Life and Death Seal

At this moment.

Ding Dian knew very well that the brat in front of him had no intention of letting him go.

He couldn't survive either way.

He might as well ask for a quick end!

"If you don't tell me, I'll find it myself!"

Qin Shuang looked at Ding Dian and said calmly. "However, I won't let you die so easily. I'll cut you all over with wounds, then smear you with honey and leave you in the wild, to let you taste the agony of ants climbing a tree!"

"You... you'll die a horrible death!"

Hearing Qin Shuang's words, Ding Dian's eyes widened, a look of fear appearing in them.

The thought of ants crawling all over his body was definitely worse than death!

A look of determination appeared in his eyes. He circulated his cultivation technique, causing his Qi and Blood to surge in reverse. He opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood, his eyes wide and his spirit fading. He slowly slumped to the ground.

"He committed suicide?"

Qin Shuang looked at the deceased Ding Dian, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. He stepped forward and stripped off the soft armor from Ding Dian's body. To Qin Shuang's surprise, near the chest of the soft armor, there was a piece of beast hide as large as a rice bowl, covered in dense, small characters, which seemed to be a cultivation technique.

Qin Shuang put away the beast hide and looked at the soft armor.

The soft armor was silver, made of square silver pieces the size of pigeon eggs strung together. On the silver pieces, tiny '☽' symbols appeared. The silk threads were also silver, protecting the chest and back. The entire silver armor felt quite light in his hands, extremely exquisite.

"This soft armor offers powerful protection, truly excellent!"

Qin Shuang looked at the soft armor in his hands, satisfaction evident in his eyes.

This trip had yielded great rewards.

Thanks to this soft armor, Ding Dian wouldn't have died from his first strike. It was as if he had gained an extra life!

Qin Shuang knew very well the sharpness of the Yellow Springs Saber. The fact that this soft armor could block the Yellow Springs Saber showed its extraordinary nature!

"Let's go back and take a look first!"

Qin Shuang put away the soft armor and the beast hide. He searched Ding Dian's body and found three bank notes, as well as some small bottles that looked like poison. He packed them all up and used his movement technique to head towards Hualing Village.

Not long after.

Qin Shuang returned to the thatched house.

"Hall Master, your subordinate is incompetent. I only killed two of them, and three Silver Masked Men escaped. However, they are covered in tracking powder, and I can find them!"

At this moment, Jin Yang quickly stepped forward and reported respectfully.

"Did any of our subordinates suffer casualties?"

Qin Shuang asked.

"Only about a dozen people were injured."

Jin Yang clasped his fists.

"You all did your best. Take me to chase them!"

Qin Shuang's eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice.

He knew clearly that the remaining five were all in the Bone Forging Realm, while the Martial Arts School disciples were in the Qi and Blood Realm. With Jin Yang, who was in the Bone Forging Realm, leading them, killing two was probably because those people weren't fighting seriously.

The three who escaped were Ding Dian's subordinates. It was perfect, he could capture them and force them to reveal Ding Dian's whereabouts in Yunzhou, and hopefully find the scroll he mentioned.

According to Ding Dian, that scroll was the same as the one he obtained from Qi Yunfeng, so it was likely not a simple item either.

"Yes, they went towards Gong'ao Mountain!"

Jin Yang pointed to a depression in the mountains north of the city, quickly brought a large black dog, and led the way towards Gong'ao Mountain.

Qin Shuang followed Jin Yang, galloping along, gradually leaving Hualing Village behind.

At this time, about ten miles outside Hualing Village, in a grove in a mountain hollow, three middle-aged men sat on a large rock. They were two fat and one thin, all dressed in black robes.

"Brother Jin, what should we do next?"

A fat guy asked the thin man in black robes.

"Let's wait here. If the leader can escape that person's pursuit, he will definitely find us."

Jin Shisan said thoughtfully.

Although he said this, the worry in his brows deepened. Just now in Hualing Village, he saw that the young man's Qi and Blood was twice as strong as the leader's. Whether the leader could escape was really uncertain.

"No need to wait. Your leader has already been killed by me."

Just then, a faint voice came from about ten feet away.

"Ah?"

Jin Shisan and the other two changed their expressions at the sound. They quickly reached for the swords and knives beside them and looked towards the grass ten feet away, their pupils contracting sharply.

A young man in green robes, carrying a black saber and standing as straight as a pine tree, stood ten feet away, looking at them leisurely.

The young man had a high nose bridge, a face carved like a knife, sharp features, sword-like eyebrows that slanted into his temples, and his long hair casually tied up with a plain ribbon. He stood with his hands behind his back, his aura sharp and intimidating, making it impossible to stare directly at him.

Jin Shisan recognized that the young man in front of him was the one who was chasing their leader!

His hand holding the knife trembled. He looked at Qin Shuang, his voice shaking. "You... you... what do you want?"

"Did Ding Dian have a lot of gold and silver in Yunzhou?"

Qin Shuang asked, looking at Jin Shisan.

"Yes... The boss has fifteen estates in Qingyao City, Yunzhou, a mine, a stable, three docks, and three sons. On the surface, he's a famous rich merchant in Qingyao City, but in reality, he's the leader of the Blood Shadow Gang..."

Jin Shisan said, cupping his fists towards Qin Shuang.

He didn't hold anything back, explaining everything about the boss, Ding Dian's affairs in Yunzhou, one by one.

He knew clearly that the young man before him had killed their boss and was asking about his gold and silver. This meant he was very interested in it. Therefore, as long as he helped the young man obtain the boss's wealth, his life could be spared.

"Jin Shisan, as long as you help me obtain all of Ding Dian's assets, I will not only spare your lives, but I will also treat you well!"

Qin Shuang said with a slight smile, looking at Jin Shisan.

Originally, with Ding Dian dead, he might have had to expend a lot of effort to find Ding Dian's scroll. Now, with Jin Shisan and the other two, it would be much easier.

"Thank you, young hero, for sparing our lives!"

"Thank you, young hero. We will definitely do our best to help you obtain those treasures!"

"..."

Jin Shisan and the other two cupped their fists respectfully and agreed.

One o'clock in the afternoon, the sky was clear and blue.

Hualing Village.

Inside the tiled house.

Qin Shuang sat at the table. On the table lay the beast skin obtained from Ding Dian. He reached into a nearby bamboo cage with his right hand, catching and releasing dragonflies. His feet rested on the grass, and with his left hand, he held three pills on a plate.

On the beast skin was a cultivation technique called the Life and Death Seal, a martial art used to control others for one's own use.

According to the commentary on the technique, one needed to condense a blood seal from a trace of their own Qi and Blood and inject it into the target's body to achieve control. Once a target was struck by the Life and Death Seal, they needed to take an antidote once a year. Otherwise, their Qi and Blood would surge backward, causing intense itching all over their body, making them wish for death but unable to die.

[Life and Death Seal (Novice)]

[Simplified: Imprint ten Rebirth冥钱 to enter the novice stage]

"Hmm?"

"I need to imprint ten Rebirth冥钱 to enter the novice stage?"

Seeing the display in his mind, Qin Shuang's eyes showed a thoughtful expression.

As far as he knew, in this martial arts world, when people died, they also burned paper money for those in the underworld. However, it was slightly different from his previous life. This paper money had words like 'Rebirth Mantra' and 'Pure Land Rebirth' printed on it, along with many Buddhist mantras, lotus patterns, and Buddhist symbols.