Meritorious Officials

Yang Yuchun sat composed within his carriage, calculating the details of his upcoming meeting with Shui Ziyi.

Originally, his arrival in Jincheng Prefecture alongside Li Changgeng—one in the light, one in the shadows—was merely to find an opportunity to eliminate Qiao Weisheng and cause trouble for the Investigation of Things School.

Yet, as if aided by the divine, Qiao Weisheng was inexplicably assassinated, followed by Qiao Jisheng's voluntary defection, turning Zhong'an Bank into an asset for the Crown Prince.

Even the prestigious General Fubo, Shui Ziyi, had sent an invitation, clearly wishing to establish a connection.

If he could seize this meeting to persuade Shui Ziyi to pledge his loyalty to the Crown Prince, the General's influence would ensure that all of Jincheng Prefecture followed the Prince's lead. Furthermore, it would open doors within the navy—another monumental achievement.

The Crown Prince was currently in a difficult position; such a contribution would be like providing fuel in snowy weather.

Though the process had seen minor setbacks—the failure to kill Jin Shiyi and the subsequent ruin of Li Changgeng's martial path—these were mere trifles compared to the magnitude of the success.

At the thought of the great merit he was about to earn before the Crown Prince, securing a bright future, even the steady Yang Yuchun could not help but feel a surge of pride.

He had risen through the martial examinations, relying on military merit and cultivation to be hired as a retainer by the Crown Prince. Yet, the Eastern Palace was a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, filled with individuals of profound background; for a fallen scion from Sichuan like himself, gaining a foothold had been arduous.

Fortunately, he was finally about to make his mark; after all these years, he was finally on the verge of soaring to success!

"Master, we have arrived—"

The carriage jolted and came to a halt before the River-Viewing Tower.

Chen Wu had entered a strange state. His entire body felt as if he were back in the medicinal bath; some force akin to medicinal power was surging from all directions—from the boundless void—rushing madly into his limbs, bones, and the meridians of his dantian.

An inexplicable illusion arose in Chen Wu's heart, as if he were about to dissolve into this infinite sea of energy.

This was no illusion!

The sudden, resonant vibration of his bones and muscles jolted Chen Wu, snapping him out of that sensation.

Chen Wu understood that if he continued to indulge in that feeling, he would likely explode and die.

No wonder the author of the Heaven-Intercepting Dao-Exposition Method, despite their eccentric nature, had insisted on reaching the physical extreme before attempting the second level, Borrowing from the Mystic Realm; it was indeed fraught with peril.

With the power of heaven and earth coursing through him, Chen Wu felt his meridians brimming and his body light and agile; he felt an urge to unleash this energy with a fierce display.

Hum—

With the ring of a sword, Chen Wu pushed open the street-facing window and stared directly at the carriage across the road.

Yang Yuchun had just stepped out of the carriage, tossing a silver coin to the driver and telling him to wait in the back courtyard.

Suddenly, Yang Yuchun's spirit went on high alert. He looked up to see the second-floor window across the street flung wide, and a figure lunging straight toward him.

The man dragged a sword in his right hand while holding a revolver in his left; even while still in mid-air, the muzzle was already leveled at him.

Yang Yuchun felt his hair stand on end. His true qi boiled, surging into his feet as he leaped into the air.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—

In that fleeting instant, Chen Wu fired six shots in succession, emptying the cylinder. He then hurled the empty gun directly at Yang Yuchun, who was flipping toward the eaves of the River-Viewing Tower.

Yang Yuchun steadied himself on the second floor, drew the Judge's Pen from his waist, and nimbly deflected the incoming pistol.

At that moment, a sharp pain flared in his leg; two bullets had struck his left thigh, blood gushing out. Fortunately, they had missed the bone and tendon, passing only through muscle, leaving him still capable of battle.

The street was in chaos. Chen Wu tapped his foot against the roof of the carriage, used the momentum to vault upward, and brandished his sword, charging straight at Yang Yuchun on the eaves.

Hum—

The sword's hum followed like a shadow, a death knell that forced Yang Yuchun to focus his entire being on defense.

Bang—

At that exact moment, another gunshot rang out. Yang Yuchun's body shuddered as a lead bullet struck his right chest!

This was the killing blow Chen Wu had arranged!

Yang Yuchun endured the agonizing pain and retreated, narrowly dodging Chen Wu's lunging strike.

With the trap sprung, Chen Wu did not press the attack, merely pointing his sword tip at Yang Yuchun, waiting for him to bleed a little more.

Only then did Yang Yuchun have the chance to sense the origin of the shot. On another building across the street, a masked figure was stowing away a standard-issue firearm and preparing to flee.

It was Gao Xiwen, who had agreed to assist!

Chen Wu had made such a spectacle of his assassination attempt specifically to draw Yang Yuchun's attention, creating the opening for Gao Xiwen to snipe him.

He had feared that Yang Yuchun's concentrated spirit would detect the threat, which was why he needed a Micro-Perception Realm expert like Gao Xiwen to suppress his presence, lie in ambush, and personally operate the rifle.

It was a pity that in his haste, he hadn't found a rifled musket, only a smoothbore, which lacked the precision to hit anything but Yang Yuchun's left chest.

Still, it was enough!

"Your methods are devoid of any martial honor," Yang Yuchun rasped, his voice like a wheezing bellows, blood bubbling at the corners of his mouth.

"Take that up with Old Jin!" As the words fell, Chen Wu lunged with his sword.

Empowered by the strength of heaven and earth, the techniques of the Nine Evolutions Dragon-Expelling Art—which Chen Wu had previously been unable to execute—now flowed with effortless ease.

A spiral of qi surged along Chen Wu's blade, colliding violently with Yang Yuchun's Judge's Pen.

Daya Hall.

Yang Yuchun had been gone for over three quarters of an hour, and Li Changgeng, feeling bored, began to gently twist his body in the backyard to practice his Thunder-Sound True Qi.

However, his wounds had yet to heal, so he dared not overexert himself; after moving about just a little, he stopped.

Li Changgeng clapped his hands twice, intending to call a servant in to help him change his clothes.

The servants, who would usually rush in to fawn over him, remained completely silent for a long while.

Li Changgeng suddenly grew alert and let out a thunderous roar: "Where is everyone?"

His voice, like a great bell, echoed throughout the entire medical clinic.

The whole clinic instantly erupted into chaos as the patrolmen secretly guarding the various areas swarmed out in unison.

An intruder could no longer remain hidden and was recognized by the crowd.

"On the eaves! On the eaves! It's Wu Chengyi!" a patrolman shouted.

Wu Chengyi cursed his bad luck; he had only just knocked out the servant carrying water when his position was exposed. How truly unfortunate.

He had intended to show off for Little Brother Chen by personally assassinating the wounded Li Changgeng, hoping to boast about it later. He never expected to alert so many patrolmen before he had even begun.

Bang, bang, bang—

Scattered gunfire rang out as many patrolmen opened fire on the wall-scaling Wu Chengyi, but unfortunately, they were too far away, and the accuracy of their single-shot handguns was poor, so they didn't even manage to graze a hair on him.

Cold sweat broke out on Wu Chengyi's forehead.

Damn it, why do these bastards have so many firearms?

Wu Chengyi felt somewhat relieved that he hadn't succeeded in his infiltration; if things had gone as he planned, even if he had killed Li Changgeng, he, Wu Chengyi, would never have made it out alive.

Thinking of this, Wu Chengyi decided to proceed with the original plan and immediately let out a loud laugh: "You bastards, if you have the guts, come and catch old Wu!"

The patrolmen below already knew that Zhang Iron Ruler was anxious and furious over Wu Chengyi's prison break. Whoever could capture Wu Chengyi would receive a massive reward, so their eyes turned red, and they swarmed after him in the direction of his escape.