The crowd gasped in astonishment.
He wasn’t going to be burned alive, was he?
Fanx Sheng placed a hand on the ground to steady himself, then turned to inspect the Giant Bear’s wound.
Hee Lingchuan’s last strike had left an extremely deep gash, nearly severing the Giant Bear’s foreleg. If not for the protection of its Battle Armor, and if not for the fact that it was so fat—no, so brawny, with arms as thick as stone posts—it would probably be a three-legged bear by now.
The next second, three or four burning pieces of wood flew out from the inn, heading for the man and the bear.
Fanx Sheng swatted them away. He watched as the young man emerged from the inferno, stepping through the raging flames to walk toward him, step by step. The roaring fire didn’t harm him in the slightest, but it danced eagerly on his Long Saber.
This was the second time.
The look Fanx Sheng gave Hee Lingchuan was beyond fury.
Hee Lingchuan tightened his grip on his saber and shot a look at Jiao Yu. The battle to come would be one of thunderous force.
The blow that had wounded the Giant Bear happened to trigger the Floating Life Blade’s "Breaking Army" effect. Otherwise, the bear’s defenses were astonishingly thick and hard, reinforced by its Primordial Power; he shouldn’t have been able to cut through so easily.
’It’s hard to say if I’ll be so lucky next time.’
’Then again,’ he wondered, ’has the chance of triggering "Breaking Army" increased?’
Just then, shouts erupted from the surroundings: "Everyone, halt! The Baisha Jue Patrol Guards are here!"
"Drop your weapons and put your hands up!"
"No brawling! Violators will have their arms broken!"
"Are you all just going to stand there gawking? Hurry up and get some water to put out the fire!"
The Baisha Jue Government Office had finally sent people.
In fact, as soon as the inn caught fire, local residents had all come out to watch. The inn’s staff were running back and forth with buckets to fight the fire, and the guests had all rushed out, either to help or to enjoy the spectacle.
So, the audience had already formed several rows deep. As the two men and two demons fought, the crowd had been quite supportive, shouting and gasping with enthusiasm.
The Officials from Baisha Jue were rather late to the scene.
At this moment, a slightly chubby figure squeezed into the area and shouted, "Who dares attack the Crown Prince Envoy? Seize them!"
The crowd of Officials shouted, "Yes, sir!" but didn’t move an inch.
One of them sidled up to his superior and asked in a low voice, "Sir, which one is the Special Envoy?"
County Magistrate Tian shot him a fierce glare. "The boy and the Tiger Demon!"
"Oh! Get ’em!"
A dozen or so Officials raised their weapons and charged.
Hee Lingchuan timed a backward leap, using the Officials as a human shield.
Fanx Sheng let out a furious roar that boomed in everyone’s minds like a clap of thunder. "I am the Vice Commander of the United Guard! Who dares lay a hand on me!"
Everyone’s steps faltered. Fanx Sheng seized the opportunity to press his axe against the Giant Bear’s body, scraping it with the grain of its fur a few times.
Wherever the axe passed, the stubborn purple flames were extinguished.
Wisps of smoke curled up from the Giant Bear’s body. Sixty to seventy percent of its beautiful fur was ruined, but the flames were finally gone, and it breathed a sigh of relief.
’This fire is disgusting. Even with my Primordial Power for protection, the burning was agonizing.’
Thankfully, not much of the fire poison had invaded its body. It just looked a little worse for wear on the outside.
’What in the world is the United Guard?’ Hee Lingchuan scratched his head.
But the Baisha Jue County Magistrate clearly knew, for he immediately shouted, "Wait!"
He turned to Fanx Sheng and asked doubtfully, "The United Guard?"
Fanx Sheng immediately pulled a Dark Gold Coin from his robes and flashed it at him. "Open your dog eyes and take a good look!"
The coin was shield-shaped with slightly concave sides, and its insignia was a roaring beast’s head that looked a bit like a bear.
In Fanx Sheng’s hand, it emitted a deep red glow.
County Magistrate Tian jumped in fright. After taking a closer look, he quickly waved his Officials back. "Everyone, come back! Put away your weapons!"
The Officials retreated. County Magistrate Tian bowed to Fanx Sheng. "How should I address you, my lord? Why have you come into conflict with the Crown Prince Envoy?"
"Fan." Fanx Sheng was furious and took it out on him. "What kind of local official are you? You try to arrest someone without getting the facts straight!"
’This stupid official popped out of nowhere and publicly announced Hee Xiao’s title as Special Envoy. Now I can’t kill the guy surnamed Hee under the pretext of eliminating a criminal.’
Hee Lingchuan sheathed his saber. "Someone placed a Death Curse on me in secret. I tracked it here, only to be ambushed by this brute!"
He put his hands behind his back and shook them out. His arm was so sore it felt like it was about to split. ’Being without Primordial Power really is a huge disadvantage.’
Fanx Sheng pointed at him and snapped, "Nonsense! I was sleeping soundly when you showed up and threw a weasel’s stink bomb into my room! Who else would I attack but you?"
County Magistrate Tian, brushing aside the details, quickly waved his hands. "I understand, I understand! This is all just a misunderstanding! A classic case of one’s own people fighting each other! Please, my lords, calm down. The inn is still on fire!"
’Regardless of who’s right or wrong, I can’t afford to offend either of them. I’d better play the peacemaker.’
The inn’s Shopkeeper also squeezed out from the crowd and began wailing to County Magistrate Tian, "My inn has been burned to the ground! My lord, you must seek justice for me!"