Chapter 105: Chapter 89: Silver Carp

“Yes.”

Chen Qing replied, his face impassive.

The three silently patrolled the dikes between the ponds.

Liu Cheng covered his face, looking wronged and terrified. Jiang Wu also had a look of lingering fear, secretly relieved that he had kept his eyes in check.

Chen Qing walked in front, his Heart and Spirit fully focused, sensing every movement around them.

Ponds Seven and Eight were in a relatively remote location, near a wild reed marsh at the edge of the Fishery.

Just as they rounded Pond Seven, a convoy of carriages appeared on the road ahead.

A horse-drawn carriage covered with a thick cloth was slowly heading out of the Fishery.

The carriage was branded with a clear ’Ma’ character, identifying it as the convoy of the Ma Family, who had a long-standing partnership with the Wutai Sect and made regular purchases of Treasure Fish.

This was a common sight.

However, Chen Qing’s gaze locked onto a subservient-looking carter beside the carriage.

The man was of average build, dressed in the Ma Family’s standard uniform—a coarse cloth tunic and a conical bamboo hat. His face was completely unfamiliar.

His movements as he handled the reins were unlike those of an ordinary carter. While others’ breathing would hitch with the carriage’s jolts, his remained long, steady, and almost imperceptible.

More critically, a faint scent of blood was seeping from the gaps in the carriage compartment.

Others might not have noticed the scent, but after his Purification and Marrow Cleansing, Chen Qing’s five senses were far sharper than even a typical Transmutation Force master’s.

As the convoy was about to pass them, the carter glanced at Chen Qing from under his hat. His eyes held a barely perceptible trace of wariness.

“Halt!”

Chen Qing stepped forward and faced the carter. “I don’t recognize you. Didn’t Steward Ma come today?”

The carter stiffened imperceptibly. He then looked up, revealing a weathered face plastered with a humble smile. “To answer you, sir,” he said, “I’m new. Name’s Wang the Fifth. Steward Ma has caught a chill and is resting back at the manor.”

“The Ma Family has worked with your sect for many years, so we know the rules. Steward Ye personally inspected the number and quality of the Treasure Fish, and the transaction is complete. Here’s the token of proof.”

As he spoke, he pulled out a Jade Token bearing Ye Rong’Er’s personal seal.

“I see. The token is in order.”

Chen Qing smiled. “Since the transaction is settled and Steward Ye herself has inspected the goods, there shouldn’t be any issues. I’m just doing my due diligence by asking.”

He stepped slightly to the side, clearing the path.

Wang the Fifth let out a visible sigh of relief, his smile widening. “Of course, of course! Your diligence is a credit to your sect! I’ll be sure to prepare a small gift for you some other time!”

He turned to drive the carriage away.

In the very next moment!

The instant the carriage shafts passed by Chen Qing, the very moment Wang the Fifth’s guard was at its lowest!

Chen Qing moved!

From absolute stillness, he erupted like a thunderclap!

He became a blur, an afterimage skimming low across the ground. The earth beneath his feet cracked as the muscles and tendons of his poised right arm, which had been gathering power, let out a low hum.

Deep within his organs, the Fishing Toad Force detonated. The terrifying Power granted by his Thunder Sound Marrow Cleansing surged, channeled without reservation into his Fist Force.

Long Arm Fist! Ape Arm Locking the River!

His target: the vital point on Wang the Fifth’s upper right back, exposed as the man turned to handle his horse!

This punch was fast! Vicious! Precise!

The blow condensed all of Chen Qing’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit, a perfect fusion with his grasp of timing. The Fist Force tore through the air with a piercing shriek, like a venomous dragon bursting from its lair, ready to annihilate anything in its path.

Wang the Fifth sensed the lethal Evil Wind approaching from behind, and his very soul cried out in terror.

He let out a strangled cry. With no time to fully turn, he relied on pure, battle-honed instinct. He frantically surged his qi and blood to his back, muscles knotting like iron. Simultaneously, his left hand snapped back in a claw, kicking up a foul gust as he struck blindly behind him.

He was attempting to counterattack and force Chen Qing to retreat!

“SQUELCH!”

“CRACK!”

The two sounds echoed almost at the same time!

The first was the sound of Chen Qing’s fist, charged with Penetrating Force, violently piercing Wang the Fifth’s back.

The second was the muffled sound of the Fist Force exiting the body, shattering ribs and instantly pulverizing the heart with its ferocious power!

Wang the Fifth’s venomous backhand claw strike merely grazed the fabric at Chen Qing’s side, tearing away a few threads but failing to even break the skin.

“!?”

Wang the Fifth’s eyes bulged, filled with utter disbelief, horror, and despair. A torrent of hot blood sprayed from his mouth.

His body was blasted forward by the irresistible Fist Force. He slammed heavily against the shafts of the second carriage, the impact cracking the sturdy wood.

He slumped to the ground like a pile of boneless mud, blood continuing to gush from his mouth.

The sudden, violent turn of events plunged the area into a dead silence.

Time seemed to have frozen.

“Brother… Brother Chen?!”

Jiang Wu and Liu Cheng were scared witless. They had never witnessed such a ruthless and decisive act.

“That Jade Token with Steward Ye’s personal seal went out of use last month.”

Chen Qing’s expression remained unchanged. He commanded, “Jiang Wu, go at once and inform Steward Ye and the Ma Family’s local representative! Lock down the scene—no one moves! Liu Cheng, fire the signal to alert the area! Then get to the Fishery entrance immediately and stop anyone who tries to leave!”

“Y-yes!”

Cowed by Chen Qing’s commanding presence, the two scrambled to obey.

With trembling hands, Liu Cheng pulled a bamboo-tube flare from his robes and lit the fuse.

“FWOOSH—BANG!”

A blinding red flare exploded in the night sky, casting a crimson glow over half the water.

Chen Qing threw back the carriage curtain. Inside, there was nothing but bloodstains and scraps of cloth.

This was rather strange.

Soon, the urgent sound of someone cutting through the air approached.

Ye Rong’Er was the first to arrive. Her expression was a mixture of shock and suspicion. When she saw the body on the ground, her brows knitted in fury. “Chen Qing! What happened?!”

Close behind her, a burly, middle-aged man rushed over with several of the Ma Family’s top men. It was none other than Ma Hongyuan, the Embracing Pill Force master from the Ma Family who was stationed in the area.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep