80: Chapter 80 Three Moves to Defeat the Enemy

"Boom!"

Pei Qingyun slashed out with his blade. The wind from the blade whistled, and a sharp, piercing sound seemed to ring out through the air.

The crowd did not even see the movement of Pei Qingyun's blade, yet the strike landed right above Magistrate Tang Mu's head.

"Clang!"

In the nick of time, Magistrate Tang Mu drew the longsword from his waist and held it horizontally, blocking the path of the strike.

Even so, he was still sent flying several meters by this heavy, powerful blow, dragging a deep trench into the ground.

"What heavy force." Magistrate Tang Mu's eyes revealed a look of shock. Pei Qingyun's strike had not only repelled him but had also split the webbing between his thumb and index finger.

Facing an opponent of the same rank, this was the first time he had been beaten so miserably.

It made him wonder if he was getting old.

But when he saw Pei Qingyun's even more aged face, he immediately dismissed that possibility.

But was this truly the power possessed by the Mid stage of Five Viscera Realm?

With just one strike, he had sustained minor injuries.

"No, the Mid stage of Five Viscera Realm shouldn't be this strong. Could it be that he is in the Late Stage of Five Viscera? Or perhaps, he has mastered multiple Cultivation Techniques with explosive traits..."

Before he could find an answer, Pei Qingyun's next attack followed immediately.

"Clang!"

Another simple blade strike, accompanied by a tremendous force of vibration.

Magistrate Tang Mu had no power to counterattack and was forced to bend at the waist by this strike. The terrifying force caused his feet to sink deep into the ground, leaving a pair of footprints nearly a foot deep.

"Too strong!" Magistrate Tang Mu screamed internally.

With the overlapping effects of three Cultivation Techniques at Perfection, the power Pei Qingyun unleashed was not something the Mid stage of Five Viscera Realm could withstand.

He had absolute confidence in slaying Magistrate Tang Mu within five moves.

"Whoosh!"

Pei Qingyun stomped hard, raised his arms high, and swung down violently.

"Boom!"

Intense wind pressure swept out like a blade, carrying an astonishing tearing momentum, determined to cut whatever was in front of him in two.

As the one facing this blade directly, Magistrate Tang Mu's heart sank. The stinging sensation brought by the wind pressure made him feel an invincible power. His body instinctively felt fear, as if his life would end the moment this blade fell.

"No!"

Magistrate Tang Mu let out a roar of unwillingness in his heart. The fact that he, a commoner, could ascend to the position of magistrate was not solely due to his ability.

He had been through hundreds of battles, and his strength was among the best of his rank.

In an instant, the traits of the two Cultivation Techniques he had cultivated also erupted. Although only one was at Perfection and one at Major Achievement, the combination of the two traits allowed his strength, which was at the Peak of the Mid stage of Five Viscera Realm, to barely reach the threshold of the Late Stage of Five Viscera.

Magistrate Tang Mu pulled his legs free and met the attack with his longsword in hand.

"Rumble!"

An astonishing wave of energy erupted from their collision, followed by a dazzling spark that was exceptionally bright in the dark night.

However.

In just an instant, a black figure fell from mid-air and smashed straight into the ground.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a loud crash, a large crater was smashed into the ground, and thick dust dispersed, making the air turbid and unbearable.

If it were an ordinary person, they would certainly not be able to see the situation below clearly.

But how astonishing were Pei Qingyun's eyes?

By the faint firelight, he clearly saw Magistrate Tang Mu lying in the crater, his body twitching violently as he coughed up blood onto the ground.

Clearly, this strike had already injured Magistrate Tang Mu's internal organs. With one more blade strike, he could slay Magistrate Tang Mu.

This process seemed long, but in reality, it happened in the blink of an eye. From Pei Qingyun's attack to Magistrate Tang Mu falling to the ground, only three breaths had passed.

Watching Magistrate Tang Mu, who was enveloped in thick dust, the yamen runners opened their mouths wide, terrified in their hearts.

Too fast!

Before they had even had time to act, the battle between the two had already ended. While this terrified them, a strange feeling also surged in their hearts.

Was this really their magistrate?

Why was he so weak?

He couldn't even last three seconds.

But when the thick dust dissipated and the yamen runners saw the scene of the battle clearly, they obediently shut their mouths.

With Magistrate Tang Mu at the center, the ground within a radius of one zhang had sunk half a foot, and several surrounding trees had been snapped.

It was not that their magistrate was too weak.

It was that the Ancestor of the Pei family was too strong.

Pei Qingyun looked down from above, gazing at Magistrate Tang Mu.

At this moment, Magistrate Tang Mu was covered in dust, his clothes were tattered, and he was covered in blood; he looked nothing like a magistrate.

If he were placed on the street, people who didn't know him would think he was some old beggar.

Pei Qingyun said mockingly, "Magistrate Tang Mu, didn't you say my Pei family was rebelling? You can have your men come and arrest me; I guarantee I will not resist."

Magistrate Tang Mu was furious and spat out another mouthful of blood. His eyes stared fixedly at Pei Qingyun as he gritted his teeth and said, "Pei Qingyun, don't think that just because you won against me, you can act unscrupulously. I admit that I cannot do anything to you today. But don't forget, I am the Wuyang County magistrate, a government official of the imperial court. In the end, your Pei family is merely a third-rate clan. Once the trade route opens, I will report this matter to the commandery city, and your Pei family will be doomed."

"In front of the imperial court, what is your Pei family? Just an ant."

Facing Magistrate Tang Mu's threat, Pei Qingyun retorted sarcastically, "It is true that to the imperial court, my Pei family is an ant. But in front of me, are you not also just an ant?"

"It is true that you are a government official of the imperial court, but in reality, you are just a lackey of the court. Yet, however low my Pei family may be, it is still one of the third-rate clans. The imperial family and the clans have ruled together for many years; do you really think the imperial court would move against the interests of a clan because of your one-sided words?"

"No wonder you have been an official for so many years and are still just a magistrate at your age."

"You... you!" Magistrate Tang Mu pointed at Pei Qingyun and spat out another mouthful of blood.

He could not refute Pei Qingyun's words.

If there were solid evidence, he might have been able to achieve his goal through the commandery city.

But under these circumstances, his report would instead become a laughingstock for the imperial court. Calling for help just because he couldn't win—people would think the Commandery Governor was his father.

Pei Qingyun cursed and stopped paying attention to Magistrate Tang Mu, "What are you 'you'-ing about? Take your men and get out immediately, you piece of trash."

Hearing this, Magistrate Tang Mu's already weak body nearly fainted from anger.

Fortunately, a quick-witted yamen runner was sharp-eyed and took the opportunity to support Magistrate Tang Mu, preventing him from falling.

This made Magistrate Tang Mu harbor even more resentment toward Pei Qingyun.

Perhaps knowing that staying here was just endless humiliation.

Under Magistrate Tang Mu's arrangement, the group of yamen runners soon left the Li family residence.

Watching Magistrate Tang Mu's retreating figure, a flash of intense killing intent flickered in Pei Qingyun's eyes.

In fact, Pei Qingyun had also considered killing Magistrate Tang Mu.

But considering the possibility of it being leaked, he chose to give up.

Unlike other clans, he had plenty of time, so there was no need to gamble.

No matter how clans fight among themselves.

But to slay a seventh-rank or higher government official of the imperial court without cause—once this matter spread, the imperial court could use the charge of treason to ransack and exterminate the Pei family.

Trading a magistrate for a veteran third-rate clan was a deal the imperial court would never lose on.

However, Pei Qingyun did not intend to just let Magistrate Tang Mu go like that.

When the time was ripe, he would take that life back.