Chapter Twenty-Seven: Crumbling at the First Blow

Happy New Year, please consider recommending and supporting.

Yang Xuan was the real name of the man in the green robe, something Shen Lian had already learned from Ling Chongxiao. The fact that this person could reveal the true name of the green-robed man in a single breath showed just how effective the intelligence network of the Xuanming Bureau truly was.

“Sir, am I a criminal or your subordinate?” Shen Lian stared intently at Meng Han, the envoy of the Xuanming Bureau. Though Meng Han was much younger and still had a tender face, Shen Lian’s gaze unsettled him so much that he unconsciously took a step back.

That single step startled Governor Shuo, who couldn’t help but utter a low cry.

The room was quiet, so even the smallest sound was as clear as a pin dropping in a silent chamber—everyone heard it.

Meng Han, hearing the cry, finally snapped out of his daze. His face flushed as if seared by hot iron.

Before entering the Xuanming Bureau, Meng Han had been a disciple of the Scarlet Sun Sect, a prestigious school in the martial world. The Scarlet Sun Sect had followed the founding emperor even before his rise, earning accolades and imperial favor. Thus, its members held a distinguished status both in court and in the martial world. Meng Han excelled in his studies there, and after joining the Xuanming Bureau, he quickly gained favor. His pride was considerable.

If this incident were to spread, how could he face his peers in the martial world or his colleagues in the Bureau?

Shen Lian had run a clinic before and had seen all kinds of people. He could easily guess Meng Han’s state of mind. Yet, with people like Meng Han, showing weakness only encouraged them to bully further, unlike Governor Shuo, who could be reasoned with.

Hence, Shen Lian deliberately displayed a strong and unyielding side.

After all, the martial arts left behind by the green-robed man were more than enough to stir a storm of bloodshed in the martial world. Even if he hadn’t obtained the Extinguishing God Sword or the Divine Step Technique, outsiders would never believe it. Meng Han was just the first, not the last.

Shen Lian’s departure from the Shen family was also partly to avoid bringing them unnecessary trouble. With no reputation established and no one to fear him, troublemakers would surely abound.

Meng Han’s retreat forced him into a corner—how could he show weakness to a mere child?

A flash of fierceness crossed Meng Han’s eyes, but his voice remained remarkably calm. “Explain the matter of the green-robed man. I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Anyone could hear the suppressed fury in his words.

Shen Lian, fearless, replied, “And if I refuse?”

“So you don’t deny it. Young brat, it seems you won’t speak unless you suffer a little.”

“Shen Lian, it’s not such a big deal. Just speak and the official won’t trouble you,” Governor Shuo advised.

“The affairs of the Xuanming Bureau are no business of you local officials,” Meng Han shot Governor Shuo a glare.

Governor Shuo suppressed his anger. They were both ministers under the same roof, and he was a scholar by examination, but the Xuanming Bureau’s people were always arrogant, treating local officials like swine.

Shen Lian smiled, “My affairs are no business of yours either, Lord Meng.”

“Good lad.”

Meng Han’s fury was barely contained; he wouldn’t truly stoop to argue with a child, but Shen Lian’s repeated provocations finally broke his restraint.

He drew his sword, channeling true energy into it. The tempered steel blade glowed with a faint crimson hue, as if heated.

The internal arts of the Scarlet Sun Sect were pure and fierce, so most disciples bore names with characters like cold, ice, shade, or frost to remind them of humility and self-control. Yet at this moment, the coldness in Meng Han’s name could not temper his anger. His true energy, fueled by rage, intent on teaching Shen Lian a lesson.

He thrust his sword forward, body and blade as one. This move, ironically named “A Mouth That Cannot Speak,” aimed to silence Shen Lian by striking his throat.

Meng Han retained some reason, knowing even with restrained force, Shen Lian would be unable to speak or eat for months. But if Shen Lian couldn’t talk, how could he be questioned about the green-robed man? So Meng Han shifted the sword tip downward.

Shen Lian seemed utterly unfazed, but Meng Han’s sword halted abruptly. A flash of green light appeared—Shen Lian now held a wooden sword, its tip pressed against Meng Han’s Lieque point.

This acupoint lies on the radial side of the forearm, above the styloid process of the radius, one and a half inches above the wrist crease, between the brachioradialis and the abductor pollicis longus tendon, directly linked to the Ren meridian.

Shen Lian’s strike was not swift, but its timing and angle were perfect, executed later yet arriving first.

With only scant internal energy, Shen Lian could not overpower Meng Han physically. But this strike was not about energy—it carried the sword intent nurtured by Shen Lian’s soul, the Extinguishing God Sword intent, which entered Meng Han’s body.

Traditionally, spirit and energy are united. Shen Lian’s sword attacked the Lieque point, invading Meng Han’s spirit, disrupting his internal energy, and sealing the acupoint so his qi grew even more chaotic.

Shock and fury surged within Meng Han; he could never have imagined Shen Lian could best him.

His mind was in disarray, and without realizing, he stumbled forward. Yet he failed to notice that he couldn’t see anything clearly before him.

Shen Lian’s sword followed, gently flicking. Meng Han, moving at high speed, was nudged aside.

With no effort at all, Shen Lian sent Meng Han flying—he crashed through the window and plummeted from the third floor.

Luckily, the second floor had a wooden balcony. Meng Han struck the railing, producing a dull thud. Fortunately, the railing was sturdy enough not to break entirely, though it did snap.

Shen Lian leaned out and watched Meng Han hang from the window, then, with a subtle wave of his sword, a chilling wind swept by. Meng Han felt as if a bucket of icy water had been poured over him, his bones chilled to the core, and he collapsed against the railing, unconscious.

Not long after, Governor Shuo and Shen Lian arrived at the second floor, dispersing the crowd of onlookers.

Shen Lian gazed at the crooked railing and sighed. “Governor, will the official cover the damages that Lord Meng caused to my humble shop?”

Governor Shuo, seeing Meng Han’s miserable state, felt immensely satisfied. Hearing Shen Lian’s words, he couldn’t help but laugh. At last, he said, “You—what on earth are you doing? Is the Xuanming Bureau so easy to provoke?”

Shen Lian replied nonchalantly, “Not easy, and yet here we are. Let’s treat it as just another storm.”

“You’ve learned some extraordinary martial arts. You can come and go as you wish, but have you thought about the Shen family?” Governor Shuo now understood that Shen Lian must have acquired some fearsome skill, likely related to the green-robed man.

Though he knew the martial world, he was ignorant of the details of martial arts and Daoist techniques. Thus, he didn’t realize how shocking it was for Shen Lian, so young, to defeat Meng Han.

If word spread, countless martial experts would be humiliated, lamenting their wasted decades.

“When things come to a head, there’s no time to calculate. You and I are different. You weigh the pros and cons; I only know how to give and take.”

‘To give’ comes first, ‘to take’ follows.

To give and to take—that is the Way of Heaven.

Only giving or only taking, both stray from the Way.

“Whether the Shen family’s fortune is blessed or cursed by you, I cannot say. I’ve read many years, and I recall the sages said, ‘There’s no immortal without loyalty or filial piety in this world.’ It seems not entirely without reason. I hope you’ll take it to heart.”

PS: Many thanks to Shuyan for the reward of 1888, Fei Shao for 1888, Sword Song Nine Heavens for 588, Bill20073058 for 588, Haohao Dangdang Taotao Buju for 588, and also to Little Cat, Seven Gourds, Book Friend 151122220328724, Xiao Luo Yancheng, First Love in the Night, ↘kiζsヤ谁, Countdown 369zjj, Chief of the Four Not-Alikes, Book Fan Jia, yhdban, and Half Moon jm for their support.