Chapter 68: Slain with a Single Palm Strike

"Sir, this humble one understands, this humble one completely understands, and will absolutely not do anything to this old man."

A group of burly men quickly squeezed out a forced laugh.

Chen Xuan sneered and said, "Since that's the case, why aren't you bastards getting lost?"

As if granted a reprieve, the group of ruffians scrambled to escape in all directions.

Compared to paying a bit of money and losing their lives, they still came out ahead.

What a freak this chief constable actually is!

Promoting the rule of law in Qingfeng City?

Promote your mother's law!

Everyone cursed inwardly as they fled the scene.

Chen Xuan looked at the old man and said, "Old man, continue with your singing just now. Remember, under my governance, singing whatever you like is your absolute freedom. That tune just now wasn't bad, keep singing for me!"

The old man wore a look of utter shock. He looked at the silver ingot and the banknotes in his hand, then looked at the bearded constable. Everything felt like a dream, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, this old man thanks you, sir."

He pocketed the money, turned around, and resumed clacking his bamboo clappers.

"On the second day of the second month, the third day of the third month, young hero Chen Xuan descends from Panshan... Young hero Chen Xuan is truly a man of substance, dispensing chivalry with a beauty by his side, his swordsmanship piercing the heavens and earth, his two palms shattering mountains and rivers..."

...

Chen Xuan listened with inward satisfaction.

After all, this young hero is a genius!

This is public opinion. For now, never mind whether it's true or false; keep spreading it and eventually it might just become the truth. So there's no need to rush, take it slow.

Resting his hand on his official blade, Chen Xuan left the spot and continued his patrol down the streets.

"Audacious scoundrel, how dare you steal someone's property! Are you tired of living?"

Suddenly, Chen Xuan let out a booming shout and gave chase ahead.

A group of petty thieves turned pale with fright and scrambled away in a hurry.

...

Thus, after a whole day of publicity, Chen Xuan still showed no signs of stopping. Wandering alone through the major streets and narrow alleys, he resolved several more violent incidents.

Of course, his primary purpose was still to check on how Niu San and Wang Liu were handling their tasks.

Earlier, he had sent Niu San and Wang Liu out specifically to tamper with the lyrics and hand them over to storytellers and ballad singers, having these people sing them far and wide. After all, the strength of a single person is limited.

Gathering every ballad singer and storyteller in the entirety of Qingfeng City to praise him every day—if things went on like this, sooner or later, people would gradually come to accept him.

A slight smile played on Chen Xuan's lips as he vaguely foresaw a path to clearing his name.

Dusk fell.

The horizon was ablaze with sunset clouds, dazzling and magnificent.

Chen Xuan was sitting at a roadside food stall eating a bowl of noodles.

Although the noodles in this world were not as thread-thin as those from his previous life, they were full of color, aroma, and flavor, springy and chewy. Drenched in rich chicken broth, it made his appetite soar, and he ate three large bowls in a row. Just as he was eating with great relish, the crowd suddenly surged, rushing toward the front.

"Someone's killing people up ahead!"

"Gu Zhengyang of the Great Wilderness Sword Sect is in a fierce battle!"

"A powerhouse from the Black Rank has appeared!"

"An epic battle, go have a look!"

All sorts of cries rang out, and the crowd surged forward.

Chen Xuan's heart skipped a beat. He put down his bowl of noodles, pulled out a silver ingot, tossed it to the proprietor, grabbed his official blade, and dashed over.

Damn it, on my turf, who dares to defy the law and order?

Whoosh!

Following the crowd, Chen Xuan ran wildly all the way.

In a wide street within the city, a fierce battle was underway.

A young man dressed in white martial attire wore a stern expression. A sword gleaming with a chilling white light danced in his hands, flashing dazzling rays that cut through the air with a piercing hiss.

A total of four people were attacking him from all directions—men and women alike, all of them experts. Their footwork flickered like ghost shadows, and immense power permeated their strikes.

One was a man whose face was as pale as a patient's—tall and thin with a yellowish complexion. A pair of fatal judge's brushes in his hands hissed menacingly, piercing and ruthless, aiming straight for the martial-attire youth's vital points.

The second was a woman with a delicate and alluring appearance, dressed in brightly colored garments with skin as smooth as jade, yet her strikes were both swift and vicious, making them hard to parry.

The third was a fierce, burly man skilled in using both palms. His knuckles were thick, clearly trained in an external hard qigong. He continuously lashed out with both palms, generating roaring gusts of wind that kicked up flying sand and gravel.

The fourth was a middle-aged man in grey robes with a chilling aura akin to a venomous snake, wielding a long sword that came and went like a phantom.

The five of them fought fiercely in the arena, pushing their footwork and techniques to the absolute limit. Every single stance and move drew continuous cheers from the surrounding onlookers.

The ground on all sides thundered with muffled explosions as slabs of bluestone were continuously ripped up and shattered into dust.

The stalls on either side were sent flying one after another by the powerful余波 (aftershocks) generated by their exchange of blows.

When Chen Xuan rushed over, the five of them had just reached the white-hot climax of their battle.

"What kind of bastard dares to cause a ruckus on my turf?!"

He cursed aloud.

Quite a few martial artists among the surrounding onlookers saw Chen Xuan arrive, and several of them smiled with malicious intent.

"Chief Constable, these five dare to run amok on your turf—how can this be tolerated? Why doesn't the Chief Constable step in right now and bring them to justice?"

A plump middle-aged man chuckled.

"Hehe..."

The others all looked at Chen Xuan with smiles that did not reach their eyes.

Chen Xuan furrowed his brow, sweeping his gaze toward the fat man in white.

This dead fatty harbors malicious intentions!

He was clearly trying to instigate him into stepping into the arena so he would be besieged by all five simultaneously.

Although Chen Xuan talked a big game, he wasn't an idiot. At a glance, he could tell that the cultivation levels of these five individuals were extremely profound. Stepping into the fray right now would definitely bring no benefits; most likely, he would end up being ganged up on by all five. Therefore, even if he were to make a move, he had to wait until they had both sides battered and exhausted.

"Chief Constable, if you can take down any one of these five, it will be more than enough to make your name famous throughout the pugilistic world."

The fat man in white continued to smile.

"Is that so? What kind of people are they?" Chen Xuan asked.

"Does the Constable not know who they are?"

The fat man's eyes flashed as he smiled and said, "Do you see that person dressed in white martial attire holding a long sword? He is one of the most outstanding descendants of this generation of the Great Wilderness Sword Sect, named Gu Zhengyang, nicknamed 'Sword Stirring the Southwest'. However, he has only recently entered the pugilistic world and hasn't had time to break into the Man Rank, but many people already universally acknowledge him as having Man Rank strength."

"'Sword Stirring the Southwest'?"

Chen Xuan repeated the moniker, feeling a twinge of secret envy.

It sounded much cooler than his own nickname.

"And the ones beside him?"

"The other four are extraordinary. All four are renowned figures on the Black Rank, known as the Four Fiends of the Black Wind. They have committed countless heinous crimes for years, burning, killing, and pillaging without exception. Right now, their bounties have reached a staggering sixteen thousand taels. Elite constables from the Six Fan Directorate have moved against them several times only to let them escape. If the Constable can take down even one of them, it would be enough to cause a sensation across the Southwest."

The fat man smiled.

"The Four Fiends of the Black Wind?"

He had never heard of them; he only knew of the Twin Fiends of the Black Wind.

"Damn it, what are their unique martial arts? What makes them so formidable?" Chen Xuan asked.

The surrounding crowd chuckled once more, casting sidelong glances at Chen Xuan.

Could this Constable Wu actually be thinking of capturing these five? Why else would he ask in such detail?

Hehe.

Many people began to snicker inwardly, anticipating the scene of this constable being dismembered after stepping into the arena.

"Gu Zhengyang, Sword Stirring the Southwest, relies on his signature ultimate technique, the [Great Wilderness Chaotic Sword Art]. It is both ever-changing and fiercely lethal, recognized as one of the rarest supreme swordsmanship arts in the world, combining eccentricity with lethal precision—virtually impossible to guard against."

The fat man smiled faintly, fanning himself with a white paper fan. "As for the Four Fiends of the Black Wind, each possesses their own unique ultimate techniques. The First Fiend, known as the [Disease Fiend], relies on the seventy-two forms of the Fatal Judge's Brushes. They are tricky, vicious, and specifically target acupuncture points. Anyone struck by them will have their meridians shattered by his internal energy and die a miserable death!"

"The Second Fiend, known as the [Allure Fiend], looks delicate and alluring—hehe—yet when she kills, she is exceptionally vicious, and she takes great pleasure in draining young and talented martial artists to nourish herself. Anyone who catches her eye practically never escapes her poisonous clutches, being drained until they are nothing more than dried husks."

"The Third Fiend, known as the [Ferocious Fiend], wields the Gold-Destroying and Bone-Shattering Palm as his signature technique. He once killed four Meridian-Opening realm experts in a single night, and his strength is unfathomable!"

"The Fourth Fiend, known as the [Sword Fiend], uses the Soul-Chasing Sword. His sword strikes are soundless, blending seamlessly with the shadows, making them impossible to defend against. Countless heroes of the Southwest have died beneath his blade."

"Sir, if you want to make a name for yourself, now is the exact right time."

The fat man smiled.

"Indeed, the Constable might as well step forward and capture them right now."

"We have long admired the Constable. If we get to witness you make your move, we will have no regrets in this life."

The surrounding crowd chimed in, urging him on.

They mistook Chen Xuan for someone eager for instant success and greedy for merit, trying to flatter him into walking straight to his doom.

But how could Chen Xuan fail to see through their intentions?

Damn them.

He cursed inwardly.

At that very moment, more figures suddenly flashed from the distance, breaking into the arena.

Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd.

"It's Zhao Longfei, the Cloud-Shrouding Hand!"

"An expert ranked sixty-second on the Man Rank!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Zhao Longfei entered the fray, launching a direct attack against the Four Fiends of the Black Wind, which drastically relieved the pressure on Gu Zhengyang.

The Four Fiends of the Black Wind furrowed their brows, knowing they could not linger here much longer, lest righteous experts gather in greater numbers. Should they accidentally alert some of the older-generation powerhouses, the four of them might end up completely trapped here.

Furthermore, an old servant not far behind Gu Zhengyang had been watching for a long time; should that old servant make a move, the situation would turn even worse.

"Fall back!"

The First Fiend, the [Disease Fiend], shouted.

Clang, clang, clang!

He thrust his judge's brushes in a flurry of rapid blows, forcing Gu Zhengyang back. Alongside the Second Fiend, the [Allure Fiend], their bodies surged, leaping into the crowd and vanishing into the sea of people.

The Third and Fourth Fiends also hurriedly struck out, jointly forcing Zhao Longfei back. One charged toward the left flank, while the other dashed toward the right flank.

The left flank happened to be precisely where Chen Xuan and the others stood.

The Third Fiend deliberately chose this direction to break through.

Having fought fiercely in the arena, he had long since overheard the conversation between Chen Xuan and the white-fat man, and a murderous intent had welled up within him, prompting him to casually eliminate these two incessantly buzzing trash-talkers.

Whoosh!

The Third Fiend, the [Ferocious Fiend], flashed forward, carrying a powerful gale of internal energy as he instantly closed the distance. Striking out with both palms, he aimed one palm at the fat man in white and the other at Chen Xuan, deploying his signature ultimate technique right off the bat.

Gold-Destroying and Bone-Shattering Palm!

The fat man in white turned pale with horror, but it was already too late to retreat. The Third Fiend's footwork was far too fast; with a mere blur of residual images, a terrifying gale of energy had already crushed down right before his face.

"Damn it."

He cursed frantically in his heart, forced to meet the attack with desperate resolve.

But at that very instant.

Chen Xuan, standing right beside him, had already thrust out a palm.

Fifty-seven years of internal energy erupted fiercely.

Boom!

Their palms collided with a dull thud, and howling shockwaves of force caused the ears of everyone nearby to ring and their blood to churn violently.

As for the fat man in white, he was directly swept off his feet by the sheer force and sent flying sideways.

Puff!

The Third Fiend, the [Ferocious Fiend], opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, letting out a miserable cry. His wrist bones fractured, and his entire body was sent flying backward on the spot, slamming heavily into the distance. His face turned greenish-purple, blood leaked from his seven orifices, and after struggling on the ground for a few moments, he stopped moving entirely.

The crowd fell into a dead silence.

Every single face was etched with horror.