The Maniac Killer, Qiu Laojiu

From initial disdain to being stunned on the spot, it took less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Even the noodles he had been slurping were left dangling halfway out of his mouth.

Sun Fei seemed not to notice, lost in the memory of the few blade strikes Chen Zhuo had just executed.

"No way, right?"

He found it hard to believe his own eyes.

But there could be no mistake.

He was intimately familiar with the Zhengyang Blade Technique; setting aside the first ten strikes Chen Zhuo had unleashed, the final two had already entered the inner sanctum, possessing a genuine essence of the Zhengyang Blade Technique.

"How long did it take me to master the basics of the Zhengyang Blade? Three days? Or five?"

Sun Fei couldn't quite recall.

He prided himself on being a prodigy, and even his elder brother had once heaped praise upon his progress with the Zhengyang Blade.

Yet, whether it was three days or five, it was nowhere near the single cup of tea's time it had taken Chen Zhuo.

Moreover, he had received personal instruction from his elder brother, while this kid had relied solely on a small manual.

Sun Fei suddenly felt the noodles in his mouth lose all flavor.

"Full?"

Chen Zhuo stopped practicing, sheathed his long blade, and sat back down.

"Why aren't you continuing?"

Sun Fei's tone was tinged with bitterness.

"Can't let it go to waste."

Unaware of the other's thoughts, Chen Zhuo picked up the remaining noodles and began to eat again.

Watching Chen Zhuo wolf down his food, Sun Fei's mood suddenly improved significantly.

At least for the moment, this kid's progress still lagged far behind his own.

Back at the yamen, perhaps due to Fatty Sun's powerful connections, or perhaps because the Swift Squad was inherently idle, Chen Zhuo found himself with nothing to do, which he actually found rather uncomfortable.

Compared to the busyness he had experienced in the Black-Uniform Squad, the Swift Squad was practically a place for retirement and leisure.

However, he didn't remain idle.

With energy and free time, it was the perfect moment for martial arts training.

Finding an open space outside the hall, he immediately set up his stance.

The core of the martial path was the method of training; without reaching the necessary realm, even the most exquisite fighting techniques would fail to kill an opponent.

His focus still had to remain on the Iron Cloth Shirt.

Chen Zhuo held his stance, adjusted his breathing, and gradually immersed himself in his training.

Watching this scene, Sun Fei suddenly felt a sense of helplessness.

Even his Iron Cloth Shirt had shown significant progress compared to yesterday.

With such talent, combined with this level of diligence, was he truly so unstoppable?

He gritted his teeth and resolutely joined in the training.

But before long, a yamen runner suddenly walked over and whispered a few words into Sun Fei's ear.

Sun Fei's expression changed instantly, the fat on his cheeks trembling three times over.

"I'm heading out for a bit."

With that, before Chen Zhuo could even react, he had already hurried away.

Chen Zhuo ended his stance and looked at Fatty Sun's broad back with confusion, though he didn't pry.

In his current position, he had no standing to concern himself with the affairs of others.

[Iron Cloth Shirt +3]

"The effects of the Blood Vitality Pill are surprisingly good."

Chen Zhuo constantly monitored the changes in his body, discovering that even after practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt three times in one go, his breathing was only slightly rapid, far from his limit.

Under the flow of blood vitality, his depleted energy recovered quickly.

"The stuff is good, but it's outrageously expensive."

Chen Zhuo sighed.

One tael of silver was enough for a poor family of three in the outer city to live on for over half a year.

Based on the monthly stipend Master Yan gave him, he would have to go without food or drink for over half a year just to save up for one pill.

Poverty.

Only by becoming a formal yamen runner could this situation be thoroughly reversed.

At this moment, Chen Zhuo's desire to make money climbed to a new level.

Just then, three urgent tolls of a bell rang out from the inner hall of the Swift Squad.

"Clang, clang, clang."

When the Awakening Bell sounded, every yamen runner and White-Uniform Runner was required to report to the inner hall.

Is there a case?

Chen Zhuo did not hesitate, immediately striding into the inner hall.

Upon entering, he saw the squad leader, Yao Xiong, sitting squarely in a grand armchair.

Standing beside him was a thin old man with a pair of small mustaches, whom everyone addressed as Fifth Master; he was the same man who had processed Chen Zhuo's paperwork that morning.

Beside the two men, a massive scroll hung on a screen.

The scroll depicted the portrait of a man.

His eyebrows were thick, coarse, and unruly, his cheekbones high and prominent, and his eyes glinted with a fierce, predatory light—at a glance, he possessed the look of a wolf.

"Look closely at the man in this portrait. This is Qiu Laojiu, the former leader of the Long River Gang. He is a vicious, heinous criminal who has slaughtered thirteen people in recent days. He even dared to reach his claws into the yamen; he is more deranged than the demonic beasts in the mountain forests outside the city."

Fifth Master spat as he spoke before the portrait, his words stunning everyone in the room.

Thirteen consecutive murders—even in times of peace, this would be considered a major, high-priority case anywhere.

"Memorize this thief's appearance. Do not miss a single detail. Burn it into your eyes and etch it into your hearts."

The mustachioed runner swept his gaze over the crowd and said coldly, "Dianshi Sun has decreed: a reward of fifty taels for anyone who spots his trail, and three hundred taels for anyone with the skill to capture this thief, dead or alive!"

Three hundred taels?

Hearing that number, Chen Zhuo's heart gave a violent jolt.

With his current monthly salary, he wouldn't earn that much in a lifetime.

"From today on, set aside all trivial matters and focus entirely on hunting this thief!"

Yao Xiong's command was resonant and firm, vibrating against their eardrums.

Everyone hurriedly voiced their compliance.

"All yamen runners are to fan out and search. Scour every street, dig three feet into the ground if you must, but catch this bastard to restore order!"

"White-Uniform Runners, go post these portraits. I don't care when you start, but by sunset, this man's face must be plastered all over the city."

With the order given, both the runners and the White-Uniforms sprang into action.

If this major case were successfully resolved, the higher-ups would eat the meat, but they would at least get to drink the rich broth.

"You, go to the west of the Outer City."

"You, go to the southeast of the Inner City."

"You, go to the northwest of the Outer City."

The White-Uniform Runners were each handed a stack of portraits.

Chen Zhuo counted his; there were thirty-three in total.

Were they really going to cover the entire city?

"I'll say it again: if these aren't posted by sunset, this task is considered a failure, and you will bear the consequences yourselves."

Fifth Master scanned the White-Uniform Runners, his gaze lingering on Chen Zhuo for a brief moment before moving on as if nothing had happened.

Chen Zhuo felt a slight sense of unease, but he didn't pay it much mind.

I just arrived at the Swift Squad, and already the easy days are over.

He had been assigned the northern region of the Outer City, the furthest point from the county yamen.

He had his work cut out for him if he wanted to finish posting these before sunset.

Chen Zhuo took the portraits and turned to leave.

However, he didn't head straight out; he first went to the kitchen to ask for leave.

Fortunately, the kitchen wasn't busy at midday, as they were mostly preparing meals for the runners.

Without him, the others could manage just fine.

He stopped by the kitchen and grabbed some lunch while he was at it.

Quite by accident, he overheard a piece of news.

"I heard the Qiu Family sisters and their whole family are dead. They died in a miserable state—not only were they stark naked, but their hearts and lungs had been carved out."

"The world looks peaceful on the surface, but who knows how much filth is hidden in the shadows."

"The killer is that brutal? I wonder who it was, and what kind of grudge they could have had against the Qiu Family sisters..."

Qiu Laojiu?

Chen Zhuo's pupils contracted sharply, his eyelids twitching violently.

"No wonder Old Yan said something happened to the Qiu sisters, and Fifth Master mentioned that Qiu Laojiu's claws had reached into the yamen."

"It seems those three hundred taels of silver won't be easy to take."

Chen Zhuo rubbed his face vigorously with his hands, the tension in his heart easing significantly.

Without sufficient strength, he could not afford to cross this vicious bandit!

With this thought in mind, Chen Zhuo hurried toward the Drill Ground.

It was destined that he wouldn't be able to practice martial arts today, but before leaving the yamen, he couldn't miss out on the free Blood-Strengthening Soup!

On the Drill Ground, some yamen runners had already brought out the Blood-Strengthening Soup ahead of time.

Yet, when Chen Zhuo went to get his portion, he was flatly refused.

A familiar-looking, handsome youth suddenly appeared before him.