The Imperial Prison.
Five corpses were tossed into a deep pit.
Three Embroidered Uniform Guards from the Southern Commandant Office stared intently at Jia Huan, their expressions grave.
"Tell us everything from the beginning."
Slaughter in the streets right beneath the emperor's feet had to be investigated down to its roots. If public outrage erupted, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would then be able to respond with composure.
In the Capital, they had to proceed with caution upon caution.
Jia Huan said calmly and steadily:
"A few days ago, the authorities were hunting a bald donkey whose Dharma name was Yuan Si. That fiend had devoured the newly one-month-old infant of a newly appointed imperial examination graduate. During the pursuit, I captured the bald donkey Yuan Si alive, and that earned me a promotion from Strongman to Great Banner."
"These five bald donkeys were Yuan Si's fellow disciples. They lay in ambush at an incense and candle shop on Zhongling Street, intending to kill me to vent their hatred. My skills proved superior, and I turned the tables on them despite being cornered."
"I am young and abhor slaughter. Originally, I only wanted to capture them, but one of the bald donkeys inadvertently mentioned that they not only intended to take revenge on that examination graduate, but had also drawn up a list of imperial officials to slaughter. Hearing that, my anger blazed within me. The Embroidered Uniform Guard safeguards the peace of the State and Altars. How could I show mercy to such arrogant fiends?"
When he finished, the three Embroidered Uniform Guards exchanged glances.
"I'll go to the Case File Archive. You two head to Zhongling Street!"
"Jia Huan, you will stay in the Imperial Prison tonight!"
Their leader issued his orders.
"As you command." Jia Huan had no objections.
He found a clean interrogation room, leaned back in a chair, and closed his eyes to rest.
Portraits of the five bald donkeys appeared on the panel in his mind.
[Sin level-Upper Eighth Rank, Middle Eighth Rank, Upper Eighth Rank, Lower Eighth Rank, Lower Eighth Rank] [Participation-85%] [Reward-Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, first form: Regret of the Overbearing Dragon; proficiency-First glimpse of the fundamentals] [Experience points-403/1000]
In an instant, a profoundly mysterious power poured into his Dantian, and his inner qi surged.
Fourth level of the Postnatal Realm!
"I did everything myself. Why wasn't my participation full?" Jia Huan was somewhat puzzled.
But he soon guessed the reason: he had not brought them into the Imperial Prison before executing them. His golden finger had its limitations too. He still had to go through the Imperial Prison's procedures first...
As for the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms...
It was a martial art of utmost hardness and yang, with terrifying power!
Although he had only the first form, and his proficiency had barely reached the beginner level, the inner qi he possessed at the fourth level of the Postnatal Realm was only enough to unleash a single palm strike.
"Wasn't this moment what all that backbreaking work was for?"
Jia Huan was thoroughly satisfied. He only wondered whether those bald donkeys had a master or grandmaster. The more steeped in evil they were, the better. They should hurry to the Divine Capital to avenge their disciples and wipe away their humiliation.
Perhaps because he was too exhausted, Jia Huan fell into a deep sleep as his thoughts wandered.
By the time someone shook him awake, roosters were crowing at daybreak, and a streak of fish-belly white had appeared on the horizon.
The Southern Commandant Office official set the Case Files on the table, a hint of a smile on his face.
"Jia Huan, our investigation confirmed that these bald donkeys all came from the No-Killing Temple in Jiangzhou. Their murders and arson throughout Jiangzhou were too numerous to record even on every strip of bamboo. They had the blood of dozens of innocent people on their hands, and even buried a county Registrar alive. Afterward, they roamed from place to place committing crimes. The Embroidered Uniform Guard in Jizhou caught three, but the remaining six disappeared. Who would have thought they had fled right under our noses?"
Jia Huan feigned shock and said angrily:
"Those vile bald donkeys! I failed in my duty and let them die too easily. They should have been cut into a thousand pieces!"
Their sin levels had all reached the eighth rank. Those bald donkeys must have committed every evil imaginable.
"What are you saying? Turning the tables on them in such a desperate situation was already remarkable. You upheld the might of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"
Admiration showed on the official's face. According to witnesses on Zhongling Street, Jia Huan had never called for help, much less backed down. His mettle had been displayed to the fullest.
"You said they also intended to assassinate imperial officials?" the official asked.
Jia Huan nodded emphatically.
"Precisely. That was why I lost my reason and slaughtered them all. If a tragedy such as the assassination of a court minister truly occurred, where would that leave the Embroidered Uniform Guard's dignity?"
The official was only half convinced, but the dead could no longer testify. He said gently:
"You've been up all night. Go home and rest. Don't let this weigh on you. Killing evil men rids the people of scourges. The Southern Office will consider everything and grant you a reward."
"Then I shall take my leave." Jia Huan respectfully cupped his fist, then left the interrogation room.
Quite a few Embroidered Uniform Guards had already gathered outside the Imperial Prison.
"Boss, your valor is unmatched!"
As soon as Jia Huan emerged, Fathead Fish, Skinny Monkey, Drunkard, and the others rushed over, their faces filled with admiration. Following a boss like him truly let them share in his glory!
Jia Huan said indifferently, "I merely crushed five ants that didn't know their place. What valor is there in that?"
Many of the Embroidered Uniform Guards were secretly stunned by his words.
They had heard that even the weakest of the five bald donkeys had reached the second level of the Postnatal Realm, yet in his eyes they were merely ants too feeble to withstand a blow?
"I knew long ago that you were no creature destined to remain in a small pond, young friend. Still, I never expected you to make your name at the Embroidered Uniform Guard Office so soon."
A middle-aged man in a silvery-white Flying Fish Uniform stepped forward.
"Lord Yan!" Jia Huan cupped his fist in greeting.
It was Yan Pu, the Embroidered Uniform Guard Hundred-Household Commander he had met when capturing the bald donkey Yuan Si alive in the alley.
"First thing this morning, I heard that a Great Banner had single-handedly slain five bald donkeys last night. Everyone was talking about it, and that Great Banner was only seventeen. I immediately thought of you, young friend. To think it really was you! Heroes truly do emerge from the young!"
Yan Pu spoke warmly, deliberately seeking to build a friendship. He was certain this youth's future had no limits.
"You flatter me, Lord Yan. I'll treat you to a drink another day," Jia Huan said with a smile.
One more friend meant one more road open to him. Besides, the man was a seventh-rank Hundred-Household Commander who could access the Case File Archive.
"It's a promise!" Yan Pu offered a few more words of concern, then returned to the office for duty.
"Boss, I just heard the Southern Office mention that those five bald donkeys were all wanted criminals from Jiangzhou. Could you get promoted for this?"
Fathead Fish leaned closer and asked in a lowered voice.
"I don't know." Jia Huan shook his head.
Under the Embroidered Uniform Guard's internal promotion rules, it would be difficult to advance again when fewer than ten days had passed since his promotion to Great Banner. Still, single-handedly taking down five wanted criminals was no small merit. He had also added oil to the fire, embellishing the story so that he had eliminated the threat of those bald donkeys harming imperial officials before it could arise. If the Southern Office took that into consideration, he definitely had a chance of becoming a General Banner.
Drunkard's face shone with admiration. "Boss, some busybodies are saying you might make the top two hundred on the Martial World Dragon-Tiger Ranking!"
The Martial World Dragon-Tiger Ranking listed two hundred highly skilled martial artists under twenty-eight. Their boss was only seventeen. If he made the Dragon-Tiger Ranking, it would shake the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard Office.
"Who wants to get onto that damned ranking?" Jia Huan was unimpressed.
He wanted none of that hollow fame. Quietly apprehending criminals and earning rewards mattered more than anything else. Once he stood at the very pinnacle, one loud fart from him would make the entire Jianghu tremble.
Before he even entered the Rongguo Mansion, Jia Huan noticed one respectful gaze after another directed at him as he walked along Ningrong Street.
Only one street separated Ningrong Street from Zhongling Street. By early morning, the news had spread through every alley.
Young Master Huan of the Rongguo Mansion had single-handedly slain five vicious, fiendish monks. People said the bald donkeys had killed as readily as cutting hemp, yet against Young Master Huan, they could only descend to the Yellow Springs nursing their bitterness.
"Young Master Huan."
The Rongguo Mansion's two gatekeepers bowed in greeting. None of their usual arrogance remained, and they could not conceal the fear on their faces.
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