Commission Complete

The remaining two of the Seven Iron Horse Thieves were the leader and the third-in-command.

Having narrowly escaped disaster, they changed horses after getting some distance away and galloped wildly, each on their own steed.

After riding for over ten miles without stopping, they finally slowed down.

Further ahead, they saw a deep pool. The leader dismounted, walked a few steps to the water's edge, cupped his hands, and drank greedily.

The third-in-command joined him and did the same.

After drinking, they washed their faces and heads. Finally, the leader picked up the blood-stained broadaxe and washed off the bloodstains in the water.

The third-in-command let out a long sigh, his face filled with the relief of having escaped death:

"Boss, who exactly were those two women?"

"How should I know?"

The leader's mouth twitched.

"Some crazy women who came out of nowhere. As soon as they saw us, they asked if someone was chasing us. I originally wanted to cleave her with my axe, but instead, she pulled me off my horse.

"I had no choice but to play along with her... Then you arrived. I gave you a look, and thankfully, you understood.

"If we hadn't used those two idiots to hold back Chu Fan, next year today would have been our death anniversary.

"It's just a pity we couldn't kill that bastard Chu before his junior sister arrived and avenge our brothers."

As he spoke, his expression darkened.

The third-in-command took a deep breath:

"Boss, we must get revenge for this!

"However, as the saying goes, a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years. There's no need to rush."

"Mm."

The leader nodded, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Who do you think this Night Emperor is? From the cloth strip, it seems our fifth brother died by his hand.

"Have you ever heard of such a figure in the martial arts world?"

The third-in-command quickly shook his head:

"Never heard of him."

"Hmph, busybodies like that will die a violent death sooner or later."

Hearing this, the leader cursed viciously.

The third-in-command then asked:

"That Chu Fan is the second young master of the Chu Family in Heavenly Dance City and a high-ranking disciple of Cui Bunü from the Great Easy Sect. Now that we've become mortal enemies with him, and only the two of us are left of our brothers, I'm afraid life won't be easy from now on. Boss, what should we do?"

"Hmm..."

The leader pondered for a moment, then said:

"Let's go to Falling Rain Hall."

The third-in-command thought for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded gently:

"Liu Shijie has gotten a lot of benefits from us over the years. It's time for him to help us out.

"Moreover, Falling Rain Hall is right in Heavenly Dance City. For Chu Fan... it's like a light under a lamp. No matter how hard he thinks, he probably won't imagine that we're right under his nose.

"Boss, this move is truly brilliant!"

"As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest place."

The leader smiled and gently patted the third-in-command's shoulder:

"No time to delay. Get some food from the horses. We'll leave as soon as we finish eating."

"Okay."

The third-in-command immediately got up and left. The leader sat on a rock, holding his broadaxe and resting.

He was also planning his next steps. Falling Rain Hall wasn't a long-term solution, but it should be fine for temporary shelter.

As for where to go after that, he had to give it some serious thought.

He thought of a few places but dismissed them all. The more he thought, the hungrier he became.

He had fought multiple times and fled multiple times. Even an iron man couldn't endure such a day of exhaustion.

"Third Brother, I asked you to get some food. Why are you so slow? Are you dead?"

The third-in-command didn't reply. The leader looked up and saw the third-in-command's figure standing behind the horses.

He immediately stood up and strode over, reaching out to push him:

"I'm asking you..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the third-in-command fall to the ground with a thud. There was a sword mark on his neck.

It was about two inches long, and only a single drop of blood had gathered along the wound!

The bandit leader's pupils instantly constricted.

Killing without shedding blood, this person's swordsmanship was so fast it was truly terrifying.

Without a second thought, he whipped his head around.

What greeted him was a beam of light.

He heard no sound, saw no blade. Their figures crossed, and the bandit leader didn't even get a clear look at the approaching person before the broadaxe in his hand clattered to the ground with a thud.

Immediately after, his body knelt, his head drooped, and he died on the spot.

Chu Qing slowly slid his long sword back into its sheath, turned around, and let out a breath:

"They sure can run... If my Ruoxu Scripture hadn't given me such sustained energy, I really wouldn't have been able to keep up."

The previous turn of events had also exceeded Chu Qing's expectations. What he thought would be two separate opportunities ended up converging.

Thankfully, those two guys actually ran... Chu Qing naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip away.

After all, it was best not to appear in front of Chu Fan.

Even if he was disguised, it was still the case. Bloodlines are sometimes very strange; a tiny bit of doubt could be magnified countless times by them.

This current outcome truly couldn't be better.

He had followed the trail all the way here, and it just so happened that the two were plotting their future by the pool... He didn't attack immediately either, resting for a bit. Then, seeing the third brother get up to grab something, he decisively struck.

If you can defeat them separately, why bother gathering them together to kill?

Naturally, he did whatever required the least effort.

Just as he was about to deal with these two corpses, looting what should be looted and handling what needed handling.

A notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Commission Completed!]

[Successfully killed the Seven Iron Horse Thieves, obtained one 'Random Martial Arts Treasure Chest'.]

Chu Qing curled his lip:

"Killed three, only got one reward... It should at least be three, right?"

The system naturally didn't respond to this kind of talk.

In fact, other times when Chu Qing spoke to the system, the system also didn't respond.

It was a mute system.

He wasn't in a hurry to open the treasure chest immediately; he continued with the task at hand.

This place couldn't be lingered in. If Chu Fan clarified things with those two women, he might chase after him.

If they met then, without any other distractions, it would be strange if that kid didn't figure out his identity.

Therefore, he sped up his movements, searching the two bandits' bodies thoroughly.

He ultimately found about twenty taels of silver and two handfuls of gold leaves. The bandit leader, in particular, had the most gold leaves.

Just with these gold leaves, if this were a time of peace, Chu Qing could buy a small courtyard and live a happy life of idleness.

Unfortunately, leaving aside the turmoil of the martial world, the Mirror of Sin on his tail alone wouldn't allow him to stop.

Other items included some banknotes, pills, and wound medicine.

He roughly sorted through them, keeping the pills that promoted blood circulation and reduced swelling, and the wound medicine, but not taking anything he didn't recognize.

After cutting off the two heads, following his previous method, he left the name [Night Emperor] hanging on the horses, letting the horses run off on their own to spread the news.

The system reward had already been received, which showed that he indeed didn't need to see the shopkeeper again.

Finally, he used a tinder to light the banknotes, and used the banknotes to light the clothes. The two headless corpses were instantly engulfed in raging flames.

After confirming that both corpses were burned beyond recognition, so that even the most skilled forensic examiner couldn't determine how they had died, Chu Qing turned and left.