Chapter 21: Your fists are soft like a woman's

Zhang He collapsed powerlessly to the ground, gazing at He Lian's headless corpse, his eyes bloodshot and red.

"He Lian..."

At that moment, he recalled scene after scene in his mind.

In his earlier years of poverty, He Lian was with him, and they faced wind and rain together.

Whether it was killing, robbery, or theft, He Lian was always by his side.

When they were young, they made a name for themselves abroad as the Mandarin Duck Bandits.

But he never expected that today, one of the Mandarin Ducks would have its head chopped off right before his eyes.

Zhang He lifted his head, his face trembling, his pupils bloodshot.

"Embroidered Uniform Guard! You bully people too much."

"I want you all to die with He Lian!"

"What a joke, a rat causing trouble on my turf still spouts big talk?"

"Your wife just had her head crushed by me; if you have the ability, strike back for revenge, if not, cut off your own head."

Shen Qing retorted with a mocking expression.

In his previous life, he toiled like an ox and horse, working at his station until death.

Reborn in this life, yet his identity remains that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Killing people isn't illegal, and they still indulge you?

Never mind other things, even in a shouting match, Shen Qing cannot be outdone.

"Blood Slaughter Fist!"

Zhang He gathered his internal energy at his fist peak, a bloody fist shadow spreading outward; the surrounding Embroidered Uniform Guard were not slow, throwing several large nets at Zhang He.

However, this maneuver is adequate against ordinary Acquired Realm cultivators, but it falls short when facing Zhang He, who is on the verge of breaking into the Innate Realm.

Zhang He darted through the woods, swiftly dodging the nets and lunging straight at Shen Qing.

Shen Qing snorted.

"Your fists are soft like a woman's."

Having said that, he threw a punch at Zhang He, his punching speed not slower than Zhang He's, only faster.

With a bang.

Zhang He was sent flying backward by Shen Qing's ordinary punch, smashing through two large trees in succession.

After the dust settled, Zhang He quickly rose to his feet, but his uncontrollably trembling right hand showed that blocking Shen Qing's punch was no easy feat.

Zhang He stared fixedly at Shen Qing, utterly bewildered.

Why is the Chief of the White Cloud County Embroidered Uniform Guard so formidable? Moreover, isn't the Chief supposed to be that waste Sun Yan?

Moreover, judging by his aura, he shouldn't be sixth layer of Acquired Realm, so why is his strength so great?

When he was younger escorting caravans, he had traveled south and ventured north, gaining some experience.

He had also seen geniuses who, at twenty, could match the peak of the Acquired Realm.

But how could he end up in White Cloud County, serving as a mere petty Chief?

The next moment, his gaze swept over He Lian's corpse at Shen Qing's feet, and his eye sockets turned red again.

He gritted his teeth and let out a loud shout.

"A genius, huh? I don't care about my life anymore! Today I will surely cripple you!!!"

Zhang He's face flushed red as he channeled internal energy through his heart meridian, pushing his body to the limit.

Let his strength, speed, and reaction reach their peak.

This is his life-risking technique.

After just exchanging a blow, Zhang He realized he could not match Shen Qing in strength.

But Shen Qing is ultimately too young, lacking time to accumulate, and thus has shortcomings.

Strong strength means shortcomings in speed and technique.

He himself is at the peak of the Acquired Realm, has unlocked the life-risking secret method, has lived long enough, and his fist technique has already reached perfection.

A flicker of confidence appeared in Zhang He's eyes; the advantage is mine!

With that thought, his whole body surged forward like a feral dog, a fist wrapped in blood qi roaring forth; as the blood qi spread, four more blood-colored fist shadows regenerated in the air.

Five fist shadows intertwined, making them hard to distinguish.

All the Embroidered Uniform Guard broke into a sweat; they knew it was likely an illusion, but given their cultivation, they could not detect the slightest flaw.

Suddenly, the black dog seemed to recall something and shouted loudly.

"Sir, this is the Blood Shadow Fist! Four false, one true; the blood color of the false fist shadows will gradually fade."

Zhang He glanced over, never expecting that someone in this remote area could recognize the Blood Shadow Fist and see through his flaw.

"Knowing the flaw does no good; it's too late!"

Zhang He gave a feral grin, his speed increasing by another third.

Shen Qing did not move, his eyes icy cold.

That's actually true; there really isn't time to distinguish.

But what does it matter whether one can see through it or not?

Shen Qing locked his gaze onto the five fist shadows, slightly bowed his body, and gripped the hilt of his blade.

"Knead Wind."

The Azure River burst forth from its sheath, illuminating the forest with a blue blade light.

Three successive cuts, as if to knead the fierce wind into pieces.

Bang bang bang bang!

Four bloody fist shadows were shattered by the blade.

Zhang He stood dazed in place, his right hand cleanly severed at the wrist, blood continuously gushing out.

"How could this be possible?"

"How could someone at this age, with cultivation not inferior to his, also master such exquisite sword technique?"

Zhang He's eyes flashed with unwillingness.

He was only one step away from the Xiantian realm.

As long as he survives tonight, it will be wide-open skies for birds to fly.

But why did he encounter a monster like Shen Qing on the night before dawn?

In that instant, several figures flashed before his eyes.

They were all people he had killed.

Could it really be that heaven's way involves reincarnation?

Meanwhile, in the nearby woods, Zhang Zhi, who had been secretly hiding and watching, had already widened his eyes.

His face was full of disbelief.

He simply could not accept this situation.

His father, a peak Houtian realm cultivator, was actually killed like a dog.

His gaze shifted slightly to Shen Qing standing proudly; his heartbeat immediately quickened, throbbing like drums, and he could even hear his own heartbeat.

Zhang Zhi immediately realized that the source of his fear tonight was this youth under twenty.

"I need to hurry away..."

Shen Qing's strength left him no thought of resistance; Zhang Zhi instinctively stepped back two paces, about to flee.

But the next moment, Zhang Zhi's body froze—he had stepped on and broken a branch.

The sharp crack sounded especially loud in the silent forest.

It drew everyone's gaze.

The dark clouds retreated, and moonlight shone upon the mountains and forests.

Zhang Zhi's figure was so clear.

Shen Qing narrowed his eyes, coldly chuckling: "There's still a fish that slipped through the net."

Zhang He roared: "Zhi'er, run fast!"

He then lunged madly at Shen Qing, his form lacking the principles and aura a peak Houtian martial artist should have.

His spirit had been cut off by those few blades of Shen Qing; now he only wanted to hold back Shen Qing to buy Zhang Zhi a chance to escape.

Shen Qing gave a cold snort, thrust a blade into Zhang He's back, piercing through his chest and pinning him to the ground.

On the other side, Black Dog and the others acted extremely quickly; Shen Qing's strength greatly boosted their morale.

Of course, also because Zhang Zhi was scared stiff.

Lin Zikai's punch struck his face, yet there was no reaction.

With a bang, Zhang Zhi was blown away.

On the other side, Black Dog leapt high and struck his face with an elbow.

Several Embroidered Uniform Guard threw out a large net, ensnaring him; then a dozen or so Embroidered Uniform Guard swarmed up, raining fists and feet down on Zhang He's body like rain.

Shen Qing looked down on Zhang He, coldly chuckling.

"Really useless—what are you guarding? You can't guard anything."

Zhang He's eyes were bloodshot, about to burst; he struggled to lift his head, his eyes full of hatred, and he opened his mouth to roar.

"Embroidered Uniform Guard! I * you..."

But before he finished speaking, Shen Qing stepped on his face with a foot, even deforming his cheekbone slightly, and he was knocked unconscious.

Shen Qing sheathed his blade.

"Alright, give me a thorough interrogation."

"Release his hands and feet for interrogation."

The meaning of this sentence is that even if interrogated to death it's fine, as long as we get the information.

Having said that, Shen Qing grabbed Zhang He's hair and headed toward the valley depths.

He really wanted to see what was in the valley depths.

As for Zhang He, although seriously injured and unconscious, Shen Qing could not possibly leave him here.

The severely injured peak Houtian realm cultivator is still a peak Houtian realm cultivator.