Martial Cultivator

Xu Xuanshan's face was cold and indifferent as he stared at Chen Chao before him, his voice devoid of expression as he said, "Commander Chen, do you understand what you're saying? This official is a military official of the primary sixth-grade appointed by the imperial court, the Warden of this commandery!"

Chen Chao nodded, saying with some surprise, "Warden Xu still remembers that you're a warden of Great Liang?"

Xu Xuanshan was expressionless as he replied indifferently, "Commander Chen's jokes are not funny."

Chen Chao said, "Do you think this official is joking with you?"

Xu Xuanshan looked at the young military official before him and realized that he did not seem to be joking. His anger gradually subsided, but he still said calmly, "Although this official cannot claim to be faultless in my official duties, I'm afraid I have not committed any crimes grave enough to lose my head."

Chen Chao smiled as he spoke, "With Warden Xu's methods, the records are kept spotless. Naturally, there's nothing to accuse you of. But Warden Xu, what is your biggest mistake? Don't you know it yourself?"

Xu Xuanshan remained silent.

"You've already sold your country out, you still dare not admit it?"

Chen Chao held onto the hilt of his saber, taking a deep breath, his tone gradually turning icy, "You're drawing salary given by the imperial court, but helping outsiders in secret. Do you think you deserve to die or not?"

Xu Xuanshan's expression changed drastically in an instant. Yet, within moments, this burly martial artist had already stepped forward, delivering a heavy punch towards Chen Chao.

Regarding the matter of being a mole, he believed he had been extremely cautious over the years. There should not have been a second person aware of it. Now that it had been exposed by this young martial artist from the Divine Capital, he naturally knew there was no leeway. Since that was the case, then he could only kill.

Chen Chao looked at the powerful punch without changing his expression. He simply released the hand holding the saber and clenched his fist, striking back at Xu Xuanshan's fist with a punch too.

As the two fists collided, a loud bang echoed, and a qi wave surged out. But after the qi wave subsided, Xu Xuanshan staggered back several steps, while Chen Chao stood in place, not budging an inch.

The outcome was clear.

Feeling the intense pain coming from his fist, Xu Xuanshan's mind was in turmoil. He stared at Chen Chao with a look of disbelief.

He had already stepped into the Bitter Sea Realm for many years, never daring to slack off in his martial arts cultivation. Coupled with various spiritual medicines secretly sent by the foreign lands, he believed he had no rivals in the Bitter Sea Realm. So why did this young martial artist not only dare to exchange blows with him, but was also overpowering him?!

Chen Chao did not press on, he just looked at Xu Xuanshan in front of him and said calmly, "If you provide more information, I might consider sparing your life."

Xu Xuanshan remained expressionless and only said, "What did you say? You impostor, masquerading as a court official, this official will execute you on the spot!"

Chen Chao gave an "oh" and said with a smile that was not a smile, "Let's see if you have this ability or not."

Before his words had even finished, he took a step forward, throwing out a punch first. Having learned from the previous encounter, Xu Xuanshan did not want to confront head-on. He only aimed to evade the punch imbued with fist force. However, Chen Chao did not give him the chance. The punch still landed heavily on Xu Xuanshan's chest, sending him crashing out of the hall and into the courtyard.

The commotion alerted the constables who rushed over. Witnessing this scene, they exchanged puzzled looks, unsure of what was going on.

"This man is impersonating a court official, quickly seize him!"

Xu Xuanshan roared, snapping the constables out of their daze. However, when they looked at the young martial artist not far away, no one dared to move.

They were not dumb, seeing that this young martial artist could beat their lord until he could not stand, even if they joined forces, would they be a match for him?

As for whether this person was Chen Chao or not, they could not be certain at this moment, but someone had indeed seen his waist badge.

Chen Chao slowly arrived under the eaves, glanced at Xu Xuanshan, and said calmly, "How ruthless, you want your subordinates to be buried with you?"

Xu Xuanshan's qi was scatted by the punch and he was currently unable to get up. Chen Chao strolled into the courtyard leisurely and continued, "This Warden Xu is a spy planted in the imperial court by the foreign cultivators. Of course, we often call such people spies. Since he can't move now, is there anyone eager to make a name for themselves? Go ahead and cut his head off. Although this official can't promise you a promotion, there'll be enough silver as a reward."

The constables exchanged glances upon hearing this.

Xu Xuanshan spat blood, struggling to say, "Someone who is out to incriminate can always find a pretext!"

Chen Chao smiled faintly, "Enough nonsense. Since this official came to kill you personally, would I not have the so-called evidence? To be honest with you, the newly-appointed warden is already on his way."

Xu Xuanshan glared at Chen Chao with hatred in his eyes.

Suddenly, someone spoke up, "Sir Chen, is this Xu Xuanshan truly a spy for the foreign cultivators?"

Chen Chao turned to look, it was precisely that constable, Xu Jing, who had welcomed him earlier.

Chen Chao glanced at him and slowly descended the steps, "Whether you believe it or not is up to you guys. But after this official makes a move, you guys won't be able to gain anything."

Upon hearing this, Xu Jing made up his mind. He took two steps forward, approached Xu Xuanshan, drew the saber at his waist, and directly stabbed the heart of this warden. Xu Xuanshan looked at his confidant with a look of shock, and actually died with his eyes open.

Seeing this scene, Chen Chao shook his head and clicked his tongue, "Such a tragic way to die."

"Cut off his head and hang it outside the office. Also, send someone to guard it and inform the people of this city that this man was a spy for the foreign cultivators."

Since Song Lian's letter said to kill, Chen Chao knew the imperial court had no intention of covering up Xu Xuanshan's crimes. In that case, it was time to make an example and strike fear into others.

After completing these tasks, Chen Chao dragged a chair into the courtyard and sat down, playing with the warden's official seal in his hand. He ordered, "Summon all the constables in the office. Also, send someone to inform the local prefect about today's events. Whether he comes to see this official or not is up to him."

"A few of you, go to Xu Xuanshan's residence and search for any evidence. Bring it back for this official to see."

Chen Chao pointed at a few constables in the courtyard. During his investigation of the records, he discovered that these individuals were not favored by Xu Xuanshan. Their tenure in the office had not been easy.

How could the constables in the office dare to defy the orders of this seemingly lenient, but actually ruthless young military official? They quickly began to carry out Chen Chao's instructions.

Before long, all the constables from the Warden's Office had gathered in the courtyard. Even those colleagues who were off-duty were notified and summoned.

Chen Chao looked at the anxious constables in the courtyard and said calmly, "The newly-appointed warden is on his way. He will have the official seal and appointment documents of the Warden's Office with him. You can verify them yourselves. At that time, he will also tell you guys how Xu Xuanshan colluded with the foreign cultivators. As for whether you have any guilt in your hearts, you know it yourselves. If you end up dying, I reckon that you can't blame anyone."

Hearing this, the constables were even more shaken. While colluding with the foreign lands was not something they would do, after years of serving in the office, they might have been involved in some unsavory activities. With Xu Xuanshan's protection before, everything was fine, but now with a new superior, things might be hard to say. After saying this, Chen Chao fell silent, waiting for the constables' search results.

Soon, a constable approached Chen Chao carrying several account books. "Sir, these were found in Xu Xuanshan's home."

Chen Chao took the account books, glanced through them, and indeed found no evidence of Xu Xuanshan colluding with the foreign lands. However, this was within Chen Chao's expectations. If such a thing was discovered so easily, Xu Xuanshan would have died long before today.

Chen Chao asked, "Who is this Xu Jing?"

Xu Jing who was already drenched in sweat, reluctantly stepped forward upon hearing his name called by Chen Chao.

"This lowly Xu Jing, pays respect to Your Excellency!"

Chen Chao chuckled, "Originally, by killing Warden Xu, you were supposed to receive some reward monies."

Xu Jing knelt on the ground, trembling with fear and trepidation, "This lowly one eliminated the traitor for the country and dared not ask for any reward."

Chen Chao smiled, "I thought so too. You don't seem to lack money. After all, according to these account books, it seems you've earned quite a bit just by giving out loans?"

With his head bowed, Xu Jing forced himself to remain calm, "Your Excellency, there's no law in Great Liang that prohibits officials from lending money."

Over the past years, he and Xu Xuanshan had indeed been lending money for profit, but they had always done so cleanly. The reason he had killed Xu Xuanshan earlier was because he feared this matter would be exposed if Xu Xuanshan revealed the details.

"Indeed, there's no prohibition against lending money, but it seems you've forced quite a few people to their deaths for this, and there's a girl whom you forced to become your concubine. Is that true?"

Chen Chao looked towards the few constables from earlier.

One of them nodded in understanding and quietly withdrew.

Xu Jing denied vehemently, "This lowly one has never done such a thing. Your Excellency, please investigate clearly!"

Chen Chao nodded, smiling, "I thought as much. This Xu Xuanshan deserves to die. He actually hid these things at home to frame you."

Xu Jing dared not speak.

Chen Chao sat back down with a smirk before saying, "Don't be nervous. If you don't do anything wicked, you won't fear ghosts knocking on your door in the middle of the night."

However, Xu Jing continued to sweat profusely, not daring to utter a word.

It was not until half an incense stick's worth of time had passed that a woman's mournful cry suddenly echoed from the gate of the office, "Your Excellency, you must stand up for this commoner!"

Upon hearing this voice, Xu Jing's face turned pale, as if struck by lightning.

He knew it was all over.

……

……

An hour later, Xu Jing was crippled of his cultivation and thrown out of the Warden's Office.

Chen Chao stood at the gate of the office, watching as Xu Jing limped away. One of the constables next to him could not help but ask, "Your Excellency, letting him off like this, isn't it a bit too lenient?"

He had been in the Warden's Office for many years and was somewhat dissatisfied with the oppressive constables led by Xu Xuanshan and Xu Jing. Now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wanted to deal with all of these people.

Chen Chao said, "Of course it's not that simple. Spread the word that he has been stripped of his official position and his cultivation has been crippled too."

The constable was taken aback, then asked curiously, "Your Excellency, what does this mean?"

"A dog that likes to bite people. If one day, it loses its master and its canines, do you think it can survive?"

Chen Chao looked at the constable who still seemed somewhat inexperienced, and patted his shoulder. saying, "Being a good official isn't difficult. Don't lose heart when you encounter setbacks."