Chapter 244: Chapter 176: Bursting
The thunderous noises on North Street caused panic among the common folk and merchants, especially after hearing the words "Divine Force Crossbow." They began various speculations and associations. The Divine Force Crossbow—isn’t that the standard forbidden weapon only the Imperial Court’s City Defense Forces are allowed to possess? How did it end up in the hands of Firewood Iron Shop? Could it be that Firewood Iron Shop was acting under the orders of the county government office to eradicate Medicine King Hall?
...
At that moment, Shangguan Yun stood in the courtyard, dressed in white, listening to the disturbance from North Street, as serene as an old monk in meditation, yet his lips curved with a faint smile, "What a chaotic scene..."
...
「Elsewhere,」
At the County Magistrate’s Mansion.
As soon as Qi Renwang woke up, he rushed to his father’s room and urgently asked, "Father, what’s happening? I hear there’s a conflict on North Street in the Inner City; it seems Medicine King Hall is clashing with some force. Looks like there will be major trouble in the city tonight!"
"What’s the rush?" County Magistrate Qi seemed not to have just woken up, but rather not to have slept at all. Sitting at his desk with a pot of tea, he held a teacup and casually smiled, "It’s merely Firewood Iron Shop clashing with Medicine King Hall."
"What? Firewood Iron Shop clashing with Medicine King Hall? This..."
Shocked, Qi Renwang looked at his father’s calm demeanor, "Such a major incident, and yet Father is not worried at all? Besides, Firewood Iron Shop originally had only four Fourth Realm experts. Now, with the death of the old Shopkeeper Xie Wenyuan, only three remain. How could they possibly confront Medicine King Hall, which has five Fourth Realm experts and one Fifth Realm expert, Yang Luochen? How dare they clash with Medicine King Hall?"
"Foolish, isn’t it? Who told you that whoever has stronger Martial Practitioners and a greater number will surely prevail? If that were the case... how could the Imperial Court manage to keep the numerous Martial Arts Sects under control?" County Magistrate Qi said with a light smile.
"The Imperial Court can suppress the Martial Arts Sects because it possesses..." Qi Renwang suddenly gasped, "Firewood Iron Shop, devoted to forging weapons, couldn’t be secretly manufacturing..."
「Meanwhile,」
The third-in-command, County Lieutenant Ma Tianlin, had already rushed to the county government office.
"Lord County Lieutenant, with two major guilds clashing, no matter who wins or loses, there will inevitably be heavy casualties. How should we classify this incident afterward? Should we intervene?" Wang Yixian asked with a grave expression, looking at the County Lieutenant before him.
"Of course, we must intervene, but not now."
County Lieutenant Ma stroked his beard, slowly saying, "Let them finish fighting first. As for the classification, if Firewood Iron Shop wins with the imperial forbidden weapon ’Divine Force Crossbow,’ they will be deemed the red merchants appointed by the county government and the Imperial Court. They will have the official status to suppress and reorganize the major forces in Baojiao County, legitimately carrying out tasks for the Yamen."
"On the other hand, if Firewood Iron Shop loses, that means they were secretly manufacturing imperial forbidden weapons, intending to rebel. Medicine King Hall, for righteously quelling the rebellion, would deserve a reward from the county government. However, with the Divine Force Crossbow in Firewood Iron Shop’s possession, this possibility is very small."
Divine Force Crossbow... Firewood Iron Shop secretly manufacturing Divine Force Crossbows!
Wang Yixian’s heart trembled, and his eyelids twitched, but he quickly picked up from the County Lieutenant’s words that the county government seemed to be orchestrating everything behind the scenes, thoroughly familiar with all of Firewood Iron Shop’s activities.
...
At another two-story building on North Street, two men gazed at the Fourth Realm Xie Family expert Xie Qi rushing toward Chen Ku’s courtyard.
"Big brother, both Xie Qingfeng and Chen Ku were the ones you valued back at Hongyan Tower, believing they had potential to become our master’s disciples, but..."
Qiu Dragon Mansion’s Feng Buping from the Qin Family, the Twelfth Guardian, crossed his arms and cheerfully watched Xie Qi charging toward Chen Ku’s courtyard, saying, "Chen Ku indeed has remarkable talent, managing to shoot arrows with such force. However, facing this targeted assassination by a Fourth Realm expert from the Xie Family, I fear he has no chance of surviving to meet our master."
This Chen Ku, it is said, only has Second Realm cultivation. A Fourth Realm killing a Second Realm offers no suspense; even an Outstanding could not survive, especially when spanning two major Realms.
"Watch and do not speak."
Standing beside Feng Buping was none other than the Divine Fist Guardian Qin Fang, who had appeared in Hongyan Tower that day. He nonchalantly spoke, then turned his gaze to encompass the conditions along the entire street.
Initially, they were ordered by their master to observe who would win or lose tonight, then decide whom to support in participating in Lord Tan’s reform policies. Unexpectedly, a few hours prior, their master had suddenly sent an order. He was to watch if, during this clash, someone capable of Swallowing Fire, spitting water, and using Earth Escape would appear.
This mysterious order made him subconsciously think of only one possibility. It concerned the Huntian Overlord Body—the one his master spoke of, the one Qin Fang himself had failed to inherit. It seemed someone eligible for its cultivation had appeared in Baojiao County. But, no matter how he thought about it, it seemed unlikely to appear in one of these two small guilds.
However, since it was an order from the master, he naturally had to take it seriously. Watching Xie Qi heading towards Chen Ku’s courtyard, Qin Fang, although asking his junior disciple to refrain from speaking, similarly believed, Chen Ku was doomed.
...
「Inside the house.」
[Diagram Master killed Liu Qinggang, obtained Third Realm Evil Qi]
[Diagram Master killed Liu Qingjun, obtained Third Realm Evil Qi]
Chen Ku successively shot the two Divine Crossbowmen targeting him, each within one or two breaths’ time.
"Uncle... I’m scared."
At that moment, behind Chen Ku on the heated bed, Hu Zi was being held by his mother. Hearing the shouting and fighting outside, the child was scared and about to cry out loud.