After Qin An finished saying this, he tossed the severed arm to the ground as if it were trash.

Blood splattered all over and was particularly striking against the blue stone slabs of the stage.

Beneath the stage, there was complete silence, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The onlookers all wore aghast expressions, staring up at Qin An on the stage.

The sky was bright blue; Qin An, clad in black, held a black blade in his hand.

Blood dripped down along the black blade, falling onto the blue stone slabs, splashing into a bloom of blood.

In stark contrast to Qin An's calm was Liu Qingzhou.

Only Liu Qingzhou was seen clutching his empty shoulder, looking at Qin An in fear and pain.

His disheveled appearance resembled a defeated dog.

A few silver captains regained their composure and looked at Qin An with complex expressions.

He's done for.

A thought surfaced in everyone's minds.

One can fight on the stage, and settle past grievances, but one must not cause dismemberment.

Moreover, this was a silver captain.

Silver captains held high status in Lingzhou; even though Qin An was also a silver captain, he shouldn't have severed Liu Qingzhou's arm on stage.

This was taboo for the Evil Extermination Bureau; it would cost them a powerful demon-slayer.

Having violated the Evil Extermination Bureau's rules, Qin An's fate was clear.

Liu Qingzhou, drenched in sweat, had the fear in his eyes slowly fading away.

Looking at the arm on the ground, Liu Qingzhou stood up disheveled, pointing at Qin An with a crazed tone.

"Hahaha, Qin An, you're done for. You dared to sever my arm on stage."

"Today you'll not only lose your position in the Evil Extermination Bureau, but also its protection."

"The enemies you've slain in the past will come at you like madmen in revenge!"

Suddenly losing an arm, especially the arm used for the folding fan, was a great loss for Liu Qingzhou.

But seeing Qin An lose the protection of the Evil Extermination Bureau, or even punished by them, made him feel exhilarated.

Once Qin An lost his status, the demons and pseudo-gods he had slain would stop at nothing to find Qin An.

By then, no matter how skillful Qin An was, he would be hard-pressed to escape death.

Qin An calmly said, "You first attacked me with a hidden weapon; if I hadn't defended, I would have been severely injured. Didn't you break the rules first?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingzhou was stunned in place.

At this point, the silver captains below the stage also finally reacted.

They looked at Liu Qingzhou with deep disdain in their eyes.

Everyone was a colleague, and settling old scores on stage was mutually agreed upon, so naturally, there was nothing to say.

But to use a hidden weapon, such a treacherous method among colleagues, even the Evil Extermination Bureau, though only judging by the outcome, despised this approach.

Ptooey!

A few silver captains couldn't help but spit at Liu Qingzhou, their eyes full of undisguised disgust.

Seeing this, Liu Qingzhou's face turned from blue to white, yet he stubbornly clenched his teeth and said, "No matter what, you were the first to sever one of my arms. Today, you must come with me to see Mr. Mo and let him uphold justice."

Qin An said indifferently, "I am not under Mo Chuan. He's just a lowly artisan, how could he convict me? If you want to charge me, go find Mr. Yang."

When the words "lowly artisan" came out, quite a few silver captains had strange expressions on their faces.

Because Mo Chuan was known for his dual hooks, the term "artisan" was full of contempt for Mo Chuan.

Many silver captains understood why Qin An acted so decisively and looked at him with newfound respect.

The man before them was definitely not a rash person despite his strength; his mind was as meticulous as a thread.

No matter how you put it, Liu Qingzhou was the one who attacked first.

If Qin An didn't have a protective technique, he might have been severely injured by now.

In other words, in the heat of anger, it seemed reasonable for Qin An to have cut off Liu Qingzhou's right arm.

The matter could be seen as minor or significant, but with Liu Qingzhou's hidden weapon attack first, Qin An might be able to mitigate the charge to its lightest.

Regardless, Liu Qingzhou's right arm was truly gone.

His strength would diminish greatly, and he'd likely never be able to rise among the silver captains again.

"Before making a move, this man even considered the aftermath, his thoughts so deep and his means so ruthless; it's best not to make him an enemy."

A shared thought surfaced in the minds of the silver captains.

Liu Qingzhou's face alternated between blue and white; spurred by Qin An's words and his own injuries, he spat out a mouthful of blood again.

Seeing this, Qin An kicked the arm in front of Liu Qingzhou and said mockingly, "Find a divine doctor to reattach it; maybe it'll still work."

After saying that, Qin An sheathed his sword and began walking off the stage.

Liu Qingzhou looked down at the arm on the blue stone slabs, the indignation in his eyes growing stronger.

At this moment, a sudden sound of footsteps made Qin An halt.

Seeing the crowd parting, Qin An saw Mo Chuan stepping forward.

Mo Chuan walked up to Qin An and commanded, "Take him down!"

Over a dozen silver captains behind him drew their weapons and surrounded Qin An.

Seeing this, Qin An raised an eyebrow and said, "When the young one fails, the older one comes. Liu Qingzhou was the first to sneak an attack. Severing his arm was justified. Do you, Mo Chuan, dare to arrest me in front of so many colleagues today?"

Mo Chuan sneered, "The facts need to be verified. Until then, you must spend some time in the cell."

His gaze then turned to Liu Qingzhou, frowning slightly, "Useless."

Liu Qingzhou lowered his head, trembling like a leaf, clearly terrified of Mo Chuan.

Mo Chuan turned his gaze back to Qin An, "Do you have anything else to say?"

Yesterday, Liu Qingzhou had sought out Mo Chuan, asking why he was in a rage.

Liu Qingzhou had promised in front of Mo Chuan to regain his dignity.

Mo Chuan, having lost face to Qin An in the Tiger Race's secret vault, tacitly agreed to Liu Qingzhou's actions.

Initially, he had quietly brought people today.

He hadn't expected Liu Qingzhou not only to fail to defeat Qin An but also to have an arm severed by him.

The incident had given Mo Chuan a chance, and today, he intended to make Shen Qin'an experience imprisonment.

Qin An's argument just now was indeed very reasonable, but Mo Chuan decided to first imprison him.

Once imprisoned, Mo Chuan had his own methods for handling the situation afterward.

He was sure to make it so that Qin An would not be able to make a name for himself within the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Qin An smiled slightly, his gaze falling on the crowd below: "If you have anything to say, you can say it to her."

Mo Chuan furrowed his brows and followed Qin An's gaze, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

At that moment, many of the Lingzhou officers also realized what was happening, and after looking over, immediately made way.

Wan Ziqing, dressed in black, stepped onto the stage slowly, walked up to Qin An, and said, "You are quite deep-thinking, knowing that I was here."

Qin An nodded and said, "I had already noticed Mr. Wan concealed in the crowd watching, so I showed Mr. Wan a little skill."

The so-called skill he mentioned was, of course, referring to the incident of cutting off Liu Qingzhou's arm.

Qin An had always been cautious; he would never put himself in danger.

Today's decisive action was because he saw Wan Ziqing standing below.

If his strike had truly gone astray, Wan Ziqing would have intervened long before.

Since she didn't intervene, it meant she tacitly approved of his actions.

In this stormy world, you must have some brains to survive.

Mo Chuan, seeing the situation, sneered, "Wan Ziqing, today you cannot cover for him; Qin An has broken the rules of the Evil Extermination Bureau."

"If you intend to protect him, I'm afraid the blame will fall on you."

He thought Qin An had a strong backer, but he didn't expect him to bring out someone on the same level as Wan Ziqing.

They were all Jinzhou officers, and Qin An had indeed violated the Bureau's iron rules, making it impossible for Wan Ziqing to shield him even if she wanted to.

Wan Ziqing took a token from her bosom and tossed it to Mo Chuan.

Mo Chuan reflexively caught it, and his expression immediately became solemn: "What does this mean, are you trying to use your family's loyalty to pressure me?"

Wan Ziqing slowly replied, "What you hold in your hand is the identity plaque of my elder brother."

"He alone defended a county against the siege of hundreds of monsters, not retreating a single step, and held on for three days."

"By the time reinforcements arrived, he had already bled dry."

As she spoke, Wan Ziqing's expression remained as indifferent as ice.

To resist her inner pain, she had practiced the art of severing passions and desires, so she could remain calm even when mentioning the past.

"You are not worthy for me to use my brother's deeds to pressure you. Giving you this token is to let you know my brother's status, which will be inherited by Qin An."

After Wan Ziqing said this final sentence, Mo Chuan's expression suddenly changed, looking at Qin An with a hint of shock.

"Is he going to participate in the Mountain Patrol Officer affair?"

Upon hearing this, the onlookers below all showed astonished expressions.

They knew better than anyone what the three words Mountain Patrol Officer represented.

It was a position more dangerous than that of an officer.

But danger often came with more benefits.

Everyone who became a Mountain Patrol Officer never met a good end.

This was no joke.

So even officers faced Mountain Patrol Officers with absolute respect.

But they did not expect Qin An to have the courage to challenge the position of a Mountain Patrol Officer.

This required not only meeting the standard in strength but also having a certain boldness.

After all, even the threshold tasks for Mountain Patrol Officers were life-and-death situations.

Wan Ziqing did not answer, but everything was already self-evident.

After thinking for a long time, Mo Chuan handed the token back to Wan Ziqing, turned to look at Qin An.

Qin An met Mo Chuan's gaze without the slightest hint of fear.

Mo Chuan suddenly reached into his arms, and then took out two demon cores, walking towards Qin An.

Qin An held his black knife with his hand but showed no sign of defensiveness.

With Wan Ziqing present, Mo Chuan could not possibly attack him in front of so many people.

At this moment, Mo Chuan had already approached Qin An.

He handed the two demon cores to Qin An.

Qin An frowned, not understanding Mo Chuan's intention.

Mo Chuan slowly looked up: "These are the two demon cores I withheld from your achievements, today I return them to you."

After speaking, he patted Qin An's shoulder and said: "What I did before was insufficient, and past grudges are wiped clean."

Qin An's eyebrows furrowed tighter, feeling as though Mo Chuan's attitude had undergone a significant change.

Wan Ziqing said, "Accept them."

Seeing this, Qin An accepted the demon cores.

Mo Chuan gave Qin An a complicated look: "Those who are willing to join the Mountain Patrol Officer are exceptional warriors; you have that courage, I wish you a good end."

After saying that, he said nothing more, leading the Lingzhou officers away from the stage.

Before leaving, he even carried off Liu Qingzhou.

The onlookers, seeing there was nothing more to see, left one after another.

However, their gazes towards Qin An carried a sense of respect.

Especially when thinking of the words Mountain Patrol Officer, they felt even more admiration.

Wan Ziqing turned and said: "Mo Chuan's nature is not bad, just a bit petty. The mistakes made before can be written off; from now on, he won't dare trouble you again and may even favor you."

Qin An raised his eyes and said: "Because of the Mountain Patrol Officer?"

Wan Ziqing nodded and said: "That's right, whether one can join or not, those willing to join are all warriors of the Evil Extermination Bureau."

"The Evil Extermination Bureau favors those willing to risk their lives to slay demons and monsters, and Mo Chuan likes such people as well."

"Years ago, Mo Chuan collaborated with the Mountain Patrol Officer and was even saved by one once, so he has a special connection to them."

Qin An watched Mo Chuan's disappearing figure, slightly pensive, never expecting their enmity to dissolve so easily.

Wan Ziqing turned to walk in one direction, slowly speaking.

"Follow me, I'll take you to meet someone."

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