Chapter 237: Jia Zi

Chapter 237: Jia Zi

The sound of horses galloping approached. A group of people holding torches rode over in an imposing manner. The two groups of salt smugglers dared not make a sound.

One of the riders said, “I sent you a message a few days ago to pay homage to the Heavenly Mater at the local altar. Why didn’t you go?”

The leader of the salt smugglers stammered, “It’s not like that. I... I...”

“What?” The rider questioned, “Are you looking down on the Heavenly Court?”

“I dare not, sir.” The leader of the salt smugglers quickly apologized. “We don’t mean to show any disrespect to the Heavenly Mater. It’s just that those Eagle Claws are too strict recently. We’re afraid of being caught and causing trouble for the Heavenly Court.”

The rider snorted softly. “Hmph! That’s a high-sounding excuse. Since we’ve crossed paths today, I will ask you again. Have you considered joining the Heavenly Court? If you join the Heavenly Court, we will be brothers in faith. If not...”

The threat was obvious.

The leader of the salt smugglers mumbled, “I am willing to join the Heavenly Court.”

“Great!” The man clapped his hands. “Now that you have joined the Heavenly Court, we’re one big family, hence we’ll share all blessings and hardships. The Heavenly Court has a rule that all members must pay tribute to the Golden Patriarch every month. The more you give, the greater your sincerity, and the greater the blessings!”

“Yes, my lord.” The leader of the salt smugglers held a cash note and handed it over to the rider.

The man took the cash note, glanced at it casually, and snorted slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with the amount. However, he still kept the cash note in his sleeve pockets and glanced at the other group of salt smugglers with carriages.

The leader of the other gang of salt smugglers chuckled dryly. “I... I’m from Liangzhou...”

The Heavenly Court had altars in various places, and they were not allowed to cross their respective boundaries. Although the man was a little displeased to hear this, he did not want to start a dispute with the neighboring altar. So he waved his hand in dismissal. “Fine, you may leave.”

“Thank you, my lord.” The other group of salt smugglers scurried away without taking the painstakingly delivered mineral salt.

The rider turned to the original group of salt smugglers that Qi Xuansu was following. “This is Lord Jia Zi of our Heavenly Court. His Reverence rarely comes out, so it is your honor to be able to see him today.”

The salt smugglers bowed to Jia Zi.

This "lord" looked to be in his forties with average-looking features. He was dressed in a luxurious brocade robe and had a noble aura.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu did not want to get involved with the Heavenly Court again and slowly backed away.

However, Qi Xuansu underestimated Jia Zi. As soon as he moved, Jia Zi noticed it immediately and shouted, “Who’s out there?!”

Qi Xuansu had no choice but to step forward.

Just as these people were hesitating, Qi Xuansu took out the Divine Dragon Pistol and shot one of them to death. Then he quickly reloaded the gun.

Madam Qi taught Qi Xuansu that one could only be merciful before a fight, not during or after. Once the fight began, one had to be ruthless in order to survive.

The rest of the Heavenly Court members could neither advance nor retreat. They were afraid that Qi Xuansu would have loaded his gun before they could even get close to him.

Suddenly, someone shouted in a trembling voice, “Run!”

Everyone began to flee in all directions, no longer wanting to go up against Qi Xuansu. No matter what the punishment was for running away from battle, everyone just wanted to stay alive.

Needless to say, those salt smugglers who had just been forced to join the Heavenly Court had already disappeared without a trace as soon as the fight began.

Qi Xuansu put his loaded Divine Dragon Pistol back into its holster.

Jia Zi was shocked and furious, striding forward one step at a time. His fists tore through the air with great force and landed on Qi Xuansu’s chest.

Like Qi Xuansu, Jia Zi was also a Martial Arts Practitioner in the Yuxu stage.

Qi Xuansu’s body shook, but he took the opportunity to slap Jia Zi in the crotch.

The two men stepped back and stopped at the same time before charging at each other.

Smoke and dust filled the air. The fine white salt also scattered in all directions, forming a vast expanse of white, like snowfall.

Two figures could be vaguely seen grappling each other, engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

Qi Xuansu was not a true Martial Arts Practitioner. He also had the innate qi of a Rogue Cultivator in the Yuding Realm. So even though the two men were in the Yuxu stage, Jia Zi gradually fell into a disadvantage.

After dozens of exchanges, Qi Xuansu slammed his body into Jia Zi. A harsh sound of muscle tearing ripped through the air as Qi Xuansu used Qing Yuan to pierce through Jia Zi’s heart.

Qi Xuansu did not care about fight ethics and only cared about killing efficiently.

Jia Zi was bleeding from his mouth and nose. Even if he had the body-regenerative abilities of a Martial Arts Practitioner in the Flesh and Blood Realm, he had to pull out Qing Yuan first before he could heal his wound. However, he was unable to pull out the short sword. He could only drop to the ground and wait for death to befall him.

Knowing that his death was imminent, Jia Zi stared at Qi Xuansu and muttered between breaths, “The Heavenly...Court...won’t let...you go...”

Qi Xuansu did not say a word. He pulled out the loaded Divine Dragon Pistol, put it between Jia Zi’s eyebrows, pressed down on the hammer, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Jia Zi’s head exploded.