Chapter 393: Deeply Stricken

A feeling of unease surfaced in his mind.

Wei Yuan forced himself to suppress the fear deep inside, glanced downward, and at once noticed why his neck felt a chill—an ancient, plain long sword was leaning against his throat, and Wang Ping'an had somehow appeared before him.

"How could this happen?"

Wei Yuan's pupils contracted sharply, his face full of terror, his voice trembling as he threatened, "You, you, you Evil Cultivator, you, you, don't act rashly. I am the County Magistrate of Qingyang County, an official appointed by the court. If you dare to take my life, the court will not let you go!"

Although he was merely a low‑rank County Magistrate, he had fought his way out of the imperial examinations, was a Confucian scholar, and had cultivated years of righteous qi; even a great demon could not do him any harm.

Never did he expect…

Now he hadn't even had time to react before Wang Ping'an placed the long sword against his throat.

He knew that since Wang Ping'an was Yu Die's lifesaving benefactor, he must possess some cultivation; when he signaled to Tang Anzhi with a glance and acted, he not only unleashed all his abilities but also proceeded with extreme caution, fearing a misstep in the shadows.

How could he know.

He still slipped up!

No.

It wasn't a slip in the shadows; Wang Ping'an's prowess exceeded his expectations, and before he could even react, Wang Ping'an was already in front of him, placing the long sword against his throat.

"Tang Anzhi, that useless waste, I poured so many cultivation resources into him, and this is how he repays me?"

Wei Yuan's heart, besides fear, was filled with resentment toward Tang Anzhi. Although he knew this incident might not be Tang Anzhi's fault, he hadn't forgotten that he had appointed Tang Anzhi as Imperial Attendant in his residence to protect his life; now his life was in danger, he wouldn't blame anyone else but Tang Anzhi, and he muttered angrily:

"If I were to die here without a clear reason, even as a ghost I would never forgive that useless Tang Anzhi, who squandered so many of my cultivation resources yet couldn't even protect my life!"

Suddenly.

A flash of insight flickered briefly in Wei Yuan's mind; he knew Tang Anzhi's skill was top‑notch, otherwise he wouldn't have paid an exorbitant price to make Tang Anzhi his Imperial Attendant, needing him only to guard his life and nothing else.

Wang Ping'an might be very powerful, at least more so than him, but he believed Wang Ping'an would not necessarily be Tang Anzhi's opponent.

Of course.

Even if Tang Anzhi couldn't deal with Wang Ping'an, at least he had the ability to save his life.

At that moment, Tang Anzhi fought Yu Die as if no one else were there, battling fiercely and paying no attention to his situation.

It wasn't that Tang Anzhi hadn't noticed; rather, he pretended not to, perhaps even hoping Wang Ping'an would finish him with a single sword.

Logically, as long as Tang Anzhi's mind was clear, even if Wang Ping'an and Yu Die could not be dealt with together, Tang Anzhi should first handle Wang Ping'an and hand Yu Die over to him; even if he wasn't Yu Die's match, Yu Die, being a Hundred‑House of the Demon‑Suppressing Office, wouldn't do him any harm.

After all, he is also the County Magistrate of Qingyang County!

But Tang Anzhi actually abandoned Wang Ping'an, completely indifferent to whether this mysterious man might endanger his life, and instead tangled with Yu Die.

He didn't believe this was an unintentional act by Tang Anzhi!

"Tang Anzhi, you beast!"

Wei Yuan couldn't help muttering a curse in his heart. He had no conflict with Tang Anzhi; over the years, while Tang Anzhi served as his Imperial Attendant, no matter how outrageous the request, he tried his best to fulfill it, since his safety was entrusted to Tang Anzhi, and he dared not oppose him.

Yet Tang Anzhi actually acted as if he wanted him to die!

He could probably guess why Tang Anzhi did this: not only to claim all the credit, but also to let Wang Ruhai see his hardships.

Tang Anzhi treated his life as a stepping stone on the path to success!

"How did it become like this? Is the Weixian County Magistrate really this… this so vulnerable?"

Zhang Chengze's face was filled with astonishment.

Just now.

When Wang Ping'an intervened to save Hu Jiushisan, he saw a Paper Person and rescued a monster, even though that monster claimed it was following his aunt's family this time to protect their lives, not to harm them.

He still felt fear toward this monster, perhaps because he had heard many stories about monsters over the years.

Which made it hard for him to think positively about the monster!

Seeing someone—no, a Paper Person—he instantly recognized an Evil Cultivator coming to rescue Hu Jiushisan, and naturally he despised them, daring not to think well of Wang Ping'an.

He did not consider Wang Ping'an a good person!

Deep down, to some extent, he felt a slight fear toward Wang Ping'an.

If Yu Die, Wei Yuan, and Tang Anzhi weren't nearby—these three being top‑notch powerful figures—he would have already called his family to flee, and wouldn't dare stay at a distance to watch the spectacle.

Until Yu Die stepped forward, saying this Paper Person was his lifesaving benefactor, he immediately recalled something Yu Die had mentioned yesterday through Zhang Chengyong, realizing that the Paper Person before him not only saved Yu Die's life but also dealt with the monster occupying Shizi Ling, and even produced the Mountain God Token that his father had just had stolen.

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The fears in his heart toward Wang Ping'an instantly vanished!

Therefore.

When the conflict between Wang Ping'an and the two—Wei Yuan and Tang Anzhi—was about to erupt, he secretly hoped Wang Ping'an would achieve victory.

But.

When he widened his eyes to see the distant battle clearly, his face and gaze were filled with disbelief.

Yu Die and Tang Anzhi fought like dragons and tigers, spell after spell colliding in dazzling displays laced with terrifying murderous intent, accompanied by repeated muffled explosions; the resulting shockwaves blew the surrounding dust clean, making it arguably the most intense and dangerous battle he had ever witnessed.

One can only say they truly live up to the top‑tier characters in storybooks—cultivators—whose clashes are beyond ordinary imagination.

Even though he was far from Yu Die and Tang Anzhi's battlefield, the faintly emanating terrifying aura still made his heart race, giving him the feeling that if the battle's aftershocks reached him, his life would be snuffed out.

It was Wang Ping'an's fight with Wei Yuan that shocked him the most.

The combat ended before it even began!

Zhang Chengze forced himself to hold back his excitement, whispering, "Chengyong, you are a martial practitioner, your eyesight is sharper than mine; did you see clearly how that Evil Cultivator—no, that Paper Person—controlled the Weixian County Magistrate in the fight just now?"

"Big brother, you overestimate me; I'm just a low‑rank martial cultivator training in a modest martial hall—what sharp eyesight could I possibly have?"

Zhang Chengyong chuckled self‑deprecatingly, his face showing a defeated expression, and said dejectedly, "I didn't even see it clearly; it was over in the blink of an eye, and that Evil Cultivator already placed the Sword Apparatus on the Weixian County Magistrate's throat!"

He had practiced martial arts for years, rarely meeting a worthy opponent in the hall, considering himself a top‑notch martial prodigy, but after witnessing Yu Die and Tang Anzhi's clash, he realized his skill was like a three‑legged cat's—laughably mediocre before them.

However.

When Wang Ping'an acted, he was even more shocked; he didn't even see Wang Ping'an's movement before seeing Wang Ping'an place the Sword Apparatus on Wei Yuan's throat.

(End of Chapter)