White Cloud Crisp

Something wrong? Boss Li, you inspected the goods yourself and said there was no problem. How could there be anything wrong now?

Could it be that you think Ying is easy to bully?"

Ying Tianlong rose from his chair, his gaze icy and his tone hostile.

It was as if the man who had greeted them with a smile moments ago had been someone else entirely.

"That's right, the money and goods have both been settled."

"Boss Li, once you leave, we're no longer responsible."

"Who knows where you got those herbs from, claiming that our goods are defective?"

Several lackeys joined in from the side, jeering along.

"No, you definitely switched the goods! I'm reporting this to the authorities!"

Zhou Muyun's face was flushed red. He had clearly been pushed to his limit.

"Report it to the authorities?" Ying Tianlong scoffed. He strode over to Zhou Muyun, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him into the air.

"I'm telling you, if you dare report this, at worst I'll pay some compensation. But you and your family might end up crippled someday."

Ying Tianlong wore a vicious expression as he spoke arrogantly.

The Great Xia Dynasty valued martial prowess. Its founding emperor had established the nation through martial arts. As long as martial artists did not kill anyone, they could avoid punishment for accidentally crippling someone by paying compensation!

That was why he dared to act this way.

"You..." Zhou Muyun seemed frightened, even starting to stammer.

Seeing this, Ying Tianlong sneered repeatedly. This trick worked far too well against ordinary people.

He could already picture the man before him kneeling and begging for forgiveness.

"You should just go die yourself."

Zhou Muyun's cold voice rang through the hall.

"Me, die?" Ying Tianlong acted as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world and burst into laughter.

The lackeys beside him laughed along as well.

"Did this guy get scared stupid? This is the first time I've seen something like this."

"I was in a good mood today, but you insisted on provoking me. No need to wait for someday—you'll be crippled today!"

Ying Tianlong stopped laughing, his eyes flashing with malice as he punched toward Zhou Muyun's abdomen.

The sight of Zhou Muyun vomiting blood that he had imagined did not appear.

Instead, the hand he had thrown out seemed to be clamped in an iron vise, completely unable to move.

Only then did he realize that Zhou Muyun was not looking at him in fear, but with the icy gaze one reserved for the dead.

This is bad! Ying Tianlong was horrified. He immediately tried to break free with all his strength so he could create some distance.

"I said, you should be the one to die."

Zhou Muyun was faster. He sank with the momentum and seized Ying Tianlong's other hand.

He stepped forward with his right foot, twisted his entire body, and directly threw Ying Tianlong over his shoulder.

Bang!

Ying Tianlong crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

The lackeys who had been laughing moments ago froze. How had their boss ended up on the floor in the blink of an eye?

"What are you standing around for? Get him! Kill him!" Ying Tianlong roared furiously from the ground.

With their boss giving the order, the lackeys instantly came to their senses.

They grabbed clubs from nearby and charged at Zhou Muyun.

Ying Tianlong sprang to his feet as well and rushed in after them.

Zhou Muyun did not panic. His footwork shifted slightly as he used the second move of the Flurry Fist, "Dry-Clothes Touch." As he darted and weaved, he not only evaded their attacks but also threw punch after punch, knocking all the lackeys to the ground in just a few strikes.

In an instant, cries of pain filled the room. Ying Tianlong hurriedly pulled back, narrowing his eyes as he asked in a deep voice:

"Who exactly are you?"

Ying Tianlong was an old hand in the martial world. If he still failed to understand what was happening, he would truly be an idiot.

He had clearly been set up! The man before him was absolutely no merchant.

Zhou Muyun could not be bothered to answer. His body shot forward, both fists swinging as shadows of punches engulfed Ying Tianlong.

Seeing that there was no peaceful way out, Ying Tianlong could only clench his fists and counterattack.

Bang! Bang!

In moments, the two had exchanged dozens of blows. As his arms gradually went numb, Ying Tianlong began to think of retreating.

His cultivation and martial arts are both superior to mine. I have to run if I want to live.

Ying Tianlong suddenly shouted and swept out with a low kick. Wind howled around his leg as it swept toward Zhou Muyun's waist.

Zhou Muyun narrowed his eyes. Using "Dry-Clothes Touch," he directly avoided the attack, stepped forward, and changed his fist into a claw, trying to seize Ying Tianlong's thigh.

At that moment, Ying Tianlong produced two concealed weapons from his sleeve.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The concealed weapons tore through the air toward Zhou Muyun's throat.

If he dodges the hidden weapons, I'll run. If he doesn't? Then I deserve to win.

Ying Tianlong had practiced this move to perfection, and it had never failed him.

Zhou Muyun did not dare take them head-on and could only twist aside. The concealed weapons embedded themselves viciously in the wall.

Good chance! Ying Tianlong turned and fled toward the door.

Seeing this, Zhou Muyun flicked his toe. A club on the ground flew into his hand. He drew back the hand holding it like he was pulling a bowstring, then released it.

Whoosh.

The club shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow, producing a piercing shriek.

Ying Tianlong immediately twisted aside to evade it, but in the next instant, a powerful punch came crashing toward him.

He had no time to think and instinctively raised his palm to block it.

But he had greatly underestimated Zhou Muyun and overestimated himself. Zhou Muyun's punch was nearly at full strength—a killing blow.

Bang!

Ying Tianlong's entire right arm instantly went numb. His body flew out like a cannonball and slammed heavily into the wall.

The wall cracked like a spiderweb as dust billowed through the air.

Ying Tianlong spat blood, struggling to rise as he tried to flee again.

Zhou Muyun promptly followed up with a kick, knocking him back to the ground.

"G-Good sir, as long as you spare me, my money... all my money is yours. Please..." Ying Tianlong lay on the ground, blood continuously spilling from his mouth as he begged in broken phrases.

"If you die, it'll all be mine anyway."

There was not a trace of pity on Zhou Muyun's face. He stomped on Ying Tianlong's neck, knowing full well that since he had acted, he had to eliminate the roots.

Crack.

Ying Tianlong's eyes bulged wide, his face full of unwillingness as he breathed his last.

When the remaining lackeys saw that Ying Tianlong was dead, they hastily begged for mercy. Some even tried to use the chance to escape.

Zhou Muyun gave them no opportunity. He struck swiftly and sent every one of them to the afterlife.

Clear birdsong rang out, and Lu Ming and the others entered in response.

The mess and corpses strewn across the floor came into view, especially Zhou Muyun standing unharmed in the center of the hall.

Their pupils contracted, and shock flashed across their faces.

Lu Ming in particular was a martial artist at the initial stage of Viscera Refinement.

He asked himself honestly: faced with five trained fighters and one martial artist at the mid-stage of Bone Tempering, even he would have needed to put in considerable effort.

Yet Zhou Muyun had dealt with them all in mere moments. Such strength was truly terrifying.

"As expected of Brother Zhou. I am impressed," Lu Ming sighed.

"Indeed, Constable Zhou's strength has won our admiration."

"Ridding the people of this scourge has earned our respect."

Everyone present was an old hand at navigating officialdom. Zhou Muyun possessed such strength at such a young age, and his future was clearly bright. They all echoed their agreement.

"You flatter me. Since the matter has been resolved, let's proceed as we discussed. I'll have to trouble you all, colleagues."

Zhou Muyun spoke with calm humility, leaving no fault to be found.

This made the five men led by Lu Ming feel even more favorably toward him.

Someone with ability who was not arrogant was naturally even more worthy of befriending.

As for why they were here, it had naturally been Zhou Muyun's suggestion, with Lu Ming acting as the intermediary.

The other four were constables assigned to patrol this street at this hour. Zhou Muyun had promised them that if there were any valuables, he would certainly share the proceeds.

With Lu Ming persuading them as well, and Ying Tianlong already having a poor reputation, the four readily agreed.

Zhou Muyun would deal with everyone, and they would provide the official conclusion afterward.

A group of thugs and scoundrels had attacked officials and been killed in return. They had surely deserved their deaths.

After searching around, they found a total of nine hundred taels of silver and five valuable items.

"Tut, tut, tut. This Ying Tianlong really made quite a fortune over the years!" Lu Ming remarked from the side.

"Isn't that the truth? Damn, it's more than twenty years of my salary."

"Good riddance. It was all money earned through cheating and swindling."

"Then let's divide it as agreed."

Zhou Muyun raised his hand and took out one hundred and fifty taels belonging to his uncle and one hundred taels for himself.

Lu Ming and the other four each took one hundred taels, leaving only five valuable jade ornaments and one hundred and fifty taels on the table.

As for the rest, Lu Ming said it had its uses. The other four did not object, and Zhou Muyun had his own guesses.

Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the reason, and the matter of dividing the spoils came to an end.

After thanking them once more, Zhou Muyun was the first to leave the scene.

As for the patrol log, the case report, and cleaning up the scene, those were matters for Lu Ming and the others.

Yunlin County, East Market office.

East Market Magistrate He Miao sat at his desk, listlessly reading the patrol logs.

The logs were full of trivial matters, and reading them made him drowsy.

"Is Magistrate He here? This subordinate has something to report." Lu Ming's respectful voice came from outside.

"Come in," He Miao said blandly.

Lu Ming pushed the door open and entered, carrying a box of pastries and a log.

"What is it?"

"While patrolling the streets, this subordinate suddenly remembered that Magistrate He likes White Cloud Crisp, so I bought a box to show my respect. Also, a murder case occurred in East Market today and requires Magistrate He's review."

Lu Ming respectfully placed the pastries and the log before He Miao.

"Let me see." He Miao had been bored, but the mention of a case immediately piqued his interest. He raised his hand to pick up the log and have a look.

"Magistrate He, this White Cloud Crisp was just bought by this subordinate. It tastes best while it's warm," Lu Ming hurriedly said.

"Very well, then I'll try the White Cloud Crisp that Old Lu bought."

He Miao set down the log, opened the pastry box, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes before he closed the lid again.

He picked up the log and casually flipped through it a few times, then said blandly, "I suddenly remembered that my daughter hasn't had White Cloud Crisp in a long time either. I won't eat it; I'll save it for her.

"As for this murder case, there are no problems. Close the case according to what you wrote in the log."

"This subordinate obeys. Then I won't disturb Magistrate He any longer." Lu Ming rejoiced inwardly. It worked.

"You may leave."

"Yes." Lu Ming immediately withdrew from the room.

After Lu Ming left, He Miao opened the pastry box again. Looking at the neatly arranged silver and jewelry inside, a smile appeared on his face.

His subordinates certainly knew how to conduct themselves. Since that was the case, what was the harm in covering for them?

The dead man had merely been a thug and a scoundrel.

After closing the box and putting it away, He Miao continued flipping through the logs in boredom.