Chen Ping'an felt as if his chest had been struck by a heavy hammer after taking a kick from Za Mao Yu.
For a moment, he felt an incomparable pain. But... that was all.
With his Iron Cloth at Major Achievement, his resistance to blows was extremely strong. This kick could injure a Qi Blood Second Realm practitioner who wasn't skilled in hard Cultivation Technique, but for him, he could still withstand it!
The moment the kick landed, Chen Ping'an instinctively grabbed Za Mao Yu's leg firmly with both hands. He exerted force with his arms, pulling Za Mao Yu towards him.
In an instant, Za Mao Yu lost his balance and stumbled towards Chen Ping'an.
"How is that possible!?"
Za Mao Yu's face was filled with shock.
Although it was dark, the opponent's build was ordinary, and he was even a head shorter than him. Za Mao Yu had easily observed these points.
Therefore, in the first instant, Za Mao Yu, with his rich fighting experience, ruled out the possibility that the opponent Cultivated a hard Cultivation Technique. He likely followed a nimble path. That's why Za Mao Yu adopted this simple and brutal kick.
But now...
This delicate-looking youth in front of him had actually Cultivated an external hard Cultivation Technique!?
Given the current situation, Za Mao Yu had no time to think. The immense force from his right leg caused him to instantly lose his balance, making his body unstable. He sharply lowered his upper body, using his firmly grasped right leg as a pivot, and with a burst of power from his waist, he leveraged the momentum to powerfully raise his left leg.
Target: The opponent's head.
Whoosh!
A strong gust of wind assailed him!
Chen Ping'an, with his rich combat experience from his Major Achievement Iron Cloth, instantly reacted in the most appropriate way.
He suddenly loosened his grip, releasing the opponent's right leg, then powerfully pushed off with his right foot, his body leaping into the air with the powerful push.
He bent his left leg, driving his knee upward, carrying an incredibly violent force towards Za Mao Yu's left foot.
The point of impact was precisely the most vulnerable side of Za Mao Yu's knee.
"Not good!"
Za Mao Yu's face changed drastically. He hadn't expected that an seemingly ordinary youth would react so quickly. He anxiously tried to change his posture, but with his body almost airborne and no point of leverage, he was powerless.
"It's too late!"
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking echoed.
Za Mao Yu's left knee was shattered by Chen Ping'an's charge. The differing directions of their force and points of collision resulted in this outcome.
The broken bone caused Za Mao Yu's face to flush. His eyes were bloodshot from the pain. But his incredibly resilient will made him forcefully endure.
He landed his right foot, intending to regain his balance before delivering a heavy punch to his opponent.
However, it was clear that Chen Ping'an wouldn't give him that chance.
Using the recoil from the collision, Chen Ping'an landed a step ahead and stomped towards Za Mao Yu's right foot with a push of his feet.
The point of impact was precisely where Za Mao Yu was about to land.
Thud!
Za Mao Yu felt as if his instep was about to be crushed.
Ignoring the pain on his body, he now seemed to have lost his mind, unleashing a barrage of heavy punches towards Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an held his arm in front, protecting his head, and directly met the opponent's fists.
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
The sensation of fist meeting flesh.
Za Mao Yu's strength was considerable, but Chen Ping'an was able to parry him.
The opponent's flurry of attacks didn't cause him much trouble. Moreover, with both legs nearly crippled and no footwork to assist, Za Mao Yu's agility was almost completely lost.
Chen Ping'an seized the opportunity, taking a punch to the chest as a price, and raised his fist high, aiming for Za Mao Yu's face.
Bang! Bang!
Two sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
Chen Ping'an felt a dull pain in his chest and couldn't help but pause slightly.
And Za Mao Yu's face took a heavy blow, blood instantly streaming from his nose. The powerful impact made him see stars and sway unsteadily.
Chen Ping'an endured the discomfort in his chest, and with a leg sweep, he directly knocked the already unstable Za Mao Yu to the ground.
Then, he pushed off with his left foot, his body leaping into the air, using his knee as a weapon, striking downwards directly at Za Mao Yu's throat.
"Die!"
"No!"
Za Mao Yu roared in terror.
If he hadn't been wanted, he wouldn't have been able to buy food even with money. Why would he steal food in the middle of the night?
He never imagined that the household he inadvertently chose would seal his fate tonight.
He had weathered great storms, only to capsize in a gutter!
Crack!
The knee landed, accompanied by the crushing of his Adam's apple.
Qing Yu Gang's chief, Za Mao Yu, dead!
But Chen Ping'an didn't stop at all. His knee continued to grind Za Mao Yu's throat until it was completely disfigured, only then did he stop.
Chen Ping'an's body slumped, falling to the side, breathing heavily.
"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! ..."
Sweat soaked his hair, and his arms and thighs trembled slightly.
This was his first real combat experience, and he dared not hold back in the slightest. In that moment, he had only one thought: to kill him! He couldn't give him any chance to breathe!
Because he simply didn't know if he were to slack off even a little, or hold back, whether he would be the one to die!
Now, with Za Mao Yu dead, everything settled. As Chen Ping'an recovered, he felt as if everything was a dream.
The scenes of the fight flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, yet everything seemed so unreal!
Za Mao Yu, dead?
Died by his hand?
Chen Ping'an looked at his hands, his mind feeling completely blank.
This was his first fight, and his first kill. This feeling was indescribable.
After a long while, Chen Ping'an's mind gradually cleared.
Looking at Za Mao Yu's corpse nearby, he felt no fear, no regret, and no so-called emergency reaction.
After accepting the fact that Za Mao Yu was killed by him, his heart, on the contrary, calmed down.
"Is it because of the Golden Finger? Or because of this Dao?"
Chen Ping'an couldn't figure out why. And he didn't want to.
As a Yamen Runner, he had seen too many truths of the world. Now, he just wanted to live well. To live well with his sister, to live with dignity.
Not to be bullied by anyone, nor threatened by anyone, just to live freely and without worries.
And to achieve all this, Chen Ping'an knew that he needed sufficient strength, and a position that would make others fear him.
Right...
Position!
Chen Ping'an's mind had completely cleared.
"Qing Yu Gang's chief, Za Mao Yu, has achieved success in skin refining, entered the muscle refining stage, and has a Qi Blood Second Realm martial Cultivation. If anyone can provide effective clues, a reward of five taels of silver will be given, and a minor merit recorded. If anyone can kill or capture him on the spot, a medium merit will be recorded, and a reward of ten taels of silver."
Killed on the spot, recorded as a medium merit!
In the darkness, Chen Ping'an's eyes glowed.
Medium merit! For him, that meant the status of an official Yamen Runner.
"Right, I need to report this quickly!"
Chen Ping'an instantly understood what he should do now.
"However..."
Thoughts flashed through Chen Ping'an's mind.
"I can't let others know that I killed Za Mao Yu. My martial Cultivation cannot be exposed for now! If it's exposed now, the matter of the Cultivation Technique can be explained, but the process of practicing this external Cultivation Technique... if investigated deeply, it cannot be explained."
"Now... what should I do?"