A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

Near Qianmen, in a house with a rather unassuming facade but a large area and high walls.

Although it was afternoon, the doors and windows of the main hall were tightly closed, and the light was somewhat dim.

Only a few candles flickered, casting long and short shadows of the interior furnishings onto the smooth blue brick floor, creating a somber atmosphere.

Young gang leader Luo Haoxuan sat in the grand chair at the head of the table. He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and wore a dark red silk robe embroidered with gold thread. His face was handsome, but there was an unyielding gloom and irritability between his brows.

His fingers unconsciously tapped the hard rosewood armrest, making a soft "tap-tap" sound, while his cold eyes swept over the few hooligans kneeling below.

After listening to the trembling, embellished report from the dark-faced man, Luo Haoxuan's face grew increasingly dark, and his chest heaved slightly.

Finally, he slammed his hand on the armrest, making a crisp "smack" sound.

"Useless trash! A bunch of useless bastards!"

Luo Haoxuan stood up abruptly, pointing at the people below, his voice sharp with anger.

"Is this how you question me?! Huh?! You got scared out of your wits by just a few words and slunk back like a coward? What am I keeping you around for?!"

The thugs trembled with fear, their heads hanging even lower, almost touching the ground, and they didn't dare to breathe.

The two maids serving in the hall shrank back and quietly retreated into the shadows.

Luo Haoxuan's chest heaved violently a few times as he forcibly suppressed the urge to immediately order someone to break the legs of these useless people.

The deaths of Lao Liu and the others shocked and enraged him.

The sixth brother and the other four rascals all died tragically.

The fatal wounds were mainly concentrated in vital areas such as the throat and heart, and the attacks were extremely ruthless and precise.

They visited a few scattered households in the surrounding area, but the information they obtained was limited.

All that is known is that around midnight last night, there seemed to be brief cries for help and fighting sounds in the area where Lao Liu and his group rented.

But in this chaotic western outskirts of the city, where everyone is focused on protecting themselves, no one would bother to go out and investigate.

It wasn't until dawn that a neighbor noticed the excessively strong smell of blood and realized something was wrong.

The only valuable information is the inferences drawn from the remaining traces of a struggle at the scene.

The opponent is definitely not many people; there might only be one!

But his moves were extremely swift and decisive.

Judging from the marks, the two thugs seemed to have been caught off guard and killed instantly at close range, with almost no effective resistance.

The other two hooligans may have grabbed makeshift weapons such as benches and sticks from inside the house to try to fight back, but signs of the struggle indicate that they did not last long and were quickly knocked down.

As for the sixth brother, the most experienced and cunning of the five, he seemed to sense the danger and attempted to break through the window or storm the door to escape.

However, he died not far from the doorway, and the surrounding traces indicate that...

He was also unable to put up much effective resistance before being caught up and killed with a single blow.

Five hooligans... although they were all just low-level street thugs, and had never seriously stepped into the realm of martial arts,

He was a seasoned fighter, strong and ruthless, and could easily take on three or five ordinary strong men.

To be able to eliminate them all so decisively and efficiently...

Luo Haoxuan slowly sat back in his chair, his fingers clenched so tightly they turned white, his eyes shifting between light and shadow.

This means that the opponent's strength is at least at the first level of martial arts – the Skin Refining Realm!

Moreover, he is by no means a novice who has just entered this realm; his control over power and ruthlessness in actual combat are quite experienced.

Who could a martial artist at the Skin Refining Realm be?

Was it an assassination by another gang?

Or is it related to Su Bai in some way?

Su Bai, that kid, used to be nothing but a good-for-nothing, even after he joined the Zhenfu Division.

He was just an insignificant temporary clerk in the yamen (government office).

I heard he's done some good deeds recently, but what's so special about them?

How old is he?

How long have you been practicing martial arts?

It absolutely cannot be the Skin Refining Realm.

Isn't it him?

Why is it such a coincidence?

That day, Lao Liu and his gang only went to cause trouble for Su Bai, but they died a violent death that very night.

Today, several of his men went to cause trouble for Su Bai, but they were actually intimidated by Su Bai on the spot.

This kid...

The more Luo Haoxuan thought about it, the more suspicious he became, and the more agitated and murderous he felt.

He looked at the group of hooligans and said, "You're all useless. Come on! Come with me."

"Yes, yes! Thank you for your mercy, Young Master!"

The hooligans, as if granted a pardon, scrambled after him.

......

Luo Haoxuan, leading those burly thugs, once again arrived menacingly at Su Bai's door.

Seeing the door tightly shut, Luo Haoxuan curled his lip, a flash of malice in his eyes, and tilted his head behind him.

The strongest ruffian understood, grinned maliciously, took two steps back, and suddenly slammed his shoulder into the door!

"Bang—crash!"

The old, neglected bolt snapped open, and the wooden door was violently forced open, slamming heavily against the inner wall and sending dust flying.

The moment the door was flung open, Luo Haoxuan saw Su Bai stride out of the inner room and head straight for the porch.

He gripped an ordinary kitchen knife tightly in his hand, the blade reflecting a cold white light in the passing light.

Luo Haoxuan was visibly stunned when he saw this, and his steps faltered.

He hadn't expected Su Bai to act this way.

But then, an undisguised sarcasm and smugness appeared on his face.

Luo Haoxuan didn't really take a mere temporary constable seriously.

Grab a kitchen knife? Who are you trying to scare?

"Fine, fine, fine!" Luo Haoxuan clapped his hands and sneered, deliberately drawing out his voice with utter mockery. "If you, Su Bai, had seen me here and kowtowed to admit your mistake, I might have spared you. But you dared to brandish a kitchen knife? You're truly shameless!"

As he spoke, he actually lifted his foot and walked slowly toward Su Bai inside the door, his posture arrogant, completely disregarding the sharp weapon in the other's hand.

"And who are you, you mad dog?"

Su Bai stood upright in the doorway, watching the arrogant newcomer approach. His face showed no fear, only cold disgust.

"How dare they just smash up my front door!"

His gaze swept over the broken door panel, and his voice rose, echoing clearly in the small courtyard, "You brought people to break into a private residence like this. Even if I cut you a couple of times, it seems to be in accordance with the 'Great Qian Law'."

By speaking, Su Bai firmly linked his act of carrying a knife to "protecting a private residence," thus finding the most direct legal basis for his actions.

Upon hearing this, Luo Haoxuan stopped in his tracks, his mocking smile instantly freezing, turning grim, and his gaze becoming fierce.

"Kid," he said through gritted teeth, emphasizing each word, pointing at Su Bai.

"I am Luo Haoxuan, the young leader of the Fierce Tiger Gang!"

Don't think that just because you have the title of a temporary constable, you can disregard the Fierce Tiger Gang.

He took a half step forward, lowered his voice, and his threat was palpable.

"You need to understand, if my Tiger Gang is willing to pay a sufficient price, it wouldn't be difficult for us to make a nobody like you disappear without a trace."

He stared into Su Bai's eyes, raised his chin, and said in a commanding tone:

"Now, kneel down and kowtow to me, and I might consider... letting you go."