Chapter 58 Mere Child's Play

Qiu Zhuo was greatly startled upon hearing this, unsure whether the statement was true or false.

However, seeing Bao Chao's expression as calm as still water, he figured that anyone by Elder Yang's side could hardly be a careless individual.

He therefore hurriedly spoke up:

"I... I will go summon the bailiffs to guard Elder Yang!"

With someone actually daring to sneak into the county office, vigilance had to be heightened regardless.

Yang Jingye, however, said with disdain:

"Brainless!"

"What use could those few useless bailiffs in your wretched county office possibly be?"

"You still haven't witnessed grand scenes, nor do you possess the composure to remain unflinching in times of crisis."

"Come back here and continue drinking tea with me. Today, I shall broaden your horizons."

Though panic lingered in his heart, Qiu Zhuo could only return to Yang Jingye's side with trepidation.

He swept his gaze across the room. Bao Chao stood by the door, unmoving as a mountain. The four maidservants were still attentively serving Yang Jingye, showing not the slightest trace of panic.

Yet he, a dignified magistrate, appeared the most flustered of all.

This left Qiu Zhuo feeling ashamed and, at the same time, harboring a faint sense of dread.

Sensing Qiu Zhuo's apprehension, Yang Jingye laughed aloud and said:

"Rest assured, Mister Bao alone can withstand an army of thousands!"

"Just wait and watch how Mister Bao deals with these petty scoundrels nowadays. By the way, you aren't afraid of the sight of blood, are you?"

Qiu Zhuo started, raising his head to look.

He saw Yang Jingye leaning back in his chair, having already adopted the air of someone watching a play.

Nearby, a maidservant brought over a small dish filled with dried fruit kernels and thoughtfully replaced the old tea with a fresh brew.

A flash of lightning suddenly tore across the vast expanse of the sky.

"Rumble—!!!"

A rolling sequence of muffled thunder descended, shaking the rafters as if with a violent tremor.

Bao Chao suddenly called out in a loud voice:

"Since you are here, show yourselves."

"Why bother concealing your heads and tails only to invite ridicule?"

Bao Chao's voice rang out so abruptly that Qiu Zhuo failed to react in time to know whom he was addressing.

Yet the very next moment.

Three figures descended from the roof on one side, landing steadily in the small courtyard.

Cloaked by the curtain of rain, their faces were masked with strips of cloth.

One could only discern that they were two men and a woman.

These three were none other than Yan Ju, Yun Liao, and Hua Lanyue.

Through the rain curtain, they too gazed into the study.

Upon clearly seeing the occupants inside, their hearts skipped a beat.

"To think this old bastard came here in person?!"

The three had entered the city somewhat later than the Yang family's convoy. When they finally located the convoy after entering the city, they found it parked right outside the gates of the county office.

Clearly, the important figures within the convoy had already stepped inside the building.

This had temporarily prevented the three from determining the exact identity of the visiting members of the Yang family.

Yet at that moment, they discovered that the guards of the Yang family convoy were departing one after another, seemingly on a separate mission.

This filled the three with great joy, making them believe it was a heaven-sent opportunity to assassinate the members of the Yang family.

Therefore, they had decisively sneaked into the yamen to search for the whereabouts of their targets.

Now, however, the reality before them had plunged their hearts straight into freezing depths.

"Even Bao Chao is here! This is turning out poorly."

Yan Ju and his companions felt trapped in a difficult dilemma.

Having been discovered the moment they approached, attempting to escape now would prove exceptionally difficult.

Although Bao Chao had yet to make a move, his mere presence standing right there inflicted immense psychological pressure upon the three.

Facing Bao Chao, they could not even muster the will to fight!

Bao Chao smiled coldly:

"The three of you should not have come."

Naturally, Yan Ju and his companions agreed with that sentiment.

But by now, it was far too late.

"Go—!!!"

Yan Ju shouted at the top of his lungs.

Things having reached this stage, escaping was their only remaining path to survival.

Yun Liao and Hua Lanyue instantly moved, attempting to leap back up onto the roof.

In a flash, Bao Chao vanished from inside the study:

"Want to leave? It's not that easy!"

His legs seemed capable of generating boundless strength. Moving with astonishing speed, he threatened to overtake Yun Liao and Hua Lanyue as they attempted to flee.

Yan Ju roared in fury:

"You two just go! I'll cover the rear!"

Drawing a nine-ring broadsword from beneath his cloak, he charged swiftly to meet Bao Chao.

The nine copper rings set along the back of the blade vibrated violently.

"Hum— hum— hum— hum— hum!"

The thunderous roar of the vibration was terrifyingly loud, seeming almost to capture one's soul.

Leveraging his legs, Yan Ju spun around and delivered a horizontal slash toward Bao Chao.

The strike was immensely heavy and forceful, as though it could cleave the very curtain of rain asunder.

A look of contempt surfaced in Bao Chao's eyes:

"The Trembling Thunder Blade? So you really are whelps from the Guiyi Sect!"

Hearing this, Qiu Zhuo inside the study felt a fierce jolt in his chest.

The Guiyi Sect!

Within the borders of Qingzhou, the two largest martial sects were the Senluo Sect and the Guiyi Sect.

Matched evenly in strength, the two sects harbored thoroughly hostile relations.

Locked in relentless competition, they had long been a source of massive headaches for both the prefecture office and the Six Fan School.

Later on, hearing that Lord Han was passionate about befriending martial artists, the Senluo Sect chose to pledge allegiance to him.

Bolstered by Lord Han's influence and resources, the Senluo Sect gradually gained the upper hand over the Guiyi Sect.

Naturally refusing to be outdone, the Guiyi Sect decisively threw its support behind the Earl of Rui'an, the father of another imperial concubine.

As a peerage holder, the Earl of Rui'an had always looked down upon Lord Han, who originated from commoner stock. While their daughters contended for favor within the palace walls, the factions outside engaged in open and covert struggles.

This caused the rivalry between the Senluo Sect and the Guiyi Sect to grow increasingly fierce.

Qiu Zhuo never imagined their conflict would spill all the way into his own county office.

Meanwhile, the battle on the other side continued.

As Yan Ju's nine-ring broadsword swept across horizontally, Bao Chao raised a single leg and brought it crashing down with immense force.

His sole landed squarely on the flat of the blade, driving the heavy weapon straight into the ground.

"Bang—!!!"

Yan Ju felt a tremendous force transmitting through the blade; when it struck the floor, it smashed the paving stones into powder.

The webbing between his thumb and forefinger split open, oozing fresh blood amid excruciating pain.

"Such formidable legwork!"

Though shocked by his opponent's power, Yan Ju did not lose heart over a single failed exchange.

He had never expected to defeat a genuine master like Bao Chao; buying a brief moment to allow his junior martial siblings to escape was all he needed!

Yet who could have anticipated that after driving the blade down with a single stomp, Bao Chao would use the recoil to launch his body upward once more?

Like a nimble crane, he soared instantly into midair.

"The Spirited Crane Stride!"

Yan Ju gasped in shock.

In the blink of an eye, Bao Chao had flown high into the air, closing in behind the retreating Yun Liao and Hua Lanyue.

Reaching out with a massive hand, Bao Chao grabbed Hua Lanyue by her long hair and jerked it violently.

"Ah—!!!"

Hua Lanyue shrieked in agony as clusters of blood beads burst forth from her scalp.

If this continued, her entire scalp would likely be ripped clean off by Bao Chao.

Reacting instantly, Hua Lanyue waved her hand, drawing the twin butterfly daggers from her waist. With one blade she severed her own long hair, while the other slashed fiercely toward Bao Chao.

"The Converging Palm Blade? It seems you are also a whelp of the Guiyi Sect!"

Using his bare palm like a blade, Bao Chao launched a fierce chopping strike.

Before Hua Lanyue's butterfly daggers could touch him, his palm-blade struck her shoulder blade squarely.

"Crack—!!!"

Accompanied by a crisp snap, Hua Lanyue's shoulder blade was instantly fractured.

Bao Chao's immense strength hurled her straight down from the eaves into the courtyard, where she crashed heavily into the puddles of rainwater.

Just as Bao Chao's momentum from the strike momentarily waned, a figure silently materialized behind him.

It was Yun Liao!

Remaining entirely silent and holding his breath, he sought to deliver a fatal blow to Bao Chao.

Without even turning his head, Bao Chao sneered:

"Insignificant tricks!"

His body jerked sharply as internal energy surged wildly throughout his frame.

Then, he kicked backward with a fierce snap of his leg.

Judging by the distance, that kick should never have been able to reach Yun Liao.

Yet a bizarre phenomenon occurred.

A formidable shockwave erupted from Bao Chao's kick, spanning half a zhang to violently strike Yun Liao squarely in the chest.

A pinnacle expert of the fifth rank was capable of projecting internal energy outside the body to injure targets from a distance.

This particular strike of the Senluo leg technique concentrated internal energy entirely within the leg to unleash devastating force from afar.

"Puff!"

A footprint instantly manifested on Yun Liao's chest as he spewed a mouthful of blood and crashed heavily to the ground beside Hua Lanyue.

The entire battle had transpired in the span of merely ten breaths.

Fighting three opponents single-handedly, Bao Chao had effortlessly crushed them with overwhelming dominance.

None of the three had managed to withstand even a single move from Bao Chao.

And that...

Was the outcome despite Bao Chao holding back from delivering fatal blows.

Had he intended to kill from the outset, only three corpses would now remain in the small courtyard.

Bao Chao slowly descended from midair back into the courtyard.

Supporting the injured Hua Lanyue and Yun Liao, Yan Ju retreated in terror.

"The three of us are likely... going to perish here today."