Ch. 23
Chapter 23: If a Death-Seeker Has No Ears, It’s Fine If He Gets Himself Run Over
The moment the last person was captured, the system reward was immediately granted to Cheng Yu.
【The host has swept clean a force that was harboring criminals and displayed the power of the Jinyiwei. Reward: Internal Energy!】
The Internal Energy within his body increased, and as naturally and smoothly as water flowing into its course, it broke through a faint, intangible boundary.
Late Third Rank!
Beyond this lay the great threshold where a martial artist crossed from the Lower Three Ranks into the Middle Three Ranks by entering the Fourth Rank. The accumulation required for that was far greater than before.
At that moment, Xie Long was brought over under guard, and she happened to see the look of satisfaction on Cheng Yu’s face.
Beside Cheng Yu lay one corpse after another, all belonging to those who had tried to resist or flee.
“Demon! You evil fiend! You’ll die a miserable death!”
Seeing this scene, she cried out at Cheng Yu in despair.
Smack!
The Jinyiwei Battalion Commander holding Xie Long immediately slapped her hard across the face.
“How dare you!”
How dare she show disrespect to the honored and great Lord Cheng!
Did she think they were useless ornaments?
Seeing that they were still too angry and wanted to hit her again, Cheng Yu raised a hand to stop them.
Then he looked at Xie Long with a smile. “I acted according to the rules. How does that make me some evil fiend?”
“You destroyed my sect and slaughtered my whole family, committing monstrous sins! If that doesn’t make you a demon, what does?”
Xie Long, her face marked red from the slap, ground her teeth in fury.
“You’ve trained a whole body full of martial skill, yet you know nothing of chivalry or the righteous path! You disgrace all martial artists under heaven!”
Hearing those familiar words, Cheng Yu grew interested.
He countered, “Chivalry and the righteous path? I don’t like discussing that. I’ll only ask you one question. Have you ever killed anyone?”
“Of course I have. I’ve killed roadside bandits! I’ve killed dog officials like you!”
There was even a trace of pride in Xie Long’s voice. That was the chivalry she practiced.
“Hahaha! Then there’s no difference between us.”
Cheng Yu laughed out loud at that and turned to leave.
Looking at his back, Xie Long, who carried the hatred of a blood feud, felt that even her faith had been insulted.
She roared after him, “The people I killed all deserved to die. I rid the people of harm! You murder the innocent, and you’ll die a miserable death!”
But just then, one of the Jinyiwei Battalion Commanders holding Xie Long yanked off the exquisite jade hairpin from her hair.
The hairpin glowed with a dim green sheen from end to end, set with gemstones. The Jinyiwei clicked his tongue in wonder.
“What a fine hairpin. An old farmer probably couldn’t buy one of these even after farming for a whole lifetime.”
“Stop staring. Even if you stare it into pieces, it won’t belong to you. Better learn properly from Lord Cheng. If you learn well enough, maybe the lord will reward you with something to take back to your wife.”
“I don’t want it. I saw one exactly like this when I was confiscating the Red River Gang. A merchant passed through Qinghe County and Sha Yue killed his whole family and robbed them of their property. The merchant’s wife couldn’t bear the humiliation, so she used a hairpin just like this one to kill herself. The pair originally came as a set. Who would have thought one of them would be here...”
...
The next day.
At the Qinghe County Jinyiwei Banner Office.
Cheng Yu stood atop the Martial Training Hall, which had already been cleaned out and put back into use.
Su Feng and the other Banner Captains trembled beside him, not even daring to raise their heads.
In front of them stood thirty subordinates, all Jinyiwei Battalion Commanders, Strongman Guards, and the like.
Every single one of them had abundant Internal Energy, almost at the level of a ranked martial artist, and all were equipped with extremely fine Cold Iron Heavy Crossbows.
Taken one by one, each of them had a way to deal with a First Rank martial artist.
It was hard to imagine that just a few days earlier, these people had been nothing more than a mob of scattered, unruly men.
The one who had brought about all these changes was Cheng Yu.
All the Jinyiwei looked at him with reverence in their eyes.
“How many days has Li Da been in Qinghe County?” Cheng Yu asked.
“This is his third day here. If we delay another day or two, the prefectural office will probably send someone else again,” Su Feng replied hurriedly from the side.
When he found out that Cheng Yu had detained the Acting Hundred-Household Commander sent from Qingjiang Prefecture, he had been completely stunned.
But helpless as he was, he could only bind himself completely to the Qinghe County Banner Office.
After a thing like that, in the eyes of the Hundred-Household Office, there probably was not a single clean Jinyiwei left in Qinghe County.
Cheng Yu nodded and said blandly,
“After we wiped out the Red River Gang, we discovered that the Red River Gang had powerful backing indeed.”
“I’ve already submitted a report to the capital through the Jinyiwei’s secret channels, but there are some matters we cannot wait for others to handle.”
He looked at the gathered Jinyiwei before him.
Then he issued an order in a tone that allowed no doubt.
“Quite a few families in Qingjiang Prefecture City were involved in the Red River Gang’s affairs. They are all suspicious parties. As Jinyiwei, it is only right that we fulfill our duty.”
Su Feng shuddered all over when he heard that. “Lord Cheng, what are you planning to do?”
Cheng Yu smiled faintly. “Why, of course... execute first and report later, with the throne’s special authorization.”
“All Jinyiwei, fully arm yourselves and bring enough bolts. We are going to Qingjiang Prefecture to investigate and confiscate the families involved!”
Under Cheng Yu’s leadership, the whole group moved with great speed.
By dusk that very day, the entire party arrived on horseback before Qingjiang Prefecture City.
Before they had even entered the city, they could already see city gates far taller than those of Qinghe County, with streams of people constantly passing to and fro.
When passersby saw a mounted group approaching, they all hurriedly moved aside.
Ordinary people immediately retreated. They could not afford to provoke armed riders.
Those with martial skill took a closer look and discovered that they were all Jinyiwei dressed in Flying Fish Uniforms.
One after another, they rolled their eyes and walked away.
The scene was exactly like Cheng Yu’s own previous circumstances.
Or rather, it was the overall condition of Great Qian’s Jinyiwei.
Cheng Yu let out a mocking laugh and shook his head, not bothering to care. He led his men straight into the city toward their destination.
Their entire group rode into the city in a mighty column, advancing without hindrance as the passersby all stepped aside.
Then, suddenly, something unexpected happened.
A young man in luxurious robes, holding a folding fan, not only failed to move aside when facing thirty mounted riders, but instead slowly crossed the street and stood directly in their path.
“Jinyiwei business! Bystanders clear the way!”
One Jinyiwei Battalion Commander immediately shouted the warning and snapped his whip with a sharp crack to drive the man off.
Unexpectedly, the young man did not dodge at all. Instead, he leisurely stopped by the roadside and began fanning himself.
No one had expected him to be so arrogant and bold, and there was no time to stop the horse.
Just as the Jinyiwei who had shouted the warning was about to slam into him, another figure suddenly shot out from the roadside. With both hands raised, he thrust forward and actually sent the Jinyiwei Battalion Commander and his horse crashing to the ground.
Cheng Yu lifted a hand to signal the others to halt and silently watched the scene before him.
“Are you blind? Didn’t you see my young master passing through?”
The middle-aged man who had knocked down the Jinyiwei rider stood there proudly, his Internal Energy completely undisguised.
He was clearly a martial artist of no small strength.
“So it’s a pack of imperial hounds.”
Once he saw Cheng Yu and the others’ attire, his expression became even more contemptuous.
“Which one of you is the leader? Get down here and kowtow to apologize to my young master at once, or my Cui Family will never let you off!”
The Jinyiwei all turned to look at Cheng Yu.
Since Cheng Yu had not spoken, none of them dismounted.
Once the passersby saw that the mounted Jinyiwei had run into Cui Yan, the Cui Family’s eldest young master, they immediately began whispering.
“They like riding through the city as if they’re some big deal. Well, now they’ve run into real trouble. Let’s see what they do.”
“All these Jinyiwei look unfamiliar. Could it be they’re not from the Hundred-Household Office? Even Hundred-Household Commander Ma Yuan doesn’t dare offend the Cui Family. These people are in real trouble now.”
“Cui Yan is a cruel man. If these Jinyiwei don’t kowtow, admit fault, and offer apologies, there’s no way this ends peacefully.”
The Cui Family was one of the great families of Qingjiang Prefecture. Quite a few people in the clan possessed considerable martial strength, and their influence spread throughout the prefecture. They were true local tyrants, powerful enough to suppress even a fierce dragon from elsewhere.
Anyone who provoked the Cui Family’s young master had never met a good end.
Cui Yan snapped his folding fan shut and looked coolly toward Cheng Yu.
At a glance, he had already determined that this striking and imposing young man was the leader.
In a cold, contemptuous tone, he said, “Does Ma Yuan, Hundred-Household Commander Ma, know that you people are this arrogant and unruly, enough to offend me?”
“If a death-seeker has no ears and can’t hear the shouting, then it’s fine if he gets himself run over,” Cheng Yu said blandly.
“What did you say?!”
Cui Yan had never imagined Cheng Yu would answer like that. In Qingjiang Prefecture City, who had ever dared speak to him in such a manner?
His anger instantly flared sky-high.
The onlookers were also shocked. This young Jinyiwei was far too overbearing. How dare he humiliate even the Cui Family’s young master like this?
It seemed today’s affair could not end without blood.
“Cripple that man for me!”
His face full of rage, Cui Yan gave the order sharply.
“You dare insult my young master? You’re courting death!”
The middle-aged martial artist of the Cui Family assumed a martial stance and was about to charge straight at Cheng Yu.
Yet Cheng Yu showed not the slightest panic in the face of the approaching man. His gaze remained utterly calm.
He had been lucky. The Cui Family happened to be one of the families that had colluded with Ma Yuan to support the Red River Gang. The moment he entered the city, he had already run into one of the guilty parties.
Although the Cui Family had not been today’s target, changing the target a little was hardly a problem.
In a cold voice, he ordered, “He attacked the Jinyiwei in public. Kill without mercy!”
The moment those words came out, Cui Yan burst into laughter. A pack of insignificant Jinyiwei wanted to kill him?
Both he and the middle-aged martial artist were Second Rank martial artists. A mere group of Jinyiwei could do nothing to them.
To hear such words from a minor Jinyiwei only struck him as laughable.
“Kill without mercy? Hahaha! I’m dying of laughter. Let’s see if you really have the—”
But halfway through his laughter, he suddenly could not laugh anymore.
Because he saw a dense rain of bolts shooting straight toward him.
The two men of the Cui Family were horrified. They had never expected these Jinyiwei to be so ruthless, actually attacking the instant they said they would!
They had no time to evade properly, and both were struck. They immediately suffered serious wounds.
“Murder!”
The onlookers, seeing that the Jinyiwei had actually used crossbows, scattered in terror.
Cui Yan wore inner armor and had not been hit in a vital point. Covering the arrow in his arm, he said viciously, “You really dare attack! Hurry and kill that leader for me!”
“I refuse to believe they’d really dare kill someone from my Cui Family. Today I’ll make him wish he were dead!”
“Yes!” The middle-aged martial artist of the Cui Family yanked out the arrows embedded in his body and charged forward.
But what met him was the cold gleam of the heavy crossbows, and yet another volley.
This time, he could not dodge or block in time at all. The middle-aged martial artist collapsed into a pool of blood.
Cui Yan stared wide-eyed at the fallen man, unable to believe what he was seeing no matter how hard he tried.
Someone actually dared to kill a member of his Cui Family
in Qingjiang Prefecture?
All his life, it had always been others who were killed by him, Cui Yan. Had these Jinyiwei all gone mad?
At the same time, Cheng Yu dismounted and walked over without hurry.
When Cui Yan saw this, he immediately took half a step back. He only felt that Cheng Yu was insane.
He hurriedly flicked his fan open, and the fan instantly revealed itself as a weapon.
“You killed someone from my Cui Family. My Cui Family will never let you off!”
Cheng Yu looked at Cui Yan calmly. “Neither will I.”
Before the words had even finished falling, he drew his Xiuchun Saber and slashed fiercely at him.
Second Rank martial artist Cui Yan did not even have time to understand what had happened.
His head fell to the ground.
【The host has killed one who showed disrespect and upheld the dignity of the Jinyiwei. Reward: Internal Energy!】
Cheng Yu nudged Cui Yan’s head with his foot, then turned to look at his subordinates, whose eyes were filled with worship.
“Where is the Cui Family located? Someone littered in the street. We’re civilized people, so since we picked it up, we might as well return it to them.”