You Don't Know You Were Wrong—You Know You're Going to Die!

This was a golden fist.

It gleamed with golden light, fierce and unstoppable. The force it unleashed directly blasted apart the air, producing a terrifying boom.

In an instant, Zhou Qing's golden fist collided with the iron-tower brute's sandbag-sized fist.

BOOM!

The two forces collided, erupting with a dull crash.

Then, as if struck by a massive hammer, the iron-tower brute was sent flying backward, crashing into the crowd behind him.

"Ah, get out of the way!"

Someone let out a terrified scream.

But they were still too slow to react.

The iron-tower brute's massive body flew at them like a mountain. The crowd behind him was instantly knocked sprawling in all directions. Bones broke and tendons snapped; blood sprayed from their mouths amid endless screams.

A guard dragged Zhou Yunpeng away, and he barely avoided the impact. Even so, he was so frightened that he collapsed onto the ground, unable to maintain any dignity.

"Cough, cough, cough... Impossible!"

The iron-tower brute lay on the ground, coughing up blood again and again. His face was pale, and he did not even have the strength to crawl back to his feet.

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

He had cultivated the second-rate body-tempering technique, Iron Cloth Shirt, to the perfected sixth layer. When fully unleashed, it could produce tens of thousands of jin of force. With his bare fists, he could kill fierce beasts like tigers and bears.

Yet Zhou Qing's strike had directly shattered his Iron Cloth Shirt, crushing his martial arts with devastating force.

Such strength was not something a Second-rate Martial Artist could possess.

"A First-rate... First-rate Martial Artist!"

The iron-tower brute was horrified.

Zhou Qing was not a Second-rate Martial Artist at all, but a First-rate Martial Artist—and one who cultivated a body-tempering technique.

Had he known Zhou Qing was a First-rate Martial Artist, he never would have accepted this job. This was simply courting death.

At the thought that he might lose his life because of this, the iron-tower brute was seized by fear. He struggled to rise from the ground, but Zhou Qing had already arrived before him, raising the long blade in his hand.

SPLURT!

A head with its eyes wide open flew high into the air.

"How could this happen?!"

Zhou Yunpeng, slumped on the ground, looked ashen.

He had spent a fortune to hire this iron-tower brute from the Prefecture City. He was a Peak Second-rate Martial Artist at the sixth level of the Acquired Realm, and his primary cultivation was a body-tempering technique—he had been specifically brought in to deal with Zhou Qing.

But to his surprise, the iron-tower brute had been utterly vulnerable before Zhou Qing, unable to withstand even a single move.

Zhou Yunpeng's heart was filled with despair and unwillingness.

If he had known things would turn out this way, he should have arranged for someone to die in the county yamen's prison instead of waiting for the autumn execution.

But no matter how hard Zhou Yunpeng racked his brains, he could not understand it.

A little over a month ago, Zhou Qing had merely been an ordinary physician at a private clinic. How had he suddenly become so powerful?

Could it be that an unparalleled master had been imprisoned in the county yamen's jail, and Zhou Qing had obtained the man's lifetime of cultivation?

This was not some storybook tale. Such an absurd thing was impossible.

"Zhou Yunpeng, now it's your turn!"

Zhou Qing carried his blade and slowly walked toward Zhou Yunpeng.

His voice was calm and cold, as if he were merely stating something insignificant. But to Zhou Yunpeng, it was like thunder exploding in his ears. His entire body trembled as the shadow of death immediately shrouded his heart.

"Z-Zhou, young hero, let's talk this over!"

An intense fear rose in Zhou Yunpeng's heart. He wanted to run, but his body seemed nailed to the ground, unable to move at all.

"Zhou, young hero, this all started because of that unfilial son of mine. You already killed that unfilial son, so there is no irreconcilable hatred between us. I should not have issued a martial world bounty because of his death. I know I was wrong. As long as you spare my life, I'll give you however much money you want!"

Zhou Yunpeng's voice trembled faintly as he tried to use money to move Zhou Qing and buy himself a way out.

"You don't know you were wrong. You know you're going to die," Zhou Qing said indifferently. "You want me to spare you? I'm not in the business of letting horses go!"

As his words fell, Zhou Qing abruptly accelerated, pouncing toward Zhou Yunpeng like a bolt of lightning.

"No..."

Zhou Yunpeng's face was full of terror.

He wanted to dodge, but his body would not obey him. Moreover, Zhou Qing was simply too fast. Zhou Yunpeng had only opened his mouth and cried out a single word when the long blade in Zhou Qing's hand sliced through his windpipe.

"The criminal Zhou Qing from the wanted list has appeared!"

"Surround Zhou Manor! We absolutely cannot let Zhou Qing escape this time!"

"Fortunately, the Eagle Wolf Guard lord investigating Zhou Qing has not left yet. Now that the criminal Zhou Qing has appeared, he definitely won't get away!"

"The Eagle Wolf Guard lord leading them this time is a Red Wolf Deputy Commander, a First-rate Martial Artist at the seventh level of the Acquired Realm!"

At that moment, waves of commotion came from outside Zhou Manor, mixed with hurried footsteps and the clashing of weapons.

Zhou Manor was not far from the county yamen. Clearly, the county constables had received word and rushed over quickly, surrounding Zhou Manor.

"So you're Zhou Qing? Hmph. There is a road to heaven, yet you refuse to take it; hell has no gate, yet you throw yourself inside. Today will be the day you die!"

As a booming voice rang out, a man in red strode into the rear courtyard of Zhou Manor. Two martial artists clad in black wolf uniforms followed behind him.

The man in red had a resolute face and blade-like eyes, exuding an imposing aura even without anger.

He was Lin Feng, a Red Wolf Deputy Commander of the Eagle Wolf Guard in Anqing Prefecture, a First-rate Martial Artist at the seventh level of the Acquired Realm.

"The Eagle Wolf Guard is here!"

"Wonderful, we're saved!"

"That man is Lin Feng, a Red Wolf Deputy Commander of the Eagle Wolf Guard and a First-rate Martial Artist at the seventh level of the Acquired Realm. Zhou Qing can't possibly be his match."

Zhou Yunpeng's wives and children, who had been in despair, cried out excitedly at the sight of Lin Feng.

As though they had seen a savior, these people hurriedly ran before Lin Feng and fell to their knees, kowtowing repeatedly. "Lord Lin, you must uphold justice for us! This Zhou Qing is utterly lawless. He killed the master and injured so many of us. You must bring him to justice!"

"Rest assured. With me here, Zhou Qing will not harm a hair on your heads." Lin Feng nodded slightly, then looked at Zhou Qing and said coldly, "Zhou Qing, do you know your crimes?"

"What crime have I committed?"

Zhou Qing remained calm as he replied indifferently.

"You escaped prison without authorization, killed people in the streets, and even slew Zhao Sheng of the Eagle Wolf Guard, an imperial official. Now you have broken into Zhou Manor and committed murder. Your crimes are monstrous, too numerous to record on bamboo slips. Today, I will apprehend you and uphold the laws of the state!"

As his words fell, Lin Feng struck instantly.

Both his fists blasted out, carrying the force to shatter mountains.

At this moment, facing that punch, Zhou Qing felt an invisible force pressing down upon him. In his eyes, Lin Feng's fists grew larger and larger, towering like mountains.

These fists could smash even mountain peaks to pieces.