The Star River Era! The Dimensional Freedom Demon

The handling of the matter by Zhang Shunwu and Liang Bao was just a minor episode during the second meeting.

Dealing with the two men is to give these underworld forces an explanation and also to pave the way for what's to come.

"The thief who escaped earlier must have been 'Ghost Smoker'."

"The Ghostly Smoke-Sweeper? That third-class guard who brought down the General of Jingzhou?"

"That's right, it's him. He's like a ghost, elusive in the dark, and can grow or shrink at will, supposedly able to disappear into the dust. In addition, he's addicted to smoking, spending his days puffing away, hence the nickname 'Ghost Shadow Smoker' in the martial arts world."

The air inside fell silent for a moment.

This is the worst-case scenario. The third-class guards at the Sticky Pole Office already have the power to reach the Emperor and suppress the prefecture for a short period of time.

"Since things have come to this, we have no choice but to launch the operation ahead of schedule and then proceed as appropriate."

Instructor Chen gave a summary.

"Although I have dispatched a large number of people who are still searching for the Ghost Smoke Man, everyone knows that this is difficult. We must take advantage of the fact that he is still injured, immobile, and unable to make a long-distance trip, and seize the initiative as much as possible!"

Few people responded.

Instructor Chen was helpless, but he had expected this.

"Time is life! Rest assured, everyone, my Baiyang Sect has been cultivating for many years. Within the vast Dongting Lake region, my Baiyang Sect possesses more than one navy. Once we occupy Changjiang, Shimen, and Cili counties, we will be able to attack or defend at will!"

"Sichuan is our stronghold. After the uprising, we can rely on the Land of Abundance for weapons and provisions without any shortage!"

With the guarantee in place, the seasoned veterans in the audience finally changed their attitude.

"Alright! It's nothing more than serving as the king's vanguard. We'll all listen to Protector Chen."

. . . . . .

Instructor Chen and these seasoned veterans of the underworld discussed things for most of the night.

As dawn broke and the first light of day appeared, the group finally reached a consensus and drafted a set of action rules that could barely unite all parties.

Ji Chen left long ago, when they were bickering over some trivial matters.

On the way back to Instructor Chen's residence, perhaps because of the fates of Zhang Shunwu and Liang Bao, the Baiyang Sect members below treated him with an indescribable respect and fear.

Zhang Shunwu and Liang Bao have never concealed their thoughts about Ji Chen, the newly promoted core member.

Those in the know all know what "should" happen today.

But something went wrong; Zhang Shunwu was crippled, and Liang Bao died.

Who wouldn't be afraid of such consequences?

Unconsciously, Ji Chen established a powerful presence within the Baiyang Sect.

As Ji Chen approached Instructor Chen's house, he suddenly noticed that several constables had appeared on the street.

"I've checked, this is where that skinny monkey was hiding."

The burly, dark-skinned head constable's eyes lit up when he heard his subordinate's report.

"Very well, that skinny monkey is lawless. He killed his brother who had shared hardships with him just because of a verbal dispute. This kind of inhuman scoundrel who indiscriminately kills innocent people must be brought to justice!"

The head constable was named Wu Gang. His family had been officials for generations and also had a martial arts tradition. In the Changjiang area, he was a veritable local tyrant.

Since he was now a local tyrant, he naturally had a close relationship with Tiger Lord, who was in charge of the fish market. They were both working for the Manchu people in the inner city.

Tiger Lord figured that even if Ji Chen managed to kill Shrimp Head and the others, he would definitely not be able to escape from Changjiang, so he entrusted Wu Gang with the task.

Since this matter happened to fall within Wu Gang's authority, he took it on.

"But boss, that Chen Xianli who teaches at Zhenyang Martial Arts School is an incredibly skilled fighter. Do you think we can take him down with just our numbers?"

Wu Gang's heart skipped a beat at his subordinate's reminder, but he still smiled faintly:

"You think your boss is a pushover? I've already checked. Chen Xianli is out. He's not here today. This is the perfect opportunity to catch that scoundrel. Once we've made it a fait accompli and convicted him, will Chen Xianli still dare to cause us trouble?"

The common people cannot fight against the officials. No matter how skilled Chen Xianli was in martial arts, as long as he did not intend to rebel, he would have to bow down to these officials!

"Go! Go in and arrest them!"

At Wu Gang's command, he and several of his men were about to kick down the door and enter.

"No!"

Just then, a faint, eerie sound suddenly rang out.

Wu Gang was startled and was about to scold which lowly commoner was so blind as to interfere with the government's work.

I felt a gust of wind coming at the back of my head.

Ji Chen made his move.

After listening to their conversation and figuring out their background, Ji Chen decisively reached the limit of his distance and made the first move.

The moment Wu Gang turned his head, he saw the arm spear, which seemed to vibrate like a bowstring, pierce through the morning mist and was right in front of him in the blink of an eye.

Staring at the rapidly enlarging fist in front of him, Wu Gang was utterly horrified; this guy really wanted to kill him.

On what grounds? Didn't this person see the official's hat on his body?

Traitor!

Traitor!

Wu Gang's eyes were bloodshot, and at the critical moment, he displayed the martial arts instincts honed through years of arduous training.

He suddenly exerted force with his waist, his upper body leaning backward as if it had broken, actually using a standard iron bridge technique, his entire upper body almost parallel to the ground, narrowly avoiding this fatal blow.

Ji Chen was not surprised at all. A martial artist whose qi and blood had changed was not so easily defeated by him.

Just as Wu Gang was about to rise, Ji Chen transformed his fist into a palm and swung it down like a divine craftsman wielding a hammer.

This already uses the techniques of the Heaven-Shaking Limitless Palm, even though Ji Chen has not yet formally practiced this martial art.

However, influenced by his true intentions, his actions inevitably carried the shadow of this martial art.

This palm strike, though seemingly slow, actually contained a terrifying force capable of crushing even bluestone.

"Snap!"

The crisp sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.

Wu Gang's arms, which he had hastily crossed to protect his chest, snapped like withered branches under the crushing force of the palm strike.

Even more terrifying was that the force of the palm strike remained undiminished, slamming Wu Gang's broken arm into his chest.

In an instant, Wu Gang's chest visibly caved in, blood gushed from his mouth, and he flew out like a rag doll.

"head!"

"Boss!"

The constables, stunned by the sudden turn of events, only came to their senses when Wu Gang was nearly beaten to death, and they all exclaimed in shock.

"Who are you?!"

"Do you know that attacking an official is a capital offense? Why don't you give up resisting and confess your crime immediately!"

The blustering of a constable, though seemingly fierce, turned his companion's face green with rage.

What time is it? You're still saying these things. You want to die, but we don't!

Idiot!

Ji Chen almost laughed out of anger at the constable who wanted to punish him.

He's already killed someone, do you think he'll be let off the hook after he stops?

He didn't bother to reply, slightly lowered the brim of his hat which was unsteady from the vigorous activity, and with a cold laugh, he rushed out like a raging torrent.

Ji Chen darted into the crowd of constables and yamen runners like lightning, his hands as sharp as blades. The constables, whose faces still showed signs of panic, fell to the ground one after another.

Their throat bones, along with their airways, were shattered by Ji Chen's single blow!

After finishing, Ji Chen glanced coldly at the crowd attracted by the commotion from under his hat brim.

"Ah... Hero, I didn't see anything, please don't kill me!"

"We know nothing..."

After being glanced at by the murderer, these timid and cautious people closed their eyes and shut the door.

I couldn't help but curse myself for being so curious.

What are you looking at? You're going to cause trouble.

Seeing that the street was cleared, Ji Chen walked up to Wu Gang, the constable who had fallen to the ground.

"Ha... You traitor, you're dead! Lord Aoguda in the city won't let you get away with this..."