Stick and Honey Date

The only option now was to flee this place immediately—that was the only sliver of a chance to survive.

But as the thought crossed his mind, Qin Yang couldn't help gritting his teeth and rejecting it himself.

The reason he'd followed along so readily earlier wasn't just to confirm a few things; more importantly, he'd seen clearly that Steward Qiu wasn't just a Foundation Establishment cultivator—he wasn't a freshly advanced one either, at least Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and the spiritual energy radiating from him suggested he had no fewer than four high-grade Magical Artifacts on his person.

What's more, Steward Qiu's attitude wasn't arrogance—it was indifference, the kind of casual disregard where even stepping on Qin Yang like an ant wouldn't warrant a second thought. Qin Yang knew in his heart that if he'd openly clashed back then, going head-to-head, with himself only at Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, the outcome wouldn't have been pretty...

When he'd first arrived here last year, starving until his vision went dark, he'd survived by hauling corpses for a meal. Qin Yang wasn't about to throw his life away over something like this, knowing he couldn't win and still charging in to die.

But now, seeing the Map Fragment hidden within these tattoos, Qin Yang understood—this was serious trouble.

Thinking about the people guarding outside, even the Servants were at Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer or above. Recalling everyone he'd seen on the way in, he'd spotted two at Foundation Establishment, and with the backing of Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce, the pressure suddenly became suffocating.

This wasn't a law-abiding society—the corpses of the Three Mountains Gang members were still lying right there in plain sight...

As Qin Yang's mind raced, desperately searching for an escape route, a sudden howl beside him cut off his thoughts...

"I found it!" Pockmarked Face let out a screech, his whole body jolting like he'd been injected with stimulant, his voice cracking with excitement...

That dry howl hadn't even lasted two breaths before a Servant walked in from the door, looking listless as he asked casually.

"Found what?"

"Look here, the tattoo of this building cluster, and the tattoo on this guy's arm—don't they line up perfectly with this building cluster tattoo? This tattoo was definitely done recently. The artist's skill is decent, hard to spot normally, but after the corpse sat overnight, the difference between the fresh ink and the old tattoos becomes a little visible. I've been dealing with corpses my whole life—I never miss a thing!" Pockmarked Face rattled off a torrent of words like a broken dam...

"Huh? Wait here." The Servant's eyes sharpened instantly. A moment ago he'd been half-dead with lethargy, but now he snapped to life like he'd been shocked...

The Servant dashed out. Pockmarked Face grinned, his mouth stretching nearly to his ears, slapping Qin Yang's shoulder in excitement: "Kid, don't worry. If this turns out useful, I get the credit, but I won't forget your cut. That hundred spirit stones I promised you earlier? Forget it—consider it a tip from me. No need to thank me! I'm happy, so happy, hahaha..."

"Heh..." Qin Yang bared his teeth in a dry laugh. Thanks, I guess. Thanks a lot, your whole family. I'd love to strangle you right now!

He hadn't even figured out how to get out cleanly yet, and now this bastard had stirred things up—no need to think anymore...

Once Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce's people get here, if they don't lock everyone down and post guards, I'll twist my own head off and hand it to you as a chamber pot! Soon enough, Steward Qiu of Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce strode in from outside.

Pockmarked Face, all sycophantic smiles and bent back, sidled up and laid out his discovery in a few quick sentences.

A glint of sharp light flashed in Steward Qiu's eyes, a flicker of joy passing across his face. He didn't even mind the gory mess of severed limbs anymore, reaching out with a pale hand to gently brush over the tattoo, his whole body trembling faintly...

Finally found it. Those bastards from the Three Mountains Gang—no wonder they destroyed the map. To keep anyone from getting the complete version, they'd chopped it up and turned the pieces into tattoos on different people. Those lowlifes were ruthless enough, knowing they wouldn't survive, so they clamped their mouths shut about the map and never breathed a word about the tattoos...

These corpse-collecting lowlifes actually came in handy, managing to spot this. The question is whether the map can be pieced together completely...

Steward Qiu swept his gaze over the scattered remains, a hint of worry creeping in. No wonder those Three Mountains Gang members yesterday, watching their comrades die horribly, only tightened their lips further. They'd already planned it—they were doomed anyway, and they'd take the secret to their graves. Our Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce took the bigger loss...

"Well done. This is valuable." Steward Qiu cracked a smile and patted Pockmarked Face's shoulder. "I'll authorize it—your reward gets multiplied by ten. Everyone else, double. Now, you lot piece this thing together. If you manage a full map, I'll double it again on top of that!"

"You... rest assured, Steward Qiu, this is our specialty. We won't let you down!" Pockmarked Face shuddered, practically floating on air. Double on top of the current rate? That'd be twenty times the original reward! A deal worth over ten thousand First Grade Spirit Stones—he couldn't save that much in ten years! Now even the other Corpse Collectors, who'd been eyeing him with envy and resentment, were staring at the pile of corpses with gleaming eyes, ready to pounce.

"However." Steward Qiu's lips curled into a cold smirk as he scanned the crowd. "I won't hide it from you—these pieces form a map that Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce values greatly. As for you lot, I don't trust you."

The moment the words left his mouth, a fierce aura erupted from Steward Qiu, crashing down on the group like a hammer.

All dozen or so people shuddered, their bodies stiffening as if a mountain had been dropped on them...

A Foundation Establishment Late Stage powerhouse! Steward Qiu swept his gaze over them, then casually tossed something—a dozen silver serpents flew out, each coiling around someone's neck, locking end to end with a sharp click, solidifying into silver rings that clamped tight around everyone's throats.

"This thing is called a Tricky Ring, a little trinket crafted by a mechanism master. If it senses True Essence energy up close, it'll go bang and explode. Only the single matching key can open it. And it shrinks a little every day—for ordinary people, a week is all it takes to get strangled to death."

Steward Qiu watched the crowd below, their faces pale with terror, trembling like sieves, and nodded in satisfaction, another smile spreading across his face.

"This item is too important—I have to take precautions, given the problems before. But if you complete the task, your reward will double again. Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce doesn't shortchange those who serve us faithfully."

This was a warning. With the Tricky Ring on them, even if they escaped today, they were dead men walking. Their only way out was to work hard here—and they'd come out with a fortune.

A stick and a carrot—this trick worked like a charm...

"Steward Qiu, rest assured, we have no second thoughts!"

"We'll absolutely finish the task!"

"We wouldn't dare, never, Steward Qiu, rest assured..."

The Corpse Collectors scrambled to pledge their loyalty, shivering and stammering, clearly terrified. But remembering the earlier promise and the spirit stones, most of them had eyes shining with greed, itching to piece the map together immediately.

Steward Qiu left, satisfied. No one stayed to watch the Corpse Collectors work, as if he were completely at ease...

The group rushed frantically to start their task, while Qin Yang smiled bitterly to himself. The gap in strength was truly immense—he had no power to resist at all.

And these fools—did they really think that after being told this secret, they'd walk away happy with their money and live? He had to escape tonight, or he'd never get another chance.

Fingering the Tricky Ring around his neck, Qin Yang glanced at the pile of corpses stacked on the ground, and a sudden idea sparked in his mind...