Chapter 64 Parade Through the Streets

The crowd gathered around the Black Notice Board was startled by the booming sound of a massive bronze gong, and they all turned around.

A dozen men dressed in government uniforms, neatly outfitted and with steel sabers strapped to their waists, stood behind them. One of them was striking the gong while another shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice shaking the heavens.

Clang!

Another thunderous gong strike rang out.

"Magistrate Lin Zedong is holding court in person, guaranteeing to seek justice and redress grievances for all of you! Anyone with any grievances, come forward and state your case!"

Clang!

The third deafening strike of the gong resounded.

Someone suddenly burst out laughing.

What on earth were they doing?

Were they putting on a play?

The yamen of Qingfeng City had been abandoned for nearly a decade, and the magistrate's post had long been effectively vacant. Now they were suddenly reopening for business?

Did they think this was some sort of shop opening?

Beating drums and gongs, shouting in the middle of the street?

This was nothing short of a bizarre spectacle in this world.

Immediately, many people burst into roaring laughter, creating a wave of commotion.

Li Erha and Zhang Jinmao felt an awkward flush on their faces, deeply embarrassed, and hurriedly looked over at Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan's expression darkened, and he said, "Keep striking! Until I say stop, no one is allowed to stop!"

The two nodded repeatedly.

Clang!

Another gong strike echoed, reverberating down the long street.

"The Qingfeng City yamen is officially open for business today! Seek justice for your grievances, settle your scores for your hatred—come and take a look!"

Clang!

"Magistrate Lin Zedong is holding court in person, guaranteeing to seek justice and redress grievances for all of you! Anyone with any grievances, come forward and state your case!"

Clang!

...

The laughter from the crowd grew even louder, shaking the air.

Some of the martial artists were laughing so hard they bent over, clutching their knees, tears streaming from their eyes.

Chen Xuan's face darkened further. He walked toward the laughing crowd, stopped in front of a burly man who was laughing the hardest, stared straight at him, and asked, "Turtle son, do you find this very funny?"

The man had a face covered in stubble, with a deep scar running down his left cheek. He was bent over, pounding his knees with laughter, tears flowing freely. He raised his head, chuckled, and said, "Damn it, I'm dying of laughter. Oh, I can't take it, I'm laughing to death, laughing to death! Besides, who the hell are you calling a turtle son?"

Suddenly, a dagger materialized in his hand, thrusting directly toward Chen Xuan's abdomen.

The strike was swift, fast, and fierce!

A faint bluish glow flickered on the blade of the dagger, a clear sign that it had been coated in deadly poison.

However, the moment the strike landed, it met an immense, unyielding resistance, as if it had crashed into a solid iron mountain.

The man looked down in astonishment and was shocked to see that the chief constable before him had actually pinched the tip of the dagger between two fingers, halting its forward momentum entirely.

"Attempting to assault government officials is a crime equivalent to treason. I am arresting you!"

Chen Xuan squeezed out a cold smile.

The man's expression changed instantly. He stamped his foot and leaped backward in a desperate retreat.

Yet, as fast as he retreated, Chen Xuan moved even faster. Almost at the exact instant the man jumped back, Chen Xuan delivered a punch straight to his dantian, shattering his sea of Qi. The man spat a mouthful of fresh blood, let out a miserable shriek, and flew backward like a tattered sack, smashing heavily into the distance. His bones snapped with a sickening sound, looking utterly wretched.

"Take him down! Once we get back, interrogate him with severe torture. Find out what evil deeds he committed in the past and who his accomplices are. Once investigated, confiscate his property and execute his entire clan, leaving no one alive!"

Chen Xuan declared with a fierce expression.

Zhang Jinmao and Li Erha immediately rushed forward, grabbing the man who was writhing on the ground in agonizing pain. Ignoring his screams, they hauled him up as if they were dragging a rabid dog.

The crowd was utterly shocked, their gazes shifting in unison toward Chen Xuan.

What formidable strength this chief constable possessed!

The man they had just subdued was at the eighth layer of Qi Storing, nicknamed 'Scarface.' Relying on his profound cultivation, he had backstabbed and scammed countless people—yet today, he had fallen right here?

With a single move in the hands of this chief constable, his sea of Qi had been shattered, turning him into a crippled废人 (useless person)?

Furthermore, this chief constable had stated he would thoroughly investigate Scarface's past misdeeds and hunt down his former accomplices. Did that mean there was a chance they, too, might be implicated and hauled in?

Instantly, the expressions of many people shifted dramatically.

"Damn it, when did the Six Fan Schools send such an expert over?"

Chen Xuan shot them a deep look, a cold sneer forming in his heart.

Every single person sent by the imperial court previously had ended up dead, and these individuals were undoubtedly linked to those deaths. Some might have been the handiwork of Wang Jiu, but most likely perished at the hands of this very crowd.

Therefore, this bunch of people were probably harboring no good intentions.

"Chief, should we drag him back right now?"

Zhang Jinmao asked.

"Damn it all, find a rope and tie it around his neck. Drag him like a dog—I'm taking him on a street parade!"

Chen Xuan's tone was indifferent as he changed his mind.

If he locked this man in the yamen, the moment he stepped out, someone would likely break in and rescue him. Thus, keeping him close at hand served as a deterrent to the smaller fries.

"Understood, Chief!"

Zhang Jinmao and Li Erha immediately sprinted back to the yamen, fetched a long rope, and tied it securely around the man's neck.

The man was still screaming piercingly, writhing in excruciating pain.

"You are so vicious! You crippled my sea of Qi—twenty years of bitter cultivation of my inner energy, gone! You are so vicious..."

Chen Xuan's expression remained cold. Holding the bluish dagger in his hand, he casually used it to pare his fingernails.

"This chief was ordered to garrison Qingfeng City. Whoever dares to act presumptuously is equivalent to opposing the imperial court. This chief has the authority to execute first and report later. Who else wants to laugh?"

He swept a calm gaze across the crowd.

The people looked at one another in dismay. For a moment, no one laughed, and no one dared to answer.

Although they dared not voice their defiance on the surface, deep down, they remained completely unyielding.

Qingfeng City had slipped away from government control for nearly ten years, and they had grown far too accustomed to lawlessness. Forcing them to submit to the imperial court's authority once again was something many of them simply could not accept.

Thus, one could easily imagine that starting today, all sorts of trouble would likely come looking for Chen Xuan, with people making moves both openly and in the shadows.

However, Chen Xuan had anticipated this long ago. To reiterate: if things became too difficult to handle, he would simply pack up and run.

"Let's move!"

Chen Xuan took the lead, walking toward the distant street.

Clang!

The bronze gong rang out.

"The Qingfeng City yamen is officially open for business today! Seek justice for your grievances, settle your scores for your hatred—come and take a look!"

Clang!

"Magistrate Lin Zedong is holding court in person, guaranteeing to seek justice and redress grievances for all of you! Anyone with any grievances, come forward and state your case!"

Clang!

Striking the gong all the way down the road, the sound reverberated clearly enough for everyone on the entire street to hear.

Whether they were peddlers, high-ranking officials, aristocratic nobles, members of various gangs, or traveling martial artists, all of them wore stunned expressions as they turned their heads to focus their gazes upon the procession.

Chen Xuan led the group, striking the gong from one end of the street to the other, and then moving from that street to the next.

Along the way, countless people whispered and debated among themselves.

'Scarface,' whose sea of Qi had been crippled earlier, shrieked incessantly. With a thick hemp rope tied around his neck, he was being dragged mercilessly across the ground by three junior constables, his wails echoing continuously.

Since his sea of Qi was shattered and he suffered severe injuries, he was utterly incapable of walking. Because Chen Xuan forced him to undergo a street parade, he could only be dragged along the dirt. All the way through, his clothes were shredded, his skin scraped and bleeding, making his suffering beyond description.

"Spare my life, My Lord! I know I was wrong, please, I beg you to spare me."

He cried out in agony.

Countless people on the streets were deeply shaken.

"Isn't that Scarface? How did he end up in such a state?"

"Since when did the yamen get so many constables?"

"Crap, these aren't real constables! The only actual constable was Wu Tiande himself; the rest are just small-time thugs. The day before yesterday, they were caught gambling in the yamen by Wu Tiande, who forced them to become constables. Didn't you see Zhang Jinmao and Li Erha leading the pack?"

"So it really is those two brothers! But this newly appointed Wu Tiande is truly ruthless, pulling off so many major stunts the moment he arrives."

"Shh, keep your voice down. That guy is absolute bad news. Rumor has it that Fourth Master Wang's death is directly tied to him."

"What? Fourth Master Wang is dead? What's going on here?"

A wave of astonished whispers rippled through the crowd.

Those in the know immediately began explaining in hushed tones, prompting gasps of shock from the onlookers.

Wang Jiu had controlled the vast majority of both the underworld and legitimate businesses in Qingfeng City. Mention his name, and not a single native of Qingfeng City wouldn't know him; he was practically an uncrowned emperor here. Yet someone like that had actually died?

And it was suspected to be the work of this new chief constable?

A chill crept into the hearts of many.

Meanwhile, several formidable martial artists, harboring the mindset of spectators, gazed down with hints of astonishment from the second and third floors of various taverns.

A short while ago, a strange fragrance had drifted from Qingfeng Mountain, drawing a large number of powerful experts—among them, quite a few masters from the Human Rankings.

Likewise, there were also experts from the heterodox sects present.

Inside a private box on the second floor of a tavern.

A few figures with extraordinary bearing looked down quietly at the street below.

"Fine, regulated breathing, sharp gaze... To think the Six Fan Schools actually dispatched such an expert. His strength is likely not inferior to yours or mine."

A youth in white spoke in a flat tone, adding, "Brother Zhao, are you still unwilling to cooperate?"

Opposite him sat a young man with striking features—a high, sharp nose, sword-like eyebrows, and star-like eyes. He wore a grand robe, his long black hair tied up with a wooden hairpin and draped over his shoulders.

With both hands tucked into his sleeves, he replied, "We can discuss cooperation later. Even if I agreed to cooperate, neither of us could swallow the opportunity entirely by ourselves. As far as I know, Meng San千 is also here, and he has always acted tyrannically. Do you have any certainty of seizing the opportunity from his hands? Besides, the Great Wilderness Sword Sect, the Zheng Clan of Guizhou, and the Pingnan Marquis Estate have operated here for decades. Matters of fortune and opportunity rest entirely in the hands of heaven; I have never forced them."

The youth in white suddenly smiled. "Is that so? Then I certainly envy Brother Zhao. Unfortunately, I am a worldly person, and I wish to fight for everything I can."

Zhao Feilong's expression remained calm, and he said no more.

Just at that moment.

A man beside the youth in white suddenly narrowed his eyes in alarm, scanning Chen Xuan below as he whispered, "Young Master, it's this chief constable. His martial arts technique is extremely bizarre. The other day, when I probed him slightly with my dark energy, I instantly lost nearly three years of cultivation!"

"Oh?"

The youth in white's expression shifted slightly, and he looked down at Chen Xuan once more.

Zhao Feilong's eyes also flashed faintly, revealing a trace of intrigue.

"Someone is making a move."

Suddenly, Zhao Feilong sensed something and murmured under his breath.