Chapter 67 Paying Compensation

The Estate of the Marquis of Pingnan.

Deep within the secluded mansion.

An elderly man gazed indifferently and asked, "He is unwilling to come?"

"Yes, Elder Zhang. Not only is he unwilling to come, but he also exchanged blows with this subordinate. He used a venomous martial art and forced me back with a single palm strike."

The previously mentioned silver-badge guard replied respectfully.

"A venomous martial art? To think someone from the imperial court actually practices such arts."

Nearby, a young man suddenly sneered. He looked toward the man seated in the central chair, who wore a python-patterned robe, and said, "Marquis, let me go. Whether he is the one who killed Wang Nine or not, and regardless of any other figures behind him, this constable is ultimately an unstable variable. It is best to eliminate him as soon as possible!"

"Indeed, Marquis. The fortuitous opportunity in the mountains is about to manifest, and we must not tolerate anyone who poses a threat to us. His coming here to take up office shows that the court has genuinely detected something. If we wait for him to report back to the capital, it will become troublesome. Let us eliminate him at the earliest!"

Another young man chimed in.

The other youths also turned their gazes toward the man in the python robe.

The man in the python robe calmly asked, "Elder Zhang, what are your thoughts?"

"Marquis, it remains unconfirmed whether he is the one who killed Wang Nine. If he truly is, and in case he still has any remaining [Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles] in his possession, I fear that no matter how many men we send, they will all perish!"

The elderly man stated.

The man in the python robe inquired, "What is your proposed course of action?"

"The Marquis can host a grand banquet tomorrow evening, widely inviting all prominent factions within the city to attend. We can then dispatch someone to formally invite this constable. Today, he excused himself on the grounds of official business, but tomorrow night it will be much harder for him to refuse a second time. Once he arrives, we can use the pretext of a martial arts spar, select several experts, and strike with overwhelming force to kill him instantly. That way, even if he possesses the [Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles], he will have no chance to use them against us!"

Elder Zhang proposed.

"Very well."

The man in the python robe replied.

This Breeze City was his territory. When invited during the day, Chen Xuan could use official duties as an excuse to decline, but if invited again tomorrow night and he refused once more, it would be a direct insult to him as the Marquis.

After all, constables were off duty at night, so he was not worried that Chen Xuan would fail to show up.

Unless Chen Xuan found yet another excuse, but doing so would only provoke him further.

This was certainly not something a normal constable would dare to do.

...

A day passed swiftly.

Led by Chen Xuan, a group of constables patrolled the streets, alleys, and bustling districts throughout the city.

Everyone in the entire Breeze City learned that a new constable had arrived to strictly overhaul public order. For a time, teahouses, taverns, and other establishments buzzed with endless discussion.

As dusk approached, Chen Xuan dismissed Zhang the Golden-Haired and the others, ordering them to return to the yamen together with the four arrested felons. He instructed them to guard the four prisoners carefully, warning that he would hold them accountable if even a single one went missing.

Zhang the Golden-Haired, Li the Second Baldy, and the others nodded repeatedly.

With his hand resting on his official saber, Chen Xuan walked toward the street ahead.

He wondered how Niu San, Wang Liu, and the others had fared with their tasks throughout the day.

He decided to go and take a look.

Chen Xuan stepped into a bustling alleyway where storytellers, opera performers, and clapper-ballad singers were active in numerous spots. All along his way, theatrical verses and stories continuously drifted into his ears.

A smile quickly appeared on Chen Xuan's face.

"Master Chen the Eldest is truly supreme, winning victories in the east, west, south, and north. Coming without a shadow, going without a trace, beating the villains till they lose their place..."

...

"With a tap of the bamboo clappers, we praise nothing else, but let us praise the carefree young master Chen Xuan. What is so good about this Chen Xuan? First, his looks surpass a blossoming flower, and with a fervent heart, he protects everyone..."

...

"The master clapper beats with a crisp ring-ding, let us speak of that heroic hero Master Chen the Eldest. This Chen Xuan learned his arts at the Shaolin Temple, saber, spear, staff, and club, he excelled in every single one. He stands a full twelve feet tall, and his two eyes are like bronze bells..."

...

"On the second day of the second month, and the third day of the third month, young hero Chen Xuan descended Mount Pan. Young hero Chen Xuan is truly a man of substance, dispensing chivalrous justice while accompanied by a beauty. His swordsmanship connects heaven and earth, and his two palms shatter mountains and rivers..."

...

"You ask what kind of person this young hero Chen Xuan is? Well, he is extraordinary! Esteemed patrons, listen closely as I recount it for you in detail. This young hero Chen Xuan possessed an extraordinary family background since childhood. By the age of nine, he had already achieved great mastery in Qi accumulation, practicing chivalry with a passionate heart. However, around the age of eleven, his inner energy instead decreased rather than increased, reducing him to a cripple. From then on, he suffered ostracism from his family and abandonment by his relatives. Through a chance encounter, he was even abducted into the Five Poisons Cult..."

...

"After entering the Five Poisons Cult, this young hero Chen Xuan remained with his body in Cao's camp while his heart stayed with Han. Although those demonic lords of the Five Poisons Cult repeatedly forced him to commit wicked deeds, young hero Chen Xuan never yielded once..."

...

The main streets, alleys, teahouses, taverns, and storytelling spots were filled with performers singing and reciting ballads detailing the various heroic deeds of young hero Chen Xuan.

Quite a few pugilistic travelers were secretly baffled.

Isn't this fucking Chen Xuan ranked eighty-ninth on the Black List, nicknamed the Clan-Extirpating Hand?

Does he really have such a great reputation?

And besides, wasn't he someone who committed all sorts of heinous crimes and loved leaving people without descendants?

Why are they praising him instead?

"Fucking hell, speak! Who told you to sing it this way? Did Chen Xuan come here? If you don't talk, this daddy will slice the flesh off your body piece by piece today!"

Inside a teahouse, a fierce pugilistic brute grabbed the elderly opera performer by the collar, drew his long saber, and said with vicious intent.

The other pugilistic guests also wore fierce expressions as they surrounded the old man with a murderous aura.

The old man turned pale with terror and pleaded, "Spare my life, good heroes, spare my life! Someone gave me fifty taels of silver and told me to sing it this way."

"Who? Where is he?"

The fierce brute demanded.

"I don't recognize him. He wore a cloak and covered his face, only giving me the money and the lyrics. I don't know him at all! Spare me, good heroes, spare me!"

The old man wailed.

"Dammit, you're not allowed to sing like this! That Chen Xuan is a heinous arch-demon who kills without blinking, specializing in leaving people without descendants. There are at least a thousand people whose scrotal gourds were crushed by him, destroying the happiness of countless people. Are you trying to whitewash him? Do you want to make an enemy of the entire pugilistic world?"

The big man shouted sternly.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare, this old man won't sing it anymore."

The old man said in panic, terrified of provoking trouble.

Outside the teahouse, Chen Xuan happened to be passing by. He had been listening with secret delight, feeling that Niu San and Wang Liu had done a good job with this task, but he never expected that a bunch of reckless brutes would directly show up to ruin the layout he had painstakingly set up!

Damn it, this is unacceptable!

Is it easy for this daddy to hire people to whitewash himself? How dare you ruin it!

Ptoo!

What whitewash? This daddy was clean to begin with.

Casually grabbing a cutting board from his side, he snapped off a small piece. With a flick of his wrist, he shot it toward that reckless brute like a projectile.

The reckless brute had still been looking fierce, holding the old man and making threats, when suddenly the wooden block thrown by Chen Xuan struck his palm. With a bang, he let out a miserable groan, released the old man, and stumbled back repeatedly.

"Damn it! Who dares to plot against this daddy?"

He roared furiously and immediately turned around.

The other reckless brutes beside him also turned around angrily.

Anyone daring to attack them must be an accomplice of Chen Xuan.

However, the instant they turned around, they noticed Constable Wu Tiande standing outside the teahouse with a gloomy expression, and their expressions changed drastically as they hurriedly stepped back.

Throughout the entire day today, the major stunts pulled by this constable had truly terrified everyone.

Even Rain-Falling Sword Zhang Xiao had been captured; how could they possibly be matches for him?

"Lord Constable, we... we didn't do anything bad!"

The big man anxiously stammered out of panic.

He was terrified that Chen Xuan would also severely injure him and drag him off to the yamen.

"Grandmother's bear, you didn't do anything bad? If you didn't do anything bad, why did you grab the man by the neck?"

With a fierce expression, Chen Xuan walked in and said, "This daddy has been working hard all day until my throat is dry, just to promote the legal system to you turtle sons, and yet you dare to make a move? Did you take what I said today as fart?"

"No, we definitely wouldn't dare!"

"Lord Constable, spare us, we didn't make a move!"

The group hurriedly retreated, filled with extreme panic.

They were truly frightened out of their wits by Chen Xuan.

"Still saying you didn't make a move? Turtle sons, look at how you scared this old man! His neck can't even straighten up anymore."

Chen Xuan said.

"Lord Constable, we really didn't make a move!"

"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding! We just wanted to ask the old man a question!"

The group begged bitterly for mercy.

"Dammit, this daddy saw it with his own eyes, and you still dare to quibble?"

Chen Xuan glared at them.

The group turned even paler with fright, trembling all over.

"Pay five hundred taels as compensation to him!"

Chen Xuan cursed.

"F-Five hundred taels?"

The face of the big man who had taken the lead turned green.

Although they were people of the pugilistic world, they were not particularly wealthy, and five hundred taels was by no means a small sum.

"What? You don't want to pay?"

Chen Xuan said viciously.

Leaving aside a mere five hundred taels, if it were back in his previous life, anyone daring to treat an old man like this would be lucky if he didn't bankrupt your entire family.

"We'll pay! We'll pay right now!"

The group of big men hurriedly fumbled for money with trembling hands.

Pooling their resources together, they managed to scrape together five hundred taels.

Chen Xuan snatched the money away, handed it to the old man who recited clapper-ballads, and said, "Grandpa, all this money is paid to you by these turtle sons. Hold onto it, and continue singing what you were singing just now. Whoever dares to stop you from singing, ask this treasured saber of mine whether it agrees first! Remember, I am Wu Tiande, the thirteenth black-clad constable of Breeze City. With me here, no one dares to touch you!"

Trembling violently and looking at the silver ingots and banknotes in his hands, the old man hurriedly said, "No, no, no, I don't want it. Many thanks, Lord Constable, but I don't need the money."

"Take it!"

Chen Xuan glared at him and shoved the money into his hands. Then, casting a cold glance at the big men beside him, he sneered, "If I find out that this old man feels the slightest bit unwell tomorrow, don't blame me for slaughtering your entire families. Even if you run away, this daddy will issue an official arrest warrant and hunt you down to the ends of the earth! Do you hear me?"

The group looked terrified.

Damn it.

In their hearts, they cursed Wu Tiande's ancestors through the eighteenth generation.

What kind of eccentric constable was this!

If this old man got sick tomorrow, were they supposed to take the blame for that too?

Everyone secretly felt bitter inside; had they known earlier, they wouldn't have stood up in the first place.