The Head

Nearby, Ji Xue's chest heaved. She hesitated again and again, but in the end, she could not help but ask, “Patrol Envoy Shen... Have you already broken through to the Bone Tempering Rank?”

Shen Xiuhan nodded slightly, not denying it.

Since he had slain Qu Bushi head-on, his breakthrough to the Bone Tempering Rank could no longer be hidden.

The youth surnamed Wen gasped, his eyes filled with astonishment. Cupping his hands, he asked, “May I ask how old you are, Patrol Envoy?”

Beside them, Geng Weizhi, who had worked with Shen Xiuhan for many days, puffed out his chest and said with no small amount of pride, “Our Patrol Envoy has just turned seventeen this year!”

Seventeen years old, and already in the Bone Tempering Rank!

As soon as these words were spoken, shock flashed through everyone's eyes.

The sisters Ji Xue and Ji Yao subconsciously exchanged a look, both seeing the utter shock in each other's eyes.

Such cultivation would make him a top-tier figure even in the outer sect of the Star-Plucking Sect.

And judging by the combat prowess this Patrol Envoy had just displayed, having slain the famous tenth chief of Chenjian Dock, Qu Bushi, head-on, his combat talent was easily imaginable.

He would be more than qualified to serve as an instructor even at the Wuji Academy.

Ma Jingxing's face turned a mixture of blue and white. Shrinking behind the crowd, he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

His Ma Family Firm was merely a wealthy merchant family in the Inner City of Changyun County. They only had four or five sandboats under their name, and their entire payroll of laborers and guards added up to barely sixty or seventy people.

The head guard the Ma family spent a fortune to employ was nothing more than an old veteran at the Minor Accomplishment of the Bone Tempering Rank.

He was nearly fifty years old, and his blood qi was already in decline.

He might not even be a match for an ordinary martial artist who had just entered the Bone Tempering Rank, let alone the rising young genius standing before him.

Ma Jingxing hung his head and shrank back like a timid quail. Any desire to compete he had earlier had long since vanished into thin air.

On the other side, Young Master Wen recovered his composure. Adjusting his lapels, he said solemnly, “Patrol Envoy Shen, I am Wen Beng, a native of Changshui County. If I offended you earlier, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

“No matter,” Shen Xiuhan waved his hand, not minding it at all.

He turned and walked over to Qu Bushi's corpse, bending down to search it.

Unfortunately, it was no different from what he had found on Wang Neng, Sun Erniang, and the others.

Adding up everything on the three of them, he only managed to fish out a dozen or so taels of loose silver, and he did not find a single manual or technique scroll.

This is only normal... Shen Xiuhan thought to himself. Who in their right mind would carry secret manuals with them on a mission?

Just then, Geng Weizhi walked over with a grimace, supporting his injured arm with his right hand, though his eyes shone with excitement. “Patrol Envoy, allow me to cut off this bastard's head. The county magistrate's office has a clear bounty of thirty taels of silver on Qu Bushi's head!”

“Oh?” Shen Xiuhan raised an eyebrow, not expecting this pleasant surprise.

“Go ahead.”

“Yes, sir!”

Geng Weizhi stepped forward eagerly.

Enduring the sharp pain in his arm, he raised his blade and brought it down, severing Qu Bushi's head. He wrapped it in a cloth and held it in his hand, his face filled with satisfaction.

Just then, a fragrant breeze drifted over.

Ji Xue lifted her skirt and walked over with light steps, leaning close to Shen Xiuhan to whisper, “Patrol Envoy Shen... Could you perhaps not hand Qu Bushi's head over to the county magistrate's office?”

“Hmm?” Shen Xiuhan glanced sideways at her.

Ji Xue took a deep breath and said solemnly, “There is something you may not know, Patrol Envoy... Although the county magistrate's office has put out bounties on the bandits of Chenjian Dock, the reward they offer is not as generous as what my Ji family can provide.”

“If you hand the head over to us, first, the reward my family is willing to pay will definitely exceed the thirty taels from the county magistrate's office. Second... it will also comfort the soul of my Cousin Guannan in heaven.”

Shen Xiuhan looked enlightened.

Indeed.

Chenjian Dock and the Ji family shared a deadly feud. The Ji family would naturally be willing to pay a heavy price for the head of the tenth chief, Qu Bushi.

It would comfort Ji Guannan's spirit and boost the family's prestige at the same time—a perfect solution for both sides.

Seeing the thoughtful look in Shen Xiuhan's eyes, Ji Xue paused before her tone grew a bit more serious. “Furthermore... it would be best if your feat of slaying Qu Bushi alone is not made public.”

“Chenjian Dock is extremely vindictive. If they find out you were the one who killed him, it will likely bring endless retaliation upon you.”

“If you give the head to my family, even if Chenjian Dock discovers what happened today, our Ji family will step forward and take full responsibility.”

Hearing this, Shen Xiuhan's eyes flickered.

He weighed the pros and cons in an instant and nodded slightly.

Then, he swept his gaze left and right. “What about the people here...”

Though young, Ji Xue was quite intelligent and naturally understood his underlying meaning. She immediately said with a serious expression, “Rest assured, Brother Shen. They will know what to say and what to keep to themselves.”

Having taken the head, the group did a quick cleanup.

Shen Xiuhan looked around and said in a deep voice, “This place is dangerous. We cannot stay long. Everyone, get on the boat. Let us leave quickly before it gets dark!”

Not daring to delay, everyone boarded the boat.

The oars sliced through the water, gradually pushing off from the shore, and the boat soon vanished into the depths of the vast mist.

...

Far away, from an old tree, a middle-aged man dressed in tight-fitting robes drifted down silently like a falling leaf.

He stood by Qu Bushi's corpse with his hands behind his back, staring in the direction where the black-awning boat had disappeared, remaining still for a long time.

The river wind blew past, fluttering the corner of his robes.

After a long while, he let out a long breath. In his barely audible murmur, there was an unmistakable sense of shock. “What ruthless methods...”

“This kid is truly extraordinary!”

“I must report this to Sister when I return. We need to increase our investment in this Shen Xiuhan. We must win him over to our Ji family!”

“However...” The middle-aged man turned his head to look at the pier, which had been ravaged by the battle, and then at Qu Bushi's headless corpse, sighing softly. “He is still a bit too young. He doesn't know to clean up the battlefield to avoid leaving traces...”

With a flick of his foot, he kicked Qu Bushi's corpse into the lake. As the blood qi dispersed, a school of fish and shrimp quickly gathered around.

Then, with a flash of his figure, he vanished.

...

The second day after Qu Bushi, the tenth chief of Chenjian Dock, could no longer make head or tail of anything.

Shen Xiuhan, Ma, and Wen took turns rowing. By the time the West Market Pier came into view in the distance, it was already getting late.

As soon as they got off the boat, several guards dressed in the Ji family's livery were already waiting at the pier.

The moment Ji Xue and Ji Yao stepped onto the bluestone steps, they were surrounded and escorted away by the group, their two small sedans quickly disappearing at the end of the streets.

Wen Beng cupped his hands in farewell and headed into the city to find an inn to stay for the night, planning to head back to Changshui County early the next morning.

As for Ma Jingxing...

He had been dead silent on the boat earlier, but now he was nowhere to be seen, having slipped away quietly at some point.

Shen Xiuhan did not care either, supporting Geng Weizhi as they walked toward the Inner City.

Finding a medical clinic, an old physician first set Geng Weizhi's bone, then examined his saber wound for a while. He fetched a few medicinal herbs, crushed them, applied them to the wound, and finally wrapped it securely with layers of white cloth.

After paying the consultation fee, Shen Xiuhan pulled two silver ingots from his robe—about five taels in total, which he had searched from Qu Bushi, Wang Neng, and the others—and held them out to Geng Weizhi.

“Absolutely not!”

Geng Weizhi waved his hands repeatedly, saying anxiously, “I was of no help this time, and I even dragged you down, Patrol Envoy...”

“Take it.”

Shen Xiuhan brooked no argument, shoving the silver into Geng Weizhi's hand and patting his shoulder.

“Take a good rest during this time. I will report to the family head and the Garrison Master. This silver is a personal gift from me, and it doesn't conflict with any reward from the family. Take it back to buy some meat to nourish your body.”

Geng Weizhi's lips trembled, his throat feeling as though it were blocked by something.

He had lived on the edge of a blade for many years, never uttering a single whimper even when slashed or when his arm was broken.

Yet at this moment, clutching those five taels of silver, his eyes suddenly turned red. Only after a long while did he say in a hoarse voice, “Thank you, Patrol Envoy...”