Chapter 153: Chapter 153: Enemies on a Narrow Road
The surge of heroism lasted but a moment before vanishing completely.
Chen Ping’an quickly walked over to Mai Xiongbo’s body and began to search it.
Mai Xiongbo didn’t have much on him—just some broken silver, silver notes, and a few black cloth bags. Chen Ping’an glanced inside the bags and saw they were filled with various bottles and jars, likely containing those so-called mixed toxins.
’For a Protector of a Ten Thousand Demon Church branch, Mai Xiongbo sure is poor!’
All his skill was concentrated in his bare hands; he didn’t even carry a personal weapon.
The silver notes on him amounted to less than a thousand silver taels. To an ordinary person, this was a fortune, but for a master of his level, it was downright pathetic.
Chen Ping’an felt a little dissatisfied.
’After all, I took a huge risk. How could this be all I get?’
Chen Ping’an leaned down and examined Mai Xiongbo’s body closely. Because the body was split in two and drenched in blood, Chen Ping’an was extremely careful with his search.
’Hm?’
This time, Chen Ping’an did indeed find something unusual.
In fact, he wouldn’t have noticed it if Mai Xiongbo’s body hadn’t been split. The skin on the back of Mai Xiongbo’s neck looked unnatural around the torn flesh.
RIP!
Chen Ping’an tore at it forcefully.
He ripped off a whole patch of Mai Xiongbo’s skin.
Chen Ping’an’s expression sharpened. He saw something extremely familiar.
"This is..."
Without a moment’s hesitation, Chen Ping’an wiped it clean and quickly put it away.
After one last careful check to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, Chen Ping’an took out a flint and steel from his robes. He struck them together, and the flying sparks landed on Mai Xiongbo’s body.
Fueled by his Inner Qi, the fire began to grow.
Once he confirmed the fire was large enough, Chen Ping’an walked toward a spot not far away. Mu Wanjun was still lying there.
Mu Wanjun lay on the ground, her shapely, straight legs still, her eyes shut tight, and her face contorted in pain.
Chen Ping’an knelt, placed a hand on Mu Wanjun’s wrist, and sent a surge of Inner Qi to check her condition.
Mu Wanjun’s condition was not ideal.
On one hand, there was the wound on her shoulder. On the other, the backlash from the forbidden technique had thrown her Inner Qi into chaos, causing it to rampage through her body.
In her desperate and hasty escape earlier, she hadn’t had time to properly treat her shoulder, only using her Inner Qi to stanch the bleeding. Now, it was threatening to hemorrhage again.
RIP!
Chen Ping’an tore away the cloth on Mu Wanjun’s shoulder, revealing a large patch of bloody flesh.
The wound on Mu Wanjun’s body was huge. He hadn’t torn enough.
RIP!
Chen Ping’an ripped again, tearing away nearly half of her upper garment.
The beauty of her chest was partially revealed, a startling contrast of pale skin and crimson.
Desperate times called for desperate measures. Chen Ping’an didn’t spare it a second glance and immediately began treating Mu Wanjun’s wound.
Mu Wanjun’s injury wasn’t complicated; it was mainly extensive tearing of the flesh.
If an ordinary person had suffered such an injury, they would likely never be able to lift that arm again. But Mu Wanjun was an Inner Qi Master, after all. With her powerful physique and vibrant life force, she should be able to make a full recovery by nurturing the wound with Inner Qi and using restorative Secret Medicines.
"Done!"
After simply dressing Mu Wanjun’s wound, Chen Ping’an took off his own outer robe and wrapped her securely in it.
He stood up and looked over to the side. The disposal of Mai Xiongbo was now more or less complete.
Chen Ping’an walked over and performed some finer adjustments.
Just burning Mai Xiongbo’s corpse like this would still leave many suspicious points for investigators. But no matter how suspicious, it was better than leaving an obvious flaw in his cover-up.
Others might have their suspicions, but they would have no concrete evidence.
Besides, given the Martial Arts Realm he had displayed, no one would ever connect him to this.
Even the most meticulous person wouldn’t pay him much attention before ruling out other options.
’And even in the worst-case scenario, what if they do suspect me?’
’It’s not a big deal!’
’He was just a scoundrel from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, not a Lord Official from the Garrison Commandant’s Office!’
’So what if I killed him?!’
’By the time the truth ever comes to light, who knows what Realm I’ll have reached by then!’
Chen Ping’an scooped Mu Wanjun up in his arms and rushed into the alleys. It was best to get her injuries treated as soon as possible. At the very least, he had to straighten out the chaotic Inner Qi in her body.
Just as Chen Ping’an rounded a corner with Mu Wanjun in his arms, he saw a man in Fish Scale Armor, holding a saber, hurrying toward them.
’Hm?’
Seeing the man, Chen Ping’an was slightly taken aback.
’Fu Yuanming!’
It wasn’t just Chen Ping’an who was stunned; Fu Yuanming was as well.
The chaos stirred up by the Ten Thousand Demons Sect scoundrels had thrown the South District into turmoil. As the Vice Chief of the Patrol for the South Town Garrison Command, he naturally had to step up. He had first led men to deal with a fire, then clashed briefly with some Demon Sect scoundrels. In his pursuit, he had ended up here.
He never expected that instead of finding the Ten Thousand Demons Sect scoundrels, he would run into Chen Ping’an!
’Hmm... Is that...’
’The Chief of the Patrol Office, Mu Wanjun?’
Only then did Fu Yuanming get a clear look at the woman in Chen Ping’an’s arms.
’She’s injured? And so badly!’
Fu Yuanming’s heart leaped.
’In terms of Martial Arts Realm, Mu Wanjun is a notch above me. If even she was this seriously injured, doesn’t that mean there’s a master from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect nearby?’
Fu Yuanming cautiously scanned his surroundings but found no trace of any Demon Sect scoundrels. As he sized up the pair, an inappropriate thought began to form in his mind.
"Chen Ping’an, what are you doing here?"
Fu Yuanming questioned him.
"Lord Mu fought bravely against the Ten Thousand Demons Sect scoundrels and has collapsed from exhaustion. She needs immediate medical attention!"
Chen Ping’an kept walking, still holding Mu Wanjun.
As the distance between them closed, Fu Yuanming could see Mu Wanjun’s tightly shut eyes and bloodless face more clearly.
That little thought was growing!
"Hurry, get going!"
Fu Yuanming held his saber, a worried expression on his face.
"I’m still chasing some Ten Thousand Demons Sect scoundrels, so I can’t accompany you!"
"Understood."
Chen Ping’an replied.
Fu Yuanming and Chen Ping’an quickly passed each other. In that instant, a vicious look flashed across Fu Yuanming’s face.
"Die!"
Fu Yuanming spun around, executing a Turn Horse and Return Saber.
The blade glinted with a bone-chilling light as it sliced toward Chen Ping’an’s back with murderous intent.
The strike was clean, sharp, and incredibly fast.
With the element of surprise, even a fellow Inner Qi Realm expert would likely suffer a major blow, let alone Chen Ping’an, who had yet to even step into the Qi Realm.
The moment he struck, Fu Yuanming already considered Chen Ping’an a dead man.
His struggle with Mu Wanjun hadn’t been going on for just a day or two. Their enmity had long reached its peak. Every time he lost out to her, he wished he could just kill her, but within the Garrison Commandant’s Office system, some things had to be handled above board.
Even in a one-on-one fight, he was no match for Mu Wanjun. But who could have guessed...
...that today, he would stumble upon such a golden opportunity.
In addition to Mu Wanjun, he would also get to dispose of Chen Ping’an for free.
This Chen Ping’an had ruined his plans time and time again. ’Running into me now is just his fate!’
The best part was, if he acted now and killed them both, he could clean up the scene and blame it all on the Ten Thousand Demons Sect scoundrels.
Today, the time and place were all on his side!
’Just die!’
Fu Yuanming’s face was grim and vicious, as if he could already see the dawn of his victory.
If Mu Wanjun died, the position of Chief of the Patrol for the South Town Garrison Command would be his for the taking!
