siblings practiced the Martial Path.

The cultivation systems of the Martial Path, Confucian Dao, Buddhism, and Daoist Sect were all different, but they had still been broadly divided by strength.

They ranged from Ninth Rank at the entry level to First Rank.

Xu Suwen was secretly delighted. It looked like Jiang Yun could be a tremendous help to her!

Still, she found it a little strange. She had met Shouyi Realm Daoists of the Fifth Rank before.

Most of those Daoists had been solitary by nature, quite unlike the way Jiang Yun had acted.

The next day.

Inside the Nanzhou Prefectural Office, Qian Bochou stood respectfully before Lord Vice-Prefect's desk.

The Vice-Prefect's surname was Guan, and his given name was Wenyen.

He had placed third in the imperial examinations in the eighth year of the Zhengde era.

"Constable Qian, I heard you gave each of those seven constables' families over a hundred taels of silver?" Guan Wenyen asked with a frown, displeasure written across his face.

Qian Bochou nodded and bowed ingratiatingly. "Yes. Those seven men died in the line of duty, at the hands of a monster. It seemed only right to give their families a little more compensation."

Guan Wenyen said with displeasure, "You've put me in a difficult position."

"Today, you give each family a hundred taels. What if seven more men die tomorrow?"

"Will each of their families get a hundred taels too?"

"Our Prefectural Office has a hundred constables from top to bottom. If they all died, your standard would mean paying out over ten thousand taels."

"Is this Prefectural Office some kind of charity?"

"Go get all that money back, and distribute compensation strictly according to the court's regulations."

Qian Bochou was displeased, but he still wore a broad smile and said ingratiatingly, "Lord Vice-Prefect is right to reprimand me. I didn't think it through."

"But I've already told the constables under me that the money came from you, Lord Vice-Prefect. If I take it back, they'll probably misunderstand you."

Guan Wenyen froze at that. He couldn't help looking Qian Bochou up and down before taking a deep breath. "Forget it. It's already been handed out. Let this be the last time."

"Yes, yes." Qian Bochou bowed and nodded.

"Another matter. Someone has come from Beihu County, claiming people have been disappearing frequently of late. Take a few men and go investigate."

Qian Bochou frowned and couldn't help saying, "Our own Prefectural Office is already swamped. Why go all the way out there to handle their case?"

Guan Wenyen lowered his voice. "The Beihu County magistrate's concubine has disappeared too. He sent me three hundred taels of silver and asked me to make sure we rescue her. If you handle this well, you'll get a hundred taels as well."

Qian Bochou's eyes lit up. He hurriedly thanked him. "Thank you, my lord."

"Also, they say this might be connected to an Evil Spirit. Be extra careful."

"Huh?" Qian Bochou stared at him in surprise. "Lord Vice-Prefect, dealing with monsters..."

"What are you afraid of?" Guan Wenyen shot Qian Bochou a look. "You dealt with the monster hidden inside the Prefectural Office, didn't you? They came to you precisely because they saw what you could do."

Qian Bochou looked reluctant. "My lord, I'm not exactly confident when it comes to dealing with monsters."

"Am I? How about I go monster hunting, and you stay here to hold down the fort?"

"Old Qian, I've always thought highly of you. You're capable, dependable, and meticulous. One day, I might even leave my Vice-Prefect's post to you."

"That settles it!"

"You leave tomorrow."

As Qian Bochou walked out of the room, he came to understand one thing all too well: a higher-ranking official could crush you with a single word.

The Vice-Prefect was downright crooked. How could he offer only three hundred taels when monsters were involved?

Who knew how much that bastard had pocketed? He was tossing Qian Bochou a hundred taels like he was begging for alms.

But since monsters were involved, Qian Bochou thought it over for a moment, then headed to Jiang Yun's home.

Jiang Yun had already woken up. He felt as if he'd just recovered from a serious illness.

His body was weak, and he could barely walk steadily.

Xu Suwen and Xu Xiaogang had left the night before, telling Jiang Qiaoqiao to take good care of herself.

If anything came up, she could go find them at Nanmanju Inn.

Dragging his weakened body along, Jiang Yun helped Jiang Qiaoqiao fill in the hole and dismantle the traps.

Jiang Qiaoqiao had also asked him what had happened the day before.

She'd only heard thunder roaring outside. Terrified, she'd burrowed under the covers and slept with her head tucked beneath the blanket.

Jiang Yun had simply smiled and told her someone had come looking for trouble, but the problem had been taken care of, so she didn't need to worry.

As the siblings worked, a voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard. "Brother Jiang."

Liu Xudong, dressed like a scholar and wearing a somewhat lecherous expression, walked in from outside. His gaze kept wandering toward Jiang Qiaoqiao.

Jiang Yun frowned as soon as he saw him. This man's name seemed to be Liu Xudong.

"Brother Jiang, why the frown now that I've come to see you?" Liu Xudong chuckled. "Don't tell me I'm not welcome?"

"You're not," Jiang Yun said calmly.

"Brother Jiang, you're such a joker. We're sworn brothers; how could you not know me?" Liu Xudong coughed, then continued, "Have you forgotten?"

"You said you'd give your younger sister to me as a concubine. I've got the ten taels of silver you asked for ready."

Liu Xudong hadn't known Jiang Yun for long, but he'd realized that Jiang Yun cared about saving face and loved wine and revelry, always rushing to pick up the tab.

When he ran out of money, he'd even borrow from Peng San just to spend it on Liu Xudong. He was a complete and utter fool.

A few days ago, Liu Xudong had heard that Peng San was giving Jiang Yun trouble.

Afraid of getting dragged into it, he hadn't dared contact Jiang Yun for days.

Recently, though, he'd heard that Peng San was dead, and that Jiang Yun had been getting close to Constable Qian in town.

This guy had latched onto a powerful patron.

With that in mind, Liu Xudong leered at Jiang Qiaoqiao. The girl still lacked a little in figure, but her face was sweet and adorable.

Just as he was letting his imagination run wild, Jiang Yun's icy voice came from beside him.

"Where do you think you're looking with those dog eyes?"