Where Did Such a Ruthless Person Come From? The Ins and Outs, The Tyranny

Zhou Hongzhi wore a smile, signaling friendliness.

He was the Capital Office Envoy in charge of this district, a martial artist holding a post at the County Office. Having served here for over a year, he had managed to accumulate quite a bit of prestige.

He was on official duty.

He called out to Shi Wen, wanting to get a sense of the situation.

This was only natural.

People dying in the street could be a minor or major affair, but if they had witnessed it and remained ignorant of the circumstances, they would inevitably be held accountable upon returning.

It wasn't as if people hadn't died on these streets before.

But a scene where someone was brutally beaten into multiple pieces of gore was truly rare!

That was what Zhou Hongzhi thought, yet the moment he met Shi Wen's calm gaze, his heart skipped a few beats for no apparent reason.

His intuition told him this man was extremely dangerous!

He hurriedly changed his tune: "I was mistaken. Some thugs were killing people in the street, and your counter-attack was an act of self-defense. No crime, no crime at all!"

"Hmm."

Shi Wen nodded and walked a few steps, dragging the body.

He suddenly turned around, startling Zhou Hongzhi so much that he felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy, his hand already pressed against his sword hilt.

Before he could even react, Shi Wen casually tossed over a piece of silver and said, "Sorry for the trouble of cleaning up the street."

As the words fell, Shi Wen vanished into the alleys under the gaze of countless people.

"Whew..."

Once Shi Wen had left, the group of bailiffs stood where they were, gasping for air. Each of them wore a look of lingering fear; the more they recalled that scene, the more indescribable terror they felt.

It wasn't just them.

Many martial artists watching from the street and several seasoned practitioners felt their scalps go numb.

Brutal!!

Was this person not too brutal?

Three Blood Tempering perfection-stage martial artists, and in just a few exchanges, they had been forcefully beaten to a pulp by this man!

That's right, beaten to a pulp in the most literal sense!!!

More importantly, those three Blood Tempering perfection-stage martial artists had struck with ruthless intent and coordinated movements; it was clear this wasn't their first time doing such a thing.

Even an ordinary Blood-Coagulation Realm martial artist would likely have been in a sorry state under the seasoned, well-coordinated siege of those three, and if they weren't careful, they might have even capsized in the gutter!

But who would have thought?

Facing such a crisis, this unknown young martial artist had actually beaten two of them to death with his bare hands, winning in such an outrageous fashion?

"Damn it, when did such a ruthless character appear in Black Cloud County?"

Zhou Hongzhi's breathing was somewhat ragged.

He racked his brains, thinking through the people from the local four major halls, thirty-seven martial arts academies, and various merchant guilds and noble families.

He couldn't figure out where this person came from.

His killing methods were too fierce and violent, shattering a Blood Tempering martial artist in a single strike. His style was unrecognizable, but the local accent couldn't be faked!

A bailiff nearby leaned in and whispered, "Chief Zhou, you've been in the Blood-Coagulation Realm for over a year, and there aren't many Capital Office Envoys in the office who can fight you to a draw. If that man had suddenly attacked, how many moves would it have taken you to subdue him?"

Those who could serve as Capital Office Envoys were all Blood-Coagulation Realm martial artists.

Higher-ranking positions were usually held by Origin Blood Realm martial arts experts.

Such people typically worked directly under the County Lieutenant or the County Magistrate.

To these bailiffs, Zhou Hongzhi, a Capital Office Envoy, was an insurmountable mountain!

"Subdue your mother, I'd be lucky not to be beaten to death. Damn, do you think that situation just now was something an ordinary martial artist could resolve?"

Zhou Hongzhi cursed, "Those three were clearly outside martial artists who specialize in sneak attacks and ambushes. Even a Blood-Coagulation martial artist caught off guard might have capsized in the gutter!"

"This man has a terrifyingly strong body, infinite strength, and abundant blood energy. I fear only those at the perfection of the Blood-Coagulation Realm or even approaching the Origin Blood Realm could contend with him!"

"Damn, he scared the hell out of me just now. I thought I was going to die in the line of duty, damn it!!"

As Zhou Hongzhi grumbled, the bailiff nearby whispered, "Then how should we record today's incident?"

"Report that during today's patrol, we encountered outside criminals committing violence and were saved by a righteous citizen of this city—a virtuous act of protecting the territory and the people..."

Having held his post for over a year, Zhou Hongzhi had seen plenty of street fights and deaths.

He was quick to handle such matters.

But an incident of such brutal killing as today's?

This was the first time he had ever seen it.

"I am a dignified Blood Condensation martial artist, and you call me out to scrub the floor?"

"Damn it, fine, I'll scrub it."

Touching the piece of broken silver, Zhou Hongzhi shook his head helplessly. "Go, you lot, call some people over to clean this up..."

His gaze remained fixed on the figure that had vanished into the alleyway.

He pondered in the shadows.

The clothing on that person just now looked familiar; it was the style of the local Fist Academy.

It was a pity the clothes had been ruined during the fight.

He couldn't tell which academy or martial arts hall the disciple belonged to, but the person was not only ruthless in their actions but also incredibly powerful.

"Forget it, don't ask around. It would be bad if we invited trouble."

Zhou Hongzhi shook his head, sat on a nearby stool, and drank a bowl of tea.

"Such a character, if he intends to participate in the Martial Examination, will surely shine brightly when the time comes. If he causes trouble again in the future, the experts in the County Office will handle it; it has nothing to do with me."

"Come to think of it, since the imperial court moved the Martial Examination forward this year, I might as well take some leave to improve my own martial path and secure a spot as a Martial Scholar."

Zhou Hongzhi touched the small paunch he had developed from socializing since becoming the Capital Office Envoy.

Even the insides of his thighs had become noticeably rounder.

A look of daze appeared on Zhou Hongzhi's face.

In the past, he had at least been a man of firm will, pursuing the martial path with muscles as solid as iron and stone.

How had his muscles become so soft after serving as the Capital Office Envoy?

However, at the thought of the drinking culture at the County Office, he sighed again.

Sometimes, there is no choice but to drink...

"Otherwise, I could just quit the County Office, but I am nearing thirty years of age—where else could I go? My family is still waiting for me to provide for them."

Zhou Hongzhi sighed and fell into silence...

Crack!

The sound of bone fracturing rang out, and the scream in this desolate alley was exceptionally miserable!!!

Shi Wen's eyes were as calm as a stagnant pool, while the man before him had been mangled beyond recognition, his bones essentially shattered throughout his entire body.

After learning the ins and outs from the man's own mouth.

Shi Wen exerted force with his palm, crushing the man's neck.

"Was it someone from the Fist Academy who went to inform them?"

"I have been walking on thin ice at the academy, careful and cautious, never getting into conflicts with others. Even when there were conflicts, I ignored them and stayed out of it. I have been low-key enough; who on earth would want to harm me under these circumstances?"

"Could it be Wei Shan?"

"That man targeted me in the inner courtyard all day today. If it wasn't him, then who else could it be?"

"Damn it, regardless of whether it was him or not, I'll pin this matter on him first. If it wasn't him, then it's just his bad luck!"

"Perhaps... I can no longer be so low-key."

A shifting, uncertain expression appeared on Shi Wen's face, and a flash of violent emotion crossed his eyes.

Being low-key and humble all the time likely made him appear timid and cowardly in the eyes of others. If he remained so easy to talk to, wouldn't he constantly be targeted for trouble?

Whoever causes trouble for him, just beat them to a pulp!

Kill!

Kill, kill, kill!!!

Just kill them directly; why go through all this trouble!

Crack...

Shi Wen crushed a brick at his side and took a deep breath to suppress his irritable heart.

He looked down and caught a glimpse of the mangled corpse on the ground, a look of astonishment suddenly appearing on his face.

"When did I start becoming so violent?"

"Haven't I always been a kind and gentle person? When I killed Chen Shuisheng, I didn't sleep for an entire night. Why do I feel nothing when killing people now?"

"I've been influenced! I have never been this kind of person!!"

"It must be the breathing technique affecting me!"

"The evil arts of the Prosperity Society are truly terrifying. Even while still evolving, they are already capable of influencing me!"

Shi Wen pushed an entire wall over to cover the corpse.

He gazed at the darkening sky, a surge of irritable killing intent flashing in his eyes, and his figure merged into the pitch-black alley.