Chapter 28: Violated Heavenly Laws?

In the cavernous hall of the county magistrate’s office, Li Chang'an shifted and lunged, like an unpredictable streak of lightning, descending with irresistible force right atop the dazed junior banner officer of the Prison Administration!

His long blade slashed down, but at the absolute precipice of life and death, it was momentarily deflected by another who rushed in from the side.

"Clang!"

Yet another immense, deafening roar of refined iron echoed through the air.

However, it still could not alter the fate of the one who had stood dazed.

With a single strike, Li Chang'an deflected the interceptor and used his blade to decapitate the man beneath him.

Blood gushed forth copiously, staining the entire floor.

The remaining five junior banner officers all suffered a drastic change of countenance, their figures growing somewhat hesitant.

Only a few minutes had passed, and already one of their companions had been decapitated? Was their opponent truly just a child who had barely turned seven, rather than a demon reincarnate, or simply a shapeshifted fiend?

Had Li Chang'an not failed to leak even a shred of demonic aura throughout the encounter,

and had they not personally gathered all the intelligence regarding him, they would never have dared believe, even upon pain of death, that this slaughtering deity before their eyes was a seven-year-old child!

The crimson blood formed a trickling stream on the ground, akin to a small river.

Having witnessed this gory, fresh scene with their own eyes, the remaining banner officers could not help but shudder involuntarily, feeling a bone-chilling cold rise from the depths of their hearts and gradually wash over their entire bodies.

By all accounts, as the sharpest executioners of the Demon Qing Imperial Court,

nearly everyone who managed to rise to the rank of a junior banner officer in the Prison Administration was a butcher who viewed human life as mere grass, and should not have experienced such violent emotional upheaval upon seeing a comrade slain.

Yet all things were relative; when they slaughtered others like dogs and chickens, they were naturally composed beyond measure.

But now, having lost a companion the very moment they joined battle, how could they not be thrown into utter disarray?

At this point, far from killing Li Chang'an,

the few banner officers were even considering whether they should retreat immediately!

It could not be helped; the prowess Li Chang'an displayed at this moment was simply too monstrous. If his combat strength was truly so terrifying, they would have to alter their plans, deliberate anew, and perhaps even consider requesting a senior banner officer!

However, just as the few banner officers were hesitating, Li Chang'an’s figure abruptly materialized not far away, watching them with erratic breathing and short gasps.

This posture of his fell into the eyes of the men, causing all of them, whose hearts had already begun to harbor thoughts of retreat, to freeze in realization.

Among the three banner officers besieging Li Chang'an, the leader stared intently at him for a long while before gritting his teeth and declaring, "That bizarre movement technique just now must place a massive drain on inner energy and stamina. He is exhausted, let us strike!"

It was not that they hadn't considered the possibility of Li Chang'an feigning it.

But they had witnessed that movement technique with their own eyes; at such incredible speed, the demands on stamina and inner energy were absolutely immense.

Of course, the more critical reason was that not only had they failed to extract any useful information this time, but they had also lost a companion, leaving the mission utterly botched.

If they were to slink away in disgrace now, they would likely be unable to account for themselves upon their return!

Therefore, even knowing that Li Chang'an might be putting on an act, as long as there remained a sliver of a chance, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and press the attack.

……

This battle raged for a full half-hour.

The junior banner officers of the Prison Administration discovered to their horror that although Li Chang'an appeared to be gasping with exhaustion, his combat strength never once declined.

By now, no matter how much they refused to believe it, they knew they had been deceived yet again.

Li Chang'an’s erratic breathing and unsteady posture were entirely feigned, all for the purpose of ensuring none of them escaped!

However, by this time they had already missed the optimal moment to flee, as the members of the rebel army had long since heard the commotion and rushed over, surrounding the entire magistrate’s office so tightly that not even water could seep through.

Regret came too late!

Before long, the battle drew to its conclusion.

Li Chang'an kicked and shattered the head of the last black-clad junior banner officer, only then landing on the ground to exhale a heavy puff of turbid air.

Turning his gaze toward Wang Su, Li Chang'an smiled and said, "Master, I won!"

Out of six junior banner officers, Wang Su had killed two and a half, while he had killed three and a half, taking the crown.

Looking at the corpses strewn haphazardly across the ground, Wang Su’s emotions were rather complicated, and he offered a bitter smile, saying, "With your natural talent, had you been born during the peak of martial arts in the Central Plains dynasties, your achievements would be limitless, and you might well have left your name in the annals of history. How could you end up like this, standing in opposition to the imperial court, becoming a rebel hunted by all?"

His voice paused, his expression turning solemn as he murmured, "You were truly born in the wrong era!"

Li Chang'an laughed and replied, "How boring would a life of smooth sailing be? I think things are quite fine as they are!"

Wang Su shook his head; the Prison Administration had lost a total of six junior banner officers in Sanhuang County, and he could already foresee the approaching storm.

Once the sounds of fighting within the magistrate’s office had completely died down, Lu Changning, his face filled with anxiety, led dozens of elite martial artists from the rebel army as they burst through the doors.

Lu Changning’s gaze swept across Li Chang'an and Wang Su, and only after confirming that neither was missing any limbs did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Staring at the black-clad men lying all over the floor, Lu Changning spoke in an unfriendly tone, "What happened? Could these be assassins sent by those local gentry? How could their strength be so formidable?"

In order not to startle the quarry, Li Chang'an had not notified anyone while waiting in ambush.

Even Wang Su had merely happened upon the scene by chance, so Lu Changning naturally had no inkling of what had transpired. Initially, he had assumed those gentry members were tired of living and had proactively sent men to assassinate Li Chang'an.

But looking at the scene now, he immediately sensed that something was amiss.

To this, Li Chang'an made no attempt to hide the truth, explaining directly, "These are all junior banner officers from the Prison Administration, likely ordered to come and assassinate me!"

Upon hearing the title 'junior banner officer of the Prison Administration,' the expressions of Lu Changning and the elite rebel soldiers behind him all shifted drastically, filled with disbelief as they asked, "Junior banner officers of the Prison Administration? These people... are all junior banner officers of the Prison Administration?"

As the eldest disciple of the old Taoist, Lu Changning was naturally no stranger to the organizational structure of the Prison Administration.

Hence, he knew full well that to become a junior banner officer of the Prison Administration, one not only needed to have achieved significant merits during missions, but also had to be a martial master-level powerhouse!

In other words, those lying haphazardly on the ground right now were powerhouses of the exact same level as his own master!

Seeing Li Chang'an nod in confirmation once more, Lu Changning fell silent for a long while before finally managing to accept this reality, complaining, "Just what heavenly law did you break to make the Prison Administration dispatch so many junior banner officers?"

What he said was not an exaggeration in the slightest.

Under normal circumstances, for a mere small-scale rebel army, the Demon Qing court would only need to dispatch a large military force to suppress them swiftly and methodically.

Only when a martial artist like Wang Su openly slaughtered ordinary soldiers of the Demon Qing Imperial Court would it attract the attention of the Prison Administration.

But even so, the Prison Administration could not possibly dispatch so many junior banner officers right from the start, let alone create such a massive spectacle... why use a cleaver meant for an ox to kill a chicken?

In response, Li Chang'an shrugged helplessly and said testily, "Who knows? Perhaps it's because I'm too handsome, and people are envious!"

Those who defied heaven to change their fate often had fraught destinies, and Li Chang'an had already grown somewhat accustomed to it.

……