Chapter 85: Chapter 84: Which is Faster, the Gun or the Fist?
*Huuu...*
Fu Juemin gently exhaled.
That one move, [Snake Form: Demon Light], had almost completely drained the Poisonous Killing Qi accumulated in his Three Hand Yin Meridians, leaving him feeling empty and spent.
’A battle to the death really is the best catalyst for a qualitative leap in strength...’
Fu Juemin looked down, gazing at his hands, which still shimmered with a faint, dark light. He carefully savored the memory of the battle that had just ended.
Before he fought the scar-faced man—in fact, even a second before he decided to use [Snake Form: Demon Light] to end the fight—he hadn’t been completely certain he could even execute the killing blow.
The resonance between the Black-Scaled Snake Demon Soul Seed and the Poisonous Killing Qi in his body had been achieved long ago. However, there were still various hitches and obstacles preventing him from perfectly fusing the Snake Demon Soul Seed, the Poisonous Killing Qi, and the Glazed Pure Light Slash.
Yet, during the fight with the scar-faced man, these blockages had naturally and suddenly cleared, culminating in the effortless creation of the [Snake Form: Demon Light] technique.
The feeling of this process was mysterious and subtle, difficult to describe. Beyond the month of painstaking planning, calculation, and accumulation being validated and absorbed, there was also a huge improvement and shift in his mentality.
Standing in a pool of blood now, he felt an unprecedented sense of confidence and composure.
’I’m afraid it will be hard to replicate the exhilarating thrill of this battle in the future...’
Fu Juemin mused to himself. The main reason was that it would be difficult to find another opponent he could "monitor" for a whole month, to the point where he even knew the man’s patterns of grinding his teeth and waking up at night like the back of his hand.
Of course, the Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique had also played a huge role in this battle.
After all, there was a two-level difference in their Martial Dao Levels. Even though Fu Juemin’s [Attack] and [Defense] Attributes were far superior to that of a typical Blood Refining practitioner, a significant gap in raw power still existed between him and the Tongxuan Realm scar-faced man.
In Fu Juemin’s eyes, the man’s movements were so fast they became afterimages. Even though Fu Juemin could exploit his opponent’s habits to perfectly intercept and block every move, the fight wouldn’t have ended so easily and cleanly without the powerful defense-breaking and poison damage effects of the Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique.
A top-tier Evil Technique was a top-tier Evil Technique, after all. The cultivation process was inhumanly painful, but once mastered, its power was also beyond ordinary imagination.
"BANG!"
With the crack of a gunshot, a bullet sparked against the bluestone slabs.
Fu Juemin’s figure shifted sideways a few steps. He lifted his gaze slightly, looking toward the entrance of the Hu Mansion.
Dressed in a snow-white military uniform, Song Lin stood frozen in place, holding his signature Golden Eagle Marked Pistol. He seemed completely stunned that Fu Juemin had managed to dodge his surprise shot.
He didn’t know that Fu Juemin had been controlling the field with [Yao Ling] the entire time. Within a radius of several hundred meters, no one held any secrets from him.
Seeing that his sneak attack had failed, Song Lin simply walked out from the entrance.
His military boots clacked on the stone steps. On the somewhat desolate county thoroughfare, only the two of them remained, facing each other.
"Impressive. I misjudged you."
Song Lin’s face was pale. Though he forced himself to appear calm, a deep sense of shock still flashed in his eyes from time to time.
The scar-faced man, Qin Xiao, was his subordinate. He was naturally aware of the man’s strength.
On this trip down to the county, he had committed countless evil deeds that drew the wrath of all. It wasn’t as if no one, pushed to the brink with no way out, had come seeking to fight him to the death.
Among them were plenty of so-called experts from Martial Families, who tried ambushes, assassinations...
Every time, they were dealt with effortlessly by his two bodyguards. Although Qin Xiao was slightly weaker than the other guard, an old man surnamed Bai, he was still an undisputed and long-famous Tongxuan master. ’To think he would die here today.’
’And the one who killed him was none other than a rich Young Master, known for being just as much of a profligate dandy as I am...’
"I remember... I believe your name is Fu Juemin."
Whether from excitement or fear, Song Lin’s adam’s apple bobbed, and an unhealthy flush crept over his cheeks.
He kept his gun aimed at Fu Juemin. Seemingly feeling too hot, he reached up and forcefully tore open the buttons at the collar of his uniform.
"I started learning how to shoot and kill when I was seven..."
Song Lin’s eyes were icy as he held up the gun and bared a mouthful of stark white teeth. "We’re at least twenty paces apart right now. Guess what’s faster? My gun, or your fist?"
As he spoke, Song Lin slowly pulled back the slide on the golden pistol in his hand. The slide moved back past the magazine catch, emitting a series of crisp, metallic clicks.
With Song Lin’s gun pointed at him, Fu Juemin remained perfectly calm, merely saying flatly, "Try me."
The cold smile on Song Lin’s face widened, and a faint killing intent rapidly filled the air between them.
Seconds ticked by. Just as Fu Juemin’s feet shifted slightly and he adopted a stance, ready to spring into action at any moment...
A cruel glint flashed in Song Lin’s eyes, and he abruptly pulled the trigger!
"BANG!"
A gunshot shattered the dead silence of the long street.
After a moment of quiet, what followed was a bloodcurdling scream.
"AHH!! AHHH—"
Song Lin’s face was splattered with blood as he clutched his gory right hand in terror. He rolled on the ground in agony. Two severed fingers, which had fallen onto the bluestone slabs along with the golden pistol, were particularly jarring to the eye.
At the other end of the street, Fu Juemin held a silver revolver, a wisp of smoke still curling from its barrel. He glanced at Song Lin’s miserable state with an almost pitying look, shaking his head and sighing. "I have a gun too. Why would I use my fists against you?
Are you an idiot?"
"You... you..."
Song Lin’s eyes looked ready to split from their sockets. He was so overwhelmed by anger and pain that he nearly fainted, but an intense terror and will to live drove him to struggle, trying to grab the golden pistol on the ground with his uninjured left hand.
"BANG!"
Another shot rang out. Song Lin screamed as several fingers on his left hand were blown off.
"CLACK—CLACK—"
Fu Juemin strolled calmly toward Song Lin, the cylinder of the silver revolver in his hand rotating.
"BANG! BANG!..."
The revolver’s bullets blossomed into one flower of blood after another on Song Lin’s body, shattering his limbs one by one and quickly dyeing his white military uniform a deep crimson.
Song Lin’s screams were incessant. After firing all six rounds from the revolver, Fu Juemin pulled spare bullets from the inner lining of his suit vest and unhurriedly began to reload.
"BANG! BANG!"
He fired several consecutive shots at the area between Song Lin’s legs. In an instant, Song Lin’s eyes bulged wide. The annoying howls came to an abrupt halt, replaced only by muffled, whimpering groans of extreme, suppressed agony that rumbled in his throat.
"Do you want to live?"
Walking up to Song Lin, Fu Juemin brandished the revolver, looking down at him from above.
At this point, Song Lin’s face was covered in a cold sweat, his complexion as white as paper. He could barely make a sound and could only nod frantically at Fu Juemin.
Fu Juemin crouched down. The gun barrel lightly touched Song Lin’s trembling chin as he said flatly, "Open your mouth. Bite it."
Humiliation, venomous hatred... all sorts of emotions flashed in Song Lin’s eyes. Cold sweat mixed with blood soaked his collar.
He suddenly threw his head back to look at Fu Juemin, roaring with a savage expression, "You dare to kill me? You actually dare to touch me?
My father is Song Zhenyuan... If you kill me... the entire Luan River County will be buried with me..."
"BANG!"
The shot rang out. Song Lin froze, a stunned look on his face. A bloody hole had opened up on his forehead. Within a breath, the light in his eyes faded, and he fell straight back, stiff as a board.
"Looks like you didn’t want to live that badly after all..."
Fu Juemin shook his head and casually wiped the blood-stained silver revolver on Song Lin’s clothes.
Suddenly, he noticed a bulge in Song Lin’s chest area, as if something was stuffed underneath his clothes.
Fu Juemin tore open his military uniform, revealing a thick manila envelope.
A flicker of movement in Fu Juemin’s eyes, he reached out and pulled out the manila envelope. As he opened it, a snow-white letter envelope was the first thing to fall out.
