Chapter 33: Shot Dead

Taking a direct hit from the Mongrel Fish's whip kick, Chen Pingan felt as if his chest had been struck by a heavy sledgehammer.

For an instant, the pain was excruciating. But that was all.

Having mastered the Iron Cloth technique, his ability to withstand blows was extremely high. This whip kick could injure a second-stage Blood Qi practitioner who lacked specialized hardening techniques, but for him, he could hold his ground!

The moment the whip kick connected, Chen Pingan seized the leg firmly with both hands. His arms exerted sudden force, pulling the Mongrel Fish toward him.

In an instant, the Mongrel Fish lost his balance and tumbled toward Chen Pingan.

"How is this possible!?"

The Mongrel Fish's face was filled with horror.

Though it was night, the opponent's build was average—even a head shorter than his own—and he had observed these details with ease.

Therefore, based on his combat experience, the Mongrel Fish had immediately ruled out the possibility that the opponent practiced hardening techniques. He had assumed the boy likely followed an agility-based path, which was why he had opted for this simple and brutal whip kick.

But now...

This delicate-looking youth actually practiced an outer-sect hardening technique!?

The current situation left no time for contemplation. The massive force coming from his right leg caused him to lose his center of gravity instantly. His upper body lunged downward; using the firmly gripped right leg as a fulcrum, he exerted force from his waist to whip his left leg upward.

Target: The opponent's head.

*Whoosh!*

A gust of wind surged!

Chen Pingan, possessing extensive combat experience with his mastered Iron Cloth, reacted with perfect precision at that exact moment.

His hands suddenly loosened, releasing the opponent's right leg, and then his right foot exerted a violent burst of power, propelling his body into the air alongside the kick.

His left leg bent, his knee driving upward with ferocious power toward the Mongrel Fish's left leg.

The point of impact was the Mongrel Fish's most vulnerable spot: the side of the knee.

"Not good!"

The Mongrel Fish's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected that this seemingly ordinary youth would have such lightning-fast reflexes. He desperately tried to shift his posture, but since he was nearly airborne and lacked a point of leverage, he was powerless.

"It's too late!"

*Crack!*

The sound of breaking bone rang out.

Chen Pingan had smashed through the Mongrel Fish's left knee. Because their forces were moving in different directions and the points of collision differed, this was the inevitable result.

The bone fracture caused the Mongrel Fish's face to flush a deep crimson, his eyes bloodshot from the pain. However, his incredibly tenacious will forced him to endure.

His right foot hit the ground, and he attempted to stabilize himself to deliver a heavy punch to the opponent.

However, clearly, Chen Pingan would not give him the chance.

Using the recoil from the collision, Chen Pingan landed a step ahead and immediately stomped down upon the Mongrel Fish's right foot.

The target of the stomp was exactly where the Mongrel Fish was about to land.

*Thud!*

The Mongrel Fish felt as if the top of his foot was about to be crushed.

Ignoring the pain in his body, he acted as if he had lost his mind, raining a barrage of heavy punches toward Chen Pingan.

Chen Pingan held his arms up in front of him to protect his head, meeting the opponent's fists head-on.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The sensation of fist meeting flesh was visceral.

The Mongrel Fish's strength was considerable, but Chen Pingan was able to parry it.

The opponent's flurry of attacks did not cause him much trouble. Furthermore, because his legs were nearly crippled and he lacked footwork to compensate, the Mongrel Fish had lost almost all his agility.

Seizing the opportunity, and at the cost of taking a punch to the chest, Chen Pingan raised his fist high and swung it toward the Mongrel Fish's face.

*Bang! Bang!*

Two sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

Chen Pingan felt a dull, stifling pain in his chest and couldn't help but falter slightly.

Meanwhile, the Mongrel Fish's face took a heavy blow, and blood instantly sprayed from his nose. The powerful impact made his vision swim with golden sparks, leaving him staggering.

Enduring the discomfort in his chest, Chen Pingan delivered a sweeping kick, knocking the already unstable Mongrel Fish directly to the ground.

Then, pushing off with his left foot, he launched himself into the air, using his knee as a weapon to drive straight down into the Mongrel Fish's throat.

"Die!"

"No!"

The Mongrel Fish roared in terror.

If he hadn't been a wanted man, unable to buy food even with money, why would he be stealing in the middle of the night?

He never imagined that the household he had inadvertently chosen would signal the end of his life tonight.

He had survived great storms and waves, only to capsize in a gutter!

*Crack!*

The knee descended, accompanied by the sound of a crushed Adam's apple.

The Great Captain of the Green Fish Gang, the Mongrel Fish, was dead!

But Chen Pingan did not stop. His knee continued to grind into the Mongrel Fish's throat until it was completely unrecognizable, only then did he cease.

Chen Pingan's body went limp as he collapsed to the side, gasping for air.

"Huff! Huff! Huff!..."

Sweat soaked his hair, and his arms and thighs trembled slightly.

This was his first true combat experience, and he hadn't dared to hold anything back. In that moment, he had only one thought in his head: kill him! He couldn't give him a single chance to breathe!

Because he had no idea that if he had been even slightly negligent or held back, the one dying might have been himself!

Now, with the Mongrel Fish dead, everything had settled. As his senses returned, Chen Pingan felt as if it had all been a dream.

The scenes of the fight flashed through his mind like a kaleidoscope; it all felt so surreal!

The Mongrel Fish was dead?

Died by his hand?

Chen Pingan stared at his own hands, his mind feeling completely hollow.

This was his first fight, and his first kill. The feeling was indescribable.

It took a long while before his mind gradually cleared.

Looking at the Mongrel Fish's corpse, he felt no fear, no regret, and no sudden panic.

After accepting the fact that he had killed the Mongrel Fish, his heart actually grew calm.

"Is it because of the 'Golden Finger'? Or is it because of this world?"

Chen Pingan couldn't figure out why. Nor did he want to.

As a bailiff, he had seen too much of the world's truth. Now, he only wanted to live well. To take his sister and live well, to live with dignity.

To not be bullied by anyone, not be threatened by anyone, and to live freely and without worry.

And to achieve all this, Chen Pingan knew he needed sufficient strength and a status that made others fear him.

Right...

Status!

Chen Pingan's mind was now completely clear.

"The Mongrel Fish, Great Captain of the Green Fish Gang: successful Skin Refining, entered the Flesh Refining stage, with a second-stage Blood Qi martial cultivation. Should anyone provide effective clues, a reward of five taels of silver and one minor merit shall be granted. Should anyone kill or capture him on the spot, one medium merit and a reward of ten taels of silver shall be granted."

Kill on the spot, receive a medium merit!

In the darkness, Chen Pingan's eyes gleamed.

A medium merit! For him, that meant the status of a formal bailiff.

"Yes, I need to report this quickly!"

Chen Pingan instantly understood what he needed to do most.

"But..."

Various thoughts flashed through his mind.

"I can't let anyone know I killed the Mongrel Fish. I can't expose my martial cultivation for now! If I expose it now, the cultivation technique can be explained, but if they probe into the process of practicing this external technique, I won't be able to explain it."

"Now... what should I do?"