Shadowless (I)

That old bastard went to report to the King of Hell, his eyes filled with fear and unwillingness.

Zhou Yao had ignored the old bastard completely from start to finish, but while he had ignored the man, he was very interested in what the old bastard had on him.

Zhou Yao searched the old bastard and found two thousand taels in silver notes and more than a hundred taels in loose silver. He smiled happily, then put it all into his ring.

As for the other things, such as his waist token and sword, Zhou Yao put every last one of them into the ring too.

Finally, Zhou Yao sprinkled a little medicinal powder on the old bastard. His corpse slowly began to rot, and then everything, including his clothes and shoes, dissolved into a pool of water. Apart from a foul stench, nothing was left behind.

Zhou Yao knew how to destroy a corpse and wipe away the traces. He did it so well that no one could make out the slightest trace, and even if someone turned the entire world upside down, they would not be able to find the man.

After Zhou Yao finished everything, he headed home. Once he had left, a dark figure emerged from the darkness and looked in the direction he had gone, utterly shaken and shocked.

It was not as though she had never seen Zhou Yao before. After all these years, she knew perfectly well what kind of person he was. Was he really the same person she had been watching all this time?

"Who exactly are you?"

The voice that suddenly rang out startled the man. She had not even noticed anyone appearing behind her.

When this person saw that Zhou Yao had suddenly appeared behind her without a sound, she instantly felt her blood run cold, yet her heart was leaping with joy.

She recovered and hurriedly said, "I mean you no harm. I'm the one who has been protecting you from the shadows all along."

"You say you're the one who's been protecting me from the shadows all along? Then tell me, why have you been protecting me in secret? Who am I to you, that I'm worth protecting all this time?"

"I... I... I can't tell you that for now. You only need to know that I mean you no harm."

"As the saying goes, one must not harbor the heart to harm others, but one must never be without the heart to guard against them. You expect me to believe you on your word alone? Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

"Please, you have to believe me. I really am here to protect you, not hurt you."

"I only believe that in this world, only the words of the dead are true, because once people are dead, they can't speak to deceive anyone."

As soon as Zhou Yao finished speaking, he suddenly charged at her with breathtaking speed. Her reaction was not slow either, but compared to Zhou Yao, she was still far behind.

Zhou Yao did not severely injure or kill her outright with a single blow. Instead, he sealed her acupoints. He intended to interrogate her slowly and make her spill every last scrap of information she had in her belly.

But when Zhou Yao sealed the acupoints on her chest, something felt a little off, because her chest was soft.

So Zhou Yao used his dragon claw hand to give her chest a squeeze. "Damn..." She was actually a woman, and judging by his touch, her assets were quite sizable too. They felt pretty good, though.

Zhou Yao's sudden, outrageous move made her entire face flush crimson. She said, "You... you..." then hung her head and fell silent.

Zhou Yao, however, turned the tables and said, "You're actually a woman. Instead of being a proper woman, you dressed up as a man. Your intentions really are sinister. Tell me honestly what you're after."

Hearing Zhou Yao's words, the woman was both angry and amused. He had taken advantage of her, yet this brat was acting innocent after getting the better end of the deal.

Zhou Yao continued, "Don't think that just because you're a woman, I wouldn't dare use a ruthless hand to crush a flower. I have plenty of methods! Tell me everything about yourself, or I'll put those methods to use on you right now."

When the woman heard him out and saw a trace of ruthlessness in his eyes, she knew that the Zhou Yao before her was not joking. Remembering what had happened to that man just now, she felt every hair on her body stand on end, and deep apprehension and fear filled her.

I protected him for so many years, yet I never noticed that the man before me, Zhou Yao, was so formidable and so meticulous. Most, most, most importantly, his martial arts are so powerful. This really is... But this also allowed the woman to see new hope.

Seeing that the woman did not react or answer him, Zhou Yao decided to teach her a small lesson first, then slowly pry her mouth open and learn everything he wanted to know. Zhou Yao was absolutely confident, and he had countless ways to make her submit and confess.

Just as Zhou Yao was about to act against her, the woman suddenly spoke. "Heir, wait. This subordinate has something to say."

Zhou Yao was shocked by her words. What? This woman called me "heir"? Damn... Doesn't that mean I'm the son of one of the Great Zhou State's princes?