Clang!
Sparks flew from the fierce clash of long blades.
The burly man was quite confident in his own strength; as a core member of the Qinghe gang, no ordinary Patrol Guard was his match.
This was also why he could break through and escape under siege.
As long as the Patrol Captain didn't strike, he feared no one.
However, with this blow, he felt a sudden pain in the web of his thumb and index finger, nearly losing his grip on the sword.
He was shocked; he hadn't expected this young Patrol Guard, seemingly inconspicuous, to wield such astonishing qi power.
Song Changming used up the power of his first slash, then stepped forward aggressively, letting out a low shout, with his arm suddenly straining again, turning the long blade to slash diagonally from above.
This overhead chop was extremely powerful.
The Great Strength Bull Demon Skill had forged him with immense qi power, while the Soul-breaking Saber granted him a cunning, tricky speed in striking.
The combination of the two made his strikes unbearable, even undodgeable, by ordinary martial artists.
The burly man obviously sensed this too; unable to evade, he could only widen his eyes, lift both arms to raise his blade in defense.
With a sharper clash, the burly man only felt a constriction in his chest, and his raised arms were fiercely pressed down.
Song Changming's long blade had half its edge embedded in the burly man's shoulder bone, causing blood to flow freely.
Then, Song Changming twisted the blade and swept it towards the burly man's neck, mere inches away.
These two strikes had already forced the burly man into a life-and-death situation.
The burly man kicked at Song Changming's chest and abdomen, leaning his upper body backward, narrowly avoiding Song Changming's slash.
"Hold on, we have no enmity! I'll give you all my money and possessions, spare me…" The burly man, in a cold sweat, realizing Song Changming's formidable strength, immediately attempted to beg for his life, hoping to negotiate his survival.
Song Changming's slicing action slowed somewhat after hearing this, giving the burly man a glimmer of hope, just as he was about to say more, Song Changming's blade suddenly accelerated.
From the moment the opponent brandished the blade at him, there was no possibility of a peaceful resolution.
Perhaps there was no previous animosity, but after crossing swords, that was nonsense—he would never let the opponent go.
In a flash, the burly man seemed to hear a ghostly wail in his ear, chilling to the heart.
In a daze, the blade light had already swept across his neck.
The burly man's head was neatly severed.
Song Changming flicked his long blade, a long streak of blood splattering on one side of the courtyard wall.
He exhaled deeply, gradually getting used to the killing.
Since his time on the job, he had experienced several skirmishes with enemies, but such a scene as tonight was a first for him.
He bent down and searched the headless corpse.
Soon, he found an object wrapped in a square cloth.
Unwrapping it, he found several pages of booklets.
Opening the first page, there was a marking.
"Bisho Silkworm Breeding"
"Bisho Silkworm?" Song Changming raised his eyebrows slightly.
He had thought it was some martial arts secret, but it turned out to be a guide on silkworm breeding.
This Bisho Silkworm was something he had heard of— a type of high-nutritional water creature.
It can be used in medicine to make pills, and its bodily fluids can be directly applied to the skin to speed up wound healing.
It can also be consumed directly, either raw or cooked, benefiting both martial artists and ordinary people in bodily restoration.
As it's seldom seen on the market and relatively rare, Bisho Silkworms have always maintained a high market value.
In Donglai County City, it seems that even a small Bisho Silkworm can be worth a few hundred to several strings of copper coins!
"If one could find a way to breed them, it could surely yield huge profits!" Song Changming quickly realized the value of the booklet in his hands.
Otherwise, a man with high standing and strength in the Qinghe gang like the burly man wouldn't have gone to the trouble of taking this booklet while fleeing.
After keeping the booklet safe, Song Changming continued searching the corpse.
Just when he found a money bag, another person flipped over the courtyard wall.
This person was none other than Wang Xianwen, who was about to give up the chase. Hearing the sounds of fighting outside the courtyard, he came to take a look.
He immediately saw Song Changming picking up the money bag.
"It's you!"
Wang Xianwen recognized Song Changming at a glance, his eyes narrowing immediately.
Back then, Sun Wenyan had wanted to remove him from his deputy position to make way for Song Changming.
He remembered this matter all too well.
Though he harbored resentment towards his superior, Sun Wenyan, he didn't dare to voice it.
And Song Changming had Liang Chuan Mountain as backup, leaving him no chance to trouble Song Changming or vent his inner frustration.
Meeting here now, seeing the burly man who escaped his grasp, fall under Song Changming's blade, annoyed him even further.
"Kid, you broke the rules, daring to so blatantly rob someone!" Wang Xianwen said coldly.
"Considering you're new here, hand over what's on him, and I'll let it slide this time."
"I'm just following orders; the man was killed by me, so it belongs to me as well," Song Changming replied calmly, weighing the money bag in his hand and tucking it into his chest.
Though he was reluctant to start trouble, he didn't wish to be seen as someone who only knew how to submit when faced with challenges.
Wang Xianwen might have Sun Wenyan backing him, but Song Changming has Liang Chuan Mountain. He only has one life; dead means gone, while Song Changming has a fallback plan, one life to spare, dying doesn't mean being gone forever.
In such a scenario, he couldn't think of any reason to suffer in silence or compromise.
Wang Xianwen's gaze instantly turned icy, his mouth cracking open, enunciating each word, "You're courting death!"
When had a mere newcomer dared to ride roughshod over him?
He glanced around; outside the courtyard walls, only the two of them were present.
The next moment, unable to contain himself, he drew his blade towards Song Changming.
As an experienced member of the Patrol Armor Bureau, he considered it within his rights to teach the newcomer a lesson and retrieve the money bag.
From his experience, as a core member of the Qinghe gang, the other party must have taken some of the gang's money before fleeing, and what was hidden on him would surely be a significant amount.
As Wang Xianwen drew his blade, Song Changming sensed the fierce blade momentum, indicating that Wang Xianwen also possessed Minor Achievement realm in sword skill.
To secure a deputy position, his strength had to surpass that of most Patrol Guards, or else he wouldn't have commanded respect.
"Stop!"
Just as Song Changming was about to strike again, a loud shout suddenly came.
Wang Xianwen reluctantly halted his blade momentum, not proceeding closer to Song Changming.
The newcomer was Lv Gang.
As Liang Chuan Mountain's deputy, his presence signaled to Wang Xianwen that retrieving the money bag wasn't going to happen.
"Wang Xianwen, with a mission at hand, you attack a newcomer from my team, are you suggesting our team is without people?" Lv Gang stepped in front of Song Changming, his expression icy, sternly rebuking.
"Hmph, it's your poor management. The target I was chasing halfway got stolen by him, how could I not be upset?" Wang Xianwen snorted coldly.
Lv Gang looked at Song Changming, seeking confirmation.
"When I saw him, he was breaking out alone, without a pursuer. I killed him, and it was only after that Deputy Wang arrived belatedly..." Song Changming briefly recounted the events.
As someone similarly experienced, Lv Gang knew exactly what was up, looking at Wang Xianwen with a knowing, amused expression.
"We both know what's happening here, so I won't say more. With me here, you won't succeed; there's plenty of loot around, why waste time here with us."
"Lv Gang, I'll remember this score. You'll have your turn coming up!" Wang Xianwen threw down harsh words, indeed not wanting to delay further, and flipped over the wall again to leave.