Dominating Changqing County Alone

Qin Ming was clearly well aware of what Song Kai was thinking.

Not to mention that all this had been planned by him and the county magistrate; even if it had not been, he still would not have agreed.

At those words, Song Kai's eyes filled with killing intent as he stared coldly at the other man.

He suddenly swept out a hand and said in a deep voice, "If that is the case, then go die!"

"Brothers, kill them! From now on, Changqing County belongs to our Ten Thousand Blades Sect!"

"Kill!"

"Charge!"

Under Song Kai's command, the two sides once again descended into a bloody melee.

He had originally been wary of Wolong Valley and wanted to settle matters another way, but since they did not know what was good for them, they could not blame him.

There might be more casualties this way, but as long as he remained alive, the Ten Thousand Blades Sect would remain.

Once Qin Ming and the others were killed here, Changqing County would completely belong to him, allowing him to build an even stronger Ten Thousand Blades Sect.

Bai Ze was hiding atop a building. After giving the scene below an expressionless glance, he prepared to slip away.

Now that the Black Tiger Gang had been destroyed and the brothers Black Panther and Scarred Leopard were dead, he could not afford to expose his identity.

Thus, he would not return to his former residence. Instead, he headed directly for a place no one else knew about.

A crafty rabbit had three burrows; Bai Ze had made preparations long ago.

Just then, the county magistrate unexpectedly led several dozen, perhaps even a hundred, men into the main hall.

When Bai Ze saw this, his pupils contracted slightly. So it really is him.

Earlier, I sensed an unseen black hand manipulating everything behind the scenes. I never expected it to truly be the county magistrate.

No wonder the Ten Thousand Blades Sect came here. He must have been the one who informed them as well.

He wanted the Black Tiger Gang and the Ten Thousand Blades Sect to fight, so he could reap the fisherman's reward. But what is the county magistrate relying on?

Even if Song Kai has been injured and Qin Ming has broken through to the Blood Changing Realm, they probably still aren't his match, are they?

Putting his thoughts together with the scene before him, Bai Ze had already guessed the entire truth.

While he was still thinking, Song Kai forcibly drove Qin Ming back and noticed that the county magistrate had arrived with his men.

He said in disbelief, "County magistrate, why are you here? Where is my son?"

"Haha, I'm alive. Can't you guess what happened to your son?"

"Ah!!!"

"I'll kill you!"

Song Kai had clearly thought of that possibility, but he still asked because he could not quite believe it.

He had sent his son, Song Nanjun, to kill the man. Yet the man stood there alive and well, which could only mean the assassination had failed and Song Nanjun had been killed instead.

Song Kai's eyes turned crimson and brimmed with bloodshot veins. He no longer cared why this had happened. With a furious roar, he charged forward as though he no longer valued his life, determined to avenge his son.

After his second son's death, Song Nanjun had been his only remaining son. Now he too was dead—how could Song Kai not fly into a rage?

Yet when the county magistrate saw this, he showed not the slightest fear or concern.

The smile on his face merely vanished, replaced by icy ruthlessness. He drew the flexible sword at his waist and met Song Kai head-on, while Qin Ming did the same beside him.

They had been waiting for precisely this moment. Now that the county magistrate had arrived, Song Kai's death was at hand.

Once the three began fighting, not only was Song Kai stunned, even Bai Ze, hiding nearby, was equally astonished.

He muttered, "So that's it. No wonder the county magistrate devised such a plan—he had absolute confidence in his own strength."

"It seems he fooled everyone into believing he was an ordinary man too weak to truss a chicken. Who could have imagined that he was a Blood Changing Realm martial artist?"

"Song Kai may be powerful, but facing the joint assault of two Blood Changing Realm martial artists, he likely cannot escape death."

After learning the full course of events, Bai Ze stopped watching the battle below and immediately slipped away.

After all, regardless of who won or lost, it would not have much effect on him.

Besides, the longer he hid here, the greater the chance of being discovered. If they investigated later, they might find that someone had taken advantage of the opportunity to search Black Tiger's residence.

They might not know whether it was him, nor whether he had taken the Innate Cultivation Method.

But for these people, mere suspicion was already enough.

Therefore, Bai Ze planned to change his appearance during this period and hide himself away, letting everyone believe that he too had died in this battle.

Only by cultivating as quickly as possible and breaking through to the Blood Changing Realm could he be confident of leaving Changqing County for Pingfeng City.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

By then, Bai Ze had disguised himself as a middle-aged man and gone to Treasure Pavilion to buy Body Tempering Pills, since that was the only place that sold them.

Just as he finished his purchase and prepared to return, he saw a group of constables rushing down the street.

Bai Ze suddenly heard several people beside him whispering among themselves. He stopped walking and edged closer as though casually, hoping to hear some news.

"Have you heard? Both the Black Tiger Gang and the Ten Thousand Blades Sect have been destroyed—wiped out by the county government."

"Exactly. Two major powers that had dominated for decades just vanished like that."

"I heard they're looking for someone connected to the Innate Cultivation Method."

"Brother, you're thinking too much. That's an Innate Cultivation Method!"

"What do you mean, I'm thinking too much? My third grandaunt's maternal granduncle's second son's cousin told me! There really was an Innate Cultivation Method; they just don't know who took it."

After hearing their discussion, Bai Ze's heart tightened, and he became even more cautious.

That only meant he absolutely could not show his face in public.

After all, everyone else was dead, yet he was alive. Wouldn't that make him highly suspicious?

With that thought, Bai Ze did not linger any longer and quickly returned to his current residence.

After carefully scanning the surroundings, he entered and tightly shut the door.

Only after checking the courtyard and finding no signs that anyone else had been there did he finally relax and sit on a stone stool, though the longsword in his hand never left his side.

Just as expected. Whether it was Black Panther, the old gang leader Black Tiger, or even the Ten Thousand Blades Sect, they all ended up making wedding clothes for the county government.

They thought they had prepared thoroughly, but they never expected the other side to have hidden itself even deeper.

Especially that old fox of a county magistrate. He had held office for seven or eight years, yet no one discovered his true strength.

At that thought, Bai Ze could not help sighing. He truly was a master at lurking in the shadows.

Still, it did not affect him in any way. The lives and deaths of Black Panther and the others had even less to do with him.

Once he broke through to the Blood Changing Realm after some time and possessed sufficient strength, he would leave Changqing County and head for Pingfeng City.

With the system's help, he was bound to stand at the pinnacle of martial arts. He could not keep lingering here forever.