Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Solution
The commotion from Chen Ping’an’s fight with the shadowy figure in the courtyard was considerable, rousing a servant woman from the house who had woken in the night to investigate.
Opening the door, the servant woman saw Chen Ping’an tidying up the courtyard.
"Young Master..."
The servant woman greeted him, her face a picture of confusion.
Chen Ping’an looked up and gestured for her to be quiet.
Before the servant woman could make sense of the situation, her eyes fell upon the corpse lying on the ground, and she jumped in fright.
"Ah—"
Before the scream could fully erupt, the servant woman hastily clapped a hand over her mouth.
’Someone’s dead!’
....
The next day, at the crack of dawn, Chen Ping’an left his home. A stout, broad-shouldered servant woman followed behind him, pushing a cart. A corpse lay upon it, concealed by a white cloth.
"Lord Chen!"
At the South Town Garrison Command, the constables guarding the main gate greeted Chen Ping’an respectfully.
"Wait for me outside!"
Chen Ping’an nodded slightly, gave the instruction to the servant woman, and then strode through the gates of the Garrison Commandant’s Office.
The servant woman stopped the cart and stood there uneasily under the scrutinizing gazes of the constables.
’A corpse!’
The gatekeeping constables had sharp eyes; they could tell at a glance what lay on the cart.
They exchanged glances, and could see the confusion mirrored in each other’s eyes.
...
Once inside the South Town Garrison Command, Chen Ping’an confidently made his way upstairs, quickly spotting Mu Wanjun.
He had not even opened his mouth to speak when they met.
Mu Wanjun’s voice rang out.
"Ping’an... I was just about to look for you!"
’Hm?’
Chen Ping’an was puzzled. Before he could even ask, Mu Wanjun was apologizing to him, her face a mask of dejection.
"Ping’an... the Mu Family has decided not to intervene in your affairs! I’m so sorry..."
Mu Wanjun’s face was flush with shame. She hadn’t slept at all last night, wondering how she could possibly face Chen Ping’an.
She never imagined her family could be so shameless. This whole affair was their fault, yet now that things had come to a head, they refused to get involved! Not only that, they even called off the marriage alliance!
Looking at Mu Wanjun, her face filled with shame and deep dejection, Chen Ping’an understood everything as if looking into a clear mirror. He knew exactly what had happened.
As Mu Wanjun continued to speak, he could deeply sense her sincerity and how hard she had tried.
"Wan Jun, you did your best. I don’t blame you!"
Mu Wanjun said, "Ping’an, I am truly sorry... But rest assured, even if my family won’t lift a finger, I will do everything in my power to help you out of this predicament."
Chen Ping’an could feel Mu Wanjun’s sincerity.
"Yes, Wan Jun, I believe you. However, I came today to talk to you about something else."
Mu Wanjun was a little puzzled. "What is it?"
Chen Ping’an proceeded to tell Mu Wanjun everything that had happened the previous night, leaving no detail out.
The more Mu Wanjun listened, the more alarmed she became, finally interrupting him.
"Wait, Ping’an. You’re saying, you defeated—no! You killed an Inner Qi Realm Martial Arts Master!"
"That’s right!"
Chen Ping’an nodded calmly.
"I’ve brought the body over! I want you to take a look, see if it’s a master from the Fang Family!"
Hearing Chen Ping’an’s confirmation, Mu Wanjun was both shocked and overjoyed.
"You’ve broken through to the Inner Qi Realm?"
"I have."
Chen Ping’an nodded, then deliberately circulated the Inner Qi within his Dantian Qi Sea.
WHOOSH!
Inner Qi surged, radiating from his body!
"Initial Qi Sea Transformation!"
Mu Wanjun’s eyes widened in focus, followed by wave after wave of delighted surprise.
"Ping’an, how long has it been?! How did you break through to the Inner Qi Realm so suddenly? You didn’t face any bottlenecks going from the Qi Blood Realm to the Inner Qi Realm?"
The Inner Qi emanating from Chen Ping’an was so dense and powerful. He didn’t seem like someone who had just broken through at all; rather, he resembled a veteran Inner Qi Master who had reached the Realm long ago.
"A bottleneck? Was there one? I just kept training, and it happened naturally!"
Chen Ping’an said, his expression one of pure innocence.
Mu Wanjun felt her perception of Chen Ping’an’s Martial Dao talent being completely upended once again. As she looked at his matter-of-fact expression, as if breaking into the Inner Qi Realm was no difficult feat, the words of the Mu Family Clan Elders involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
’Indeed! His potential to make the Rising Star Chart is merely our speculation. The boy’s talent is certainly impressive, but the Inner Qi Realm is not the same as the Qi Blood Realm. His progress in the Qi Blood Realm was astonishingly fast, but that’s no guarantee he can replicate it with Inner Qi!’
’That’s right. He’s only at the Qi Blood Sixth Layer now, a far cry from even qualifying for the Rising Star Chart. Who knows if he can even make that leap! If a daughter from our main line marries him, and he ends up unable to even break into the Inner Qi Realm, wouldn’t we become a laughingstock!’
’...’
’Potential for the Rising Star Chart, just speculation?’
’Astonishingly fast progress in the Qi Blood Realm is no guarantee of the same for Inner Qi?’
A sense of melancholy inexplicably bloomed in Mu Wanjun’s heart.
’Oh, Clan Elders... do you not realize that the world’s true prodigies, its Demon Fiends, cannot be measured by common logic.’
’To be able to kill a Martial Arts Master of the Same Realm on the spot, right after breaking into the Inner Qi Realm... Chen Ping’an’s talent for Magical Combat, his gift for the Martial Dao, is simply astonishing.’
Mu Wanjun gave Chen Ping’an a deep look.
’I’m now one hundred percent certain. In another ten years—no!’
’In five years at most, Chen Ping’an will ascend the Rising Star Chart and shock the world!’
’Those Clan Elders... they’re utter fools!’
’The pearl is already shining brightly. The cost to win him over now will be more than ten times what it was before!’
Seeing Mu Wanjun’s shock and amazement, Chen Ping’an’s heart was completely calm.
This was also why he had come to find Mu Wanjun so early in the morning!
’Since I’ve achieved success in the Martial Dao and the Profound Light Realm is within my grasp, it’s time to reveal some of my strength.’
’And right now is the perfect opportunity to let Mu Wanjun’s words spread the news!’
...
Shock was one thing, but it didn’t stop Mu Wanjun from getting down to business. She accompanied Chen Ping’an outside the Garrison Commandant’s Office to inspect the assassin who had died at his hands the previous night.
"Shadowless Leg!"
Mu Wanjun recognized the man’s identity at a glance, her expression turning grim.
’Shadowless Leg... He made a name for himself years ago.’
’And Chen Ping’an managed to kill him on the spot?’
’One must know that aside from his formidable Leg Techniques, Shadowless Leg’s Lightweight Skill was not to be underestimated.’
’He couldn’t even manage to escape from Chen Ping’an?’
Mu Wanjun’s estimation of Chen Ping’an rose another level.
With this combat power, Chen Ping’an could be considered a veteran master of the First Stage of Inner Qi.
’How did he do it?’
Mu Wanjun was filled with amazement.
The corpse in front of the South Town Garrison Command’s gate also attracted a crowd of onlookers.
"This person... Lord Chen killed him?"
"I heard he was an Inner Qi Realm master."
"Lord Chen killed an Inner Qi Realm master? Then..."
"..."
The constables’ gazes toward Chen Ping’an now held a deep and profound awe. Unlike before, this awe was far more genuine.
To be able to slay an Inner Qi Realm expert of the Same Realm, regardless of how he did it, was enough to prove Chen Ping’an was no ordinary man.
In the entire South Town Garrison Command, the only one who could slay a master of the Same Realm was probably just Mu Wanjun! Even the newly appointed Vice Chief of the Patrol couldn’t do it!
’Lord Chen, he was hiding his strength so well!’
"Ping’an, regarding our current predicament, we might have another solution!"
Back in her office, Mu Wanjun looked at Chen Ping’an, her eyes shining as she recalled information she had gathered in recent days.
"Another solution?"
Chen Ping’an looked at Mu Wanjun, a faint guess forming in his mind.
’This other solution... it’s probably related to the Martial Arts Realm I just revealed!’
’I’ve already revealed my strength at the Inner Qi Realm, so shouldn’t my position be adjusted accordingly!’
’Sometimes, someone in the Qi Blood Realm doesn’t have the right to something. But for someone in the Inner Qi Realm... that might not be the case!’
’If Wan Jun is willing to help, she might just be able to make it happen!’
