Defeating Wang Ruozhi

Wang Ruozhi's lightness skill was exceptional. How could Meng Qingshan not know that?

In Meng Qingshan's view, even with Wang Ruozhi injured, his barely mastered Bone-Piercing Nail technique would hardly pose a threat.

So when Meng Qingshan made his move, he never intended to rely on the Bone-Piercing Nail alone to take him down.

From the very beginning, he had aimed at an open patch of ground behind Wang Ruozhi.

Moreover, Meng Qingshan had coated the iron needles with medicinal powder. In the ensuing fight, as long as Wang Ruozhi accidentally stepped on one of the poisoned needles, he would have no chance of winning.

Taking advantage of Wang Ruozhi's lack of awareness, Meng Qingshan first used Bone-Piercing Nail to force him into position, then used a counterthrust to defend himself and block his escape route, and finally unleashed Sweep Through a Thousand Armies, driving Wang Ruozhi onto the poisoned needles he had planted in advance.

Hearing Wang Ruozhi's scream, An Ning'er's gaze snapped into focus. She saw the young man posing as "Constable Zhang" suddenly surge forward, his spear crashing down like a dragon sweeping its tail, striking Wang Ruozhi squarely in the chest.

Meng Qingshan had put nine-tenths of his strength into that blow.

Wang Ruozhi's legs had been injured by the poisoned needles, leaving him no time to dodge. His Body Protecting True Qi was shattered, and he was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.

"Pfft!"

Wang Ruozhi spat out a mouthful of blood and struggled to get up.

But Meng Qingshan wasn't about to give him a chance to catch his breath. Several gleaming iron needles had already appeared in his hand, their sight enough to make anyone shudder.

Extreme Yin True Qi from the Innate Breathing Technique gathered at his fingertips and flowed into the needles as he shot them out.

An Ning'er cried out, "Constable Zhang, please show mercy!"

"Shing, shing, shing..."

Meng Qingshan acted as if he hadn't heard her. His needles struck the acupoints across Wang Ruozhi's body with pinpoint accuracy.

Over the past few days, Meng Qingshan had not neglected the Illustrated Guide to Acupoints on the Bronze Man that Mister Mo had given him.

Now, following the Medical Book's instructions, he accurately sealed several of Wang Ruozhi's vital acupoints, instantly leaving him weak all over and slowing the flow of his qi and blood.

Wang Ruozhi had True Qi protecting him, so the Bone-Piercing Nails had not pierced deeply. He had planned to draw on the True Qi within him and force the six needles out.

But he hadn't expected the needles to contain six streams of Yin Cold True Qi. The moment that frigid energy touched the True Qi in his body, it coursed along his Meridians and straight to his Qihai Acupoint, making his True Qi sluggish and difficult to gather for the time being.

Yet that tiny opening was all Meng Qingshan needed to step right up to Wang Ruozhi.

Without hesitation, he executed Four Directions from the Eight Directions Palm Technique. His hands blurred as he struck six times in rapid succession, driving all six needles into Wang Ruozhi's body.

Then he struck Wang Ruozhi's dantian with a palm. Extreme Yin True Qi surged into his body like a flood, scattering the True Qi Wang Ruozhi had just managed to summon.

Meng Qingshan then used the Extreme Yin True Qi to seal Wang Ruozhi's acupoints, leaving him completely unable to gather his True Qi.

After suffering one devastating blow after another, Wang Ruozhi spat out another mouthful of blood.

By then, An Ning'er had hurried over to the two men.

The Red Clad Girl was inexperienced in the ways of the world. It never even occurred to her that if Meng Qingshan were a cold-blooded villain, she would be walking right into a trap, like a lamb into a tiger's den.

She looked at the gravely wounded Wang Ruozhi, then turned to Meng Qingshan, a flash of anger in her eyes. "With your skills and methods, you're no ordinary constable under my father's command. Who are you, really?"

Meng Qingshan smiled faintly. An Ning'er's questioning did not displease him in the least.

In truth, the moment he defeated Wang Ruozhi, he had already changed the course of the original story.

He could have simply killed Wang Ruozhi and left, without paying An Ning'er any mind.

But that would have been a terrible waste.

After all, An Ning'er was the daughter of King Yun Chu. Her status was exalted, her power immense, and her connections far-reaching. She was a force to be reckoned with throughout Yunzhou.

If King Yun Chu were still alive, An Ning'er would be the apple of his eye, with his deep reserves and vast resources at her back.

Ignoring her would mean letting all those valuable resources go to waste.

Since he had chosen to intervene today, he had to take Wang Ruozhi's fortune for himself completely.

He was determined to win An Ning'er's favor.

Meng Qingshan believed the first step toward winning An Ning'er's favor was to let her see Wang Ruozhi's true colors.

And he already had a plan for how to do that.

He met An Ning'er's gaze openly and said slowly, "Princess Yun'an has a keen eye. I am not a constable of the Seven Mysteries Sect; 'Constable Zhang' is merely an identity I borrowed for the time being. But Constable Sheng and I are indeed close friends, and I mean the Princess no harm."

An Ning'er exclaimed, "You know who I am?"

"Not only do I know your identity, Princess, I also know this man's background!"

He pointed at Wang Ruozhi and continued, "This man is named Murong Shaobai. On the surface, he is the young master of the Murong Family on Langya Island in Gusu City, but in secret, he is a sinister member of the assassin organization Beyond Heaven. He approached you this time with evil intentions, intending to seize the Black Dragon Red Sun Pearl."