Chapter 136: Striking!

Chapter 136: Unleash!

Listening to the conversation over there, Chen Yi slightly furrowed his brows, yet his feet never ceased following.

As he walked, he gradually shrugged off his long robe and tucked it into his waist.

"Behind Hui Xian Lou, there are only a few residences. If someone had been nearby that night, hearing the commotion, or seeing those people—as well as... me..."

Ordinary villagers would pose no threat.

But those with ill intentions, who might bribe or disguise themselves to lure the Execution Officers' attention...

Chen Yi swapped into his combat attire, draped a black cloth over his face, and silently merged into the shadows, trailing the Execution Officer from afar.

Meanwhile, his eyes swept through the dimly lit streets and alleys, catching glimpses of faint glimmers—like six points of light flickering.

One, two, three... six.

Among the six Execution Officers, the leader, a woman clad in scarlet-red robes, was a seventh-tier martial artist. Another, tall and gaunt, barely reached the eighth tier. The rest were all ninth-tier martial artists.

After observing them, Chen Yi dispelled his spiritual sense and silently mused:

"These Execution Officers' martial prowess pales in comparison to their authority to apprehend and investigate."

"But the key now isn't among them—it hinges on that alleged 'killer' ahead."

Soon, the group of Execution Officers arrived at the alley beside Hui Xian Lou, where three people awaited them.

Bathed in the light of their lanterns, Chen Yi easily discerned that these three weren't all Execution Officers.

One, a middle-aged man in a coarse hemp shirt, looked rather plump.

He must be the informant.

Chen Yi finished observing, then slipped into a shadowed corner, watching from a distance.

The scarlet-clad woman asked, "Is that him?"

The younger officer bowed and replied, "Yes, that's him. He lives nearby, named Sun Erhutu."

Sun Erhutu nodded and smiled modestly, "I've seen you, Master."

The woman in red regarded him calmly. "I am Fang Hongxiu of the Shu Zhou Execution Office. I have several questions for you."

"Of course, of course. I'll answer everything."

"Tell me in detail everything you saw or heard that night."

"That night... it must have been before midnight when I returned from the western market with vegetables."

"On my way here, I saw a burly man leaning against the wall, staring at me."

Fang Hongxiu raised her hand to interrupt, then signaled an officer to show her a portrait. "Is this him?"

Sun Erhutu glanced at it. "Yes, yes—he's the one. Look at those scars; he's no good."

"And after that?"

"After that, I dared not look further, hastening back to my home."

"But I kept thinking it was odd, so after returning, I kept a close watch on this area."

Sun Erhutu chuckled, "Master, I must say—I'm afraid these people might sneak into my house after dark."

Fang Hongxiu furrowed her brow, but before she could speak, the younger officer barked, "Stop with your nonsense!"

"Yes, yes..."

Sun Erhutu paused, then continued, "Until night fully fell, there was some commotion outside."

"I only heard that man say something about the Xiao family—I couldn't catch much else, just the words 'Xiao' for sure."

"What else did you hear?"

"Then an old voice came from behind, saying, 'Who are you? What do you want with me?'"

"After that, the burly man said, 'My master has an appointment...'"

At this, Chen Yi realized there was no need to listen further.

Clearly, aside from Liu Jing's men, no one else had been seen at Hui Xian Lou that night. The rest was mere fabrication.

Yet the method to steer the Execution Officers' investigation toward the Xiao family was truly lowly.

"Only someone like the hidden guard could employ such tactics."

"People from the Liu family—or those seeking to provoke a feud between the Xiao and Liu clans might have a hand in this."

Chen Yi expanded his suspicions.

After all, the hidden guard's methods were too crude, too direct to be taken seriously or scrutinized.

As he pondered this, dusk had already passed, and the sky was entirely dark.

A wind—unseen, unheard—began to blow.

"Be careful!" Fang Hongxiu hissed.

Before anyone could react, a dart flew through the air, piercing through several Execution Officers, embedding itself into Sun Erhutu's brow.

Fang Hongxiu's face paled. She glanced beyond the alley, "Wang Han, stay and guard him. The rest, follow me!"

"..."

Chen Yi watched the Execution Officers sprint away after the scarlet-clad woman, a faint, self-mocking smile tugging at his lips.

How delightfully unpredictable—good or bad, it was just like the hidden guard's doing.

To think those pulling these strings were so cunning...

Using a corpse as bait, drawing out the Xiao family, yet leaving no evidence—truly a one-two punch.

Now, even if the Execution Officers didn't believe it, they'd still have to investigate the Xiao family.

If those behind it were even more ruthless...

Thinking this, Chen Yi's eyes shifted, and he immediately sprinted after Fang Hongxiu and the others.

The officer left behind, upon spotting Chen Yi's figure, paused slightly.

Realizing what was happening, he drew his dagger from his waist and bellowed a warning.

But in an instant, Chen Yi was already at his side, his palm turning into a blade, pressing against his neck.

*Thwack.*

When the Execution Officer fell unconscious, Chen Yi quickly glanced at Sun Erhutu beside him.

Confirming he was dead, he melted into black shadows, heading west toward the market.

Thankfully, due to the commotion stirred up by the Execution Officer’s Office earlier, more pedestrians on West Market Street had been drawn to the scene, leaving few to notice him.

Yet nothing is absolute.

At this moment, inside a private chamber on the second floor of Xian Building, two figures stood by the window, gazing toward the West Market.

It wasn’t long before they spotted Chen Yi among the crowd.

One of them expressed surprise: “Miss, is this a man from the Xiao family?”

The other figure fixed their gaze on Chen Yi, eyes flickering slightly, and nodded after a pause:

“It seems so.”

Before long, another figure in dark robes emerged from the distance, moving far swifter than the previous few.

After a moment’s hesitation—

“Miss, this one is…”

“One of them is likely from the Xiao family, the other perhaps someone from the Liu clan.”

Saying this, the figure by the window turned and exited the chamber.

“Miss?”

“Let’s go take a look.”

“I’ve already agreed to the Wolf Chief’s terms; there still needs to be an outcome.”

Inside Bai Caotang,

The injured man, Liu Rong, who had been resting with the door closed, naturally heard the voices outside.

Especially those Execution Officers, who were rushing about while shouting, caused him to rise to the window to watch the spectacle.

When he saw the two men in black sprinting past, followed closely by the Execution Officers, he couldn’t help but grin. “How chaotic this evening’s Shuzhou City has become.”

Of course, none of this concerned him.

For he was no longer the “Blade Fiend” of old days, merely a nameless swordsman, gravely wounded.

Meanwhile,

Chen Yi had already reached the interior of West Market. At this point, half the shops along the street were shuttered, and the few pedestrians that remained were few.

In the quiet and cold air, he also heard footsteps behind him.

Without hesitation, he swiftly turned, heading in another direction.

He found a slightly elevated eave, quickly suppressed his internal energy, and held his breath.

Soon enough, he spotted a man in black moving swiftly, racing toward the Execution Officers.

Frowning slightly, he muttered, “Who is that?”

After some thought, unable to determine the stranger’s identity, he had no choice but to pursue again.

This time, however, he paid closer attention.

Not long after, Chen Yi heard clashes echoing from afar, interspersed with raised voices.

“Execution Officer’s Office—capture the fugitive! All citizens, keep doors and windows shut, no spectators allowed!”

“You wicked thief, still not surrendering?”

“Old man, I advise you to leave, lest you invite trouble!”

“Dream on!”

Chen Yi paused, spotting the trail of the man in black from before, and quietly hid behind an adjacent shop’s eave, watching from a distance.

There, the man who had killed Sun Erhu with a flying dart was being surrounded by several Execution Officers.

Clearly, that old man’s strength wasn’t high, no match for Fang Hongxiong in a stalemate.

Defeat was merely a matter of time.

Thankfully, Chen Yi recognized the voice as unfamiliar, likely not someone from Hou Mansion.

“Not necessarily. Perhaps someone connected to Hou Mansion.”

At that moment, the fight on the other side had already reached a conclusion.

Fang Hongxiong raised his long blade, cleaving the weapon from the black-robed man, sending him sprawling to the ground.

“I’ve always wondered who has the audacity to kill in my sight, under my very nose!”

“You…”

Just as the old man opened his mouth, the black-robed man who had hidden on the other side charged straight toward him.

In an instant, a long spear materialized in both hands.

Leaping out, the spear’s edge shot forth, aiming directly at the black-robed man trapped in the center of the Execution Officers’ encirclement.

“Bold!”

Fang Hongxiong’s body and spirit were on edge; he raised his blade to block.

Clang!

Blade met spear.

Fang Hongxiong’s long blade nearly slipped from his hand, his form retreating a few steps.

Seeing this, the surrounding Execution Officers immediately drew their blades and attacked.

In an instant, no one paid any mind to the old man lying on the ground.

Chen Yi watched the chaos unfolding, a realization dawning.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“His purpose must be to eliminate that old man, to prevent misfortune from befalling the Xiao family.”

With this understanding,

Chen Yi didn’t linger to watch the others’ fight, his gaze fixed solely on the man on the ground.

Only after confirming the old man’s eyes visible above the ground did he nod to himself.

There, the old man stood still, staring blankly at the fight in the distance, yet failed to rise and flee.

“It seems he intended to land in the Execution Officers’ hands, to shift blame onto the Xiao family.”

“In that case, it’s no good to let him live.”

Upon realizing this,

Chen Yi glanced at the fighting men, and without hesitation, burst out from his hiding spot.

The black-robed man, surrounded and under attack, first noticed his presence, his long spear sweeping outward to push back Fang Hongxiong and the others, aiming to strike first.

However, in the next instant, he saw that black shadow dancing like a butterfly, racing straight toward the elderly man who lingered unwilling to leave.

"You—"

Before the old man could even rise to resist, the black-clad figure's fist crashed into his head.

Boom.

With a dull thud, the old man's skull burst open in an instant.

Even in this dim night, splatters of red and white flew in all directions.

"Huh?"

The black-clad man's eyes flickered with confusion at the sight.

"Huh, your mother—still not running?"

Chen Yì heard his voice and muttered something hoarse, then sprinted toward the northern side of the city.

The black-clad man, realizing his mistake, drew his gun and fled in the opposite direction.

"Damn scoundrel!"

Fang Hongxie saw what had happened and erupted in fury.

Without a second thought, she charged toward where Chen Yì had fled.

"Let's see if you can escape from my executioner's blade!"

Chen Yì, hearing her shout, scoffed. These executioners always went for the soft targets.

Still, he had to admit, he hadn't counted on that black-clad man being faster.

He glanced left and right, spotted an alley up ahead, and turned into it on the spot.

Behind him, Fang Hongxie's cold eyes fixed on his retreating figure, following him into the alley.

To his surprise, before she could even assess the alley's situation, the space darkened.

A massive hand appeared and cleaved through her neck.

Like she had willingly stepped into it, she couldn't react at all—felt a sharp pain in her throat, and instantly lost consciousness.

Looking at Fang Hongxie's defiant gaze, Chen Yì let out a dismissive scoff.

Then, with the same method, he knocked out the remaining six executioners who had given chase.

When all was quiet, he patted his hands and sighed in relief.

"To think it came to this, tonight's been quite the spectacle."

"Not sure if that old man was indeed Xiao Dongchen's doing, but the one with the big gun behind him—yes, definitely a member of the Xiao family."

"So, the old patriarch wasn't entirely unprepared after all."

Chen Yì muttered to himself, glanced down at his own body, and only after confirming he was unspotted by blood did he step out of the alley, preparing to return to the Xiao family.

Just as he reached another deep alley,

He halted, took in his surroundings, and suddenly spoke:

"Is anyone following me?"

"Come out."

(The chapter ends.)