[Gu Zheng]
[Realm: Alien Body · Xianfeng]
[Strength: 16/99]
[Agility: 13/99]
[Constitution: 12/99]
[Spirit: 13/99]
[Divine Wondrous: 1.8]
[Demon Points: 0]
[Demon Techniques: Super-speed Self-healing, Spirit Capturing]
[Equipment Effect: Bronze Elephant Body (Deactivated)]
...
All four of his stats had broken their limits, and his Strength had reached 16. For the current Gu Zheng, kicking away Zhang Zanyuan as he displayed his Divine Wondrous power resulted in nothing more than a slight numbness in his foot.
Of course, this was also because Zhang Zanyuan himself wasn't very strong.
Judging from the fluctuations of his Divine Wondrous power, Zhang Zanyuan's Strength wasn't even 15.
A one-point difference in Strength, if not offset by other aspects, was enough to secure an easy victory.
...
"ROAR!"
With a furious roar, Zhang Zanyuan, who had fallen into the ruins, shot out from amidst the dust and stone debris. He kicked up a fierce gale as he charged swiftly down the street, pouncing toward Gu Zheng.
"I'll..."
BANG!
A muffled thud. The resulting shockwave blasted outward, shaking the street.
Zhang Zanyuan was knocked back by a punch before he could even get close, sent flying backward once again.
The heavy impact was like two steel plates colliding, the sound deafening.
SWOOSH~
Gu Zheng's figure blurred as he skimmed across the ground in pursuit of Zhang Zanyuan. Catching up before he could land, Gu Zheng's right hand, now transformed into a bronze arm, opened wide and slapped down viciously toward Zhang Zanyuan's face.
BOOM!
Zhang Zanyuan, still in mid-air, was immediately slammed down into the ground, creating a crater that sent stones flying and threw the air into chaos. His entire upper body was stuck in the pit.
BZZZT~
The bronze and pale gold lights clashed, and the strange sound produced by their friction echoed in everyone's ears.
Gu Zheng maintained his thick, bronze right hand, his palm gripping Zhang Zanyuan's neck. His voice was cold and merciless.
"I said, that's enough!"
"...Ugh... I... I get it." Zhang Zanyuan forced the words out, grabbing the bronze arm with both hands and struggling with all his might.
"As long as you understand." Gu Zheng heard him and slowly retracted his hand.
The thick, bronze arm quickly faded, returning to normal.
He had only activated the transformation in one arm.
This was an idea Gu Zheng had thought to try after watching the fight between Zhang Zanyuan and Yuan Qianjun.
The result was decent.
His shoulder and right arm both turned to bronze. The muscles swelled, the bones were reinforced, and Divine Wondrous power surged forth on its own.
But the rest of his body was unaffected.
This way, he had a certain level of combat power without having to rip his clothes, avoiding any awkwardness.
...
"Yuan Qianjun, I greet you, Chief Constable."
As dust settled and snowflakes drifted down, Yuan Qianjun approached with a smile. He cupped his fist to Gu Zheng in a salute. "If I may, Chief Constable, I was only acting in self-defense just now. I didn't intend to destroy any buildings. Of course, I won't shirk my responsibility for the damage I caused. Here are two hundred taels in silver notes. I hope you will accept them on behalf of the town to rebuild the houses and treat the injured."
As he spoke, Yuan Qianjun took out two one-hundred-tael silver notes from his robes and, with a flick of his wrist, sent them flying toward Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng didn't stand on ceremony. He reached out, caught the silver notes, and glanced at them to confirm they were real before nodding at Yuan Qianjun.
Then, he turned to look at Zhang Zanyuan, who had already climbed to his feet.
"...I'll pay, too! I'll pay, too!"
Zhang Zanyuan subconsciously took half a step back. He rubbed his neck and spoke awkwardly as he quickly pulled out a fifty-tael silver note and over ten taels of broken silver.
"This... this is all I have on me..."
WHOOSH~
Gu Zheng ignored the broken silver, using Absorption to take the fifty-tael silver note from a distance. He turned and walked toward the nearest collapsed house, shouting, "Han Ming, Xie Hai... rescue the people!"
"Zhou Lang, go get the village chief. Have him organize people to build shelters, cook congee, start fires, and distribute food."
"Wang Meng, go and summon all the Physicians in the market town."
He issued commands as he walked.
By the time he entered the ruins and started moving lumber, Han Ming and the others were already busy with their tasks.
...
Yuan Qianjun, Zhang Zanyuan, and all the noble youths watching from near and far took in the entire scene, their expressions varied.
Zhang Zanyuan didn't linger. After a few glances, his face turned ashen. He snorted coldly and strode away.
Yuan Qianjun shot him a glance, shook his head, and walked toward the inn with a smile.
By now, his pair of beast-like arms had long since returned to normal.
Strangely, his two sleeves had also shrunk back down without tearing.
"Six Yuan, you gave him too much! Fifty taels would've been enough, haha~"
Inside the inn, a bald young man with his arms crossed laughed heartily. "Big Head Zhang only coughed up fifty taels. You lost out!"
"Two hundred taels of silver is enough for us to book out the Celestial Fragrance Building in the Prefecture City for a whole night."
"Could it be that Six Yuan has taken a liking to him?"
"Hahaha!"
In the lobby on the first floor of the inn, seven young men and women were sitting or standing around. They all watched Yuan Qianjun walk in, their faces full of amusement.
"You guys... you always underestimate people." Unbothered by the teasing, Yuan Qianjun calmly found a seat, picked up the teapot on the table, and poured himself a cup of water. He spoke nonchalantly as he drank, "That Chief Constable is no simple character. In that final strike, did you see how his arm changed?"
"We saw it. A bronze arm, right? It's not like we've never seen one before," the bald youth said with a raised eyebrow and a grin.
"It was more than just a bronze arm." Yuan Qianjun drained his cup, set it down, and faced the seven of them. He said seriously, "If I'm not mistaken, that was the Qing King's Body!"
"What?"
"The Qing King's Body? Are you sure?"
"That Chief Constable has the Qing King's Royal Blood? I didn't see it."
"..."
The group was stunned and broke into a flurry of discussion.
Just as they were talking, Dongfang He and Nangong Yaoyue walked in from outside, one after the other.
Jiang Mingjiu trailed behind them.
"What's this about the Qing King's Royal Blood? Someone from the Qing King's Family is here too?" Dongfang He asked, looking at Yuan Qianjun, who was closest.
"We're not sure yet."
Yuan Qianjun nodded to Nangong Yaoyue before replying, "Just now, Big Head Zhang attacked me, and a Chief Constable showed up to stop us. He subdued Big Head Zhang in three moves. The power that Chief Constable revealed at the end... I think it was the Qing King's Body..."
"Wait, a Chief Constable?"
Dongfang He interrupted, a strange expression on his face. "The Chief Constable you're talking about... he wouldn't happen to be a very young man with a saber at his side and sharp, sword-like eyebrows, would he...?"
"That's him!"
Yuan Qianjun replied quickly, "You know him? That guy is fierce! His strength is definitely above mine, probably on par with Yaoyue. By the way, he's out on the street right now, helping people in the collapsed ruins. Didn't you see him when you came over?"
"No."
Dongfang He shook his head and looked at Nangong Yaoyue, amused. "It seems we can be pretty sure about the identity of this Gu Zheng, our Chief Gu. He's a powerful disciple of the Qing King's Family!"
"Wait, a disciple? A student?"
Yuan Qianjun was confused. "He's already revealed the Qing King's Body. How could he just be a disciple?"
"Are you certain it was the Qing King's Body?" Nangong Yaoyue asked, staring at Yuan Qianjun, her beautiful eyes shimmering.
"I'm eighty percent sure."
Yuan Qianjun said conservatively, then looked at the others. "You all saw it too. What do you say? Was it the Qing King's Body or not?"
"It's not confirmed yet."
"But it was definitely a bronze arm, no doubt about that."
"..."
The bald youth and the others all chimed in.
Listening to them, Nangong Yaoyue and Dongfang He couldn't help but feel surprised.
As for Jiang Mingjiu, he was simply dumbfounded.