Chapter 116: Encounter at the Ferry

“Crack!”

The sound of bones fracturing was unmistakable. Fu Zun’s face suddenly turned pale, and he forced down a mouthful of reverse-flowing blood.

Ling Chi raised his right arm again and delivered another punch. Fu Zun bent his arms to shield his face, but both forearms were shattered on the spot by the powerful impact.

The jagged ends of broken bones pierced through the flesh, and his arms hung limply at his sides.

More than a dozen fist marks were stamped firmly across Fu Zun’s face, which was a bloody, mangled mess. Scattered on the ground were dozens of blood-stained teeth.

Ling Chi stood upright and scanned the surroundings. Seeing Captain Quan waking up leisurely, he flashed forward.

With his left foot planted firmly, his body arched like a drawn bow, and his right leg swept in a wide arc, a cold gleam flashed from his toes.

“Bang!”

Captain Quan suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower back and was sent flying dozens of yards away.

Ling Chi rested his hand on the pavilion’s edge, watching Captain Quan disappear into the distance.

He then bent down, pulled a horse-cutting saber from the ground, and pressed the blade and sheath against Fu Zun’s throat.

“I won’t kill you today only because you’re the dog son of Prefect Fu. Next time, your head will roll.”

Fu Zun struggled to open his swollen, bloodshot eyes but failed. He opened his mouth, whimpering incoherently.

The confidence he had when he came here, now overturned and beaten to the ground, was unbearable for him to accept.

How could the son of a high-ranking prefect be defeated by an unknown youth?

Ling Chi had already sentenced him to death in his heart and planned to go directly to the He family after settling this matter.

“Tell Wei Jiang and Wei Xuan that if the Wei family can’t even control their own mouths, have them bring a head within three days to apologize, or I will come take it myself.”

The bald lackey, who had just regained consciousness but was pretending to still be unconscious, was slapped hard in the face by Ling Chi as he said this.

Having finished speaking, Ling Chi withdrew. If he stayed any longer, he feared he would lose control and slaughter these people on the spot.

Warriors watching from afar were struck with awe at how decisively he ended the fight.

This was the newly appointed Colonel of the Jing’an Division in Shengzhou. Although he was a well-connected individual, his eighth-level Qi Sea cultivation was undeniable proof of his strength.

“Old Huang, what’s the story behind this young man? With such power, he shouldn’t be a nobody,” one warrior asked with suspicion.

“Just wait and see. His fame will soon echo across the nearby regions. Today’s scene is just a small episode in his martial journey,” said the middle-aged warrior surnamed Huang with a sigh. Such a prodigy was incomparable to ordinary fighters like them.

The group of Wei County officers struggled to get up, exchanging silent glances.

They could only take out pills to treat their own colonels and sent two men to carry the captain, who lay dozens of yards away, back. Once arrogant and defiant, Captain Quan was now barely clinging to life, his breath shallow.

The subordinates could only give him rough treatment before dragging their horses away in shame.

Without the mood to continue traveling, Ling Chi hurried along. In just a few breaths, he reached the edge of the Si River, opposite the docks of Jiqing Town.

The dock was noisy and chaotic. An old man with graying hair lay on the ground clutching his leg, surrounded by bloodstains and a few scattered copper coins.

Beside him, an elderly woman beat her chest and wailed loudly. Around them, boatmen and sailors gathered in circles, pointing and whispering.

Several officers of the Jing’an Division in fine clothes stood confrontationally against a large group of fighters. At the forefront were a young man with a scarred face and a sword-bearing elder.

Their aura suggested both were Qi Sea cultivators, especially the sword-bearing elder, whose aura was thick and mature, at least late-stage Qi Sea.

“Already paid compensation, what more do you want? If you want to extort, don’t you dare ask about the knife in my hand?” a rough-looking swordsman shouted.

Opposite him, the Jing’an officer Azheng’s face flushed with anger. If he weren’t outmatched, he would have acted already.

“Your young master broke Wang Wu’s leg, and you think a few copper coins can settle it? You seriously underestimate our Jing’an Division,” Azheng pointed at the scar-faced man, his tone righteous.

“You Jing’an Division is just a bunch of kittens, and you dare talk to me like that? You know who I am? Just my name alone will scare you!” the scar-faced youth suddenly retorted from the center.

Azheng was momentarily speechless. The Jing’an Division in Jiqing Town had been established only a few months ago, and the only Qi Sea cultivator was the temporary officer Ling Chi, who was currently off somewhere.

Just as he wracked his brain for a comeback, a tall figure in fine clothes suddenly appeared before him, pressing a blade.

“Watch out!”

An old, hoarse voice rang out from behind the scar-faced youth, filled with shock. The newcomer moved too fast for him to react.

“Smack!”

The scar-faced youth, early Qi Sea stage, spat out a mouthful of yellow teeth and was sent flying over ten yards, falling headfirst into the Si River, swallowed by the waves and disappearing.

Their Qi Sea third-stage young master was slapped away like that. The group of fighters didn’t even have time to shout curses before hurriedly jumping into the water to retrieve him.

“So you dare show your name to make me laugh.”

“What Jing’an Division are you to meddle here?”

Ling Chi’s cold voice echoed as he vented the anger sparked by Fu Zun on these people.

“Lord Ling! It’s Lord Ling, you’ve returned!”

“Lieutenant Ling, those people on the other side are truly bullying us.”

“Exactly. Because Wang Wu failed to avoid the path temporarily, that scar-faced man kicked his leg off.”

“We demanded compensation, and he just threw three copper coins and thought it was done.”

The subordinates burst out once their backbone had returned.

Ling Chi felt the judgment of the Thunder Pearl within him as he frowned, listening to their words.

“You have quite the nerve. Do you know you’re bringing trouble to Officer Cao?”

The sword-bearing elder’s hoarse voice came.

“Clear the docks, evacuate everyone!”

Ling Chi glanced at him and then turned to Azheng.

Azheng immediately understood. Their Lord Ling was about to act and hurriedly led several officers to clear the crowd, taking the injured Wang Wu away.

The elder sensed the blatant killing intent radiating from Ling Chi and grew furious. Having served under Prefect He Zhixian for so many years, he had never seen such a reckless newcomer wearing official robes.

“Judging by your appearance, you seem to be a low-ranking leader in the local Jing’an Division. My young master’s surname is He, do you understand?”

The elder’s wrinkled face flickered with menacing intent.

“He’s a He? Then he must be He Er, the Anshan bandit planted by that old dog He Zhixian in Yunzhou. And you must be Old Wang, the ninth-stage Qi Sea warrior who follows He Zhixian.”

“Young master Ling Chi, your He San’er was crippled by my own hand.”

Ling Chi raised an eyebrow, surprised to encounter the He family’s openly strongest fighter here.

“You are Zhao Qing’s sixth apprentice, Ling Chi?”

Old Wang knew today would not end peacefully. The Zhao disciples had already severed ties with the prefect, meeting only as enemies. He was prepared for a deadly fight.

Shouldering his horse-cutting saber, Ling Chi surveyed the area. Seeing the crowd mostly dispersed, his eyes gleamed with thunder as purple-golden lightning spread across his body.

Old Wang immediately drew the battle sword on his back, sword aura beginning to fill the air.

“Old Wang, today you shall die at my hands.”

“Shing!”

The sound of a blade being drawn echoed as the Deliverer of Evil was unsheathed.