A Man Cannot Grow Rich Without Windfalls, Nor a Horse Fat Without Night Grazing

The county yamen had three halls.

The first was the main hall, also called the court hall, where lawsuits were heard and cases tried.

The second hall was where official business was discussed and handled, and where guests were received.

The final, third hall was the County Magistrate's private inner residence, where he and his family lived.

Upon hearing that the criminal Zhou Qing had appeared, County Magistrate Lin Yue could not sleep at all. He waited for news with his aides and advisers in the second hall's reception area.

"This Zhou Qing truly has the audacity to defy heaven itself. He killed an Eagle Wolf Guard, entered the top hundred of the wanted list, and yet still dared to return to Black Stone County to commit murder."

Lin Yue said coldly.

"My lord need not worry. This time, Lord Lin Feng, the Red Wolf Deputy Commander of the Eagle Wolf Guard, has personally taken action. The criminal Zhou Qing cannot possibly escape."

The County Magistrate's adviser said.

"With the Red Wolf Deputy Commander acting, Zhou Qing certainly cannot escape." Lin Yue's face was gloomy. "But I fear that after Zhou Qing is caught, he will recklessly start talking. The Eagle Wolf Guard has the authority to supervise all officials. If they seriously investigate and trace the truth to its source, then this official will not have an easy time."

"My lord need not worry. Supervising all officials is the Eagle Guard's responsibility; the Wolf Guard only handles the capture of criminals." The adviser said, "If my lord is truly concerned, you may prepare a generous gift and send it to Lord Lin Feng's residence. So long as Lord Lin is willing to raise his hand and conceal part of the truth, my lord will naturally be fine."

"A generous gift!" Lin Yue nodded, then said, "Wait here!"

Not long after.

Lin Yue returned to the study in his inner residence.

From a hidden compartment, he took out a small iron chest containing banknotes.

Bang!

At that moment, the study doors were smashed apart. A golden figure charged in like a ferocious beast, splintered wood spraying everywhere.

"Who is it?!"

Lin Yue's expression changed drastically.

Sensing movement behind him, he spun around and struck out with his palm.

The palm force was fierce, heavy, and powerful.

It was a second-rate martial skill, the Great Open Tablet Palm.

Lin Yue himself was a Second-rate Martial Artist. As he drove the Great Open Tablet Palm with all his strength, an incomparably solid palm imprint of inner force burst from his hand.

But the golden figure neither dodged nor evaded. The inner-force palm imprint slammed into him, yet aside from tearing his clothes, it caused the golden figure no harm whatsoever.

Like a streak of golden lightning, the figure instantly reached Lin Yue and punched him in the chest.

Lin Yue only felt an immense force crash into him. His entire body flew backward and struck the study wall. That force drove him directly into the wall, embedding him there. Fragments of his internal organs mixed with blood sprayed wildly from his mouth. His face turned deathly pale, and he took in more breath than he let out.

The golden figure withdrew his fist and stood there, his gaze indifferent, as if he had done something utterly insignificant.

Lin Yue struggled to raise his head. His vision was blurred and his consciousness muddled. Blood ran from his mouth as he made a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "You... who are you?"

The golden figure did not answer. He merely walked slowly toward Lin Yue, placed both hands on the latter's head, and gave it a gentle twist.

Crack!

The sound of shattering bones rang out. Lin Yue's head instantly turned one hundred and eighty degrees, leaving his nostrils facing the ceiling.

After killing that dog of an official, Lin Yue, Zhou Qing crouched down and gathered up all the banknotes scattered across the floor.

"What a dog of an official, fleecing the people for so much of their sweat and blood."

Zhou Qing did not count them carefully, but the stack of banknotes in his hand was far thicker than what he had obtained from Zhou Manor. Moreover, quite a few were in denominations of one thousand taels.

By rough estimate, there had to be around a hundred thousand taels.

Three years as a clean County Magistrate, ten thousand snowflake silver.

That saying had not sprung from thin air.

Not to mention that Lin Yue was a great corrupt official. The banknotes alone amounted to so much; his other gold, silver, jewels, antiques, paintings and calligraphy, property deeds, shops, and fields would only be worth more than these hundred thousand taels of banknotes, never less.

Rich overnight.

For Zhou Qing, this was true overnight wealth.

A man could not grow rich without windfalls, nor could a horse grow fat without night grazing. If he earned money honestly, who knew what year or month it would be before he made a hundred thousand taels of silver?

"Who goes there?!"

"What thief dares to barge into the county yamen?!"

At that moment, the constables left behind at the county yamen heard the disturbance coming from the inner residence where the County Magistrate lived and immediately rushed over.

"C-County Magistrate!"

Some constables arrived and saw Lin Yue embedded in the wall.

Their faces were blank with shock. They simply could not believe the sight before them.

Lin Yue—their County Magistrate—had been embedded in the wall in an extremely bizarre posture. His head was twisted at an unimaginable angle, his nostrils pointing upward, his cervical spine snapped clean through.

"Th-this, this..."

At the sight, the constables' faces filled with terror.

Though Lin Yue was an old man past sixty, he cultivated martial arts and had even reached the fourth level of the acquired realm, making him a Second-rate Martial Artist.

Yet now, someone had beaten him into the wall in such an incomparably brutal manner.

Such a method was simply unheard of.

How could they not be shocked and terrified?

At this moment, Zhou Qing put away the banknotes and slowly walked out of the study.

"Y-you're Zhou Qing!"

One constable recognized Zhou Qing, his voice trembling slightly.

"What? The criminal Zhou Qing!"

"Wasn't he at Zhou Manor? The three lords of the Eagle Wolf Guard have already gone to Zhou Manor. Why is he here—and why has he killed the County Magistrate?"

"Could it be that the Eagle Wolf Guard lords did not encounter Zhou Qing? Or could even the three Eagle Wolf Guard lords have met with misfortune?"

"You must be joking. Among the three Eagle Wolf Guard lords is a Red Wolf Deputy Commander, a First-rate Martial Artist. No matter how strong Zhou Qing is, he cannot possibly be a match for a First-rate Martial Artist."

"No matter which it is, with our strength, we cannot possibly deal with Zhou Qing."

"..."

Upon learning that the person before them was Zhou Qing, the criminal wanted by the imperial court, the constables involuntarily backed away in fright. They could not understand why Zhou Qing had appeared here, or how he had evaded the three lords of the Eagle Wolf Guard.

"Y-you actually killed the County Magistrate!"

A constable pointed at Zhou Qing in terror, his voice shaking.

Zhou Qing remained expressionless and said calmly, "He deserved to die."

Three simple words, yet they carried endless chill.

The constables present could not help but shudder.

When they looked at Zhou Qing, there was nothing but terror in their eyes. This Zhou Qing truly was just as the rumors said—lawless and unrestrained.

Whether it was the Eagle Wolf Guard of the imperial court or a County Magistrate, he killed them whenever he wished, without the slightest hesitation. His audacity truly defied heaven itself.

People of the martial world had given Zhou Qing the nickname Mad Blade, and it had not been wrongly bestowed. Compared to Zhou Qing, some criminals on the wanted list were like little witches before a great witch.

"You. Take me to the martial arts vault!"

Zhou Qing pointed at one of the constables.

Having killed County Magistrate Lin Yue, he had not immediately left. Naturally, it was because he wanted the martial arts manuals in the county yamen's martial arts vault.