Inside the dim cinema, Zhong Guoshu slipped in close and pressed a short saber against Xiao Zhenggong's ribs.

Xiao Zhenggong did not look the least bit concerned. He neither called for help nor made a move. He simply stood there and watched Zhong Guoshu in silence.

Zhong Guoshu tightened his grip and increased the pressure. He meant to make him bleed, just a little, without taking his life. As a level-five Martial Cultivator, he had precise control over his strength, but no matter how much force he applied, the blade refused to pierce the skin.

Zhong Guoshu stared at Xiao Zhenggong, shock flickering across his face. According to the Dark Star Bureau's records, Xiao Zhenggong was only a level-three Combatant. There was no way he should have been able to withstand the strength of a fifth-level Combatant.

Is he wearing armor? Zhong Guoshu thought. Or... is there some kind of enchanted artifact protecting him?

Xiao Zhenggong smiled, almost kindly, and then, without warning, shot out a hand and caught Zhong Guoshu's wrist.

A jolt of alarm shot through Zhong Guoshu. He pulled back hard, putting all his strength into it, but the hand gripping him didn't move at all. Xiao Zhenggong barely seemed to try. He pressed down lightly, adjusted his fingers just a little, and twisted it with such precise control.

A sharp crack rang out as Zhong Guoshu's wrist snapped. The movement was clean and fluid. Zhong Guoshu had no time to react.

The short saber slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground. Pain shot up his arm. Zhong Guoshu clenched his jaw and endured it without a sound.

He knew he was no match for Xiao Zhenggong. Without hesitation, he turned and tried to flee.

Xiao Zhenggong reached out and grabbed Zhong Guoshu by the collar, then flung him onto the wooden seats.

The wooden seats shattered on impact, and the metal frame beneath them bent under the force.

Zhong Guoshu tried to get up, but Xiao Zhenggong stepped forward and drove him back to the ground with a single stomp.

Crack, crack, crack.

Multiple cracks sounded as several of Zhong Guoshu's ribs broke.

Hearing the commotion, Lightbulb and Star rushed over. The two of them only watched and did not intervene.

Star, who valued his life above most things, had no intention of throwing himself into danger. Even so, he craned his neck and shouted from a safe distance, "What's going on? Who is this?"

Lightbulb didn't rush forward, nor did he say a word. He had suffered at Xiao Zhenggong's hands before so he stayed off to the side, watching in silence.

"Speak. Who sent you?" Xiao Zhenggong pressed his foot down harder as he stared at Zhong Guoshu.

Zhong Guoshu trembled. His breathing turned heavy, but he said nothing.

Xiao Zhenggong said to Star and Lightbulb, "Cuff him!"

The deputy captain gave the order, and that was that. Star had no choice but to move. However, Lightbulb didn't move at all and remained exactly where he was. That was the right call. He was only a level-one Slicker, or what Puluo Province referred to as an Oil Cultivator. He had only reached level one last month.

Zhong Guoshu was a fifth-level Combatant. If anything went wrong, Lightbulb could lose his life in an instant. As expected, something went wrong.

Just as Star was about to put on the handcuffs, a man suddenly burst out from beneath the seats and kicked him to the ground.

Star went limp on the spot and lost consciousness. Lightbulb's body slicked over with oil as he quickly retreated to a safe distance.

Duan Xiangwen, the level-five Hermit, had made his move.

Taking advantage of the Hermit's tendency to be easily overlooked, Duan Xiangwen managed to get close.

With a flick of his hand, Duan Xiangwen scattered a packet of powder.

Xiao Zhenggong thought it was poison and quickly held his breath. But to his surprise, it was corrosive powder. The moment it touched the skin, it burned like fire.

What kind of fighting method was this? Wouldn't Duan Xiangwen be affected as well? He would. However, a Hermit's recovery ability was far stronger than that of other Dark Ability Users at the same level.

In addition, Duan Xiangwen had specially made this corrosive powder. Its purpose was to injure both himself and his opponent, then wear the enemy down with his superior recovery.

In a tough battle, this was a viable strategy, but only against someone at a similar level. Xiao Zhenggong was not and this powder did little more than cause him slight discomfort.

He tore a piece of clothing from Star and wiped the powder off his face. Seizing that brief moment, Duan Xiangwen grabbed Zhong Guoshu and rushed toward the exit.

Xiao Zhenggong continued wiping his face in a very relaxing manner. When he saw that Duan Xiangwen had reached the doorway, he bent down, picked up a broken piece of wood, and flicked it out.

The splintered wood shot forward and went straight into Duan Xiangwen's spine. He staggered, then collapsed to the ground along with Zhong Guoshu.

In the hands of a high-level Martial Cultivator, anything could become a deadly weapon.

Xiao Zhenggong walked toward them, one step at a time. Duan Xiangwen's lower body was already numb and unresponsive. He pulled a clay doll from his chest and hurled it at Xiao Zhenggong.

The clay doll hovered in midair and spat a burst of flames at him.

Xiao Zhenggong walked forward through the flames. Not only was he unharmed, even his clothes remained unscorched. This was the resistance of a high-level Martial Cultivator. Blades, water, or fire, attacks of this level had no effect on him.

He snatched the clay doll right out of the air, gave it a quick look, and broke into a grin.

"Golden House of Hidden Beauty," he said. "Well, well. Not bad at all. Quite a delicate little thing you have made."

Xiao Zhenggong crushed the clay doll and tossed it onto the ground.

Duan Xiangwen shouted, "I can't walk anymore! You shouldn't attack someone who can't fight back!"

Xiao Zhenggong paused, just for a moment, as though he were actually considering it. Then he nodded.

"Yes," he said thoughtfully. "You are using the Deep Court Domain. Your dwelling spirit's ability. What a pity. Your dwelling spirit is a Moralism Cultivator, and I hate Moralism Cultivators the most."

As Xiao Zhenggong spoke, he had already stepped in front of them. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Zhong Guoshu suddenly sprang up and wrapped his arms tightly around him. He turned his head and shouted, "Go!"

Duan Xiangwen didn't move. He couldn't leave, and he had no intention of leaving. He was prepared to fight Xiao Zhenggong to the death.

"What a loyal brother you are!" Xiao Zhenggong kicked Zhong Guoshu away, picked up a small stone from the ground, and flicked it at Duan Xiangwen's head.

The stone shot out like a bullet and pierced straight through his skull. Duan Xiangwen died on the spot.

Xiao Zhenggong turned back, grabbed Zhong Guoshu by the hair, and lifted him off the ground. "Who exactly sent you?"

Zhong Guoshu's expression stiffened as he stared at Xiao Zhenggong.

His body began to twitch. Once, twice, then it went still.

He stopped breathing.

He had swallowed poison and killed himself.

***

Xiao Zhenggong returned to the cinema. He looked at Star lying on the ground and asked Lightbulb, "Is he still alive?"

Lightbulb withdrew the oil covering his body, glanced at Star, and said, "Not sure."

"Then confirm this. If he's alive, call an ambulance. If he's dead, send him to the funeral home!" Xiao Zhenggong said before walking straight out of the cinema.

As he drove away, one question kept circling in his mind.

Who sent these two?

He had plenty of enemies, and all these names appeared in his mind. The ringing of his phone broke his train of thought. It was Captain Chen.

After such a major incident, Xiao Zhenggong should have returned to the bureau to report. Instead, he crushed the phone into a twisted lump and tossed it onto the passenger seat. Then he stepped on the gas and drove straight home.

***

The next day, Xiao Zhenggong returned to the bureau for a meeting, and the discussion was still about what had happened at the cultural center the day before.

Star had survived. After a night of emergency treatment, he was finally out of danger.

None of the bureau investigators died, which was good news. However, the whole affair had still left a great many people feeling rather shaken indeed.

After a night's rest, Xiao Zhenggong had calmed down and offered a reasonable explanation for what had happened.

He said he had gone to investigate the black market and was attacked in the process. The initial conclusion was that it had been retaliation from black market traders.

Since he had been injured, he went to the hospital for treatment. His phone had been damaged during the fight, so he hadn't received Captain Chen's call.

Every explanation sounded reasonable. Even when asked which hospital he had gone to for treatment, Xiao Zhenggong answered clearly. He had prepared in advance.

When Captain Chen asked him about his injuries, he brushed it off. After the meeting, he said he would return to the crime scene to check for any missed clues. Captain Chen gave his approval.

Not long after Xiao Zhenggong left, Chen Changrui suddenly frowned.

At first, Xiao Zhenggong's explanation sounded reasonable. However, the more Chen Changrui thought about it, the more something felt off.

If the black market traders truly wanted revenge against the Dark Star Bureau, Xiao Zhenggong shouldn't have been their target.

Since joining the Dark Star Bureau, Xiao Zhenggong had never taken part in any black market investigations. He had no reason to have offended those traders.

After a brief moment of thought, Captain Chen called Blockhead over and lowered his voice. "Go to the cultural center and see what Xiao Zhenggong is really doing. No matter what happens, don't make a scene. Just come back and report everything to me."

***

Blockhead drove to the cultural center. The scene had already been sealed off, but Xiao Zhenggong was nowhere in sight.

Where did Xiao Zhenggong go? Blockhead thought for a moment, then restarted the car and drove away from the cultural center.

***

At Yuezhou Third Hospital, the nurse had just finished changing the bedsheets and helped He Jiaqing back onto the bed.

Xiao Zhenggong pushed the door open and walked in. He smiled at the nurse and said, "You can leave now."

The nurse looked stunned. "How can that be? The patient is still here."

Xiao Zhenggong's smile did not fade, but his voice lowered. "I told you to leave."

The nurse shuddered. It felt as if an invisible weight pressed down on her entire body, making it hard to breathe.

She did not dare delay for even a moment and immediately left the ward.

Xiao Zhenggong pulled over a chair and sat beside He Jiaqing's bed.

After a long silence, Xiao Zhenggong asked softly, "You want to kill me?"

He Jiaqing lay on the bed without moving.

Xiao Zhenggong patted He Jiaqing's face. "If you want to kill me, then do it. I am right here. Don't just lie there playing dead."

He Jiaqing still did not move.

Xiao Zhenggong stood up and said, "It is because of Zhao Xiaowan, isn't it? You aren't willing to yield, right? Let me tell you the truth. I do have Zhao Xiaowan. If you want her, come and take her!

"Stand up and fight me. As long as you have the guts to make a move, I will give Zhao Xiaowan to you. You won't move, huh? Then don't blame me for being ruthless. Since you like lying down so much, I will make sure you lie there for the rest of your life."

Xiao Zhenggong took a coin from his pocket and raised his hand, about to flick it toward He Jiaqing's forehead.

Just then, a voice came from outside the door. "Deputy Xiao, what brings you here?"

Xiao Zhenggong turned and saw Blockhead standing in the doorway.

"You are here too," Xiao Zhenggong said, not surprised in the least. "I was about to ask you the same. What are you doing here?"

Blockhead remained calm. "I came to check on He Jiaqing. I have been following this case the whole time."

"Right... You have been following it. I just realized that you have been following this case for a little too long." Xiao Zhenggong said as he held the coin between his fingers, rubbing it lightly as if he might flick it at Blockhead at any moment.

Blockhead took half a step back. "Deputy Xiao, calm down. Captain Chen sent me."

"Captain Chen told you to come running to the hospital every day? You really are diligent. I'm not as diligent as you. Yesterday's black market investigation was supposed to be nothing more than a formality, yet it turned into such a mess.

"I kept thinking about it all night. How did He Jiaqing know I was going to the black market? How did he arrange an ambush in the cinema ahead of time? Who leaked the information?"

Author's Note:

PS: Don't underestimate Boss Xiao. He fought his way up through blood and chaos as well. Li Banfeng himself did not expect that the Exploding Tiger spear would stir up so much trouble.