Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

"Never mind, none of this matters," Shen Jue said abruptly, a funny expression on his face.

"I'm a fugitive now."

"Since he's a fugitive, it's perfectly reasonable for officials to come and arrest him, isn't it?"

"Haha! Let me see!"

What surprises await me next?

No sooner had Shen Jue finished speaking than a dark and indifferent voice came from outside the martial arts school's courtyard gate.

"We received some pleasant surprises today."

"The prisoners who were kidnapped a few days ago were unexpectedly in the hands of the Dragon Guard Manor."

"Our family must report this to the Divine Marquis."

Harboring a fugitive is a serious crime.

Then, a pale-faced, beardless eunuch, dressed in a crimson robe embroidered with gold python patterns, pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in.

The eunuch had long, narrow eyebrows and a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Shangguan Haitang had a bad feeling, but she still smiled nonchalantly and said loudly, "Who do we have here?"

"It turns out to be Cao Shaoqin, the second-in-command of the Eastern Depot."

"You're neither male nor female, you've cultivated a virginity-breaking technique that you can never break in your entire life, you're a hermaphrodite."

"Want to try out the Dragon Guard Manor's methods too?"

Cao Shaoqin, the supervisor of the Eastern Depot, was a man with a pale face and blue lips, and his fingers were as thin and bony as eagle claws.

Shen Jue glanced at him a few more times.

Shangguan Haitang used her internal energy to transmit her voice secretly, directly into Shen Jue's ear: "It is said that this fellow has already perfected his virginity training, and his body is so strong that he is invulnerable to swords and spears."

"He is a rare expert in the martial arts world and the imperial court, whose external and internal martial arts have both reached the Innate Realm."

"This eunuch's fighting prowess is so great that he could escape from a grandmaster!"

"Oh?" Shen Jue looked Cao Shaoqin, who had just entered the room, over and over again, and said indifferently, "So-so."

"His physique is too weak."

Before Shangguan Haitang could react, Cao Shaoqin was amused by Shen Jue's words.

The head eunuch raised his pinky finger and exclaimed in a shrill voice, "Ouch!"

"This is the first time our family has heard of this."

"How strong has the physique of Young Master Shen, who lost his family and home, now become?"

"Can you save your beheaded father?"

Shen Jue smiled upon hearing this. He wasn't particularly angry; he simply replied to Cao Shaoqin, "In this world, there shouldn't be anyone with a stronger physique than me."

"If the so-called dual innate external and internal skills are only at this level..."

Cao Shaoqin's face turned angry, and he was about to start arguing.

A long howl interrupted him.

The roar was deep and powerful, like thunder, causing the plaster on the courtyard walls to peel off in a flurry and the roof tiles to hum and rattle.

"It's so lively!"

A figure emerged from behind the stone lion at the street corner, his gait steady as a tiger pacing through the mountains.

The newcomer was about forty years old, with a robust build, broad shoulders and a thick back. He wore a black close-fitting outfit underneath a flying fish robe embroidered with gold thread on the outside.

He wore a rhinoceros horn belt around his waist and a brocade spring knife hanging from it.

The scabbard was dark and dull, and the sharkskin handle was worn smooth and shiny, bearing the marks of countless draws.

His face was square and cold, with high, sharp brow bones and dark, ink-black eyes. He looked at people expressionlessly, as if he were examining a corpse.

The newcomer was none other than Qinglong, the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Shangguan Haitang subconsciously pressed the trigger of the hidden weapon in her sleeve, ready to escape with Shen Jue at any moment.

Cao Shaoqin's eyes twitched, and he shrieked, "Why is Lord Qinglong here in this small corner of the town, instead of interrogating your condemned prisoners at the Northern Garrison Command late at night?"

Qinglong didn't look at him, but slowly shifted his gaze from Shen Jue to Shangguan Haitang, raising his eyebrows almost imperceptibly.

"People from the Eastern Depot are also here."

His voice was deep, each word like a dull knife scraping bone: "It seems I haven't arrived too late."

"Today, I only want to capture people, not compete for credit with anyone." Qinglong turned to look at Cao Shaoqin, his tone indifferent as if discussing official business, "Second-in-command, don't interfere."

Cao Shaoqin's smile remained unchanged, but his hands clenched slightly inside his sleeves.

Shangguan Haitang cursed inwardly: This has reached the worst possible situation.

The layout of the courtyard suddenly changed: Cao Shaoqin of the Eastern Depot stood blocking the doorway with a gloomy expression, while Qinglong of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was poised to strike.

The two had their eyes narrowed down to Shangguan Haitang and Shen Jue.

Shen Jue still had a smile on her face; the plot was getting more and more exciting.

"Let me see, there's another eunuch here."

Shen Jue had just finished speaking.

Another person walked in, hands behind their back.

This man was tall and slender, with a face as beautiful as jade, and so handsome that he was almost otherworldly.

He wore a perfectly tailored moon-white brocade robe, with a jade belt around his waist and a mutton-fat white jade pendant hanging from it.

His hair was tied with a silver crown, and two long strands of hair fell down to his chest. His whole demeanor was elegant and noble, unlike those of a member of the secret police, but rather like the young master of a royal family.

What's most striking are those amber eyes, their pupils gleaming with a cold, eerie light under the moonlight, making everyone look at them as if they were examining an object waiting to be sold.

The visitor was none other than Yu Huatian, the Chief Executioner of the Western Depot.

He entered without saying a word, only scanning everyone in the courtyard with his amber eyes.

He nodded slightly when he saw Cao Shaoqin, paused briefly when he saw Shangguan Haitang, and finally his gaze fell on Shen Jue, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.

"I was just passing by."

Yu Huatian's voice was calm and gentle, each word clear as pearls falling on a jade plate: "I heard that you have all gathered here for a petty fugitive."

"I would like to know what kind of fugitive is worth the Eastern Depot, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Dragon Guard Manor going to such lengths."

He walked slowly to the stone bench in the courtyard, lifted the corner of his robe, and sat down by himself.

"You can continue."

Yu Huatian rested his chin on his hand, a smile in his eyes:

"I will only observe the battle today and will not interfere."

Cao Shaoqin's face turned ashen.

The Western Depot and the Eastern Depot have always been at odds. Today, Yu Huatian is clearly sitting on the sidelines watching the two fight, and he will be the winner regardless of who wins or loses.

The atmosphere in the courtyard became extremely eerie for a moment.

Two powerful eunuchs, each harboring their own secrets, along with the cold-blooded Imperial Guard Qinglong, created a chilling atmosphere of killing intent that made the small martial arts school feel suffocated.

Shen Jue looked around, glancing at this and that, then suddenly clapped his hands and burst into laughter:

"interesting."

He turned to look at Shangguan Haitang, his smile as bright as a young man's:

"Two eunuchs."

"A member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"A fugitive, a secret agent."

"The whole mahjong table is full, haha!"

"Funny, fun!"

"Come, come, let me see what the martial arts of this world are really like!"

"You arrogant brat!" Cao Shaoqin, his face contorted with rage, leaped through the air like a bird released from a bow, hurtling towards Shen Jue!

Cao Shaoqin formed his five fingers into claws, the sound of his fingertips tearing through the air was as sharp as a ghost's wail, and with one move of Eagle Claw, he aimed straight for Shen Jue's throat!

This claw strike was as fast as lightning, and the strong wind swept the fallen leaves in the courtyard backwards!

Shen Jue neither dodged nor avoided.

"Clang!!!"

A loud clang of metal rang out.

Cao Shaoqin's five fingers gripped Shen Jue's throat firmly, yet it felt like an ordinary person striking fine steel, causing his finger bones to go numb from the impact!

His expression changed drastically. He used the momentum to flip over and landed, his right hand fingers trembling slightly!

Shen Jue stood still, without even a red mark left on her neck.

"What kind of physique?" Qinglong's pupils shrank.

Yu Huatian sat upright on the stone bench, his amber eyes revealing a hint of seriousness for the first time.

"No, no!" Cao Shaoqin stared at his trembling right hand and cried out sharply, "How can it be so hard?!"

"What kind of divine skill is this?!"

Shen Jue lowered his head and tore off his tattered clothes, saying indifferently, "Just Iron Shirt."

Everyone present was stunned.