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The man seated there was distinctly different from the others, standing out like a crane amongst chickens.
Li Hengsheng could feel the strong aura emanating from him.
"That's Lin Qizhu," Yan Wanghou said to Li Hengsheng, who nodded in acknowledgment, clearly seeing the man's prominence.
Yan Wanghou approached first, as they were old acquaintances, and Yan Wanghou had once saved Lin Qizhu's life. It was only appropriate for Yan Wanghou to make the introductions, considering they were looking to recruit Lin Qizhu.
Li Hengsheng and Xu Kui followed behind.
Some of the lumberjacks around them had sharp gazes, all watching Li Hengsheng with wariness, as if on guard.
They could tell from Yan Wanghou that Li Hengsheng was from the Inspectorate.
They harbored no good feelings towards the Inspectorate.
"Headman Lin."
Yan Wanghou approached with a friendly smile, "I have come to visit."
"Old Yan, it's been a long time," Lin Qizhu replied politely. After all, without Yan Wanghou, he would have died in the Inspectorate's dungeon.
"I'm here to introduce you to the new Inspector," Yan Wanghou stepped aside to present Li Hengsheng to Lin Qizhu.
Lin Qizhu sized up Li Hengsheng.
When he saw that Li Hengsheng was merely at the full circle of the Postnatal Realm, he didn't show any disdain, just a hint of curiosity.
Such cultivation, yet an Inspector?
Why?
Had he committed some grave error to be sent here to suffer?
"I know, you must be Inspector Li Hengsheng," Lin Qizhu stood up. Seated, one might not notice anything special, but standing, Li Hengsheng realized Lin Qizhu was much taller than himself, his towering frame exuding immense strength.
"I'm truly honored that you've heard of me upon my recent arrival, Brother Lin," Li Hengsheng said with a smile.
Unexpectedly, Lin Qizhu stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
"Lin Qizhu is grateful to the Inspector for saving my sister's life," he said respectfully.
"Huh?"
Li Hengsheng was taken aback. What was this about?
Even Yan Wanghou was surprised by this turn of events.
They had thought Lin Qizhu would be tough to persuade, that convincing him to work for the Inspectorate might even lead to a fight, but they hadn't expected this outcome.
"Your sister?"
Li Hengsheng inquired.
"You may not remember my sister's name," Lin Qizhu said, "She had gone missing, and after days of searching without news, it turned out she had been captured by the Mu household, to be sent to the Great Desolate City. That night, it was you who saved her. Even if you hadn't come today, I would have gone to Tusong City tomorrow to thank you in person."
Li Hengsheng then realized it was one of the girls he had inadvertently saved.
Seeing his sister return and hearing she was saved by the Inspectorate, Lin Qizhu could hardly believe it. The Inspectorate dared to do such a thing?
Dared to offend the Mu household?
He had clashed with the Mu household before but ended up with a tragic fate, his family destroyed, and he almost lost his life here.
So now he lived incognito in this lumberyard, living an ordinary life, while the entire White Snake Path had decayed.
Yet, this incident with the Inspectorate gave Lin Qizhu a different impression.
Li Hengsheng extended a hand to help Lin Qizhu up, "It's nothing, just part of my duties as an Inspector."
"But you're probably aware of the current state of the Inspectorate. We're really short on manpower. I've heard of your exceptional strength, Brother Lin, and your hatred for evil. I wonder if you'd consider joining our ranks?"
"The people of White Snake Path live in dire straits. I want to try and change the current situation, but I can't do it alone. Would you be willing to join me, Brother Lin?"
Li Hengsheng spoke earnestly, and Lin Qizhu didn't hesitate. Yan Wanghou had saved his life, and Li Hengsheng had saved his sister's. He was certainly indebted.
"I can."
Lin Qizhu declared loudly, "Not only can I, but my brothers here can too!"
At his words, a dozen men around them stood up, the very ones who had been eyeing Li Hengsheng.
Each was strong, all in the Postnatal Realm!
Six at full circle.
Two at great circle.
Including Lin Qizhu at the pinnacle of the Postnatal Realm, Li Hengsheng's eyes lit up. Weren't they far stronger than the shrimp soldiers and crab generals of the Inspectorate?
"Greetings, Inspector."
The men bowed with their fists.
"No need for formalities, brothers," Li Hengsheng said, looking at them, then added, "But let me be blunt, I don't tolerate any sand in my eyes, nor do I like bowing to the powerful. We'll surely offend many in the future, and trouble will be constant. If anyone feels they can't handle it, they're free to leave, but betrayal is not an option. If I find out, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Inspector, rest assured, these are brothers who've been through life and death with me. If anyone dares to betray us, I'll personally cripple them," Lin Qizhu said seriously.
"Good. Then come to the Inspectorate in Tusong City tomorrow morning to report," Li Hengsheng instructed.
"Yes, we'll pack up and head over tomorrow."
After discussing some details with everyone, Li Hengsheng left.
He had expected a tough battle today, but things resolved much quicker than anticipated, thanks in part to his unintended rescue of Lin Qizhu's sister. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so simple.
On the carriage ride back, Yan Wanghou regaled Li Hengsheng with tales of his grandfather's heroics.
Li Hengsheng listened calmly, but as they neared the city gates, he grew vigilant.
He warned Xu Kui to be careful, suspecting an assassination attempt might be imminent.
Xu Kui heeded Li Hengsheng's words and became alert.
Three miles outside Tusong City, there was a river with a wooden bridge, old and in disrepair. As the carriage crossed, the bridge creaked ominously, as if it might collapse at any moment.
With a creak, a figure suddenly dropped from the sky!
A man in black, his face covered, unrecognizable, but his Prenatal energy was astonishingly powerful.
The oppressive force seemed intent on crushing the carriage into the river.
"Hmph!"
With Li Hengsheng's warning, Xu Kui was fully prepared. As the black-clad man descended, Xu Kui was unfazed, meeting the palm strike with a punch of his own.
A wolf's howl echoed within the punch!
The collision of Prenatal energies created a thunderous sonic boom.
The man in black hadn't expected a Prenatal expert to be with Li Hengsheng. Their strengths were comparable, and Xu Kui's punch forced the man to somersault in mid-air, away from the bridge, landing on the ground.
He steadied himself, his dark eyes narrowing in surprise.
He had been told to assassinate a mere full-circle Postnatal like Li Hengsheng, but no intelligence mentioned the presence of a Prenatal expert!
Now, with this unexpected expert, the task became complicated.
This Prenatal expert was formidable, and his seemingly casual punch hadn't even been at full force. Killing Li Hengsheng under his watch would be difficult.
The carriage finally crossed the bridge.
Xu Kui stepped down, eyeing the man in black.
"How dare you attempt to assassinate the Inspector!" Yan Wanghou emerged from the carriage, his old age not diminishing his confidence, not intimidated by the Prenatal expert before him.
Even Li Hengsheng couldn't help but smile at the old man's conviction.
"How much did the Mu household pay you to kill me?" Li Hengsheng stepped out of the carriage, smiling at the man in black.
The man remained silent.
"Quite tight-lipped, aren't you, Ghost Wolf? Is that what I should call you?" Li Hengsheng asked lightly.
Hearing the name Ghost Wolf, the man's eyes flashed with shock.
Clearly, he hadn't expected Li Hengsheng to know him.
Not just Ghost Wolf, but the Huas and Mus secretly watching were also astonished.
How did Li Hengsheng know Ghost Wolf?
This assassin, cultivated in secrecy by the Mu household, had eliminated many of their adversaries. Aside from the Mu's upper echelons, no one knew of his existence, let alone his name.
Why did Li Hengsheng know?
Ghost Wolf's gaze was fixed on Li Hengsheng, his target, but with Xu Kui present, he had no chance.
Now, Ghost Wolf hesitated, uncertain of his next move.
"Die." Xu Kui was about to strike, but Li Hengsheng stopped him, "Uncle Xu."
Xu Kui paused, looking back at Li Hengsheng.
"Let me handle this. I want to test him," Li Hengsheng said calmly.
Xu Kui was taken aback.
"Test what?" Xu Kui thought he had misheard.
"Test Ghost Wolf's strength," Li Hengsheng said with a smile, "I've never faced a Prenatal before. I want to see how strong he really is."
"Have you lost your mind?"
Xu Kui couldn't believe his ears.
Li Hengsheng was just a full-circle Postnatal. Even if he was a prodigy, managing to contend with the pinnacle of Postnatal was already impressive.
But to challenge Prenatal?
That seemed utterly impossible.
No matter how talented, there was no chance.
"Don't worry, I have a plan," Li Hengsheng assured.
He hadn't truly faced Prenatal before, but he had a rough assessment of their strength. Plus, he knew the Huas and Mus were watching. To establish himself in White Snake Path, he couldn't rely solely on Xu Kui's deterrence; he needed his own strength.
To make the Huas and Mus wary of the Inspectorate.
"Are you serious?"
"Serious."
Li Hengsheng nodded.
Seeing Li Hengsheng's determination, Xu Kui didn't know what to say.
He could only step aside, though he remained on high alert, ready to rescue Li Hengsheng at a moment's notice.
Xu Muhai had entrusted Xu Kui with Li Hengsheng's safety when they left Dao Mountain Ancient Land.
Xu Kui took that responsibility to heart.
But his young master seemed to have a death wish!
Postnatal full circle versus Prenatal?
Wasn't that a joke?
Even Ghost Wolf looked perplexed. Was Li Hengsheng out of his mind?
If he had stayed behind Xu Kui, he'd have been safe.
But now he wanted to challenge Ghost Wolf?
Wasn't this just handing him a victory?
Today's mission was sure to succeed.
After killing Li Hengsheng, Xu Kui would seek revenge, but he wouldn't be able to catch Ghost Wolf.
"Inspector, be careful!" Yan Wanghou didn't know what else to say, just feeling that his lord was too brave.
Li Hengsheng moved swiftly, leaping down from the carriage. He stepped forward to face Ghost Wolf, feeling no nervousness.
If he couldn't handle a Prenatal warrior, how could he survive in Tusong City?
Today was his chance to establish his might.
Not only to kill Ghost Wolf.
But to do it impressively, for the Huas and Mus to witness.
To instill fear of the Inspectorate in them.
"Young master, aren't you taking your weapon?" Xu Kui was shocked to see Li Hengsheng didn't even bring his Chasing Immortal Spear.
He practiced spear techniques, yet he was going to fight without his spear?
Was the young master under some kind of pressure?
Li Hengsheng ignored him, simply challenging Ghost Wolf, "You want to kill me, right? Here's your chance, come on."
In that moment, Ghost Wolf felt deeply insulted.
A Prenatal being challenged by a mere full-circle Postnatal?
"You're seeking death, don't blame me."
Ghost Wolf clenched his teeth, his Prenatal energy bursting forth!
The impact of Prenatal energy was immense for Li Hengsheng.
Internal energy, emanating from within, came from the cultivator's body. But Prenatal energy, after stepping into Prenatal, connected with the heavens and earth, far beyond internal energy.
Even using the same techniques, Prenatal energy was overwhelmingly powerful.
Postnatal versus Prenatal wasn't unheard of.
But full-circle Postnatal against Prenatal was indeed rare!
Yet as Ghost Wolf charged, Li Hengsheng's pupils dilated, and he formed a strange hand gesture.
The next moment, a dazzling light burst from behind him!
Within the radiance of the sun and moon, the bloodlines on the small figure activated terrifying power!
This power seemed to transcend everything!
Li Hengsheng felt this power again, far stronger than the last time he used it.
Sun and Moon Brilliance!
His strongest move!
He dared not use it normally, as it drained his bloodlines and harmed him, taking days to recover.
But against a Prenatal expert, without his trump card, he had no chance of victory!
Ghost Wolf hadn't even reached Li Hengsheng when he felt a threat of death.
A soul-piercing sense of doom.
In an instant, endless light engulfed Ghost Wolf, who felt trapped in Li Hengsheng's palm.
Li Hengsheng could obliterate him with a mere gesture.
What kind of sorcery was this?
Ghost Wolf had never encountered such a terrifying technique.
"Break!"
Ghost Wolf roared, his vast palm force surging!
It seemed to shatter everything.
But Li Hengsheng's Sun and Moon Brilliance intertwined, boundless, as two giant palms came together!
The intertwining forces crushed everything!
Ghost Wolf felt as if his bones were ground to dust, his Prenatal energy trembling before this power.
With a thunderous roar, Ghost Wolf spewed blood, severely wounded by Li Hengsheng's Sun and Moon Brilliance.
His fate was uncertain!