In the spacious hall of the County Magistrate's Office, Li Chang'an twisted and turned. Like an unpredictable thunderbolt, he descended with unstoppable force upon the dazed Small Banner Officer from the Prison Control Department!
His long blade fell. In the nick of time, another officer rushing over from the side managed to block it.
"CLANG!"
Another tremendous roar of fine steel rang out.
Yet, it was not enough to change the dazed man's fate.
Li Chang'an sent the intercepting officer flying with a single strike before his long blade beheaded the man beneath it.
Fresh blood gushed out, pooling on the floor.
The faces of the remaining five Small Banner Officers paled, and their movements became hesitant.
'Only a few minutes have passed, and one of our comrades has already been beheaded? So our opponent really is a seven-year-old child, not a reincarnated Demon Fiend, or just a shapeshifted Demon Fiend?'
If Li Chang'an hadn't concealed any hint of a Demon Fiend's aura, and if they hadn't personally collected all the intelligence on him themselves, they would have sooner died than believe that this god of slaughter before them was a seven-year-old child!
The crimson blood formed a trickling stream on the ground, like a miniature river.
After witnessing this bloody scene with their own eyes, the remaining Small Banner Officers couldn't help but shudder. They felt a bone-chilling cold rise from the depths of their hearts and gradually spread throughout their bodies.
Logically, as the sharpest butchers of the Demon Qing Royal Court, nearly everyone who rose to the rank of Small Banner Officer in the Prison Control Department was a killer who treated human life as worthless. They shouldn't be so shaken just by seeing a comrade slain.
But everything is relative. When they were the ones slaughtering others like helpless chickens, they were, of course, exceptionally calm.
But now, with a comrade killed just moments into the fight, how could they not be thrown into utter disarray?
At this point, killing Li Chang'an was out of the question.
The Small Banner Officers were even considering an immediate retreat.
They had no choice. The power Li Chang'an displayed was simply too demonic. If his combat strength was truly so terrifying, they would have to change their plan, reconsider their strategy, and perhaps even request a Chief Banner Officer to intervene.
However, just as the Small Banner Officers were hesitating, Li Chang'an's figure suddenly appeared not far away. He was looking at them, his aura in disarray and his breathing ragged.
His apparent state caught their eyes, and the men who had been about to retreat all froze for a moment.
Among the three Small Banner Officers surrounding Li Chang'an, the leader stared at Li Chang'an for a long time, then gritted his teeth and said, "That strange Body Technique from before must have consumed a lot of his Qi and stamina. He's exhausted. Let's go!"
It wasn't that they didn't consider that Li Chang'an was putting on an act.
But they had witnessed that Body Technique with their own eyes. With such incredible speed, the demands on stamina and Qi must have been immense.
Of course, the more important reason was that not only had they failed to gather any useful information this time, but they had also lost a comrade. The mission was a complete failure.
If they were to just slink away in defeat now, they wouldn't be able to answer for it when they returned.
Therefore, even knowing that Li Chang'an might be putting on an act, as long as there was a sliver of hope, they had to grit their teeth and push forward.
...
The battle lasted for a full half-hour.
The Small Banner Officers of the Prison Control Department were stunned to find that although Li Chang'an seemed to be panting with exhaustion, his combat power never declined.
This time, no matter how much they didn't want to believe it, they knew they had been fooled again.
Li Chang'an's disordered aura and seemingly weak state were all an act, done for the sole purpose of keeping all of them here!
By then, however, they had already missed the best opportunity to escape. Hearing the commotion, members of the Rebel Army had already rushed over and surrounded the entire County Magistrate's Office, sealing it tight.
It was too late for regrets.
The battle soon entered its final stages.
Li Chang'an kicked, and the last black-clad Small Banner Officer's head exploded. Only then did he land on the ground and let out a long, heavy breath.
His gaze turned to Wang Su, and Li Chang'an said with a smile, "Master, I won!"
There were six Small Banner Officers in total. Wang Su killed two and a half, and he killed three and a half, taking the lead.
Looking at the bodies scattered across the floor, Wang Su's expression was complicated. He gave a bitter smile. "With your talent, if you had been born during the golden age of the Martial Dao in the Central Plains Dynasty, your achievements would have been limitless. You might have even left your mark on history. Why would you end up like this, standing in opposition to the Imperial Court, a wanted criminal hunted by all?"
His voice paused, and with a somber look, he said, "You were truly born in the wrong era!"
Li Chang'an laughed. "Wouldn't a life of smooth sailing be boring? I think things are great right now!"
Wang Su shook his head. The Prison Control Department had lost a full six Small Banner Officers in Sanhuang County this time. He could already feel the storm that was about to break.
After the sounds of fighting in the County Magistrate's Office finally died down completely, Lü Changning, his face etched with anxiety, burst in, leading several dozen elite fighters from the Rebel Army.
Lü Changning's gaze swept over Li Chang'an and Wang Su. After confirming that neither of them was missing any limbs, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Staring at the black-clad men lying on the floor at his feet, Lü Changning asked in a hostile tone, "What happened? Are these assassins sent by that group of gentry? How are they so strong?"
So as not to alert the enemy, Li Chang'an hadn't notified anyone while he lay in wait.
Even Wang Su had just happened to run into the situation. Thus, Lü Changning naturally didn't know what had happened. At first, he thought that group of gentry had a death wish and had proactively sent people to assassinate Li Chang'an.
But one look at the scene now, and he immediately knew something was off.
To this, Li Chang'an didn't hide anything and explained directly, "These are all Small Banner Officers from the Prison Control Department. They were probably ordered to assassinate me!"
Upon hearing the title 'Small Banner Officer of the Prison Control Department', Lü Changning and the group of elite Rebel Army soldiers behind him all paled, saying in disbelief, "Small Banner Officers of the Prison Control Department? These people... are all Small Banner Officers from the Prison Control Department?"
As the old Daoist's first and direct disciple, Lü Changning was naturally no stranger to the organizational structure of the Prison Control Department.
Therefore, he knew very well that to become a Small Banner Officer in the Prison Control Department, one not only had to achieve great merit while carrying out missions, but must also be a Martial Master Level expert!
In other words, the bodies scattered across the floor belonged to experts on the same level as his master!
Seeing Li Chang'an nod in confirmation again, Lü Changning was silent for a long while before he could finally, barely accept this fact. He couldn't help but complain, "So what heavenly law did you break to make the Prison Control Department dispatch so many Small Banner Officers?"
He wasn't exaggerating in the slightest.
Normally, for just a small-scale Rebel Army, the Yaoqing Imperial Court would only need to dispatch a large army to swiftly and methodically suppress them.
Only when a Martial Artist like Wang Su openly slaughtered the ordinary soldiers of the Demon Qing Royal Court would they possibly attract the attention of the Prison Control Department.
But even so, the Prison Control Department wouldn't have dispatched so many Small Banner Officers from the get-go, nor would they have made such a big fuss... Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?
In response, Li Chang'an helplessly spread his hands and said irritably, "Who knows? Maybe it's because I'm too handsome and people got jealous!"
Those who are Defying Fate often have difficult lives. Li Chang'an was already getting used to it.
...