[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-imperial-enforcer-with-an-eight-hour-workday":3,"chapter-the-imperial-enforcer-with-an-eight-hour-workday-the-imperial-enforcer-with-an-eight-hour-workday-chapter-427":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Imperial Hound on an Eight-Hour Shift",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},2225485,4113,"Chapter 427: Plucking a Leaf","the-imperial-enforcer-with-an-eight-hour-workday-chapter-427",427,"\u003Cp>Master Qu’s smile froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn't expected to hear such an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But from these few sentences alone, he finally caught a glimpse of the essence of the man in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was definitely not a \"hero,\" but an \"evil path\" practitioner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Li Dabao didn't need saving, he would save him. Similarly, even if the County Magistrate, Huang Jiulang, and this Master Qu said something earth-shattering, to him, it was just boring noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This person’s arrogance could perhaps only be described by one sentence—\"Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Qu took half a step back and scanned Li Miao again with a solemn gaze; this time, there was no hint of contempt or mockery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Excellency, may I ask your name?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Miao chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What, no more 'Nani' (Japanese for 'what')?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The style of you Japanese people—arrogant before, fawning after, bullying the weak—is truly the same in every world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as these words were spoken, before others could react, Master Qu and Wu Mingxiao’s faces changed drastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Mingxiao asked in a low voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Li, is he Japanese?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Miao laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course. Not to mention that 'Nani' just now, his Wu Gong comes from the same source as yours; it’s authentic Japanese martial arts... He couldn't possibly be your comrade, could he?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This place is not far from your Assistant Minister’s hometown; perhaps the sect-wiping tragedy of your Assistant Minister wasn't entirely because he was too prominent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over there, \"Master Qu’s\" face grew increasingly gloomy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Excellency, who exactly are you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Miao ignored him completely and raised his hand to press a palm toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This palm was light and soft, without a trace of smoke or fire, as if he were casually plucking a leaf from his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Wang Hai were here, he would immediately widen his eyes to observe carefully, refusing to miss a single detail—because this palm strike of Li Miao’s was Wang Hai’s fundamental martial art, \"Plucking a Leaf\"!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Executed by Li Miao, it had no momentum or sound of wind; instead, it was extremely soft, causing Master Qu to feel no vigilance at all, and he only realized it when Li Miao’s palm pressed onto his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is going on... He was clearly right in front of me, and I had just developed defenses against him, so how did he manage to press onto my body!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This person is tricky, this is bad!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since his identity as a Japanese person had been exposed, he no longer held back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master Qu,\" or rather Qu Yuan Saburo, suddenly stretched out both hands to grab Li Miao’s arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yagyu Shinkage-ryu—Mutō-dori (Swordless Capture)!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a disciple of perhaps the only Japanese sword school that excelled in unarmed combat, Qu Yuan Saburo was best at this \"Mutō-dori,\" a technique for disarming an opponent with bare hands, which was why he dared to come here without a weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Li Miao had no weapon in his hand, tearing the entire arm off the opponent’s body was not a difficult task for Qu Yuan Saburo!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shine!\" (Die!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had been studying the martial arts of the Central Plains for a long time. But Japanese martial arts—few in the Central Plains understood them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arrogance is the reason for your defeat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Yuan Saburo grinned savagely as he grabbed Li Miao’s arm, his muscles bulging, nearly bursting his gown, and exerted force, intending to break Li Miao’s arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the next moment, he stumbled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if his body had suddenly lost its fulcrum, and he fell forward. He instinctively wanted to use his hands to support himself, but for some reason, he didn't see his palms in his line of sight, as if there was nothing below his shoulders, and he fell heavily to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, a pain so intense it terrified him rushed into his brain along his nerves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ngh-ah!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Yuan Saburo let out a muffled groan and braced himself to look down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this look, he finally understood what had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arms that had grown on both sides of his body, tempered for decades, filled with muscles as hard as refined steel, had turned into two \"balloons\" wrapped in sleeves, connected by mere threads of flesh. \u003C\u002Fp>",723,"2026-06-17T21:41:17.211Z","2026-06-18T03:13:38.468Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","b40513beec3d4b8871ca8eaffe4f6807876b4e6a420283f3ba66368c760f386b","the-imperial-enforcer-with-an-eight-hour-workday-chapter-428","the-imperial-enforcer-with-an-eight-hour-workday-chapter-426",647,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-imperial-hound-on-an-eight-hour-shift-cover.jpg"]