The Tragedy

The moment that voice reached his ears, Bai Qi's pupils suddenly contracted.

Everything he hadn't been able to figure out suddenly clicked.

He let out a bitter laugh.

"Azure Void Palm... So you're the Chu Family Third Young Master.

"You fooled me so thoroughly..."

"Likewise."

Chu Qing answered him as he sealed his acupoints.

Then he reached out and pressed his cheek.

His fingers tightened. A crack sounded from Bai Qi's mouth, and Chu Qing struck the back of his head at just the right moment.

Pfft!

A white object, something like a tooth, shot from his mouth.

Then Chu Qing twisted his sword against Bai Qi's right wrist, severing the tendons there as well.

Only then did Chu Qing circle around in front of him.

"The little gadgets on you should all be useless now, right?

"Shall we talk?"

Bai Qi didn't seem concerned about his condition. Instead, he smiled.

"Talk about what? You know me. You know you won't get a single piece of information out of me.

"And besides... Sin Mirror Platform won't let you go.

"You managed to escape death once, but do you think you'll be that lucky a second time?

"Blood Spear's martial arts ranked above yours. The fact that you managed to kill him was already a stroke of heaven-sent fortune.

"But you should know he wasn't even on the Evil Slaying List.

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

"That's not what I wanted to talk to you about... You know that now you've fallen into my hands, you won't make it out alive. So whatever happens to me afterward has nothing to do with you."

Chu Qing spoke softly.

"I'm just curious. What would happen if I killed Zhou Changtai?"

Bai Qi glanced at him and said with a smile,

"Then it would mean that in your heart, all that so-called ambition is nothing but bullshit.

"You're just a cold-blooded killer who kills for money.

"Only then would you truly be qualified to join Sin Mirror Platform, and even receive its cultivation.

"One day, you might even rise to the Evil Slaying List. It's not impossible."

Chu Qing sighed softly.

"So that's how it is. This is a trap, and a test.

"Kill your conscience, and you pass. Then you become Sin Mirror Platform's true blade.

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

Bai Qi looked a little surprised.

"You've gotten smarter?"

"People who've died once tend to learn a thing or two."

Chu Qing shook his head.

"One last question. Was it Ten Thousand Night Valley that wanted Chu Yunfei dead?"

At that, Bai Qi looked at him, then suddenly laughed.

"That's right. It was Ten Thousand Night Valley.

"They want to wage war on Heavenly Dance City, but Chu Yunfei and Wu Ganqi joined forces, and they're no match for them.

"So they want Chu Yunfei dead."

Chu Qing nodded.

"As I thought. But you're telling me the answer so readily, so you must have an ulterior motive.

"Are you hoping I'll die at the hands of Ten Thousand Night Valley? Or that even if I survive, I'll leave enough traces for Sin Mirror Platform to track me down again?"

"...Are you really Sword Ghost? You haven't been replaced by someone, have you?"

The surprise in Bai Qi's voice was genuine.

Chu Qing smiled.

"All right, enough reminiscing... Any last words?"

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

The words he hadn't spoken sank back into his belly.

"Never mind. I can't grant your wish anyway, so there's no point hearing your last words."

He sheathed his sword and watched Bai Qi's pupils slowly glaze over, watched the blood pour from his neck.

Only after Bai Qi had died completely did Chu Qing finally relax.

Killing him wouldn't make Sin Mirror Platform stop hunting him, but it would prevent many unforeseen complications.

"The attempt on Chu Yunfei's life isn't over yet.

"One failure won't make Sin Mirror Platform back down... There'll definitely be another assassination attempt.

"But this involves a struggle between two factions. It's not something a small-time assassin like me can influence.

"Fortunately, Chu Yunfei is still alive, and after this, he'll certainly be on his guard.

"He'll be safe for a while."

For a moment, Chu Qing hesitated. Should he leave Heavenly Dance City right now?

As for his arrangement with Wu Qianhuan, he could go or not; it didn't matter. There was nothing worth regretting about abandoning his Night Emperor disguise.

But if he made an arrangement and then failed to show up, Wu Qianhuan might start drawing conclusions... Still, she might not be able to find him by then. The only thing worth worrying about was that she might let something slip without thinking, allowing Sin Mirror Platform to pick up the trail he had worked so hard to sever.

Then there was Junior Sister Wen...

But when he thought of the figure that had followed him ever since he left the Chu Family, he couldn't help but sigh.

"This is still a bit of a headache..."

After taking care of the body, Chu Qing changed into a new set of clothes in a nearby farmhouse, leaving two taels of silver as usual.

After tidying himself up, he returned to Heavenly Dance City.

There was still a chest waiting to be opened in the system.

He wondered what good stuff he'd get from it after killing Xin Youhen.

Hopefully something like an Internal Energy Technique.

Thinking this, Chu Qing was already itching to find out. He was about to head straight back to the inn when a commotion suddenly broke out ahead.

It seemed something had happened.

Chu Qing hadn't wanted to get involved; he already had plenty on his mind. But after a glance, he spotted someone he knew.

"Tang Xi?"

Tang Xi was standing in front of a clinic. Opposite him, several Luoyu Hall disciples were holding down a gaunt, haggard young man.

The young man clutched a knife and kept roaring, trying to charge over and hack Tang Xi to death.

Chu Qing watched in surprise, then heard people nearby whispering.

"He's at it again... How many times has this been now?"

"Who knows? At least three times..."

"Honestly, the young hall master's just too kindhearted. If it were anyone else, Er Gou would've been dead long ago."

"Sigh, enough. He's had a rough time too..."

Hearing them, Chu Qing was even more surprised. So this wasn't the first time?

He went over to a middle-aged man and asked quietly,

"Uncle, what's going on? Why's he pulling a knife?"

The middle-aged man glanced at Chu Qing. Seeing his honest, simple face and ordinary peasant clothes, he replied,

"You just got to Heavenly Dance City, didn't you?"

Chu Qing gave an awkward chuckle.

"You've got a good eye, sir. I just came into town to look for work. They say Heavenly Dance City is a big city, protected by its lord. How come people are still drawing knives in the street?"

"That's because you don't know the whole story."

The middle-aged man leaned closer and spoke quietly.

"That young man's called Er Gou. He's from Ten Mile Town. He had a fiancée, and they'd been close since they were children.

"They were just about to get married when the girl died.

"When they found her... Ah, it was horrible.

"Her arms and legs had all been cut off. There wasn't a single patch of uninjured skin left on her body. She died with her eyes open!"