Chapter 51: Decisive Action in the Face of Crisis—Executing Orders Before Reporting

In a mere moment, Xu Feng had completely fathomed Zhou Tong’s background, leaving not a single secret hidden from him.

There were even matters that Zhou Tong himself had long forgotten, yet Xu Feng was able to unearth them from the deepest recesses of his soul.

Such a method was utterly impossible to guard against. No matter how formidable the organization behind Zhou Tong might be, it was utterly out of the question for its operatives to keep any secrets intact.

"Fetch a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone!"

Xu Feng pointed casually at a centurion. The man failed to react immediately, causing Xu Feng to frown slightly.

Fortunately, Crimson Lotus was standing right beside him and delivered a swift kick to the man on the spot.

"Did you not hear Lord Xu's command? Or do you expect me to serve him personally?"

That kick instantly spurred the man into action, preventing any further slackness. Before long, he hauled a table out from the gambling den, complete with writing materials.

"You had better not bungle this. This is our very first operation. If we return completely empty-handed, we will become the laughingstock of others, and it will be difficult to give an account to the imperial court."

Taking advantage of the brief moment while Xu Feng was busy writing and sketching, Crimson Lotus leaned in and whispered a reminder.

She felt that Xu Feng was being a bit too reckless; he had killed the man before even having a chance to interrogate him. Most of her subordinates likely shared the exact same thought.

This did not conform to their usual investigative procedures.

"Rest assured, I know what I am doing."

Seeing how confident Xu Feng was, Crimson Lotus ceased her questioning. After all, he was the person she had chosen, and she needed to grant him her utmost trust.

While the two whispered to each other in front, several centurions were discussing the matter behind their backs.

"What do you all think of this Lord Xu?"

"What is there to think about? We only need to follow the orders of the two lords. The rest is none of our concern."

"If you ask me, things should have been handled this way from the very beginning. Lord Xu is so decisive—he kills the moment he says he will. If only he had arrived sooner, we wouldn't have had to wait up on the mountain for so long."

Some were optimistic, while others remained doubtful. Their main concern was how to unearth the clues behind Zhou Tong, and none of them actually questioned whether Xu Feng had killed the wrong person.

Paying no heed to their thoughts, Xu Feng meticulously jotted down all the dark and sordid dealings behind the gambling den, detailing everything down to the minutest detail, including the exact sums of every single transaction between Zhou Tong and his hidden benefactor.

He even clearly recorded how Zhou Tong contacted the other party and the precise locations of their every rendezvous. The document was undeniably far more detailed than the outcome of any brutal interrogation.

Upon finishing, he walked over to Zhou Tong's corpse, pressed the dead man's finger into the bloodstain on his neck, and stamped his thumbprint onto the paper.

This was not merely a piece of intelligence; it was Zhou Tong's confession of guilt.

Some might argue that such a style was far too tyrannical, but so what? Let it not be forgotten that standing behind the Brocade Guard was the reigning emperor himself.

That being the case, their style of conduct required no hesitation whatsoever. Anyone who dared to resist would be executed without mercy.

This spectacle caused everyone present to draw a sharp breath of cold air.

This newly appointed commander of the hundred guards was far more ruthless than they had imagined. While they might have had more human lives on their hands than Xu Feng, when it came to methods of execution, they could not hope to compare even if they rode the fastest horses.

"Pass this around and read it for yourselves. These are the vile atrocities committed by Zhou Tong, the manager of the gambling den, and his lackeys."

Killing Zhou Tong on the spot served multiple purposes at once.

It announced the arrival of the Brocade Guard, making the forces behind Zhou Tong think twice, and more importantly, it allowed the men of the Brocade Guard to familiarize themselves with him.

He certainly did not want anyone paying lip service to his commands during future operations, nor did he want anyone questioning his decisions under any pretext whatsoever.

Crimson Lotus was the first to receive the confession. Even after reading it through, she remained somewhat baffled.

According to her previous investigations, Xu Feng and Zhou Tong should have had no prior contact. The two of them had descended the mountain together and arrived outside the gambling den side by side.

From beginning to end, the two men had never separated.

Moreover, Xu Feng had killed the man right in front of her in broad daylight. How could he know the details so thoroughly, and where had this intelligence come from?

Noticing the perplexity on her face, Xu Feng readily guessed what she was thinking.

"Are you wondering why I know these details so clearly?"

"If this touches upon any inconvenient secrets, then never mind. There is no need for the two of us to be overly explicit about everything," Crimson Lotus hesitated and said.

She was well aware that Xu Feng was far from as simple as he appeared on the surface. His formidable strength alone defied explanation, yet she trusted him.

Since that was the case, there was no need to probe too deeply into the specifics.

"There is nothing inconvenient about it. You should know that for a time, I disguised myself as the Ghost-Faced Man to hunt down heinous criminals everywhere. It was during that period that I gained a thorough understanding of Zhou Tong."

This excuse was logical and plausible, perfectly sufficient to deflect suspicion.

"No wonder you killed him without asking a single question. Next time, remember to give me a heads-up beforehand; you gave me quite a scare."

"Certainly."

Crimson Lotus was quite satisfied with Xu Feng's operational style. Her own methods were not as unyielding as his; she preferred to rely on evidence and convince people through reason.

Had she been the one to handle it, she certainly would not have disposed of Zhou Tong so easily. She would have investigated every detail first, laid the evidence before him one by one, and only then dealt with him.

Both approaches had their pros and cons, but Xu Feng's method was far more effective at intimidating those pulling the strings behind the scenes.

"Have you all finished reading?"

"Reporting to my lord, we have finished."

Faced with Xu Feng's inquiry, the men dared not delay and responded promptly.

"Since you have finished reading, let me tell you one more thing: we are the blade in His Majesty's hand, and wherever the blade points is our target."

"Our stronghold was occupied by others, yet none of you dared to step forward, preferring to hole up as petty bandits on the mountain. No wonder others look down on us. From now on, do not act so timidly. Kill whenever killing is warranted. The Brocade Guard possesses the authority to act independently in emergencies and execute before reporting; you need fear no one!"

Xu Feng's words set everyone's blood boiling, causing them to straighten their backs with pride.

Seeing their renewed vigor and spirit, Xu Feng nodded in satisfaction. This was how the Brocade Guard ought to look in his mind.

He well remembered that in the era of his past life, the Brocade Guard of the Great Ming Dynasty was an existence that struck terror into the hearts of senior court officials.

At the mere mention of the three words "Brocade Guard," everyone's expression would alter in dread.

"Now then, it is time to settle the remaining accounts. The principal culprit has been executed, but there are still other scoundrels who must face judgment. I give you half an hour to drag them all out for me."

With so many capable subordinates at his disposal, Xu Feng could not possibly trouble himself with every minor detail. Of course, there was another crucial reason: he simply looked down upon the capabilities of the remaining small fries.

Though he did not yet know the absolute limits of the Human Emperor Banner, not just any soul was worthy of being reeled into it.

With his increasing power, souls that had only recently broken through the martial scholar realm were no longer worth absorbing; their experiential insights were utterly useless to Xu Feng.

They would simply be dealt with according to regulations—those who deserved execution would be killed, and those who deserved imprisonment would be locked away.

Faced with the aggressively approaching members of the Brocade Guard, Zhou Tong's remaining subordinates trembled in terror. How could they fail to realize by now that they had truly kicked a massive iron block?

Since Zhou Tong himself had been slain with a single sword stroke, they were hardly naive enough to think Xu Feng would let any of them walk away alive.