"That's certainly true!"
Shen Lian smiled noncommittally. "Take this case, for example. Martial artists were clearly involved in harming ordinary people. That crossed the Black Robe Guard's bottom line and gave us grounds to act.
"If a sect is protecting the culprit, we can report it directly to the Black Robe Guard Office in the Imperial Capital.
"Our superiors will send suitable personnel to clean out the trash according to the circumstances. If a martial sect really is involved, we might even get to see a First-Class Black Robe Guard in action!"
A First-Class Black Robe Guard!
Even Song Xuan's face showed a trace of longing at those words.
Having spent years in the Imperial Capital, he naturally knew how much weight that title carried.
Reaching the Xiantian Realm in martial cultivation was only the most basic requirement for promotion to first class. Beyond that, one had to accumulate enough merits just to qualify to apply for the promotion assessment.
At that level, even the emperor had to treat them with courtesy and dared not slight them. Calling them the pillars of the Great Zhou Empire's military might was no exaggeration.
Jianghuai Prefecture was one of Mingzhou's twelve prefectures. Its Prefect was a Principal Third Rank official, a regional dignitary in every sense. Without proper grounds, even the Black Robe Guard dared not arrest him on their own authority.
The prefectural office stood in the most prosperous district in the south of the prefectural city. Its buildings, pavilions, and terraces sprawled across an expansive estate, protected by high walls outside and patrolled by bailiffs and guards within. Its security could only be called formidable.
Song Xuan and the other Black Robe Guards rode up on horseback. Commoners scattered wherever they passed, but as they approached the prefectural office, a squad of guards stationed outside stopped them.
"This is the prefectural office! Halt!"
Song Xuan looked them over. The guards were well equipped and carried themselves with lean, hardened vigor. What surprised him most was their cold, fierce gaze. They showed not the slightest fear of the notoriously ruthless Black Robe Guard.
Song Xuan displayed his token. "The Black Robe Guard is investigating a case. Stand aside at once!"
Normally, invoking the Black Robe Guard's name was enough to make anyone with a functioning brain stop obstructing them. Today, however, outside the Jianghuai prefectural office, the token that had always swept every obstacle aside proved useless.
"We recognize only the Prefect's written orders. No other orders count!"
The guard captain's expression was cold. He stared sharply at Song Xuan, as though he had never even heard of the Black Robe Guard.
"State your business, or don't blame us for being discourteous!"
Song Xuan laughed. Honestly, since entering the Black Robe Guard establishment, this was the first time he had met someone more overbearing than himself.
Shen Lian rode forward and lowered his voice to Song Xuan. "The guards here are probably private soldiers raised by the Tian Household. They know only the Tian Household, not the imperial court.
"Just kill our way in. No need to waste words!"
As his words fell, a metallic clang rang out. The long saber at Shen Lian's waist shot from its sheath. Its blade flashed, and a large head flew into the air in a spray of crimson.
Shen Lian had beheaded the guard captain with a single stroke!
Song Xuan paused briefly, gaining a clear understanding of Shen Lian's way of doing things.
Brother Shen, a true hard man of the streets-ruthless, no wasted words. When he says he'll cut someone down, he does it. Just what you'd expect from the Enforcement Office!
Rather than being frightened by Shen Lian's attack, the guards let out ferocious cries. They retreated instead of advancing, yet drew their sabers and lunged at Shen Lian and Song Xuan.
Song Qian and the other Black Robe Guards reacted just as quickly. Sabers and swords left their sheaths, the scrape of steel ringing out one after another.
Song Xuan raised his hand and struck with his palm at the first guard to rush him. His attack was many times faster than the man's saber stroke. Before the blade could descend, his palm had already landed on the guard's chest.
Bam!
Bones cracked, and the guard's chest caved straight inward. Before the corpse could fly away, Song Xuan caught it by the arm and casually hurled it aside.
With a crash, it smashed the next three charging guards to the ground.
After his last fight with the mountain bandits, Song Xuan had gauged his strength perfectly this time. He wasted no inner force and avoided getting splashed with blood, which pleased him greatly.
Sure enough, actual combat was the best way to improve martial skills.
The commotion outside alerted the guards within the prefectural office. Soon, its gates swung open, and dozens of fierce-looking guards charged out with sabers in hand, roaring in fury.
Mounted on his warhorse, Song Xuan shattered a guard's skull with a palm strike. His left hand shot out to seize the man's saber, while his right channeled pure yang inner force and struck the blade.
Bam!
The saber shattered instantly. Guided by Song Xuan's inner force, its sharp fragments shot out like arrows, riddling the dozen or so guards at the front of the charge with holes in a single instant!
Even Shen Lian, who was in the midst of a killing spree, froze briefly at the sight.
He could shatter a saber with a palm strike too, but controlling the broken iron fragments to kill enemies was beyond him. That required not only profound inner force, but also control over that force honed to utter perfection!
More and more guards poured out of the prefectural office. Yet after witnessing Song Xuan casually kill over a dozen men in an instant, every one of them was cowed. They merely surrounded the group, none daring to charge again.
"Attack! Get in there, all of you!"
Outside the gates, a man who looked like a steward barked, "The Prefect pays your wages! The Prefect arranged your farmland! Even when you took wives, it was the Prefect who sent people to arrange your marriages!
"If His Lordship falls, everything you've gained will vanish into nothing!"
At those words, the guards who had been too frightened to advance grew red-eyed. Clutching sabers and swords, they howled and charged forward, ready to fight to the death.
They understood no grand principles. They knew only that whoever filled their rice bowls was the one they obeyed.
The benefits the Prefect had given them were enough for them to repay him with their lives!
Fucking hell!
Song Xuan cursed inwardly, feeling a trace of admiration for the Jianghuai Prefect he had never met.
The man's methods of winning hearts were impressive indeed. He even arranged wives for them. Who wouldn't fight to the death for someone like that?
Sighing, Song Xuan drew the longsword at his waist. It seemed there was no avoiding a slaughter now.
He casually thrust at the first man charging toward him. There was nothing special about his stance or movements, yet the man seemed to stupidly offer up his own neck, letting the sword tip pierce it with perfect accuracy.
Song Xuan pulled his sword free and swept it casually aside. The blade flashed, leaving an afterimage. With a rip, another neck was sliced open, and another man crumpled to the ground.
Song Xuan knew no profound or mysterious sword techniques. His only advantage was speed.
The Pure Yang Limitless Child Skill was a celestial person level cultivation art. After more than a decade of practice, his physical capabilities had long since undergone a transformation as complete as shedding his old body and remaking his bones.
Even without channeling inner force, the speed at which he wielded his sword through physical strength alone was far beyond anything these prefectural guards could match!
To put it bluntly, fierce as those guards looked, their hacking and slashing were no different from slow motion in Song Xuan's eyes.
Before you continue