The setting sun hung at dusk, and the breeze was cool.
"Hall Master, Zhao Zhi's home is right ahead."
Wu Meng pointed at a cluttered 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, slim eye sockets, and small pupils. Though he appeared upright and dignified, he seemed more shrewd and calculating than anything else.
The man was 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 courtyard.
"Sure."
Wu Meng nodded forcefully.
Early that morning,
Zhao Zhi had shattered his arm, and one of his hands was still bandaged.
As the saying went, injuries to the sinews and bones took a hundred days to heal. He ought to have been resting at a time like this.
But—
Wu Meng could not swallow this grievance.
Zhao Zhi, a mere blue-clad constable, had made him lose face in front of others. There was no way he would 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 arrived.
Wu Meng often paid tribute to Zou Changqun. Thus, when Zou Changqun asked how he had been injured, Wu Meng told him about Zhao Zhi.
He himself was no match for Zhao Zhi, 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 little more prestige in his upcoming bid for the position of deputy gang leader of the Gray Snake Gang.
"Good."
A savage look surfaced on Zou Changqun's face.
"Zhao Zhi, a mere blue-clad constable, dared to lay hands on a member of the Gray Snake Gang. Does he truly think our Gray Snake Gang has no one? Go. Teach him a lesson."
"Teach him a lesson!"
Several Gray Snake Gang members behind Zou Changqun shouted and strode forward with the gait of dragons and tigers.
Suddenly,
Wu Meng saw Zou Changqun halt. He pressed himself against the doorway of a house to one side, his feet constantly edging backward as though he wished he could embed his entire body into the wooden door.
"Hall Master, what are you doing?"
Wu Meng looked utterly confused.
"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 Chief of Flying Cloud Stronghold?!
Not only was Ge Zhou, the Fourth Chief of Flying Cloud Stronghold, there, but Qi D aqu, a constable from the yamen, was there as well.
One officer and one bandit.
How had those two ended up together?
Zou Changqun, Wu Meng, and the other Gray Snake Gang members hid themselves as best they could and watched from the shadows.
Before Zhao Zhi's courtyard,
Constable Qi D aqu and Ge Zhou, the Fourth Chief of Flying Cloud Stronghold, stood side by side, their gazes fixed on the courtyard ahead.
A ferocious grin appeared on Ge Zhou's rugged face. "Qi D aqu, you said this Zhao Zhi was the one who killed Old Five?"
Qi D aqu replied, "Yes, Fourth Chief."
"Though Old Five was inferior to me, he was still a Houtian Grand Accomplishment martial artist. Yet Zhao Zhi, a mere blue-clad constable, managed to kill Old Five. It is truly difficult to understand." Ge Zhou's words were full of suspicion. His eyes gradually narrowed, savage light flickering within them. "Or are you people from the yamen planning to make a move against me and deliberately lured me here?"
"Fourth Chief, 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 do such a thing?"
"It had better not be so. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Ge Zhou patted Qi D aqu's shoulder and walked toward the courtyard.
Seeing this, Qi D aqu let out a slight breath of relief. He raised a hand to wipe away the cold sweat on his forehead, glanced around, and moved toward a concealed spot to observe in secret.
If people from the authorities were seen together with mountain bandits and thieves, it would certainly cause an uproar.
The cooperation between the County Magistrate and the Stronghold Chief had been carried out in secret, and very few people knew of it.
From the day Lu Guangyi came to Qingfeng County as County Magistrate, Qi D aqu had taken the initiative to pledge himself to Lu Guangyi's service. By secretly helping him with many matters, he had gained greater authority and learned more secrets despite being only a lowly blue-clad constable.
Tap. Tap.
Ge Zhou stepped into the courtyard, cold murderous intent surging in his sinister eyes like a frigid current.
He had only come to visit several women he kept in the city, yet now he had to trouble himself over Old Five's affairs.
Hmph.
Once he returned to Flying Cloud Stronghold, he would have Eldest Brother hand Old Five's three women over to him.
As he pondered this, he heard the door open.
A young man stepped out. His brows were clear and bright, a smile resting at the corners of his lips. He was not breathtakingly handsome, but he could certainly be called above average.
"Ge Zhou, Fourth Chief of Flying Cloud Stronghold."
Zhao Zhi's gaze fell on Ge Zhou, a cold glint 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 were partly true. County Magistrate Lu Guangyi was very likely in collusion with Flying Cloud Stronghold.
Ge Zhou gave Zhao Zhi a once-over. He looked utterly ordinary, with nothing special about him. Ge Zhou opened his mouth and shouted, "Zhao Zhi, were you the one who killed Wu Jiu?"
Zhao Zhi answered crisply, "Yes."
"Good." Ge Zhou bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Then die."
Before his words had even faded, Ge Zhou stomped heavily on the ground, leaving a shallow mark in the packed yellow earth. His body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, crossing several meters in the blink of an eye.
Ge Zhou's eyes flashed as they fixed on Zhao Zhi, his face filled with savage cruelty.
The sooner he finished this, the sooner he could go keep Ruyan company.
Tomorrow, when he returned to the stronghold, he could also claim Old Five's three wives.
With that thought, Ge Zhou activated his martial art, drawing up his force and pouring it into his arm before driving it into his palm. His five fingers came together, unleashing a terrifying force capable of smashing stones and splitting steles.
Zhao Zhi watched Ge Zhou's every movement with calm composure.
When Ge Zhou entered within half a meter of him,
Zhao Zhi advanced instead of retreating, taking a diagonal step 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. With lightning speed, he shot them out and used his perfected Seizing Hand to seize Ge Zhou by the neck, firmly restraining him 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 turned upside down, utterly beyond his expectations.
The other man's reaction, speed, and strength were completely beyond his own. Most of all, a strange force faintly transmitted from the fingers gripping his neck, causing his pupils to shrink sharply.
Inner qi?
The other man was an Innate Warrior?
A blue-clad constable was an Innate Warrior?!
"Spare—"
Crack.
Before Ge Zhou could finish speaking, Zhao Zhi directly crushed his neck.
[You successfully made a person consumed by lust renounce lust. Merit +35.]
Zhao Zhi: "..."
There always seemed to be something wrong with this panel's judgments.
He lowered his head to glance at Ge Zhou's corpse, then looked up.
Qi D aqu had run away.
The Gray Snake Gang members were still there.
"You lot, get over here and clean this up."
Zhao Zhi greeted 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 courtyard and dealt with Ge Zhou's corpse.
[You successfully made a group of street thugs learn to cooperate with a constable. Merit +8.]
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