Subjected daily to the terror-filling murderous aura that pervaded heaven and earth by Mr. Ying, Wang Anfeng's sensitivity to this unique qi mechanism had become almost instinctual.
At that fleeting glimpse just now, the whiff of breath was faint yet exceedingly clear. According to Mr. Ying, unless one's life was dominated by relentless killing, resolute decisiveness, and the cultivation of relevant supreme skills, only those harboring a murderous intent would exhibit an overflowing murderous aura.
And in the brief time it took for these thoughts to pass, that person had already disappeared into the crowd, leaving behind only the faint murderous aura.
Wang Anfeng frowned slightly. With the holiday season approaching, a blood incident here could provoke quite the commotion.
It might be better to make a trip to the Government Office and report this.
But before that, he needed to rinse off the fruit stand...
As he thought this, he looked down, only to see three sleek, yellow dogs. The biggest one sniffed at the fruit stand, grabbed it in one bite, let out a whimper, and the three dogs bolted, leaving the stunned young man standing in place with his hand outstretched, a blank expression on his face.
"...my good fortune..."
"I've only had one bite."
After standing in a daze for a moment, Wang Anfeng forced a wry smile, resigned to his fate. Not far ahead was a medicinal shop with ten stoves lined up outside. The shop assistants were busy decocting medicine for customers, the rich aroma of which warmed the body with just a sniff. Wang Anfeng breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed the medicinal shop was still open.
Just as he was about to approach the shop assistants to speak, Wang Anfeng's ears suddenly caught the sound of hurried footsteps and several indistinct presences targeted him. Startled, he turned to see several black-armored soldiers pushing through the crowd and striding toward him, calling out:
"Who are you? Carrying chains... We suspect you are related to a case, come with us."
At this, Wang Anfeng furrowed his brows and explained:
"What chains? I came in through the main gate and have already been checked there..."
Before he could finish, two men had already charged forward, not waiting for his explanation, reaching for his shoulders with fierce and threatening expressions. However, the young man saw nothing but flaws in their approach. With a slight shift of his feet and a twist of his hands, he grasped the wrists of the two large soldiers, using his instinctive refined technique to shake them off.
They scattered and half-knelt on the ground.
The young man frowned and said:
"Is there some mistake?"
At that moment, a gust of ill wind struck from behind. A tall man clad in iron armor charged forth, and when still several meters away from Wang Anfeng, he leaped violently, aiming a kick at the youth's shoulder to knock him down and subdue him.
In the midst of the wicked breeze, war boots struck the chains on Wang Anfeng's shoulder, yet the young man didn't even flinch, leaving the attacker's look of triumph to freeze and then contort in pain, as if he had kicked a city wall, falling to the ground and crying out in agony while clutching his foot.
The other soldiers' faces changed, almost instinctively drawing their swords, the sonorous sound of blades ringing out as the crowd scattered, and a hint of anger rose in Wang Anfeng's heart. The chains hanging from his body coiled and rose like serpents, shocking the soldiers who didn't dare approach; the atmosphere tensed.
Right then, a tall figure strode out from the medicinal shop, frowning and shouting:
"Who's causing such a ruckus? Do you think the Iron Guards are without people?"
His voice trailing off, he then saw the young man standing amidst the encirclement, his eyes brightening as he called out:
"Wang Anfeng, what are you doing here?"
"Headman Zhao, what's going on? Why has there been a conflict with my brother here?"
Seeing someone who seemed to know him, the leading man breathed a sigh of relief, put away his sword to make a gesture and said:
"The military has issued a new order. Since it's confirmed that person is here, we might as well gather all the Martial Artists... to force that person out. This young brother is wrapped in chains, and my brothers thought he was not a good sort, so we decided to act first..."
"Brother Daniu, you know him?"
The man stepped forward with a smile, saying:
"Of course, I know him. Wang Anfeng, the Divine Doctor, he's the one I told you about, the one who saved Captain Zhang."
The man in question was Zhao Daniu from the Iron Guards, who had previously been standing outside Li Kangsheng's clinic. Now, seeing Wang Anfeng, he was overjoyed, first giving him a bear hug and then smiling:
"My good brother, it's been a long time. I was thinking of going to Great Liang Village to find you, but I never expected you to come here first."
The surrounding Iron Guards looked at each other with embarrassment on their faces. Wang Anfeng looked at them, still harboring some anger in his chest. Zhao Daniu might seem simple but was sharp as a fox. Seeing this, he guessed what Wang was thinking and whispered in his ear:
"Brother, don't blame them, it's just that... well, you're one of us, so I'll speak frankly. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, a strongman broke into the county magistrate's residence and even snatched a treasure. He was the one who injured Captain Zhang, and then the man kept running, slippery as an eel, until we finally cornered him in this county town."
"He's a wily thief and hard to catch. Because of him, we Iron Guards have lost many brothers, and our hearts are heavy. Brother, be understanding; we soldiers are also born of parents and have it tough."
At these words, Wang Anfeng was taken aback, his anger naturally dissipating quite a bit. He nodded, but at that moment, an image of the person harboring murderous intent flashed in his mind, and his expression grew grave as he said: