Remaining Two

He fell heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

His already hideous face was now contorted in pain.

A scream tore from his throat as he watched the approaching beggar with terror-filled eyes, hastily saying:

"Have mercy, sir!!"

In that instant, he hadn't even seen where the sword's edge was before his hand was gone.

This person's swordsmanship was like that of a ghost or god, something he absolutely could not contend with.

He immediately rolled over and knelt, repeatedly saying:

"I have no prior acquaintance with you, sir. I don't know how I've offended you, brother. Please, sir, show mercy and spare my dog's life!"

Chu Qing slowly advanced with his sword, speaking softly as he walked:

"You and I have no prior acquaintance."

"..."

These words left this man, one of the Seven Iron Horse Thieves who had killed countless people, speechless for a moment. No old grudges, no current enmity, where did this bringer of misfortune come from, to just cut off his hand the moment he appeared?

However, the thoughts in his heart were not shown on his face at all.

He just kept kowtowing:

"Since that is the case, I suppose it is because you, sir, cannot stand what I have done.

"Please, sir, be merciful. From now on, I will certainly turn over a new leaf and become a new person..."

As he spoke, a sharp glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.

Begging for mercy was just a pretense; the real purpose was to catch Chu Qing off guard and launch a surprise attack to kill him.

He had a hidden arrow in his left sleeve. With just a surge of internal energy, at close range, it was practically guaranteed to hit its mark.

Furthermore, the arrow was poisoned, capable of sealing the throat upon drawing blood.

If it hit, this person would surely die today.

At this moment, the distance between Chu Qing and him was just right. Therefore, he suddenly looked up, a ferocious grin on his face, and reached out, shouting:

"Die..."

He had only just said half of the word 'die' when a flash of silver light appeared.

His left arm, which he had just raised, immediately drooped down.

Before he could even activate his internal energy, the meridians in his left arm had been completely severed by that sword strike. Now, he couldn't exert any strength at all.

The ferocious grin froze on his face. Before he could say anything else, a flash of light appeared before his eyes.

His heart had already been pierced by the long sword.

"You..."

He spoke another word, but as the sword's edge was withdrawn, the rest of his words could no longer be uttered.

His body tilted, and the corpse fell to the ground.

Chu Qing shook the blood from the sword and first went to retrieve its sheath.

Only then did he approach the corpse, pondering slightly:

"In this situation, how should I prove that I killed him?"

Looking back at the horse that was circling around because it had lost its master, Chu Qing smiled.

He drew his sword again and cut off the head of this great bandit.

Taking a piece of cloth from his body, he dipped it in blood and wrote: [Seven Iron Horse Thieves, killing fills the fields, their crime deserves death - Night Emperor].

"Is this title a bit too chuunibyou? Was I influenced by the original owner?"

Chu Qing rubbed his chin but didn't take it to heart.

This thing was just a codename; whether he would use it again next time was uncertain, so it didn't matter what it was.

As long as it didn't lead people to associate it with him.

His codename in the Mirror of Sin was 'Sword Ghost'. He didn't know what kind of ghost he saw to pick such a codename.

Anyway, these two codenames were completely unrelated. He figured that even if the people from the Mirror of Sin knew about this matter, it would be impossible for them to connect them.

He tied the head to the horse. When the masterless horse was discovered later, people would see the writing on it.

At that time, the matter would naturally spread, and the shopkeeper would understand what happened when he heard the news.

As for why he didn't take the head back to the shopkeeper?

Firstly, carrying a head around ostentatiously was too cumbersome, and the smell of blood would attract unnecessary trouble.

Secondly... Chu Qing had never intended to go back to the shopkeeper to ask for money from the start.

How much money could he get from that shopkeeper?

It was probably less than what he could get from these bandits...

What's more, his real reward was the bounty for the assassination mission. Unless the system later required him to go settle the bill with the employer, Chu Qing had no intention of seeking him out.

The less a tea shop owner who couldn't fight knew, the safer he would be.

Simply conveying the information this way, letting him know his enemy was dead, was enough.

After finishing this task, he began to search the headless corpse again.

A moment later, he stood up, satisfied.

"Looks like being a bandit is more promising than being an assassin. This guy is quite wealthy."

There wasn't much silver, only about seven or eight taels, but there was a small handful of gold leaves.

Although there were only five or six pieces, each one was heavy, making it a considerable fortune.

Besides that, he specifically checked the man's left sleeve.

From inside, he took out a sleeve arrow.

This thing was exquisitely made, with a calfskin sheath holding a quiver forged from fine brass.

It could be tied close to the wrist and triggered by vibrating the mechanism with internal energy, making it quite concealed.

The drawback was that it only held one arrow.

Without hesitation, Chu Qing put the device on his left wrist.

He was an assassin, after all, and would use any means necessary.

Naturally, he would gladly accept such an unexpected good item.

Immediately after, he took out a tinder and lit the flammable items like the banknotes. Finally, as the clothes caught fire, the entire headless corpse began to burn.

After completing these tasks, he then reached out and gently patted the horse's rear.

As the saying goes, an old horse knows the way. A divine steed that had lost its master could not only help him deliver the message of the killing but also help him find his remaining two targets.

With this thought in mind, he casually opened the system's commission interface.

[Commission: Assassinate the Seven Iron Horse Thieves (Remaining Two)]

Chu Qing frowned:

"That doesn't seem right. Chu Fan's martial arts are good. Although the Seven Iron Horse Thieves are well-known, even six of them together aren't a match for him alone.

"He should have completed the task and retreated long ago after chasing that bandit leader all this way.

"Why is that person still not dead until now?

"Could it be... something unexpected happened?"

However, he quickly shook his head. Chu Fan possessed natural divine strength and came from the Great Easy Sect.

His skills were extraordinary.

His cold-faced junior sister, though she hadn't made a move, was likely not ordinary either.

With these two working together, even if something unexpected happened, it wouldn't be a major issue.

With these thoughts in mind, he quietly followed behind the horse.

After walking for only the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the surrounding environment had become low-lying and damp, with a stream winding away. At the same time, Chu Qing heard the sounds of fighting in the distance.

Chu Qing raised an eyebrow:

"They're really still fighting now?"

He pondered for a moment and quickened his pace.

In an instant, he had arrived. After examining the terrain, he came to a high point.

Looking out, he saw figures intertwined, fighting fiercely below.

Chu Fan and the remaining two of the Seven Iron Horse Thieves were there, and in addition to them, there were two more women.

The Seven Iron Horse Thieves were insignificant, but these two women made Chu Qing's eyebrows twitch.

They didn't look old, but their martial arts were extremely formidable.

The two of them were skilled in a combined attack technique, and when they joined forces, their power was extraordinary.

However, the way they joined forces was a bit strange... One of the women was tall, and the other was short. When they fought, the tall one held the short one in her hands, as if swinging a spiked club, striking with fierce power and heavy force.

If it had only been the two of the Seven Iron Horse Thieves, Chu Fan would have killed them long ago.

However, at this moment, not only had Chu Fan not killed the Seven Iron Horse Thieves, but he was actually being forced to retreat by the strange moves of these two women.