Clap, clap, clap-
No sooner had Ye Xingge finished speaking than crisp applause came from beyond the wall.
Clad in a black brocade robe, Ruan Jinyu descended like a silent ghost onto the ridge of a roof outside the wall. He tucked his hands into his sleeves, approval in his eyes:
"Fine work. To have made a capture so quickly has truly opened my eyes. I am supervising this assessment according to regulations, so naturally I cannot intervene lightly. But to keep the surrounding residents from harm, I cannot let the remaining bandits scatter and flee either. That is why I have only sealed off the area outside the wall.
"You may continue making arrests. As long as you kill or capture Winnowing Basket Water Leopard alive, it will count as a solo achievement.
"Of course, if you cannot defeat them, you may also ask your colleagues for help. But if the authorities get involved, the achievement will no longer count."
Those words sounded quite reasonable, and even protected the surrounding residents and Ye Xingge from harm.
But Ye Xingge had already frightened off a group of underlings and only had to pursue their leader, Winnowing Basket Water Leopard. Capturing him had been practically guaranteed.
Now that they were shut inside the opera garden, none of them could escape. It had become "one against thirty-seven," and he was facing a pack of cornered beasts with no way out!
The difficulty had instantly increased more than tenfold!
Winnowing Basket Water Leopard and the others were no fools either. Hearing the words from outside, none of them went after Ye Xingge with their blades. Instead, they swiftly retreated into the opera house to hide and search for a way out.
But after Ruan Jinyu sat down in the grand chair his attendants had brought over and accepted a cup of tea, he did not forget to add a remark to the surrounding embroidered-robed officers:
"The imperial mausoleum is short of laborers. If Lord Ye cannot defeat them and calls for help, you are to step in and assist with the arrests. Remember to leave some alive. Whatever you do, don't kill or cripple them, or they'll be no use at the mausoleum."
"..."
At those words, even the embroidered-robed officers maintaining the blockade glanced sideways at Ruan Jinyu, feeling he had gone too far.
After all, were those words meant for them?
They were meant for the thirty-odd bandits inside!
If they wanted to live, it was simple: they only had to work together and fight Ye Xingge until he called for help.
And once Ye Xingge was forced to ask for help, it would no longer count as a solo achievement, and the Inspection Bureau could claim half the credit.
Chen Xiaobao, who had gotten his position through connections and was holding an umbrella behind him, could hardly bear to watch any longer. He said quietly:
"Lord Ruan, as the saying goes, those who commit too many injustices will bring about their own destruction..."
"Hmm?"
Ruan Jinyu shot him a glare, and Chen Xiaobao promptly shut his mouth.
Meanwhile, farther away.
An Yurou and her four followers stood atop a tall building on the outskirts of Return to Righteousness Ward, using a spyglass to observe the opera garden, which was surrounded on all sides.
The sight made Hou Chou'er's beard bristle and his eyes bulge with anger. He cursed under his breath:
"This is outrageous! If Great Yan's officials are all like this, how could the country fail to fall?"
The day before yesterday, An Yurou had been groped and clawed at, and her clothes had been torn. She actually had plenty of grievances against Ye Xingge and had never imagined that one day she would be standing up for a man who had bullied her, much as she did for her "beloved."
But looking at the matter on its own merits, she and Ye Xingge had merely been on opposing sides. When he ran into her, he had been acting in self-preservation, and everything he had done was the upright work of capturing criminals for his country.
Yet a loyal and righteous man was being deliberately obstructed by his superior instead. Who wouldn't be furious to see it? She thought for a moment, then said quietly:
"This young man found Winnowing Basket Water Leopard on his own. If no one had interfered just now, he would surely have caught him. It would have been one thing for Ruan Jinyu to follow and supervise, but he deliberately botched matters too. This young man must surely have a grievance. Find a way to try to turn him to our side later. He has some ability, and he might amount to something in the future."
Hou Chou'er reckoned the chances of turning him were as high as ninety percent. Anyone with even a little temper would abandon the darkness for the light:
"Why doesn't the family head find an excuse to go over and help him out? It would be a perfect chance to win him over..."
An Yurou shook her head. "Ruan Jinyu has chosen a good excuse. If we intervene and help, the result will certainly be called into question. If we tell Ruan Jinyu to stop surrounding them and the bandits rush out and harm civilians, none of us can bear that responsibility. Go notify Xuanqing and have the Judicial Review Bureau's people hurry over. That way, at least we won't let that damned eunuch pick up the credit..."
Hou Chou'er nodded and was about to find a chance to pass the message, but before he turned around, his brow furrowed again. He peered closely through the spyglass:
"This... what is that boy trying to do?"
An Yurou, who had been thinking, was also taken aback. Once she saw what he was doing, her almond-shaped eyes filled with astonishment...
Outside the opera garden.
More than a hundred embroidered-robed officers of the Inspection Bureau stood ready. Their commanding officer was acting so utterly inhuman that they were actually a little ashamed.
Ye Xingge, standing outside the building, had shown no great reaction from beginning to end.
After all, Ruan Jinyu might be loathsome, but there was nothing really wrong with what he had said. If those people escaped, they might indeed harm civilians. If Ye Xingge stopped him from surrounding them and something happened, Ruan Jinyu wouldn't be the one left holding the blame.
As for asking for help?
Ye Xingge stood in the rain with his saber in hand, surveyed the many embroidered-robed officers outside, and then looked at Ruan Jinyu:
"Lord Ruan truly loves the people as his own children. Then I must ask you to watch the gate carefully, Lord Ruan. If one or two get out and hurt the people, the responsibility won't be mine."
Ruan Jinyu heard the insult calling him a "watchdog," but he did not get angry. He merely held his teacup and raised a hand in invitation:
"Please, Lord Ye."
Ye Xingge said no more. He flicked the rain and blood from the Black Banner Saber, turned, and walked toward the opera house, where flames flickered.
Inside the opera house.
More than thirty followers were huddled in the main hall. Grasshoppers on the same boat, they had stopped scheming against one another and gathered around Winnowing Basket Water Leopard, their hearts as cold as dead ashes as they discussed what to do.
But the situation was quite clear. Leaving aside the more than two hundred embroidered-robed officers outside, Ruan Jinyu alone could kill them all with one hand.
If they wanted to live, they could only gamble that Ruan Jinyu had been telling the truth and that, once captured, they could go to the imperial mausoleum as laborers. Though their chances of survival were slim even then, it was at least better than dying on the spot.
But Ruan Jinyu had made himself clear: he had no grounds to intervene now. Only if the monster outside called for help could his people step in.
That left them no choice about what to do.
The thirty-odd people each gripped their saber hilts. Seeing the flames grow larger and larger, they exchanged glances, hesitating over whether to take the gamble.
But just then, a sound suddenly came from the side:
Bang-
A heavy kick snapped the hasp holding the bronze lock on the double doors and sent them crashing against the walls. Wind, rain, and lightning entered with them, blowing the raging flames askew.
Winnowing Basket Water Leopard and the others were gathered among more than thirty square tables. At the sound, their hair stood on end, and they all raised their weapons toward the doorway.
Yet the one who came was still alone. Firelight reflected in his eyes, and he looked like an asura who had fought his way into a realm of flames. After a single glance around, he raised his saber and walked toward them.
Tap, tap, tap...
"?!"
Winnowing Basket Water Leopard trembled all over at the sight, utterly stunned!
They were still wondering whether to fight their way out. It had never occurred to them that their opponent might fight his way in!
But their opponent was an officer of the authorities. As long as he bowed his head and asked for help, he would not die, so it was only natural that he had the nerve.
They, on the other hand, had fallen into a realm of death, with only a single thread of hope left!
Thus, the fear in their eyes vanished, leaving only the ferocity of cornered beasts at death's door. One of them shouted angrily:
"Damn it, if our heads come off, they'll leave a scar no bigger than a bowl! Even if we die, we'll take one with us! Kill him!"
Clatter, clatter, clatter...
In an instant, several men kicked tables and chairs aside and surged toward the door together.
Ye Xingge's gaze remained fixed on Winnowing Basket Water Leopard at the back of the crowd. Seeing them come, he advanced instead of retreating. With a single lunging step, he followed up with a flying knee that struck the man in front in the chest before he could even swing his saber.
Thud-
Bones broke and the man's chest caved in. Blood sprayed from his mouth and nose as he flew backward into three men behind him.
As Ye Xingge struck with his flying knee, he thrust his saber into the throat of the man on his right. At the same time, he snapped his left elbow outward, using his bracer to knock aside an incoming blade. Following the momentum of his knee strike, his elbow slammed into the swordsman's jaw!
Crack~
The swordsman saw a blur before a figure crashed into him. Before he could react, his jawbone shattered and his teeth flew. His vision went black, and he fell straight backward.
Thump~
By the time Ye Xingge's feet touched the ground, he had pulled his saber from the man's throat. Taking advantage of the crowd ahead being knocked head over heels, he swept the blade across their waists and bellies.
Blood sprayed through the air as three men's guts were ripped open.
The remaining men came at him with their sabers. Ye Xingge swept his own blade across to knock their weapons aside, then took a great step forward and slammed into them with a mountain-crushing body strike.
Bang-
In this move, force issued from the spine, and Qi moved with the body.
Ye Xingge had studied the Eight Extremes Gang-Piercing Force for two days. He did not dare claim he had undergone a qualitative change, but his technique for circulating Qi was indeed entirely different from before.
Just now, the force had risen from the ground. His left foot had shattered the floor tiles as he exerted himself, and then the strength of his whole body had traveled through his leg, waist, and shoulder before smashing into the man in front of him.
The man he struck suffered shattered ribs on the spot. The overbearing force of Qi that pierced through his body even made blood burst from the mouth and nose of the person behind him.
"Pfft-"
The six or seven people crushed together then went flying in all directions as though struck by a cart of earth. They fell toward the back of the hall, smashing several tables and chairs.
Crash-
After that flurry of blows, the eyes of the underlings who had charged him cleared somewhat. They halted their attack, and some even backed away.
Facing the still numerous underlings, Ye Xingge merely flicked the blood from his blade, leaving a line of red on the floor:
"Seven."
Bang-
As the word fell, he drove down hard with both feet again. Like a tiger charging through the forest, he bore down on several men. With both hands on his saber and his legs in a bow stance, he brought the blade down like a hegemon cleaving stone. A single strike severed his opponent's weapon and split open his chest and belly.
The saber tip then darted like a shuttle, flicking left and right in quick succession before Ye Xingge swiftly pulled back.
Swish, swish~
Two men struck at him from either side at once, only to hit empty air. They staggered backward, clutching their throats as blood gushed between their fingers.
"Ten."
The even voice was like an imperial decree of death!
After only two waves of attacks, the fighting spirit the followers had just mustered was brutally shattered, and they began fleeing in all directions.
Winnowing Basket Water Leopard gripped his saber. All this time, he had been circling in search of an opening.
But a band of brigands was no battle formation. They had no coordination to speak of, charging and running about in a mob. They hindered him as much as they hindered Ye Xingge.
And Ye Xingge knew that he was the only one present capable of trading blows with him. His eyes had never left him for an instant.
After only a brief standoff, the young swordsman had already cut down fifteen or sixteen people like a wolf among sheep.
The Black Banner Saber's edge was as sharp as ever, while his fists, palms, knees, elbows, and shoulders were like heavy cannons. His force was like a bow snapping taut, his attacks like exploding thunder; anyone they touched was killed or crippled!
Winnowing Basket Water Leopard knew things were going badly. Remembering that his opponent was wounded in the left ribs, he immediately circled to the left flank. As two followers, unable to evade, charged headlong, he used the instant their moving bodies concealed him to raise his left hand.
Bang-
His sleeve billowed, and a great cloud of white powder erupted from it...