The Remaining Two

His body heavily struck the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The man, already with a ferocious face, now had a contorted expression.

A scream escaped his mouth as he looked at the approaching beggar in terror, hastily saying:

"Great Hero, spare my life!!"

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 ghosts and gods; he was no match for him.

He immediately flipped over and knelt, repeatedly saying:

"Brother and you are strangers, I don't know where I offended you, please Great Hero, show mercy and spare my dog's life!"

Chu Qing walked forward slowly, holding his Sword, and said softly as he walked:

"You and I are strangers."

"..."

These words left even the murderous Iron Horse Seven Bandits speechless. No past grievances, no present enmity, where did this Jinx come from to just cut off his hand?

However, he didn't show any of his thoughts on his face.

He just kowtowed repeatedly:

"Since that is the case, I assume the Great Hero disapproves of my actions.

"Please, Great Hero, be magnanimous. I will surely reform and become a new person from now on..."

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

His plea for mercy was a facade; his true intention was to seize the opportunity while Chu Qing was unprepared to ambush and kill him.

He had a Hidden Arrow concealed in his left sleeve. With a surge of Internal Energy, it was a sure hit at close range.

At the same time, the arrow was coated with poison, See Blood Seal Throat.

If it hit, this person would surely die today.

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

"Die for me..."

Just as he was halfway through the word "die," he saw a flash of Silver Edge.

His raised left arm immediately drooped.

Before he could even activate it, the meridians in his left arm had already been severed by this Sword, rendering him powerless.

The ferocious smile froze on his face, and before he could say anything else, he saw a flash of sharpness before his eyes.

His chest was pierced by the Long Sword.

"You..."

He opened his mouth and said one more word, but as the Sword's edge was withdrawn, the rest of his words could no longer be spoken.

His body swayed, and his corpse fell to the ground.

Chu Qing flicked the blood from his Sword and first went to retrieve the Scabbard.

Only then did he approach the corpse and ponder slightly:

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

He looked back at the horse, which was circling around because its owner was gone, and Chu Qing smiled.

He drew his Sword again and severed the Great Thief's head.

He took a piece of cloth from the body and dipped it in blood to write [Iron Horse Seven Bandits, killing indiscriminately, their crimes deserve death -- Night Emperor].

"Isn't this codename a bit too chuunibyou? Was I influenced by the original owner?"

Chu Qing touched his chin but didn't pay it much mind.

This was just a codename anyway, and he wasn't sure if he would use it again. It didn't matter what it was.

As long as it didn't lead back to him.

His codename in the Sin Mirror Platform was 'Sword Ghost.' He didn't know what ghost he had seen to choose such a codename.

In any case, these two codenames were worlds apart. He figured that even if people from the Sin Mirror Platform found out about this, they wouldn't be able to connect them.

He tied the head to the horse. When the ownerless horse was discovered later, the message would be seen.

By then, the matter would naturally spread, and the shopkeeper would understand what had happened upon hearing the news.

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

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

Secondly... Chu Qing had never intended to ask the shopkeeper for money from the beginning.

How much money could he get from that shopkeeper?

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

Moreover, his true reward was the bounty from the assassination mission. Unless the System required him to settle accounts with the employer later, Chu Qing didn't want to seek him out.

A teahouse shopkeeper who knew no martial arts—the less he knew, the safer he was.

Spreading the information in this manner, letting him know his enemy was dead, was enough.

After finishing this task, he began to rummage through the headless corpse.

A moment later, he stood up, completely satisfied.

"It seems being a great thief is more promising than being an assassin. This guy was quite wealthy."

Not much silver, only seven or eight taels, but there was a small handful of gold leaves.

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

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

He pulled out a sleeve arrow from inside.

The item was intricately made, with a small cowhide sheath and a quiver forged from pure copper.

It could be worn close to the body on the wrist and triggered by an Internal Energy pulse, making it quite stealthy.

The drawback was that it only held one arrow.

Chu Qing didn't hesitate and fastened the item to his left wrist.

A killer uses any means necessary.

He gladly accepted such a useful surprise weapon.

Next, he took out his fire starter and ignited flammable items like silver notes. Finally, as the clothes caught fire, the headless corpse began to burn entirely.

After completing these actions, he reached out and gently patted the horse's flank.

As the saying goes, "Old horse knows the way." The Divine Steed, having lost its master, could not only help transmit the message of the kill but also assist him in finding the remaining two targets.

With this thought, he casually opened the System's commission interface.

[Commission: Assassinate Iron Horse Seven Bandits (Remaining: 2)]

Chu Qing frowned:

"Something's not right. Chu Fan's martial arts are excellent. Although the Iron Horse Seven Bandits are famous, six of them together shouldn't be a match for him.

"He should have completed the mission and retreated long ago after pursuing the bandit leader.

"Why isn't that person dead yet?

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

However, he quickly shook his head. Chu Fan possessed innate great strength and hailed from the Taiyi Sect.

His skills were extraordinary.

And his stoic-faced junior sister, though she hadn't made a move, was likely no ordinary fighter either.

With the two of them working together, even if something unexpected occurred, it wouldn't be a major issue.

Holding this thought, he quietly followed behind the horse.

After walking for just the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, the surroundings became low and damp, with a stream winding its way through. At the same time, Chu Qing heard the sounds of fighting in the distance.

Chu Qing raised an eyebrow:

"They're really still fighting?"

He pondered for a moment, then quickened his pace.

In a short while, he arrived at the scene. After assessing the terrain, he moved to a higher vantage point.

Peering down, he saw figures clashing, engaged in a fierce battle below.

Chu Fan and the remaining two Iron Horse Seven Bandits were there, along with two additional women.

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

They appeared young, yet their martial arts were exceptionally formidable.

The two women had mastered a type of Combined Attack Technique, and their combined strength was immense.

However, their method of cooperation was rather peculiar... One woman was tall, the other short. When fighting, the taller one held the shorter one in her hand, swinging her like a Wolf Tooth Club. The blows were powerful and carried great force.

If it were only the Iron Horse Seven Bandits, Chu Fan would have already defeated them.

But at this moment, Chu Fan not only hadn't defeated the Iron Horse Seven Bandits but was being pushed back by the strange moves of these two women.