Black Goose City, early in the morning.
The chill of the night had not yet dissipated, making passersby unconsciously shrink their necks.
Wang Er made his way towards the small courtyard in the south of the city.
At this moment, his mind was filled with the rumors he heard last night, and he felt even more exhilarated.
A sword that pierced through the Hall of Heroes, a lone man overpowering the Canal Gang!
Such a hero, this is what a true wandering swordsman of the rivers and lakes is!
Only regretting that he couldn't take his place!
If he could achieve such a feat, his life in this world would not have been in vain.
That's what he fantasized about in his mind.
Soon after, the small courtyard came into view, and as he stepped towards it, he saw the gate slowly open.
That familiar silhouette emerged from the gate and looked at him with a slight smile.
After advancing to the Great Achievement Realm, the Great Sun Golden Cicada Technique not only greatly increased his spiritual power but even surpassed the enhancement of his physical defenses!
At that moment, all the movements within a ten-meter radius could not escape Qin Zheng's perception.
Moreover, the thing nurtured between his eyebrows seemed to have received tremendous nourishment as well, growing much more.
This allowed Qin Zheng to have a clearer premonition of what might happen next.
Therefore, when Wang Er approached his courtyard, Qin Zheng had already sensed it and opened the door ahead of time.
"Big Brother Wang, is it the same old routine today?"
Qin Zheng looked at the approaching Wang Er and spoke.
As long as there was a day when the Executioner needed to carry out an execution, Wang Er would come over early to inform Qin Zheng.
Wang Er nodded and said with a smile, "Today is really just right, I had just come over and you opened the door."
Qin Zheng smiled without saying anything, offering no further explanation.
After this, the two of them headed to the military camp outside the city, and during this trip, Wang Er naturally also told Qin Zheng about the incident that had occurred by the western riverside last night.
Finally, with a face full of yearning and his dark, plain features, Wang Er sighed and said, "A man's life in this world should be just like that!"
Listening to him praise himself like this, Qin Zheng felt a little embarrassed.
Nevertheless, he tried to probe, "Who exactly is that person, has anyone found out any news about him?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Er shook his head and continued, "There are very few people in Black Goose City who could overpower the Canal Gang."
"Neither Colonel Ji nor Inspector Xu were at the western city last night."
"And the few others in the Sinew Refining Realm, though they are unafraid of the Canal Gang, they can't necessarily overpower them."
"After all, the chief of the Canal Gang is a genuine practitioner who has broken through three major barriers within the Sinew Refining Realm."
"Everyone is guessing the identity of this person, but the Canal Gang keeps a tight lip and hasn't let slip a single bit of information."
"Perhaps he's a roaming hero who's come to visit Black Goose City."
After Wang Er finished speaking, he sighed somewhat sentimentally.
Qin Zheng nodded, his eyes flickering slightly, before he fell silent.
That the Canal Gang hadn't revealed his information was somewhat unexpected to him.
But no matter what the Canal Gang was hiding in their brew,
this development quite suited Qin Zheng, as it would delay his exposure and give him more time to grow.
There were so many people at the western riverside last night, and with his attire being quite out of tune with the atmosphere there, many had noticed him.
So, his exposure was inevitable, whether or not the Canal Gang spoke up; it was just a matter of time.
After arriving at the execution ground, the two separated, with Qin Zheng going to the center of the execution ground.
The one to be beheaded today was a burly man with obvious martial skills, and not at a low level either.
An iron chain pierced through his shoulder blades, with a specially made iron shackles binding him, and two iron balls locked onto his feet.
His eyes showed no fear, and upon seeing Qin Zheng, he even sneered and arrogantly said, "With this kid, I doubt he could even break through my skin!"
With that, he burst into laughter.
Qin Zheng remained calm and did not engage with the soon-to-be-dead man.
Four soldiers approached and, only by working together, were they able to hold down the man, after which they turned their gaze to Qin Zheng.
Their eyes contained a hint of inquiry, wanting to know if Qin Zheng could chop off this man's head.
Qin Zheng nodded.
With his current strength, it wasn't just this man, who was only in the Skin Refinement Realm.
Even a tiger in front of him would have to submit obediently!
After receiving Qin Zheng's affirmation, the soldiers locked down the man and left the area.
Qin Zheng slowly raised his Ghost Head Greatsword, waiting for the execution order to fall.
"Kid, if I die today, all the people of Black Goose City will be buried with me!"
At that moment, the man suddenly spoke up, his voice filled with provocation.
Qin Zheng frowned slightly.
"The auspicious time has come, execute!!"
Just then, a loud voice rang out.
At the same time, an order token was thrown from the execution platform.
Qin Zheng did not hesitate; his Ghost Head Greatsword traced an arc like a crescent moon in the air.
At the same time, a ferocious head rolled to the ground.
The martial artist in the Skin Refinement Realm did indeed have thick skin compared to an average person and required a bit more force.
But that was all.
Qin Zheng sheathed his sword, wiped the blade, and wrapped it in coarse cloth.
"Brother Qin, your Ghost Head Greatsword is becoming sharper by the day, even martial artists in the Skin Refinement Realm can't withstand a single strike,"
said the soldier who came up to collect the body, smiling at Qin Zheng.
Qin Zheng waved his hand and then asked, "Do you guys know where this man was captured from?"
The uncouth aura of the dead convict, along with what he had just said, and the rumors about bandits in the city,
made Qin Zheng involuntarily put things together, and a slight throb appeared at the center of his brow, a premonition of something not good.
"Hmph, these bandits came down from the hills outside the city, seems like they were probing our city's strength,"
"Yesterday, a group of bandits entered the city, robbered and killed a wealthy family, and were caught by the constables from the government office, brought here."
"Aside from this guy, the others were beheaded on the spot by Inspector Xu from the government office."
"Now that these bastards have seen our city's strength, I expect they'll obediently hide back up in the mountains."
The soldiers spoke jestingly.
However, upon hearing this, Qin Zheng's heart grew even heavier.
His brow throbbed incessantly, clearly sensing a grim future.
The situation was definitely not as simple as the soldiers made it out to be!
There was no movement in the four towns and thirteen villages outside Black Goose City.
At this time, a few bandits with no great strength entering the city to rob and kill was completely senseless.
Or maybe, they had intentionally entered the city to be caught by the constables.
Plus, considering what the condemned man had just said.
Qin Zheng's heart sank instantly.
In the world of martial arts, having a reason for one's actions is paramount.
Even bandits hold this true.
The leader of the bandits outside Black Goose City had issued a Hero Order, calling on bandits within Qingzhou to join.
Now that their brothers were executed in the city,
they could use the pretext of avenging their brothers to launch an attack on Black Goose City!
In other words, these bandits were truly planning to target Black Goose City!
The rumors spreading within the city were not false!