The moment Wang Ping aimed his arrowhead at the county yamen, Xu Bingzheng felt an icy killing intent lock onto him, his face alternating between livid blue and angry red.
"Foul soldier... utterly untrustworthy after all!"
Gritting his teeth, he glared at Wang Ping outside the yamen. The man's bearing and expression filled him with an intense, humiliating rage.
What sort of status did he possess? For a mere mud-legged peasant to dare point an arrow at him...
Yet he quickly suppressed his fury.
With his martial arts, he was confident he could deflect Wang Ping's arrow, but his condition was already poor. Forcibly stopping this shot would only aggravate his injuries further.
That was unacceptable to him.
Thus, in the very next second, he made a decisive choice, enduring the agonizing pain of worsening wounds to circulate his internal strength.
Almost simultaneously, Wang Ping released the string. Like a pebble dropping into a lake, visible ripples of shockwaves expanded around the arrow as it left the bow.
Silent and soundless, the entire courtyard fell utterly still.
Or rather, even sound had been left far behind by the strike. A draconic beam of arrow light surged toward the county yamen within a soundless world.
Yet at that exact moment, four figures stepped in front of the arrow. Though their four faces still bore shock and disbelief, their movements carried not the slightest hesitation. Using their flesh-and-blood bodies at external martial arts perfection as human shields, they forcefully ground away the blazing crimson light upon that arrow!
Except for Wang Ping, no one had time to react.
Including the four veteran constables at external martial arts perfection; their faces were etched with bewilderment even in death, completely unaware of why they had suddenly leapt forward.
Only Wang Ping knew the reason.
*The Heavenly Peng Dragon Seizing Physique Chart... That corrupt official wasn't lying after all. He really used thrall dragon strength to secretly turn these veteran constables into puppets.*
Rumble!
The arrow light shattered their formation, coating the ground in biting frost wherever it passed. After tearing through the bodies of the four veteran constables, its momentum did not cease, plunging straight into the deepest recesses of the county yamen.
Yet soon, Wang Ping seemed to sense something and sighed softly:
"Pity. I failed to slay the scoundrel."
Before his voice faded, the flesh all over his body ruptured in rapid succession. His vision darkened rapidly, and an overwhelming dizziness and exhaustion left him unable even to stand steady.
Immediately after, the main gates of the county yamen slowly pushed open. Xu Bingzheng paced out, clad in dignified official robes, clutching an arrow in his hand. Blood dripped steadily from the web between his thumb and forefinger, showing he had been wounded. Yet judging from his composed demeanor, his injury went no further than that.
"Fine archery. Have you perfected the Cloud-Piercing Sky-Shaking Bow?"
Xu Bingzheng stared at Wang Ping, who was surrounded on all sides and drenched in blood, and said in a heavy voice, "You were a fine talent, yet you threw your lot in with rebels. You have brought this upon yourself."
"Pardon me, my hearing isn't very good," Wang Ping said with a faint laugh, resting a hand on his saber hilt. "If the magistrate has something to say, pray step closer. Otherwise, I really can't hear you clearly."
Xu Bingzheng was speechless.
"The son of a wealthy house does not sit beneath the eaves," Xu Bingzheng sneered. "Failing to reach my presence is merely your lack of ability. There is no need for this official to accommodate you."
Though he spoke thus, his inner thoughts were far from as calm as his expression.
An arrow that had pierced through four heavily armored martial artists at external martial arts perfection and still retained the power to draw his blood... If he had faced it alone...
After many years, Xu Bingzheng once again felt a chill run down his spine.
What infuriated him even more was Wang Ping's expression. Clearly like a candle flickering in the wind with death imminent, Wang Ping did not show the faintest trace of fear on his face.
Could he still possess some desperate trump card?
At this thought, Xu Bingzheng, whose conduct had always been prudent, not only refrained from stepping forward, but even took a step back, positioning the surrounding constables in front of him as a shield.
Though the county yamen's constables had been reduced by nearly half after this battle, and all four veteran constables were dead, which would undoubtedly leave the court's hold over Longxing County even more precarious, Xu Bingzheng did not care in the slightest. Compared to that, his personal safety was the paramount matter concerning the court and the realm.
For his journey to Longxing County had been undertaken by secret imperial decree from the palace.
Carrying such a grave responsibility, his shoulders bore the hopes of all common people under heaven. If he were truly to die at the hands of an ignorant brute who failed to see the greater picture, how could the common people bear the cost?
Therefore, nothing was more important than his own survival.
Besides, by taking his place in death to save him, those rotten soldiers had died a worthy death.
After all, as everyone knew, though books always proclaimed that noble and base were equal, in this world, some lives were simply far more precious than others.
"What are you standing around for? Kill him at once!"
At Xu Bingzheng's command, the constables who had previously parted ways surrounded him once more, though still cautious, terrified that Wang Ping might lash out with a dying strike.
Seeing this, Wang Ping suddenly laughed.
"Hahaha!"
His laughter held not a hint of panic at impending death, but only uninhibited exhilaration.
On one hand, the two karmic ties of this life—Old Liu and Madam Su—had both been properly settled. Dying here in full view of the public meant neither of them would be implicated.
*On the other hand, breaking an army single-handedly is quite a heroic feat. Using the Classic of Great Peace to claim my own corpse after death ought to roll a decent scripture scroll, right?* Wang Ping thought with cheerful anticipation. This satisfied his conscience while yielding rewards—a truly complete and virtuous conclusion.
Aside from that, there was one more thing he looked forward to most.
"Hey, corrupt official."
In the next second, Wang Ping reached into his robes and produced a porcelain bottle. On its label were five flamboyant characters:
Heaven's Will Soul-Returning Pill.
"This is what you're after, isn't it?"
"Hold!" Xu Bingzheng raised his hand abruptly, stopping the constables in their tracks, his eyes shining brightly. "Hand over the elixir, and this official will spare your life."
"...Sure."
Wang Ping curled his lip into a grin and casually tossed the porcelain bottle into Xu Bingzheng's hand, laughing softly. "The pill is yours. Let's see if you dare swallow it."
Hearing those words, Xu Bingzheng's expression shifted continuously. He naturally understood Wang Ping's implication. After all, a label did not guarantee the contents. The jianghu was treacherous; heaven only knew what was inside this porcelain bottle. What if it was a lethal poison?
Yet he soon regained his composure.
"Why wouldn't I dare? This official can simply have someone test it. True or false, a single test will tell. If it is genuine, then well and good; if it is counterfeit..."
Here, Xu Bingzheng's gaze turned chillingly cold.
"...then it merely means you have already consumed it.
"When that time comes, I shall throw your corpse into a pill furnace and refine it anew as an ingredient. Believe me, you cannot digest the medicinal power of that pill."
With that, he stared intently at Wang Ping, hoping to catch even the faintest glimmer of fear on the man's face, but in the end, he saw only disdain.
"You think you will get my corpse?"
"What?"
Xu Bingzheng's heart jolted at those words, and he urged them on once more: "Attack, all of you! Whoever slays this man shall be the new chief constable, with a reward of one thousand taels of silver—"
Thud!
Before his words finished, Wang Ping drew his last breath and collapsed to his knees on the spot. His bones and sinews shattered, blood pouring out, and then, beneath the watchful eyes of the crowd—
He vanished.
The spilled blood remained, yet his flesh, skin, sinews, and bones were completely gone. Only a spread of bloodstained garments was left behind; the corpse had vanished without a trace!
Seeing this, Xu Bingzheng could no longer remain calm. He stepped forward on the spot, examining the scene with an ashen face. Every trace of his earlier smugness vanished, replaced by profound wariness. "A corpse vanishing... An anomaly. Could the evil spirit on Shouchong have taken an interest in him as well?"
At this thought, he lost all desire to pursue the matter further.
Or rather, this was not something he ought to trouble himself over.
Turning his gaze, he pointed casually to the constable with the highest martial arts among the survivors and said in a low voice, "From this day forth, you are the county yamen's new head constable."
"...Yes."
The chosen constable lowered his head and answered respectfully, sounding somewhat agitated, yet Xu Bingzheng caught a subtle hesitation and insincerity in his tone.
This made his expression darken further.
The impact Wang Ping had dealt him in this battle went far beyond that single arrow—or rather, that arrow had never been intended purely to kill him.
*More than killing, he sought to destroy morale and hearts.*
Xu Bingzheng understood. To block Wang Ping's desperate strike, he had not only exposed his ability to manipulate puppets, but also laid bare his personal character.
In short: the credit of subordinates belonged to the superior, while the faults of the superior fell upon the subordinates.
Everyone now knew that, in a moment of mortal peril, he was a man who would force his subordinates to block arrows for him. How could such a man ever earn anyone's loyalty?
*Forget it, it hardly matters.*
*I won't be stationed here permanently anyway. Madmen like Wang Ping who storm the yamen regardless of life and death are rare anomalies after all; there won't be a second.*
With that in mind, Xu Bingzheng dismissed the concern. Carrying the pill, he hurried back to the study in the county yamen and took the medicine from the bottle. To his eyes, it was a translucent bead like colored glaze; merely exposing it to the air infused the room with a fragrant herbal aroma.
"It looks genuine..."
His eyes grew covetous, and he swallowed hard. Yet he curbed the impulse, carefully using an implement to scrape off a thin layer of powder.
Immediately afterward, he summoned a yamen servant inside.
"Swallow this."
In the past, the servant would have swallowed it without hesitation. But this time, when Xu Bingzheng spoke, hesitation flickered across the servant's face.
That subtle shift instantly enraged Xu Bingzheng.
"Bastard!"
Before the word finished echoing, he slapped the servant across the face. Unwilling to waste further breath, he forced the powder directly down the man's throat.
Under Xu Bingzheng's expectant gaze, the servant dry-heaved for a moment, then fell to the floor in trembling terror. A full quarter-hour passed, yet there was not the slightest change in the man's body... Seeing this, Xu Bingzheng's eyes gleamed brighter and brighter.
"It is the real thing!"
Wang Ping had studied the effects of the Heaven's Will Soul-Returning Pill before and found nothing, precisely because consuming it produced no visible effect.
In truth, he had simply missed the point.
*If my mentor had not guided me beforehand, I might have been baffled as well. The Heaven's Will Soul-Returning Pill actually goes by another name in the imperial court.*
The elixir of longevity.
The reason taking it caused no immediate change was that its medicinal power worked upon the future. In short, a single pill granted ten years of lifespan!
"Just to be safe, let's cut a small piece."
Xu Bingzheng considered for a moment, shaved off a small chunk from the edge of the pill, and fed it to the servant again. This time, however, the servant suddenly clutched his throat.
Before long, the servant collapsed to the floor.
Dead of poison.
"A trick after all... It's the Gut-Severing Pill."
Xu Bingzheng's face turned livid. He examined it with great care, eventually paring down the longan-sized pill and scraping off a thick outer layer.
To test the medicine along the way, he poisoned three more servants to death before finally obtaining a fingernail-sized core. After testing proved it completely non-toxic and matching the description of the Heaven's Will Soul-Returning Pill, Xu Bingzheng breathed a sigh of relief and transferred it into a prized container.
"This medicine is exceedingly precious; it must still be presented to Master."
Though he coveted those ten years of life, he was in the prime of his years. Compared to lifespan, he craved advancement in rank so he could continue serving the common people.
With that, he waved a hand immediately.
"Someone! Fetch my golden-eyed eagle. Send this by express delivery to the Imperial Academy in the capital. Have Master Cheng consume it promptly, and tell him it is a token of filial devotion from his disciple..."
...
The following morning, the stench of blood had finally dissipated.
Household doors opened once again, and countless people were buzzing with discussion. Their conversation centered on only one topic: the great battle from the previous night that had swept through half the county town.
Rumors quickly spread from inside the city to the countryside beyond.
Seven days later, in the peach grove outside the city.
Madam Su had shed her skirts for mourning garments of white, sitting blankly upon a bluestone beside the stream.
Beside her, a slender young woman with a high ponytail and long legs recounted in a low voice the news she had gathered in and out of the city.
"I must admit, he was a ferocious and brave man.
"Though that final arrow before his death failed to slay that corrupt official, it struck a devastating blow to the hearts and minds of Longxing County, throwing the county town into deeper chaos.
"At present, even the yamen constables harbor grievances against the magistrate.
"As for him, though no corpse was found, he must be dead for certain..."
Before she finished speaking, Madam Su, who had been sitting petrified as if her soul had departed, suddenly turned her head. A faint gleam sprang into her vacant, beautiful eyes.
"No... corpse?"
"Er, indeed none. But Cousin, you'd best not read too much into it. Bizarre occurrences often entail massive ramifications. It is better to consider him dead..."
Madam Su shook her head vigorously.
Seeing this, the tall young woman could only sigh and softly console her: "Cousin, don't forget that although he saved your life, the danger also arose because of him.
"If he hadn't killed that yamen head constable, Cousin, you wouldn't have fallen into such peril. Even fleeing the county town was largely on his account. He did so much, which certainly shows responsibility, but you don't owe him anything either. Now that he is dead, the karma between you is settled..."
"You don't understand. He is different," Madam Su shook her head once more.
With that, she drifted into a daze again.
She suddenly recalled that absurd night when the young constable had taken the initiative to wrap his arm around her waist, whispering softly into her ear.
He had said he would protect her life and keep her safe.
He had truly kept his word.
A mere half-month together, scene after scene surging into her heart, finally freezing upon the young constable's fearless smile before he set out.
"A brief word, bound in life and death; a promise worth a thousand gold..."
At this moment, Madam Su—who had shed no tears but rather laughed aloud upon hearing of Chen Haoyan's death—suddenly choked with sobs, two trails of clear tears rolling down her cheeks.
Chapter 32