Uproot and Destroy

"Killed them all...?"

"Is he... is he really the Fifth Young Master who used to mope around his room all day?"

"Good heavens... the Fifth Young Master actually killed over a dozen people?!"

"Is that really my Fifth Uncle?"

Upon hearing Chen Guan speak so nonchalantly about slaughtering a gang of bandits, Eldest Young Master and the others were struck with shock, not daring to meet his gaze for a moment.

The bandits, in particular, couldn't help but recall the bloody scene from yesterday upon hearing Chen Guan's words. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, further cementing the reality of the event.

"No wonder these mountain bandits are so docile..."

Seeing these vicious men reduced to such a state, Eldest Young Master and the others realized that while the battle in the woods might have been easy for Fifth Young Master, it was likely a nightmarish experience for these thugs.

Fourth Madam was another person who felt it was a nightmare. She considered herself to have some bad blood with Chen Guan. Hearing of such a massacre and thinking about how Chen Guan might seek revenge on her in the future, she felt dizzy and stumbled back several steps. In her instability, she accidentally knocked over a stool beside her.

Clatter—

The noise caused the other madams and young masters to instinctively turn their gazes toward Fourth Madam. Even though everyone was only looking instinctively, Fourth Madam was already so terrified that she felt as if they were all scrutinizing her to watch a spectacle. This made her feel even more humiliated and panicked; she wished she could find a hole to hide in. Yet, when her eyes met Chen Guan's, she lowered her head in even greater fear. She was left with nothing but terror.

"Mother..." Sixth Young Master was well-read and spent his days buried in his studies, so he was unaware of his mother's past actions. Seeing her lose her composure and nearly fall, he quickly stood up to steady her. However, his gaze of reverence kept drifting toward Chen Guan. Having been physically weak since childhood, he had always admired these martial heroes who leaped over walls and roamed the world. I never expected my Fifth Brother to be so formidable... Today was his first time meeting Chen Guan, and he was already captivated by his brother's valor, his heart filled with respect.

At this moment, the only person in the room who remained calm was Patriarch Zhao. He had seen his fair share of situations, but he didn't know how to face this child who had become a "cold-blooded killer." When it came down to it, although Patriarch Zhao was a well-known merchant in town and had witnessed bandit uprisings, asking him to face a "martial hero" who killed without blinking was a different matter. To say he wasn't nervous would be a lie, even if this ruthless man was his own son. After all, they hadn't seen each other in ten years. Now that they had reunited, not only had his appearance changed drastically, but his temperament had become extraordinary, leaving Patriarch Zhao hesitant to strike up a conversation with Chen Guan again.

However, Chen Guan didn't have so many thoughts. Instead, aiming to end this matter quickly, he looked at Patriarch Zhao and said, "Father, please help me file a report at the yamen and notify Constable Yan and the others. Regarding the remaining bandits in town, I intend to hunt them down and finish it today. I want to root them out completely to avoid any complications."

Regarding the search for bandit thugs in town, if one had the ability, there was no need to notify the yamen or ask for their assistance. On the contrary, if one could solve it alone, the yamen was more than happy not to exert any effort. Furthermore, if one could bring the heads of these bandits to the yamen, one could collect a significant bounty. As long as they were bandits, the yamen tacitly allowed for them to be killed in broad daylight in the name of justice. This was an unwritten rule.

Morning.

Zhennan.

The bustling main street was filled with coming and going.

"Young man, how much for these earth melon seeds?"

"Get your candied haws here~"

"Daddy, I want to eat that..."

Accompanied by the cries of peddlers, the chatter of voices, and the pitiful expressions of children.

Vendors, pedestrians, and commoners either paused to look at goods or headed back to their homes; everything was as usual.

But just then.

Crash—

The violent sound of a wooden gate exploding inward was jarringly loud on this street.

At the same time, a person whose life was clearly at an end tumbled onto the street along with the splinters of the gate, blood pooling across the ground.

He had been forced through the thick gate by sheer impact.

At this moment, half of his body was like mush, and it was clear he wouldn't last more than a few breaths.

"Mur... mur... murder..."

"This..."

"Run... run..."

Just as the crowd froze in shock and instinctively looked toward the source of the sound.

Inside the small courtyard with the shattered gate, two more people were frantically scrambling over the wall, trying to flee the place as if some ferocious beast were chasing them from within!

But before they could climb over.

The crowd on the street saw a pair of broad palms reach out from the courtyard, each grabbing one of the men by the neck.

In an instant, with a crack, their necks twisted and deformed as their cervical vertebrae were easily crushed.

At the same time, a deep, resonant voice emanated from the courtyard, drowning out the screams of terror about to erupt on the street.

"Fellow townsfolk outside, do not panic.

My name is Chen Guan, and I am from the Zhao Family rice shop in town.

I have come here today because these mountain bandits have been eyeing my family's business and visiting us in the dead of night for days.

As the master of the house, I naturally had to have a word with them and return a small gift."

Following these words.

The tall figure of Chen Guan stepped out from the gate, holding the bandit leader in his hand.

The bandit was over 1.7 meters tall and weighed over 150 jin; by all accounts, he was a burly man.

Yet in Chen Guan's hand, he was held as easily as a little chick.

Seeing Chen Guan's imposing power, his physique, and the man on the ground who had been reduced to mush, no one dared to speak for a moment.

However, some people in the distance retreated while curiously asking their neighbors:

"Him? Someone from the Zhao Family?"

"Chen Guan... I don't think the Zhao Family has anyone by that name..."

On the main street, practically no one knew who Chen Guan was.

But they all knew this hero was not to be trifled with.

Yet, an elderly wandering knight in the distance said in surprise:

"Is... is it the young master that the Zhao Family sent people to the south of the city to hire others to find ten years ago? His mother... I believe her surname was Chen..."

This wandering knight had once been one of the people searching for Chen Guan, and being a meddlesome man who liked to gossip, he knew a thing or two about him.

He just didn't know about the name change.

But he knew that with strength like Chen Guan's and the martial arts to kill people so easily, he was at least a master of the Houtian Minor Accomplishment!

And given the power he displayed by throwing a man with such force that he shattered a thick gate.

Perhaps, he might even be at the Houtian Major Accomplishment.

Chen Guan paid them no mind, instead looking at the ashen-faced bandit leader in his hand.

"Where are the rest of them?

Since I've already started today, I might as well finish them all off."

"South..." The bandit leader no longer dared to hide anything, hoping only to suffer less now.

Because he hadn't spoken earlier, three of his fingers had already been crushed one by one by Chen Guan.

Just then.

"What's going on?"

"What are you all gathered here for?"

Accompanied by a righteous shout, two meddlesome martial artists from the town approached from the distance.

They were dressed in white robes, clutching sharp swords in their hands.

But as they drew near the center and saw the deathly silence, the shattered remains of the gate and twisted corpses on the ground, and the towering Chen Guan whose gaze was fixed upon them, they turned around.

The very next second, they retreated exactly the way they had come.