They looked at Li Chang'an, who stood in the center of the room, seemingly unsurprised by their arrival.
The Small Banner Officer from the Prison Control Department, who had been sent flying by Li Chang'an's kick earlier, asked in shock and disbelief, "You knew we were coming? And you could detect us even with the Formless Concealing Breath Skill? How is that possible?!"
They had originally planned to hide in the shadows and observe Li Chang'an for a while, looking for anything unusual about the young man. Then, they were to report their findings to Harqin and await further instructions.
But they never expected that only a few minutes after sneaking in, before they could even begin their surveillance, they would be so keenly detected by Li Chang'an!
Not only that, but the young man didn't seem surprised by their arrival in the slightest...
In fact, judging by his calm and composed demeanor, it was more like he had set a trap and was waiting for them to walk right into it!
But what they couldn't figure out was how. From the moment they received Lord Harqin's order, they had traveled nonstop. It was impossible for any information to have leaked along the way.
So how did this boy know they were coming?
Of course, Li Chang'an had no intention of telling them he knew because of his Rebirth Mark, nor did he plan to explain anything at all. He spoke calmly, "Is it just you few? Are there any bigger fish?"
The Small Banner Officers from the Prison Control Department exchanged glances, all seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes.
Clearly, there was something strange about this boy. No wonder Lord Harqin had personally assigned them to the case and dispatched so many men at once!
'Since eavesdropping from the shadows failed, we'll just have to capture him and interrogate him by torture!'
Returning empty-handed was not the style of the Prison Control Department.
After exchanging a look, the men reached a consensus. A fierce battle was about to erupt!
There were six Small Banner Officers from the Prison Control Department in total. They were well-trained and had a clear division of labor. Four of them simultaneously lunged at Li Chang'an, while the black-robed man in the lead and another focused on Wang Su.
Seeing this, Wang Su's heart went cold!
Six Small Banner Officers from the Prison Control Department, every one of them an expert at the Martial Master Level.
In a one-on-one fight, none of the six would be his match. But if they only sent two to hold him back, they would have no problem at all in the short term.
And from the looks of it, once he was tied down, Li Chang'an would be in extreme danger!
This was four Martial Master Level Small Banner Officers ganging up on him!
Even he would have to avoid a direct confrontation with them. No matter how much of a demon Li Chang'an was, he was still just a boy who hadn't reached adulthood. How long could he last?
At this thought, Wang Su's expression turned grim. He asked in a low voice, "Chang'an, can you handle this?"
He had anticipated that the Rebel Army would be hunted by Martial Dao experts from the Imperial Court, but he never imagined the Court would dispatch so many officers from the Prison Control Department for a small troop like theirs!
This level of response was beyond just taking them seriously.
It was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!
Hearing this, Li Chang'an chuckled and replied, "How can a man ever say he can't? Just open your eyes and watch!"
Seeing that he truly didn't seem to be joking, Wang Su finally relaxed a little. He slowly exhaled and said, "You injured both of these men just now. Just hold out for five minutes. I'll kill them and come help you!"
Li Chang'an shook his head and a smile touched his lips. "Master, what's the fun in seeing who can last longer? Why don't we compete to see who can kill more, and faster!"
Hearing this, Wang Su froze.
Even at a critical moment like this, where life and death hung in the balance, he was still stunned by Li Chang'an's audacity.
He couldn't help but look back at this disciple of his, who was at once so familiar and yet so strange. After a long silence, he suddenly burst out laughing. "Good, good, good! We Martial Artists should always press forward, without fear!"
...
Seeing the two of them conversing as if no one else was there, treating them like meat on a chopping block, the expressions of the Prison Control Department's Small Banner Officers all soured.
Members of the Prison Control Department, even the ordinary ones, were all true members of the Royal Court's Direct Lineage. They symbolized the absolute authority of the Demon Qing Royal Court over the Central Plains!
Normally, the Central Plains People would tremble in fear just hearing their name, let alone facing them in person.
When had they ever met two people so unafraid of death?!
But they were in no mood to argue with two dead men. After signaling each other with a look, they charged toward their respective targets!
Seeing this, Li Chang'an drew the long saber from the table with a SHING! The Qi within his body began to circulate rapidly, like boiling water.
During this time, he had been poring over the Martial Arts Techniques and Secret Manuals stored in the archives of the Three Yellow County Magistrate's Office. Combined with his Heaven-defying Comprehension and relentless training, it could be said that his gains were immense and his progress was incredibly fast.
It had to be said, the Yaoqing Imperial Court was truly inhuman.
After confiscating countless martial arts scriptures from the Central Plains, they had secretly altered some of them, maliciously creating several bastardized, pirated Cultivation Techniques.
These pirated Cultivation Techniques were then given as rewards to obedient Central Plains People.
Meanwhile, the authentic Secret Manuals were almost all confiscated and stored in the library of the capital's Royal Court, accessible only to those of the Royal Court's Direct Lineage.
When Central Plains People cultivated these pirated techniques, it was naturally impossible for them to grasp the full profundity of the Martial Dao. How could a tree that had been poisoned at its very roots ever hope to flourish?
Fortunately, these vile and despicable little tricks of the Demon Qing Royal Court were nothing more than parlor tricks in front of Li Chang'an, who possessed the talent of Heaven-defying Comprehension.
With just a single glance, Li Chang'an could perceive the abnormalities and flaws in the Cultivation Techniques.
Therefore, through his own efforts and the help of a "tiny" little cheat, he finally broke through to the Martial Master Realm on his seventh birthday!
He was now a genuine, bona fide Martial Master!
A seven-year-old Martial Master...
Never mind in this era where the Martial Dao was in decline; even five hundred years ago, during the golden age of the Central Plains Martial Dao, such news would have been absolutely explosive!
CLANG!
Li Chang'an's long saber clashed with one of the Small Banner Officers.
The ringing of metal on metal boomed as sparks flew everywhere.
Li Chang'an didn't move an inch, but the Small Banner Officer's face changed again and again. He looked at Li Chang'an as if he were staring at a monster!
This boy, who had just turned seven, was actually on par with Martial Masters like them, who had cultivated the Martial Dao for twenty or thirty years?!
How was this just 'something strange about him'?
This was clearly a born Martial God descended upon the mortal world!
After that single blow, the Small Banner Officer was chilled to the bone.
The strike hadn't broken his courage. He had simply felt a threat from Li Chang'an... a threat to the entire Yaoqing Dynasty!
Seeing that the man was completely stunned, Li Chang'an naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity.
He immediately pressed forward, preparing to finish the man off, but just then, the other Small Banner Officers arrived, their poisoned daggers stabbing toward his neck!
Li Chang'an had no intention of playing a game of trading one life for another. With a few flickers of his Shadowless Step, he left behind three tangible-looking afterimages!
Back when he was in the Martial Artist Realm, Li Chang'an could only leave faint afterimages when using Shadowless Step. Now that he had become a Martial Master, the Qi Force in his body was further refined, and his speed was so great that he could leave three afterimages behind him.
One could only imagine how fast he was!
SWOOSH!
Amidst the flurry of afterimages, the sound of the long saber cleaving through the air was like a clap of thunder as it came crashing down on the head of the terrified Small Banner Officer!
...