Chapter 501: Peacemaker

Chapter 499: The Peacemaker

The crowd gasped in alarm. Wouldn't this person be burned alive?

Fan Sheng pressed his hand to the ground, then turned to examine the giant bear's wound. He Lingchuan's saber cut was extremely deep, almost severing the bear's forelimb. If not for its armor and its immense size – no, its incredible bulk, with arms as thick as stone pillars – it would likely be a three-legged bear by now.

The next second, three or four burning pieces of wood flew out from the inn, heading towards the man and the bear. Fan Sheng batted them away, then saw the young man emerge from the intense flames, walking step by step towards him. The raging fire didn't harm him in the slightest, only flickering eagerly on his long saber.

This was the second time. The look Fan Sheng gave He Lingchuan could not even be described as mere anger.

He Lingchuan tightened his grip on his saber and exchanged a glance with Jiao Yu. The upcoming battle would likely be swift and fierce. The strike that injured the giant bear had coincidentally activated the 'Po Jun' effect of his Fusheng Saber. Otherwise, with the bear's astonishingly thick and hard armor, and its protective elemental energy, it shouldn't have been so easily breached. It was uncertain if he would have such luck again. Then again, had the probability of 'Po Jun' appearing increased?

Just then, shouts erupted from all around: "Stop immediately! Baishajue City Patrol is here!" "Put down your weapons and raise your hands!" "No fighting! Violators will have their arms broken!" "What are you all staring at? Quickly, find water to put out the fire!"

The Baishajue authorities had finally arrived. In fact, as soon as the inn caught fire, local residents had gathered to watch. Inn staff rushed back and forth with buckets of water to fight the blaze, and travelers had streamed out, either helping or simply observing the spectacle. The crowd had long formed several rows, both inside and outside the cordoned area. As the two pairs of combatants, human and beast, battled, everyone enthusiastically gasped and cheered. The Baishajue officers were quite late in arriving.

Just then, a slightly corpulent figure pushed his way into the area, shouting: "Anyone who dares attack the Crown Prince's special envoy, seize them all!" The officers loudly affirmed, "Yes, sir!" but remained unmoving. One of them leaned in and whispered to his superior, "Sir, who is the special envoy?" Magistrate Tian glared at him. "The young man and the tiger demon!" "Oh, right! Charge!" Over a dozen officers advanced, weapons raised.

He Lingchuan chose the moment to leap back, using the officers as a human shield.

Fan Sheng roared, a sound like thunder exploding in everyone's minds: "I am the Deputy Commander of the Tongxin Guards! Who dares to seize me?!" Everyone's steps slowed. Fan Sheng seized the opportunity to press his axe onto the giant bear, dragging it along its fur two or three times. Wherever the axe passed, the stubborn purple flames were extinguished. Wisps of smoke still rose from the giant bear's body; six or seven tenths of its beautiful fur were burned, but the flames had finally faded, and it breathed a sigh of relief. This fire was truly dreadful; even with its elemental energy protecting it, it had been in agony. Fortunately, not much of the fire poison had invaded its body. It merely looked a bit disheveled on the outside.

"What exactly is a Tongxin Guard?" He Lingchuan scratched his head. But Magistrate Tian of Baishajue clearly knew, immediately calling out, "Hold on!" He turned to Fan Sheng, asking with suspicion, "Tongxin Guard?" Fan Sheng immediately pulled a dark golden token from his chest and flashed it at him. "Open your dog eyes and see clearly!"

The token was shield-shaped, slightly concave on both sides, with an emblem of a roaring beast head, somewhat resembling a bear. In Fan Sheng's hand, it emitted a deep red glow. Magistrate Tian was startled. After a closer look, he quickly waved his hand, calling back the officers: "Everyone, come back! Put away your weapons!" The officers withdrew, and Magistrate Tian bowed to Fan Sheng, asking, "Sir, what is your esteemed name? And how did you come to be in conflict with the Crown Prince's special envoy?"

"Fan," Fan Sheng replied, fuming internally. He then berated the magistrate, "How do you run this local office? You just arrest people without any investigation!" This idiotic official had no idea where he'd popped up from, publicly announcing He Xiao's special envoy status. Now, Fan Sheng couldn't even claim to be killing a villain to eliminate He Lingchuan.

He Lingchuan sheathed his saber. "Someone secretly placed a death curse on me. I tracked them here, and this fellow nearly ambushed me!" He swung his arm behind his back, his muscles aching as if they might split. Indeed, fighting without elemental energy was a major disadvantage.

Fan Sheng pointed at him and snapped, "Nonsense! I was sleeping soundly, and you threw a skunk's stink bomb into my room the moment you arrived! Who else was I supposed to cut down but you?!"

Magistrate Tian, ignoring all details, quickly waved his hands. "I understand, I understand! This is just a misunderstanding, a case of 'the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple!' Both sirs, please calm down; the inn is still burning!" Regardless of who was right or wrong, he couldn't afford to offend either of these two; he'd better be a peacemaker.

The innkeeper also emerged from the crowd and tearfully pleaded with Magistrate Tian, "My inn is burned to ashes, sir! Please deliver justice for me!"