Chapter 17 Few Hundred Copper A Month Really Worth Risking Your Life

No one present had ever witnessed such a bizarre situation before—it felt utterly absurd. As Chen Zhou walked out of the study, they noticed that he appeared to be dragging two heavy objects in his hands...

Wait a minute—those weren’t objects. They were County Lieutenant Xiao and Deputy Gang Leader Lin…

Both men were drenched in blood, their eyes wide open in death, their expressions frozen in disbelief. Like lifeless dogs, they were being dragged away, their fates sealed.

For a moment, the entire courtyard held its breath. No one moved. Terror was etched on every face.

County Lieutenant Xiao and Deputy Gang Leader Lin were both dead!

Amid countless stunned and horrified gazes, Chen Zhou’s indifferent voice rang out:

"Mortal weapons are useless against me…"

As he spoke, he reached up and slowly pulled out the two long arrows embedded in his forehead. The horrifying sight sent chills down everyone's spines, burning into their minds like a nightmare.

He actually pulled an arrow out of his brain?!

"Your attacks can't harm me. They only make me angry. And the consequence of making me angry is…"

With that, Chen Zhou casually waved his hand, sending the two lifeless bodies soaring into the air before they landed near the crowd. His actions made it clear to everyone present what would happen if they angered him.

"So, if you don’t want to die, just stand still. I’m a good person—I won’t kill innocent people."

"Besides, be honest, is a few hundred copper a month really worth risking your life?"

Chen Zhou’s teasing tone mixed with an overwhelming, demonic aura that filled the courtyard.

The soldiers’ hearts pounded violently, their faces pale. The crossbows in their hands suddenly felt impossibly heavy, too burdensome to lift.

The scene before them was beyond comprehension.

They didn’t quite understand what "a few hundred copper" meant, but they understood his message: for their meager wages, this wasn’t a fight worth dying for.

They had no obligation to face an enemy they could not defeat.

The middle-aged police captain leading the group remained silent, and the other soldiers followed suit. No one dared to move—not even to breathe too loudly.

In the oppressive silence, Chen Zhou strode out of the courtyard, treating them as if they were nothing more than air. The soldiers stood frozen, watching his retreating figure.

Not until he disappeared around a corner did the suffocating pressure finally lift.

Everyone let out a breath of relief, instinctively feeling as if they had narrowly escaped death.

At the same time, the middle-aged captain finally snapped out of his daze and shouted in a trembling voice:

"Quick! Inform the magistrate—something major has happened!"

......

Chen Zhou did not leave through the Han Mansion’s main gate but instead scaled the ten-foot-high wall to make his escape.

Pulling off an intimidating display and then running away—it was quite the experience.

With hundreds of crossbowmen in the courtyard, a prolonged fight would have quickly drained his health bar. He wouldn't have lasted more than a few rounds.

His only option was to stage a "biochemical crisis" on the spot and terrify his enemies into submission.

Clearly, Shen Zhou’s deterrent display had been effective. Pulling arrows from his head and discarding bodies like trash had left the soldiers so paralyzed with fear that they never even moved.

Once outside Han Mansion, Chen Zhou abandoned his leisurely pace and started running, sticking to remote alleys.

Even so, he alarmed many onlookers. However, upon seeing the arrows protruding from his body and the blood covering him, they shrank back in fear, giving him a wide space.

At that moment, Chen Zhou's thoughts shifted. This ancient martial arts world was beginning to feel more and more like a game.

Especially after awakening his [Fourth Calamity] talent—before, he had been prepared to throw caution to the wind and exact his revenge. But now? Now, he wanted to stay in this world a little longer.

As he moved through the narrow alleyways, he suddenly heard a commotion above. Reacting quickly, he caught a falling pitchfork.

Looking up, he saw a delicate face peeking out from a second-floor window of a shabby little building. The woman had an apologetic look on her gentle face. "Sorry, I was just closing the curtains…"

Chen Zhou immediately recognized her—she was the woman who sold wontons on the street.

Fate truly worked in mysterious ways.

The young woman seemed to recognize Chen Zhou as well. Her expression shifted from apology to surprise.

Then, as she took in his miserable state—arrows still lodged in his body, his clothes drenched in blood—her delicate brows furrowed. Clenching her fists, she hesitated, struggling with something internally. But in the next moment, she made her decision.

After glancing around to ensure no one was watching, she whispered anxiously, "Young man, come inside and hide for a while!"

Chen Zhou was a little surprised. Although he had saved her before, it was just a brief encounter. Yet, she was willing to risk sheltering him.

Perhaps the saying "good deeds are rewarded" had some truth to it.

That said, the situation felt strangely familiar.

"Alright," Chen Zhou replied after a brief moment of thought. He did need a temporary place to stay.

"Wait a moment, I’ll come down and open the door."

"That won’t be necessary."

Chen Zhou crouched slightly, then sprang up, easily slipping through the second-floor window.

As soon as he landed inside the room, he realized that his sudden intrusion was somewhat rude. But since he was already in, there was no point in jumping back out just to enter properly.

The woman didn’t seem to mind. Instead, she anxiously asked, "Young man… do you need a doctor for your wounds?"

At this point, Chen Zhou had only pulled out the arrows from his forehead. The rest were still lodged in his body, creating a gruesome sight.

"No need," Chen Zhou waved a hand dismissively.

"But you're bleeding!"

"It’s not my blood."

"But you still have several arrows in your body…"

"That’s not a problem," Chen Zhou said calmly. "I’ll just pull them out."

"Just pull them out and you’ll be fine?" The woman was dumbfounded. It was as if he was talking about removing splinters, not arrows that had impaled his body.

Chen Zhou didn’t waste words. He simply demonstrated.

One by one, he yanked out the arrows.

The woman gasped, covering her mouth in horror. The sight of the sharp, barbed arrows being ripped out so effortlessly sent chills down her spine. Surely, this man should be writhing in agony… yet he remained calm and composed.

What a man!

Her respect for Chen Zhou deepened.

Of course, in reality, since he wasn’t actually injured, Chen Zhou felt nothing at all. He had no idea that his image in the woman’s mind had grown significantly taller.

Soon, all the arrows were extracted and tossed to the ground.

He stretched his body, finally feeling unburdened. At the same time, he noticed something—the health bar in the lower-left corner of his vision, previously two-thirds full, was now slowly regenerating.

Observing for a while, he estimated that it would take a night for his health bar to fully recover.

Is this the legendary "breathing technique" for health regeneration? Haha, worthy of [Fourth Calamity]—utterly broken.

However, it seemed that healing only started after all projectiles were removed. If his body remained in an actively damaged state, it wouldn’t recover automatically.

"So… just pulling them out really worked?"

The woman was utterly baffled. Not only was he still alive, but there wasn’t even a wound where the arrows had been.

"Young man, you must be blessed by the gods… there’s no other explanation," she murmured. Wanted to reach out and touch Chen Zhou's strong chest muscles to find out how it's possible, but she held herself back down.

Chen Zhou simply nodded. "Sure, let’s go with that."