A collective gasp rose from the onlookers.
Could that man have been burned alive?
Fan Sheng pressed a hand to the ground to steady himself, then turned to inspect the giant bear's wound.
He Lingchuan's slash had cut terrifyingly deep, nearly severing the beast's forelimb. If not for the protection of its battle armor, and if not for the fact that it was so exceedingly fat—no, powerfully built, its forelegs nearly as thick as stone bollards—it would likely have been reduced to a three-legged bear by now.
The next instant, three or four burning logs shot out from the inn, hurtling straight toward the man and the bear.
Fan Sheng deflected them with a flick of his arm, only to see the youth emerge striding through the blaze, walking toward him step by step. The roaring inferno did not harm the boy in the slightest; flames merely danced eagerly along the edge of his saber.
This was the second time.
The fury burning in Fan Sheng's glare at He Lingchuan defied description.
He Lingchuan tightened his grip on his saber and exchanged a glance with Jiao Yu. The battle that followed would likely come with thunderous intensity.
Wounding the giant bear just now had been a stroke of luck that triggered the Army Breaker effect of Fusheng. Otherwise, with the bear's astonishingly thick hide armor and the protection of its origin power, it never should have been pierced so easily.
Whether he would have such luck next time was impossible to say.
Come to think of it, had the proc rate of Army Breaker increased?
Just then, loud shouts rang out from the surrounding perimeter: "Hold your hands! Baishaqu Patrol!"
"Drop your weapons and put your hands out!"
"No brawling allowed—violators will have their arms broken!"
"Are you all just going to stand there gawking? Go find water and put out the fire!"
The authorities of Baishaqu had finally arrived.
In truth, as soon as the inn caught fire, the surrounding residents had poured out in droves to watch. Shop hands ran back and forth carrying buckets to douse the flames, while lodging guests came rushing outside, either lending a hand or simply enjoying the spectacle.
As a result, several rings of spectators had gathered long ago. With two men and two beasts locked in combat, the crowd had cooperatively voiced enthusiastic gasps of awe throughout.
The bailiffs of Baishaqu were undeniably late.
At that moment, another somewhat plump figure squeezed into the open space and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Who dares attack the special envoy of the Crown Prince? Arrest them all!"
The bailiffs roared an affirmative, but none of them moved a muscle.
One of them leaned over and whispered to his direct superior, "My lord, which one is the envoy?"
Magistrate Tian glared at him. "The youth and the tiger demon!"
"Oh! Charge!"
A dozen bailiffs rushed forward brandishing their weapons.
He Lingchuan took the opportunity to leap backward, using the bailiffs as a human wall.
Fan Sheng let out a thunderous roar that struck like a crack of lightning in everyone's hearts: "I am the Vice Commander of the Tongxin Guard! Who dares arrest me?!"
The men's footsteps faltered. Taking advantage of the pause, Fan Sheng pressed his axe against the giant bear's body, scraping it two or three times along the grain of the fur.
Everywhere the axe passed, the stubbornly persistent purple flames were snuffed out.
Wisps of smoke still curled off the giant bear, and sixty to seventy percent of its splendid coat had been scorched away, but the flames were finally gone, allowing it to heave a sigh of relief.
This fire had been downright foul; even with origin power guarding its body, the burn had been agonizing.
Fortunately, not much fire poison had penetrated deep into its flesh. Its appearance merely looked a bit wretched.
*What kind of post is the Tongxin Guard?* He Lingchuan scratched his head.
Evidently, the County Magistrate of Baishaqu knew full well. He instantly shouted, "Hold on!"
Turning toward Fan Sheng, he asked skeptically, "The Tongxin Guard?"
Fan Sheng promptly drew a dark-gold token from his breast and flashed it in his face. "Widen your dog eyes and look closely!"
The token was shield-shaped, with slight indents on both sides, bearing the emblem of a roaring beast's head that bore some resemblance to a bear.
In Fan Sheng's hand, it emitted a deep red glow.
Magistrate Tian gave a start. Taking a closer look, he quickly waved back the bailiffs. "Back, fall back! Sheathe your weapons!"
As the bailiffs withdrew, Magistrate Tian bowed with clasped hands toward Fan Sheng. "How may I address you, my lord? How did you come into conflict with the special envoy of the Crown Prince?"
"Fan." Thoroughly incensed, Fan Sheng lashed out at him immediately. "How do you run this place as a local magistrate? Jumping in to arrest people without bothering to distinguish black from white!"
This foolish official had leaped out of nowhere and publicly blurted out He Xiao's title as special envoy. Now, it was no longer possible to finish He off under the pretense of slaying a bandit.
He Lingchuan sheathed his saber. "Someone placed a lethal curse on me in secret. I tracked the trail here, only to nearly be ambushed by this fellow!"
He subtly shook his hand behind his back; his arm ached so badly it felt on the verge of fracturing. Going without origin power really was a massive disadvantage.
Fan Sheng pointed at him and snapped, "Utter nonsense! I was sleeping soundly, and the moment you arrived, you tossed a weasel stink bomb into my room! Who else would I hack at if not you?!"
Regardless of who was right or wrong, Magistrate Tian hastily waved his hands. "Understood, understood! This is all a misunderstanding—like the dragon king's temple being flooded by the dragon king's own waters! Calm your anger, both of you; the inn is still on fire!"
No matter who was in the right, he could not afford to offend either party. Better to play the peacemaker.
The innkeeper also wormed his way out of the crowd, bursting into wails before Magistrate Tian: "My inn has burned to the ground! My lord, you must uphold justice for me!"
Chapter 493