Chen Jing carried the water buffalo hide sack containing the Red-patterned Spirit Fish. He didn't head straight home but turned toward the Carriage Firm first.
As soon as he reached the entrance, he saw a group of constables in black uniforms, long sabers hanging at their waists, gathered around the gate.
The constable leading them stood with his hands on his hips, his face dark.
Old Man Lin, meanwhile, hunched over and stood firmly in front of the entrance. His legs were trembling uncontrollably, and his face had gone pale with fear, but he still gritted his teeth and refused to back down.
"Old Man Lin, don't push your luck!"
The head constable snarled at him. "Someone's been killed inside. We're here to investigate and do our duty! If you keep blocking us and obstructing official business, do you believe I'll haul you back to the yamen and give you thirty strokes of the rod? You'll regret it!"
"I... I can't let you in!"
Old Man Lin's voice trembled, but he still craned his neck and shouted, "Master Chen told me to keep an eye on this Carriage Firm. Without his orders, nobody's allowed inside!"
"Master Chen?"
The head constable's brows knitted together, his face full of confusion. He turned to his subordinates. "Have any of you heard of some Master Chen around here?"
They all shook their heads. Clearly, none of them had heard that name.
The head constable grew impatient, his tone turning even harsher. "What kind of no-name master is that? You're senile! Move aside, or I really will use force!"
"Master Chen is a martial artist from the River-Breaking Fist Academy!"
Old Man Lin panicked and hurriedly revealed Chen Jing's identity. "If you force your way in, you'll be offending Master Chen!"
"Martial artist?!"
At those two words, the constables' faces changed at once, and their earlier arrogance wilted away.
The head constable's pupils shrank, and he instinctively reined in his imposing air.
They knew full well that although the county magistrate seemed to rule Red Rock County, in truth, the Three Great Families of the Inner City called the shots.
Constables like them could bully ordinary people, but going up against a martial artist wasn't worth the risk.
Besides, they were only ordinary constables. Even the county magistrate had to treat martial artists with respect.
After all, martial artists were terrifyingly strong. If a conflict broke out and one punched them to death, the magistrate wouldn't dare say much. At most, he'd make a token payment and let the matter rest.
Martial artists in the capital might still show officials some consideration, but in a county town like this, the magistrate was little more than a figurehead.
No matter how many officials there were, few knew martial arts, and they simply couldn't control martial artists.
As for the prefectures and provinces, they had long since been carved up by the various martial arts factions. The imperial court controlled little beyond the few provinces around the capital.
The so-called Great Gan Dynasty and its so-called emperor were, when all was said and done, merely the leader of one faction. They couldn't command the world; they were only its nominal overlord.
The head constable quickly weighed his options. He didn't dare offend a martial artist who might be here, but he didn't want to slink away empty-handed, either.
As the head constable was agonizing over what to do, Old Man Lin's eyes suddenly lit up. He spotted Chen Jing approaching in the distance and immediately shouted, "Master Chen! You're finally here!"
"Master Chen?"
At the words, the constables all jolted and hurriedly turned to look.
A tall, upright young man was approaching at an unhurried pace, carrying a bulging water buffalo hide sack.
He wore fitted clothes, and a powerful aura of blood and qi radiated faintly from him. One look was enough to tell that he wasn't someone to underestimate.
The bloodstains on his clothes only added to his air of menace.
As Chen Jing approached, the drivers and passersby watching nearby hurriedly made way for him, their eyes filled with awe.
While Chen Jing had been away, word had spread through the area that he had killed Wang Chi with a single punch.
Chen Jing reached the entrance, glanced over the constables, then looked at Old Man Lin and asked calmly, "What's going on here?"
"Master Chen, they're constables. They insist on breaking into the Carriage Firm..."
Old Man Lin hurried forward, breathless as he explained.
"Wait!"
Before Old Man Lin could finish, the head constable hurried over, his face instantly breaking into a flattering smile. "Master Chen! It's a misunderstanding, all of it! We didn't come to break into your place. We heard someone had been killed here and came specially to help you deal with the bodies!"
The head constable quickly added, "I saw that the drivers were all ordinary people and figured they probably wouldn't know how to handle corpses. We wouldn't want them to make a mess and leave the place stinking."
"So I brought my men along to help clean everything up. Don't worry, Master Chen. We'll take care of it properly!"
The head constable had practiced martial arts for a few years in his youth. It had taken him a full five years just to barely break through to the First Blood Realm. That bit of strength was what had earned him his position after Head Constable Zhao died.
As soon as he had approached Chen Jing, he'd sensed an exceptionally powerful aura of blood and qi from him, stronger than any First Blood Martial Artist he'd ever encountered.
This man was definitely a Second Blood Realm powerhouse!
The head constable secretly congratulated himself on his good judgment. It was fortunate he hadn't actually tried to force his way in. With Chen Jing's strength, all of them together wouldn't be enough to withstand a single punch.
"I see."
Chen Jing nodded and didn't press the matter. He turned to Old Man Lin. "Did anyone else come here to cause trouble while I was gone?"
"No!"
Old Man Lin patted his chest in assurance. "A few tried to take advantage of the chaos and force their way inside, but I stopped them. A few servants, the steward, and some of the family members did escape through the back door, though."
"Doesn't matter."
Chen Jing didn't take it to heart. He instructed Old Man Lin, "Go notify the other drivers. Have them all come here tomorrow. The rules of this Carriage Firm need to change."
"Absolutely, Master Chen! You can count on me!"
Old Man Lin hurriedly agreed and turned to notify the others.
Chen Jing said no more. He led the constables into the Carriage Firm and headed straight for the side hall.
Following behind him, the head constable saw several bodies strewn across the side hall. When he saw Wang Chi's twisted corpse in particular, his heart gave a nervous twitch, and he was even more grateful that he'd known better than to provoke Chen Jing.
Chen Jing pointed to the bodies on the floor and said calmly, "Take care of these corpses."
"No problem! We'll handle it properly!"
The head constable hurriedly agreed, then turned and barked at his men, "What are you standing around for? Get those bodies out of here and bury them somewhere! Move quickly, and don't disturb Master Chen!"
The subordinates didn't dare dawdle. They hurried forward, lifting the bodies in a chaotic rush and carrying them outside.
Watching the constables work with practiced efficiency, Chen Jing paid them no further attention. He turned and began searching the Carriage Firm for spoils.
He went to Wang Chi's bedroom first. Before long, he found a heavy wooden chest hidden in a compartment beneath the bed.
When he opened it, he found it filled with silver ingots and copper coins, along with some scattered jewelry.
Although the fleeing servants, steward, and Wang Chi's family had taken some of the money and valuables, most of the valuable things had been left behind. Altogether, there was nearly a hundred taels of silver.
Most importantly, the title deed to the Carriage Firm was still there.
That meant that from this moment on, both the Carriage Firm and the building were legally Chen Jing's property. There could be no further dispute.
With the title deed in hand, Chen Jing finally felt at ease. After carefully putting away the money and deed, he went straight to the Carriage Firm's kitchen.
He set down the water buffalo hide sack containing the Red-patterned Spirit Fish on the cutting board, untied it, and reached into the water, gripping the fish precisely by its dorsal fin.
Startled, the fish struggled with considerable force, but Chen Jing didn't budge. He curled the fingers of his other hand into a fist and lightly tapped the fish on the head. It immediately stopped struggling and passed out.
Chen Jing then set to work, quick and practiced. He scraped off the fine silver scales, slit open the belly, and cleaned out the guts and bloodline.
Once it was clean, he rinsed the fish with fresh water. He didn't need any complicated seasoning. He simply made a few cuts along its body, placed it in a large iron pot, poured in enough water to cover it, put the lid on, and lit the fire to steam it.
Before long, an enticing fragrance rose from the pot and seeped through the gaps around the lid.
Chen Jing lifted the lid and didn't bother with ceremony. He picked up a pair of chopsticks, grabbed a large piece of snowy-white fish, and put it straight into his mouth without even blowing on it.
The fish melted in his mouth. As soon as it reached his stomach, pure blood and qi—several times richer than that from Green-skinned Horned Pig meat—surged out of his abdomen like a rushing stream and rapidly flowed through his limbs and bones. Wherever it passed, his meridians were nourished until they felt slightly swollen, and his normally steady blood and qi instantly grew more active.
"The Red-patterned Spirit Fish is far more effective than I expected!"
Feeling the blood and qi flooding through him, delight flashed in Chen Jing's eyes.
The blood and qi in that single bite were even richer than what he'd gotten from eating a large piece of Green-skinned Horned Pig meat. The difference in their nourishing effects was like night and day.
What surprised Chen Jing even more was that as the fish's blood and qi nourished him, the dormant Exemption Bead in his mind began to grow warm. It started absorbing the pure energy of his blood and qi on its own, and a faint glimmer gradually appeared on its previously dull surface.
Chen Jing didn't waste any more time and picked up his pace.
The fish melted in his mouth, and blood and qi poured continuously into his body as the Exemption Bead's energy rapidly accumulated.
Before long, he had devoured the half-zhang-long Red-patterned Spirit Fish whole, even drinking every last drop of the clear fish soup.
Setting down his chopsticks, Chen Jing let out a long breath of stale air. Blood and qi surged through his body, his pores opened slightly, and he felt refreshed from head to toe.
And with the blood and qi from the fish nourishing it, the Exemption Bead in his mind had accumulated half the energy it needed.
Ever since Chen Jing had broken through to the Blood River Realm, the energy required by the Exemption Bead had skyrocketed. Before, even a pound of Green-skinned Horned Pig meat had only increased its energy by a sliver.
Now, one fish had filled it halfway. The efficiency was astonishing.
Chen Jing thought it over. At this rate, either one more Red-patterned Spirit Fish or another fifty pounds of Green-skinned Horned Pig meat would be enough to fill the Exemption Bead completely. Then he'd get another chance to avoid paying the price!
While the Exemption Bead still wasn't full...
Chen Jing's eyes shifted slightly. He had already made up his mind.
I need to go to the Ghost Market.
I'll see if I can get my hands on a few more demonic arts. Once the Exemption Bead is full, I'll practice them.
Before you continue