Chapter 23: Sudden Change Outside the City, Bandits Descend the Mountain! (Please Bookmark)

The sudden turn of events startled the young master.

Before he could even speak, the Executioner stepped up right in front of him.

Immediately, a palm strike came flying, and he was sent crashing to the ground from his reclining chair.

At the same time, an intense pain surged through his face.

He let out a heart-wrenching scream.

"Get them! Get up and take this guy down for me!"

Covering his face, the young master glared at Qin Zheng and screamed shrilly.

The several guards around him, having witnessed the scene, naturally hesitated to step forward.

Seeing this, the young master was momentarily stunned, then he shouted loudly to those around him, "Elder Lu! Please show yourself quickly!"

Qin Zheng sneered once more and took another step forward, approaching the young master.

He intended to keep a low profile, but not to the extent that he would tolerate any insult!

He just needed to slowly reveal his strength, finding the right balance

so as not to arouse the suspicion and greed of others!

He was not really disguising himself as an ordinary Executioner!

If even this insignificant fellow could bully him,

then what was the point of his martial training!

Reaching out again, he slapped the young master's face with another palm strike.

"Wait a minute!"

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out.

Then, a figure darted out from the shadows, extending their hand trying to stop Qin Zheng.

But Qin Zheng's strength was so immense nowadays!

He had even beaten the Cicada Gang leader, Shi Dian, to death with his bare hands.

Let alone this nobody who suddenly appeared.

Even if Qin Zheng could not use his full strength, he could still summon the force of one thousand jin.

Thus, as soon as the figure attempted to stop Qin Zheng,

they were immediately pulled back by a strong force and sent flying.

Pop!

A loud slap sounded.

The young master's figure was sent flying again, crashing to the ground.

This time, he didn't even have a chance to scream before he passed out.

Meanwhile, the figure who had suddenly darted out rolled on the ground a few times before getting up.

He hastily said, "I'm Lu Sheng, this man is the second in command of the Canal Gang, please show mercy!"

In Black Goose City, there's a river, naturally giving rise to a local gang.

The Canal Gang was the force controlling the river commerce, not weaker than the Cicada Gang.

However, if he could kill even the leader of the Cicada Gang, why would he care about a spoiled brat of the Canal Gang?

Qin Zheng coldly said, "Tell this dog to watch his mouth!"

Since the other party had already been knocked out by him, this served as a minor chastisement for what could be a greater lesson.

As for whether they would seek revenge,

Qin Zheng was not worried.

Having said that, he paid no heed to what the man in front of him felt or how he reacted.

He turned around and walked towards the outside of the execution ground.

As he passed by a woman sitting on the ground, Qin Zheng thought for a moment, then said, "Go to the broken temple in the east of the city, find a monk named Chongming, he can keep you safe."

Qin Zheng didn't want the hassle, but if he left her alone, this woman surely wouldn't survive the night.

Pointing her towards a way to live, the choice was hers to make.

As for Monk Chongming, he was strong and had adopted a group of homeless orphans in the old temple in the east of the city.

With strength and kindness, such a person would likely not refuse to protect such a pitiable individual.

Having said that, Qin Zheng didn't say anything more and left directly.

After collecting his wages and returning to the city, he purchased some medicinal herbs, grain, and large cuts of meat, ready to go home to brew medicine and eat meat to replenish his vitality and blood.

All along the way, he heard the discussions among the common people about the Cicada Gang as well as praises for Inspector Xu.

It seemed that Inspector Xu's act of killing Shi Dian was, with the guidance of some interested parties, beginning to spread throughout the city.

This was also in line with Qin Zheng's wishes.

If people knew that it was he who had killed Shi Dian,

the prestige gained from killing Shi Dian would not be sufficient to counter the suspicion and greed that his rapid increase in strength would bring.

Just as Qin Zheng, holding medicinal herbs in one hand and grain and meat in the other, was about to leave the bustling market and head home,

suddenly there was a burst of screaming in the distance.

Qin Zheng turned around and saw a figure riding a fierce horse that suddenly entered his field of vision.

On the horseback was a constable, whose face was filled with urgency at that moment.

Drive! Drive!...

Even though it was within the city, the rider showed no sign of slowing down, but kept accelerating.

Fortunately, the streets were broad enough that pedestrians quickly dodged out of the way, avoiding any accidents.

However, it created billowing dust and turmoil on the streets, causing chaos everywhere.

After the horse had rapidly moved away, Qin Zheng watched the direction in which the constable had departed and narrowed his eyes slightly.

A constable galloping on horseback within the city certainly meant there was some urgent matter.

And from the expression on the constable's face just now, it was evident, extremely urgent.

Moreover, the direction the constable headed was toward the military camp outside Black Goose City!

All these clues led to the conclusion that something serious had happened inside or outside Black Goose City!

This incident was so significant that even the government office couldn't handle it and had to seek help from the garrison!

At this thought, Qin Zheng's heart sank slightly.

He had just resolved a crisis, and before a few days of peace had passed, could it be that something was about to happen again?

He hurried back home, set down his things, and after a moment of hesitation, picked up the Ghost Head Greatsword wrapped in coarse cloth and left the courtyard.

Heading eastward through the city, he trudged on, and during this journey, a tense atmosphere seemed to already be spreading throughout the city.

Vaguely, he heard some civilians discussing.

"Why is everyone in such a rush this early in the morning?"

"Don't you know? The bandits from the mountains outside Black Goose City have come down!"

"Coming down is one thing, but isn't it just the towns outside Black Goose City that suffer? Surely they wouldn't dare to invade Black Goose City itself?"

"Hey, that's exactly it!"

"The leader of those bandits was once a former constable of Black Goose City, a mighty man from the Bone Training Realm!"

"I heard he's already broadly issued the Hero Order, calling on all the ruthless and evil people within the Qingzhou region to join them!"

"First to flatten the four towns and thirteen villages outside Black Goose City, and then to threaten Black Goose City itself!"

"This, this is nothing short of rebellion!"

"Humph, what state is the central authority in these days? Can they still care about our small Black Goose City?"

"Let's hurry, this news came from somewhere, and now everyone is rushing to the food stores to stock up on supplies, just in case."

"If we're any later, there won't be anything left for us to buy!"

"Let's go, let's go!"

"..."

Qin Zheng followed the two people and listened to their entire conversation before he turned direction and continued towards the east of the city.

Bandits invading the city!

No wonder the constable's expression was so urgent!

The reason Black Goose City is one of the execution grounds in Qingzhou is because, with Black Goose City at the center, the surrounding regions are fraught with bandits and outlaws.

The imperial court set this up to deter these criminals!

But while it was effective when the imperial authority was strong, now that it had gradually weakened,

I'm afraid it no longer intimidates these bold outlaws!

If what that man just said about the Hero Order is true, and indeed many bandits have joined,

then these lawless men invading Black Goose City might not be an empty threat!