William Young's hearing was exceptionally sharp; he immediately caught the words "runaway slave," as well as mentions of them being from the Dongchang Fu family and titles like Assistant Censor. That Edward Harris's face instantly broke into a smile, nodding as he listened, then he nodded firmly. He glanced at William Young, then beckoned to his two subordinates...

"Seize him!"

He said crisply.

William Young stood there unmoving, both hands gripping the carrying pole as if it were a rifle—left hand forward, right hand back, the pole angled upward—quietly watching the two soldiers approach him.

One of them unfastened an iron chain from his waist.

"You've got some nerve, you dog slave!"

He said casually as he walked toward William Young.

Just as he entered striking distance, the pole in William Young's hands shot out like lightning, like a rifle fitted with a bayonet, striking squarely at the soldier's chest. The heavy blow caused his heart to stop abruptly; the soldier, blood flow to his brain cut off, collapsed backward in frozen shock...

A hush fell over the surroundings.

"Murder!"

A shrill scream suddenly rang out.

The bystanders scattered in an instant.

Edward Harris stared in shock at the fallen soldier, then looked up at William Young. Clearly, this scene was beyond his expectations, while William Young still looked at him calmly, maintaining his gun-holding stance, turning the pole toward the remaining soldier. The latter had already drawn his yanling saber, but was clearly hesitant to advance. The difference in weapon length made a one-on-one fight almost certain defeat. At the same time, the two household servants whom William Young had knocked down earlier circled back, one grabbing another pole, the other picking up the iron chain dropped by the fallen soldier.

The three of them formed a triangle, trapping him.

Edward Harris quickly regained his composure, bravely drawing his yanling saber, though he still lagged half a step behind the man beside him. The latter was clearly a seasoned veteran, holding his saber in his right hand, angled downward, frowning as he advanced.

"This dog slave has committed violence while being arrested—kill him on the spot!"

Edward Harris shouted, putting on an air of authority.

The soldier and the two servants cautiously stepped forward together.

"Kill!"

William Young suddenly roared.

Immediately, his pole thrust straight out. The startled soldier hurriedly swung his saber to block, but the force of the thrust was too great. The pole deflected slightly, then struck accurately at the side of his neck.

The soldier collapsed unconscious.

Whether he would ever wake up again was left to fate.

Almost simultaneously, the servant behind and to the right swung his pole down. William Young sidestepped, the end of his own pole sweeping horizontally to catch the servant's chin, flipping him over with a scream. Edward Harris retreated without hesitation, while the servant holding the iron chain backed away in terror. The seasoned veteran stepped forward, saber slashing upward. William Young angled his pole downward to block while stabbing at the man's abdomen. The latter dodged sideways, stepping forward as his blade slid ahead...

William Young kicked him in the calf!

The veteran dropped to one knee, and William Young's pole swept horizontally, landing on his neck. The man immediately collapsed unconscious.

Edward Harris turned and ran.

The servant with the iron chain hovered, not daring to approach.

William Young picked up the veteran's yanling saber and walked straight to the young man, waving the saber to signal him to move aside. The youth, however, did not back down; instead, he bravely stepped forward—only to be kicked aside. William Young then looked down at the young man...

"W-what are you going to do?"

The latter stammered in fear.

The cloth covering his wound had fallen away, and blood was flowing again, making him look pitiful.

"What am I going to do? I'm going to fuck your mother!"

William Young said viciously.

With that, he stomped on the young man's face, grinding his foot down twice as the youth screamed in pain. That once-handsome face was now completely ruined; even whether his nose could ever be restored was doubtful. The young man let out muffled cries beneath his foot, arms outstretched, clutching at the cracks between the flagstones in agony, like a frail maiden being ravaged. Satisfied, William Young stepped over his face and sprinted madly toward the city gate ahead...

He had no idea that, not far behind him atop the drum tower, a group of people had silently watched the entire scene unfold.

"Soldiers of the Three Guards, eh!"

A burly official in a blue robe said with a half-smile.

Beside him, another blue-robed official glared expressionlessly at a red-robed official behind him. The latter turned awkwardly, searching among the crowd of red and blue robes behind, until his gaze landed on the face of the last blue-robed man...

"Well, what are you waiting for? Useless lot!"

He shouted angrily.

The blue-robed man hurriedly led a squad of soldiers down from the drum tower.

"Beat the drum, close the gates!"

The second blue-robed official ordered.

"Once he's caught, bring him here. He wields that pole with quite some skill."

The first blue-robed official said without turning his head.

"But he killed someone!"

The second blue-robed official said.

"No one's dead. He knows his limits—just knocked them out. A runaway slave? He doesn't look like one. Shandong's had three years of drought, countless starving refugees. Perhaps some military household, driven to desperation, hid his identity and sold himself as a slave to survive!"

The first blue-robed official said with interest.

"But he injured someone from the Dongchang Fu family!"

The second blue-robed official said.