Guesswork

Once he had calmed down, Fang Xing put his thoughts aside.

Although killing martial artists could earn him Enhancement Points, martial artists weren't so easy to kill.

At the very least, his current strength wasn't enough.

But with these fifty unexpected Enhancement Points, he could start strengthening his martial arts.

A trace of anticipation stirred in his heart. What changes would come after he strengthened his martial arts?

"An emissary..."

"Who could it be?"

He drew his saber and wiped the blood from its blade. Then he sheathed it and studied Xu Hu's corpse, lost in thought.

Judging from Xu Hu's final words, the person behind him was probably no ordinary figure.

This also meant he could rule out Yang Bo completely.

The word "emissary" was most often used by the powers of the martial world.

The one truly targeting him was probably this so-called emissary.

But he was only a lowly constable. What power in the martial world would go to such lengths to deal with him?

To have someone make a move against him like this, there had to be a deep-seated grudge.

"An emissary... a power from the martial world... Could it be!"

Suddenly, a name surfaced in Fang Xing's mind.

The Fire Worship Cult!

When he had first transmigrated here, his predecessor had pursued a fugitive.

And that fugitive had belonged to the Fire Worship Cult.

It didn't seem strange for a cult member to be called an emissary.

"Could it be that guy..." Fang Xing recalled a somewhat blurry face.

Was the Fire Worship Cult behind the Black Tiger Gang?

Had the cult already infiltrated Qingshan...

The fugitive was a cult member, and then he had instructed the Black Tiger Gang's leader to target Fang Xing. It seemed like all the pieces fit together.

But Fang Xing couldn't be completely certain. This was all just speculation on his part.

Now that he had killed the Black Tiger Gang's leader, the "emissary" behind him would probably go into hiding.

It was like a venomous snake lurking in the dark, ready to strike him at any moment.

And once he realized Fang Xing was responsible, the "emissary" would surely become even more cautious.

It would probably be very difficult to lure him out.

"My strength still isn't enough... But if that fugitive really is the one, then maybe it won't be too much of a problem."

A thought flashed through Fang Xing's mind.

The fugitive had been at the Bright Force level. Despite suffering severe injuries back then, he had still managed to escape. Fang Xing estimated that he had reached the peak of Bright Force.

If so, Fang Xing would feel some pressure, but it wouldn't be a major problem.

He still couldn't handle someone at the peak of Bright Force, but with enough Enhancement Points to improve his skills and raise his strength, it wouldn't be an insurmountable challenge.

After all, now that the Black Tiger Gang's leader was dead, that man would surely be even more cautious.

He wouldn't act so easily.

Whether or not the fugitive was the emissary, Fang Xing had some time.

And that time was his chance to increase his strength.

More importantly, the mastermind behind this definitely didn't know that he had already been promoted to Deputy Constable.

If he did know, he would surely "take his time to plan"!

He would strike while doing everything he could to avoid exposing himself.

Then Fang Xing might have even more time.

Perhaps several months, or even longer.

That would be a great advantage for him!

In a few months, he could earn well over a hundred Enhancement Points.

With enough resources, even though his innate talent was poor, his comprehension was strong. Even if he couldn't break through to the next realm, reaching the peak of Bright Force in a few months wouldn't be much of a problem.

Having thought it through, Fang Xing relaxed.

Whoever this "emissary" was, at least he had some time to improve his strength.

Looking at Xu Hu's corpse, Fang Xing's expression settled into calm.

Then he headed for the gambling den's entrance.

When Xu Le and the others saw Fang Xing come out, they went up to him. But the moment they noticed the blood on his uniform, Xu Le's expression turned serious.

Xu Le glanced into the dim gambling den. When Xu Hu didn't appear, he turned to Fang Xing. "How'd it go?"

At Xu Le's question, several constables and a few members of the Black Tiger Gang nearby all looked toward him.

Fang Xing replied calmly, "It's taken care of."

"Taken care of..."

At those words, the Black Tiger Gang members all breathed a sigh of relief.

The lanky young man stepped forward with a smile. "Sirs, since everything's fine now, we can go back to business, right? Sorry for the trouble."

Fang Xing glanced at the lanky young man, his expression indifferent. "Everything's fine? Who said that?"

"???"

The lanky young man froze at his words.

Hadn't it been taken care of?

The constables also looked at Fang Xing in confusion.

"Xu Hu hired someone to commit murder, but the attempt failed. Afterward, he deliberately killed two people to silence them. His actions were exposed just now, and he has been executed."

Boom!!!

Fang Xing's voice rang out again, each word clear in everyone's ears.

His words burst in the minds of the Black Tiger Gang members like a clap of thunder.

Their leader... was dead?!

H-How could that be!

Their leader was a Bright Force martial artist!

He'd died in that short a time?!

It was fake. It had to be fake!

The Black Tiger Gang members all lost their wits.

Even Xu Le and the others were stunned when they heard Fang Xing's words.

Fang Xing had killed the Black Tiger Gang's leader.

The Black Tiger Gang's leader had been a bona fide Bright Force martial artist.

Xu Le could hardly believe it.

He knew Fang Xing had won their sparring match, but he had never imagined Fang Xing was this powerful.

He had only reached Bright Force a day or two ago, yet he could already kill a true martial artist.

Th-This was simply unbelievable.

"B-Boss Fang, is... is it true?"

A constable came to his senses and looked at Fang Xing in a daze, unable to stop himself from asking.

"Of course. He's been executed, and this case is over," Fang Xing replied.

At those words, the constables were completely certain that this wasn't a joke.

But Fang Xing's decisive action still filled them with a trace of unease.

Such overwhelming strength, and such a swift, thunderous hand!

He was like a completely different person from the Fang Xing they had known.

The first fire of this new officer's tenure had practically blinded them.

On his very first day, he had wiped out a Bright Force martial artist and dealt with a gang leader.

Whatever the details, the result was absolutely shocking.

"Boss, what should we do with them?" Xu Le had changed the way he addressed Fang Xing, and his voice held a trace of respect.

At these words, the Black Tiger Gang members who had been standing there dazed finally came to their senses.

They instinctively wanted to run, but they felt an invisible pressure radiating from Fang Xing. Their legs went weak, and they stood rooted to the spot.

"Take all the money they have on them. It's all a fine," Fang Xing said.

As Deputy Constable, second only to Xu Zhengxiong, the top authority in North City, he could issue a verdict entirely on his own.

The constables of Great Jing did more than keep the peace.

They also had the authority to make arrests and pass judgment.

Only exceptionally serious cases required a county magistrate's ruling. For ordinary cases, as Deputy Constable, he could practically decide life and death with a single word.

Even after dealing with Xu Hu, there wouldn't be any major repercussions.

He only needed to report it to Xu Zhengxiong when he got back.

That was the power of a Deputy Constable!

The judicial system combined investigation, arrest, and sentencing.

A few deaths wouldn't stir up much of a storm.

Refugees starved to death outside the city, and members of the underworld fought each other. People died every day.

In an era when chaos was on the rise, human life was worth less than a dog's.

Hearing Fang Xing's words, the Black Tiger Gang members breathed a sigh of relief. Before the constables could approach, they hurriedly handed over the money pouches on their own.

All five respectfully handed over the money they had on them.

Every pouch ended up in Fang Xing's hands.

He weighed them and nodded, then handed four of the pouches to Xu Le and the others.

One apiece.

They were all just loose change—not even a scrap of silver—but it was still an unexpected windfall.

Everyone broke into delighted smiles.

Officially, of course, Fang Xing was having them collect fines.

The justification was nothing more than the words he had just spoken.