“Damn it!” Xu Qi An cursed under his breath, feeling utterly unlucky.
He recalled experiences from his previous life when his superiors had given him a hard time at work. Back then, he could at least say, “I quit!”
But the Night Watchmen’s Office had a strict hierarchy, and such an extreme response wasn’t an option.
“You want to make things difficult for me, huh? Don’t blame me for whispering in Father Wei’s ear then,” Xu Qi An thought angrily, rubbing his swollen arm.
After gathering the troops and mounting their horses, the Night Watchmen and their assistants rushed to their destination.
The house of the disgraced Ministry of Revenue official surnamed Cheng, who had been sentenced to property confiscation and exile, was a large compound with three courtyards. It was now surrounded by the Imperial Blade Guards.
Upon arrival, Silver Gong Zhu unsheathed his sword. With a flash of the blade, he cut the “Cheng Residence” plaque in two.
With a wave of his sword-wielding hand, he commanded, “Confiscate!”
The Bronze Gongs and assistants kicked open the main gate and swarmed in.
The servants inside were terrified, not daring to make a sound as they cowered in corners, by the roadside, in the garden, and under the eaves.
They had only learned yesterday that their master had been imprisoned, and the household was still trying to pull strings. Who would have thought that today, a group of fierce-looking men would arrive?
Xu Qi An and his two companions entered the front hall, about to head to the back courtyard when Silver Gong Zhu kicked them back.
“You three stay here. Don’t go anywhere. When we’re done, I’ll search for you. If you dare to pocket anything, you’ll be punished according to the law,” Silver Gong Zhu said sternly.
The other Bronze Gongs noticed that Xu Qi An and his companions were being targeted. Some smirked with schadenfreude, while others pretended not to notice, minding their own business.
Song Tingfeng was furious but didn’t dare speak up.
Zhu Guangxiao, usually quiet and reserved, also had a gloomy expression.
Xu Qi An gritted his teeth and chose to remain silent. It wasn’t the time to talk back, or he’d be severely punished.
As they watched Silver Gong Zhu enter the inner courtyard, Song Tingfeng spat and cursed, “Cutting off someone’s livelihood, that son of a bitch!”
“I’m sorry, it’s my fault that you’re caught up in this,” Xu Qi An apologized guiltily.
Song Tingfeng rolled his eyes and noticed Xu Qi An repeatedly touching his arm. “I’ve seen you rubbing your arm. How bad is the injury?”
Xu Qi An smiled bitterly and rolled up his sleeve, revealing his red and swollen arm.
“That bastard used his qi?” Song Tingfeng’s expression changed.
Normally, when superiors beat their subordinates, it would only result in superficial injuries. Using qi to cause internal damage was a different matter entirely.
It showed just how narrow-minded that Zhu fellow was.
“With an injury like that, you could report him. Go to the boss later, he won’t stand for this,” Zhu Guangxiao said in a low voice.
Song Tingfeng looked at him and shook his head. “Don’t cause trouble for the boss.”
Although they were all Silver Gongs, Zhu’s father was a Gold Gong, a powerful backer that Li Yuchun couldn’t afford to offend.
Song Tingfeng continued, “Let it go. Next time you see him, just avoid him. We can only accept this loss.”
I will report it, but not to Spring Brother. I’ll tell Father Wei… Xu Qi An thought as he rolled down his sleeve.
The confiscation process was different from what Xu Qi An had imagined. There were no sounds of smashing or breaking. On the contrary, the assistants and Bronze Gongs seemed to be extremely careful.
A vase in some corner of the study might be worth dozens or hundreds of taels of silver; a small table used for displaying objects might be worth several taels of silver.
Suddenly, the three in the front hall heard sharp cries and pleas from women.
“What’s going on?” Xu Qi An’s expression changed as he turned to Song Tingfeng. “The document said only confiscation, not implicating family members.”
The verdict for the Ministry of Revenue’s Cheng on the document was confiscation of property and exile, with no mention of punishing the family.
In other words, the family members would at most be driven out of the residence, but they hadn’t committed any crimes.
Song Tingfeng stammered, “Perhaps the women in the household are beautiful… They might want to have some fun… This kind of thing happens often.”
“Bullshit!” Xu Qi An cursed and strode towards the back courtyard.
In the back courtyard, women’s sharp cries came from multiple rooms, accompanied by men’s lewd laughter.
Bang!
Following the principle of proximity, Xu Qi An kicked open the door of the nearest room. He saw an unfamiliar Bronze Gong tearing at a woman’s clothes.
The woman had dignified features and fair skin. Her upper body was left with only a light green undergarment as she cried out in despair.
The Bronze Gong was startled and his face darkened. If it had been a moment later, wouldn’t he have been scared out of his wits? He turned to the door in annoyance.
Xu Qi An stared at him coldly, glancing at the badge hanging on the Bronze Gong’s waist. “Go ahead, I’ve remembered your name. I’ll personally report to Lord Wei later.”
Wei Yuan’s name carried a lot of weight. The Bronze Gong looked at the woman, then at Xu Qi An’s gloomy face, realizing he wasn’t joking. He hesitated.
Xu Qi An ignored him and quickly kicked open the doors of several other rooms, using the same method to scare off his colleagues who were about to misbehave.
Didn’t see that Zhu fellow… Xu Qi An’s heart sank. Without hesitation, he kicked open the last room.
Sure enough, he found Silver Gong Zhu inside.
He was grinning maliciously while pinching a young girl, taking perverse pleasure in stripping her clothes one by one.
The girl looked quite young, with tears in the corners of her eyes, sobbing and trying not to cry out loud.
In that instant, Xu Qi An’s anger reached its peak, but he didn’t act rashly. He just stared intently at Silver Gong Zhu.
“Get out!” Silver Gong Zhu’s face darkened.
Xu Qi An didn’t move. He fearlessly met the gaze of a high-level practitioner at the Spirit Refining realm and said word by word, “If you dare touch her, I’ll report you to Lord Wei.”
Hearing these words, a strong light flashed in the girl’s eyes, as if a drowning person had grasped a lifeline.
The conflict here attracted other Bronze Gongs and assistants. They stood at a distance, looking with surprise at this rising young Bronze Gong confronting a Silver Gong.
“Fine, you ignorant fool,” Silver Gong Zhu sneered.
If before he merely disliked Xu Qi An for stealing the spotlight, now he was filled with murderous rage towards him.
Silver Gong Zhu grabbed the girl by the neck, lifted her into the air, and strode out of the room.
Xu Qi An felt the surge of powerful qi and instinctively gripped his sword hilt, retreating cautiously to avoid the brunt of the attack.
Silver Gong Zhu carried the girl to the courtyard and threw her onto a stone table. He turned and sneered at Xu Qi An:
“What do you intend to do?”
A vein throbbed on Xu Qi An’s temple.
“Ning Yan…” Song Tingfeng ran over with a grim expression and grabbed Xu Qi An’s right hand that was holding the sword. He said through gritted teeth, “Don’t be rash, don’t be rash, you know the consequences…”
His tone carried a plea.
Xu Qi An regained some composure, understanding Song Tingfeng’s warning.
First, it was a serious offense for a Bronze Gong to attack a Silver Gong. Even if killed on the spot, it would be considered justified.
In other words, by dragging the girl to the courtyard to publicly violate her, Zhu was provoking Xu Qi An, forcing him to act.
He wanted to put Xu Qi An in a death trap.
Second, how could someone in the Qi Refining realm fight against someone in the Spirit Refining realm?
Neither status nor strength allowed it.
Xu Qi An didn’t give up. He repeated seriously, “If you dare touch her, I’ll report to Lord Wei.”
Silver Gong Zhu laughed wildly, “You can go report, but only after I’ve enjoyed this little beauty.”
Other Bronze Gongs might fear Xu Qi An’s threat, but he didn’t.
With a Gold Gong father as his backup, and his own measured approach to things, he never encountered troubles he couldn’t solve, or disasters he couldn’t avert.
What’s the big deal about violating a few family members of convicted officials? It wasn’t the first or second time.
Every year, so many officials had their properties confiscated and were exiled. Did their female family members think they could escape unscathed even if they weren’t implicated?
They always had to pay a price of some sort.
Silver Gong Zhu gave a contemptuous laugh and positioned himself to violate the girl.
Some Bronze Gongs turned their heads away, while others whistled and made strange laughs.
The fate that awaited this girl, who looked barely old enough for middle school, deeply disturbed the 21st-century soul that had transmigrated here.
“Let go!”
Song Tingfeng heard his new colleague’s words and spoke softly.
But his expression was so firm and resolute that, as if possessed, Song Tingfeng took a step back.
Xu Qi An’s eyes were calm, his breath steady. All emotions settled down, and he entered his optimal state in an instant.
His thumb on the sword hilt gently pushed up the guard of the black and gold long sword, unsheathing it by an inch.
“Clang!”
As the sound of the sword leaving its scabbard echoed, Silver Gong Zhu pounced, his eyes sharp, his move decisive, slashing toward Xu Qi An.
He had been prepared all along.
The violent qi surged forward like a tidal wave. Xu Qi An stood as still as a rock, unmoved.
Focus on one point, and reach the pinnacle!
“Clang!”
Another sound of unsheathing.
The crowd only saw a flash of sword light, thin as a thread, disappear in an instant. They only saw Xu Qi An’s hand on the sword seem to move slightly.
That somewhat straight sword was still in its scabbard. The clear and forceful sound from earlier seemed like an auditory hallucination.
Silver Gong Zhu froze, his eyes wide open.
A few seconds later, the bronze gong on his chest split open and fell to the ground with a clang.
Then, a sword wound opened on his chest, blood gushing out, splattering on Xu Qi An’s face and body.
In the dead silence, he fell back powerlessly.
After a moment, Song Tingfeng was the first to react. With a pale face, he rushed to Silver Gong Zhu’s side and felt his carotid artery.
“He’s not dead, not dead…” Song Tingfeng shouted hoarsely. “Quick, save him, save him!”
The scene suddenly descended into chaos. Some Bronze Gongs rushed to rescue Silver Gong Zhu, transferring qi and pouring out medicinal pills. Then they carried him away, intending to take him back to the Night Watchmen’s Office for treatment.
Another group drew their swords. Amidst the continuous clanging of metal, they surrounded Xu Qi An.
The usually silent Zhu Guangxiao put his hand on his sword hilt, standing protectively in front of Xu Qi An.
“Ning Yan…” Song Tingfeng’s face was white. He squeezed out from his throat: “You should run.”
Xu Qi An, who had exhausted his qi with that one sword strike, shook his head. His eyes showed fatigue, but he forced a smile and said, “If I run, what about my uncle and aunt?”
Song Tingfeng exploded in anger. He grabbed Xu Qi An’s collar and pointed at the bewildered young girl, gritting his teeth: “Was it worth it? For a girl you don’t even know, was it worth it?”
“She’s still a child…” Xu Qi An looked at him intently. “Some things are worth more than life itself.”
He walked out with unsteady steps. No one dared to stop him. With each step he took, the Night Watchmen retreated one step.
After ten steps, Xu Qi An took off his badge and sword, throwing them to the ground. Then, he did something that no one understood.
He looked at the distant sky, raised his hand, and gave a military salute.
After many years, the youthful spirit Xu Qi An had when he graduated from the police academy once again shone on his face.
Even though he was covered in blood.