Steam-powered martial arts: My virginity cultivation technique has been broken.

Time ticked by, and the search was nearing its end. Qian Zhuang grew increasingly impatient, glancing back frequently, waiting for the priest to intervene and stop the search.

Wu Yihang instead said to Ge Man, "Prefect Ge, please have your men help us. If this drags on for too long, it may disrupt the normal activities of the people."

A smile spread across Ge Man's greasy face: "Alright, let's all go together, you yamen runners."

At this moment, he also realized that the old man Qian Zhuang brought was likely Black Wolf. What exactly was this nouveau riche up to? He guessed it because he understood Qian Zhuang's style of doing things and knew some information. But how did Wu Yihang know?

He didn't know that Wu Yihang didn't care whether the old man was Black Wolf or not; as long as he was related to the Mechanical Holy Society, it was already a crime of treason.

Since the Mechanical Holy Society's influence in the capital was wiped out, they have never given up their research on god-killing puppets. Every now and then, martial artists go missing, and the suspects point directly to them. Since the beginning of the Mechanical Revolution, the Great Chen Dynasty has considered turning people into mindless puppets a capital crime, punishable by slow slicing if caught.

If it is certain that the Qian family colluded with the Mechanical Holy Society or participated in the puppet modification, they should be punished for both crimes, and even the extermination of their entire clan would be too lenient.

While Qian Zhuang was still agonizing over how to defend himself after Black Wolf was exposed, others had already set their sights on the valuable heads of his entire family.

Seeing that Ge Man had agreed to send out the constables, he kept trying to signal to Ge Man with his eyes, but Ge Man ignored him and asked instead, "Brother Qian, do you have an eye ailment?"

Speculation is an art.

He didn't initially intend to target the Qian family. If Wu Yihang hadn't gotten involved, he could have made some extra money. But with Wu Yihang involved, he dragged the Qian family into the mess. Now that Wu Yihang is relentlessly pursuing the Qian family, he has no choice but to betray them.

Who told Qian Zhuang to be so foolish? He was asked to do something, but he kept it to himself. Now he's blocked at the door. Who can save him? The Qian family is gone. He just needs to change his tune and he'll be seen as helping the Empress Dowager cut off the Regent's wings.

He also knew that Wu Yihang's target wasn't just the Qian family, but also the seven high priests. This wasn't a problem; after all, it was his duty, and doing it well would be a political achievement. Having a single-minded person charging ahead was something he couldn't ask for. It depended on how capable Wu Yihang was; he could either go with the flow or kick him when he was down.

Seeing that Ge Man had made his stance clear, Wu Yihang looked at Qian Zhuang with increasingly hostile eyes. How much of the Qian family's collusion with the Mechanical Holy Society and its seven high priests, who were in cahoots with them, could escape responsibility?

For both public and private reasons, he had to find evidence of the crimes of the seven high priests. The world was already in great chaos, and the court could not tolerate this group of demons gaining merit by following the emperor. Moreover, a good man should take it upon himself to stabilize the world. In the current situation, he was more like a prison guard. Without merit, how could he advance?

With the help of the yamen runners, the search results came out quickly. There were no other high-energy reactions, so if the black wolf really existed, the old man in front of them was the most likely candidate.

Wu Yihang said to Qian Zhuang with a smile, "Chairman Qian, there's no other way but to ask this old retainer to come back to the yamen with us. Don't worry, we just want an explanation. The innocent will clear themselves, and we won't make things too difficult for you."

Qian Zhuang glanced at Ge Man, who seemed not to have heard, then at Wu Yihang, who was closing in, and burst into a fit of madness, throwing caution to the wind: "Fine! You bureaucrats really leave no way out for anyone. Let me tell you, there was no theft. I just bribed this fat pig to help me find someone, and he, being greedy, wanted to use this to make money, which caused the whole thing to escalate. Now that I've told you, arrest me if you want. At most, you can charge me with bribing an official!"

The moment Qian Zhuang pointed at Ge Man, the murderous intent in Ge Man's eyes was no longer concealed: "A guilty conscience needs no accusation, so he's making baseless accusations. General Wu is definitely in cahoots with the notorious bandit Black Wolf, plotting to murder the Empress Dowager. But Black Wolf is shrewd and has never interacted with him under his true identity."

"Due to some internal strife, Black Wolf secretly stole the tribute. This fellow filed a complaint because he still harbors wicked intentions and wants to use us to eliminate the threat. However, General Wu saw through his scheme and discovered that the old man was Black Wolf in disguise. He fears that Black Wolf will recognize him after being imprisoned, so he framed me, hoping to make you hesitate to act against him."

This wasn't the first time Qian Zhuang had witnessed Ge Man's ability to twist the truth. He had always helped Ge Man resolve things before, but now that it was his turn, he realized how painful it was to be wronged.

Wu Yihang knew Ge Man was talking nonsense, but the die was cast. He had spent hours playing around with them; it couldn't be over in a few words. "Guards, lock this old man up in the yamen!"

Although Qian Zhuang still didn't understand why Wu Yihang was so persistent in pursuing him, the fact that Ge Man had betrayed him was right before his eyes. The priest hadn't arrived yet, and once Black Wolf was taken away, he would really be unable to turn things around.

"Help! Save me!"

Upon hearing the command, a glint of light flashed in Black Wolf's empty eyes. He channeled his true energy into his mechanical prosthetic body, causing plumes of white smoke to rise as his figure vanished.

"Lock!"

At Wu Yihang's command, he had already anticipated the enemy's desperate tactic. Black Wolf quickly rescued Qian Zhuang, attempting to break through the blockade and escape. Mid-air, iron chains loomed overhead, lightning flashed, and because he was carrying Qian Zhuang, a burden, he couldn't withstand the lightning strikes and could not continue ascending. If he were conscious, he would definitely abandon Qian Zhuang and escape alone. Unfortunately, he didn't; Qian Zhuang's first command was to save him, so he could only retreat back to the ground.

Qian Zhuang glared fiercely at Wu Yihang and Ge Man: "Wu Yihang, you're truly foolish! Did you think you could stop a first-grade martial artist with alchemical equipment? You could both have lived, why did you force me to break off relations! Black Wolf will kill them first, then kill all the enemies in our way!"

This book was first published on 2009.com, providing you with a reading experience free of errors and disordered chapters.

Black Wolf received another command, and the mechanism beneath his feet began to spin rapidly. His entire body was equipped with high-grade Earth-level prosthetics, which were in no way inferior to human nerve responses.

Wu Yihang slapped Ge Man to the side of the street with one palm, then faced the black wolf alone. His fingers conjured up phantom images, causing ripples in the air. Countless blades of energy tore through the space, appearing out of thin air and converging to strangle the black wolf.

"A smile as if plucking a flower!"

He flicked two fingers with remarkable elegance, as if plucking a melody between heaven and earth. A blade of energy capable of destroying an entire street appeared, then compressed into the shape of a flower petal. It moved swiftly, yet with a leisurely air, drifting toward the black wolf whose movements were slowed by the energy blade's strangulation.

He launched two attacks in succession. Although Black Wolf seemed to be surrounded, his internal energy had already blocked all the attacks a meter away, leaving him unharmed.

Fortunately, the modification technology has not yet overcome the difficulty of autonomously manipulating divine thoughts. The puppet cannot use the abilities attached to the prosthetic body on its own and needs someone to command and control it. However, Qian Zhuang is just a businessman and does not understand martial arts at all.

"Open fire! Suppress all enemy fire!"

At Wu Yihang's command, the surrounding gentry raised their muskets and fired. Their true energy detonated the bullets, creating a deafening sound that shook houses, shattered windows, and billowed thick smoke that filled the surrounding streets.

"Swift Strike!"

A cold voice came from a forgotten corner. As if receiving another command, Black Wolf suddenly exerted its strength, breaking through the blockade and attacking Wu Yihang directly. In an instant, it was in front of him, its massive iron fist aimed at his head. Wu Yihang couldn't react in time; just as his brains were about to explode, a palm strike carrying black true energy blasted Black Wolf away!

Ku Ning, his face covered by a tattered cloth, leaped down from the rooftop of a house, blocking his fourth senior brother's path. His bronze eyes activated: "Hiding your face! Tianxing Pavilion owner, come out and meet us!"

He covered his face not to protect himself from enemies, but to prevent Wu Yihang from recognizing him. Wu Yihang, however, was inwardly turbulent, having mastered the Vajra Palm technique!

This person's voice sounds so familiar!