Chapter 4

As Qi Xuansu approached the county office, someone finally noticed this unwelcome visitor. Three Qingluan guards, draped in raincoats, blocked his path.

The leading Qingluan guard, a junior commander, stepped forward and shouted loudly, "Qingluan guards are on duty, all irrelevant persons must step aside!"

Qi Xuansu calmly asked, "Is Li Hongwen in the county office?"

His voice was not loud, but it clearly overpowered the sound of the rain, reaching the ears of the three Qingluan guards.

The Qingluan guards' faces immediately changed, and without any hesitation, they drew their swords simultaneously.

However, they were not the "Xihu knives," but the standard Qingluan guard's "Changyang knives."

Even among junior commanders of the Qingluan guards, there were distinctions. Just like the two trial centurions in the county office, one had spent most of his life to reach the position of trial centurion and would likely die in this position, while the other had climbed to the same position by the age of thirty and still had the potential to advance further, removing the "trial" prefix. The difference between the two was clear.

The three Qingluan guards charged at Qi Xuansu in a triangular formation. The one in front was the junior commander, flanked by two sergeants. All three were equipped with the Qingluan guard's "Feishu armor" and "Changyang knives," and they used the Three Talents Formation, making them very difficult to deal with.

Unfortunately, they encountered Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu sidestepped to avoid the first slash, then grabbed the junior commander's wrist holding the knife. With just a slight force, the junior commander could no longer hold onto the "Changyang knife," and it fell into Qi Xuansu's hand.

Qi Xuansu reversed his grip on the "Changyang knife" and casually blocked the attacks of the other two Qingluan guards, forcing them to stagger backward. Qi Xuansu did not stop, passing by the now weaponless junior commander.

The junior commander's abdomen was completely split open, and his intestines spilled onto the ground.

His face was full of disbelief, and he clutched his stomach, slowly kneeling down and dying.

The blood quickly disappeared in the heavy rain.

The other two Qingluan sergeants were horrified.

The "Feishu armor" seemed as fragile as paper against this single slash.

Before they could recover from their shock, Qi Xuansu had already lunged at them.

The blade of the "Changyang knife" cut through the rain, splitting the falling raindrops into two, creating small water flowers. These water flowers connected into a line, forming a visible water line in the rain.

In the next moment, Qi Xuansu passed by the two Qingluan sergeants.

Then, a fresh red line appeared on their throats, and blood slowly seeped out.

The two Qingluan sergeants dropped their "Changyang knives," clutched their throats, and fell to the ground, their eyes wide open in defiance.

After killing the three, Qi Xuansu stopped.

Although the rain was loud, he could still hear the sound of footsteps on the puddles.

Qi Xuansu looked up and saw a large group of figures in raincoats rapidly approaching from the end of the long street.

A large number of Qingluan guards had arrived.

Qi Xuansu threw the "Changyang knife" forward.

The rain was cut open by a line.

The knife pierced through the chest of the Qingluan guard at the front of the group, the force of the blow pushing him backward and colliding with those behind him.

As the "Changyang knife" sank into the chest of the first Qingluan guard up to the hilt, it also pierced through the second guard, and the tip of the blade just entered the heart of the third guard.

The three were skewered like a string of sugar-coated haws.

Seeing that six skilled Qingluan guards had been killed by this young man in a short time, the highest-ranking Qingluan guard, a senior commander, felt a sense of fear.

However, the Qingluan guards had severe punishments for those who showed cowardice in battle, so he suppressed his fear and shouted, "Crossbows!"

The crossbow was the most commonly used weapon by the government to suppress martial artists, especially the organized crossbows, which were difficult for ordinary martial artists to handle.

Among the many crossbows, the Qingluan guards most frequently used the "Hanya crossbow," named for its resemblance to a black crow spreading its wings. The junior commander who died at the mortuary used a "Hanya crossbow."

Following the senior commander's order, twenty crossbows were raised and aimed at Qi Xuansu.

The next moment, a loud "buzz" was heard, piercing through the noisy rain.

Although it sounded like one, over twenty crossbow bolts shot at Qi Xuansu.

At the same time, Qi Xuansu waved his soaked cloak, sweeping all the crossbow bolts to the ground, not missing a single one.

The senior commander's pupils contracted, staring intently at this unknown young man.

He was truly a master.

It was not impossible to kill a master with a large number of people, but the key was that they did not have enough manpower. It was unrealistic to think that twenty ordinary Qingluan guards could surround and kill a master.

Thinking of this, he subconsciously looked back at the county office.

In the heavy rain, the black gate of the county office was tightly closed, appearing unusually quiet.

Inside the office, there were two trial centurions. They were the masters among the Qingluan guards.

Sometimes, only a master could deal with another master.

...

The rain continued to fall, turning the street outside into a small river, and the courtyard of the county office quickly filled with water.

However, the courtyard was unexpectedly quiet, except for the sound of rain, and the sound of raindrops hitting the banana leaves.

Zhou Feilong stood in the courtyard, looking at the banana leaves in the rain and sighed, "Raindrops on banana leaves carry sorrow, a foolish affection lost in the flow of water. The guest has arrived, but unfortunately, he does not appreciate it."

He emphasized the word "unfortunately" and made "appreciate" very light, adding a sense of solemnity.

Li Sansin remained inside, picking up his teacup and sipping tea.

In the courtyard, dozens of Qingluan sergeants stood silently, wearing "Feishu armor" under their raincoats, with "Changyang knives" at their waists and "Hanya crossbows" with arrows already drawn.

The situation outside the county office seemed to have nothing to do with them. These Qingluan guards stood motionless and silent, like stone statues, unaffected by the storm or the impending battle. Li Sansin, holding his teacup, stood up from his chair and walked to the eaves, listening to the diminishing sounds of the battle outside and looking at the vast rain curtain, saying softly, "He is indeed a master, at least in the Embracing the Pearl stage. This is somewhat unexpected. However, it also shows that our Li大人 is indeed not simple."

Zhou Feilong laughed, "Crossing a river is most feared when the depth is unknown. Once the depth is known, one can make a plan. When the situation was unclear, my heart was always on edge, but now it can finally settle."

Li Sansin smiled insincerely, "Since Brother Zhou says so, then I will leave it to you to capture this person. I will go and see the iron-willed Li大人 and see what he has to say, and whether he can still claim to be unaffiliated."

Li Sansin's voice was not loud, but there was no room for negotiation.

After all, he was different from Zhou Feilong. He was a trusted aide of the thousand-house commander, with a bright future. Although they were colleagues today, they might become superior and subordinate tomorrow.

Zhou Feilong hesitated for a moment, then smiled and agreed, "Alright."

Li Sansin raised his hand, and two Qingluan sergeants standing on the veranda came forward to lead the way.

Two more Qingluan sergeants followed behind, and Li Sansin, surrounded by four Qingluan sergeants, holding his teacup, slowly walked to the back of the residence.

Zhou Feilong watched Li Sansin's departing back, feeling quite annoyed, but having reached this position and practiced "controlling anger and calming the mind" for many years, his face showed no emotion. He withdrew his gaze and looked at the courtyard full of Qingluan guards, waving his hand.

All the Qingluan guards turned and walked toward the main gate of the county office.

The square in front of the county office, according to regulations, was half an acre in size, with only two large stone lions, creating a sense of grandeur.

However, the square was now filled with bodies, soaked in rain, with blood mixing with the rain and flowing into the sewers.

In the middle of the square, Qi Xuansu was the only one standing, looking at the black gate of the county office, silent.

The next moment, the gate of the county office opened with a loud bang, and numerous Qingluan sergeants poured out, lining up along the two walls on either side of the gate, creating a formidable presence.

Then, Zhou Feilong, dressed in the uniform of a trial centurion, stepped over the high threshold and stood on the stone steps in front of the gate.

Zhou Feilong looked at the scattered bodies, his face darkening, and his eyes filled with gloom as he looked at Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu stood there, showing no fear.

Zhou Feilong had to speak, his voice low and authoritative, "Killing my Qingluan guards in the street and attempting to rescue a wanted criminal is a capital offense."

Qi Xuansu did not speak, but shook his cloak, revealing the "Xihu knife" hanging on his right side.

Seeing this knife, Zhou Feilong immediately understood that the trusted subordinate sent to the "inn" to close the net was likely dead. Although this subordinate was only a junior commander, his skills were quite remarkable, surpassing many senior commanders.

However, he still asked, "Did you kill the people guarding the 'inn'?"

Qi Xuansu leaned forward slightly, indicating that it was true.

Zhou Feilong looked at him and said coldly, "You truly deserve to die."