Tragedy

The moment that voice reached his ears, Bai Qi's pupils constricted sharply.

Everything that had been unclear instantly made sense.

He let out a bitter laugh:

"Azure Void Palm... So, you're the third young master of the Chu Family.

"You really fooled me..."

"The feeling's mutual."

Chu Qing replied to him while simultaneously sealing his acupoints.

Then he reached out and pressed on his cheek.

Immediately after, he exerted force with his fingers, and a cracking sound came from Bai Qi's mouth. Chu Qing seized the opportunity and slapped him on the back of the head.

Pfft!

Something white, like a tooth, was spat out by him.

Following that, Chu Qing's sword edge twisted at his right wrist, severing his tendons as well.

Only then did Chu Qing move around to face him:

"All the little gadgets on you should be useless now, right?

"Now, shall we have a chat?"

Bai Qi didn't seem concerned about his condition; instead, he smiled:

"Chat about what? You know me, you know you won't get any information from my mouth.

"Besides... the Mirror of Sin won't let you go.

"You managed to escape death once, but will you have that kind of luck a second time?

"Blood Spear's martial arts rank above yours; it was already an act of divine favor that you could kill him in retaliation.

"But you should know, he wasn't even listed on the Evil Execution List.

"As long as you're alive, sooner or later, experts from the Evil Execution List will come to kill you!"

"That's not what I want to talk about... You know, now that you've fallen into my hands, you have no chance of living today, so whatever happens to me afterward has nothing to do with you."

Chu Qing said softly:

"I'm just a little curious, what would happen if I killed Zhou Changtai?"

Bai Qi glanced at him and said with a smile:

"That would mean that in your heart, all those so-called great ambitions are just nonsense.

"You're just a cold-blooded, ruthless killer who murders for money.

"Only then would you truly be qualified to join the Mirror of Sin, and you might even receive training from them.

"One day, it wouldn't be impossible to rise to the Evil Execution List."

Chu Qing sighed softly:

"As expected, this is a setup, and also a test.

"Killing your conscience allows you to pass and become a true blade of the Mirror of Sin.

"Otherwise... there's only a dead end."

Bai Qi was a little surprised:

"You've become smarter?"

"Someone who's died once will always make some progress."

Chu Qing shook his head:

"One last question, is it the Valley of Ten Thousand Nights that wants Chu Yunfei dead?"

Hearing this, Bai Qi glanced at him and suddenly smiled:

"That's right, it's the Valley of Ten Thousand Nights.

"They want to go to war with Heavenly Dance City, but with Chu Yunfei and Wu Ganqi working together, they aren't a match.

"So, they want Chu Yunfei dead."

Chu Qing nodded:

"As expected, but you're telling me the answer so readily, it seems you don't have good intentions.

"Are you hoping I die at the hands of the Valley of Ten Thousand Nights? Or, even if I don't die, I'll leave enough traces for the Mirror of Sin to lock onto me again?"

"...Are you really Sword Ghost? Could you have been swapped out by someone?"

The surprise in Bai Qi's voice was not faked.

Chu Qing just smiled:

"Alright, that's enough reminiscing... Do you have any last words?"

Bai Qi's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but the long sword swept across his throat.

The rest of his words were all swallowed back down.

"Never mind, I can't help you fulfill your wish anyway, so there's no point in listening to a dying message."

He sheathed his sword, watching Bai Qi's pupils gradually lose focus, watching the blood pour from his neck.

Only after the other party was completely dead did he finally relax.

Killing this person wouldn't stop the Mirror of Sin from pursuing him, but it could avoid many unexpected complications.

"The assassination of Chu Yunfei isn't over yet.

"One failure won't make the Mirror of Sin back down... there will definitely be new assassination attempts later.

"However, this involves a power struggle between two factions, something a small assassin like me can't influence.

"Fortunately, Chu Yunfei isn't dead, and after this incident, he'll definitely be on guard.

"He should be safe for a while."

For a moment, Chu Qing hesitated, wondering if he should take this opportunity to just leave Heavenly Dance City.

As for the agreement with Wu Qianhuan, he could go or not, it didn't matter if he lost the Night Emperor persona.

But breaking a made agreement might make Wu Qianhuan suspicious... though she might not be able to find him then. The only thing to worry about was that she might inadvertently leak this matter, allowing the Mirror of Sin to track the connection Chu Qing had so painstakingly severed.

Besides that, there was that Junior Sister Wen...

However, remembering the figure who had been following him since he left the Chu Family, he ultimately sighed.

"Still a bit troublesome..."

After dealing with the body, Chu Qing changed into a different set of clothes at a nearby farmhouse, leaving two taels of silver as usual, of course.

He tidied himself up and returned to Heavenly Dance City.

The System still had a treasure chest waiting to be opened.

He wondered what good things he could get from this treasure chest after killing Xin Youhen?

Preferably internal energy techniques.

Thinking this, Chu Qing was already a bit impatient and was about to head straight back to the inn when he suddenly heard an uproar from ahead.

It seemed something had happened.

Chu Qing didn't want to bother with it, as he had things on his mind, but after a quick glance, he saw someone he knew.

"Tang Xi?"

This person was standing in front of a medical hall. Opposite him, being held down by several Falling Rain Hall disciples, was a gaunt, emaciated young man covered in dirt and looking utterly wretched.

He was clutching a knife and roaring constantly, trying to rush over and hack at Tang Xi.

Chu Qing watched in surprise, and then heard someone nearby whispering.

"It's happening again... How many times is this?"

"I don't know, at least the third time..."

"If you ask me, it's only because the Young Hall Master is kind-hearted. If it were anyone else, this Er Gou would have been dead long ago."

"Sigh, don't say that, he's quite pathetic too..."

Chu Qing listened to their conversation and was even more surprised. So, this wasn't the first time after all?

He approached a middle-aged man and asked in a low voice:

"Uncle, what's going on? Why are they pulling out knives?"

The middle-aged man glanced at Chu Qing, seeing his honest face and clothes like an ordinary farmer, and said:

"Just arrived in Heavenly Dance City, haven't you?"

Chu Qing gave an honest laugh:

"You have good eyes, sir. I just came to the city to make a living. They say Heavenly Dance City is a big city with the City Lord protecting it, so why are people drawing knives in the street?"

"That's something you don't know."

The middle-aged man lowered his voice and told Chu Qing:

"That young man is called Er Gou. He lives in Ten Mile Town. He originally had a fiancée, and they had been close since childhood.

"Just as the wedding was approaching, that young girl died.

"When they found her... oh, it was terrible.

"Her arms and legs were all cut off, there wasn't a single piece of good flesh on her body, she died with her eyes wide open!"