The Slaps Echo Loudly

Chen Zhuo took off his bamboo hat, looking at Huang Yuan'er expressionlessly with his head tilted slightly.

The Huang Yuan'er before him was vastly different from the one in his memory.

The Instructor Huang of his memory had a harmless, round face and was always smiling.

How could he be as irritable as he was now?

Was it related to Zhou Sheng's death?

Or perhaps, was it related to that courtyard?

Chen Zhuo narrowed his eyes, appearing as if he were stunned in place; to onlookers, it seemed as though he had been scolded into silence.

"Are you mute?"

A hunched old bailiff behind Huang Yuan'er stepped forward and barked again.

Chen Zhuo snapped back to reality, but instead of answering, he simply dropped the several heavy bundles he was carrying onto the ground.

With a few "thuds," the bundles hit the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Huang Yuan'er frowned and waved his hand backward.

Several bailiffs immediately stepped forward to rummage through the bundles, but other than some spices and ingredients, they found nothing unusual.

"Squad Leader Huang, what is the meaning of this?"

Chen Zhuo spread his hands, feigning confusion as he asked.

"I will ask one last time: where did you go today?"

Huang Yuan'er's round face was etched with wrinkles; anyone could see he was on the verge of a violent outburst.

Chen Zhuo pointed to the spices and ingredients on the ground: "I was ordered to go out and purchase these. Does this also displease Squad Leader Huang?"

"If that is the case, next time you should have Master Yan send someone else."

With that, Chen Zhuo couldn't be bothered to pay him any more mind and bent down to pick up the heavy bundles again.

Suddenly, a large boot stepped onto the bundles.

With just one stomp, the jar containing the spices was crushed to pieces.

The rising spice powder was caught by the wind, coating Chen Zhuo from head to toe.

Chen Zhuo's eyelids twitched, and he slowly stood up.

He gently brushed the spices off his body, saying nothing, just tilting his head and quietly watching the old bailiff before him.

The old bailiff's mouth curled up, revealing a faint sneer.

Huang Yuan'er's voice rang out.

"I heard someone saw you at the Ghost Market."

Chen Zhuo turned his head to look at Huang Yuan'er with an indifferent expression:

"I went there once to have my fortune told by the Old Blind Man at the east end of the street."

"If you don't believe me, you are welcome to go and ask."

Upon hearing the name "Old Blind Man," Huang Yuan'er seemed to fall into a whirlpool of memories, his expression changing instantly.

But soon, his face returned to normal, and he scrutinized Chen Zhuo, his gaze finally settling on Chen Zhuo's waist.

"Spirit Fish?"

Huang Yuan'er was somewhat surprised. His expression shifted again, and he waved his hand with a playful look: "Search him thoroughly. See where he got the silver to afford such a rare item as a Spirit Fish."

"Heh..."

The old bailiff let out a sinister, strange laugh, stepped forward, and reached out to touch Chen Zhuo.

Just then, a loud sound rang out abruptly.

Smack.

Chen Zhuo slapped the old bailiff directly across the face.

He didn't use much force; the old bailiff merely cried out in pain.

By the time he reacted, he pointed at Chen Zhuo in a rage: "You dare..."

Before he could finish, he was met with two more heavy slaps.

Smack! Smack!

The old bailiff was left dazed, unable to react for a moment.

The opponent was only at the Skin-Grinding Realm. Chen Zhuo controlled his strength well; he didn't kill him with a single blow, but the effect was sufficient.

The slaps had to be loud—loud enough to strike Huang Yuan'er in the face.

Before the old bailiff could recover from his stupor, Chen Zhuo delivered two more slaps.

These two strikes carried much more force, causing the old man's face to swell up as his body toppled to the ground.

"Insolent."

Chen Zhuo had just retracted his palm when Huang Yuan'er's angry shout suddenly rang in his ears.

In an instant, a scorching wave of heat surged toward him.

Chen Zhuo was not the least bit surprised; he retreated as nimbly as a loach, his hand, which had long been resting on the hilt of his blade, giving a light tug.

The long blade left its sheath.

Then, from bottom to top, he delivered an upward slash.

The heat wave seemed to be split in two by this strike, its momentum instantly slowing.

"How bold, you dare to draw your blade?"

"It's not the first time, why wouldn't I dare?"

Chen Zhuo and Huang Yuan'er exchanged a single move, ending with Chen Zhuo sliding back a dozen paces.

Huang Yuan'er retracted his fist, his eyes locked onto Chen Zhuo. Although his gaze was brimming with murderous intent, his heart was in a state of turmoil.

Bone-Entering Realm?!

How many days had it been since that Morning Assembly?

The strength of his muscles and bones, the sharpness of his blade technique—they had been raised by several tiers compared to before.

Even though he had already undergone blood-refining, he had been forced to dodge the edge of that strike just now.

Such innate talent and foundation, combined with such solid martial cultivation, was simply too astonishing.

He absolutely would not allow such a person to exist in Baiyun County.

Today, he must be killed.

With this thought, Huang Yuan'er no longer intended to hold anything back.

However, just as he prepared to strike, a massive shadow suddenly enveloped him, and a heat wave like a mountain wildfire surged over his entire body.

Huang Yuan'er's eyelids twitched wildly; he abruptly halted his movements, turned his head, and gritted out, "Greetings, Master Sun."

The person who had arrived was none other than Chief Clerk Sun, whose stature was as broad and imposing as a mountain.

"Squad Leader Huang, why bother yourself with a mere White-Uniform Runner?"

After Chief Clerk Sun finished speaking, he turned his gaze toward Chen Zhuo, who was as tense as a bowstring, and said with lowered eyes, "Put your blade away."

Chen Zhuo exhaled a turbid breath and slid his long blade back into its sheath.

Since the Chief Clerk had appeared, the fight could no longer continue.

He silently tucked the peanut he had been holding in his palm back into his waist pouch.

Huang Yuan'er bowed his head and cupped his hands, saying coldly, "This man dared to draw his blade in the yamen; if he is not brought to justice on the spot, this matter cannot be justified."

Chief Clerk Sun glanced at the old runner lying on the ground and frowned slightly: "A troublemaker. Drag him away and throw him into the dungeon."

"As for you..."

Chief Clerk Sun looked at Chen Zhuo and said indifferently, "Go back to your kitchen and stay there. Let this be the last time; if you dare to draw your blade in the yamen again, I will show no mercy."

"Understood."

Chen Zhuo cupped his hands, feeling genuinely surprised.

Such a disposition was, if anything, too obviously biased.

The old runner took the fall, and the other runners dared not defy the order; even if they ground their teeth to dust, they could only swallow their resentment. The unconscious old runner was quickly dragged away.

Huang Yuan'er gritted his teeth so hard they clicked, but he remained silent.

He merely stared fixedly at Chen Zhuo, wishing he could swallow him whole.

"Hmph."

With a cold snort, Huang Yuan'er turned and left without even a word of greeting.

With his departure, this sudden farce came to an end.

Chief Clerk Sun cast a meaningful look at Chen Zhuo before leaving the scene in silence.

Chen Zhuo nodded slightly, knowing full well what that look meant.

Next time, don't draw your blade in the yamen. Outside, you can hack Huang Yuan'er to pieces however you like.

"Are you alright, Master Chen? Were you injured?"

Once everyone had left, Fifth Master walked up to Chen Zhuo and asked.

"My thanks."

Chen Zhuo cupped his hands toward him.

He knew that if it weren't for this Fifth Master, Chief Clerk Sun wouldn't have appeared here so coincidentally.

"It is good that you aren't injured."

Fifth Master stroked his two small mustaches, leaned in, and whispered, "Master Chen, rest assured. Before Young Master Sun left on his long journey, he specifically instructed me that I must ensure you remain safe and sound."

Sun Fei?

Chen Zhuo smiled knowingly and cupped his hands in thanks once more.

Injured?

That didn't exist.

The skirmish today had suddenly made him realize a truth.

Even though he was only in the Bone-Entering Realm, the gap between him and Huang Yuan'er, who had already reached the Blood-Changing Realm, was not as vast as he had imagined.

Perhaps it was because he had advanced his martial path step by step, building a foundation so solid it was unimaginable.

Compared to Huang Yuan'er, who had practiced martial arts on his own, even with the guidance of famous masters, his martial foundation remained flimsy and unstable in Chen Zhuo's eyes.

If they were at the same level, he could beat someone like Huang Yuan'er with one hand tied behind his back.

Thinking of this, Chen Zhuo recalled the porcelain bottles behind him, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile involuntarily.

"Tonight, I change my blood!"