The instant he sliced the arrow, Han Yuan locked onto the ambusher’s position.

He saw a head disappearing over a high wall and immediately flashed forward, smashing his fist into it!

BOOM!!!

A massive crash echoed out.

The high wall exploded as if struck by a giant hammer, sending countless shards of brick and stone flying.

The guard who had ambushed Han Yuan was just jumping down from a ladder when he heard the massive crash.

An arm, its veins bulging like cyan pythons, punched clean through the wall and slammed heavily into his chest.

The guard let out a bloodcurdling scream as a huge chunk of flesh and blood burst from his chest. The punch had pulverized his internal organs, sending him flying backward.

This scene made He Baosheng’s heart pound in terror.

His original plan was to have Han Yuan secretly shot and killed.

With the fearsome Han Yuan out of the way, Zheng Heda would be powerless.

He never expected Han Yuan’s instincts to be so terrifying that he could actually dodge an arrow from a Black Crossbow.

"You’ve got some nerve, He Baosheng! How dare you privately own crossbows! That’s a capital offense punishable by the execution of your entire family!"

Zheng Heda shouted sharply from behind Zhang Hu.

He was terrified another stray arrow would fly out of nowhere.

His antics were making Zhang Hu break out in a sweat.

Han Yuan, however, had no patience for more talk. Raising his Cold Blade, he charged straight for He Baosheng.

Terrified, He Baosheng scrambled behind his guards.

But Han Yuan paid them no mind, his muscles tensing as he charged into the group of guards like a wild bull.

The guards all grinned savagely, swinging their steel blades with the intent to mince Han Yuan.

But Han Yuan’s explosive speed was too great, and most of their slashes hit nothing but air.

Only a few blades landed on his back.

SLASH!!!

The Constable Uniform was instantly shredded into strips of cloth.

But the expressions on the He Family guards’ faces changed dramatically.

It felt as if their blades had struck sheet metal.

With such savage and terrifying momentum, Han Yuan burst from the encirclement and unleashed a vicious, chilling slash.

Hearing the air tear behind him, He Baosheng whipped his head around in terror.

SHIICK!

A head flew into the air, showering Han Yuan and the nearby guards with blood.

"Taking an enemy’s head as easily as reaching into a pocket!"

"A true madman!"

Zhang Hu couldn’t help but marvel at the sight.

The next moment, Han Yuan unleashed a massacre, his Cold Blade becoming a blur of light that swept through the guards.

The He Family guards were already scared witless from seeing Han Yuan behead He Baosheng in a single strike.

After a few more of them were decapitated, the remaining guards threw down their steel blades.

"Get in there and arrest them!"

Zheng Heda yelled urgently.

He was afraid Han Yuan was about to slaughter them all.

At his command, several constables rushed in with the government officials and brought the He Family members under control.

What followed was the confiscation of assets and the arrest of the family.

Han Yuan didn’t leave.

Blade in hand, he sat imposingly in the He Mansion, watching the government officials carry out the seizure.

With him present, no one dared to resist, and no looters dared to take advantage of the chaos.

The He Family had deep roots in Qingshui County, so for them to be completely ruined and their assets seized in a single day was unthinkable.

Naturally, news of this event spread rapidly throughout Qingshui County.

...

「Inside a pavilion room.」

"What? Even the He Family was taken down?!"

Qian Yuanlang’s face filled with dread when he heard the news.

He waved his subordinate away and looked at the man sitting across from him.

"Gang Leader Zhao, what do you make of this?"

Zhao He, the leader of the Cyan Sand Gang, was indeed there. Pinching a teacup, he said with a sigh of admiration, "I have just one word for it."

"Brilliant!"

"The entire scheme was seamless, one step leading perfectly into the next."

"Absolutely brilliant!"

Qian Yuanlang might have looked like a brute, but he wasn’t stupid. The pieces were falling into place for him. "This whole struggle for the Chief Constable position... it was a setup!"

Zhao He smiled. "Exactly. The contest for Chief Constable was just the bait."

"The mastermind used it to lure out those two old turtles, Hong Mingchang and He Rongsheng."

"And then, it was time for Han Yuan’s performance."

"He wasn’t here to fight for the Chief Constable position. Or rather, the position was just a bonus."

"He was here to kill."

"After slaughtering those two old turtles, Hong Mingchang and He Rongsheng, he seized the opportunity to take down the He Family in one fell swoop."

"Tell me, isn’t it brilliant?"

Zhao He drained his cup.

"Such ruthless planning... such profound scheming..."

"I wonder if it was Zheng Heda... or that Fatty Zhang who orchestrated this," Qian Yuanlang said grimly.

"I suspect all of them... Even Han Yuan... was likely in on it," Zhao He said with a smile.

"With the He Family gone and the Hong Family having lost Hong Mingchang..."

"Among the gentry families, only Li Sheng remains as a Body Tempering Martial Artist."

"He probably won’t dare cross Han Yuan... which means things are going to get tough for you and me," Qian Yuanlang said with a sigh.

"Are you thinking of making a move against Han Yuan?" Zhao He asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The enmity between Han Yuan and the Fire Wolf Gang was considerable, after all.

"Of course."

"That man cannot be allowed to live!" Qian Yuanlang said coldly.

He had sent assassins after Han Yuan before, after all.

With Han Yuan’s star on the rise, how could he possibly rest easy?

The only solution was to get rid of Han Yuan.

He was no match for Han Yuan alone; his only option was to pull Zhao He into this with him.

"Don’t be hasty. We’ll wait until he’s at the height of his success, basking in his glory. Then, we strike."

"He’s too on guard right now," Zhao He said softly.

"I know... I’ll lie low for now."

Qian Yuanlang nodded.

...

「The Hong Estate.」

Hong Ming’an sat alone in the courtyard, his head wrapped in thick white bandages.

Ever since he learned what had happened to the He Family, everything finally clicked into place.

’You lay low for years, and everyone thought you were toothless...’

’Who would have thought you were the most venomous snake of all.’

Hong Ming’an had to admit it: he had been utterly and completely defeated.

He knew the Hong Family would soon suffer the same fate as the He Family.

He couldn’t just sit by and wait for the end; he had to find a way out, and fast.

Soon, the names of two people surfaced in his mind.

Without a moment’s delay, Hong Ming’an rose, ordered a carriage, and quickly departed the Hong Estate.

...

「In the days that followed.」

The Qingshui County Yamen fell into an eerie silence.

After the He Family was dismantled, the event seemed to vanish without a ripple, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

All the various powers in the county fell silent, making no moves whatsoever.

The He Family’s various enterprises were seized one after another, and vast amounts of silver flowed into the County Yamen’s coffers.

Within the County Yamen, Zheng Heda began purging dissenters, dismissing numerous officials.

And these officials left without a single word of complaint.

Zheng Heda, the County Magistrate, had finally consolidated his power over the County Yamen.

Of course, Han Yuan also rightfully became the Chief Constable.

After the tales of him killing Wang Mingchang and He Rongsheng, along with his massacres at the training grounds and the He Mansion, began to spread, he became akin to a god of slaughter in the eyes of Qingshui County’s common folk.

「Three days after the fall of the He Family.」

Han Yuan stepped out of his courtyard, dressed in the uniform of a Chief Constable.

Along the way, the townspeople who saw him stared with terror in their eyes, not daring to make a sound.

According to street gossip, Han Yuan was the reincarnation of a baleful star, a killer who didn’t even blink. To cross him was to die.

Han Yuan was well aware of his current reputation, but it wasn’t as if he could easily explain it away.

’But I’m such a peace-loving person...’

Just as he was lamenting this silently, a child, roughhousing with his friends, burst out of a narrow alley and ran right into his leg.

"WAAAAAH~~"

The child, of course, was knocked to the ground and immediately started wailing.

And Han Yuan reached out his right hand.

For a moment, the townspeople on the street were paralyzed with fear.

’We’re done for... It’s the god of slaughter...’

’That poor kid... so unlucky.’

They could almost see the scene of Han Yuan crushing the child’s head with one hand.

It was too gory.

Just the thought of it made their lips turn pale and their scalps tingle in horror.