Chapter 15: Seeking Glory

The Third Leader had encountered too many unexpected turns today.

That coward Xing Zhaofu had actually risked his life, and those useless constables had even become desperate...

And now, even a mere peasant was prepared to die?

The Third Leader never expected that a random peasant he bumped into would dare to strike first!

He hurriedly closed his eyes and retreated, but he was still a step too slow.

A small amount of lime entered his eyes, causing an immediate, searing pain.

Under normal circumstances, he could have dispersed the lime with a casual wave of his hand.

A tiger is bullied by dogs when it falls into the plains!

To think that he, the dignified Third Leader of Black Dragon Fortress, would be ambushed by such a lowly trick!

In a flash, while the Third Leader's eyes were blinded, a sharp whistling sound pierced his ears.

"Not good!"

The Third Leader's heart sank. He knew instantly that the attacker was definitely not an ordinary peasant, but a true martial practitioner!

He hurriedly swung his saber forward to block.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Within a few breaths, the two blades collided no less than a dozen times.

These dozen or so collisions caused the Third Leader's heart to sink to the bottom.

The opponent's saber lacked great strength—they hadn't even crossed the threshold of Body Tempering—but the saber technique was quite proficient, at least reaching a minor level of mastery.

Normally, he wouldn't have spared a glance for such strength.

But now, he was heavily wounded, his vision was gone, and every movement brought a tearing pain to his body.

Most importantly, that mad dog Xing Zhaofu was still chasing him. If he couldn't quickly take this person down, once Xing Zhaofu and his men heard the commotion, he would truly be beyond escape today.

"Brother, stop."

With this thought, while struggling to defend, the Third Leader called out in a low, raspy voice.

"What are you trying to do?"

Su Mu slowed his movements slightly.

Sensing the change in Su Mu and hearing him respond, the Third Leader felt a momentary sense of relief.

"Brother, I am the Third Leader of Black Dragon Fortress. If you seek wealth, I can give you a hundred taels of gold. How about we call it quits?" the Third Leader said.

Xing Zhaofu used silver to drive those constables to besiege him; could he not use silver to entice this man?

Judging by his attire, the man appeared to be destitute.

A hundred taels of gold would definitely tempt him!

Sure enough, the Third Leader felt the opponent's moves slow down significantly, as if he were hesitating.

"Two hundred taels of gold!" the Third Leader added urgently.

"Fine."

A voice finally came from the opposite side.

The Third Leader's heart instantly relaxed, and his legs felt weak from excessive blood loss.

At that exact moment, the opponent's movements, which had seemingly stopped, exploded once more.

A streak of saber light, sharp and ferocious, even surpassed the previous strikes.

*Puff!*

The Third Leader was already at the end of his rope. Having just let his guard down, he was caught completely off guard and had no time to parry.

Just as he raised his saber, he felt a sharp pain in his neck.

"You..."

The Third Leader clutched his neck. Blood flowed through his fingers, and along with it flowed the strength and vitality within his body.

His face was filled with resentment as he fell backward. After a few twitches, he gradually went still, and blood quickly stained the ground beneath him.

"Whew—"

Su Mu panted slightly.

"The Third Leader of Black Dragon Fortress... of all the paths, why did you have to take this one?"

A wave of lingering fear washed over Su Mu.

Earlier on the rooftop, he had seen from a distance just how fierce this Third Leader was.

So many constables from the South City Bureau had failed to capture him.

Even though he was covered in wounds—some so deep that bone and organs were visible—Su Mu had still nearly been no match for him.

If the Third Leader hadn't been blinded by the lime right at the start, it was anyone's guess who would have emerged victorious.

Su Mu realized once again how dangerous this world was. If he hadn't been carrying the lime used to mask scents while hunting, with only his minor saber skills, he would likely have become another soul under this man's blade.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Su Mu's mind.

His strength was still far from enough. The world was so vicious; one slight mistake meant death.

Just as Su Mu was hesitating over whether to loot the corpse...

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps rang out, followed by a loud shout.

"Don't move! Drop the saber!"

Following the sound, Su Mu saw over a dozen figures rushing into the alleyway.

The man in the lead was covered in wounds and limped as he walked, his face full of ferocity.

Judging by his clothes, he was a constable of the South City Bureau, but looking at his face, one might have mistaken him for another leader of Black Dragon Fortress.

Su Mu grumbled inwardly but obediently set down his saber and raised his hands.

Seeing his actions, the constables clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

What a joke—if someone capable of killing the Third Leader of Black Dragon Fortress actually resisted, they had no idea how many more of them would die.

"Did you kill him?"

Xing Zhaofu had already reached the Third Leader's corpse. After confirming the identity, he let out a long sigh of relief.

The Third Leader was dead; his own life was finally safe.

Though he would inevitably face punishment afterward, it wouldn't be a death sentence.

Only then did he turn to look at Su Mu. Seeing Su Mu's attire, a flash of bewilderment crossed his face.

The Third Leader of Black Dragon Fortress had died at the hands of a mere peasant?

"He wanted to kill me. I had no choice but to fight back," Su Mu said submissively.

As Xing Zhaofu looked at Su Mu, his right hand suddenly shot out like lightning.

Su Mu instinctively tried to dodge, but Xing Zhaofu was too fast. Just as his shoulder moved, Xing Zhaofu's right hand had already clamped onto it.

In an instant, Su Mu felt as if Xing Zhaofu's hand were an iron vise; his bones felt as though they were about to be crushed, and terror gripped his heart.

He finally realized just how much of a lucky break he had just taken.

Even someone as powerful as Xing Zhaofu couldn't defeat the Third Leader; if the Third Leader hadn't been so heavily wounded, Xing Zhaofu would never have stood a chance.

"Without Body Tempering, how could you have killed him?" Xing Zhaofu's brow furrowed.

"I used lime to blind his eyes..." Su Mu said honestly.

The fact that the Third Leader died here could not be hidden, and there were traces he hadn't had time to clean up.

Of course, he still concealed the details of his Wave-Suppressing Saber technique.

"I am a hunter. I often have to kill wild beasts," Su Mu said. "The situation was critical; he tried to kill me, and in a moment of heated blood, I treated him like a beast. I didn't expect to actually kill him."

"Officer, I was acting in self-defense. I haven't broken the law, have I?" Su Mu expressed a well-timed hint of panic.

"So, you're a hunter."

Xing Zhaofu did not suspect him. After all, he was a constable of the South City Bureau; if the man dared to lie, he could easily find out.

It was simply bad luck for the Third Leader to encounter a hunter while heavily wounded.

Though this hunter hadn't practiced martial arts, he frequently went into the mountains to hunt, so his skills were naturally better than an ordinary person's.

"Do you live here?" Xing Zhaofu studied Su Mu, his eyes flickering as he spoke.

Su Mu suddenly felt a chill down his spine, as if he were being watched by a venomous snake.

"I live right here."

By the moonlight, Su Mu saw a flash of killing intent in Xing Zhaofu's eyes. He quickly lowered his head and said, "I was tired from hunting today and went to sleep early. I didn't hear anything."

As he spoke, Su Mu acted as if he hadn't seen Xing Zhaofu and his men, stepping forward to walk away.

"You brat—!" one constable barked angrily.

Xing Zhaofu raised a hand, stopping the constable.

Watching Su Mu walk into a dilapidated courtyard and close the door, Xing Zhaofu's eyes flickered, and the hand gripping his saber hilt finally relaxed.

Too many people had died tonight. A mere hunter wouldn't dare claim credit for this, so he would let the man keep his wretched life.

"How are we going to report this? Do you all know?" Xing Zhaofu swept his gaze over the constables, his voice cold.

"The Officer fought the Third Leader of Black Dragon Fortress for three hundred rounds, sustained heavy injuries without retreating, and ultimately succeeded in slaying him!" one constable shouted loudly.

"The Third Leader of Black Dragon Fortress deserved his death. I merely did what I ought to do," Xing Zhaofu nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

The other constables looked on with annoyance. *Damn it, how did he get to claim the credit first?*

...

(End of Chapter)