At a tavern outside Fuzhou City
Hao Shuai sat in a chair, drinking wine with carefree abandon. Aside from the "father and daughter" running the tea stall, there was no one else in the tavern.
Oh, right. There was also someone on the ground still breathing!
Just as Hao Shuai finished a few plates of snacks and drained a pot of wine, the sound of hooves suddenly approached from a distance. Before long, more than a dozen riders charged into the tavern.
After entering, the newcomers dismounted and surrounded Hao Shuai. Seeing that they were all dressed like members of the Qingcheng Sect, he recognized the short man at their head and knew the person he'd been waiting for had arrived.
He stood up and said to them, "With a stunted build like yours, you must be that shorty Yu from the Qingcheng Sect!"
Yu Canghai was furious. His short stature was a congenital defect, and he regarded it as the greatest taboo of his life. After mastering his martial arts and taking the position of Qingcheng Sect leader, no one had dared mention it. And now someone had exposed his sore spot to his face.
"Very good! You brat, you're asking to die!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he drew his sword and thrust at Hao Shuai, not bothering with the bearing of a senior martial artist. His body moved with his sword. The two were only ten steps apart, and in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Hao Shuai.
"Master Yu, you're not very tall, but you sure have a big mouth. We'll see who dies!" Hao Shuai strode forward and pulled the silver spear from the ground, his figure crossing several yards in an instant. At the same time, the spear in his hand shot out like an arrow.
Bang!
The thrust was as fast as lightning, releasing a sharp sonic boom. The spearhead struck the tip of Yu Canghai's sword dead-on. Since Yu Canghai had underestimated his opponent and hadn't used his full strength, his sword felt as if it had struck an iron plate. The force of the rebound nearly knocked the weapon from his hand, costing him the initiative.
Hao Shuai pressed his advantage. The spearhead in his hand quivered, emitting sharp whistles, each thrust aimed at one of Yu Canghai's vitals. Yu Canghai was kept on the defensive, unable to counterattack, and could only rely on his Lightness Skill to dodge and block. He was in a sorry state.
At the last moment, Yu Canghai used a move called Donkey Roll to escape the range of Hao Shuai's attacks.
Hao Shuai didn't pursue him. Yu Canghai hadn't used his inner energy yet, and Hao Shuai wanted to find out how the peak of the refined-force stage compared to inner-energy cultivation. A first-rate expert like Yu Canghai was the perfect test subject.
From the moment the two began fighting until Yu Canghai retreated in disarray, barely a blink had passed. By the time the Qingcheng Sect members watching and Dean Lao reacted, Yu Canghai had already closed in on Hao Shuai again.
This time, a pale glow shimmered along Yu Canghai's sword as he swept it across. Hao Shuai's blood and qi surged throughout his body, all his strength concentrated into a single point. His spear moved like a swimming dragon, carrying a spiraling force as it crashed head-on into Yu Canghai's sword.
Vmmm—
The spear and sword collided, but no metallic clang rang out.
In an instant, the spear rolled as if slick with oil. Its tip quivered, carrying a strange, spiral-like force that knocked the sword aside. It seemed to transform into a venomous snake, lunging to bite Yu Canghai's throat.
Yu Canghai suddenly felt as if a venomous snake had fixed its gaze on him. The hairs on his body stood on end, and he could almost feel the cold spearhead against his neck. In that instant, the inner energy in his body surged into motion. His figure flashed, and he retreated explosively.
This time, Hao Shuai showed no mercy. Taking advantage of his momentum, he changed his spear thrust into a downward chop and slammed it into Yu Canghai's left arm.
Crack!
Yu Canghai's left arm broke on the spot. Hao Shuai gave a slight flick of his wrist, and the spear moved like a swimming dragon. Before Yu Canghai could retreat, its tip had already bitten into his throat like a venomous snake.
Splurt—
It was like puncturing a waterskin.
Scalding blood sprayed out.
An eerie silence fell over the scene.
Hao Shuai held the spear in one hand, lifting Yu Canghai's corpse high into the air and leaving it impaled there.
Thud—
Hao Shuai flicked his wrist, flinging the corpse to the ground.
Then, like a tiger among sheep, he charged into the Qingcheng Sect members.
The Qingcheng Sect disciples were still in shock over Yu Canghai's death and couldn't organize any meaningful resistance. And even if they had, it would only have been a question of whether they died sooner or later.
Before long, after Hao Shuai killed the last two or three fleeing Qingcheng Sect disciples by swinging his pistol like a club, the only people still breathing in the entire tavern were Hao Shuai and Dean Lao.
Apart from those left behind in Sichuan, the rest of the Qingcheng Sect's elite disciples had all died in Fujian alongside their leader. The sect could be said to have been erased from the martial world.
Poor Yu Canghai. He hadn't even been able to bring his first-rate martial arts to bear before running into Hao Shuai's close-combat National Martial Arts style. He probably hadn't been able to rest in peace.
After all, if Yu Canghai had kept his distance from Hao Shuai and relied on his Lightness Skill and sword qi to fight—or simply run if he couldn't win—then Hao Shuai would have had no way to deal with him without using his telekinesis.
Hao Shuai looked at the corpses scattered across the ground and felt a little sick, but he forced the feeling down. This was the first time he'd made such a bloody mess. Previously, he'd used telekinesis, so his enemies had met relatively peaceful, intact ends.
But sooner or later, Hao Shuai would encounter scenes like this, and perhaps even worse and bloodier ones. He could only force himself to get used to them.
After suppressing his nausea, Hao Shuai went over to Yu Canghai's corpse and crouched down. He reached over and searched the body, pulling two books from inside his tunic: one titled "Pine Wind Swordplay," and the other, "Heartbreak Palm." He didn't find the Qingcheng Sect's inner-energy manual.
As for this business of killing people and searching their corpses, Hao Shuai had picked up the habit from playing games. He had no intention of changing it. Besides, it hadn't been Hao Shuai who did it—it had been Tang Bohu.
After finishing his search, Hao Shuai stood up and looked at Yue Lingshan and Dean Lao, who were still pretending to be ordinary commoners. He couldn't help laughing. "You two can stop pretending to tremble in fear. Dean Lao's acting is passable, but Yue Lingshan, heroine of Mount Hua, what kind of performance is that? Your acting is terrible!"
What the heck was acting?
Hao Shuai ignored their stunned expressions and walked straight toward them.
Now that Hao Shuai had wiped out the Qingcheng Sect and averted the disaster facing Lin Pingzhi's family, he'd accomplished his goal. Only one objective remained: kidnap Yue Lingshan and make her father, Great Master Yue, trade the Purple Haze Divine Skill for her.
Great Master Yue should be willing to trade one beautiful daughter for a copy of the Purple Haze Divine Skill. If that wasn't enough, Hao Shuai figured he could throw in the Bixie Sword Manual as a bonus.
After all, in the story, Great Master Yue ended up practicing the Bixie Sword Manual anyway.
Was Yue Buqun even Yue Buqun if he didn't castrate himself?
Hao Shuai came up to the pair, ignoring Dean Lao and fixing his gaze on Yue Lingshan, who was dressed as a village girl.
A smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he beckoned her over.
Yue Lingshan's face was expressionless, but her eyes held three parts anger, two parts shock, and five parts fear. She came up to Hao Shuai and asked, "What can I do for you, sir?"
It seemed Yue Lingshan really was a terrible actress! She was on par with those green-screen masters from the future. Poor Dean Lao, having to act alongside such a useless teammate.
"I hereby announce that you, Yue Lingshan, daughter of the Mount Hua Sect leader, have been kidnapped! Come with me!" Hao Shuai couldn't be bothered to critique her acting and simply stated the matter outright.
The moment Hao Shuai spoke, Yue Lingshan and Dean Lao were both dumbfounded again.
Yue Lingshan's acting was poor, after all, and she had little experience. Before she could figure out how to respond, Dean Lao, whose acting was more convincing and who had plenty of experience as an undercover agent, began coughing and said with a smile, "Sir, you must be joking. How could my daughter be the daughter of the Mount Hua Sect leader? Sir, have you mistaken her for someone else?"
"You don't need to explain yourself to me. Just tell Great Master Yue that I'll wait for him in Fuzhou City for seven days. If I haven't seen him by then, I'll have no choice but to bring Yue Lingshan with me and visit him at Mount Hua a year from now—as a family of three." Hao Shuai cut Dean Lao off before he could make excuses. He didn't wait for him to protest, but took the embarrassed hostage Yue Lingshan back to Fuzhou City.
How Dean Lao got in touch with Old Yue wasn't something Hao Shuai needed to worry about. The major sects surely had their own ways of communicating, and Hao Shuai wasn't worried that Dean Lao wouldn't contact Old Yue.
After all, Yue Lingshan had gone out with him on an assignment. If something happened to Yue Lingshan while he remained safe and sound, he probably wouldn't be able to stay in the Mount Hua Sect. That would make it impossible for him to complete his undercover mission.
So Hao Shuai knew that Dean Lao would do everything in his power to contact Old Yue and have him come redeem Yue Lingshan.
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