Qin Wei

That old bastard had planned to flee into the bustling district and use it to evade Ling Yun's pursuit.

Unfortunately, Ling Yun had caught up to him in the end and killed him before countless onlookers.

Glancing at Old Bloodrot's face, frozen in death with eyes still open, Ling Yun wiped the filthy blood from his hands and said calmly,

"How much longer are you planning to watch from the side?"

As his words fell, a burst of laughter rang out.

"Haha, knew you brat would see through me."

A bare-chested man with fierce, menacing eyes slowly emerged from a corner.

He casually tossed the figure tucked beneath his arm onto the ground, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.

"You brat are getting bolder and bolder. You actually dared to kill someone right in front of the constables. They only said a couple of things to you, and you wanted to kill them too. Tsk, tsk."

Ling Yun ignored him and merely looked at the figure lying on the ground, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Why is there only one? Where's Xu Hu? With your abilities, you couldn't have let him escape, could you?"

Qin Wei stood off to the side with his arms crossed. At that, his tone immediately turned somewhat displeased. "Hey, brat, do you really take me for your hired thug?"

Then his tone shifted. "Besides, I'm putting that guy to use right now. Give me some face and spare his life, how about it?"

"Consider these his ransom."

As he spoke, he tossed over a stack of silver notes and a severed arm.

Ling Yun casually caught the silver notes, then glanced at the severed right arm on the ground.

"Ten thousand taels for a crippled Spirit Conduit Realm cultivator. You really are generous."

His gaze then shifted to Miao Yin, whose face was filled with terror.

Her long hair was disheveled, and she looked utterly bedraggled. Not a trace remained of her earlier seductive charm.

"This one has nothing to do with you, does she?"

Qin Wei shrugged, looking completely unconcerned.

"Do as you please. But if you ask me, keeping her around as a bed-serving maid wouldn't be bad. It'd be a pity to kill her outright."

Miao Yin's delicate body trembled. Under Ling Yun's icy gaze, she kept knocking her head against the ground.

Clearly, she knew that her life rested entirely on this man's whim.

"Mercy, my lord! Mercy! It was all this lowly woman's fault for failing to recognize greatness. Please, my lord, I am willing to be your slave and servant, to serve you for the rest of my life."

Ling Yun could not help shaking his head at this.

"Don't be stupid, miss. I never kill women. Go."

Miao Yin's body stiffened. She raised her head in delighted surprise, and seeing that Ling Yun's gaze did not seem to be lying, she was instantly overjoyed. Turning around, she fled, quickly vanishing from sight.

Ling Yun simply watched quietly, as though he truly intended to let her leave.

Staggering all the way, Miao Yin crossed several streets before she saw the bustling marketplace ahead, crowded with people. Only then did she finally relax.

Then, seeing her own wretched state, an extremely venomous resentment flashed through her eyes.

They said a woman's heart was a needle at the bottom of the sea, and she was even more so.

Whenever she recalled kneeling at that man's feet, she felt on the verge of madness, so disgusted that she wanted to vomit.

Her fingernails raked fiercely across her fair arm. Yet even the deep bloody scratches could not erase the hatred in her heart.

Even if she could do nothing to Ling Yun, she would not spare a single one of his parents or relatives!

Cursing in her heart, she walked toward the entrance of the marketplace.

The exit drew ever closer. But just then, the wall beside her exploded with a thunderous boom, and a long blade gleaming with Bloodlight shot toward her, plunging straight into her chest.

The immense force carried her body along and nailed her firmly to the wall.

Blood gushed from her wound as the blood energy within her body surged madly, trying to mend it.

Yet an even more powerful blood energy clung to the blade, crushing her blood energy again and again.

She stretched out trembling hands, trying to pull out the long blade, only to find that she could not summon even a shred of strength.

Miao Yin's eyes widened, a trace of unwillingness on her face, before she finally breathed her last.

Not far away, the bustling district was crowded with people, yet no one noticed that the "demoness" who had made all the men of Cloud City turn pale at the mere mention of her had silently died in this nameless little alley.

"Blood Blade Manifestation! How long has it even been? You brat give me a new surprise every time we meet!"

Qin Wei's eyes went wide as he looked Ling Yun up and down, his expression full of shock.

He had seen countless geniuses, but never had he seen talent so monstrous!

As for Miao Yin, he did not even mention her, as though she had merely been some ordinary stray cat or dog.

Only then did Ling Yun lower the arm he had used to throw the blade. At Qin Wei's praise, he showed not the slightest hint of happiness. A sharp glint of Bloodlight flashed through his eyes and vanished.

Qin Wei saw it and could not help frowning slightly.

"Brat, it's only been a few days, but the killing intent on you has grown even stronger."

"But I'd advise you to be careful. Otherwise, it may affect your future martial path."

Ling Yun's gaze flickered at his words.

Even without the reminder, he had already noticed something amiss with himself.

Ever since entering the Bloodforging Realm and experiencing a tremendous increase in blood energy, his temper seemed to have become more and more irritable.

Normally, it was fine. But once he was provoked by the outside world, an inexplicable restlessness would seize him, making him want to destroy, to vent.

Ling Yun did not seem to care, at least on the surface. He gave Qin Wei an indifferent glance. This man had suddenly brought it up; he must be after something.

Sure enough, Qin Wei spoke again.

"The solution is simple enough. My Demon Suppression Division has a technique called the Calming Heart Incantation, and it happens to suit your situation perfectly."

"But..."

At this point, he suddenly narrowed his eyes and chuckled like an old fox. "Hehe."

"Though the Calming Heart Incantation isn't some advanced cultivation method, it generally isn't passed on to outsiders. So, how about it? Will you give joining the Demon Suppression Division some serious thought again?"

Ling Yun rolled his eyes. He knew this fellow would bring this up again. He was more annoying than a piece of sticky taffy.

Too lazy to answer, he looked directly at him and said impatiently,

"What did you come to see me for this time? There should still be a while before the mission. Don't tell me you wandered here because you were bored?"

Seeing that Ling Yun had not taken the bait, Qin Wei helplessly shook his head. But then his expression turned solemn as he said seriously,

"The mission has changed. A few self-important fools made their move first. We have to set out before nightfall now."

Ling Yun's brow furrowed slightly, but he did not ask further.

He raised his head to look at the sky. There was barely any time left before sunset.

"Fine, I understand. Meet at the usual place then."

Without waiting for an answer, he turned and left.

Qin Wei watched Ling Yun's retreating back but said nothing more. With a flash, he vanished from where he stood.