This Is All It Took to Die?

Peng Dongcheng's eyes were about to split open. He could not believe it.

He had never imagined that a mere apprentice could block his sword—and even use a ruler to smash his blade apart.

But no matter how shocked he was, it was useless now.

Because in the next instant, after snapping his longsword, that ruler swung up with the momentum and came crashing down at his head.

The crucial point was that he had no time to react at all.

The other party was too fast. His thought had only just risen, and the terror in his face and eyes had only just surfaced, when the ruler was already hanging above his head.

Bang!

A terrifying force unlike anything he had ever felt crashed down like thunder, shattering his skull and pulverizing his brain. He fell to the ground and went still.

"This is all it took to die?"

Chen Shaojun stopped moving, somewhat puzzled.

In truth, the instant he recognized Peng Dongcheng, he had entered a state of extreme tension.

The scene in his memories—of the man's sword flashing across the air as he slaughtered all seven members of Zhao Quan's family—remained as vivid as yesterday. Chen Shaojun knew very well that this man was absolutely a martial arts expert who killed without batting an eye.

Therefore, he did not hesitate in the slightest. At the first moment, he took out the only weapon he could produce, the Baleful Severing Ruler, and smashed it down viciously.

He did not know whether the other man's longsword was too brittle or his own strength was too great, but Chen Shaojun only felt that the Baleful Severing Ruler in his hand was exceptionally handy.

With a clang, he knocked the other man's longsword in two, then followed through with another smash.

The dull sensation traveling back through his hand made him uncomfortable.

The battle was over.

It had been too fast, and too unexpected.

This man's fighting ability was vastly different from the martial arts expert Chen Shaojun had imagined.

"He was probably just too weak.

The Zhao Quan family he killed were all ordinary people without the strength to truss a chicken. Naturally, it had been easy for him.

Against a real martial artist, he probably would not have amounted to much. That was why I could kill him so easily."

Chen Shaojun muttered, quickly convincing himself.

He would not think that he was powerful.

How many days had he even practiced martial arts?

Even if his martial arts realm had risen quickly, he only had strength and no technique—martial ability but no martial skill. Naturally, he could not compare to true experts.

Since this man had been so easily beaten to death by him, he definitely was not an expert.

"This assassin was clearly coming for me. It was either his death or mine, so naturally it was better that he died.

But what should I do next?

A person is dead. I have to deal with the body somehow, right?"

Chen Shaojun muttered to himself, soon finding himself in a difficult position.

This man had died in the courtyard. It would definitely alert the authorities.

Although he had taken the initiative to come after Chen Shaojun, and at most it would be excessive self-defense if spoken of openly, how was Chen Shaojun supposed to explain it?

How could a pawnbroker's apprentice have the ability to kill an assassin like this?

Murdering him and dumping the body?

That was an option.

But he would still have to find somewhere to dump it, wouldn't he?

Chen Shaojun had a headache.

"Of all the people you could have gone looking for trouble with, you just had to come after me?"

He spoke bitterly. The corpse definitely could not remain in the pawnshop.

After thinking for a moment, he grabbed the corpse and dragged it to a corner of the courtyard, then tossed it over the wall.

Then came the other man's longsword, broken into two pieces.

He remembered that there was an alley on the other side of this wall.

Throwing the body into the alley would not completely clear him of suspicion, but it was still better than leaving it in the pawnshop courtyard, wasn't it?

As long as he denied it, no one would suspect a mere pawnbroker's apprentice anyway.

As for throwing it farther away?

He did not want to die yet.

After dark, Shengjing City was under curfew. Even martial arts experts did not dare wander around recklessly.

And if you walked the night roads often enough, sooner or later you would meet a ghost.

Not to mention that this truly was a world with ghosts.

He also had to guard against soldiers patrolling the streets. Carrying a corpse around everywhere—wasn't that asking to be exposed as quickly as possible?

The pawnshop was very quiet in the early morning.

But as a scream rang out, the surroundings instantly became lively.

Someone had died.

Curious onlookers surged into the alley beside the pawnshop. A group of laborers and apprentices also gathered their courage and stepped out of the pawnshop to watch.

"This person looks a little familiar."

One laborer spoke, then quickly shut his mouth.

But it was too late. Two constables with sabers hanging from their waists had already approached. One of them was none other than Constable Ye, who had appeared yesterday. Looking at the laborer, he asked, "What happened? You know this man?"

"N-No, I don't.

But a few days ago, I saw him buying something in our pawnshop."

The laborer panicked and hurriedly explained.

"Doesn't your pawnshop deal in pawned goods? This man specifically went to a pawnshop to buy something?"

Chief Constable Xing, who was somewhat older and had been preparing to inspect the corpse, could not help raising his head to ask.

"He said he was celebrating his mother-in-law's birthday. He couldn't find anything suitable elsewhere, so he picked out a Jade Ruyi from our pawnshop."

The laborer explained, regretting again and again why he had said that extra sentence.

"Go ask around in the pawnshop."

Chief Constable Xing gave a slight signal upon hearing this.

However, most of the pawnshop's people were watching nearby, so he soon turned back.

When he questioned Chen Shaojun, Chen Shaojun merely shook his head and said, "I don't know. I'm only a pawnbroker's apprentice, and I usually see very few people.

I only discovered that someone had died nearby after hearing people shouting this morning.

Did I hear any movement during the night?

You know how it is, sir. We pawnbroker's apprentices expend our mental strength appraising items. At night, we sleep like the dead. How could we hear anything?"

Naturally, Chen Shaojun could not admit anything. He pushed all responsibility away cleanly.

He looked young, and the constables also knew that pawnbroker's apprentices like him lived pitiful lives. A single misstep could let Killing Intent enter their bodies, leaving them gravely ill and dead. Thus, after asking a few simple questions, they let him go.

"Sir, who is this person? Why did he die here?"

Seeing this, Chen Shaojun instead asked an unnecessary question.

"Aren't we investigating that? Don't ask what you shouldn't."

Constable Ye rebuked him, then turned to question the others.

"Judging from the hardness of his skin, flesh, and bones, this man should have been a martial artist at the Seventh Stage of Body Tempering. He was skilled with a longsword, and his strength was not weak.

Combined with the testimonies of the people nearby, if I'm not mistaken, he was very likely the culprit who slaughtered Shen Lang's entire family yesterday."

Chief Constable Xing had also heard Constable Ye's question. Combining the many pieces of information, he quickly made his judgment.

"That is more or less what I guessed.

But who killed him?

Someone capable of killing a martial artist at the Seventh Stage of Body Tempering in a single move is certainly no simple person."

While questioning people, Constable Ye had actually reached the same conclusion. Yet what made him even more curious was the identity and strength of the person who had acted.

"It should have been two moves.

The first broke this man's longsword, and only the second struck his head.

Take a look at this sword. It was forged from Hundred-Forged Steel, its blade dark blue. It was clearly quenched with spirit water and possessed exceptional toughness.

To break this sword in a single blow, one would need at least an expert of the Qi Sea Realm or above, using true qi to strike with a shockwave.

In other words, the person who acted was definitely a great expert of the Qi Sea Realm or above."

As he spoke, Chief Constable Xing wore a grave expression.

.