Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

"Governor, sir! I volunteer to lead our men and tear those bastards limb from limb!" Wang Xing declared.

"That won’t be necessary."

Chen Ye’s voice was as cold as ice.

He slowly stood up, removing his Civil Servant Robe to reveal the Profound Black Martial Attire underneath.

"I’ll handle this myself."

He strode out of the main hall and vaulted onto his horse.

"Wang Xing, assemble fifty Personal Guards and follow me out of the city."

"Sir, this... this is too dangerous!" Wang Xing exclaimed, his face draining of color.

"I said, we’re riding out."

Without another word, Chen Ye dug his heels into his horse’s flanks. The warhorse shot out of the Jiedu Envoy’s Mansion like a black bolt of lightning.

The setting sun was the color of blood.

Chen Ye led fifty riders, thundering down the main road at a full gallop.

Using intel from his Scouts and his own keen senses, Chen Ye quickly located the bandits’ hideout.

At that moment, the bandits were in the middle of a celebratory feast.

"Young Master Du, don’t you worry. My brothers are clean workers. I guarantee we didn’t leave a single trace," the bandit leader slurred, drunk.

The man known as Young Master Du was a youth. He wore a smile, but a hint of disgust lurked deep in his eyes.

After all, he was a descendant of Great Liang’s decorated Nobility, a true-blue aristocrat. How could he possibly respect these uncouth brigands?

But he had no choice; circumstances were beyond his control. The Du Family had already had their assets seized, so he could only swallow his pride and throw in his lot with these bandits.

"That’s good. I was just worried that bastard Chen would find out." At the mention of Chen’s name, Du Yong’s face filled with hatred.

After all, Chen Ye had ordered the seizure of the Du Family’s assets and his father’s brutal death. His heart was naturally filled with hatred.

"Heh heh, that Chen fellow is just a former Grain Transporter, a Jiedu Envoy who got his position through sheer luck. What right does he have to throw his weight around here? Don’t you worry, Young Master Du. Sooner or later, I’ll take his head for you," the bandit leader said with a disdainful sneer.

Du Yong forced a smile, but he found the wine before him hard to swallow.

As the feast continued, some of the bandits, fired up by the alcohol, began boasting of their own heroic deeds.

"You guys have no idea. The girls in that little village were surprisingly tender. I had three of them in a row..."

Suddenly, a shout of alarm came from outside. "Who’s there?"

It was followed by chaos, punctuated by screams and the thundering of hooves.

The bandits flew into a panic. Du Yong shot to his feet, demanding sharply, "What’s happening? Didn’t you say this place was completely hidden? That we wouldn’t be found?"

The booze seemed to vanish from the bandit leader’s system in an instant. He stood there, dumbfounded. "I... I have no idea!"

Suddenly, the sounds of fighting outside ceased. An eerie silence fell. Du Yong knew this was bad. He spun around and bolted toward the mountain behind the hideout.

Just then, an arrow burst through a window, pinning a bandit to the wall. It was followed by a heavy THUD, and the ground itself seemed to tremble. Then, Chen Ye smashed straight through the wall and charged into the hall.

The bandits finally reacted. One of them drew his saber and charged. Without a glance, Chen Ye threw a backfist.

BAM!

With the wet pop of a bursting balloon, the bandit’s chest exploded inward. His body flew back like a broken sack of grain, slamming into the far wall with enough force to leave a deep crater before slumping to the ground in a pile of gore.

The sheer brutality of the scene sent a chill down the spines of the other bandits. Some lost their nerve entirely, turning to flee.

But Chen Ye wasn’t about to let any of them escape. He was a tiger loosed upon a flock of sheep. With every swing of his fists, another bandit was pulverized into a bloody pulp.

This wasn’t a fight. It was a one-sided massacre.

Wang Xing and the men who had followed him could only watch, utterly dumbfounded.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the ground was littered with corpses.

The bandit leader, now petrified with fear, turned to flee into the depths of the forest.

In a single bound, Chen Ye was behind him. Ignoring the man’s pleas for mercy, he obliterated his upper torso into a mist of blood with a single punch.

Without pausing, Chen Ye continued his charge toward the back of the mountain.

He had clearly seen someone flee into the woods, and he gave chase relentlessly.

His method of pursuit was unconventional. He paid no mind to the trees in his path, simply charging forward in a straight line.

Trees in his way were snapped in two by his powerful frame as he bulldozed his way deep into the forest.

Meanwhile, the commotion behind him scared Du Yong witless. He never imagined Chen Ye would be so fast, so ferocious.

’If he had known, he never would have stayed for the feast; he would have been long gone.’

’But it was too late for regrets now.’ He could only push himself to run faster, darting through the trees, hoping he could lose his pursuer.

But just a moment later, the commotion behind him grew louder and louder.

Du Yong couldn’t resist a glance over his shoulder, and what he saw filled him with absolute terror.

Not far away, Chen Ye stood atop a large boulder. He gave Du Yong a wide grin, then crouched. With an explosive leap, he launched himself into the air. The force of his jump was so immense it shifted the massive boulder from its spot.

"No...!" Du Yong shrieked hysterically and tried to dodge, but Chen Ye was as fast as a cannonball. He was on him in an instant, his fist already swinging.

Du Yong had studied under a famous master since childhood and possessed the skills of a second-rate expert in the Great Liang Martial World. At this moment of life and death, he threw all his strength into raising his arms to block the punch.

’But he regretted it the next instant. That wasn’t a fist coming at him; it was a stampede of elephants.’

He couldn’t even withstand it for a second before his arms were shattered. The immense force then snapped his torso in two at the waist. His legs remained standing for a moment as his upper body was blasted into the air, where it exploded in a firework of blood and gore.

Expressionless, Chen Ye slowly withdrew his fist, turned, and walked away.

From start to finish, neither Wang Xing nor his fifty riders had lifted a finger. Chen Ye had killed the entire band of brigands by himself.

But Wang Xing and his men weren’t shocked. They had grown numb to it.

Afterward, Chen Ye sorted through the prisoners the bandits had taken. The Refugees who had been forcibly conscripted were given a lecture, then organized into agricultural battalions. They were given land and seeds—a path to a new life.

As for those whose hands were stained with blood, Chen Ye ordered them to be beheaded on the spot.

That day, at the public execution grounds in Luojing, thirty-six heads were hung high for all to see.

When word spread, a hush fell over the entire Great Liang Martial World. The news that Chen Ye had single-handedly annihilated the bandits was especially sobering; the various powers that had been stirring restlessly instantly quieted down.

They finally understood: this new Governor of Great Liang not only possessed the compassion of a saint, but also the fury of a thunder god.