Come Over and Clean Up the Mess

The sun was setting, and the evening breeze was cool.

"Hall Master, Zhao Zhi's home is right up ahead."

Wu Meng pointed at a mixed courtyard at the end of Blue Stone Street and spoke to the man beside him.

The man looked to be around forty. He had a square face, long narrow brows, slender eye sockets, and small pupils. Though he appeared upright and dignified, there was more cunning and calculation in him.

The man was named Zou Changqun, a hall master of the Gray Snake Gang and the direct superior of Wu Meng, a minor leader.

"Are you sure Zhao Zhi is home?"

Zou Changqun lifted his chin and looked toward the mixed courtyard.

"I'm sure."

Wu Meng nodded hard.

Early that morning.

Zhao Zhi had shattered his arm, and one of his hands was still bound up.

As the saying went, injured sinews and broken bones took a hundred days to heal. At a time like this, he should have been resting.

But.

Wu Meng could not swallow this insult.

Zhao Zhi, a mere blue-clad constable, had made him lose face in front of everyone. There was no way he could let it go so easily.

Yet Wu Meng also knew that he was no match for Zhao Zhi.

Just then, Hall Master Zou Changqun had come by.

Wu Meng often paid tribute to Zou Changqun, so when Zou Changqun asked how he had been injured, Wu Meng told him about Zhao Zhi.

He himself was no match, but Hall Master Zou Changqun was a martial artist.

Without another word, Zou Changqun agreed to help Wu Meng win back his face. It would also give him a few more points of prestige in his coming competition for the position of Gray Snake Gang deputy leader.

"Good."

A savage expression surfaced on Zou Changqun's face.

"A mere blue-clad constable like Zhao Zhi dared lay hands on someone from the Gray Snake Gang? Did he really think our Gray Snake Gang had no one? Come, teach him a lesson."

"Teach him a lesson!"

Several Gray Snake Gang members behind Zou Changqun shouted and strode forward with the bearing of dragons and tigers.

Suddenly.

Wu Meng saw Zou Changqun stop in his tracks, press himself against the doorway of a house to the side, and keep edging his feet backward as though he wished he could embed his entire body into the wooden door.

"Hall Master, what are you doing?"

Wu Meng was utterly bewildered.

"Idiot, shut up! Hide, now!"

Zou Changqun shot Wu Meng a vicious glare, then looked ahead.

At that sight, even Wu Meng jumped in fright.

That was?

The Fourth Master of Flying Cloud Stronghold?!

It was not only Ge Zhou, the Fourth Master of Flying Cloud Stronghold. Qi D aqu, a constable from the yamen, was there as well.

One soldier of the law, one bandit.

How had these two ended up together?

Zou Changqun, Wu Meng, and the other Gray Snake Gang members did their best to conceal themselves as they observed in secret.

In front of Zhao Zhi's mixed courtyard.

Constable Qi D aqu and Ge Zhou, the Fourth Master of Flying Cloud Stronghold, stood shoulder to shoulder, their gazes fixed on the courtyard ahead.

Ge Zhou's rugged face revealed a sinister grin. "Qi D aqu, you said this Zhao Zhi was the one who killed Fifth Brother?"

Qi D aqu replied, "Yes, Fourth Master."

"Though Fifth Brother was inferior to me, he was still a Houtian Grand Accomplishment martial artist. Yet Zhao Zhi, a mere blue-clad constable, managed to kill Fourth Brother. It's truly hard to understand." Ge Zhou's words were full of doubt. His eyes gradually narrowed, vicious light flickering within them. "Or are you people from the yamen planning to make a move against me, deliberately luring me here?"

"Fourth Master, the yamen has absolutely no such intention." Qi D aqu hurriedly said, "The county magistrate has worked with the Stronghold Chief so many times. How could he possibly do such a thing?"

"It had better be true. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude."

Ge Zhou patted Qi D aqu on the shoulder and walked toward the mixed courtyard.

Seeing this, Qi D aqu relaxed slightly. He raised a hand to wipe away the cold sweat beading on his forehead, glanced around, and headed toward a concealed spot to watch in secret.

If people from the yamen were seen together with mountain bandits and criminals, it would definitely stir up a towering uproar.

The cooperation between the county magistrate and the Stronghold Chief had been conducted in secret, and very few people knew about it.

From the day Lu Guangyi came to Qingfeng County as county magistrate, Qi D aqu had taken the initiative to throw himself at his door. By secretly helping him with many matters, he had gained greater authority and learned more secrets despite being only a minor blue-clad constable.

Tap, tap.

Ge Zhou stepped into the mixed courtyard, vicious light surging in his gloomy eyes like a cold current.

He had only come to see several women he kept in the city, yet now he had to trouble himself over Fifth Brother's affairs.

Hmph.

Once he returned to Flying Cloud Stronghold, he would have Eldest Brother hand all three of Fifth Brother's women over to him.

As he pondered this, he heard the door open.

A young man stepped out. His brows and eyes were clear and bright, a smile resting at the corners of his lips. He was not devastatingly handsome, but he could still be considered above average.

"Ge Zhou, Fourth Master of Flying Cloud Stronghold."

Zhao Zhi's gaze fell upon Ge Zhou, a trace of cold light flashing deep in his eyes. Then, as his gaze shifted, he discovered the two groups hiding in the shadows.

The Gray Snake Gang was one thing.

But Qi D aqu was here too.

It seemed his suspicions had some truth to them. County Magistrate Lu Guangyi was very likely in collusion with Flying Cloud Stronghold.

Ge Zhou sized Zhao Zhi up. He looked utterly ordinary, with nothing special about him. Opening his mouth, Ge Zhou shouted, "Zhao Zhi, did you kill Wu Jiu?"

Zhao Zhi answered crisply, "Yes."

"Good." Ge Zhou bared his teeth in a vicious grin. "Then go die."

Before his words had even fallen, Ge Zhou stamped heavily on the ground, leaving a shallow mark in the packed yellow earth. His body shot out like an arrow leaving the string, crossing several meters in the blink of an eye.

Ge Zhou's eyes flashed as Zhao Zhi filled his vision, his face brimming with savage cruelty.

The sooner he finished this, the sooner he could go keep Ruyan company.

When he returned to the stronghold tomorrow, he could also claim Fifth Brother's three wives.

With that thought, Ge Zhou circulated his martial arts, mobilized his force, poured it into his arm, and drove it into his palm. As his five fingers drew together, he unleashed a terrifying force capable of shattering stones and splitting steles.

Zhao Zhi calmly watched Ge Zhou's every movement.

When Ge Zhou came within half a meter.

Rather than retreat, Zhao Zhi advanced, stepping diagonally forward to the left and narrowly evading Ge Zhou's fierce palm strike.

At the same time, the five fingers of his right hand curled like an eagle's talons. He shot them out in a flash, using the perfected Seizing Hand to seize Ge Zhou by the throat, locking him firmly in place before slowly lifting him up.

Cough, cough.

Ge Zhou coughed violently, his face filled with horror.

What had just happened?

In the span of a single breath, the situation had abruptly turned upside down, completely beyond his expectations.

His opponent's reactions, speed, and strength were all far beyond his own. Especially those five fingers gripping his throat—an unusual power seemed to be passing through them, making his pupils suddenly contract.

Internal qi?

His opponent was a Xiantian martial artist?

A blue-clad constable was a Xiantian martial artist?!

"Spare—"

Crack.

Before Ge Zhou could finish speaking, Zhao Zhi directly crushed his throat.

[You successfully made a man consumed by lust abstain from women. Merit +35.]

Zhao Zhi: "..."

There always seemed to be something wrong with this panel's judgment.

He lowered his head to glance at Ge Zhou's corpse, then raised his head and looked around.

Qi D aqu had fled.

The Gray Snake Gang members were still there.

"You lot, come over and clean up the mess."

Zhao Zhi called out to the Gray Snake Gang members, then turned and returned to the house.

Zou Changqun and Wu Meng looked at each other. After a long silence, they obediently walked toward the mixed courtyard and began dealing with Ge Zhou's corpse.

[You successfully taught a group of hooligans and ruffians to cooperate with constables. Merit +8.]