Brocade

Chapter 28: Brocade

The martial folk of Luoxia City found the youth unfamiliar. They had never seen him in Luoxia City before; he was likely from elsewhere.

Those Jianghu folk without any backing did not know the youth's background and merely watched the show from the sidelines.

The young people from great sects, major schools, aristocratic families, and powerful clans were not in a hurry to act either, choosing to watch how things unfolded.

Lin Qicheng was precisely the sort who could not sit still. Besides, the Lin Family was an overlord-level presence in Luoxia City. Who would dare refuse to give Lin Qicheng face?

In the end, the five thousand taels had been the price he called.

He had thought it was in the bag, never expecting someone to dare raise the bid.

A private room on the second floor.

It was a VIP seat specially arranged by the Brocade Merchant Guild.

Lin Qicheng wore an extravagant long robe that shimmered brilliantly under the dim lights. Yet his features were somewhat gloomy, lacking the air of a graceful young gentleman.

He rose from his chair and walked to the railing, looking down at the crowd below. His gaze found the youth who had called out five thousand five hundred taels.

His eyes narrowed slightly, a fierce gleam flashing through them. The corners of his lips curled into a faint smile. "May I know where this brother comes from?"

Lu Zhaojin met his gaze. The hidden meaning in the other man's eyes did not escape him. "Mount Qi."

A commotion broke out.

Whispers rose without end.

Everyone was surprised that the youth had come from Mount Qi.

At the same time, they pitied him for encountering the ruthless Lin Qicheng the moment he left Mount Qi.

Lin Qicheng chuckled. "So you are an ignorant hillbilly from Mount Qi. No wonder you do not understand the rules of Luoxia City."

He pointed at Cold Edge Sword on the platform. "This sword belongs to me."

Then he pointed at Lu Zhaojin. "But you will pay for it. Perhaps then I may spare your life."

Lu Zhaojin felt this man had already stepped onto the path of death, but he first had to get Cold Edge Sword into his hands.

Thus, he did not respond to Lin Qicheng. Instead, he looked at the middle-aged woman on the platform. "Five thousand five hundred taels."

This counted as the second bid.

If no one raised the price afterward, Cold Edge Sword would be his.

Hearing Lu Zhaojin bid again and seeing him ignore him, Lin Qicheng's face turned livid. His cheeks burned as though someone had slapped him. "Elder Gou, kill him for me!"

Elder Gou behind him hesitated slightly. It was not because he saw how formidable Lu Zhaojin was, but because this was the Brocade Merchant Guild. Killing someone here would break the Guild's rules.

When Lin Qicheng saw Elder Gou hesitate, his expression darkened further. Just as he was about to act himself, the middle-aged woman on the platform spoke to stop him. "Is the Lin Family planning to kill someone here? Do you not take the rules of my Brocade Merchant Guild seriously?"

Lin Qicheng's expression shifted between light and dark, but he obediently withdrew the foot he had planted on the railing. It was unclear whether he feared the Brocade Merchant Guild or that middle-aged woman.

Lin Qicheng lost interest. With a sweep of his sleeve, he turned away in resentment. "Let's go!"

At that moment, Lu Zhaojin made his third bid. "Five thousand five hundred taels."

The sound was grating.

The ferocity in Lin Qicheng's eyes deepened, and a cruel smile appeared on his face.

Lu Zhaojin only wanted Cold Edge Sword and had no interest in the later auction items, so he left the Brocade Merchant Guild as soon as he obtained it.

On his way back to the inn, Lin Qicheng blocked his path.

Lin Qicheng was in the middle stage of the Eighth-Rank Martial Artist realm, so naturally he could not see through Lu Zhaojin's cultivation.

Elder Gou, however, was at the initial stage of the Seventh-Rank Martial Artist realm. Knowing that Lu Zhaojin came from Mount Qi, he saw no need to investigate further.

Mount Qi was an exceedingly barren place, with barely any cultivation techniques left there. How high could the cultivation of a hillbilly possibly be?

Lin Qicheng extended his right hand and sneered. "Hand over Cold Edge Sword."

Lu Zhaojin glanced at him and unwrapped the strips of cloth around Cold Edge Sword, revealing its wholly dark-blue blade. Its gemstone-like luster made it impossible to look away.

Lin Qicheng was not a swordsman, but he had fallen in love with Cold Edge Sword at first sight. That was why he wanted to buy it back; even if he did not use it, he could still keep it as a collectible.

Seeing Lu Zhaojin reveal Cold Edge Sword, he thought Lu Zhaojin was about to hand it over and became rather smug. "At least you know what is good for you. But I did not like your attitude at the Brocade Merchant Guild auction. So even if you hand over Cold Edge Sword, you will not leave Luoxia City alive today."

Lu Zhaojin gripped Cold Edge Sword's hilt. Just as the middle-aged woman had said, a chill overflowed from the blade and entered his body through his palm, only to be swiftly shredded by Gale Sword Intent.

Boom!

The cloth strips around Cold Edge Sword were sliced into fragments by a burst of Sword Qi.

Lu Zhaojin transformed in an instant. Boundless sharpness burst from his body, as though he had become a razor-sharp sword, making Elder Gou and Lin Qicheng's eyes sting.

Lin Qicheng's face filled with horror. He had not expected the harmless-looking youth from moments ago to possess cultivation in the Seventh-Rank Realm. This time, he had truly kicked an iron plate. "Elder Gou, hurry and take him down!"

Both were in the Seventh-Rank Realm, yet Lin Qicheng believed Elder Gou was stronger than Lu Zhaojin. After all, Lu Zhaojin came from Mount Qi. Who in Luoshui Commandery did not know that Mount Qi was barren and had no formidable cultivation techniques? Jianghu folk who came from Mount Qi were all objects of ridicule.

Lu Zhaojin would be no exception!

Seeing that things were going badly, Elder Gou's first thought was to flee.

But Lu Zhaojin would not give them the chance. He swung his sword, sending out a strand of Sword Qi that flew like a startled flash of lightning, grazing across Elder Gou's neck.

Blood rushed from the wound in a frantic torrent, dyeing a large patch of ground red.

Blood also splashed across Lin Qicheng's face and clothes. So terrified that he let out a scream, he turned and fled.

But before he had taken more than a few steps, a cool breeze brushed over his neck. His head fell from his shoulders and rolled far across the ground, stopping only when it struck a passerby's feet.

The passerby was so startled that he collapsed onto the ground, at a complete loss.

Lin Qicheng's corpse lay in the street. Pedestrians watched from afar but did not dare approach, for these Jianghu folk were the most overbearing and unreasonable.

Experience for killing a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist +5000

Experience for killing an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist +500

Experience: 10318

Lu Zhaojin did not even look at the two corpses before striding away.

The onlookers hurriedly made a path for him and kept far away, not daring to provoke this god of slaughter.

But when they clearly saw the face on that severed head and realized it was the Lin Family's young master, their gazes toward Lu Zhaojin changed somewhat, holding both respect and fear.

Judging from their expressions, Lin Qicheng's reputation in Luoxia City must have been rotten as well.

Lu Zhaojin thought no more about it. The man was already dead, so what was the point of considering so much?

Rather than returning to the inn first, Lu Zhaojin planned to find a blacksmith's shop.

Although Cold Edge Sword could be stored in the System Backpack, it would not do to pull it out of the System Backpack abruptly in front of others.

Lu Zhaojin did not know whether this world had things like storage rings, but before seeing any storage methods, he should first disguise himself as an ordinary person.

Therefore, he went to a blacksmith's shop to have a scabbard made for Cold Edge Sword.

At the same time, news that Lin Qicheng had died at the hands of an unfamiliar swordsman spread like a stone striking water, sending endless ripples across the lake that had lain still for many years in Luoxia City.