Da Xuan Martial Saint

Ning He did not respond. Once they had crossed the bridge, she could no longer suppress her completely disordered Qi-Blood. Her breathing became rapid, and she released Ning Yu, staggering for a moment but still managing to stand firm.

"Go, don't look back."

She whispered to Ning Yu and then continued forward, quickly crossing the bridge.

She hadn't seen clearly who had saved her just now.

But in that moment, the effortless display of skill was something she could still recognize—it was the power of Artistic Conception.

This was someone who had mastered Artistic Conception, perhaps a member of the Yu Family, or maybe...

Ning He glanced back. Under the pitch-black night sky, she could no longer see any figures, but she still felt a vague sense of familiarity.

Could it really be him?

Had he mastered Artistic Conception too?

But Ning He knew that now was not the time to delve into such matters.

Whether it was him or not, she could not afford to make it known... because if Chen Mu had truly mastered Artistic Conception at his age and in such a short time by his own talents, it would cause a tremendous stir in the Inner City and would surely make him a target of the He Family, a thorn in their side. Nothing would remain calm as it was now.

Since Chen Mu had always been silent about it, she too must keep his secret, not only refraining from prying but also pretending not to know.

Hopefully,

it would really be him.

...

At the edge of the bridge.

Dozens of elite martial masters dared not step forward.

The leader, looking at the front of the bridge and seeing Chen Mu draped in a black cloak blending into the night, couldn't help but speak in a deep voice.

"This is a matter of the He Family. Sir, do not mistake yourself!"

"..."

He had been better off silent; at that statement, a hint of coldness flashed in Chen Mu's eyes.

The He Family?

Although the situation was vastly different from back then, it still brought some rather unpleasant memories to mind.

And although that past incident was perpetrated by a gang, it invariably involved the shadow of the He Family, or perhaps one could say, the shadow of the Deputy Head Officer He Mingxuan.

Chen Mu closed his eyes slightly.

When he opened them again, his gaze had turned indifferent, and his body suddenly flickered, disappearing from the spot and reappearing amidst the crowd. With a sweep of his right hand, a head flew up.

"Watch out!"

"Kill!"

The crowd immediately descended into chaos. Various steel blades were swung at Chen Mu, but he was already too quick to bother with a blade, smashing another man's head with a wave of his hand, snapping his fingers to shatter another's skull.

His movements were as fast as lightning, weaving through the crowd in an instant.

It was almost in the blink of an eye.

One by one, the elite martial masters froze in place, then either their heads shattered or their chests caved in, dropping to the ground with thumps.

Pop!

Chen Mu pulled his fingers out of the last man's forehead, stepped slowly to the riverbank, broke the thin ice at the edge, and gently washed his hands in the river water.

Afterward, he stood up, looked far upstream along the riverbank, and could faintly see the distant lights of a painted boat.

Then.

Chen Mu's figure silently disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind only a messy scene of bodies by the bridge.

...

On the painted boat.

He Mingxuan stepped out of the pavilion to the back of the boat, blew the cold wind, and gradually calmed down a bit.

At this moment, he somewhat regretted using Xue Lin's influence against Ning He. Not only had it not worked, but it had also distanced his relationship with Xue Lin.

A loss far outweighing any gain.

She was nothing but a maid by Xu Hongyu's side. Even if she was eliminated, it wouldn't really matter; it was just that these days he had been distracted by Ning He's tactics.

In the end, he was the one who sent someone to kill.

He Mingxuan felt secretly annoyed in his heart.

To kill Ning He, he could have done it at any time; it was only because he was worried about Xu Hongyu that he hadn't made his move. Now, making his move like this, what difference did it make from taking direct action? Once Xu Hongyu returned, there was no guarantee she wouldn't go mad, and then it would be another big trouble.

Enough!

It wouldn't be a big deal not to be the Deputy Head Officer.

Upon calming down, He Mingxuan even found himself somewhat ridiculous for having gone so far as to consider giving up his position as Deputy Head Officer to avoid Xu Hongyu over dealing with a mere maid by her side.

When did it start, one blunder after another?

Yes.

It seems it all started when that Chen Mu showed up.

Thinking of this, He Mingxuan's eyes grew colder. Since it had come to this, why not get rid of that Chen Mu as well!

After a brief moment of contemplation.

He Mingxuan waved his hand, summoning a subordinate, ready to have someone take care of Ning He and then deal with Chen Mu as well.

The subordinate complied and then hurried away.

He Mingxuan leaned on the railing, looking at the dark, lightless banks of the moat, stood for a moment, and then turned to walk back inside the painted boat.

However.

Just then, a subordinate came rushing over, his face filled with panic, and quickly conveyed a few sentences.

"What did you say?"

Upon hearing this, He Mingxuan was immediately stunned and showed a look of astonishment.

The subordinate, looking distressed, said, "The Chief Constable has been alerted, sir... he wants you to come immediately."

The 'Chief Constable' referred to by the subordinate was naturally not him, the Deputy Head Officer of the South City District, but the Chief Constable over all of City West, his uncle He Guangzong.

He Mingxuan wore a bewildered expression.

And also a disbelief.

He had deployed part of the He Family's elite personnel; even if Ning He had drunk a jar of fiery liquor and her Qi-Blood was in chaos, even at the peak of her strength, she might not have escaped alive.

Yet now the news was... that group of personnel had been wiped clean on Zhenxin Bridge!

How could this be!

With bewilderment and incredulity, He Mingxuan hurriedly left the painted boat, heading towards Zhenxin Bridge. When he arrived, he saw a large group of officers surrounding the vicinity of Zhenxin Bridge.
Your journey continues on m v|l-e'm,p y r

The man in white official attire at the forefront was exactly the Chief Constable He Guangzong.

He Mingxuan, seeing the corpses scattered on the ground, walked over somewhat confusedly.

Slap!

He Guangzong, with a cold face, raised his hand and delivered a resounding slap.

"Do you see the mess you've made?"

"You gathered a group of elite bladesmen from the family to kill a maid of Xu Hongyu, and this is what you, a dignitary Deputy Head Officer, have done?!"

He Guangzong scolded him furiously.

Upon learning that a fierce fight had taken place near Zhenxin Bridge, resulting in the deaths of dozens of people, he first thought it was a gang clash, but soon found out that the dead were elite martial masters nurtured by the He Family, and he was nearly infuriated to death upon hearing more details.

"I..."

He Mingxuan, having received a slap on the face, didn't dare to speak and still seemed somewhat in disbelief.

He Guangzong, observing his demeanor, grew even angrier.

Actually, rounding up the manpower to kill Ning He wasn't really a big deal; killing her wouldn't be too severe, as the conflict between the Yu Family and the He Family had long been ongoing. Killing a maid wasn't anything major.

But the problem was.

He had gathered a group of people, yet not only did they fail to kill Ning He, but his own men were also wiped out completely!

No matter the process or the reason, judged purely on the outcome, this act was simply foolish, especially since there had been an attempt to utilize Xue Lin... Who was Xue Lin, someone to be manipulated easily?