Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 36: Such arrogance of an official, blood splattered five steps away.

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The summer sun was blazing.

This area is located right at the border of two counties, with rolling hills and lush forests on both sides of the road, making it quite quiet and spacious.

A horse-drawn carriage was lying across the road ahead.

The two men stood in front of the carriage. One was wearing a gray robe and had only one arm, with a bamboo hat on his head. The other was wearing a blue robe and also a bamboo hat, but he was carrying a book on his back, making him look somewhat out of place.

Zhao Zhubu's side was already on high alert, with two guards on horseback, long swords in hand, their blades gleaming coldly.

The coachman, Zhao Wu, deftly pulled a short blade from under the seat;
Even Zhao Menzi picked up a whistle.

Steward Zhao was a portly man who wasn't skilled in martial arts; he made his living mainly through his mouth. He got off the carriage, strode forward, and shouted, "Who are you? Do you know whose carriage you're stopping? Get out of the way at once!"

"Oh, whose car is this?"

"This is the Zhao family! My master was originally the registrar of Mao County, and today he is on his way to take up the post of magistrate of Yi County!"

Butler Zhao directly identified himself.

As the saying goes, "a person's shadow is like the bark of a tree," meaning that reputation is essential for success in the world, and the same principle applies to official careers.

Whether the other party is a highway robber or a traveling merchant, once they hear an official title, they have to obediently apologize and then avoid them.

Chen Jin reached out and lifted his straw hat, revealing his face: "The person I've been waiting for is Chief Clerk Zhao."

Steward Zhao was taken aback, looked him over, and saw that he was a stranger. His eyes darted around, and a possibility occurred to him. He asked suspiciously, "You've come from Yi County, knowing that my master is about to take office as a new official, so you've specifically stopped here to complain and seek redress?"

Chen Jin said with a smile, "I do have a grievance, and I want to seek justice from Chief Clerk Zhao."

Steward Zhao thought he had guessed correctly and immediately scolded, "You scholar, how ignorant you are! Don't you know the rules? Even if you have a great injustice, you have to go to the yamen to beat the drum and submit your petition. How can you just block the road outside like that? What kind of behavior is this!"

"We can't get into the government office, and they won't accept our case."

"That won't do! Get out of the way, don't make things worse. Whatever it is, we'll talk about it after my master officially takes office."

Chen Jin said calmly, "That won't do, because this injustice happened in Mao County. If it were outside the county, things would be different."

Butler Zhao was taken aback, his eyes narrowed, and he shouted sharply, "Who exactly are you?"

Chen Jin introduced himself: "My name is Chen Jin, I come from Datang Township, and I have an uncle named Chen Yuan."

"So you're that old scholar."

Butler Zhao sneered, "What? Didn't you ask the Wang family's son to complain to my master last time? What else do you want?"

Chen Jin slowly said, "It's not that great. I just wanted to ask Chief Clerk Zhao in person."

"Only you are worthy?"

Butler Zhao almost jumped up.

After learning the other party's identity and background, he felt relieved. He was just an old, weak, and useless fellow.

If we weren't so far apart, I would have slapped him across the face long ago.

Last time, when Wang Fu went to Zhao Zhubu to complain, Zhao Zhubu reprimanded Zhao Guanjia and Zhao Menzi afterward, saying that they had handled things poorly and caused trouble.

Facing his master, Steward Zhao was naturally obsequious, but in his heart he harbored deep hatred for the Chen family, and even held a grudge against Wang Fu. He thought that if he had the chance in the future, he would definitely take revenge tenfold.

Unexpectedly, Chen Jin was still relentless and took the initiative to come to their door.

Yes, they definitely couldn't get into the Zhao family's house, so they had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure of causing trouble halfway through.

This kind of drama is not new; it is said that some people even went to the capital to appeal to the emperor.

But what's the point of doing all this? It's just a waste of time.

His eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he was about to order the guards to do their job.

Chen Jin suddenly shouted, "Zhao, the Chief Clerk, are you afraid to show your face because you're hiding in your carriage?"

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Zhao, the chief clerk, appeared with his hands behind his back and a gloomy face: "Chen Tongsheng, what is your intention in stopping my carriage here?"

Chen Jin said, word by word, "Nothing else, I just want justice to be served."

Zhao Zhubu snorted: "Didn't I already tell Wang Fu? I have already reprimanded the steward and the doorman."

"That's it?"

"If not this way, what else do you want? Do you want to tell me how to do things?" Zhao Zhubu's voice rose: "If it weren't for the Wang family's sake, I would have arrested your uncle and son long ago, charged them with 'seeking bribes,' and sent them to jail."

Chen Jin burst into laughter: "Haha, what a display of official power!"

Butler Zhao, standing nearby, wore a smug expression, thinking to himself that this Chen Tongsheng was stubborn and bookish, having gone mad from reading too much, actually thinking of demanding an explanation in person. Little did he know that such an action would bring about his death.

With a look of disgust, Zhao, the magistrate, flicked his sleeve and shouted, "Where are you? This man is incredibly audacious, daring to intercept the imperial carriage with malicious intent. Seize him!"

"Order."

A guard dismounted, knife in hand, and charged forward, his left hand like an eagle's claw, aiming straight for Chen Jin's neck.

A flash of light, like lightning streaking across the sky.

The guard screamed as his left wrist was severed, blood gushing out. Before he could react, a knife pierced his heart, and he died on the spot.

This sudden turn of events happened in the blink of an eye, and Zhao Zhubu and the others did not have time to react.

It wasn't Chen Jin who made the move, but Shi Qifeng.

In his early years, Shi Qifeng roamed the martial arts world, possessing superb skills and a renowned reputation, earning him the nickname "Flying Horse and Swift Blade." Later, he was defeated in a fight and lost his right arm, greatly diminishing his strength. He was forced to retire from the martial arts world, abandoning his right hand and switching to practicing swordsmanship with his left.

Even with diminished strength, he could still easily kill a guard in a surprise attack.

Having succeeded in his attack, he didn't hesitate and leaped forward to kill another guard.

There's no turning back once you start something like this; once you begin, you have to be swift and decisive.

"How dare you, thief!"

At this moment, Zhao Zhubu let out a scream.

Butler Zhao was so shocked by the sight of blood splattered everywhere that he was speechless and trembling.

Zhao Menzi then darted under the carriage.

The coachman, Zhao Wurao, had some courage. He gripped his short knife and stood protectively in front of Zhao Zhubu.

boom!
Another guard was a decent fighter, but unfortunately he ran into Shi Qifeng. After lasting seven or eight rounds, he was stabbed through the heart and immediately collapsed to the ground.

Shi Qifeng remained calm, stepped forward with a sharp blade, quickly killed Zhao Wu, then grabbed Zhao Menzi and threw him to the ground, killing him instantly.

"Shi Qifeng, it's you!"

Zhao, the clerk, recognized him, pointed at him, and said incessantly, "Are you trying to kill an official and rebel?"

Shi Qifeng sneered, "My husband originally wanted to seek justice, but you're just eagerly rushing to your death."

Zhao, the magistrate, was a civil official. Even though he was courageous, he was still trembling with fear at this moment. He hurriedly said, "This matter was all a conspiracy between the steward and the gatekeeper to line their own pockets. I... knew nothing about it. The grievances have their perpetrators, and the debts have their debtors. You can beat them to death, and I will not pursue the matter."

Upon hearing this, Steward Zhao turned pale with fright and hurriedly knelt down: "Grandpa, spare my life! I was just running errands for my master. It was my master who ordered Chen Yuan's legs to be broken, saying he wanted to establish his authority."

Zhao, the clerk, cursed loudly: "You insolent servant, how dare you slander your master!"

Shi Qifeng, too lazy to listen to their dogfighting, swiftly killed Steward Zhao with a swift stroke of his knife, then kicked Chief Clerk Zhao to the ground, grabbed his hair, and dragged him in front of Chen Jin.

Chen Jin had been standing at the back watching, not standing idly by, but Shi Qifeng was eager to make a move, wanting to show off and take the opportunity to offer a pledge of loyalty.

Faced with Chen Jin, Zhao Zhubu was in a sorry state and couldn't care about anything else at this moment. He hurriedly begged for mercy: "Young Master Chen, the culprits, the steward and the doorman, have been executed. Please spare my life."

Chen Jin said indifferently, "Lord Zhao, I only wanted an explanation, but you insisted on protecting me and showing favoritism. Haven't you heard that a common man's anger can lead to bloodshed within five steps?"

Zhao, the clerk, hurriedly said, "I know I was wrong, and I will never do it again from now on."

Chen Jin was too lazy to say more. He took out the sword box, opened it, and picked up the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword.

Upon seeing the enormous sword, Zhao Zhubu was terrified and screamed, "Chen Tongsheng, killing me is tantamount to rebellion..."

Chen Jin raised his sword and brought it down, and the head fell to the ground with a thud.

That's a fine sword!

Even though Shi Qifeng had roamed the martial world and was used to bloodshed, he dared not kill an official lightly. But seeing this, he couldn't help but twitch and thought to himself, "Indeed, this is the way of immortals, with no taboos."

Seeing the bloodstains everywhere and the mess, Chen Jin said, "Old Shi, clean it up."

Shi Qifeng sheathed his knife and respectfully replied, "Rest assured, sir, it will be clean."

(End of this chapter)