Chapter Fourteen: A Master of Martial Arts
County Office.
Wang Hongbo, the newly appointed magistrate of Qingshan County, wore a terrifyingly dark expression.
Just yesterday, he had been brimming with confidence, leading a group to survey the river and plan great undertakings, feeling the proud rush of spring wind and galloping steeds.
Suddenly, an urgent report arrived: his son-in-law, whom he had praised countless times, had been beaten to death in broad daylight, right in his own residence!
This was not just the murder of his son-in-law—it was a slap squarely across his face!
Intolerable!
If he did not avenge this humiliation, how would the powerful families of Qingshan view him?
If he could not swiftly and decisively deal with the murderer, he might as well give up his position in Qingshan.
Thus, without a moment’s hesitation, Wang Hongbo hurried back to Qingshan County at full speed.
There he saw the bodies of his son-in-law and two household servants.
What’s that?
You ask about the killer?
Why, the culprit had walked right out the front gate in broad daylight!
The moment Wang Hongbo heard this, his face flushed as dark as pig’s liver.
He kept a house full of servants, several robust guards.
Yet when an intruder came, killed the master of the house, not only did they fail to subdue the madman, they even let him walk away unhindered?
This was more than just humiliation; it was an outright declaration that they were all a pack of useless cowards!
And he, the father-in-law, was shamed along with them!
“Father, you must take justice for me!”
His two-hundred-pound daughter clung to his arm, wailing so loudly that the pages on his desk trembled with the sound.
Wang Hongbo was driven nearly mad by her howling. “Enough, enough! Your husband is gone—find a good family and remarry. I will investigate this to the end; no matter who did it, I will not let him go!”
“Really?”
His two-hundred-pound daughter’s eyes lit up, her tears ceasing instantly. “I heard Liu Sanyuan is extraordinarily handsome and talented, Father, if you try a little harder...”
“Out! Out! Out!”
Wang Hongbo was nearly beside himself with laughter and fury.
You, with your hopes set on Liu Sanyuan?
Never mind his illustrious family background—just his unmatched academic achievements would make him far beyond the reach of a mere county magistrate’s son-in-law.
Let alone the fact that his daughter was now a widow. True, some men favor widows, but even then, one must consider their own standing first, mustn’t one?
Instead of dreaming that his daughter might catch Liu Sanyuan’s eye, he might as well hope the princess herself preferred older, more mature men... at least that would be more likely.
“Master, the people you summoned have mostly arrived.”
Just then, a minor official hurried in to report.
“Very well.” Wang Hongbo composed himself, shooting his daughter a glare. “Go weep over your husband’s body, and make it loud.”
“But it’s a corpse...”
Disgust was plain on her face.
“Go!”
Wang Hongbo’s face grew stern.
“Fine, fine, I’ll go—what are you yelling for?”
Her two-hundred-pound frame shuffled over to Li Licheng’s corpse, collapsing atop it with the force of a falling mountain, making Wang Hongbo’s heart skip a beat.
The next moment, a wail so piercing and grand it seemed to shake the rafters rang out, its echoes lingering long after.
“All right, bring the guests in.”
Wang Hongbo waved his hand, and the minor official went to announce them.
Thus, when Ji Yun entered, he saw what looked like a bear sprawled on the ground weeping. Looking closer, he realized it was, in fact, a person.
“I am new to Qingshan and have not been here long. Forgive me for troubling you all today.”
At the head seat, Wang Hongbo clasped his hands in greeting, his tone quite polite.
“Nonsense—an invitation from the magistrate is an honor.”
“Indeed, I even turned down a banquet to come at once.”
“May I ask, what is it the magistrate wishes of us?”
Besides Ji Yun, several others had been summoned—familiar faces of Qingshan County.
There were the heads of various martial arts schools, as well as several figures who, while officially managing businesses, secretly ran the underworld factions.
Either they had martial strength, or a keen ear for news.
The Ji family’s escort agency was certainly their peer, and just as Ji Yun suspected, the magistrate did not seem out for trouble.
“Gentlemen, please look!”
Wang Hongbo rose from his seat, pointing to his daughter, who was wailing as if heartbroken. “This is my beloved daughter, who lost her husband just yesterday!
A madman broke into the Li residence in broad daylight and murdered my son-in-law!”
“What? Such a thing happened?”
“Who was it?”
“Has the criminal been caught?”
A few in attendance, not yet aware of the situation, reacted with surprise.
Wang Hongbo raised both hands, calming the room before continuing: “Alas, the servants and guards my son-in-law kept were useless. After killing, the madman simply walked out in broad daylight!”
“Ah...”
The assembled guests gasped, momentarily at a loss for words.
“However, after rigorous... ahem, after questioning the household staff, we learned a few things about the culprit. His martial arts skills are extraordinary.
But as I am a man of officialdom, my understanding of the martial world is limited. Thus, I have invited you all to help determine just how skilled this murderer is.”
Wang Hongbo descended from his seat. “The bodies of the three killed are here—please examine them.”
“Forgive us for the intrusion...”
“No matter, I am determined to see justice done for them!”
The martial artists, Ji Yun included, approached to examine the injuries of the corpses.
After they had finished, one man, dignified with age, spoke up: “To be frank, all three died swiftly, especially the two guards, who were killed with a single thrust through the heart—clean and efficient, leaving little to be discerned.
As for your son-in-law... several ribs broken, internal organs displaced and damaged—a sign the killer has profound mastery of external martial arts.”
“Indeed, indeed.”
The others all concurred, Ji Yun nodding in agreement.
The deaths were too swift, leaving no sign of struggle, each felled by a single blow—a clear message to any with eyes to see.
“How does his skill compare to Master Guo?”
Wang Hongbo turned to the speaker—the head of the Guo family martial school, a man past sixty, whose family had run the school for a century, even longer than the Ji family’s escort agency. Many of Qingshan’s powers had ties to the Guo school; they were truly one of the local powers.
“Well...”
Master Guo hesitated.
He had killed before, but never with such ruthless efficiency—two strong men trained in martial arts among them.
In a straight fight, he would prevail, but if he were to do as this madman had—entering the Li residence alone in broad daylight, striking down Li Licheng, and leaving unharmed...
Even if he imagined himself as his younger self, he doubted he would have had the courage or audacity.
“To be honest, I am not his equal.”
Master Guo admitted after a pause, then changed tack: “With such skill, there are few in all of Qingshan who could compare. Could it be your son-in-law inadvertently offended some martial master, drawn here by an auspicious sign of fate?”