The Stick and the Honey Date

The only plan now was to flee this place as quickly as possible. Only then would there be a sliver of hope for survival.

But after turning the thought over, Qin Yang gritted his teeth and dismissed it himself.

The reason he had followed them here directly earlier was not merely because he wanted to confirm a few things. More importantly, he had seen clearly that Steward Qiu was not only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but not one who had just advanced either. He was at least at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and spiritual power overflowed from his body. He had no fewer than four fine Magical Artifacts on him.

More importantly, Steward Qiu's attitude was not arrogance, but indifference—the sort of cold apathy that would not care in the slightest even if he crushed Qin Yang to death on the spot. Qin Yang knew full well that if they had openly fallen out back then, it would have meant meeting force with force. He was only at the sixth layer of Qi Nourishing; his end would definitely not have been pleasant...

When he had first arrived here last year, starving until his vision went dark, he had earned rations by carrying corpses. Qin Yang would not knowingly throw his life away by butting heads with someone he could not defeat over something so minor.

But now, upon seeing the Map Fragments hidden within these tattoos, Qin Yang knew the trouble was truly enormous.

Thinking of the people guarding the place outside, even the Servants were at the sixth layer of Qi Nourishing or above. Recalling those he had seen on the way in, there were already two Foundation Establishment cultivators, not to mention the power of Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce. The pressure instantly grew so great it left him breathless.

This was not a society governed by law. The corpses of the Three Mountains Gang were still laid out before his eyes in glaring display...

While Qin Yang's mind raced as he continuously considered ways out, a howl from beside him abruptly shattered his thoughts...

"I found something!" Pockmarked Face howled at the top of his lungs. He looked as though he had been injected with chicken blood, and even his voice had gone shrill...

Less than two breaths after that dry howl, a servant walked in from outside and casually asked, sounding somewhat listless.

"What did you find?"

"Look here. The tattoo of this cluster of buildings, and the tattoo on this man's arm—don't they connect perfectly? This tattoo must have been added recently. The tattooist was skilled, so most people would not be able to tell, but after the corpse had sat for a night, the difference between the new tattoo and the old ones could be faintly seen. I deal with corpses—I definitely won't be mistaken!" Pockmarked Face spoke as if his mouth had come loose, rattling off a whole stream of words...

"Hm? Wait here." The servant's eyes instantly turned sharp. A moment ago he had looked half-dead and listless, but with a jolt, he came completely alive...

The servant rushed out. Pockmarked Face bared his teeth, his grin nearly reaching his ears, and excitedly slapped Qin Yang on the shoulder. "Kid, don't worry. If this proves useful, I'll get the foremost credit, but I won't forget your share either. You don't need to pay me the hundred Spirit Stones you promised before. Consider it my reward to you. No need to thank me! Happy, happy, hahaha..."

"Hehe..." Qin Yang bared his teeth and gave a dry laugh. Thanks. Thanks to your whole family. I want nothing more than to strangle you to death right now!

He had not even figured out how to get away unscathed, and now this bastard had stirred things up so thoroughly that there was no need to think about it anymore...

If Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce doesn't seize control of everyone here and post guards over them, I'll twist off my own head and let you use it as a chamber pot! Before long, Steward Qiu of Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce indeed entered from outside.

Pockmarked Face sidled up with a fawning expression, bent at the waist, and in just a few sentences explained his discovery.

A sharp glint flashed through Steward Qiu's eyes, and a trace of joy flickered across his face before vanishing. He no longer minded that the severed limbs and mangled remains looked bloody. Extending a fair hand, he lightly brushed across the tattoo, his whole body trembling faintly...

Finally found it. Those bastards from the Three Mountains Gang—no wonder they destroyed the map. It was to prevent any one person from obtaining the complete map. After cutting the map apart, they turned it into tattoos and inked them onto different people. Those mud-legged rabble were ruthless enough. Knowing they would not survive, they bit down hard and insisted the map had been destroyed, refusing to mention the tattoos...

These corpse-handling mudlegs are somewhat useful after all. They actually discovered this. I just wonder whether the map can be pieced back together completely...

Steward Qiu swept his gaze over the severed limbs and remains, looking somewhat troubled. No wonder those fellows from the Three Mountains Gang had watched their companions die miserably yesterday and only kept their mouths tighter. They had long decided that death was inevitable and meant to carry the secret into their graves. Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce had suffered even greater losses...

"You did well. This is very valuable." Steward Qiu revealed a faint smile and patted Pockmarked Face on the shoulder. "I can make the decision to increase your reward tenfold. Everyone else's rewards will be doubled. Piece this thing together for me now. Once you assemble the entire map, I'll double it once more on top of that!"

"Y-You can rest assured, Steward Qiu. This is what we're best at. We definitely won't let you down!" Pockmarked Face jolted, feeling as though he might float away. Doubled again on top of the current amount—would that not make his reward twenty times greater? A business deal worth over ten thousand First Grade Spirit Stones! He might not be able to save up that much even in ten years! At once, even the Corpse Collectors behind him, who had been green with envy and resentment, stared at the pile of corpses with shining eyes, waiting to rush forward.

"However..." A cold smile curled at Steward Qiu's lips as he swept his gaze around. "To be frank with you, once assembled, these things form a map. Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce values it greatly. As for you people, I do not trust you."

As soon as the words fell, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from Steward Qiu's body. With a fierce suppression, it crashed down upon the crowd.

All dozen-plus people shuddered, their bodies freezing as though a mountain had been placed upon them...

A Foundation Establishment Late Stage powerhouse! With a glance, Steward Qiu casually tossed out his hand. More than a dozen silver snakes shot forth, each wrapping around someone's neck. Then their heads and tails locked together with a crack, turning into silver rings that clamped tightly around every neck.

"This thing is called the Tricky Ring, a little toy crafted by a master of mechanisms. The moment it senses the power of True Essence at close range, it will explode with a bang. Only its single matching key can open it. And every day, it will shrink a little. For ordinary people, it will strangle them to death alive within a week."

Seeing the crowd below him turn pale with terror, their bodies shaking like sieves, Steward Qiu nodded in satisfaction and smiled again.

"This thing is too important, so precautions are necessary. After all, there were problems before. But as long as you complete the task, your rewards will be doubled again. Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce will not mistreat those who faithfully work for us."

This was a warning. With the Tricky Rings on them, even if they escaped today, they would surely die. Their only path to survival was to work properly here, and they could even make a fortune instead.

A blow from the stick, followed by a honey date—the trick worked exceedingly well...

"Rest assured, Steward Qiu. We absolutely have no other intentions!"

"We will definitely complete the task properly!"

"I wouldn't dare, absolutely wouldn't dare! Rest assured, Steward Qiu..."

The Corpse Collectors hurriedly declared their loyalty, trembling one after another. They had clearly been frightened badly, but when they thought of what had happened before, then of the Spirit Stones, their eyes shone even more brightly. They could hardly wait to piece the map together at once.

Steward Qiu left in satisfaction. No one remained to watch the Corpse Collectors work, as though they were completely at ease...

The group anxiously began carrying out their task, but Qin Yang secretly smiled bitterly. The gap in strength was truly immense; he had no ability to resist at all.

And these fools—did they really think that after being told such a secret, they could still happily take the money and walk away alive? He had to escape tonight, or there would never be another chance.

Touching the Tricky Ring around his neck, Qin Yang swept his gaze over the corpses piled together on the ground, and an idea suddenly emerged in his mind...