Han Chi Golden Scale Arc

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Chapter One: One Man, One Blade, One Bird

Great Wei, Yun'an City.

The early summer downpour was like a flower thief sneaking into a maiden's chamber at night—arriving with fierce wind and torrential rain, leaving in a hurry, and only muddy puddles in the gullies and a pear tree with rain-soaked blossoms behind.

As the wind and rain ceased, the capital's streets gradually came alive. People began to step out of their homes, and vendors hawked their wares along the street:

"Steamed buns—"

"Coal for sale..."

……

Amid the street's clamor, a convoy slowly approached from the entrance of Tianshui Bridge.

Carriages followed behind, with thirteen armed riders leading the way. All wore straw raincoats and bamboo hats, sabers strapped across their backs, looking travel-worn and formidable.

In the heart of the capital, such a martial, Jianghu-style procession was rare. Many passersby glanced over, only to see that the leader was a young man.

Under his raincoat, the man wore black robes. A large white bird perched on his shoulder. He was tall, fair-skinned, with bright, jet-black eyes and sword-like brows that added a sharp edge to his handsome face.

"Wow—Mom, look, that big brother is so handsome!"

"Shh~ Don't shout, that's embarrassing!"

"That bird is so fat~"

"Cheep?"

"Hey? It can understand people!"

……

Amid the praise from women and girls on the street, the young man in black seemed not to hear, eyes straight ahead as he led the group to the Zhenyuan Escort Agency at the end of the street.

All the shops along Tianshui Bridge bore the family crest with the character '裴', and so did the Zhenyuan Escort Agency.

Anyone who could buy an entire street in the capital, where every inch of land was precious, was clearly no ordinary family. The agency's grand entrance, with its yellow wood and blue tiles, always had two escorts standing guard outside.

Seeing an unfamiliar convoy arrive, one of the escorts stepped forward, cupped his fist in a martial salute, and asked:

"And you are?"

"Henry Blake."

The escort looked puzzled, glancing at the formidable group of armed men:

"Never heard of you. Are you here to transport goods, or...?"

"To challenge the agency."

"..."

At these words, the street fell silent.

The idle passersby all gathered around. Even the wonton vendor by the roadside put down his ladle, wiped his hands on his apron, and craned his neck to look:

"What's going on?"

"A challenge—this is rare in the capital..."

……

The two escorts outside the agency saw that the young man in black meant trouble and their faces darkened.

If it were just some reckless youth, they would have scolded him away. But the thirteen riders outside, all armed, looked more like they were here for a massacre—definitely not to be trifled with. The escort kept his tone polite and cupped his fist:

"This is the capital—private fights are strictly forbidden. Our boss is a legitimate businessman who abides by the law. We can't accept challenges. If you have a dispute with our boss, you can go beat the grievance drum and we'll settle it at the magistrate's office..."

At this, the onlookers immediately jeered:

"Eh..."

"And you call yourselves martial artists? They're at your door and you want to call the authorities?"

"Yeah..."

……

The young man in black unfastened his saber from his waist and tossed it to someone behind him, then said barehanded:

"Have your chief come out. One fight, and I'll leave."

Seeing the whole neighborhood gathering, the escort looked displeased. Another ran toward the street, apparently to call the authorities.

Unfortunately, after only a few steps, he was blocked by one of the saber-wielding men behind the young man in black.

"Hey! You—"

At this, seven or eight men burst out from behind the agency's doors, wielding sabers and spears, faces furious.

From inside the agency came a booming voice:

"Kid, it's fine to be young and brash, but you better keep your eyes open..."

Everyone turned to look and saw a man emerge from the main hall, dressed in brocade robes, burly, with callused hands spinning two iron walnuts.

Clack, clack...

The escort outside quickly called out:

"Mr. Brooks, this kid is causing trouble."

The onlookers grew excited, chattering:

"William Brooks himself has come out."

"Isn't that handsome guy going to get beaten to death?"

"No one dares kill in the capital—at most he'll cough up blood."

"He's so handsome, even seeing him cough blood would be a pity..."

Swish—

Before anyone could say more, a sharp sound cut through the air.

The escorts and passersby only saw a blur—the young man in black, who had been on horseback, somehow leapt into the air, soared over the agency's tall gate, and landed in the courtyard.

William Brooks, who had just stepped out, was so startled he shuddered, instinctively flinging his iron walnuts, only for the young man in black to sweep them aside with a sleeve, then pounce like a hawk on a rabbit, clawing at his neck.

Bang—

In the blink of an eye, the burly William Brooks was pinned against the doorpost, knocking several black tiles off the eaves.

Crack—

The tiles shattered on the ground, startling the dozen or so escorts in the courtyard, their eyes wide with shock.