Chapter Fifteen: Absolutely Impossible

As soon as Master Guo made his pronouncement, the entire hall fell into silence.

Celestial phenomena—such things were not so rare. At least in recent decades, such omens appeared every year within the borders of the Qi Kingdom. Some claimed these were signs from Heaven, portents of fortune and blessings. Others believed they heralded the impending appearance of an immortal’s abode, omens of hidden sanctuaries soon to be revealed. There were even those who insisted the visions were Heaven’s condemnation, signs of ill fortune sent because the ruler of Qi was unjust.

These three explanations were the most widespread and influential. Regardless of which version one believed, there was never a shortage of adherents. Because of this, many began to chase after these celestial omens, hoping thereby to seize a chance for immortality. As the phenomena appeared with increasing frequency, the entire realm of Qi grew restless with anticipation.

Ordinarily, discussion of such matters was forbidden, yet there was one consequence that could not be ignored: the omens in Qi had drawn many powerful outsiders—warriors who did not belong to the kingdom. These men and women arrived with dreams of transcendence, hoping to discover the path to greater strength or even immortality. Lawless and powerful, they held no fear of the laws of Qi; some acted solely according to their whims, and most traveled alone. The experts cultivated within Qi itself were simply too few and too weak to counter these interlopers. In terms of true martial prowess, the combined might of the kingdom was no match for these fortune-seekers from afar.

It took a certain self-awareness not to venture recklessly thousands of miles across borders into an unfamiliar land, seeking the chance to become an immortal. Moreover, the range of these phenomena was unpredictable; all that could be known was that they descended from the sky. The foreign experts who arrived in Qi could not search the heavens themselves and so, like locusts, they spread out over the land, seeking their fortunes as best they could.

Who could say whether, by a stroke of luck, one might stumble upon a destiny fallen from the heavens? In that case, it was not impossible for such a person to wander into Qingshan County. Indeed, not only Qingshan, but even the most remote and desolate forests would be combed by those unwilling to give up hope.

“If it was truly a powerful outsider drawn by a celestial omen, I fear avenging your young master will be no easy task…”

“Indeed. Such people move unpredictably, obsessed only with seeking their fate. Many are eccentric, but their skills are formidable.”

“If he kills and flees elsewhere, there’s nothing to be done.”

The martial experts invited by Wang Hongbo began to voice their opinions one after another.

Qingshan was certainly a prosperous county, but everything depends on your point of comparison.

How could a modest Qingshan County possibly stand against top-tier fighters from foreign lands? It would be sheer folly.

Giving the magistrate face was one thing; risking one’s life was another.

“Impossible!”

Wang Hongbo’s face darkened as he noticed the guests’ reluctance and their growing wish to leave. He clapped his hands sharply.

At once, a clerk entered carrying a portrait, accompanied by the Li family’s guest expert, whose swollen face was nearly unrecognizable.

“Gentlemen, see for yourselves—this is the likeness of the culprit. Such a young man could not possibly be a foreign martial master! This man here, the Li family’s guest, was at my son-in-law’s side when it happened and witnessed everything with his own eyes!”

Wang Hongbo spoke resolutely, “Please examine the portrait. Does anyone recognize him?”

The clerk carried the painting before each man, and they all studied it carefully. Even those unwilling to champion the magistrate’s cause wanted to know this man; better to be cautious than to offend a dangerous stranger in ignorance.

Ji Yun leaned in as well, scrutinizing the scroll for a few moments. He nearly burst out laughing.

He could tell at a glance that the subject was indeed Master Xu—though only because he’d heard of him from his own son and recognized him in truth. As for how closely the portrait actually resembled Master Xu? Even though the artist had tried to capture him as dashing and had included his signature white robes, the likeness captured perhaps a third of Master Xu’s true bearing, and none of his extraordinary spirit. No mere painting could do him justice.

To seek a man based on this image? Would they arrest every handsome young man in white?

Besides, considering Master Xu’s obvious martial skill, few would dare approach him lightly.

When the portrait had been shown to all, the battered Li family guest expert stepped forward and, in a muffled voice, began to recount the events he had witnessed.

Naturally, his account came with embellishments: how Li Licheng had been gracious and courteous, how the culprit was a heartless fiend—arrogant beyond measure. He was eager to paint himself as a mere bystander, caught up accidentally in the violence.

Yet however he tried to spin the story, there were two facts that could not be disguised. In a single movement, Li Licheng was struck down, dead on the spot. And when the household guards and retainers rushed to the commotion, they were routed in an instant.

When he finished, it was Master Guo who spoke first, his gaze strange. “Wait—did you say the man was extremely young?”

“Yes,” the Li family guest nodded emphatically. Such an impressive figure, once seen, was impossible to forget. “He looked no more than twenty, perhaps a little older.”

“Impossible—absolutely impossible!” Master Guo shook his head repeatedly, his tone more certain than ever.

“How so?” Wang Hongbo pressed him.

“As described, this villain displayed astonishing external martial arts. With a single blow, he killed your young master without resistance and snapped several iron-reinforced staves in an instant. Most astonishing, he slew two guards using only two fingers, snapping a hundred-times-forged blade and then killing with the blade itself! Such strength is beyond imagination. Without fifty or sixty years of dedicated training in external arts, who could achieve such feats?”

Master Guo was visibly agitated. “That was a hundred-times-forged blade! It could cleave ordinary weapons like vegetables—how could anyone break it with their bare fingers?”

“But he truly was that young. Besides myself, many from the Li family saw him. If you don’t believe me, you may ask them yourself,” the guest expert hastened to protest.

“Bring in the broken staves and the shattered blade!” Wang Hongbo ordered, his face thunderous.

These items, of course, he had already had brought for evidence.

The crowd pressed forward to examine the ruined sword. The fracture was smooth and clean—anyone unaware might have thought it had been severed by some magical weapon.

Could it really have been snapped in two by nothing but a man’s fingers?

A skeptic picked up the broken blade, gripping its spine tight and straining to break it again, wondering if perhaps the Li family had bought defective weapons.

Yet no matter how much force he applied, the hundred-times-forged blade did not budge. It didn’t so much as show another chip or crack, let alone break again.