The Empress's No.1 Lackey

"Kneel!"

Iron Ruler Pass's front courtyard.

As Ma Yan leaped out, a surge of energy traveled up the "Thunderous Drum Hammer," weighing dozens of pounds, through its body and into the arm of its wielder.

The battle-hardened warrior of Iron Ruler Pass felt as though he had been struck by lightning.

The hand gripping the hammer handle sweated out droplets of crimson blood, and as if shocked by electricity, he was forced to cast away his weapon.

His entire body, like a cannonball, whistled as it was hurled backward, smashing hard onto a flowerbed in the courtyard.

"Bang!"

The flowerbed shattered into pieces, earth and bricks flew in all directions, hitting several house servants who cried out in pain as they fell to the ground.

Suddenly, all was quiet.

Zhao Douan, who had taken a step back early to protect Ma Yan, felt a twitch in his eyelid.

He truly sensed the gap in martial prowess.

Even though Zhao Douan had a Flying Knife ready but unreleased when he was about to be struck by the hammer from Iron Ruler Pass, his martial instincts still registered an immense threat.

He knew:

With his combat abilities, he was no match for his opponent.

At most, he could only withstand a few exchanges before being crushed "beneath the horse."

Yet, this powerful warrior who could easily thrash him was effortlessly repelled by Ma Yan, as if he were lifting a mere chick, without so much as expending an effort.

The Jinyi of Lihua Hall, too, calmed down, feeling a surge of safety as they watched the spectacle unfold as if it were a play.

"Lord!?"

Iron Ruler Pass crawled out from the rubble, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

This fiercely muscular man's face was crisscrossed with crimson gashes from shards of tile, but the violence in his gaze was gone, replaced only with bitterness:

"It's clear now, I should've known—if Lord wasn't presiding, how would this treacherous whelp have dared to challenge me?"

Ma Yan, with a cold countenance and a hint of sorrow in his eyes, looked down upon his subordinate whom he personally recruited from the army and who had followed him for two years, and said:

"I can give you a chance to explain yourself."

Iron Ruler Pass was silent for a moment, then shook his head, squeezing out a complex and difficult smile with blood-stained teeth:

"The matter is out, there's nothing for me to say."

Ma Yan sighed deeply but heard Iron Ruler Pass continue:

"Subordinate knows that, with Lord's martial arts, my fate is sealed today. I have only one wish.

I joined the army at seventeen, where the strong are honored. After joining the Imperial Court, I often heard of Lord's profound Martial Arts Realm, but I never got a chance to face Lord in combat.

After today, I fear I will never have that chance.

My only wish for today is to be defeated by Lord in an honorable fight. That would be more satisfying than being captured by some treacherous scoundrel or a fawning pretty boy selling his loyalty!"

Zhao Douan, who was skulking in the back watching the fight, was unexpectedly called out and became displeased.

Why was this man still insulting people at the brink of death?

Ma Yan was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his leg and kicked the eighty-pound hammer towards the ground:

"As you wish."

"Thank you, Lord, for granting my request!" Iron Ruler Pass caught the Thunderous Drum Hammer, took a deep breath, and at the Qi Sea dan tian area, a faint light flickered.

Accompanied by the sound of surging tides.

Zhao Douan suddenly heard Ma Yan say:

"Watch carefully. When you step into the Divine Chapter Realm, you too will have waves in your Qi Sea.

What martial artists call gathering strength is the rotation of Inner Qi in the dan tian—each wave, each turn, the strength piles up a layer higher. The more times the power is gathered, the more ferocious the attack can be.

However, in combat between martial artists, efficiency is key. Most of the time, opponents will not allow you to gather strength to the limit."

How is this turning into a live lesson... I'm just a Middle Grade mortal... Zhao Douan listened attentively and humbly.

Ma Yan seemed not at all serious, still elaborating on the details of gathering strength:

"Don't think that you don't need to master this just because you're a mortal.

The method of gathering strength is unrelated to realm—even an ungifted Martial Artist can accumulate the power of Qi, blood, tendons, and bones. The drawing of a bow, the chopping with a steel blade, how to gather the most strength, these are all crucial points."

Zhao Douan was moved in his heart and silently took note of his explanations.

On the other side.

In Iron Ruler Pass's dan tian, the Qi Sea waves had stacked up to thirteen layers, reaching the limit, and his entire aura also climbed to its peak.

The energy emanating outwards moved the Jinyi, stirring up fears.

"Lord, take my Barrier-Breaking Hammer!!!"

Suddenly, Iron Ruler Pass bellowed, his legs braced against the ground, the thin strings inside his boots snapping, revealing large toes.

With both hands holding the hammer, he raised it high above, as the sound of tidal waves formed a continuous sheet, as if behind him there was an accumulation of a dozen meters high sea wave.

In the next second, the eighty-pound Thunderous Drum Hammer smashed down, leaving his hands in its path, as cascades of white, swirling air chased after the handle.

"Crack crack crack—"

Beneath Iron Ruler Pass's feet, the bluestone-paved courtyard floor instantly cracked.

A whirlwind swept through, lifting up the bluestone tiles as if they were clay bricks baked by the scorching sun during a drought.

Zhao Douan narrowed his eyes, somewhat taken aback.

Is this the strike a Divine Chapter Warrior can unleash when fully powered?

Looking at the thundering hammer coming his way like a derailed train, Zhao Douan had no doubt:

Even if there were a small city gate in front of him, it would be breached by this hammer blow.

Just after Iron Ruler Pass threw his strongest strike of his life.

This warrior, who had boasted of losing honorably, surged towards the courtyard wall like an arrow leaving a bow!

Before anyone had time to react, he was already on his knees on the ground.

Like a springboard, he leaped onto the wall and fled outside!

He's running away!

Zhao Douan's pupils shrank, but he forcefully stopped the Flying Knife hidden in his sleeve.

First, he looked to Ma Yan.

But he saw the "King Yanluo" snort coldly, as if he had anticipated this, took a step forward with his left leg, spreading the fingers of his left hand, astonishingly choosing to catch the Thunderous Drum Hammer with his bare body.

"Clang—"

Amidst the clanging of metal, half of his body was shrouded in golden light, as hard as iron, directly colliding with the drumming hammer.

A surge of power then traveled from his left leg into the ground.

In an instant, the tiles within a yard's radius of his feet cracked and collapsed, forming a shallow pit.

His right fist was pulled back, charging multiple times in an instant.

He then smashed it through the air towards the Iron Ruler Pass agent, who had just leaped onto the courtyard wall and was suspended in mid-air.

This punch even produced a sonic boom.

Zhao Douan saw a straight "ripple" spread through the air, with Iron Ruler Pass at the end of it.

"Poof!"

Iron Ruler Pass spat out fresh blood like a bird with broken wings, collapsing and falling by the base of the wall.

He was only half a step away from escaping the courtyard.

"Clang!"

Almost simultaneously, the drumming hammer fell to the ground; the massive eighty-pound hammer now had a dent the size of half a fist in its head.

As the shimmer on his skin faded, Ma Yan gently exhaled and said calmly,

"When it comes to fighting, life or death doesn't necessarily depend on one's cultivation level or martial arts strength. Experience can also play a decisive role in turning the tables.

Like him, coming from the battlefield, you'd be clear about leaving no stone unturned. The so-called fierce warriors from the battlefield with fair and square one-on-one duels, those are tales from storybooks or yarns spun by craftsmen in tea houses, not to be taken as truth.

Unless it's someone with a sufficiently high status and a mutual respect, it's only possible in a fight to adhere strictly to honorable conduct without resorting to tricks."

Zhao Douan was startled.

He thought to himself, we're in the middle of a fight, and you're giving a lesson?

Ma Yan glanced at him, slightly proud.

In the carriage, the young man had "educated" him for quite some time. How could he not return the favor in kind?

Without showing his hand, they might truly think this "Lord" does nothing but eat.

"Master, he's still alive but can't move anymore."

At that moment, a Jinyi agent dragged Iron Ruler Pass back.

He lay on the ground, drenched in blood, motionless except for the rising and falling of his chest and his wide-open eyes.

After glancing at the two of them, he sighed, closed his eyes, and said no more.

Zhao Douan frowned, "He isn't about to kick the bucket, is he?"

Ma Yan said indifferently, "He's fine. He can think and he can speak. I just severed his meridians."

After a pause, he glanced at Zhao Douan and said darkly,

"If he died at my hands, wouldn't that be troublesome?"

The implication was clear... Zhao Douan gave an awkward smile.

If Iron Ruler Pass died, then Ma Yan would fall under heavy suspicion.

There were three reasons for bringing Ma Yan along to conduct this charade.

First was to assert control; second was as a test—he hadn't said as much, but Ma Yan had obviously guessed it.

And the third reason was that, if Ma Yan turned out to be problematic, keeping him close by would prevent him from making any additional arrangements to counteract the situation.

"You're right, before the dust settles, even I am worthy of suspicion," Ma Yan said lightly.

Zhao Douan forced a smile, "I've never doubted you, Master."

Right, after all, by my conjecture, it was Zhuang Xiaocheng's scheme in the beginning to kill you... But, conjecture is still just a conjecture.

While they were talking, the other Jinyi agents realized what was happening.

They all rushed forth and bound the remaining members of the Tie family.

"Qian Kerou, Zheng Laojiu," Zhao Douan called two subordinates,

"Take some men with you and carefully search this mansion for anything suspicious."

Between rebels, there had to be ways to communicate from top to bottom. Iron Ruler Pass was stubbornly refusing to cooperate, so the mansion itself had to speak.

"Yes!" the two replied.

Zhao Douan gestured for the rest to depart,

"Let's move on to the third location."

Ma Yan personally picked up "Iron Ruler Pass," gagging his mouth, ready to keep a close watch. Hearing the instruction, he was taken aback.

Zhao Douan explained with a smile,

"We can't relax, brother. What if there's more than one insider?"

...

...

The third suspect was Daffodil Hall Arrest Officer Haitang.

Haitang was not married and her house was the smallest among the three.

As the troop confidently surrounded the place,

they were surprised to find the Hai family's gate wide open when they attempted to break in.

This left Hou Renmeng, who was addicted to busting doors, somewhat disappointed.

But as Zhao Douan led the team into the front courtyard,

he was even more surprised to find that the maids and servants were waiting quietly under the eaves, as if expecting them, ready to welcome the guests.

In the courtyard, by a stone table,

the female detective in her usual home attire, tall and striking, with high ponytail and a mole below the eye resembling a teardrop, was enjoying a drink.

On the table lay a cloth bag full of Flying Knives, indifferent to the threatening crossbows on the walls manned by Lihua Hall officers.

Looking up, her bright eyes seemed to smile at Zhao Douan as she said,

"Master Zhao has finally arrived. I've been waiting for quite some time and have even prepared fine wine. After your tiresome journey, would you care for a drink?"

This...

The Lihua Hall officers were taken aback, noting this was different from the previous encounters.

Hou Renmeng and Shen Juan exchanged glances before looking at Zhao Douan.

Zhao Douan narrowed his eyes as he appraised the attractive female colleague, then suddenly smiled and said,

"A beautiful lady and fine wine, such a gracious invitation—who could refuse?"

Though his words suggested otherwise, his feet remained still, and he quickly changed his tone,

"However, would the heroine be so kind as to toss aside her knives first?"