Negotiations (Continued)

Si Ming quickly lowered his head and asked, "Why were you alright when you were looking at him?"

"Because my focus wasn't on him, but rather on the area around his body. I wasn't observing him as a person, but rather his emotions. Besides, I had no intention of attacking him, so naturally, it didn't arouse any suspicion."

In terms of combat prowess, Yu Shuying was no match for this wanted criminal in a direct confrontation.

"Okay, what do we do now?"

"I'll give you directions. Get as close to him as possible and strike when you're close enough to try and subdue him in one move, or knock him unconscious. Also, knock him out of the crowd to prevent him from taking any tourists hostage."

There's no better way right now, since there are too many people at the scene. Otherwise, if Si Ming didn't care and just kicked out with all his might, he could beat someone half to death with one punch. But with so many tourists blocking the way, if he dared to do that, one punch would kill a hundred or so people.

So, while listening to Yu Shuying's instructions, Si Ming weaved through the crowd, constantly closing the distance to his target.

"Ten meters left. Be careful. At this distance, even if you're not watching him closely, he'll notice something's wrong, so act quickly."

"No, with so many people blocking my way, even if I make a move, I'll be interfered with. I need to shorten the attack by half to be confident."

The Heaven-Overturning Band was incredibly popular, and a huge crowd of fans had gathered below the stage. Everyone was pushing and shoving each other, and even the girls who were being groped couldn't complain. Even though it was only a ten-meter distance, there were still about twenty people between Si Ming and his target, even if you only counted in a straight line. Under these circumstances, making a move would inevitably give the target time to react.

At this moment, Si Ming missed Liu Qingqing terribly. If it were his childhood sweetheart, he could have gotten to the wanted criminal's side without anyone noticing.

"I must reduce the distance to within five meters so that I can use the Dunjia Heavenly Movement to pass through the crowd, even if it means taking a blow from him, to force him out of the crowd."

Si Ming was planning his operation when suddenly something strange happened!

"Come out! Don't think I didn't notice, you persistent Mohist Knight Guard, why won't you let me go!"

Ji Xun suddenly roared, speaking in a man's voice despite his woman's appearance, startling the fans nearby. These days, cross-dressing wasn't fashionable, and people quickly stepped back to make room.

When was I exposed?

As Si Ming was reflecting on his actions, he suddenly heard a loud shout from the crowd. A petite figure leaped into the air, soaring over the heads of the crowd and pouncing towards Ji Xun. She struck out with both palms, accompanied by leaping lightning, like a Law Technique Palm Thunder.

Ji Xun didn't dodge, but instead thrust out with both fists, a phantom of an angry lion appearing behind him. Their fists and palms collided, exploding with a deafening roar. Lightning crackled between them, and nearby tourists, unable to dodge in time, were struck by electric currents, their bodies paralyzed and their heads spiked like hedgehogs. Others were swept away by the residual force, their bones fractured and flying off. Screams and screams mingled together. Those in front desperately fled, while those behind, unaware of what was happening inside, stood frozen in place. Crowds collided, creating utter chaos.

Si Ming wanted to rush forward to grab the person, but the tourists in front were all running away, and a stampede could happen at any moment. If he rushed against the current, he was afraid he would knock people to the ground in a minute. So he could only transform into a pillar, stand in place, and use soft energy to gently deflect anyone who bumped into him, like a rock parting a river, so that neither party would be injured.

As he stood still, he looked closely and discovered that the person who attacked Ji Xun was actually Nie Wanzhi, a classmate. It seemed that she was also a part-time member of the Mohist Knight Guard. He wondered if she had just happened to come to the music festival and bumped into the wanted criminal, or if she had obtained the information from some other source like him.

Nie Wanzhi's Internal Cultivation had reached level nine, making her undoubtedly one of the best among her peers. However, she was still inferior to Ji Xun. In their first exchange, where he held nothing back, she let out a muffled groan and was already injured.

But she knew that retreating at this moment would give the enemy a chance to escape and would only hurt more innocent people. So she used the recoil to leap into the air, clapped her arms together, and the power of lightning danced between her palms, turning into clusters of light that exploded with crackling sounds, instantly boosting her momentum.

"Lightning Sweeps Through Autumn Rain!"

Lightning bolts rolled down, a breathtaking sight. Nie Wanzhi was giving it her all, determined to fight to the death. As long as she could severely injure her target, someone would naturally step forward to capture her. After all, with so many people present, it wouldn't be surprising to find one or two experts. Moreover, her Eight Forms of Overturning Thunder had a paralyzing effect, so even if she couldn't defeat them, she could at least temporarily disable them.

Unexpectedly, Ji Xun reached to his waist and pulled out a soft sword. He then spun around, the sword flashing like light, and slashed fiercely towards the sky. With a loud bang, rolling lightning collided with the domineering sword light, sparks flying everywhere, and the sound was deafening.

Nie Wanzhi was thrown back by the shockwave, her palms were cut, and there was a deep, bone-revealing knife wound on each palm. Ji Xun was not in good shape either. Affected by the lightning force, his hand holding the knife was almost scorched. However, he knew that his identity had been exposed and that once people calmed down and the panic subsided, he would have no way to escape. So he used the force to retreat and flipped onto the stage.

"What you up to?"

The keyboardist from the Heaven-Overturning Band stepped forward to stop Ji Xun, but before he could react, a flash of light appeared, and an arm flew off. Blood splattered from the severed arm, and excruciating pain surged through him, causing him to scream in agony.

"Ah..."

Ji Xun kicked the man away, then leaped towards the masked lead singer. The lead singer, who was also skilled in martial arts, first threw his instrument at Ji Xun, then flicked his fingers in rapid succession, shooting out bursts of finger energy.

But Ji Xun neither dodged nor evaded, and instead swung his sword, cleaving the oncoming musical instrument in two. Then, the sword energy erupted, surging like a tsunami, transforming into a giant wave that crashed forward, carrying with it waves of suffocating heat that extinguished all the finger energy.

With the intention of capturing the hostage, Ji Xun had no intention of harming anyone. He flipped the blade and used the back of the sword to strike the lead singer's shoulder, injuring him. He then reached out and seized the singer, placing the soft blade against the singer's neck, drawing a shallow line of blood, and loudly warned, "Anyone who dares to come closer, I'll kill her!"

Si Ming had already broken through the chaotic crowd and was about to pounce, stopped in his tracks and clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he couldn't very well do anything that disregarded the hostage's life, like saying, "I've killed the hostage, the prisoner should surrender now." In the past, he dared to do that when he was confident he could save the hostage, even at the cost of serious injury. But right now, this wanted criminal was extremely vigilant, nervous to the point of being neurotic, and quite skilled as well. Si Ming was genuinely afraid that he would be driven to a corner and fight to the death, because at this moment he recognized the lead singer's identity, and the two had met once before, so he couldn't afford to disregard safety.

"Get out of the way! Make way if you don't want the hostages to die, then step back."

Ji Xun roared at Si Ming, like a beast forced to the edge of a cliff.

"How can you guarantee that you'll release the hostages after we clear the way?"

You have no choice!

Ji Xun moved his knife in half a centimeter further, slicing open the lead singer's neck, and blood flowed down the blade.

Si Ming knew that the more he backed down at this point, the less likely he was to save the hostage's life. So he put on a ruthless expression and coldly said, "No, I have a choice! As long as you kill the hostage, I can kill you myself. Compared to that insignificant bit of reputation, your bounty is more important."

"Do you think I wouldn't dare?" Ji Xun shouted, sounding somewhat frantic.

"You're the one who thinks the other side wouldn't dare!" Si Ming retorted forcefully. "Come on, if you've got the guts, swing your knife. The moment you kill the hostage will be the moment I avenge her!"

He swung his arm, unleashing a fierce punch that sent half the stage flying, proving that he wasn't just bluffing, but truly confident in killing someone.

Ji Xun was caught in a dilemma. This was the first time he had encountered such a powerful Mohist Knight Guard. Holding the hostage, he was hesitant to act rashly—if the hostage died, he would lose the right to negotiate.

At this moment, Nie Wanzhi, dragging her injured body, jumped onto the stage. She recognized Si Ming and said, "What are you doing? Protecting the hostages is the priority. How can you disregard other people's lives just to complete a mission?"

"This girl really knows how to pick her time. She doesn't even consider the occasion when she speaks," Si Ming thought to himself, knowing he couldn't show weakness in front of Ji Xun at this moment. He immediately retorted, "You, who have harmed so many innocent people, have no right to talk to me like that."

Nie Wanzhi was taken aback, then lowered her head and said regretfully, "I had no choice... I didn't expect him to notice, so I had no choice but to take action, but at least no one has died yet."

Si Ming retorted, "Isn't this hostage still alive and well? We, the people of the martial world, must never bow to evil. Even if someone is sacrificed, we cannot be lenient, otherwise we will only embolden them."

"But... but what about the safety of the hostages..."

"Then let her pray for good fortune. People suffer misfortune every day in this world. Compared to those unlucky souls who die in accidents, at least she can die knowing the truth."