Daqian Martial Saint

’Is he... angry? A dignified Commander-in-Chief, acting like a child!’

As these thoughts crossed their minds, the group leaped into action, pursuing Chen Ping’an.

Zhao Zhiteng’s True Qi surged around him, his speed not the least bit slow. Watching Chen Ping’an’s figure rise and fall in the distance, he felt a faint sense of unease.

With the others giving chase, Cao Yingxiong naturally stayed put. His gaze fell upon the body of the gray-robed elder.

’Let’s see what other treasures you have on you.’

’As a cultivator in the Profound Light Middle Realm, he couldn’t possibly have just the Serrated Short Blade on him.’

...

SWOOSH!

Chen Ping’an’s figure flickered as his eyes quickly swept over two horribly mutilated corpses. His methods in the recent battle had been excessively violent, leaving behind a gruesome scene.

Amidst a ripple of True Qi, Chen Ping’an swiftly plundered what remained on the two bodies. He didn’t bother with a detailed inspection; he simply took everything they had on them.

By the time the group from the Qiankun Bureau arrived, Chen Ping’an had already finished collecting his spoils.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Three successive gusts of wind announced the arrival of Lin Wanying and two others. As their eyes swept the area, their gazes suddenly froze.

"There are two more bodies here!?"

Their expressions grew even more solemn when they took in the devastation around them. A long gash from a blade strike stretched for over a hundred feet. At its end lay a shattered wreck of a corpse.

’That blade strike...’

Though they hadn’t witnessed the fight firsthand, the aftermath allowed them to imagine the ferocity of the battle! No, it couldn’t be called a battle. It was a single, overwhelming strike that had utterly consumed the victim.

Lin Wanying’s eyes widened, her face a mask of utter astonishment.

Although she was in the Profound Light Middle Realm, she knew with certainty that she was incapable of delivering such a blow.

Like the other two, Zhao Zhiteng was utterly shocked as he surveyed the scene. He hadn’t expected to find two more bodies here. Judging by the signs of the struggle, they had likely been Cultivators who had entered the Profound Light Realm.

But no matter what Realm they had achieved in life, they were nothing but corpses now. Apart from the body consumed by the blade, the other corpse’s torso had been almost entirely obliterated, surrounded by stains of blood that had been vaporized dry.

He could hardly imagine what kind of attack the victim had endured.

’Was all this... the work of Chen Ping’an?’

Zhao Zhiteng’s throat felt dry as he stared at Chen Ping’an, his eyes filled with shock and doubt.

Seeing the trio catch up, Chen Ping’an remained perfectly calm. Now that he had plundered everything from the two corpses, he had no reason to linger.

It was better to leave sooner rather than linger and risk further complications.

’This whole affair had a few unexpected turns, but all in all, it was still a profitable venture.’

’The only regret was not getting his hands on the gray-robed elder’s belongings. Of the three enemies, the elder had been the strongest, so his possessions should have been the best. A true pity...’

’Oh well.’

’I’ll just consider them temporarily stored with Cao Yingxiong.’

Chen Ping’an’s gaze sharpened. From a distance, he cupped his fist in salute to Zhao Zhiteng. "Lord Zhao, it’s a shame we couldn’t properly catch up. We must find an opportunity another day to drink to our hearts’ content! I have urgent matters to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave now!"

Before Zhao Zhiteng could respond to Chen Ping’an’s farewell, Lin Wanying’s voice rang out.

"Commander Chen, Lord Cao is still waiting for you. Leaving just like that is rather disrespectful to him, wouldn’t you say?"

"In that case, I’ll have to trouble Lord Lin to deliver a message for me as a farewell gift," Chen Ping’an said with a smile, though his eyes were devoid of any emotion.

"Oh?" The others all looked at Chen Ping’an with curiosity.

The smile on Chen Ping’an’s face slowly faded. "Please inform Lord Cao that I will take this ’lesson’ to heart! Should the opportunity arise, I will be sure to repay him in kind. Tell him to wait for it!"

With that, Chen Ping’an called out, "Lord Zhao, until we meet again!"

Then, his figure flickered and vanished.

’Should the opportunity arise, I will be sure to repay him in kind!?’

Lin Wanying’s expression turned cold as she watched Chen Ping’an depart.

’What does he mean by that!’

’Is he threatening Lord Cao?’

"To even threaten Lord Cao! Mang Blade certainly has guts!" Lu Shengyang laughed heartily.

"It’s nothing but the last desperate barks of a beaten dog," Lin Wanying sneered.

Zhao Zhiteng remained silent. A shadow of gloom passed over him as he watched Chen Ping’an leave. Compared to the other two, he’d had deeper contact with Chen Ping’an and had even investigated him thoroughly in the past with the intention of recruiting him.

From everything he knew, Mang Blade was not one to make empty threats. If he said something, he was certain to have a countermeasure planned.

’But... what could he possibly do?’

With a few more leaps, Chen Ping’an’s figure disappeared from their view.

"Let’s report back to Lord Cao first," Lin Wanying said to the other two, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding wreckage.

"Right."

...

When Lin Wanying and the others returned, they found Cao Yingxiong’s expression was rather ugly. However, with the layers of fat on his face, it wasn’t particularly obvious at first glance.

"Lord Cao," the group said, steadying themselves and bowing with cupped fists.

"Where is Chen Ping’an?" Cao Yingxiong asked, his expression sour.

His mood was foul, and for good reason. He had expected to find more treasures on the gray-robed elder’s body, but to his dismay, after a thorough search, he had found nothing but a few silver taels and some miscellaneous junk.

Even among Cultivators, different people had different habits and circumstances. Some preferred to carry all their worldly possessions on their person; they only felt secure when their treasures were on them. They couldn’t trust leaving them anywhere else.