Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Killing
’The Kaiyang Taoist is dead?!’
Everyone in the restaurant heard Yan Mo’s words and stared at Bai Yuan in disbelief.
The Kaiyang Taoist’s prestige among the people of Lingzhou was simply too great.
Bai Yuan had defeated the Kaiyang Taoist before, but defeating and killing were two completely different things—especially for a monster with the Innate Vajra.
For the first time, panic appeared in Yan Mo’s eyes.
His strength was not even on par with the Kaiyang Taoist’s.
’Since Bai Yuan could kill the Kaiyang Taoist, he can definitely kill me too.’
"You..."
Yan Mo pulled back, just about to speak.
But Bai Yuan had no intention of giving him the chance. With a single step, he shot toward Yan Mo, the water droplets on his hair left hanging in the air by inertia.
Lu Yu, who was currently locked in combat with Yan Mo, couldn’t help but fight even harder. The afterimages of his Soft Sword nearly formed a cage in the air.
Yan Mo finally panicked.
’I came here to kill, not to be killed.’
’Once Bai Yuan’s saber falls, I’m dead for sure.’
BANG!
Suddenly, a large cloud of white mist erupted from Yan Mo’s body.
Lu Yu’s eyes narrowed, and he retreated swiftly.
’Poisonous mist!’
And a very high-grade poison at that.
’They say scholars are the most venomous. They talk about how sinister the methods of Jianghu people are, but who would’ve thought they’d use such tactics so readily themselves.’
But Bai Yuan, as if he couldn’t even see the poisonous mist, charged straight into the white cloud, saber in hand.
’When it comes to playing with poisons, I’m his ancestor!’
"No..."
Only a blood-curdling scream was heard.
When the white mist dissipated, a corpse with its eyes wide open in death was seen at Bai Yuan’s feet.
Upstairs, Nie Dao sucked in a cold breath.
In a single night, the two most outstanding young geniuses of Ling Province had both been killed. This was simply unheard of.
Bai Yuan turned his head and glanced at Nie Dao.
Nie Dao’s heart tightened, and he took half a step back.
"Give me a reason not to kill you."
Bai Yuan said faintly.
Nie Dao’s expression was extremely complicated. With his experience in the Jianghu, he of course knew that the wisest course of action was to kill everyone in the restaurant tonight.
Only the dead can keep secrets.
Nie Dao gritted his teeth. "I see that you are proficient with Gu. I am willing to have a Slave Gu implanted in me."
He had traveled through Linzhou before, so although he didn’t understand the art of Gu, he knew a little about it.
Legend had it that the Great Witches of Linzhou invented the Slave Gu to control their servants. Anyone implanted with a Slave Gu would have their heart devoured by a hundred insects and die at a mere thought from the Great Witch.
Bai Yuan nodded. "Reasonable."
With that, he walked upstairs, took a small vial from his robes, and tossed it to Nie Dao.
"Eat it."
Nie Dao was decisive. Without even looking at what was in the vial, he tilted his head back and swallowed its contents.
There was no bitterness on his face.
To a gangster like him, things like dignity were not important at all.
As long as he could live, he would even act like a dog.
On this point, Jianghu People were much more pragmatic than those Three Religions Martial Masters.
Bai Yuan glanced at the Changhe Gang members downstairs and said coldly, "Kill them all."
Nie Dao sighed internally. "Yes."
...
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, only three living people remained in the entire restaurant.
Nie Dao looked indifferently at the corpses on the floor.
These men had been his subordinates.
There was no grief for his fallen comrades, no grand emotions. In this world, human life was cheap. If you died, you could only blame bad luck and hope for a better rebirth.
Fortunately, these people had all been killed by Bai Yuan.
To be precise, Bai Yuan had reaped their lives at the last moment with precisely aimed flying needles.
As for why he did this, it could only be attributed to the peculiar quirks of a powerful man.
Among the powerful figures Nie Dao knew, bloodthirsty ones were not exactly rare.
Nie Dao looked at Bai Yuan with a complicated expression. "Master Bai, are you Sect Leader Bai of the Divine Mansion Sect?"
After everything that had happened, if he still couldn’t guess the identity of the man before him, then all his years in the Jianghu would have been for nothing.
Bai Yuan nodded.
’Since he’s been implanted with the Slave Gu, he’s one of my own now.’
’Besides, Nie Dao has already made up his mind. My denial wouldn’t change anything.’
Nie Dao sighed softly. "As I thought."
However, he felt no resentment over Bai Yuan’s concealment. After all, he was the one who wanted to do the deal, and he had long known that there was something suspicious about Bai Yuan’s background.
Otherwise, an Alchemy Master would be a hot commodity anywhere; there would be no need to do business furtively with the Changhe Gang.
Taking it a step further, even if the Changhe Gang hadn’t taken this deal, they would have been sought out anyway, and death would still have been inevitable.
Of course, the most crucial point was that he couldn’t defeat Bai Yuan.
In the Jianghu, it always came down to might makes right.
Bai Yuan glanced at the bodies on the ground. "Clean all this up."
He suddenly found himself missing Xiaoqing. If Xiaoqing were here, things like destroying corpses and erasing all traces would be exceptionally simple.
’I wonder how Sister Qiao is doing...’
...
Bai Yuan and Lu Yu walked along a rainy road.
The bluestone slabs were wet and slippery, but it made no difference to the two of them.
They didn’t have an umbrella.
They were already soaked anyway, so whether they had an umbrella or not didn’t really matter.
Lu Yu suddenly spoke. "Are you going to kill me, too?"
Bai Yuan chuckled. "We’re sworn brothers."
’Of course, the main reason is that Lu Yu’s Body Technique is too good. I can’t kill him.’
Lu Yu sneered.
’If I hadn’t secretly practiced several kinds of Body Techniques, I’d probably be drinking soup on the Naihe Bridge by now.’
"The Prefecture Magistrate’s Office and Longevity Palace will definitely make a big move. You’d better be careful."
Lu Yu warned.
He didn’t want to get dragged into this because of Bai Yuan. He couldn’t bear the crime of killing the Kaiyang Taoist and the Prefect’s disciple.
As for why he had gotten involved... of course it was because Bai Yuan hadn’t given him a chance to refuse.
He knew Bai Yuan’s style all too well.
If he had dared to refuse, the Lu Family would have been the one slaughtered tonight.
Lu Yu suddenly felt a bit fortunate that he and Bai Yuan weren’t enemies yet.
He had originally just wanted to cut off the Changhe Gang connection, but he never expected Bai Yuan to be so much more ruthless.
’He took down the entire Patrol Office just to avoid being implicated by some criminals. The man is completely lawless.’
But Lu Yu liked it...
It was exhilarating!
He had long been annoyed with the Kaiyang Taoist and that pretty boy Yan Mo. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten involved in today’s mess.
Bai Yuan nodded.
The top disciples of Longevity Palace and the Prefect had been killed, so the subsequent commotion would naturally be significant.
But if he hadn’t killed the Kaiyang Taoist and Yan Mo tonight, they would have inevitably followed the trail to the Divine Mansion Sect. He would have been on the back foot then. It was better to strike first.
Bai Yuan had always been a proactive person.
...
「The next morning.」
The rain that had fallen all night finally stopped, and pedestrians on the road gradually increased in number.
Among the many passersby on the street was a middle-aged man with a weathered face. One look at him told you he was a tough character who had roamed the Jianghu for years. Pedestrians subconsciously made way for him.
This middle-aged man was none other than Bai Yuan in disguise.
After parting with Lu Yu, Bai Yuan didn’t return directly to the Divine Mansion Sect. Instead, he found a hidden cave outside the city to dry his clothes before returning.
If he had gone to an inn soaked to the bone last night, he would have definitely attracted attention. That’s why he took the long way around and went to the cave.
Now that he had changed his face, it would be difficult for anyone to recognize him.
The reason Bai Yuan remained in Huanglong Prefecture was to make it easier to gather information.
Longevity Palace and the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office would surely make a big move, and he needed to know the situation as soon as it developed.
He found a reasonably clean inn and checked in.
Bai Yuan sat on the bed and looked at his panel.
This time, he had killed two great masters in a row, with a bonus of many Changhe Gang minions. His enhancement points had skyrocketed.
’Add points!’
[You have cultivated the Rolling Blood Saber for 113 years and gained nothing.]
...
[You have cultivated the Rolling Blood Saber for 117 years and gained nothing.]
...
[You have cultivated the Rolling Blood Saber for 351 years. You have finally comprehended a new saber technique!]
...
[You have cultivated the Rolling Blood Saber for 373 years. The first form of the Rolling Blood Saber, Bloodburn, has finally been mastered!]
...
[You continue to cultivate the Rolling Blood Saber...]
...
[Name: Bai Yuan]
[Class: Demon Hunter, Sword Ghost, Boxer, Spirit Cooker, Skin Painter]
[Skills: Rolling Blood Saber (Mastery), Broken River Saber (Legendary), Mountain’s Return (Legendary), Demon Qi Lure (Legendary), Thousand Faces Technique (Legendary)...]
[Enhancement Points: 0]
’I finally comprehended a saber technique!’
Bai Yuan’s eyes lit up as he looked at the word "Bloodburn."
He had spent a full three hundred years comprehending this one move.
But even an exceptionally talented Martial Artist would need a very long time to comprehend this move.
For Bai Yuan, it was just a string of "gained nothing" messages on the panel, but for other Martial Artists, it represented an endless, arduous period of time.
Therefore, most Martial Artists don’t create their own Cultivation Techniques. Even if they do, it’s usually a stroke of luck after mixing various techniques. Very few are willing to spend so much time in bitter cultivation like Bai Yuan.
The cost-performance ratio was pitifully low.
Only someone like Bai Yuan, who had a cheat system, could be so extravagant.
This first form of the Rolling Blood Saber, Bloodburn, was actually an advanced version of igniting one’s Qi and Blood.
Calling it a saber technique was a bit of a stretch. It was more a method of utilizing Qi and Blood, something like a passive skill.
With Bloodburn, every slash Bai Yuan made would have the blood-burning effect.
The power of his saber techniques increased by ten percent.
Don’t look down on just ten percent; this increase came with no side effects.
This was equivalent to getting a free ten percent boost in combat power!
If the Martial Artists outside knew such a Cultivation Technique existed, it would surely cause a mad scramble.
Now, Bai Yuan’s confidence was even greater.
...
"The Kaiyang Taoist and Yan Mo are dead?!"
"And they died right here in Huanglong Prefecture?!"
Lu Shanshan stared at the intelligence report in her hands in disbelief.
The news had already spread. Master Longevity and the Prefect of Lingzhou were furious, vowing to catch the murderer who killed their most prized disciples.
Jiang Yan’s eyes were also full of shock.
Although she wasn’t from Lingzhou, she had spent some time there and was well aware of the strength of those two.
The people in Ling Province capable of killing the Kaiyang Taoist and Yan Mo were all on the Sky Ranking.
Excluding those from Longevity Palace, the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, and the Lingzhou Army, only a handful of people remained.
The Seven Star Sect Master, Dong Wanjun, and Bai Yuan.
She just didn’t know which of the three it was.
Jiang Yan frowned. "Could it be that Dong Wanjun has returned from the Northern Plains?"
Lu Shanshan’s heart jolted at this speculation.
Although Dong Wanjun had disappeared in the Northern Plains, his name had always remained at the top of the Sky Ranking.
If that ruthless man returned to Huanglong Prefecture, the entirety of Ling Province would be thrown into chaos.
