I Am a Rune Engraver, Carrying a Knife Makes Perfect Sense-Chapter 25 - Of Course, I Know

—

“Captain, are we really not going to intervene?”

Not far from the abandoned elementary school in the West District, a squad of Xinhuo Guards stood smoking, their brows furrowed.

They had been observing Xu Shen and his group’s every move. Watching Xu Shen in action made them uneasy—it was hard to tell who was more dangerous, the criminals or him.

“Intervene? Hell no!”

A grizzled, bearded captain exhaled a puff of smoke and spoke calmly.

“The Chief himself gave the green light. He’s clearly letting Xu Shen handle this his way.”

“Besides, didn’t you see Xu Shen’s combat ability?”

“Which one of you could stop him?”

“He’s treating Core Solidification cultivators like they’re chickens—crushing them like it’s nothing. He’s clearly one of Yuan City’s prodigies!”

“You still want to arrest him?” The captain glared at the younger guard and cursed under his breath.

“But… isn’t this taking our job? And killing people in the city is—” the young guard muttered hesitantly.

Smack!

The captain slapped the back of his head. “What job? If it came down to real fighting, you rookies wouldn’t even make it to the frontlines.”

“And rules? Rules are for the weak.”

“Can’t you see? The Chief is obviously trying to curry favor with Xu Shen!”

“This kid is destined for greatness. One day, he’ll step onto an even bigger stage!”

“By staying out of this, we’re helping Xu Shen indirectly.”

The surrounding rookies nodded thoughtfully, looking at their captain with newfound admiration.

As expected of their captain—he had such insight!

The captain smirked smugly, confidence gleaming in his eyes.

“Learn from me. Observe and think!”

His tone was firm and serious, as if imparting some profound wisdom.

“Until you’ve fully grown into your potential, don’t naively think you can handle everything on your own.”

The captain’s sharp gaze swept over the rookies.

“Unless you have absolute strength or a powerful backing, you need to learn how to navigate relationships and politics.”

“Look at Xu Shen—he’s killed a bunch of scumbags, and nothing will happen to him. We’ll even have to clean up the bodies for him later.”

“That’s because the Chief and Commander see his potential and are willing to smooth things over for him.”

“You’re amazing, Captain! A true veteran!” one of the guards praised with a thumbs-up.

The captain snorted proudly before glancing at the now-empty school grounds. He stood up and stretched.

“Alright, let’s get to work. Clean up the bodies inside.”

—

Above them, Wu Yun watched everything silently from the shadows.

To be honest, he’d almost lost control earlier and punched one of those Blood Heat Gang bastards himself.

How could such atrocities happen right under his nose?

He had also noticed the changes in Yang Dian, Zhang Zhuangshi, and Xu Guang. Tonight would be a turning point in their lives.

If Xu Shen grew stronger in the future and engraved powerful runes for them, they would soar to new heights.

“It’s been years since Yuan City produced someone like Xu Shen… The last time must’ve been before I was even born…” Wu Yun muttered, stroking his chin before vanishing into the night to follow Xu Shen’s car heading out of the city.

—

Yuan City Outskirts

At an abandoned farm stood several small houses with no visible defenses around them.

Inside one of the houses, three men sat bored, playing on their phones. The faint sounds of moaning and growling came from a neighboring building, making them grimace.

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“I swear, our boss has guts—still messing around out here,” said one man in light armor. “Doesn’t he know this could get him killed?”

“What’s there to fear? There are three Core Solidification cultivators here,” another man chuckled. “And if any strong ghouls show up, we’ve got plenty of time to escape.”

“Don’t you think it’s strange?” said a more composed man. “Why was our boss reassigned to patrol outside the city?”

“And what about Pao Hui releasing that ghoul? If that gets exposed, none of us will escape.”

The armored man shrugged dismissively. “That Xu Shen kid embarrassed the boss—it’s got nothing to do with us. If some nobody without connections dies, so what?”

“Besides, if anything happens, the boss has people backing him.”

Click.

The door creaked open suddenly.

“Who’s there?!”

The three men jumped up, grabbing their weapons and staring at the door warily.

“It’s me.”

Zhang Zhuangshi stepped inside, followed by Yang Dian and Xu Guang, both covered in blood and supporting a cloaked figure whose face was obscured.

“Y-Young Master?” The three men relaxed slightly but remained suspicious. Why was Zhang Zhuangshi here—and with these people?

“What happened, Young Master?” The composed man scanned the weakly breathing cloaked figure and asked cautiously.

“Don’t ask,” Zhang Zhuangshi waved dismissively as he sat down casually. “We ran into a ghoul while out with friends. If it weren’t for my buddies here, I’d be dead.”

“Oh right—did that kid die? My uncle told me about him,” Zhang Zhuangshi said suddenly, making the three men flinch.

“You… You know about that?” The armored man frowned nervously. They only knew their boss wanted Xu Shen dead at the hotel—nothing more.

“Of course I know,” Zhang Zhuangshi said meaningfully with a nod.

Pfft!

The composed man suddenly felt a cold sensation in his chest. Looking down in shock, he saw a hole where his heart used to be… Blood gushed out as his clothes turned crimson. He tried to speak but could only gurgle before collapsing lifelessly to the floor.

It happened so fast that the other two men didn’t even have time to react before icy hands clamped around their throats.

The cloaked figure raised its head, revealing Xu Shen’s cold and emotionless face. His eyes were like an icy abyss, sending chills down their spines. Blood from his earlier kill still dripped from his arm as he smiled faintly—a smile filled with disdain and killing intent.

“So… You’re all in on this too,” Xu Shen said mockingly as he twisted his wrist sharply. Crack! The armored man’s neck snapped instantly as his body went limp.

“P-Please… No…” The last man stammered in terror as he struggled futilely against Xu Shen’s overwhelming strength. Crack! His neck met the same fate moments later. Xu Shen gently laid their bodies on the ground before standing up calmly.

Behind him, Yang Dian, Zhang Zhuangshi, and Xu Guang remained unfazed—they had already steeled themselves for what needed to be done tonight. These men were clearly part of Zhang Ling’s scheme; their deaths were justified.

What shocked them most was Xu Shen’s sheer combat prowess—three Core Solidification cultivators killed in under ten seconds! His strength was absurdly terrifying… though Xu Guang knew it was largely due to catching them off guard before they could react properly.

—

Xu Shen pushed open another door silently and slipped into the next room like a ghost.

Inside, Zhang Ling lounged on a couch with an alluring woman by his side—both smoking lazily after what seemed like some intimate activity.

“Zhang-ge,” the woman purred sweetly, “is that brat dead yet?”

“Heh,” Zhang Ling sneered smugly. “That kid was just collateral damage—the real target was my nephew! Once he’s gone, I’ll take over the Zhang family!”

“And that Xu Shen… Wang Bing’s adopted kid… His death will hit Wang Bing hard! Hahaha!” Zhang Ling laughed triumphantly.

Outside the door, Xu Shen’s face darkened as murderous intent surged within him.

The woman giggled wickedly. “Zhang-ge… What about Xu Shen’s little brother and sister? Maybe we could—”

“Don’t say that! Pao Hui acted on his own—it has nothing to do with me,” Zhang Ling interrupted hastily.

“Hehe… I understand~~”

BOOM!!

The door exploded inward.

Zhang Ling and the woman flinched violently as they instinctively shielded themselves from the debris.

In the doorway stood Xu Shen, bathed in moonlight that illuminated his furious eyes—burning like twin infernos.

His presence radiated danger and death—a suffocating aura that made Zhang Ling tremble uncontrollably.

Behind him, Yang Dian, Zhang Zhuangshi, and Xu Guang cracked their knuckles ominously—their expressions grim.

“The most venomous heart belongs to a woman,” Xu Guang sneered coldly. “If I don’t beat this bitch half to death tonight, I won’t be able to sleep!”

They dared target Brother Shen’s siblings? Perfect.

“Xu… Xu Shen!!” Zhang Ling stammered fearfully.

He never imagined Xu Shen would show up here—what had gone wrong?! Hadn’t Pao Hui released that mid-Core Solidification ghoul?!

“Happy Birthday!! , Do you miss me?” Xu Shen stepped forward slowly.

“D-Don’t come any closer!!” Zhang Ling screamed in terror.

If they were here—it meant his men outside were already dead…

And with his cultivation level—there was no way he could escape…

Pfft!

A black knife flashed through the air before pinning the woman’s hand to the table.

“AHHH!!!” She screamed in agony as her body convulsed violently.

Xu Shen stepped forward and picked up a small black bag from the table.

Opening it revealed two glowing white orbs inside.

Holding one up with a chilling smile, he said mockingly: “Spirit Bombs? Didn’t expect you’d have something like this.”