Free Web NovelChapter 4: Chapter 4: Taboo
PSHFFT!
As Han Yuan yanked the long saber free, crimson blood blossomed from the masked man’s chest.
The masked man screamed and collapsed.
This sudden turn of events stunned the three masked men behind him.
Han Yuan’s eyes were savage and bloodshot, the veins bulging on his saber-wielding hand. Taking advantage of his opponents’ panic, the saber flashed out like a bolt of silk!
PSHFFT!
Another masked man’s face was split in half, flesh torn and skin broken. An eyeball even flew out.
But Han Yuan quickly realized he had been foolish.
’I shouldn’t have aimed for the head. I should have gone for the throat.’
His saber blade was stuck in the man’s skull.
"Damn it!!!"
Han Yuan roared and kicked the masked man’s body hard.
THUD.
The man was sent flying, and the saber blade was finally freed.
But just then.
"Kill him!!!"
The remaining two masked men reacted, shouting as they charged at Han Yuan with daggers in hand.
Han Yuan didn’t have a Vajra Indestructible Body; a dagger wound would surely kill him. He remained remarkably calm, dodging backward and leaping straight out the window.
Blind with bloodlust, the two masked men pursued Han Yuan, jumping out the window after him.
But Han Yuan spun around at that exact moment, throwing a cloud of powder from his hand.
Lime powder!
’One can never be too careful.’
Besides his Cultivation these past days, he had also researched plenty of dirty tricks.
In that instant, the two masked men leaped out of the window right into the lime powder. It stung their eyes, a searing pain that sent them into a panicked frenzy.
Han Yuan showed no mercy. The muscles in his arms tensed, and with a twist of his wrists, he delivered two swift slashes.
PSHFFFT~~~
The two masked men let out a strangled cry, a bloody gash now on each of their necks. They collapsed to the ground, desperately clutching their throats.
It was a brutal scene.
They wanted to live.
But the blood gushing from their necks was unstoppable. It flowed and flowed, staining the ground red.
Blood sprayed from their necks, splattering across Han Yuan’s face. He stood there, stunned, watching the two masked men bleed to death.
It wasn’t that he was cold-blooded... his mind had just gone completely blank.
This was the first time he had killed someone.
’They came to kill me...’
’If I hadn’t just achieved the entry level of the Thousand Falcon Saber, if I hadn’t happened to hear them, the body lying on the ground right now would be mine.’ freēwebnovel.com
’To survive in this world... you can’t afford to be merciful.’
Han Yuan muttered to himself, gazing at the two corpses.
He composed himself and dragged all four bodies to the front of the courtyard. After searching them, he actually found a few pieces of broken silver.
’Just when I was worrying about money, they delivered themselves to my door.’
Han Yuan pocketed the broken silver and then pulled off the men’s masks.
’So it was them...’
Han Yuan recognized them. They were thugs from a local minor gang, the Black Stone Gang.
Back when Han Jiudao was still alive, he had led a raid to arrest the Gang Leader and a group of thugs because the Black Stone Gang was forcing women into prostitution and committing all sorts of evil. They were all thrown into the great jail.
They were only released after pulling some strings.
’Could it be because my brother died... that the Black Stone Gang wants revenge on me?’
Han Yuan narrowed his eyes.
After all, with Han Jiudao dead, he looked like a soft target. Only the uniform he wore offered any deterrence.
But as long as they were careful and weren’t discovered, they probably wouldn’t get into any trouble.
’Fine... Guo Oldhei, you want to play?’
’Then I’ll play for keeps!’
Han Yuan’s gaze turned frigid.
Wiping the blood from his saber, he walked out of the house.
After nightfall, the streets of Qingshui County were filled with all sorts of monsters and demons, making them even more dangerous than during the day.
It felt as if malicious eyes watched from every shadow.
But any gaze that fell upon Han Yuan immediately shifted away, not lingering for even a moment.
Because Han Yuan’s current appearance was terrifying. He carried a saber in his hand, and his face was still smeared with blood.
In the dark of the night, he looked all the more ferocious.
No one dared to provoke such a person.
Soon, Han Yuan arrived in front of the County Yamen.
That’s right.
He had come to report the crime.
The constable on duty that night was alerted and came out.
"Han Yuan... What happened?"
The constable on duty, Dong Gaofei, came out and asked in shock and suspicion when he saw Han Yuan’s blood-covered face.
Seeing Dong Gaofei, Han Yuan breathed a silent sigh of relief.
’At least it isn’t Wang Cheng.’
"Constable Dong... Someone tried to kill me!"
Han Yuan said, his face pale and his tone panicked.
"Who tried to kill you?!" Dong Gaofei frowned.
"Men from the Black Stone Gang... They snuck into my house tonight to kill me."
"Luckily, I reacted in time... otherwise..."
Han Yuan said, his voice laced with lingering fear.
"The Black Stone Gang... What nerve!"
"Where are they now?!"
Dong Gaofei asked coldly.
If it were a fight between gangs, the County Yamen would usually not intervene.
But attacking a Government Official broke the rules.
"I killed them all," Han Yuan said in a low voice.
Dong Gaofei thought he had misheard.
In the eyes of everyone at the County Yamen, Han Yuan was just someone who got his job through connections.
He had no martial skills and a timid personality.
This kind of person... dared to kill?
But seeing the bloodstains on Han Yuan’s face, he had no choice but to believe it.
Dong Gaofei took a deep breath. "Take me to see."
Soon, Dong Gaofei rushed to Han Yuan’s house with his men.
When they saw the four bodies neatly arranged in the courtyard, they were all stunned.
"It’s really the Black Stone Gang’s men."
One of the Government Officials recognized the men.
"Han Yuan, I will report this to the Chief Constable tomorrow."
"I’ll take the bodies back to the County Yamen."
"You get some rest for now."
Han Yuan had already told him what happened on the way there.
There was nothing more to say now.
"Thank you for your trouble, Constable Dong." Han Yuan cupped his fist.
After Dong Gaofei had taken the bodies away, Han Yuan finally went to wash his face, scrubbing away the blood.
Then, he picked up his long saber again and began practicing the Thousand Falcon Saber.
Having killed, his mind was still in turmoil.
But as soon as he began to practice with his saber, his heart would calm down.
....
The incident with Han Yuan caused some small waves at the County Yamen.
After Chief Constable Gao Yuan learned of the matter, he sent men to the Black Stone Gang to make arrests that same day, but they came back empty-handed.
It seemed the Black Stone Gang had received news in advance; their headquarters was completely deserted.
But the matter wasn’t over. The County Yamen quickly issued a wanted poster for the Black Stone Gang’s Leader, Guo Oldhei, vowing to hunt him down to the end.
「The County Yamen Storeroom.」
"You handled this matter well."
"It’s better to make a big scene."
"Your brother’s righteous nature made him a lot of enemies in Qingshui County. Now that you’ve blown this up, no one will dare to touch you."
Wang Changbai said with a grin, sipping his wine.
This was the Cyan Bamboo Wine that Han Yuan had bought for him.
This wine wasn’t cheap. At five maces of silver a jar, it was something Wang Changbai could never usually afford to drink.
"I never expected it would even alarm Chief Constable Gao."
Han Yuan said, shaking his head.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, he was just a minor Government Official.
The County Yamen employed over a hundred Government Officials.
"It’s simple... The Black Stone Gang broke the County Yamen’s taboo."
"Besides, you made a huge fuss. With so many eyes watching, Gao Yuan had to make a show of doing something, or he’d have no way to answer for it."
"Otherwise, next time, someone might dare to attack a constable, or even a Chief Constable."
Wang Changbai said with a small smile.
