Shockwaves

The clash between Huang Tian and Thousand Faces Old Ghost ended in a matter of breaths, yet the commotion sent shockwaves through Baoqing Ward. At the Martial Restraint Guard government office, two figures leaped into the air. The foremost transformed into a rolling flash of thunder that tore across the night sky, hurtling toward the scene with a deafening boom! In the blink of an eye, the lightning came to a halt above Qinghui Garden, revealing Yu Jingcheng. His gaze swept rapidly over the courtyard, settling first on Huang Tian, who was wreathed in fiery crimson, before shifting to the mangled, emaciated old corpse sunken deep into a massive crater. "This is..." Perplexed and suspicious, he dropped down beside the deep pit. After taking a closer look, a flicker of familiarity struck him. Just then, the second figure landed as well—Pacification Commissioner Bai Yuanfu. He first pulled up beside Huang Tian, looking him up and down. "Are you unharmed?" Huang Tian smiled. "I am fine." Bai Yuanfu let out a sigh of relief. Turning toward the corpse in the crater, he stepped forward and flicked his sleeve, sending a gust of wind to sweep away the dust and ash obscuring the face. "Thousand Faces Old Ghost?!" As a renowned assassin in Qin Province, Thousand Faces Old Ghost had naturally murdered imperial officials, earning himself a prominent place on the wanted lists. Bai Yuanfu remembered him vividly and recognized him instantly. "It really is him!" Yu Jingcheng recognized him too. Whirling toward Huang Tian in sheer disbelief, he stammered, "You... you actually killed him?! No, I mean—you were able to kill him?! Then your strength..." Bai Yuanfu looked at Huang Tian with equal astonishment. "In a head-on clash, Thousand Faces Old Ghost possesses only the strength of an ordinary peak Fourth Rank. But his mastery of breath concealment and disguise is extraordinary; even a Grandmaster would struggle to detect him without careful scrutiny. "Relying on those abilities, he has successfully assassinated several Fourth Rank martial artists without a single failure, and he even managed to escape with ease from a Grandmaster who was beside himself with rage after having a junior murdered. To think he would die at your hands tonight!" He asked tentatively, "Huang Tian, you couldn't have broken through to the Fifth Rank again, could you?" How else could he have overwhelmed and slain Thousand Faces Old Ghost so easily? Huang Tian shook his head. "Not that quickly." At those words, Bai Yuanfu exhaled a long breath. Naturally. Barely a dozen days had passed since he broke through to the Sixth Rank; advancing again so soon would be nothing short of a miracle. Yet an even sharper gasp sounded beside him. Yu Jingcheng said in mounting excitement, "You mean to say you are still in the Sixth Rank? You killed Thousand Faces Old Ghost as a Sixth Rank?!" Bai Yuanfu's mind caught up, and his pupils contracted sharply. A Sixth Rank killing a peak Fourth Rank! And doing it in merely a few breaths—was this even human?! Huang Tian nodded. "Most of his skill lay in disguise and flight. Once you see through his form, killing him is not difficult." Hearing his understated modesty, Yu Jingcheng and Bai Yuanfu exchanged glances, struck speechless for a long time. Setting aside Thousand Faces Old Ghost's peak Fourth Rank combat strength, merely seeing through his disguise and movement was something no ordinary martial artist could ever achieve. Even a Third Rank Grandmaster might fail to see through him—how on earth had Huang Tian managed it? As the two stood in stunned silence, over a dozen shadowy figures watched from the rooftops of the surrounding streets and alleys, keeping their distance. Meanwhile, squads of armored, saber-bearing guardsmen poured out from the Martial Restraint Guard government office, rushing toward Qinghui Garden. Before long, the guardsmen arrived on the scene. Yu Jingcheng waved his hand. "Transport this man's corpse back to the office." Several guardsmen immediately crouched down, attempting to lift Thousand Faces Old Ghost, who was embedded so deeply in the ground that he seemed fused with the earth and shattered stone. However, while the corpse appeared mostly intact on the surface, the interior had already been beaten to a pulp. With just a gentle lift, it broke apart. A thick stench of blood billowed forth, and the guardsmen were privately appalled as they carefully dug out the mangled remains. Bai Yuanfu could not help sighing with emotion at the sight. "Huang Tian, your strength is likely on par with mine. No, I believe you have already surpassed me..." He knew that if Thousand Faces Old Ghost had come to assassinate him, even if he survived, he would never have been able to keep the assassin from fleeing, let alone kill him. Yu Jingcheng also clicked his tongue in wonder, gazing at Huang Tian as if looking at a flawless piece of jade newly scrubbed clean of grit. "With your present strength, save for the few Grandmasters in Kunyun Commandery, hardly anyone is your match. I would even wager that a Grandmaster could not take you down in short order!" Yu Jingcheng stroked his beard and continued, "However, your rapid progress and your feat of defeating two Fifth Rank martial artists as a Sixth Rank already caused quite a stir, drawing plenty of eyes. Out in the open, there are the Xiao, Xue, and Zhou families from the provincial capital, and even more are lurking in the shadows. "Now that you have slain Thousand Faces Old Ghost as a Sixth Rank, the shockwaves will be even greater, and more people will be drawn in. You must exercise extreme caution. "Of course, do not worry excessively. Given your extraordinary talent, it might not be long before the provincial Martial Restraint Guard transfers you to the provincial capital to keep you safe..." A prime talent with the potential to reach the Second Rank, or even become a supreme First Rank Grandmaster, was not someone the provincial Martial Restraint Guard would ignore or leave in a perilous place to be targeted by assassins. To Huang Tian, however, protection from the provincial Martial Restraint Guard meant little. In another dozen days or so, he would break through to the Fifth Rank and possess the power to contend with a Second Rank Grandmaster! With such strength combined with his supernatural ability, he could go anywhere in the world. Why would he need protection from the provincial authorities? *I will go to the provincial capital, but not as a genius under their wing—as a true powerhouse. And that day is not far off...* He smiled. "I will be careful." "Good." Yu Jingcheng and Bai Yuanfu offered a few more words of caution before turning to take their leave. Left standing in the courtyard, Huang Tian cast his gaze over the dozen or so figures lingering on the distant rooftops. Those onlookers cupped their fists toward him from afar to signal their lack of hostility, then leapt down from the eaves and vanished into the darkness. Huang Tian paid them no further heed and walked back into the residence. By then, the servants had all been awakened. The estate was brightly lit, and everyone looked pale. Only when they saw him walk in completely unharmed did a collective sigh of relief sweep through the room. Aunt Qin pressed her palms together and murmured, "Thank the heavens, thank the heavens! The young master is safe..." Heng'er tightly clutched a handkerchief embroidered with lotus blossoms, her delicate face pale, a smile of immense relief breaking across her features. Huang Tian said in a clear voice, "Nothing serious happened. It was merely a few thieves and scoundrels breaking into the estate, and they have already been executed. All of you, go back and rest." With an earth-shaking commotion that had felt like the turning of an earth dragon, the servants found it hard to believe it was just a few thieves. Still, seeing that their master was safe, they exchanged glances and obediently returned to their quarters to rest. Walking over to Aunt Qin and Heng'er, Huang Tian smiled. "Do not worry. It was merely a pathetic villain. See, my clothes aren't even soiled." Aunt Qin nodded repeatedly, and Heng'er gave a soft hum of agreement. "All right, the night is late. Go get some rest and gather your strength. I expect there will be no shortage of people coming to disturb the estate tomorrow, and you will have your hands full." The lanterns in Qinghui Garden soon dimmed, returning the estate to quiet. Yet the whole of Baoqing Ward, and indeed the entire Kunyun commandery seat, had been stirred into something far from peaceful...