Li Yan's eyes widened in disbelief. "How is this possible? You... How are you so strong? What realm are you in?"
He retreated two steps and assumed a stance, ready to fight.
He An said, "You have only yourselves to blame for ending up like this. You've been too greedy. I've already given you more than enough chances. If you'd taken the silver and left at the very beginning, I might have spared your lives."
"But now, it's too late."
He An stepped forward and shot toward Li Yan in an instant.
He brought his blade down.
Li Yan reacted quickly enough, immediately twisting aside to dodge.
"Looking for death!"
The martial art Li Yan had learned was called Five Tiger Fist. Its moves were fierce and powerful, and every punch carried the might of a ferocious tiger charging down the mountain. But it was not a fast style.
So, after dodging the first strike, he immediately seized his chance and punched toward He An's abdomen.
With that punch,
He An could almost hear the roar of a tiger.
Unfortunately, He An had long since cultivated Yi Jin Jing to Great Accomplishment. His body was far tougher than Li Yan could imagine, and he was already halfway to the Muscle Condensing Realm.
He didn't even dodge the punch.
He took it squarely.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on Li Yan's face.
"Fool. You actually dared to take that punch head-on. Do you know my Five Tiger Fist has reached Minor Accomplishment? Great Accomplishment is just around the corner."
But as the words left his mouth,
Li Yan's pupils contracted.
He saw not the slightest trace of pain on He An's face.
Instead, He An regarded him with a mocking look, as though he were watching a ridiculous clown.
"Not good!"
Killing intent instantly enveloped him.
Li Yan realized something was wrong. He was no match for He An.
He pulled back his hand, his eyes filled with terror. He was about to cry out for help. The area was full of wealthy households; if even one person came running, he might still survive.
"Help..."
"Trying to leave? Too late!"
He An looked at the several bodies sprawled on the ground, his eyes utterly unmoved.
They had thrown their weight around and snatched the Spirit Medicine from him.
Then, in their arrogance, they had tried to kill him and steal his silver.
Either of those crimes was enough for He An to sentence them to death—not to mention that they belonged to Great Fortune Martial Arts Hall and the Meng Family.
The next day,
He An reported to the Town Martial Division as if nothing had happened.
But before he could reach Criminal Prison, he saw Sun Wangxian already waiting for him.
"Brother Sun, is something the matter?"
Sun Wangxian smiled wryly. "Brother He, I've got some bad news concerning you. Would you rather I tell you directly, or wait for someone from the department to notify you?"
"Bad news?"
He An was puzzled. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Did someone find out about Lü Jiang?"
"No, nothing like that!"
"But... it is related to that matter."
Sun Wangxian sighed. "After that operation failed, I said we might be punished for it. Nothing happened for days, so I thought the matter had blown over."
"Then today, out of nowhere, I got word."
"That bastard, Clerk Meng, dug up the old business and brought it to the Centurion again, demanding that we all be punished as a warning to others."
"Damn Clerk Meng. That bastard just won't stay dead and buried!"
He An cursed.
"Tell me about it!"
Sun Wangxian had cursed Meng Cao countless times in his heart. Because of Clerk Meng, he'd been docked half a month's pay—enough money to spend a whole day enjoying himself at Qingyun Tower.
"Anyway, enough of that. Let's talk about your punishment."
"By rights, as a constable, you should have received the lightest punishment for the last operation. But Clerk Meng must have been pulling strings behind the scenes, because your punishment is even harsher than ours."
He An: "..."
Sun Wangxian smiled wryly. "Can't be helped. You offended Clerk Meng. From now on, you probably won't be staying in Criminal Prison. You'll be joining us in bounty hunting work."
"I don't need to tell you how dangerous that line of work is."
"Of the constables who joined the Town Martial Division alongside you and took up bounty hunting work, two have died so far, not counting Lü Jiang."
"One died on a mission. The other was killed in revenge."
He An took a deep breath. He hadn't expected bounty hunting work to have such a high death rate.
By comparison,
the clerical work in Criminal Prison really was a haven from the world.
A little while later,
after the two had discussed a few more details,
He An was just about to return to Criminal Prison and give Wu Wenming a heads-up when Meng Cao suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Clerk Meng!"
Sun Wangxian greeted him respectfully.
No matter how much they despised Meng Cao, none of them dared show him disrespect now. After all, he was a Clerk in the Town Martial Division, and a ranked Martial Artist besides.
Meng Cao glanced at him and sneered. "Sun, that last operation was so simple. How did you manage to botch it? And as if that weren't enough, you even got someone killed?"
"Well..."
Sun Wangxian lowered his head.
"Useless!"
Meng Cao spat the insult, then turned to He An, who stood motionless beside him.
"You're He An?"
"That's right!"
He An met him head-on, making no effort to hide the killing intent in his eyes.
Seeing this, Meng Cao sneered. "Useless is useless. You spent so many years trying to earn a degree, and in the end you couldn't pass a single exam."
"Now you've changed course halfway through and want to give up the pen for the sword. I doubt you'll ever amount to anything."
He An clenched both fists.
"Don't trouble yourself worrying about me, Clerk Meng. Whether I'm useless or not—you'll find out in time."
"Oh?"
Meng Cao looked He An up and down. "What, did I fail to recognize a diamond in the rough? You're actually some once-in-a-century martial arts prodigy?"
"So what if I am? And what if I'm not?"
He An refused to give an inch.
Seeing this,
Sun Wangxian hurriedly pulled He An back and said with an ingratiating smile, "Clerk Meng, Brother He is still young. He doesn't understand how cruel the path of martial arts can be. It's only natural for him to be a little hotheaded."
"You're the bigger man. Please don't take offense."
Meng Cao patted his shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry. I won't stoop to arguing with a useless man. When I was his age, I was already a Body Refining Realm Martial Artist."
"As for him..."
"Heh!"
Meng Cao gave a cold laugh and taunted him. "He's just a useless man who took up martial arts late. The path of martial arts isn't something you can master just by picking it up, and not everyone can stick with it."
"But then again..."
He changed tack. "With a good master to guide you, your path in martial arts will be much smoother."
"Kid from the He Family, I think you've got good character, and I rather like your temper."
"What do you say? Will you follow me?"
"If you're willing to follow me—and introduce your Sister-in-law to me—I guarantee your path in martial arts will be smooth from here on out."
"Forget the Blood Circulation Realm—even entering the ranks will be a piece of cake!"
Before you continue