“The Empress Dowager... she just can’t stand Bai Changkong, it’s like she’s deliberately making things difficult for him.”
“Are you saying someone’s already guessed that Bai Lu, that girl, is in trouble?”
“They’re really going all out.”
“Well, it’s not surprising. When I was dining with the Son of Heaven at the Nine-Bend Garden, I heard that the Chief Minister forced his way into the palace and took Yu Sandou away—right from the Empress Dowager’s side.”
“My guess might not be totally accurate, after all, even if I count my previous life, I’ve only lived a few years.”
“But I figure the Chief Minister Gongyang Xu and those civil officials must be teaming up to bully the Empress Dowager... A bunch of old men gang up against a woman who’s lost her husband. Of course, she’s not going to just sit back and take it!”
Ah Hu blindly followed beside Lu Qian, staring at him with wide, vacant eyes.
Lu Qian’s muttering was a bit too mysterious for him.
What Empress Dowager? What civil officials? Bullying a woman?
Too complicated, didn’t understand a single word.
Ah Hu patted his muscular, knotted chest and asked in a muffled voice, “Brother Qian, have you ever seen the Son of Heaven? What does he look like? My father said the Son of Heaven in Zuzhou is the strongest man alive.”
“The strongest must have the biggest fists. Is he bigger than me?”
“Huh?” Lu Qian turned and looked at Ah Hu, who was at least a foot and a half taller than him, maybe almost two, and shook his head. “Don’t worry. You’re the biggest guy I’ve ever seen... and your fists are the biggest too.”
“The Son of Heaven’s fists aren’t actually that big himself, but he has many, many people with huge, tough fists around him. Because of that, he’s the strongest man alive...”
After thinking a moment, Lu Qian said seriously, “One of the strongest, maybe.”
“This world’s been peaceful for over ten years, and I’m starting to lose track. Before, under the Dayin dynasty’s system, even if the Empress Dowager held power behind the curtain, the Son of Heaven should’ve been the strongest.”
“But now even female ghosts are showing up, and I can’t figure out what’s really going on in this world.”
“Is that so? Female ghosts stronger than the Son of Heaven?” Ah Hu muttered softly, then shivered violently. “Are there really ghosts?”
‘Clap clap clap.’ Loud applause rang out, and several burly figures lined up to block the path ahead.
Lu Qian was leading Ah Hu back to the Survey Division’s base.
Ah Hu’s huge build gave him immense brute strength, but his worst weakness was agility — so Lu Qian didn’t dare take shortcuts by hopping along walls with him.
They walked north along the narrow alley beside the Bai family mansion’s east side.
The alley was over twenty feet wide.
On the west side was the Bai family’s home; on the east side was the residence of another important court official.
Both sides rose four to five zhang high with courtyard walls.
The street was paved with bluestone, and white walls with black tiles lined both sides of the spotless narrow alley.
There wasn’t a soul in sight this early morning.
The six men blocking their way were all tall, sturdy fellows, around eight or nine feet tall.
Though it was winter, they wore sleeveless leather jackets with their chest buttons undone, revealing muscular, hairy chests.
They bared their teeth in grins as they stared at Lu Qian and Ah Hu.
Lu Qian froze for a moment.
He shook the heavy, roughly wrapped bundle in his hand and smiled, “Ah Hu, were you followed coming here? Looks like they want to rob us?”
Footsteps approached from behind.
A few more strong men hurried over, closing off the alley to trap Lu Qian and Ah Hu.
Lu Qian suddenly laughed, “I was wrong. Not a robbery—revenge.”
“Avenging old grudges.”
A hoarse chuckle came from behind as a big man pushed a wheelchair forward several steps.
Xiong Dingtian sat in the wheelchair, grinning wickedly at Lu Qian, “You bookworms only know your books, huh? You think this is just avenging grudges, Lu Qian! You made things hard for me; if not for the heir and the Ministry of Justice’s ties, I’d have been ruined, my family broken!”
Lu Qian turned to look at Xiong Dingtian seriously, “But back then in that alley, you really looked like you were colluding with rebels. Tsk, I truly admire the Ministry of Justice’s efficiency. In such a short time, you cleared your name and got released?”
“Or maybe the chief minister bent the rules for you?”
Xiong Dingtian’s gaze darkened as he stared at Lu Qian, “Whether he bent the rules or not is not my concern. But now that I’m out, Lu Qian, your good days are over.”
He coughed heavily.
His face, almost destroyed by Leshan’s beating, twitched.
He bit his teeth and snarled, “Come on, kneel down. Crawl here on your knees, lick my feet, call me grandpa, beg for mercy.”
“You handled all that smoothly and skillfully. Made me feel great. Now I’ll make sure you die a painful death.”
Xiong Dingtian laughed brightly, despite his ruined hands and legs trembling slightly.
His arms shook, and surprisingly, he lifted both arms off the wheelchair’s armrests.
Lu Qian’s eyes narrowed.
He clearly remembered that both of Xiong Dingtian’s arms were completely useless—the bones shattered, torn through the muscles, about seventy to eighty percent of his bones were gone, and there was no way his arms should be capable of any movement again.
Yet here he was... actually raising his arms in front of Lu Qian, shaky but real, pointing fiercely at him.
“Did you use some kind of elixir?” Lu Qian instinctively blinked rapidly.
Xiong Dingtian smiled arrogantly, then turned to the sturdy men at his side and said in a low, humble voice, “This guy—he’s got the sharp tongue and won’t beg me for mercy... Brothers, please help kill him and his lackeys slowly and painfully.”
Grinding his teeth, Xiong Dingtian snarled, “He even became the head of the Survey Division? His base is just across the street up ahead. After tearing this guy to pieces, take care of his lackeys too.”
“The heir was good to me. This is the last job I do for him, gotta do it right and give the heir a perfect explanation.”
“No big deal.”
A nearly ten-foot-tall man, only a couple of inches shorter than Ah Hu but appearing much leaner compared to Ah Hu’s bulky frame, shook his head hard.
His body emitted cracking sounds like exploding popcorn.
Tendons vibrated intensely; bones struck each other; his internal organs surged with overwhelming energy, producing a low rumbling like thunder.
The man leisurely took one step after another toward Lu Qian.
His muscles rippled, swelling rapidly, especially his palms, which expanded to more than twice their usual size.
A faint golden hue shimmered on the skin of his fingers.
With two sharp ‘clang’ sounds, his palms struck each other, echoing like metal clashing.
Ah Hu growled deeply, his eyes veiled with a blood-red tint.
He stretched out his arms and took heavy steps forward, “Ha, big guy, looks like you can fight. I and you...”
Before Ah Hu could finish, the big man slapped his palm toward him.
Ah Hu roared and punched the man’s palm.
A tremendous crash echoed.
Ah Hu’s arm twisted painfully, and he staggered back seven or eight paces before sitting heavily on the ground.
“Brother Qian, be careful! This guy’s strength is weirdly strong.” Ah Hu’s face was bright red as he shouted urgently.
“Is your arm okay?” Lu Qian looked anxiously at Ah Hu’s distorted limb.
“Fine, bone’s fine. Just dislocated.” Ah Hu gritted his teeth, stood up, shook his upper body hard, and with brute force snapped his arm joint back into place.
‘Crack, crack’ sounds rang out as Ah Hu gasped for breath, then spread both arms wide to block Lu Qian’s path.
“Not bad, kid. You’ve got a brother who’d die alongside you.” The big man with golden palms smiled broadly. “Since we’ve got this bond, I’ll make sure you die a painful death.”
The big man smiled at Lu Qian and Ah Hu, then even had the leisure to turn around and rebuke Xiong Dingtian, “Brother Xiong, we’re not some evil demons. It’s just revenge. Killing is killing; chopping someone up isn’t necessary if it can be helped.”
Xiong Dingtian looked very respectful toward this man and hurriedly said, “Brother’s right; you’re in charge of everything.”
The big man laughed, then raised both hands, “Enough talk, let’s settle this quickly.”
His smile vanished.
He muttered a low chant, ‘Demonic Suppression’.
A faint golden light bloomed on his palms as he brought them one in front of the other, slowly covering Ah Hu and Lu Qian.
Ah Hu’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the man’s palms.
There's something ghostly about those hands.
The more he looked, the bigger they seemed to grow; what appeared to be slowly descending palms suddenly turned in an instant into two golden five-finger mountains, as if encompassing and crushing this entire space with overwhelming force.
No way to dodge, nowhere to hide.
Ah Hu’s eyes bloodshot as his body shook violently.
Staring at those palms, he screamed hoarsely, “It’s a ghost!”
The golden palms pressed against Ah Hu’s chest.
Although their distance from his flesh was just a single inch, the terrifying strength crushed into his chest, leaving two clear palm prints, sunken three fen deep.
Lu Qian acted swiftly.
He grabbed Ah Hu’s belt, swung his massive body aside, tossing him against the wall of the alley before stepping forward to meet the big man’s palms head-on.
He raised his right hand and waved his palm.
A pale blue aura of primal energy enveloped his arm.
From his palm came a faint roaring like crashing waves.
Xiong Dingtian, sitting in his wheelchair, sneered disdainfully, "Cang Hai Power, Surging Tide Fist... Lu Qian, you’re no match for me, let alone my senior brother…”
Lu Qian flicked his palm, and a streak of bluish wind sprang from it.
The wind was swift and sharp.
Like a flying blade, it sliced lightly across the big man’s neck.
With a faint tearing of flesh and bone, Lu Qian’s breeze cut through more than half his neck, and blood sprayed from the wound.
Lu Qian’s Surging Tide Fist followed up with a sharp strike. ‘Bang!’ The man’s entire head, along with the thin injury on his neck, shattered into a mist of blood, leaving no trace behind.
(End of chapter)