Free Web NovelChapter 43: Chapter 43: South City Shaken
"Stop!"
An explosive, rage-filled shout rang out, immediately followed by the sound of disorderly footsteps.
A middle-aged man in rich brocade robes strode out from the inner courtyard, followed by several guards in tight-fitting attire.
Those guards had rough skin and bulging muscles; they were Skin Tempering Martial Artists at the very least.
They moved swiftly, surrounding Su Mu the moment they appeared.
Su Mu’s expression was calm as he held his long saber to Steward Xu’s neck.
Steward Xu was kneeling on the ground, his face ashen. He trembled uncontrollably, and a yellow puddle spread out from under him, emitting a foul stench.
Seven or eight bodies lay on the ground around them, all with their throats slit, killed by a single strike.
Submerging Wave Saber Technique at Perfection, Great Success of Body Tempering First Realm.
Su Mu could have easily handled thirty or forty strong men, let alone a mere seven or eight household servants.
"The South City Bureau is conducting an investigation. Are you sure you want to interfere?"
Su Mu slowly glanced around, his gaze finally landing on the middle-aged man in the rich brocade robes.
Xu Mingchen’s face was so dark it looked like water could drip from it. He stared daggers at Su Mu, his eyes promising murder.
To barge into the Xu Mansion at night and kill people so brazenly—he had never suffered such a humiliation.
This was a blatant disregard for the Xu Family, for him, Xu Mingchen!
"Seize him!"
Xu Mingchen roared, "I’d like to ask Hu Yuxing if the South City Bureau’s business gives them the right to slaughter innocent people at will!"
He was clever, not forgetting to pin a label on Su Mu even in his fury.
Before Xu Mingchen had even finished speaking, one of the guards, eager to prove his worth, had already lunged forward.
The guard had just moved.
SWISH!
A flash of saber light flared.
To the onlookers, it was as if a surging wave had appeared before their eyes.
The guard was startled, not expecting Su Mu to dare strike first while completely surrounded.
However, he was at the minor success stage of Skin Tempering, and his saber skills had also reached the Great Success Realm. His strength was considered among the best of the Xu Family’s guards.
’A squad leader who hasn’t even undergone Skin Tempering, with saber skills merely on par with my own—how could he possibly be my match?’
A sneer appeared on his face as he drew his own saber and swung, intending to teach this arrogant squad leader a lesson he would never forget.
But in the next moment, the expressions on everyone’s faces froze. The attacking guard’s movements came to an abrupt halt, as if someone had hit a pause button.
SQUELCH!
A sound like thick leather being torn apart echoed.
Su Mu stood in the same spot with a placid expression, his long saber once again resting on Steward Xu’s neck.
Two paces in front of him, the guard remained frozen in his attacking posture, like a statue.
The sneer on his face was gone, replaced by sheer terror and disbelief.
CLANG!
The steel saber fell from the guard’s hand.
At the same time, a line of blood appeared on his neck.
His body swayed and then collapsed with a THUD, blood quickly spreading across the stone tiles.
As Su Mu’s gaze fell upon him, Xu Mingchen subconsciously took a step back. A chill shot up his spine, and he drew a sharp, cold breath. A flicker of dread, and even fear, appeared in the depths of his eyes.
In his mind, he was already cursing Steward Xu to high heaven.
’You call that Great Success in saber technique?!’
’Even if I, Xu Mingchen, were blind, even if I gouged my own eyes out, I could still recognize that this is fucking Saber Intent!’
’Even someone who has mastered Saber Intent shouldn’t be able to kill a guard—one I paid a fortune for, who had achieved Skin Tempering and reached Great Success with his saber technique—in a single strike!’
’This Su Mu... he’s definitely undergone Skin Tempering!’
"Assaulting an Official is a crime punishable by death."
Su Mu repeated in a flat tone, "Landlord Xu, are you certain you wish to obstruct me in my duties?"
Xu Mingchen remained silent, and the other guards dared not make a sound.
The man who had just died was one of their best, yet he couldn’t even block a single strike. What could they possibly do?
They only earned so much silver each month. It wasn’t worth dying for.
Seeing his guards turn meek as quails, Xu Mingchen cursed inwardly.
But he also knew that Su Mu’s strength was beyond his imagination. In a one-on-one fight, none of the guards in his mansion would be a match for him.
Even if he ordered the guards to swarm him, they might not be able to stop Su Mu.
And if Su Mu were to escape, the situation would escalate dramatically.
Even the Xu Family couldn’t openly assassinate a squad leader in South City.
If only to save face, Hu Yuxing would never allow such a thing to happen.
Some things could only be done in secret, not exposed in broad daylight.
"This man is suspected of arson and assault. I’m taking him back to the South City Bureau for questioning. Do you have any objections?"
With that, Su Mu hauled Steward Xu up by the collar and started walking out, not even waiting for Xu Mingchen’s reply.
The guards subconsciously parted to form a path.
Xu Mingchen gritted his teeth, his expression dark and uncertain as he watched Su Mu’s retreating back.
A vagrant by birth, with no background or resources, yet he had comprehended Saber Intent at the age of seventeen or eighteen. With such perception, he would be called a genius even in the Inner City. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
If the great families of the Inner City were to learn of his existence, they would undoubtedly extend an olive branch to him at the first opportunity.
A person like that... unless you could crush him completely in one go, it was best not to make an enemy of him.
But the Xu Family had clearly already offended him. Therefore, they had to eliminate him completely before the great families of the Inner City discovered his existence.
Xu Mingchen quickly made his decision, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes.
’So what if he’s a genius? A genius who hasn’t had time to grow is no different from trash!’
"Go, bring me Wei Yongfu!"
Xu Mingchen growled, seeing that Su Mu was already far away.
...
In the six districts of South City, news spread as if it had grown wings.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, nearly every power in South City had heard about the night’s events.
The newly appointed squad leader of the South City Bureau had barged into the Xu Mansion alone at night, killed several people in front of Xu Mingchen, and then dragged the Xu Mansion’s steward back to the South City Bureau.
The Xu Family’s power in South City was immense; they had never suffered such a major loss, not even when facing the South City Bureau’s constable, Xing Zhao Fu.
The current acting constable, Zhao Ji, gave the Xu Family a wide berth.
Yet now they had been bested by a mere squad leader. freēwēbnovel.com
And it wasn’t as if the squad leader had used any dirty tricks.
"Su Mu: vagrant origin, seventeen years old. Suspected to have grasped Saber Intent. Body Tempering Realm unknown. Skin Tempering Martial Artists at the minor success stage are no match for him in a single move."
This report quickly landed on the desks of the leaders of every major power in South City.
Sima Hu Yuxing and Acting Constable Zhao Ji of the South City Bureau were staring at the report that had just arrived, their faces etched with shock.
"Sima—"
Zhao Ji said, a note of panic in his voice.
The Xu Mansion’s guards are all hand-picked and hired at great expense. They’re all experts capable of fighting ten men, yet Su Mu was able to cut one down with a single strike.
The thought of having offended someone who had achieved Skin Tempering and comprehended Saber Intent made Zhao Ji panic.
He himself was only in the Second Stage of Body Tempering, and his saber technique had merely reached the Great Success Realm.
Back then, even Xing Zhao Fu, hailed as South City’s number one expert, had reached the third stage of Body Tempering but had never grasped Saber Intent.
One’s Body Tempering Realm could be built up with resources, but Saber Intent required perception.
Even among the scions of the great families in the Inner City, not everyone could comprehend Saber Intent.
This was not the kind of person he could afford to offend.
This was where the difference between Zhao Ji and Xu Mingchen became clear.
Zhao Ji was not cut out for great things.
Sima Hu Yuxing scoffed inwardly.
"What’s there to panic about? So what if he has some skill? He’s still my subordinate. You think he’d dare to charge into the South City Bureau and assassinate me, the Sima?"
Hu Yuxing chided, "I, the Sima, have done nothing to wrong him. In fact, I promoted him to squad leader. This just goes to show my eye for talent."
Zhao Ji: "..."
