Chapter 33

Taking Patchy Fish's whip kick head-on, Chen Ping'an felt as if his chest had been struck by a heavy hammer. 

For a moment, the pain was intense, but that was all. 

With Iron Shirt at major achievement, his resistance to blows was extremely strong. While this kick could injure a second-level Qi and Blood martial artist who didn't specialize in hard techniques, Chen Ping'an could withstand it! 

The moment the kick landed, Chen Ping'an's hands instinctively grabbed hold of Patchy Fish's leg. With a powerful pull, he yanked Patchy Fish toward him. 

In an instant, Patchy Fish lost his balance and toppled toward Chen Ping'an. 

"How is this possible!?" 

Patchy Fish's face was filled with shock. 

Although it was dark, he could easily observe that his opponent was of average build, even shorter than him by a head. 

Thus, with his extensive combat experience, Patchy Fish immediately ruled out the possibility that his opponent practiced hard techniques. Most likely, the young man followed a more agile martial path. That was why Patchy Fish had opted for a straightforward whip kick. 

But now... 

This delicate-looking youth actually practiced an external hard technique!? 

There was no time for Patchy Fish to think further. The immense force from his right leg caused him to lose his balance. His upper body lurched forward, and using his trapped right leg as a pivot, he twisted his waist and raised his left leg with all his might. 

Target: the opponent's head. 

Whoosh! 

A gust of wind accompanied the strike! 

With his extensive practical experience in Iron Shirt at major achievement, Chen Ping'an instantly made the correct decision. 

He abruptly released Patchy Fish's right leg, then pushed off with his right foot, propelling himself into the air. 

His left leg bent, knee driving upward with explosive force, aimed at Patchy Fish's left leg. 

The point of impact was the most vulnerable part of Patchy Fish's knee. 

"Not good!" 

Patchy Fish's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary youth to react so quickly. Desperately, he tried to adjust his posture, but with his body nearly airborne and no leverage, he was powerless. 

"It's too late!" 

Crack! 

The sound of bone breaking echoed. 

Patchy Fish's left knee was shattered by Chen Ping'an's strike. The differing directions and points of impact resulted in this outcome. 

The broken bone caused Patchy Fish's face to flush red. His eyes were bloodshot from the pain, but his iron will kept him going. 

He landed on his right foot, trying to regain his balance and deliver a heavy punch. 

However, Chen Ping'an clearly had no intention of giving him that chance. 

Using the recoil from the collision, Chen Ping'an landed first and immediately stomped toward Patchy Fish's right foot. 

The point of impact was precisely where Patchy Fish was about to land. 

Thud! 

Patchy Fish felt as if his foot was about to be crushed. 

Ignoring the pain in his body, he began throwing wild punches at Chen Ping'an like a madman. 

Chen Ping'an raised his arms to protect his head, blocking the punches head-on. 

Bang! Bang! Bang! 

The sensation of fists meeting flesh. 

Patchy Fish's punches were powerful, but Chen Ping'an could handle them. 

The barrage of attacks didn't trouble him much. Moreover, with his legs nearly incapacitated and no footwork to support him, Patchy Fish had lost almost all his agility. 

Seizing the opportunity, Chen Ping'an took a punch to the chest as a trade-off. His own fist shot upward, aiming for Patchy Fish's face. 

Bang! Bang! 

Two impacts sounded almost simultaneously. 

Chen Ping'an felt a dull pain in his chest, causing him to pause momentarily. 

Meanwhile, Patchy Fish's face took a direct hit. Blood instantly gushed from his nose, and the powerful impact left him dazed and swaying. 

Gritting through the discomfort in his chest, Chen Ping'an swept his leg, knocking the already unsteady Patchy Fish to the ground. 

Then, he pushed off with his left foot, launching himself into the air. Using his knee as a weapon, he drove downward, aiming for Patchy Fish's throat. 

"Die!" 

"No!" 

Patchy Fish roared in terror. 

If he hadn't been on the run, unable to buy food even with money, he wouldn't have resorted to stealing in the middle of the night. 

He never could have imagined that the seemingly ordinary household he had chosen would seal his fate tonight. 

After surviving countless storms, he had capsized in a ditch! 

Crack! 

The knee landed, crushing the throat. 

Patchy Fish, the high-ranking member of the Green Fish Gang, was dead! 

But Chen Ping'an didn't stop. His knee continued to grind into Patchy Fish's throat until it was completely destroyed. Only then did he cease. 

Chen Ping'an collapsed to the side, gasping for breath. 

"Haah... Haah... Haah..." 

Sweat drenched his hair, and his arms and legs trembled slightly. 

This was his first real combat experience, and he hadn't dared to hold back. In that moment, his only thought was to kill Patchy Fish! He couldn't give him any chance to recover! 

Because he had no idea whether, if he hesitated or held back, he might be the one to die! 

Now, with Patchy Fish dead, everything was settled. As Chen Ping'an regained his composure, it all felt like a dream. 

The scenes of the fight flashed through his mind like a kaleidoscope, everything feeling so unreal! 

Patchy Fish... dead? 

By his hands? 

Chen Ping'an stared at his hands, his mind blank. 

This was his first fight, and his first kill. The feeling was indescribable. 

It took a while before Chen Ping'an's mind began to clear. 

Looking at Patchy Fish's corpse, he felt no fear, no regret, and no so-called stress response. 

After accepting the fact that he had killed Patchy Fish, his heart instead grew calm. 

"Was it because of the golden finger? Or because of this world?" 

Chen Ping'an wasn't sure why, and he didn't want to figure it out. 

As a constable, he had seen too much of the world's harsh truths. Now, all he wanted was to live well. To live with his sister, to live with dignity. 

To live without being bullied or threatened by anyone, to live freely and without worry. 

And to achieve all this, Chen Ping'an knew he needed sufficient strength and a status that others feared. 

Right... 

Status! 

Chen Ping'an's mind was now fully clear. 

"Patchy Fish, a high-ranking member of the Green Fish Gang, has achieved skin refinement and entered the muscle-refining stage, with a second-level Qi and Blood cultivation. Anyone who provides effective leads will be rewarded with five taels of silver and credited with a minor merit. Anyone who can kill or capture him on the spot will be credited with a medium merit and rewarded with ten taels of silver." 

Killing him on the spot would earn a medium merit! 

In the darkness, Chen Ping'an's eyes gleamed. 

A medium merit! For him, it meant the status of an official constable. 

"Right, I need to report this immediately!" 

Chen Ping'an instantly understood what he needed to do next. 

"But..." 

Thoughts raced through Chen Ping'an's mind. 

"I can't let anyone know that I killed Patchy Fish. My martial arts cultivation can't be exposed yet! If it's exposed now, I can explain the techniques, but if they dig deeper into the training process, I won't be able to justify it." 

"What should I do now?"