Chen Yuan's expression turned frosty as he said, word by word:
"Playing this game with Chen?"
Bullying an honest person, and now bullying him?
"Hahaha... Constable Chen, why are you making things difficult for a mere servant? If word gets out, won't it be a laughingstock?" Wang Meng's voice came down from upstairs, followed by seven or eight burly men, all staring at Chen Yuan with covetous eyes.
"Hall Master Wang..." Chen Yuan thought to himself, could it be that the other party knew it was he who had hijacked the silver? That shouldn't be the case, all traces had been erased.
"Constable Chen, as a member of the government, you cannot act tyrannically in the countryside, better quickly make up the rest of the money..." Hall Master Wang wore a smile on his face, yet it carried a ruthless tone.
"What do you mean by this, Hall Master Wang? I believe I haven't committed any crimes against your esteemed gang, have I?" Chen Yuan's mind raced, completely unexpected that the Beihai Gang would pick today to cause him trouble.
Could it be Huang Xing's order?
"Of course not, I actually quite admire Constable Chen for slaying Tie Shou, but since the Dingsheng Building pays monthly tribute to our Beihai Gang, I naturally need to speak out for justice."
Wang Meng laughed heartily.
"What if I refuse?" Chen Yuan's eyes gradually became colder.
Playing the game of Six with him?
"If you refuse, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave this door..." Wang Meng's expression hardened as he stared at Chen Yuan.
"You've eaten ten catties of meat but only paid for five, even if this goes to the County Magistrate, I will still have my say..."
Wang Meng swaggered and took a seat to one side.
The innkeeper bowed his head, not daring to speak, while the server who had been bringing in dishes had already frozen in his tracks.
"Who can prove that I ate ten catties of meat?"
"Just now I saw very clearly that Constable Chen ate ten catties of meat..." A gaunt man at the next table stood up and spoke.
Chen Yuan's gaze shifted, and in the next moment, he swiftly moved to the man's side, two fingers piercing directly into his eyes and gouging out a bloody bead.
"Ah... Aah..." The man screamed.
"Was it with this eye that you saw? Speak up, I'll swallow it down today and see just how many catties of meat I have in my stomach!"
Chen Yuan was like a demon, his hand clutching a bloody eyeball, yet his face still bore a warm smile, as if he had done a trivial thing of no significance.
"Ah... Aah..." The man continued to wail in pain.
Wang Meng leapt up from his chair and rebuked:
"Chen Yuan, you are a member of the government, yet you dare to oppress the common people so; could it be that you are the wanted demon of the Demon Dao!"
Chen Yuan, holding the man in his hand:
"We both know who he is. What's the meaning of this, Hall Master Wang? Has the Beihai Gang really become lawless to the point of framing someone from the government in broad daylight!"
"Audacious!" Wang Meng's gaze sharpened as a dark layer of skin seemed to ignite upon his body, throwing a punch at Chen Yuan. A wave of hot air rushed towards him. Under Chen Yuan's clothes, a faint golden light surfaced. He too raised his fist and met Wang Meng's blow with a solid punch.
"Bang!"
The tremendous force caused Wang Meng to stagger back several steps, his face filled with disbelief as he looked at Chen Yuan:
"You... have entered the Blood Refining Level!"
That power was certainly not something a Martial Artist of the Skin Refining Level could possess; Wang Meng himself was of the Blood Refining Level, he understood clearly.
"Wang, Chen has no old grudges or recent quarrels with you," Chen said. "State your intentions plainly, or perhaps, we can both go to the County Government's public hall to have the County Magistrate rule on this matter."
County Magistrate Wu Qingfeng had long held dissatisfaction with the gang factions within Ping'an County, particularly with the Beihai — which was supported by the Huang Family. In North City, Beihai Gang's orders were even more effective than those of the Government.
If it were not for the fear of the powers backing these gangs, he would have eradicated them long ago.
The gang factions themselves also understood this, so very few ever let things escalate to that degree, as it would come at a great cost to them.
"Hmph, how could I, Wang, bear any grudges against you? I'm merely standing up for others," Wang Meng's eyes flashed with wariness.
He hadn't expected Chen Yuan to be stronger than him. Originally, he planned to slander Chen Yuan first, then pressure him to make the first move.
Then he would strike back and eliminate him. That way would be the safest.
But Chen Yuan's strength was beyond his expectations. His qi was even stronger, making it impossible for Wang to overpower him. If the situation got out of hand, it was uncertain if the Gang Leader would be willing to protect him.
He wasn't foolish. On the street, to murder a constable — a government official — was no small matter.
If it were someone else, he might find other excuses, but a public murder would be seen as a contempt for the imperial court and the Government, something the County Magistrate would never tolerate.
'To think that the infamous Beihai Gang is standing up for others; do you even believe your own words?' Chen Yuan sneered coldly and threw the person he was holding to the ground.
"If you dare, then come at me. This officer may have not killed anyone in a long time..." Chen Yuan's hand rested on his knife hilt, ready to unleash at a moment's notice.
Chen Yuan couldn't possibly tolerate others urinating on his head. Worse comes to worst, he would kill these men and then flee to the mountains to become an outlaw... After all, he had no attachments.
Of course, doing so would have severe consequences, and if it weren't absolutely necessary, Chen Yuan wouldn't choose the path of a fugitive.
Wang Meng gazed at Chen Yuan and pointedly said,
"Chen, we've now made an enemy of each other; there will be a long time to settle this in the future..."
'You have no future...' Chen Yuan thought to himself.
With a cold snort, Wang Meng turned and left, his followers picked up the man whose eyes had been gouged out, and followed in Wang Meng's steps.
"Waste!"
Across from the inn where Chen Yuan was staying, inside a civilian house, a constable clad in Qing attire, Huang Xing, watched the scene unfold through a gap and couldn't help but curse under his breath.
What a waste Wang Meng was!
At the same time, Huang Xing was also astonished by Chen Yuan's strength.
He knew of Wang Meng's ability; a good hand at the Blood Refining Level, otherwise, he wouldn't have been in contention for the position of Hall Master. But Chen Yuan was able to repel him with a single punch.
Such strength was definitely at the Blood Refining Level, and not merely a recent breakthrough.
However, Huang Xing had never heard of this before, nor it seemed had Chen Yuan himself, who was purposefully concealing his abilities, and that was what caught Wang Meng off guard.
In reality, the Huang Family's status wasn't high enough. Otherwise, if someone from the No-Life Sect informed him of Chen Ping'an's prowess, he would naturally be able to deduce Chen Yuan's strength after killing Chen Ping'an.
"Quite the promising young lad, what a pity. You've noticed things you shouldn't have noticed and spoken words you shouldn't have," the murderous intent in Huang Xing's eyes flashed and vanished.
"Who's there?"
Chen Yuan, as if sensing something, suddenly looked in a direction but sadly, the distance was too great for him to see who was behind the window.
Without giving it much thought, after sensing someone, Chen Yuan quickly leapt through the window and raced towards that civilian house, the door of which was locked.
"Bang!"
Chen Yuan slashed it open with his knife.