Tian Liang flashed an evil smile, pulled out a fan-shaped jade pendant, and then fiercely slapped the other woman across the face again, leaving a red mark on Ren Xue's cheek and jolting her fully awake from the ice-cold shock.
"How could this be? This is the token of love I gave Young Master Hao. How did it end up in your hands? You must have stolen it." Ren Xue widened her eyes and covered her aching cheek, sobbing so hard she could barely speak.
"Hahaha, what a case of self-deception. Of course your dear elder brother gave it to me himself. He did it so you'd trust me, you foolish woman. What a pity—it won't even be necessary. Just obediently submit."
Tian Liang threw back his head and laughed heartily, savoring the thrill of teasing his prey.
"I'll marry into the Bai Family sooner or later. What reason would he have to deal with me!" Ren Xue shrieked.
"You still don't understand? Your Young Master Bai has already boarded the grand ship of the noble ladies from the commandery city. How could he possibly be interested in a girl from this poverty-stricken backwater? People have to climb higher!"
Tian Liang smugly revealed the truth, completely tearing open Ren Xue's wound.
Ren Xue felt as though she had been struck by lightning, and her heart turned to ash. That was right. A Heavenly Prodigy famous on the Human Ranking would regard this relationship as a stain and a burden the moment he caught the eye of a Noble Family in the commandery city. Cutting himself free was only natural!
"My father and I both misjudged him. This can't be real..."
She sobbed uncontrollably. She didn't dare imagine what kind of ruinous fate awaited the Ren Family next.
Seeing that she was about to fall into the devil's clutches, Ren Xue's expression changed, and she said fiercely, "I can let you touch me. I can give myself to you. But you have to promise me that you'll deal with the Bai Family!"
"Fine. I've already betrayed Bai Hao anyway. We'll enjoy ourselves for one night, then defect to King Chaotian together!"
Tian Liang revealed his snow-white teeth and agreed readily. He had never expected Ren Xue to be driven into darkness so directly, turning around to take revenge on her little lover.
Seeing this, tears slipped from the corners of Ren Xue's eyes. She had finally accepted her fate.
Suddenly, Tian Liang knitted his brows. He noticed that the room's arrangement differed from when he had left, and cold sweat instantly broke out across his body. He shouted in a deep voice, "Who's there!"
He had been focused solely on venting his animal lust and had failed to notice the room's abnormalities in the slightest. Now that he realized what had happened, his entire body jolted violently.
Ren Xue also hurriedly clutched the quilt and shrank into the corner of the bed.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
As applause rang out, a figure leaped down from the roof beam and walked out from behind the screen. He wore a Dragon Face Mask and carried a heavy saber on his back. He looked like someone who would be very difficult to deal with.
Tian Liang sneered. "Putting on an act, are you? How dare you interrupt your grandpa's pleasure!"
Ren Xue, meanwhile, seized upon him like a drowning person grasping a lifeline and shouted, "You're no match for the Jade Thief! Hurry to the City Guard Department and report this. Call for reinforcements!"
Seeing that the masked man was young, she knew he clearly didn't possess the combat strength required for the Human Ranking. How could he possibly be Tian Liang's match? Bai Hao might have stood a chance, but no one else.
Zhou Qiming remained motionless, his gaze locked tightly on Tian Liang.
The air fell silent for an instant. The atmosphere was tense, with swords drawn and bows bent.
Ren Xue's consciousness gradually grew hazy. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Why are you still standing there? Are you scared witless?"
The veins on Tian Liang's forehead bulged as he prepared to strike first. "What are you waiting for? Are you playing with your grandpa?"
"I'm waiting for the poison to take effect. What are you waiting for?" Zhou Qiming shook his head and said something astonishing.
"What? You dare try to scare me? How could I possibly have fallen into your trap?" Tian Liang was both enraged and alarmed.
He moved, his Blood Qi erupting. A pair of heavy, forceful palms was about to chop down. If this dragged on, Bai Hao might come looking for him, which would be extremely disadvantageous. Tian Liang was growing increasingly frantic.
But before that palm could strike, Tian Liang felt his heart spasm. His Blood Qi suddenly suffered a backlash throughout his body, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood.
"You... when did you...? How did I get poisoned? I clearly took the antidote!"
Tian Liang's eyes widened. He became like a startled bird, retreating several steps and frantically widening the distance between them. He had been an old hand with Great Accomplishment of Tendon Transformation, and even several Blade Catchers from the county towns had been unable to do anything to him. Yet now, he had finally stumbled!
Besides, the tea he had given Ren Xue had been prepared with great care, and he had taken the antidote in advance. In theory, he shouldn't have been poisoned.
The more Tian Liang thought about it, the more horrified he became. He felt that the man behind the Dragon Face Mask was unfathomably deep, and that he had probably been watching him for a long time. His movement technique and skill with poison were astonishing. With one side prepared and the other caught unaware, there was simply no defense against him.
"Bai Hao sent you, didn't he? Hero, please don't kill me! My money—and this woman—are all yours!"
Tian Liang knew when to bend and when to stand. He immediately admitted defeat. Between his life and a woman, he knew which mattered more. This masked old sixth wasn't someone he could deal with right now!
Zhou Qiming shook his head and said calmly, "I only want your life. And once I kill you, all of this will be mine anyway. You still dare bargain?"
As he spoke, he saw that the poison had nearly finished taking effect and had already seeped deep into Tian Liang's lungs. He stepped forward and began harvesting his life.
Earlier, when Tian Liang had left the room, Zhou Qiming had used his advantage in movement to put Sleeping Powder in the tea. In the end, fearing that would not be enough, he had also lit seven or eight sticks of Bewitching Smoke in the room.
After all, this was his first true clash with a Martial Artist who had achieved Great Accomplishment of Tendon Transformation. What if the other man was an old schemer? What if he had concealed his strength? He absolutely couldn't afford to lower his guard!
These poisons and toxic fumes had naturally come from the Vice Gang Leader, Jin Buhuan. It was a pity he hadn't obtained the other man's manual for the Death-Chasing Needles, but the notes on pharmacology and the principles of poison he had collected were still a decent harvest.
Ren Xue was shocked and delighted. She had never expected the situation to reverse so dramatically, with even Tian Liang falling into trouble. What exactly was this man's origin? Could he also be a Human Ranking Expert?
"Who exactly sent you to deal with me? I'll fight you to the death!" Tian Liang flew into a rage from humiliation and forcibly erupted with the power of Tendon Transformation, striking through the air with a palm.
Zhou Qiming remained as steady as a mountain. In secret, he circulated the inner qi of the Evergreen Skill and infused it into the Iron Stone Fist.
How formidable was the Iron Cloth Skill at the third level of Limit Breaking? With the support of inner cultivation qi, the fist crashed down with the force of dead wood splitting beneath an axe.
Tian Liang's painstakingly tempered body-hardening skill shattered like a paper window and thin boards. In an instant, all his ribs broke, and he coughed blood as he was sent flying into the wall.
"Hiss..."
Tian Liang's face was as pale as gold paper. He sucked in a breath of cold air, his eyes filled with madness and disbelief. With his dying breath, he let out an unwilling growl. "Inner qi of Organ Refining... Could you be an Organ Refining expert near the top of the Human Ranking? Why would someone like you go out of your way to kill me?"
Tian Liang completely collapsed. His scalp prickled. If he had known the Outer City concealed a Heavenly Prodigy at the Organ Refining level, he wouldn't have dared come here to steal a woman and cause trouble no matter what.
And the most outrageous part was that a dignified Organ Refining Martial Artist had actually used such despicable methods to ambush him. It was like firing a cannon to swat a mosquito!
"Tell me, why!" Tian Liang's gaze scattered, and his aura weakened.
Only then did Zhou Qiming walk forward. He carefully slipped the other man's mask into his possession, leaned to Tian Liang's ear, and murmured, "I'm merely a newly appointed Bronze Blade Catcher from the County Yamen. Since you committed a crime on my turf, I had no choice but to sacrifice you to Heaven first."
Tian Liang: ...
Were Bronze Blade Catchers nowadays all equipped to deal with Organ Refining Martial Artists? Was County Magistrate Li Shou trying to defy the heavens?
His heart suddenly spasmed, and he died completely. Damn that County Magistrate Li Shou—what a ruthless man! To deal with a mere Jade Thief Hand like him, he had actually possessed the connections to hire an Organ Refining-level Martial Artist to hunt him down. It made no sense at all!
Crack—
Zhou Qiming stepped forward, twisted the other man's neck, and used his saber to take his head. The task was finally complete.
After searching the corpse, he also found eight hundred taels in banknotes, a bottle of Dragon Tendon Pills, and a token from the Bai Family.
Of course, the greatest harvest was still this Human Skin Mask capable of changing one's appearance. He couldn't wait to return and study it.
Before you continue