Chapter 97: Chapter 97: I Am a Fair Lady
"A pity. You’re still not good enough!"
Qin Ya emotionlessly withdrew his spear, his face a blank mask, his eyes radiating an ultimate, ice-cold killing intent. Bao Xiong’s widened eyes were devoid of life, but his face was a canvas of disbelief, confusion, and terror.
Bao Xiong... was dead!
In a single move, Bao Xiong, an Earth Element Realm expert, was dead!
Brother Fei and the Poison Young Master were terrified.
Now they understood why Thousand Faces would rather cancel a contract than provoke Qin Ya. ’What Spiritual Element Realm Martial Artist? Even an Earth Element Perfection expert wouldn’t be this damn ferocious!’
’Retreat! We have to retreat!’
After seeing Bao Xiong killed in one move, Brother Fei and the Poison Young Master exchanged a glance, seeing the terror in each other’s eyes. They immediately split up and fled toward the restaurant’s exit.
"Hmph. Trying to run now!"
With a cold snort, Qin Ya flicked his longspear. Wreathed in purple Flame, it transformed into a streak of Flowing Light and shot toward Brother Fei. At the same time, his True Essence surged, and he activated his Chasing Wind and Shadow Technique, dashing after the Poison Young Master.
As the spear, like a streak of Flowing Light shimmering with a cold glint, shot toward him, Brother Fei’s gaze hardened. With a roar, he slashed his daggers, creating waves of sharp energy in a desperate attempt to stop the terrifyingly peerless Ghost Cloud Pan Dragon Spear.
As a killer, he had long known this day would come. He thought he had come to terms with it, that he was accustomed to death. But now that the moment was here, he still felt fear.
"I want to live!"
Brother Fei roared, pushing his True Essence to its absolute limit!
But the longspear was unstoppable, shattering the waves of sharp energy in its path. Before Brother Fei’s terrified eyes, it viciously pierced through his chest. Blood sprayed into the air. With a face full of resentment, Brother Fei managed to say, "I... hate this so much."
Meanwhile, Qin Ya executed the Chasing Wind and Shadow. Even before he had broken through to Spiritual Element Perfection, his Body Technique was comparable to Liuu Bin’s, perhaps even superior. Now, with his increased Cultivation, his speed had doubled.
The Poison Young Master’s speed was only that of an ordinary Earth Element Realm Martial Artist. How could he possibly outrun Qin Ya? In less than a breath’s time, Qin Ya had caught up to him. He raised his palm, and an endless cold energy suddenly began to Condense.
’So fast!’
The Poison Young Master’s pupils shrank. Seeing Qin Ya’s attack coming, he instantly pulled out a handful of poison powder and flung it at him. But Qin Ya’s expression remained serene. He ignored the powder and struck the Poison Young Master directly in the chest.
"You..." The Poison Young Master’s eyes filled with terror. He said, "That poison powder is my own unique creation! There’s no antidote in this world. As long as you don’t kill me, I’ll cure you. Spare me!"
Qin Ya just sneered, not saying a word. He slapped his palm on the man’s forehead. The ultimate cold energy instantly froze and shattered his internal organs. Qin Ya withdrew his hand and said coolly, "Come out. Your scent can’t be hidden."
No one responded.
Qin Ya’s brow furrowed slightly. "Don’t make me force you out," he said indifferently.
In a dingy corner of the restaurant, a waiter dressed as a servant was squatting on the ground, head in their hands, trembling. Upon hearing Qin Ya’s words, a flicker of panic crossed the waiter’s eyes.
’Good heavens, this kid is a real monster.’
Hua Wuchang muttered to herself. Just over half a month ago, although Qin Ya had been strong, he was at best only slightly better than her. But seeing him again now... although his Cultivation was still at the Spiritual Element Realm, he slaughtered Earth Element experts as if they were dogs.
This rate of progress was truly terrifying.
Hearing Qin Ya’s words, her heart couldn’t help but pound. She was filled with regret, knowing she had been discovered. ’If I had known, I wouldn’t have followed him. With his current strength, it would be no trouble for him to kill me, even with my Disguise Skill.’
Slowly rising, Hua Wuchang forced a chuckle. "Sir."
Looking at the waiter-like Hua Wuchang, Qin Ya frowned. "Hua Wuchang, your Disguise Skill is useless in front of me."
Hearing this, Hua Wuchang sighed and waved her sleeve. In an instant, she transformed into an enchanting woman in a red dress, her face as lovely as a peach blossom.
"How did you recognize me?"
Qin Ya said indifferently, "I have no reason to tell you."
"Fine, don’t tell me." Suddenly, an idea struck Hua Wuchang. A look of astonishment appeared on her face as she said, "You mentioned a scent just now? My God, don’t tell me you sniffed me out..."
"..." Qin Ya remained silent.
Seeing his silence, Hua Wuchang’s eyes went wide. She stared at Qin Ya as if he were some kind of Exotic Treasure, clicking her tongue in amazement. "Are you even human? Not even a bloodhound has a sense of smell like yours."
WHOOSH...
He flicked his longspear. Before Hua Wuchang could even react, the cold, gleaming spearhead was already at her delicate, jade-like neck. She couldn’t help but feel a chill of fear. Hurriedly, she raised her hands. "Don’t do anything rash! I didn’t come here to kill you today."
"Oh? So I can only act when you’re trying to kill me?" Qin Ya gave a cold smile, a pressing killing intent flickering in his eyes. "You’re a killer. I imagine no one would ask any questions if you died."
Hearing this, a trace of sorrow crossed Hua Wuchang’s beautiful face. She said forlornly, "That’s right. I’m a killer. Who would care if I live or die? Even if I were to die in the street, no one would claim my body."
"I was born a beauty, but fated to be a thief... Alas."
Her mournful voice, paired with her stunning beauty, was enough to inspire pity.
Qin Ya couldn’t help but feel a pang of compassion. In that moment of distraction, Hua Wuchang instantly bolted for the restaurant exit. "Damn it..."
He used his Chasing Wind and Shadow, instantly catching up to her. He flicked his spearhead, forcing her back to her original spot. No longer daring to be careless, Qin Ya said coldly, "The last time we met, you said you were called Thousand Faces. It seems you live up to the name. An incredible Disguise Skill and consummate acting. That title wasn’t given in error."
Seeing she couldn’t escape, Hua Wuchang said coldly, "What do you want? Are you going to kill me? If so, make it quick."
With that, she closed her eyes, looking as if she were bravely facing death.
"You killers must have a place where you accept missions."
"We do. It’s called the Crimson Wine Tavern. There are branches all over the Imperial Capital. That’s where we get our missions." Since she couldn’t leave, Hua Wuchang was surprisingly straightforward, answering Qin Ya’s question directly.
"Good. Help me take the heads of these three back." Qin Ya pointed at the dead bodies of Brother Fei and the others on the floor and said coldly, "From now on, anyone who comes looking for trouble with me, I’ll kill every last one. Come if you’ve got the guts!"
Hua Wuchang said, "Are you provoking the entire Black Market of killers?"
"You can see it that way."
"Fine!"
Qin Ya withdrew his longspear and gave Hua Wuchang a deep, cold look. "And you. If you cause trouble for me again, I will kill you."
After speaking, he took out a large handful of Gold Coins and placed them on a table as compensation for the restaurant owner, then left directly. Hua Wuchang watched his departing figure, pursed her lips, and muttered, "Tch. Such a show-off."
「A short while later, inside the Crimson Wine Tavern.」
A young man in white robes walked in, carrying a bloody cloth sack. Many of the killers looked over, a trace of surprise in their eyes.
"Isn’t that the Advanced Academy Teacher, Qin Ya? What’s he doing here? Doesn’t he know he’s one of the assassination targets on the Blood List? How dare he just show up here?"
"Haha, isn’t this a rabbit walking into a den of wolves? This guy’s head is worth One Hundred Thousand Gold Coins! That’s enough for all of us to share."
"If I kill him, I’ll be set for the rest of my life."
"Interesting. To think this guy would actually come here."
