The Xiezhi Mirror is a prized treasure of the government, said to be hanging at the entrance of the Patrol Office headquarters, a symbol of justice.

Anyone who commits crimes will confess truthfully when presented with the Xiezhi Spirit, due to its intimidating power.

Upon hearing this, the young constable fell silent and awkwardly said, "I'm just upset that the Westerners rely on this Ten Miles of Foreign Market, dumping goods en masse, squeezing the common folk to the point they can hardly earn a living…"

"This is the court's business, not yours to worry about."

The arrest officer's mouth curled into a bitter smile.

Overturning the late emperor's mandate is no easy task.

Not to mention, these foreign merchants can operate here securely, making a fortune daily. Do they not have backing?

Who knows how much gold and silver flow into the hands of the Ministry Chiefs, State Elders, or even the Imperial Palace?

In fact, it's not that the court lacks Imperial Censors who submit memorials, but they are often rebuffed by the Ministry of Rites with, 'Ancestral laws must not change, how can the late emperor's orders be defied?'

This pressures knowledgeable individuals to seek new paths, advocating learning Western technology and establishing large factories to compete with Western goods, forming the so-called Foreign Affairs Faction.

The conflicts between these two factions are nothing short of political strife!

Would a few constables and arrest officers want to get involved, are they tired of living?

Zhong Shenxiu listened, deep in thought.

Just then, a clamor rose ahead.

"The betting's open, the betting's open!"

"The strongest Taixi King Lu Bu, against Miyin Sect's Huang Yuanba, odds are one to three!"

"It's a duel, it's a duel!"

...

Driven by curiosity, Zhong Shenxiu summoned Qin Weiyin and walked half a street to a crossroad. There, they saw a grand stage set up, festooned with flowers and lanterns.

On it, a large red banner read — 'Western boxer challenges the Great Zhou martial artist' in bold letters.

A sizable crowd of Western gentlemen, noble ladies, Oriental scholars, merchants, vendors, and laborers formed a large circle, periodically commenting: "This Lu Bu is naturally gifted with strength, adept at Western boxing techniques, having already killed or crippled three martial masters… I'm betting on him."

"Though Lu Bu is strong, Huang Yuanba is also a Miyin Sect expert...Once, with a pair of Mistaken God Fist, he was unbeatable in Jinling! Plus, the odds are high, three to one. If it's an upset, we'll make a fortune!"

Outside the crowd, there were several small booths where Western merchants with blond hair and blue eyes sold betting slips, doing bustling business.

"So, it's a duel, just happened to run into an East versus West contest, that's a real conflict..."

Zhong Shenxiu nodded in understanding.

Although the court and Cultivation World maintained a superficial peace with Western forces due to foreign threats, the populace didn't care about such things.

Even within the same country, regions could have fierce disputes, let alone foreigners?

Thus, with the Western boxer raising a challenge, it immediately sparked a wave of excitement, as if it had seized a man's something…

'The merchants behind this are pretty clever; this Lu Bu is merely a mortal, only challenging martial artists… Cultivators would be too embarrassed to intervene… After all, the Westerners also have their share of talented individuals!'

'After so many matches, selling betting tickets must have already filled their coffers to the brim, right?'

In the gambling arena, regardless of who wins or loses, the casino is undoubtedly the biggest winner!

'However, it's still missing an explosive element. If they displayed something like the 'Sick Men of the East' sign, the scene would definitely be ten times more explosive… But the masterminds behind it would be doomed by the cultivators!'

Zhong Shenxiu watched curiously.

With the sound of a gong, the Taixi King Lu Bu was the first to take the stage. He was indeed tall and burly, with solid muscles, rumored to have a thousand-pound punch, often lethal in Taixi boxing matches.

The other fighter, Huang Yuanba, though also well-built, was shorter by two heads, appearing like an unfair clash between heavyweight and lightweight.

"The match begins!"

The Western referee, dressed in a white shirt and bow tie, shouted before quickly jumping off the stage.

Swish!

The moment the words were spoken, Huang Yuanba's legs became a blur, circling around Lu Bu.

The Miyin Sect is merely an ordinary Jianghu boxing sect, though the Confusing God Boxing and Mist Shadow Steps it passed down were of some merit.

Especially the Mist Shadow Steps!

In Jianghu, before learning to attack, one must learn to endure. If outmatched, one has to flee.

If unable to flee, there's only death.

Huang Yuanba had trained since childhood with sandbags on his legs, practicing in the scorching heat of summer and the harsh cold of winter. As an adult, he even practiced running on rooftops smeared with oil, his slightest inattention leading to a heady fall. Only thus did he develop the Mysterious Shadow Divine Wind Leg.

When he unleashed it now, his figure flitted back and forth, left and right, leaving Lu Bu bewildered. Lu Bu suddenly roared and lunged forward, only hitting a shadow.

"Good chance!"

Huang Yuanba clenched his right fist tightly and threw a punch.

His expertise in Confusing God Boxing had reached seventy to eighty percent, surpassing ordinary Jianghu martial artists through the levels of practiced strength, trained tendon, and listening strength... reaching the beginner's level of visible strength, with inner fortitude and divine power, increasing the power of each punch significantly.

Though not equaling Lu Bu's, he had a six to seven hundred pound force, capable of hitting with deadly speed, not just empty talk.

This punch fell on Lu Bu's back, causing the Western boxing king to stagger.

Huang Yuanba, not giving him any respite, moved like a ghost, launching a series of Confusing God Boxing attacks, each strike targeting vital points. Suddenly, a punch struck the void.

'Not good!'

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, Lu Bu opposite him turned with astounding speed for his bulky frame, his hands wide open to deliver a bear hug.

This patience and sudden attack was indeed brilliant, like a crocodile lying in wait, deadwood-like in its numb waiting, but earth-shattering once it seized the moment!

'Fight to the end!'

As a martial master, Huang Yuanba was filled with passionate blood, fighting to the last drop.

Faced with the crisis, he was instead further incited to ferocity, moving towards Lu Bu. His right arm swung like a pendulum, delivering three swift punches like shadows.

Crack, crack, crack.

The bones in his right hand snapped with explosive sounds, escalating his momentum.

In that life-and-death moment, he finally broke into a new realm of boxing, with heart and hand united, mind and intention aligned, stepping into the 'hidden force' realm!

Bam, bam, bam!

The three punches accurately landed on Lu Bu's head, bringing down the giant instantly.

"One, two…"

The Western referee crouched by the stage edge, counting loudly while slapping the stage.

Before he could say 'three', Lu Bu rose again, roaring like a bear, with more blood streaking his eyes.

Thud!

His figure flashed quickly, suddenly increasing speed, looming over Huang Yuanba with a terrifying shadow…

...

"Not good, this Western devil is cheating, this qi-blood boosting stance clearly indicates he's taken some secret drug!"

Beneath the stage, an old medicine seller with a cloth banner saw a clarity in his murky eyes: "Should I… make a move? No, no… not only are these Western devils hard to deal with, but this time they've also handed over thirty percent of the profits to the 'Tai Sui Society' protectors, it's not worth it…"

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