Greed

The battle was over.

Yet no one left.

Instead, they felt that their chance had finally arrived.

Though they did not know why Zhao Jinzhi had taken only the Blood Ginseng Grass, the youth had indeed been injured by Zhao Jinzhi.

He had been valiant before, but now blood spilled from his mouth, his face utterly drained of color, looking as though he would not live much longer.

Chen Yuan would never let such a good opportunity slip away.

Seeing the youth dig up the blood ginseng and prepare to leave, he hurriedly led the Moon Wolf Gang members to block the youth's path. Smugly, he said, "Boy, that blood ginseng is not something you can lay your hands on. I advise you to hand it over. Perhaps, in a moment of mercy, I might even spare your life."

Suddenly.

A gang member behind him leaned close to Chen Yuan's ear and whispered something. The glance he cast at Lu Zhaojin carried fear, as though he were looking at some terrifying beast.

After hearing him out, Chen Yuan's expression changed slightly. His gaze at Lu Zhaojin brimmed with savage malice as he snarled, "So it was you who killed the two leaders of my Moon Wolf Gang. Now that you have fallen into my hands, I will surely cut off your limbs and head to offer sacrifice to the spirits of my two uncles in heaven."

Hearing this, Lu Zhaojin thought, No wonder their clothes seemed so familiar. They're from the Moon Wolf Gang.

Speaking of his grudge with the Moon Wolf Gang, it had begun when he and Zhang Mang went to the ruined temple and discovered that the Moon Wolf Gang intended to kill Zhao Nuanyu. Later, Mu Kui had attacked him without a word, forcing him to kill in return.

After that, Zhao Huaishui had used Mu Zhuo to come and make trouble for him, seeking revenge for Mu Kui. Mu Zhuo had struck with killing moves from the very start... and then died by his hand.

They were already enemies anyway. Killing one more made no difference.

Lu Zhaojin's injuries were indeed severe, but not severe enough that he could not lift a sword.

Besides, he had feigned that appearance just now. He wanted to see whether anyone truly could not restrain their greed and would try to rob a burning house.

He had only a pitiful forty-nine experience points left.

Lu Zhaojin looked at the richly dressed youth before him and raised the blood ginseng in his hand. "If you want it, come take it."

He tossed the blood ginseng into the air.

Chen Yuan's expression changed drastically. He ordered the gang members to seize Lu Zhaojin. "Don't let him escape!"

Then he sprang up and reached for the blood ginseng.

Yet someone was faster. With one kick, that person knocked Chen Yuan's hand away, seized the blood ginseng, and laughed triumphantly. "Such a treasure naturally belongs to the capable. Could it be that Young Master Chen does not even understand such a simple principle?"

Chen Yuan's right hand burned with pain. Seeing that the other party knew who he was, he said coldly, "Since you know my identity, you should return the blood ginseng to me. Otherwise, you will become an enemy of my Moon Wolf Gang."

Brimming with killing intent, he said, "My father will leave seclusion before long. When that time comes, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you still will not live."

The name of the Howling Moon Wolf did indeed intimidate this person, but the blood ginseng was precious. It might allow him to reach the Seventh Rank in the future, and then perhaps he could contend with the Howling Moon Wolf.

But he had not been smug for long.

A flash of saber light swept past, severing the right hand holding the blood ginseng.

The blood ginseng changed hands once more.

That person clutched his severed wrist and howled in agony.

The crowd nearly swarmed forward as one, their eyes holding only the blood ginseng, and broke into a chaotic melee.

Chen Yuan was furious beyond measure. He joined the fray, determined to seize the blood ginseng.

Some people also noticed something amiss. Rather than join the battle, they chose to leave.

Those gang members were weak and no match for Lu Zhaojin at all. Every one of them was cut down with a single sword strike.

Experience gained for killing a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist: +50

Experience gained for killing an Unranked Martial Artist: +5

Experience gained for killing a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist: +50

...

Experience: 269

Lu Zhaojin caught the blood ginseng as it fell from the sky. He had not expected it to return to him.

Amid that chaotic battle, someone had kicked the blood ginseng away, and it had happened to land in his hand.

Then he saw the people, their eyes red with bloodlust, all charging at him.

Lu Zhaojin showed no mercy either. Whoever came, he killed.

Experience gained for killing an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist: +500

Experience gained for killing a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist: +50

Experience gained for killing an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist: +500

...

Experience: 2569

Only after turning the area into a river of blood did he stop.

Because there was no one left nearby to kill.

The only one still standing was Chen Yuan.

He stared at Lu Zhaojin, who was like a god of slaughter, in terror. "You... you weren't injured!"

Lu Zhaojin did not waste words with him. One sword stroke took his head.

Experience gained for killing an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist: +500

Experience: 3069

He stepped over the corpses, found the unconscious Niu Hang, and slapped him awake.

Niu Hang opened his eyes groggily. The first thing he saw was a face stained with blood, followed by the sight of corpses strewn everywhere behind it. The sight gave him such a fright that he cried, "Ah! Don't kill me!"

Lu Zhaojin patted his face. "Wake up."

Niu Hang gradually came to his senses. The blood stench hanging in the air made him feel slightly ill, and he wanted to vomit. "Wh... what happened to them?"

Lu Zhaojin said calmly, "A snake trying to swallow an elephant through greed."

Only then did Niu Hang notice the blood ginseng in Lu Zhaojin's hand. Recalling what Lu Zhaojin had said earlier, he understood that all these people had been killed by him.

Though the honest, straightforward man found it somewhat cruel, this was the martial world. If one was not strong enough, then holding the blood ginseng in Lu Zhaojin's hands was like possessing a jade ring and inviting disaster. Perhaps he would have been the one to die instead.

So Niu Hang said nothing more.

Lu Zhaojin broke off a section of ginseng rootlet and handed it to Niu Hang. "Thank you for stepping in out of loyalty. This is for you."

Niu Hang remembered being casually kicked away by Zhao Jinzhi. His face filled with shame. Rather than take the rootlet, he pushed it back. "I cannot accept it, I cannot."

Lu Zhaojin tucked the rootlet into Niu Hang's collar, gave it a pat, said nothing more, and rose to leave.

He needed to find a safe place to treat his injuries and take the blood ginseng, to see how effective it was.

His experience points had also broken through the three-thousand mark. It was time to raise the Flowing Water Art to great mastery.

Niu Hang took out the rootlet and stared at it for a long while. Then he looked at Lu Zhaojin's receding figure. After hesitating for a moment, he picked up the Xuanhua Great Axe and hurried after him. "Young hero, wait for me!"

Lu Zhaojin stopped and looked back at him, wondering what he wanted.

Niu Hang said with great solemnity, "Thank you, young hero, for the grace of granting me medicine. Great kindness needs no words of thanks. In the future, if there is anything you need from me, Niu Hang, simply give the order. Even if I must climb mountains of blades and plunge into seas of fire, I will not refuse."

Lu Zhaojin replied, "Brother Niu, you give me too much credit."

Niu Hang shook his head and did not explain further. He clasped his hands in salute. "I believe Mount Qi cannot hold a young hero like you. Your name will surely resound throughout the martial world. If you leave Mount Qi someday and pass through Luoshui Commandery, come find me in Luoshui City."

Lu Zhaojin nodded, indicating that he would remember.

Niu Hang left, fully satisfied.

Not long after the two of them departed, the people who had left earlier secretly returned.

They wanted to see how that chaotic battle had ended.

But when they arrived, the pungent stench of blood made them vomit without end. Especially when they saw the terrible sight of corpses lying everywhere, they were horrified beyond measure.

Someone cried out, "That man is truly terrifying. He kills people like cutting hemp. If we see him in the future, we had best take a detour."

Others said resentfully, "That man is utterly addicted to killing. He killed so many people, including the son of Gang Leader Chen Kang. Let us see how he cleans up this mess."

But most people secretly felt fortunate. Had they not kept an extra eye open and refrained from snatching it, perhaps one of the corpses lying there would have been their own.