A Man Born into This World Should Live Thus!

Black Goose City, early morning.

The chill of the night had yet to disperse, making passersby instinctively hunch their necks.

Wang Er headed all the way toward the small courtyard in the south of the city.

As he recalled the rumors he had heard last night, excitement even stirred in his heart.

One saber stroke had pierced through the Gathering Heroes Pavilion; one man alone had suppressed the Canoe Gang!

That was the kind of hero who was a true wanderer of the martial world!

He only hated that he could not take that man's place!

If he could achieve such a feat, then his journey through this world would not have been in vain.

He indulged in such fantasies.

A moment later, the small courtyard came into view. Just as he stepped toward it, he saw its gates slowly open.

That familiar figure walked out through the gates, looked at him, and smiled lightly.

After the Great Sun Golden Cicada Skill had reached the masterful level, the enhancement it gave to spiritual power surpassed even its boost to physical defense!

At that moment, nothing within a radius of ten meters could escape Qin Zheng's senses.

Moreover, the thing being nurtured between his brows seemed to have received tremendous nourishment and grown considerably.

It allowed Qin Zheng to more clearly foresee what might happen next.

Thus, when Wang Er approached his courtyard, Qin Zheng had already sensed him and opened the gate first.

"Brother Wang, the usual today?"

Qin Zheng spoke as he watched Wang Er draw nearer.

Whenever there was an execution that required an executioner, Wang Er would come early in the morning to notify Qin Zheng.

Wang Er nodded and said with a smile, "What a coincidence today. I had barely arrived when you opened the gate."

Qin Zheng smiled without speaking and offered no explanation.

The two then headed for the military camp outside the city. Along the way, Wang Er naturally told Qin Zheng about what had happened on the western riverbank last night.

By the end, Wang Er's dark, honest face was full of longing as he sighed, "A man born into this world should live thus!"

Hearing him praise himself so extravagantly, Qin Zheng felt somewhat embarrassed.

Still, he deliberately tested the waters. "Who exactly was that person? Has anyone uncovered any information about him?"

Wang Er shook his head at that, then said, "There are very few people in all of Black Goose City who could overwhelm the Canoe Gang."

"Neither Captain Ji nor Bailiff Xu was in the west of the city last night."

"As for the other few Muscle-Refining Realm martial artists, while they need not fear the Canoe Gang, they could not necessarily overpower them."

"After all, the Canoe Gang's chief was a genuine Muscle-Refining Realm expert who had broken through three great barriers."

"Everyone is guessing at that person's identity, but the Canoe Gang has kept its mouth tightly shut and revealed not a shred of information."

"Perhaps he was a wandering martial hero who had come to Black Goose City to travel."

After Wang Er finished speaking, he let out another faint, emotional sigh.

Qin Zheng nodded, his gaze flickering slightly before he fell silent.

The Canoe Gang not revealing his information did come as something of a surprise to him.

But no matter what medicine the Canoe Gang was selling in its gourd,

this suited Qin Zheng quite well. The later he was exposed, the more time he would have to develop.

There had been so many people at the western riverbank last night, and his attire had been quite out of place there, drawing the attention of many.

So his exposure was bound to happen. Whether the Canoe Gang spoke or not only determined how soon it would come.

After arriving at the execution ground, the two separated once more, and Qin Zheng made his way to its center.

The man being beheaded today was a burly fellow, clearly skilled in martial arts and not weak at all.

An iron chain pierced through his shoulder blades, while a specially made iron cangue restrained him, and two iron balls were locked to his feet.

There was not a trace of fear in his eyes. When he looked at Qin Zheng, he even bared his teeth in a savage grin and arrogantly declared, "With a brat like you, I'm afraid you can't even break my skin!"

Having said that, he burst into wild laughter.

Qin Zheng remained calm and ignored this man on the verge of death.

Four soldiers stepped forward and had to work together to pin the man down before turning their eyes toward Qin Zheng.

Their gazes held an unspoken question, as though they wanted to know whether Qin Zheng could truly chop off this man's head.

Qin Zheng nodded.

With his current strength, let alone this fellow who was merely in the Skin-Refining Realm,

even a tiger before him would have to obediently offer up its head!

After receiving Qin Zheng's confirmation, the soldiers secured the man and stepped away.

Qin Zheng slowly raised the Ghost-Head Saber and waited for the execution token to fall.

"Brat, if I die today, every last person in your Black Goose City will be buried with me!"

At that moment, the man suddenly spoke, his voice brimming with provocation.

Qin Zheng's brow furrowed slightly.

"The auspicious hour has arrived—execute!!"

Just then, a resounding shout rang out.

At the same time, an execution token was hurled down from the execution platform.

Qin Zheng did not hesitate. The Ghost-Head Saber traced a crescent arc through the air.

At the same time, a ferocious head tumbled to the ground.

A Skin-Refining Realm martial artist's skin was indeed far tougher than that of an ordinary person, requiring a little more force.

But that was all.

Qin Zheng sheathed the saber, wiped down its blade, then wrapped it in coarse cloth.

"Brother Qin, your Ghost-Head Saber is getting sharper and sharper. Even a Skin-Refining Realm martial artist couldn't withstand a single stroke."

A soldier who came forward to collect the body said this to Qin Zheng with a smile.

Qin Zheng waved his hand, then asked, "Do you know where this man was captured?"

The outlawish air around this death-row prisoner, coupled with his earlier words and the rumors about bandits within the city,

made Qin Zheng connect the pieces instinctively. The spot between his brows throbbed faintly, and a bad premonition rose within him.

"Ah, haven't the bandits outside the city come down from the mountains? Seems like they were testing our city's strength."

"Yesterday, a group of bandits entered the city, robbed and murdered a wealthy household, then got captured by the yamen and sent here."

"Other than this fellow, Bailiff Xu from the yamen killed the rest on the spot."

"Now those bastards have seen our city's strength. They should obediently crawl back into the mountains and hide."

Several soldiers spoke with laughter.

But upon hearing this, Qin Zheng's heart grew increasingly heavy.

The spot between his brows throbbed violently, clearly foretelling an ill future.

Things were absolutely not as simple as the soldiers made them sound!

The four towns and thirteen villages outside Black Goose City had yet to make any move.

At such a time, it made no sense for a few bandits of limited strength to enter the city to rob and kill.

Or rather, they had deliberately entered the city so that the yamen constables would capture them.

Combined with what that death-row prisoner had just said,

Qin Zheng's heart immediately sank.

A campaign needed a just cause, and the martial world placed great importance on such things.

Even bandits were no exception.

The leader of the bandits outside Black Goose City had widely issued Heroic Summonses, calling on bandits throughout Qing Province to join him.

Now their brothers had been executed within the city.

They could then use avenging their brothers as a pretext to launch a full assault on Black Goose City!

In other words, these bandits truly had their eyes on Black Goose City!

The rumors spreading through the city were not false!

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