Ambush on a Snowy Night!

The snow fell harder and harder.

Qin Ming trudged through the snow with a basket on his back and his head lowered, his steps sinking to different depths. A thin layer of snow had settled on him, and his hair was soaking wet.

The bitter wind cut through the gaps in the padding of his old cotton coat, carrying away the little body heat he had left.

"Seventy-eight pigs: fifty big fat hogs and twenty-eight ordinary New Year pigs. That brought in 3,340 wen. Add the three taels of silver I already had, then subtract the 540 wen I spent on purchases yesterday, and that leaves 5,800 wen, or five taels and eight qian."

Qin Ming calculated silently. He was still four taels and two qian short of ten taels of silver. He wouldn't be able to pay it back, so when the time came, he would see if he could repay part of it first. If that really didn't work, he would have to take action.

Once my pig-slaying saber technique reaches Minor Mastery, I should be able to hold my own even if Scarface brings seven or eight men.

As he was thinking, a figure appeared dimly up ahead.

As the figure drew closer, his face became clearer.

Zheng Hu.

Qin Ming's expression changed slightly. He seemed to think of something and slowly turned around.

Behind him, two figures emerged from the wind and snow, one on either side.

Qin Ming recognized them.

They had both been there when he competed with Wang Butcher.

With all three appearing here at once, their purpose went without saying.

The night was dark, the wind high—a night for murder.

"Where's Wang Butcher? Why are there only three of you?"

Qin Ming put down his basket and drew the pig-slaying saber at his waist.

None of the three tried to stop him. A trace of mockery played on their lips, as if they were cats toying with a mouse.

"Kid Qin, stop struggling. You slaughtered thirty pigs today and ate only two buns. I'm afraid you're already so exhausted you can barely lift your arms."

A cold sneer curled Zheng Hu's lips.

"You were following me?"

Qin Ming tightened his grip on the pig-slaying saber.

The wind rose, and snow whirled.

An inexplicable, bone-piercing cold burrowed into the gaps between his bones, and Qin Ming's muscles tensed involuntarily.

The snow fell even harder.

It was falling so heavily that Qin Ming could barely make out the three men.

"Wang Butcher, get out here!"

Qin Ming roared. Wang Butcher hated him to the bone, and he didn't believe the man wouldn't come.

"Save your breath. He didn't come. There are only three of us."

Li Li spoke calmly as he drew the bone cleaver from behind his back.

With slight movements of his five fingers, he spun the bone cleaver around his fingertips and palm, its blade flashing coldly in the snowy night.

"We don't need that many people to deal with a little brat."

"Kid, you've got no one to blame but yourself for breaking the rules first. Don't blame us when you reach the Yellow Springs."

Meng Song was fat. Gripping a sharp meat-cutting knife, he stared at Qin Ming with a lecherous gleam in his eyes and gave a strange laugh. "Little bastard, I hear the wife you just married is a beauty. Once I've killed you, I'll go have a taste of her tonight."

"You're courting death!!"

Qin Ming's gaze turned icy in an instant.

A dragon had a reverse scale; touch it, and death was certain!

His reverse scale was Embroiderer!

Qin Ming forcibly suppressed his anger and didn't attack impulsively. Zheng Hu was right: after slaughtering pigs all day, he had little strength left. If he attacked rashly and exhausted himself, death would be the only road waiting for him!

"Kid, I didn't expect you to be so good at holding back."

Meng Song bared his teeth in a cold grin.

He had meant to provoke Qin Ming into attacking first, then look for a chance to kill him in a single blow.

The saber technique Qin Ming had used to slaughter pigs was still fresh in his memory. That was also why the three men hadn't attacked immediately.

They all feared Qin Ming's pig-slaying saber technique, and none was willing to lead the charge and test him. If Qin Ming had only enough strength for one blow, the first to attack would surely die.

Qin Ming quickly saw what they were thinking.

An opportunity!

A plan swiftly formed in Qin Ming's mind.

If the three attacked together, he had no confidence he could kill them all at once, even with the pig-slaying saber in hand. But now they were wary and each fighting for himself, giving him an opportunity instead!

"How dare you insult my wife! I'll kill you first!"

Qin Ming suddenly roared and turned to face Meng Song, making as if to charge. But his right foot kicked hard at the snow behind him. Snowflakes flew into the air, and Qin Ming spun around like a top, pig-slaying saber in hand, charging out amid the swirling snow.

Only now, his target was Zheng Hu!

The three had surrounded him in a triangle.

The boning knife in Li Li's hand was spinning so fast it was almost a blur. Clearly, he was no easy opponent.

Of Zheng Hu and Meng Song, Qin Ming had to kill one first to break out of the predicament more quickly!

Which one?

Zheng Hu!

Hearing Qin Ming's furious roar, Zheng Hu instinctively thought he was going to fight Meng Song to the death. But when the snow flew up, he caught a glimpse of a figure rapidly closing in on him through the blur.

"This is bad!!"

Zheng Hu's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly retreated.

But in his haste, he still failed to get out of the way. A slash cut across his abdomen, slicing through his cotton coat as if it were made of paper. His intestines and internal organs spilled onto the ground.

The pig-slaying saber in Qin Ming's hand had been passed down for more than a dozen generations. Qin Ming sharpened it every morning and evening; it was so sharp that even a big, fat, well-fed hog raised for years couldn't withstand a single slash.

"You little beast... you... you're so despicable!"

Zheng Hu's face went deathly pale. Those were his last words before he fell into the snow, his eyes fixed on Qin Ming in a stare that wouldn't close in death.

"Brother Zheng!"

"Little Zheng!"

Meng Song's and Li Li's expressions changed again and again. Chills ran down their backs, and the blood in their bodies seemed to freeze solid.

Fast!

Too fast!

With just one slash, a living man was gone!

Qin Ming knelt in the snow, the hand gripping his pig-slaying saber stained red with blood.

He had killed someone!

He had killed a man!

Since transmigrating, he had slaughtered quite a few pigs, but this was his first time killing a person. In his previous life, this would have been a capital crime!

Qin Ming's mind went blank, and his breathing grew much faster. The sight of Zheng Hu dying with his eyes open flashed through his mind again and again.

Just then, a panel rapidly appeared before his eyes.

[Heaven rewards diligence; a hundred refinements forge steel]

[Host: Qin Ming]

[Life-Bound Martial Art: Pig-Slaying Saber Technique (1/500), Minor Mastery]

[Realm: none]

[Pig-Slaying Saber Technique bonus: attack speed increased by 20% while wielding a pig-slaying saber]

At the same time, a warm current surged from his dantian and flowed throughout Qin Ming's body. All his exhaustion vanished, replaced by a much stronger power!

Qin Ming slowly clenched his fist and felt that his strength had increased by another large measure.

"Does killing one person add five points?"

Qin Ming hadn't expected that what helped him break through would be a human life, rather than those last two New Year pigs!

"He's exhausted! Attack together and kill him!"

Looking at Qin Ming with his head lowered, Li Li let out a low growl.

He gripped his boning knife in reverse and strode toward the kneeling Qin Ming, stabbing fiercely at his chest.

Meng Song gritted his teeth, tightened his grip on his meat knife, and sprinted forward several steps before chopping straight down at Qin Ming's head.

The two men's blades had been sharpened day and night and were exceptionally sharp. A single hit would mean death or crippling injury!

Seeing no reaction from Qin Ming, the two thought they had him. Just as they breathed a quiet sigh of relief, Qin Ming abruptly leaned backward and struck swiftly with his pig-slaying saber. Two consecutive slashes flashed before their eyes like lightning.

"This is bad!"

Their bodies went rigid. Looking down, they saw that both their abdomens had been sliced open by Qin Ming's saber. Their organs, still giving off wisps of white steam, spilled onto the ground.

"So... so fast."

The boning knife slowly slipped from Li Li's hand and fell into the snow.

"Thud! Thud!"

The two men fell into the snow and never rose again.

Qin Ming followed their motion and lay down as well.

A quarter of an hour, half a shichen, one shichen...

Qin Ming didn't move.

He was waiting.

If Wang Butcher had followed them here, his greedy nature would surely make him unable to resist coming forward to loot the corpses. Qin Ming had several taels of silver on him, and Zheng Hu and the other two surely had plenty of valuables as well.

He wasn't sure whether Wang Butcher was there, but he knew the man must know about this. If Wang Butcher told the authorities, he would be in trouble.

He had killed three people in succession. If it came to light, that was a capital crime! With his current strength, he still couldn't stand against the authorities, so the best solution was to kill everyone who knew!

Nearly another half a shichen passed. Just as Qin Ming began to wonder whether he had been worrying too much, a sneaky figure gradually approached.