Zhang Dahua held his breath, his face tensing up.
Should he quietly inform the other departments? He couldn't shake the feeling that Officer Shen might be smacked to death by this brute with a single slap.
Chen Ji also felt something was amiss. Could it be that despite the pleasant words, the other party was actually here to save face for the skinny monk?
Zhang the Butcher tilted his head, his calloused, thick fingers pinching off the grass root from his mouth.
Shen Yi silently observed him, seeing nothing but sincerity in the other's eyes, devoid of any provocation, just a surging and intense combativeness.
He slowly shifted his body, softly exhaling a breath of stale air, "Come."
Just as his voice was about to fade, Zhang the Butcher suddenly lashed out with his leg, a three to four-hundred-pound stone lock shot out like a mud pellet from a slingshot, with a piercing whistle, slamming towards that upright figure!
The force was immense, the speed astonishing; bystanders had no time to react.
Shen Yi glanced at the courtyard wall behind him, his right palm clenched into a fist, he turned and punched out, pulverizing the stone lock into powder beneath the peak of his fist.
"I can see it now, you really do cherish your money."
The dust obscured the vision for an instant, but that ridiculously large figure had already appeared behind the young man.
Two thick arms, like iron chains, swooped down in a whipping motion. If they hit, the shoulder blades would probably end up more shattered than the stone lock.
Shen Yi's expression remained calm. He leaned slightly forward, dodging the other's whip-like strike while his elbow, carrying the full force of his body, crashed into Zhang the Butcher's scruffy chin.
With a muffled 'thump' sound,
A hint of something unusual finally spread across his face.
Zhang the Butcher staggered a couple of steps, shaking the whole courtyard; he rubbed his jaw and laughed with bared teeth as if nothing had happened, "What quick reflexes."
An elbow strike capable of breaking demon bones had only pushed him back two steps.
To others, it might not have been clear, but Chen Ji's pupils contracted at the sight.
Just yesterday, Officer Shen had knocked down a Tiger Demon with a single kick, making it spit blood. What kind of monster was this fat man?
The reason for Shen Yi's slight change of heart wasn't what others might assume.
That elbow strike had been infused with the energy from his acupoints. He hadn't expected to take down his opponent with it, but... how had this martial master from Qingzhou managed to withstand such a blow without mobilizing any energy?
As his thoughts raced, he burst into motion. With the enhancement of Serpentine Eight Steps, his entire being moved like a specter.
Although Zhang the Butcher reacted very quickly, the disadvantage of his bulky figure could not be avoided. He couldn't even see his toes when he looked down, narrowing his field of vision.
Yet, there was still no panic in his eyes. He let Shen Yi's flurry of punches come at him, his greasy skin as tough as a stack of a hundred layers of cowhide.
At the right moment, a giant hand pulled out a dark, pig-slaughtering knife from his waist, slashing ferociously towards the ground at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
Despite the great force, the knife missed again.
This gave Shen Yi the chance to seize the opportunity. As his opponent was unable to recover in time, he lifted his foot and kicked at his waist, toppling the huge figure to the ground with a thunderous crash.
The Niu brothers scattered to the side like frightened rabbits.
"With such a rudimentary style of Long Fist, what use is there in executing it well? Frankly, it's hardly sufficient even to stretch my muscles."
Zhang the Butcher climbed up from the ground, covered in dust, and his gaze fell on Shen Yi's waist, licking his lips: "Draw your sword quickly. The Butcher saw it yesterday. Don't think you can hide your moves."
Hearing this, Shen Yi rubbed his wrist and then his five fingers moved towards the sword handle.
I had thought it would just be a friendly sparring, but given how solid the other's body was, relying solely on the Cloud-Dispersing Long Fist when striking down was indeed not very interesting.
The next moment, silver light carrying red mist streaked across the sky!
"Good coming!" Zhang the Butcher finally became excited and crossed his arms to meet it.
As the long blade chopped down, it actually made a clear sound of metal striking metal, leaving a white mark on his greasy skin.
"Has the tortoise become a spirit?" Chen Ji widened his eyes, breathing rapidly.
However, the smile on Zhang the Butcher's face gradually faded as he stared at his own arm: "Good blade technique..."
Before he could finish his words, the long blade, carrying fierce malicious energy, was already chopping down in an endless succession.
Zhang the Butcher extended his hands again to block three consecutive strikes, but on the fourth one coming down, he suddenly rolled like a donkey, awkwardly dodging it.
In full view of everyone, he waved his hands repeatedly: "Stop! Let me catch my breath!"
Shen Yi slowly stopped his steps.
Chen Ji hadn't understood the situation, how could the fight be over just after it had begun?
His gaze suddenly swept over the butcher's raised arm, and he felt an inexplicable chill, as he saw that the previous slashes had all landed in the exact same spot, which, of course, could only prove Shen Yi's mastery over controlling his blade.
What truly shocked him was that the place which had originally just been a white mark was now tightly bound by strands of red mist; within a few breaths' time, the white bone was faintly visible.
Zhang the Butcher had beads of sweat the size of beans on his forehead, enduring the pain as he mobilized his breath to drive away the red mist bit by bit. It took a long while before he looked up and breathed a sigh of relief, clicking his tongue in wonder:
"This technique, it doesn't quite seem like a good person's."
Shen Yi frowned, puzzled why the other had not used his breath to defend earlier.
Zhang the Butcher was already excitedly standing up, patting his belly and calling out: "What do you think?"
Shen Yi nodded: "Such powerful toughness training."
"Want to learn?" Zhang the Butcher said while casting a glance at the blade Shen Yi wore.
"Officer Shen must not!" Chen Ji usually knew the rules well, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but interject.
The relationship between the Imperial Court and the rivers and lakes' factions was far more complex than ordinary people imagined.
To take their things was not so easy to extricate oneself from.
"Tsk, what's the rush?"
Zhang the Butcher wasn't angry at being interrupted by the arrest officer; he laughed with great magnanimity: "Although I came with a purpose, and it's not very honorable, at least I won't harm Officer Shen."
He walked up to Shen Yi and whispered: "Your blade technique, did you comprehend it on your own from the Demon-subduing Sword Technique?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yi looked back, slightly surprised.
"Heh heh, I've seen too much, I recognized it at a glance," Zhang the Butcher raised his eyebrows: "I wouldn't dare reach out for the martial arts of the Demon-suppression Bureau even if you offered them to me, but this self-created skill, there aren't so many rules, and it just so happens I've had some insights as well. Why not we exchange?"
Shen Yi felt an inexplicable urge.
If he had the other's physique, when faced with last night's Serpent Woman incident, he wouldn't have needed to panic.
A moment later, he turned to look and chose to speak the truth: "I don't have any objections, but you might not be able to learn this blade technique."
Zhang the Butcher was momentarily taken aback, then his throat let out a hissing laugh: "Of course I know, such a vicious method surely isn't something a man of the Imperial Court could come in contact with, most likely it's a comprehension from the dregs of some Demon's Beast Origin."
"Who but someone in desperate straits, or a mad martial maniac, would do such a foolish thing."
"Just exchange them, you've no business worrying if others can practice it or not."
Seeing the two discussing martial arts, Chen Ji pushed the remaining confused arrest officers out of the courtyard, then stepped out himself and gently closed the courtyard door.