Chapter 35

A bailiff was pushed by Wu Liangdao to check the door, his face ashen, and he cautiously approached. The originally thick and sturdy iron door of the prison now protruded, as if it had been crushed by a heavy hammer. "Sir, this..." The bailiff turned to report to Wu Liangdao, but before he could finish, the iron door suddenly made a loud noise, breaking free from the wall and slamming onto the bailiff. Wu Liangdao was shocked and quickly shielded himself with a few bailiffs, glancing at the bailiff crushed by the iron door, feeling a wave of nausea. Looking up, he saw a black-clad figure standing outside the prison, his head lowered, with wisps of black smoke rising from his body, as if it were burning. "How dare you! Who... who are you!?" Wu Liangdao mustered his courage and shouted, "Do you know where you are, to act so recklessly?" The black-clad figure raised his head, his eyes glowing with a red flame, and the skin exposed from his mask also seemed to be burning, showing dark red flame patterns. This monster-like black-clad figure made Wu Liangdao lose his last bit of courage. "Go... kill him..." A few bailiffs, pushed by Wu Liangdao, stumbled forward toward the black-clad figure. The black-clad figure moved at the same time, like a black whirlwind, heading straight for the bailiffs. Suddenly, Guan Dongtian shouted, "Be careful!! They are Wu Yidao and Wu Erdao!" He knew that these two bailiffs were not ordinary. They were notorious killers in the martial world, wanted by various sects after committing crimes, and were eventually taken in by Wu Liangdao. Guan Dongtian had also fallen to these two, who, despite wearing bailiff uniforms, had considerable cultivation, both being eighth-stage experts. Their combined knife technique was extremely powerful. Guan Dongtian couldn't even last ten moves against them. The black-clad figure seemed to have noticed that two of the bailiffs were different from the others. Although they deliberately hid their strength, their eyes were much sharper than those of ordinary bailiffs, and their steps were unpredictable. However, the black-clad figure moved forward without hesitation, heading straight for Wu Liangdao. This action frightened Wu Liangdao, who shouted, "Quick, protect me..." The other bailiffs were too slow to react, but Wu Yidao and Wu Erdao saw their chance. Seeing the black-clad figure ignore them, they immediately seized the opportunity, their refined large knives already swinging toward the black-clad figure's face. The black-clad figure suddenly raised his hands to meet the blades. Wu Yidao and Wu Erdao were delighted, thinking the black-clad figure would retreat, but instead, he tried to block their fast knives with his bare hands, which seemed like a death wish. Clang! Two metallic sounds echoed in the prison, the knives clashing with the bare hands, sparks flying like a hammer striking an iron block. Wu Yidao and Wu Erdao were stunned, their arms numb, feeling the immense force of the counterattack, making it hard to lift their arms. Their originally fine steel knives were now twisted and deformed, with a notch in the blade, as if they had struck an iron block. As they were stunned, the black-clad figure pounced, wrapping his arms around their necks. They finally showed fear, opening their mouths to beg for mercy, but the black-clad figure didn't give them a chance. Crack! Two bone-crushing sounds later, the black-clad figure discarded their bodies in front of Wu Liangdao. "Stop... stop him..." Wu Liangdao was terrified, but the ordinary bailiffs, seeing this, lost all courage and fled in panic. The black-clad figure didn't try to stop them, instead, he stepped toward Wu Liangdao. Wu Liangdao, frightened, stepped back, "Friend... hero, let's talk, how much money do you want? As long as you..." Suddenly, Guan Dongtian's voice came from beside Wu Liangdao, who had retreated to his side. "Corrupt official, die!" Wu Liangdao felt a pain in his throat as the bound Guan Dongtian bit into his neck. "Ah—" Wu Liangdao screamed, blood gushing from his neck, splattering Guan Dongtian's already terrifying face. "Let... let... let me go... I don't want to die..." Guan Dongtian suddenly pulled, and Wu Liangdao collapsed, half his neck torn off in a bloody manner. With a plop, Guan Dongtian spat out the rotten flesh in his mouth, cursing, "This corrupt official's meat is truly foul." This black-clad figure was Bai Chen, who was also surprised by Guan Dongtian's ferocity. However, he admired Guan Dongtian, having observed him in the prison for half a night. No matter what torture was used, Guan Dongtian never broke, and even after tiring out several bailiffs, he still called out in defiance. Bai Chen admitted he didn't have such resolve. If such a person were on Earth, they would be considered a dangerous criminal, but to Bai Chen, he was a heroic thief. He was more righteous than the legendary heroes and was the kind of person Bai Chen most admired. He was a true man! "I heard you stole three million pounds of government grain." Bai Chen deliberately lowered his voice, his eyes burning as he stared at Guan Dongtian. Guan Dongtian looked at Bai Chen, a hint of disdain in his eyes, "So you're here for the three million pounds of government grain too. Forget it, I'll die before I tell you where it is. If you're a man, give me a quick death." Clank! Bai Chen had already broken the iron chains, freeing Guan Dongtian from the torture rack. Once free, Guan Dongtian's body went limp, almost falling to the ground. Bai Chen grabbed him with one hand, hoisted the tall Guan Dongtian onto his shoulder, and turned to leave the prison. Behind them, shouts of pursuit echoed, but in the darkness, the ordinary officials couldn't catch up to Bai Chen, who disappeared into the night after a few leaps over the walls. "Put me down, I don't need your help. Do you think I'll be grateful just because you saved me?" After some time, in a courtyard, Bai Chen finally put Guan Dongtian down. Long Tuxiao had already come out to greet him, familiar with Bai Chen despite his masked face. "Brother Bai, where have you been? What's with the outfit?" "To the prison, killed a corrupt official, and rescued a prisoner." Bai Chen removed the black mask, revealing his true face. "Oh? You're Guan Dongtian? I've heard of you." Long Tuxiao was somewhat surprised, as a martial artist, he didn't believe the rumors. "Who are you?" Guan Dongtian looked at them warily. "You don't need to know who we are. I have a task for you." Bai Chen looked at Guan Dongtian, then at Long Tuxiao. "Hmm?" Long Tuxiao looked at Bai Chen in confusion. "I have ten million pounds of grain. Help me deliver it to Xizhou. Use any means necessary to help the disaster-stricken people there." Bai Chen's words stunned both Long Tuxiao and Guan Dongtian. Long Tuxiao had thought Bai Chen was buying grain for profit, never imagining such a large-scale effort was for disaster relief. Guan Dongtian was also stunned, initially thinking Bai Chen was after the three million pounds of government grain he had, but now, Bai Chen was even more generous, offering ten million pounds of grain. Bai Chen had been struggling with how to provide disaster relief, as he knew nothing about it. If he handed the grain to the government, it would surely be embezzled by officials like Wu Liangdao. With Guan Dongtian, who was willing to risk his life for three million pounds of grain, he was more confident the grain would be used properly. Guan Dongtian's gaze toward Bai Chen changed, and he suddenly knelt, banging his head on the ground three times. "I've never admired anyone in my life, but you're the first." Guan Dongtian, with his straightforward nature, felt even more guilty about his earlier words, "These three head-bangs are to apologize. I offended you, and I was blind." "Once you're done, get the grain out tonight. Brother Long, I'll need your Dragon Tiger Sect to protect him on the journey." Bai Chen pulled out a bag of pills, "This is the remaining payment, thank you." To ensure the grain reached Xizhou safely, he needed the Dragon Tiger Sect's help. The Dragon Tiger Sect, being in the grain business, had their own safe routes. Long Tuxiao's gaze toward Bai Chen changed, and he nodded, "I can't promise much, but I'll ensure the grain reaches Xizhou, not a grain less. If any is lost, I'll make up for it with my own flesh." "Thank you." Bai Chen bowed, sincerely thanking them. Bai Chen suddenly grabbed Guan Dongtian, who now looked at him with admiration. In his eyes, Bai Chen was a young hero with a heart for the world. To spend his own money to help a state in disaster was truly the path of a hero. If Bai Chen knew what Guan Dongtian was thinking, he might have been ashamed, as his initial intention was to solve his own 'debt.' However, being able to help the disaster victims satisfied his vanity. Bai Chen handed three pills to Guan Dongtian, saying, "Time is short, so you'll have to take these on the journey. Take one every day." Guan Dongtian nodded heavily, feeling his strength waning, though he didn't say anything, his wounds were extremely painful. Long Tuxiao's sharp eyes immediately noticed the three pills, and his pupils contracted in surprise. "Tenth-grade Minor Nine-Transform Pill!" Guan Dongtian was also stunned, almost dropping the pills, "Minor Nine-Transform Pill!?" These were holy healing pills, and the value of these three pills was comparable to the three million pounds of government grain he had stolen. "Brother Bai, this..." "Take them. If you don't heal on the journey, how will you have the strength to help the disaster victims?" Guan Dongtian's eyes welled up with tears, but he held back, not letting them fall. "Brother Bai, since this is for disaster relief, will you use your personal banner or the Wuliang Sect's?" Long Tuxiao, perceptive, thought Bai Chen had a purpose, such as promoting his sect. He didn't believe someone would spend ten million pounds of grain purely out of kindness. "No, it's best not to use any banner. If you must, use the Dragon Tiger Sect's." Bai Chen waved his hand casually. Long Tuxiao