Chapter 1: Night, High Willow City, the Killer Wu Chang

It was already nighttime, with neither stars nor moon shining.

The earth sank into endless darkness.

Outside the city, the chilly wind howled, as if ghosts wept and gods lamented, piercing one's soul.

In High Willow City, built for over two sixty-year cycles, a "god" had always resided, keeping evil forces at bay.

Rarely was there evil mischief within the city, but beneath the tranquility, restless hearts abounded, leading to frequent calamities.

Hence, the City Guard Mansion organized two teams called "Patrol Envoys" to maintain order; one patrolled by day, the other by night.

"Boss, we've caught the flower thief."

"Just as Master predicted, he's not from our district."

"Damn! This guy is really ugly."

"No wonder the girls he ravaged all wanted to end their lives. Just looking at his face makes me want to vomit."

"..."

A dozen men in black robes bound the short, ugly man with ropes and threw him beside the well.

This ugly man had been beaten and kicked, his body covered in bruises.

He lifted his head, his eyes blood red.

The fresh blood on his forehead trickled down his temples, making his ugly face even more hideous and distorted.

"You so-called night patrol envoys, all of you are useless, how could you possibly ambush me beforehand?"

He gritted his teeth, full of defiance: "Moreover, that woman, I picked her on the street on a whim!"

Suddenly!

A young man in black robes approached and delivered a kick to his revolting face, sneering, "Did you think the woman admiring the scenery from the high building, with her extraordinary aura, beautiful face, and excellent figure, especially her long legs, and wearing clothes that exactly matched your taste?"

"That was a paper figure, drawn by Master after visiting many girls you had wronged, using their common traits and their clothes on that day!"

"In the southern outer district's twelve areas, there are thirty-eight high buildings, 'she' had appeared in twenty-three of those buildings!"

"Climbing high buildings was meant to keep a distance, to see unclearly, yet vaguely... invoking endless imaginations."

"We had her delivered here in a sedan, three days in a row, just to catch such a filthy rat as you!"

The young man, unable to contain his anger, put away his knife and approached for another round of beating.

Seeing this, the others joined in, adding more kicks and punches, hitting him mercilessly.

"You scoundrel, learned enough tricks and skilled in kung fu, couldn't you have made money anywhere? Once you had money, couldn't you just visit the brothel? Why insist on being a flower thief?"

"Eh? You have silver on you?"

"You have money but don't go to the brothel? It would barely cost you anything, yet you choose to ravage decent women!"

"Disgusting! I spit on you! You are worse than a debauchee!"

Amidst the beating and wailing, someone pushed open the courtyard door.

Then a cold voice sounded behind the crowd.

"Stop! As night patrol envoys, you should uphold the law and maintain integrity. Beating the prisoner senselessly constitutes breaking the law, and you will be punished!"

"Master!"

All ceased their blows and turned, each bowing respectfully and calling out together.

"..."

The newcomer appeared young, dressed in black tight-fitting clothes that showed off his robust physique.

His features were handsome, his expression indifferent, and his whole presence emitted a chilling coldness.

He slowly walked up, standing before the ugly man, looking down with an expressionless face.

Finally catching his breath, the ugly man, with a swollen and bloody face, raised his hand and panted, "This gentleman is right. You beating a prisoner is indeed breaking the law! If you keep hitting me like this, I'll die...

"According to the newly revised law, I haven't taken any lives. With a bit of silver, I could at most serve a few years of hard labor!"

"If you kill me, it will be intentional murder. Even if the City Guard Mansion turns a blind eye, you'll still lose your positions."

Struggling to sit up, he gasped in pain and howled.

The gathered men in black robes looked at each other, none daring to step closer.

The man called Master remained expressionless but reached out to stabilize the other who was about to fall, speaking lightly, "Who knew you were well-versed in laws?"

"Us wrongdoers always need to know what constitutes a capital offense, right?"

The flower thief turned his head, saying, "This gentleman telling them to stop hitting me clearly knows the local laws too. May I know your revered name?"

"Wu Chang."

"Master... oh god! The killer star?"

"It's me."

Master, still expressionless, grabbed the man's neck.

He looked directly into the terrified eyes, his hand slowly squeezing.

Then he turned his head to look at the black-clad night patrol envoys and solemnly said, "The way you were hitting him earlier wouldn't have killed him."

With a snap!

The flower thief's neck was brutally twisted.

"The suspect resisted arrest, tried to escape using tricks, and attempted to resist; execute on the spot!"

As Master spoke calmly, "The laws have been recently revised, and for some time they will be stricter than before."

"As night patrol envoys, during this period, you must strictly adhere to the legal statutes, not breaking the law willfully by beating prisoners.

"However, in cases like his where there's resistance to arrest, executing on the spot is no issue."

He shook his hand, picked up the pouch, poured out half of the silver, gave the remaining to the night patrol envoys, and walked away without looking back.

The crowd watched his departing figure, exchanging looks and silent for a moment.

After a while, the young man who had suggested spending money at the brothel remarked, "Master really does hit hard."

Another chuckled, "Why else would he be called the killer star?"