Chapter 114 - 113: Must Die

Chapter 114: Chapter 113: Must Die

In a quiet, elegant courtyard.

Wu Chen ate the freshly cooked, steaming dishes, taking sips of wine from time to time. He looked to be in good spirits, but inwardly, he was lamenting his missed opportunity:

’To think there’s an Organ Refining Realm expert in the yamen!’

’...But for a place like Mountain Mist City, it’s only normal for the county yamen to have a third-rate master stationed there.’

’It’s just a shame that after getting the fiend’s head that day, I couldn’t take a stroll through the Arsenal.’

That night, Wu Chen had retrieved the fiend’s head that belonged to him from the county yamen’s jail and the Corpse Collection Hall.

He had originally planned to use this opportunity to visit the yamen’s Arsenal again and make a killing.

But as he got closer, he clearly sensed a tyrannical aura lingering around the Arsenal’s location, making his heart pound in his chest for no reason.

It wasn’t that he didn’t dare to fight.

But he was, after all, within the high walls of a city. Wu Chen knew he didn’t have the ability to flee a thousand miles away if his first strike failed.

If he made any noise, and his opponent had other tricks up his sleeve to contact the soldiers of the Mountain Mist City Defense Department...

Nearly a thousand elite soldiers would be mobilized in an instant, sealing the city gates and guarding every alley and street.

Just imagining the scene made Wu Chen’s scalp tingle.

But he soon put the matter out of his mind. He wasn’t overly anxious about acquiring new Martial Arts, either.

After all, the old Patriarchs of the two major families in the city, both at the Jade Bone Realm, were due to return any day now.

Besides, he had over two thousand silver taels in his pocket, plus the fiend’s head, which could be exchanged for another three or four thousand silver taels.

The matter of Martial Arts was simply a question of waiting.

There was no need to cause a city-wide commotion. And risking his life for a few Martial Arts manuals truly wasn’t worth it.

"Tsk!"

Taking another sip of wine, Wu Chen turned his thoughts to Li Qi’s assessment.

’With a guy like Li Qi’s strength, he’d be like a fish in water in any of the martial sects. Why is he so stubbornly set on joining the Demon Suppression Bureau?’

’But then again, the Demon Suppression Bureau certainly has a lot of prestige. Just a few Mid Stage Jade Bone Realm cultivators and one Captain at the Perfection of the Jade Bone Realm were enough to make the county magistrate and his entourage come out of the city to welcome them.’

’It seems that once you put on that black wolf-head shirt stitched with silver thread, your status rises with the tide...’

’With such alluring power, no wonder Li Qi wants to join the Demon Suppression Bureau!’

After marveling at this for a moment, Wu Chen began to speculate on the outcome of Li Qi’s assessment today.

In his opinion, Li Qi had at least a fifty-percent chance of winning against He Kui.

He Kui might seem to be two minor realms higher, but he hadn’t achieved it through diligent practice. He indulged in pleasure day after day, and aside from using pills to stack his realm higher, he was utterly useless.

Li Qi, on the other hand, had solid saber techniques and a robust physique with strong Qi and Blood. Even after being despondent for two days, he would go back to practicing his saber techniques diligently once he sobered up, never slacking for a single day.

And with Wu Chen’s recent guidance, his saber techniques and Body Technique had improved to a new level in every aspect.

Even if he couldn’t win against He Kui, there was no way he would lose easily.

Putting down his chopsticks, Wu Chen settled in for a short, idle nap.

An unknown amount of time passed before the peace on the street outside the courtyard was shattered by a burst of hurried footsteps.

Then came a knock on the courtyard gate, followed by Li Qi’s excited voice:

"Li Qiuyao, open the gate!"

Just from the unconcealable excitement in his voice, Wu Chen knew without a doubt that Li Qi had passed the assessment.

"Coming!" Li Qiuyao, who had been sitting under the eaves with her chin in her hands, heard his voice and shot over like a flash to open the gate.

The moment she pushed the gate open, Li Qi, who was standing outside, swept her into his arms.

"Qiuyao, I’m taking you to Cangwu City to live a good life!"

It was a very simple, honest wish.

For an ordinary person in this world, having the strength of the fourth stage of Martial Arts, the Jade Bone Realm, and being able to hold a post in the Demon Suppression Bureau, meant you were a bona fide winner in life.

"Brother, you’re amazing!"

Li Qiuyao’s young face was filled with unconcealed excitement. "When we get to Cangwu City, I’m going to eat lots and lots of delicious food!"

"Okay!"

Li Qi nodded emphatically. "I hear the osmanthus cakes there are famous. I’ll buy them for you every day!"

"..."

But the two of them quickly remembered they had a guest at home!

They quickly let go of each other, but there was no real awkwardness in the genuine display of sibling affection.

Li Qi straightened his clothes and walked over to Wu Chen with a respectful expression, clasping his fists in a salute.

"My success today is all thanks to Young Master Wu’s tireless guidance with my saber techniques these past few days. Qiuyao, go and cook some more dishes! I want to drink heartily with Young Master Wu tonight!"

Wu Chen waved his hand and said with a casual smile, "Does this mean I’ll have to start calling you Lord Li from now on?"

Li Qi: "..."

Li Qi’s face turned beet red. "Young Master Wu, please don’t make fun of me."

How could he dare to accept being called ’Lord’, especially by Wu Chen?

He had killed five Mid Stage Jade Bone Realm fiends just like that, all in the span of a dozen breaths.

Not to mention, he dared to infiltrate the county yamen at night, a place guarded by an Organ Refining Realm expert, silently retrieving what was his and giving the useless county magistrate a little scare in the process.

Li Qi suspected that Wu Chen simply had a free-spirited nature and was unwilling to be shackled by all sorts of rules and regulations.

With such strength, if he were willing to join the Demon Suppression Bureau, forget about becoming a Silver Wolf Captain or a Vicious Tiger Captain...

...even the positions of Golden Eagle Captain and the higher-ranking Cloud Pattern Captain would be well within his reach!

"Even when I go to Cangwu City, I’ll only be a regular guard."

Li Qi refilled Wu Chen’s wine and said with a smile, "I’ll be doing grunt work, patrolling the streets and alleys. I’m still a long way from even the lowest-ranking Silver Wolf Captain."

Wu Chen shook his head. "You have to take things one step at a time. With your abilities, becoming a Silver Wolf Captain is only a matter of time."

Setting aside talent, just based on Li Qi’s diligence in his training, Wu Chen figured it would only take him a year or two to be promoted to Silver Wolf Captain.

Besides, the guy was brave and willing to fight. Wu Chen had seen that on the day at Iron Rock Manor; if He Kui hadn’t stopped him, Li Qi would have definitely clashed with the fiends.

As for whether he would cause trouble for Wu Chen himself, well, that was another matter entirely.

"Oh, right."

Sitting down across from Wu Chen, Li Qi seemed to remember something. He quickly pulled a booklet from his chest pocket, followed by a few thumb-sized porcelain vials.

"This is a Jade Bone Realm Martial Arts manual that the Silver Wolf Captain gave me after the assessment, along with twenty Jade Bone Realm pills that complement it."

After speaking, Li Qi placed all the items in front of Wu Chen.

He still remembered how Wu Chen had spent a thousand silver taels to buy his Martial Arts manual last time. Since it was just the manual without any pills, he felt that Wu Chen had gotten a bad deal.

Not to mention, the man had also given him guidance on his Martial Arts.

This time, with both a Martial Arts manual and pills, he felt it was finally worth the price.

"Young Master Wu, please take all of this. There’s no need to pay again."

Whether it was because Wu Chen had already paid last time or because of the guidance he’d received over the past few days, Li Qi knew he couldn’t let Wu Chen pay again.

"..."

However, this development still surprised Wu Chen. He hadn’t expected a Martial Arts manual to be delivered right to him at this moment.

He had painstakingly searched everywhere for one to no avail, yet now one had been delivered right to his doorstep while he just sat here!

It truly had come without any effort at all.

He took the Martial Arts manual but pushed the small porcelain vials containing the pills back.

Seeing Li Qi’s confused expression, Wu Chen explained:

"I’ll go find pills like these from those martial sects. It’ll be more troublesome for you if you don’t have pills and can’t raise your realm."

Wu Chen’s tone left no room for refusal, so Li Qi didn’t know what else to say. He knew it was true.

Although the secret formulas for the pills that complemented the Jade Bone Realm were not known to outsiders, the resources and foundations of a martial sect were beyond his comprehension.

It didn’t take long for Wu Chen to put down the Martial Arts manual. He asked:

"Since the Demon Suppression Bureau’s assessment is over, did they say when you’re leaving for Cangwu City?"

"We leave tomorrow."

Li Qi said, "The Captain told the ten of us who passed the assessment to rest for the day, bring our families, and set off first thing tomorrow morning."

"Ten people passed?"

Wu Chen was thoughtful. "From the sound of it, it wasn’t just Jade Bone Realm bailiffs, but also those from other realms who are going to Cangwu City?"

An embarrassed look crossed Li Qi’s face. "Although there was a martial competition this time, and I won my match, the final selection was based on realm level."

"The top ten bailiffs in terms of realm level could all take up a post in the Demon Suppression Bureau."

Wu Chen’s eyebrows shot up. "Are you saying He Kui is going too?"

Li Qi’s expression darkened. The thought of having to continue being colleagues with someone like that made him nod with a soft sigh.

After a moment of silence, he looked up and said solemnly:

"Young Master Wu, don’t worry. Once I establish myself in the Demon Suppression Bureau, I will definitely report this person to the Captain..."

Before Li Qi could finish, he saw Wu Chen, who was sitting across the table, stand up and walk toward the courtyard exit.

As he passed by Li Qi’s side, Wu Chen clapped him on the shoulder, cutting him off and advising:

"Don’t go to the Captain with this nonsense. And definitely don’t report your colleague’s misdeeds."

"If what you say is false, it’s slander against a colleague. If what you say is true, it makes your superior look blind for not seeing it."

"So tell me... who do you think your superior will target in the end?"

With that, Wu Chen walked out of the courtyard, leaving Li Qi standing there, mulling over his words.

A long while later, Li Qi finally understood the meaning behind those words, and his eyes filled with profound shock.

Did this mean... there was nothing he could do about someone like He Kui?!

"..."

’They leave first thing tomorrow morning?’

Walking along the bustling street, Wu Chen learned that He Kui was also going to the Demon Suppression Bureau in Cangwu City. An imperceptible glint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.

He never intended to let He Kui off the hook, but he hadn’t expected the guy to be able to go to Cangwu City as well.

It was plain to see that if a sycophant like He Kui made it to Cangwu City, it would probably take him less than half a year to become a Silver Wolf Captain.

Give him a little more time, and he might even become a local tyrant in Cangwu City.

Of course, Wu Chen wasn’t afraid. He just felt that if he went to Cangwu City one day, a person with He Kui’s character would inevitably create unnecessary trouble for him.

’So, that guy has to die here!’