Chapter 192: Chapter 120: Making a Small Fortune

Failing to kill Chen Cheng after all this time was already a huge failure. If he delayed any longer, he feared he wouldn’t be the one killing Chen Cheng—Chen Cheng would be the one finishing him off.

At this thought, Ren Fei’s spirit flared, and his Saber Technique shifted. He abandoned all defense and evasion, his every strike a desperate gamble in a clear life-for-a-life exchange.

As the saying goes, even the fiercest opponent fears a man with a death wish. If Chen Cheng showed the slightest hesitation—defending more, dodging, or giving ground—Ren Fei would seize the opening to immediately withdraw and escape.

But he discovered he was wrong again. Chen Cheng’s Blade Technique remained unchanged. The Long Saber never strayed from his vital points; in fact, Chen Cheng’s movements were growing faster, effortlessly neutralizing his own ferocious attacks.

’Could this bastard be a Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm?’ An alarm blared in Ren Fei’s mind. It was the only explanation for why Chen Cheng hadn’t fallen behind in the slightest during their exchange.

The thought sent panic through Ren Fei. He gave up on finding an opening and, while unleashing his Saber Technique with all his might, began subconsciously backing toward the side of the street. Once he reached the courtyard wall, he could escape!

Yet Chen Cheng didn’t seem to notice Ren Fei’s intent, allowing him to fight as he retreated. Before long, Ren Fei had backed up to a high wall.

Ren Fei felt a wave of relief. ’This Iron Hand Chief Constable is still too young,’ he thought. ’Well then, time for me to go!’

Just then, two constables arrived nearby. It was Mu Song and another constable under Chen Cheng’s command.

"It’s Mr. Chen! Quick, let’s help!"

The two drew the Long Sabers from their waists and charged toward Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng’s Saber Technique slowed by a fraction, as if he were distracted.

Ren Fei keenly caught this. Ordinarily, he would have seized on the distraction, erupting with his full power to cut Chen Cheng down in a single blow. But now, he no longer dared to take the risk.

He feinted a slash at Chen Cheng’s neck. In the instant Chen Cheng sidestepped the blow, Ren Fei decisively retreated, kicked off the ground, and leaped for the courtyard wall.

"Kid, I’ll be taking my lea—"

Before the word was even out of his mouth, Ren Fei suddenly felt a chill at his back. A SHLICK, a flash of a saber, and his head flew high into the air before rolling to a stop on the ground.

THUD!

Ren Fei’s body crashed onto the snow-covered ground.

It turned out Chen Cheng had been waiting for Ren Fei to flee. Slowing his Saber Technique by a fraction and his subsequent slight dodge were both feints designed to mislead him.

In his haste to retreat, Ren Fei’s mind had fallen into disarray, and he had been fooled by the ruse.

Most importantly, from beginning to end, the Saber Technique Chen Cheng had displayed was only at the Perfect Level. This gave Ren Fei the false hope that he could escape.

Of course, Chen Cheng’s final strike was still just a Perfect Level Saber Technique. He had only used sixty percent of his Qi Blood Power, and his movement speed was just a fraction faster than before. But that tiny fraction was more than enough to cut down the fleeing Ren Fei in a single strike.

Under no circumstances would Chen Cheng reveal his Saber Momentum in broad daylight.

"Mr. Chen, are you alright?"

Mu Song and his companion hurried over, just in time to see Chen Cheng quickly patting down Ren Fei’s body, pulling out a few items, and stuffing them inside his own robes.

"I’m fine. Just took care of a thief while I was at it."

Chen Cheng said calmly, then scanned the area.

The wind and snow were picking up, and visibility was reduced to just over thirty yards.

In the distance, a crowd of pedestrians had gathered to watch. Most of them were Jianghu wanderers. When they saw Chen Cheng look their way, several of them quickly ducked into the crowd and vanished.

From the rooftops of two distant buildings, a pair of figures also made a hasty departure.

None of this escaped Chen Cheng’s notice.

’Looks like someone really wants me dead,’ he thought. ’And more than one person, it seems.’

Chen Cheng’s gaze grew darker at the thought.

In these chaotic times, danger lurked at every turn. Even though he had joined the City Guard Department and become a Chief Constable, it was little more than a uniform separating him from an ordinary person. He could still face a fatal disaster at any moment.

He pulled the black cloth from the thief’s face, revealing the vicious-looking features of a man in his thirties.

"In his thirties, small and slender, skilled in Light Body Technique... This must be the Flying Thief Ren Fei."

As he spoke, Chen Cheng removed the thief’s gloves. They were extremely thin and appeared to be made from some kind of Demon Beast Hide. There was also a dark Saber Pouch at the man’s waist, now empty.

"Clean this up. Take the body back to the City Guard Department!"

After ordering Mu Song and his partner to deal with the corpse, Chen Cheng returned to the spot where they had fought and quickly found the Flying Sabers he had knocked aside.

There were five Flying Sabers in total, all incredibly sharp. Their edges glinted with a sinister, cold, green light, a clear sign they were coated with a deadly poison.

Chen Cheng tried to wrap the Flying Sabers in a cotton cloth, but the moment the cloth touched a blade, the poison corroded it. The cloth visibly blackened, began to smoke, and then melted away. It seemed to be a potent toxin, something like Corpse Rot Poison Water.

"Mr. Chen, those Flying Sabers are poisoned!"

Seeing this, Mu Song and his companion turned pale with shock. They had arrived late, but the scattered, poisoned blades told them that Chen Cheng must have just faced immense danger.

...

「Ruyi Square Sub-Department」 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Ji Jingbei was seated in the Government Office Hall, leisurely reading a book, when Yang Xingyao strode in and carefully shut the door behind him.

"Uncle, the Tiger and Leopard Gang made their move on Chen Cheng."

"Oh?" Ji Jingbei closed his book and asked calmly, "Is Chen Cheng dead?"

Yang Xingyao shook his head, his voice tinged with frustration. "No."

"No?" A flicker of doubt crossed Ji Jingbei’s face. In his eyes, while Chen Cheng had some ability, the Tiger and Leopard Gang was backed by the Zhou Family. If they were going to act, they would surely dispatch an expert capable of killing him. There was no reason for Chen Cheng to have survived.