The Life of a Necromancer as a Swashbuckler

Chapter 17: Divine Constable Zhui Feng

“Zhui Feng!” Xiao Yan, who had had frequent contact with the Four Divine Captains, immediately realized what was happening. The rest of the people in the room were startled and hurried out of the hut, only to see... “If I’m not a flower thief, I suppose the Divine Constable won’t believe me, will he?” For some reason, the more Nameless found himself in a truly tense situation, the calmer he seemed to become. A force within him appeared to be steadily awakening, his gaze growing increasingly focused—it was the sensation of a hunter spotting its prey after a long absence. “Whether I believe you or not doesn’t matter, nor does whether you’re a flower thief. If you have anything to say in your defense, just tell the magistrate’s office. Now, let’s go—are you really going to wait for me to make my move?” Such was the Divine Constable’s confidence. “Your Honor, you’ve misunderstood,” Miss Li, standing nearby, tried to speak up as she saw how the situation was unfolding. Nameless raised a hand to stop her. He knew that if the whole truth came out, the only one who would likely emerge unscathed would be himself. The others were either accomplices or thieves and would certainly be sentenced to severe punishment. He could not allow himself to fail to protect these people. And for some reason, Nameless felt that murderous intent churning deep within him once again. Whenever real danger loomed, he seemed to automatically slip into another state—one he was very familiar with but couldn’t quite recall. “Hmph, hmph, hmph,” Nameless suddenly laughed. “Whether you can catch me or not depends on the skills of the renowned Divine Constable.” After saying this, Nameless seemed like a completely different person, radiating an ominous aura. Nameless’s transformation left the beautiful women standing nearby utterly astonished, though only Yingyue seemed to be pondering the change thoughtfully. “I’m confident,” Zhui Feng said, still smiling as he spoke. Suddenly, his body flickered, and in a flash, he was already standing before Nameless. “Go down.” With his left foot, he delivered a “Wind and Cloud Kick” straight at Nameless’s chest. Nameless didn’t dodge; instead, he reached out with his left hand and grabbed Zhui Feng’s foot. His reaction was so swift and his strike so precise that it was beyond belief. Zhui Feng was startled—no one had ever managed to grab his foot before. It was impossible for a person to react that quickly and strike first despite acting later, unless their martial arts were far superior to his own. Frightened, Zhui Feng hurriedly pulled his leg back,and swiftly kicked out with his other leg at the Nameless man. But something even more baffling happened: the Nameless man didn’t even try to dodge, and with a thud, he was sent flying by the kick. After landing, Zhui Feng froze. He looked down at his foot—it was completely unharmed, not even sore, as if a three-year-old child had merely touched it, giving him nothing more than a start. This “Flower Thief” seemed to have absolutely no martial arts skills at all. Over there, Nameless—knocked flying by a single kick—had actually passed out. The move happened in the blink of an eye; the outcome was decided in an instant. To everyone else, it looked as though Zhui Feng had simply delivered two kicks, and Nameless had flown through the air, losing consciousness. The three young ladies all thought simultaneously, “How weak.” Seeing the flower thief defeated in an instant, Zhui Feng couldn’t help but become suspicious. This man clearly knew no martial arts—he couldn’t possibly be the flower thief. His years of investigative experience told him that things weren’t that simple. “Ladies, now that the villain has been brought to justice, let’s be on our way. I’ll escort you all home. I’m sorry for the scare you’ve been through,” Zhui Feng said, turning to the young ladies. The three young ladies exchanged silent glances; with no other choice but to accept their fate, they reluctantly replied, “Thank you, Divine Constable, for saving us. Please lead the way.” Seeing the expressions on the faces of the three missing young ladies, Zhui Feng grew even more puzzled. Why did they seem so reluctant to leave? He then looked at Xiao Yan and the woman in white. These two weren’t among the missing; they clearly belonged to the Martial Arts World. He didn’t recognize the woman in white, but he dealt with Xiao Yan frequently. The flower thief’s martial arts skills couldn’t possibly have injured Xiao Yan. No—the Divine Constable’s intuition told him there was something very wrong with this situation. “Ladies, I feel there’s something a bit off about this situation. Would you be willing to tell me the truth?” Zhui Feng suddenly asked with a smile. “You dead-end constable, you’ve finally figured out something’s off?” Xiao Yan sneered from the side; no matter what, she had no regard for the Four Divine Constables. “Tomb-Raiding Yan, spit it out. Otherwise, I’ll really drag you to the Six Gates for questioning.” Zhui Feng had been struggling to find a breakthrough, so asking Xiao Yan was the perfect opportunity. In truth, it wasn’t that the Four Divine Constables couldn’t catch Xiao Yan—they’d simply been turning a blind eye. Although Xiao Yan stole from all over, she was essentially robbing the rich to help the poor, and hadn’t committed any particularly heinous crimes. “I’ll tell you,” said the young lady surnamed Wang. Seeing that there was no point in hiding it any longer, she laid out the entire story. “So that’s how it is,” Zhui Feng realized. Nameless was a good man and a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect. Although Zhui Feng was a man of the bureaucracy, deep down he was also dissatisfied with the emperor’s selection of concubines; he simply had no choice but to go along with it. “In that case, why go to such great lengths?” Having served as an official for many years, Zhui Feng was highly experienced; after hearing the details, he had already devised a plan of action. Just then, Nameless slowly came to, his eyes flashing with a cold glint, as if he were still eager for a fight. Zhui Feng chose not to take offense at Nameless’s attitude. He stepped forward, planted his foot firmly on Nameless, and said with a smile, “Brother Nameless, since you’re such a man of honor and loyalty, I, Zhui Feng, cannot remain indifferent. I’ll offer you a life of wealth and prestige as a welcome gift. Would you like to become a hero of the imperial court, Brother Nameless?”