"Has your reputation been upgraded? Unexpected good news..."

Chen Zhou felt pleasantly surprised. It seemed that as his reputation expanded, he could obtain more rewards.

Hmm... it looks like spreading his name across the country will be necessary in the future.

But now wasn't the time to think about such things. Looking at the group of people kneeling in front of him, Chen Zhou clapped his hands and said simply:

"Okay, everyone, get up."

He refrained from saying lines like "Stand up, don't kneel," or "Princes and generals have their courage too," nor did he call for a collective uprising.

Chen Zhou knew well that such concepts were far too advanced for the people of this era. Their consciousness hadn’t yet awakened to such ideas.

What’s more, even if it did, a warrior of Zhao Shuanghe's level could easily annihilate the entire county on his own, provided he had unlimited energy. And Zhao Shuanghe was only a minor county magistrate.

The gap between the powerful and the powerless was simply too vast, not to mention the overarching imperial power above them all.

"Chen Yingxiong, your great kindness will never be forgotten by us. Such kindness... Even if we have to bow to you, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration. This is the only way we can repay you!" the old gentleman said emotionally.

He remained on his knees, refusing to get up. The rest of the people, led by him, also stayed kneeling.

Fine, if you won’t leave, then I will...

Seeing this, Chen Zhou decided to avoid any further unnecessary chatter. He turned around and left, diverting his focus to the "Record of Merits" in his mind.

The increase in reputation granted him the chance to upgrade his martial arts talents. Currently, he possessed two:

[Convince People with Virtue] and [The Fourth Natural Disaster].

[Convince People with Virtue] currently enhanced his physique. It was unclear whether upgrading it would unlock additional capabilities.

[The Fourth Natural Disaster] allowed Chen Zhou to "play the game" as a player.

After deliberation, Chen Zhou decided to upgrade [The Fourth Natural Disaster]. This talent fascinated him with its power and uniqueness.

Upgrade initiated!

Following Chen Zhou's thoughts, fresh text appeared in the "Record of Merits":

[The Fourth Natural Disaster has been upgraded to Level 2, unlocking new talents and abilities!]

[New Ability: Eye of Natural Disaster] Eye of Natural Disaster: Discern the basic information of any creature and perceive their attitude toward you.

[New Abilities Unlocked:] Weakness: Reduce an opponent's movement speed by 50% and weaken combat power by 30%. Lasts for three seconds. Cooldown: five minutes. Flash: Instantly move a short distance in any direction. Cooldown: five minutes.

The next moment, Chen Zhou noticed his field of vision had transformed. Above everyone's heads, small green characters appeared, revealing their identities:

"Liu Fusheng, Citizen of Evergreen City" "Commoner of Evergreen City: King Mancang" "Yang Qiaomei, Citizen of Evergreen City"

This was the ability of [Eye of Natural Disaster]. It allowed Chen Zhou to identify others’ identities directly while also assessing their attitudes toward him based on name color.

Pink: Trust

Green: Friendly

Blue: Neutral

Orange: Hostile

Red: Murderous Intent

It resembled NPC name tags in a game. Chen Zhou glanced at Lin Yujing beside him:

"[Master of Jingwu Hall: Lin Yujing]," colored pink.

For some reason, seeing the color pink felt slightly awkward. It reminded him of a romance simulation game.

Lin Yujing frowned faintly, sensing Chen Zhou’s subtle expression of distaste.

"Forget the color; this ability is undeniably useful. It'll make identifying people much simpler," Chen Zhou mused silently.

Then, he examined his other newly acquired abilities: [Weakness] and [Flash]. Both resembled classic summoner spells. Not only did the names match, but their effects were also strikingly similar.

[Weakness]: Temporarily cripples an opponent’s combat effectiveness for three crucial seconds.

[Flash]: A short-range teleportation ability, excellent for mobility and offense.

Chen Zhou imagined using them in combat: weaken the opponent, flash behind them, and unleash a devastating chain of attacks. The combinations seemed endless.

"Not bad. This upgrade is quite fruitful!" Chen Zhou thought, his usually calm demeanor showing faint traces of excitement.

With the [Fourth Natural Disaster] now upgraded and a significant reserve of good deeds, Chen Zhou felt remarkably content—wealthy, even.

While reveling in his upgraded state, Chen Zhou's attention was drawn to a peculiar line of text hovering in the distance:

[Disciple of Chongwuhou, Guanghan Palace: Yin Shiwu]

Hmm?

Someone was there?

Though the rooftop appeared empty to the naked eye, the text revealed the presence of a hidden figure. It was apparent that this individual had a highly effective concealment technique.

Without [Eye of Natural Disaster], Chen Zhou likely wouldn’t have detected him.

Judging by his title, the figure was likely connected to Guanghan Palace, the administrative hub of Guanghan Prefecture. Changqing County fell under its jurisdiction.

Examining the color of Yin Shiwu's name: orange, hostile!

"Tsk, they showed up quickly," Chen Zhou muttered.

"What showed up quickly?" Lin Yujing, overhearing, asked.

"Agents of the imperial court," Chen Zhou replied.

Lin Yujing immediately became alert but maintained her composure outwardly. "Where are they?"

"Playing hide-and-seek with us on the rooftop," Chen Zhou said.

"What do we do now?"

"Let’s wait and see what they intend to do," Chen Zhou replied casually.

"Wait and see? Shouldn't we flee?"

"You think I want to charge through them all? I’d like to, but strength matters..." Chen Zhou shook his head. He understood his limitations clearly.

The "Record of Merits" alone didn’t make Chen Zhou capable of challenging an empire—at least, not yet.

Interestingly, his scan revealed only one enemy, Yin Shiwu. This suggested the imperial court had sent just one person.

Now equipped with [Weakness] and [Flash], along with decent health remaining after prior battles, Chen Zhou was confident facing a one-on-one confrontation.

Was Guanghan Palace too confident—or simply arrogant—to send only one operative? Either way, it suited Chen Zhou just fine.

......

"Tsk, tsk, I never expected to see such a grand spectacle as soon as I got here!"

Yin Shiwu was lying leisurely on the beam, looking down at the situation on the street.

He had received an order from the Marquis of Chongwu to come to Changqing County to investigate a family massacre.

The murderer's story was quite bizarre. In just one night, he had transformed from an ordinary person into a second-level warrior.

It was also said that this man did not die even after being shot in the head with an arrow, and his vitality was stronger than that of monsters.

All of this had piqued the interest of Lord Chongwu, the ruler of the state, who sent Yin Shiwu to uncover the truth.

Who knew... as soon as he arrived in Changqing County, he witnessed something even more bizarre.

The people of the entire city were kowtowing to the supposed vicious murderer, and it didn’t seem like they were being forced—they appeared to be doing it sincerely!

This was completely different from what the Changqing County Government had reported...

This criminal had killed so many people; shouldn’t he be extremely vicious and ruthless, making people shudder at the mere mention of his name?

How could he be so loved by the people?

Seeing the young man who was the center of attention below, Yin Shiwu's curiosity grew.

Let’s give it a try!

He jumped lightly, descending from the roof, and walked toward Chen Zhou.

The streets were crowded with common people, yet no one noticed his presence.

The martial art Yin Shiwu practiced was called [Shadow Evil Technique], a method of manipulating light and shadows. One of its techniques, [Shadow Escape], allowed him to blend seamlessly with his surroundings.

Unless someone specialized in seeing through illusions or was at a higher level than him, it would be impossible to detect him.

Yin Shiwu quickly got within thirty meters of Chen Zhou, allowing him to observe the young man’s every move up close.

This young man had a handsome face and a youthful appearance. It was hard to associate him with a murderer.

"Let’s intimidate him a little first and test his courage. I hope he’s not just a coward who bullies the weak. Otherwise, this trip will be too boring..."

With this thought, Yin Shiwu spoke loudly:

"Chen Zhou, you murdered the entire Han family. Your crime is heinous!"

"I am here on behalf of Guanghan Palace to arrest you. Why don’t you surrender?"

His voice boomed, seemingly coming from all directions, majestic like thunder.

The people present were startled and looked around in fear.

Lin Yujing’s heart instantly tightened. She knew the imperial court agents Chen Zhou had mentioned... had arrived!

But where?

Her eyes scanned the area quickly, but she couldn’t spot anyone.

The same confusion crossed Chen Zhou’s face. His brows furrowed as he looked around nervously, then quickly became puzzled.

"Haha, you can’t find me. I’m everywhere..."

Yin Shiwu was quite pleased with Chen Zhou’s reaction. His voice carried a playful tone, like a cat toying with a mouse.

Hearing a voice without seeing its source could indeed create a sense of oppression.

At least Lin Yujing seemed nervous. She subconsciously moved closer to Chen Zhou, twisting a black vortex in her palm.

A trace of fear appeared on Chen Zhou’s face as well.

"Are you scared now? You have no courage at all. It seems you’re just another bastard with a little martial arts talent who preys on ordinary people!"

Yin Shiwu spat in disdain. He had dealt with many such individuals before...

Before he could finish his thought, Chen Zhou spoke:

"Please don’t scare me, sir. I’m a timid person. If you scare me again, I might be tempted to hit someone."

Hit someone?

Yin Shiwu sneered. "How shameless! You want to hit someone even though you’re so cowardly? Well, come on! I’d like to see how you—"

Before he could finish, a chilling sense of dread surged through him.

Because he saw Chen Zhou, not far away, suppress the fear on his face and instead smile at him!

Yin Shiwu’s heart skipped a beat.

And in that brief moment, Chen Zhou’s figure vanished from sight and reappeared in front of him like a phantom!

When?

Yin Shiwu’s pupils shrank sharply. He hadn’t seen Chen Zhou’s movement at all and couldn’t react in time!

Without a word, Chen Zhou’s right hand landed on Yin Shiwu’s chest. A golden arc of electricity erupted from his palm, enveloping Yin Shiwu’s entire body before exploding!

Boom!!!

The majestic Feiyu suit Yin Shiwu wore was instantly reduced to tattered strips, and his entire body was charred black from head to toe!

At that moment, it felt as if countless ants were biting every inch of his skin.

He completely lost control of his body, which twitched uncontrollably.

Yin Shiwu could only twitch helplessly, staring at the figure before him in horror.

Chen Zhou retracted his hand, adjusted his cuffs, and looked down at him indifferently.

"What are you pretending to be in front of me?"

The boy’s voice was icy, with a hint of mockery:

"Is Guanghan Palace filled with useless people like you?"

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