"If I make a move, I'll have to kill them all."
"As for the excuse afterward, I'll figure that out later. At worst, I'll become a wanted criminal on the Black List!"
His thoughts raced in an instant.
Yang Ling activated the Vajra Mingwang Technique.
In a flash, his strength rose to 26 points!
Agility: 20 points!
Wu Que's movements seemed much slower to him now, full of openings!
"Collapse Mountain Fist!"
Yang Ling struck, boosting his strength by another 6 points!
His fist technique grew more fierce, his speed more explosive.
The masked brutes only saw a blur before Yang Ling appeared in front of Wu Que.
They were stunned.
Wu Que was even more shocked. "A Martial Artist!?"
That speed, that Fist Momentum...
Wu Que panicked.
Thud!
Yang Ling's fist had already landed on Wu Que's chest.
One punch left a fist-shaped dent, caving in his chest by several inches!
Pfft!
Wu Que spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward.
"Wait!"
His voice was hoarse.
"Wait for your mother!"
Yang Ling rushed forward, grabbed Wu Que by the arm, and pulled him upright.
The next moment, a storm of punches rained down.
One punch after another slammed into Wu Que.
Wu Que's gaze began to grow unfocused.
"Uncle Wang was a decent man. And you went and killed him?"
"You want me to take the blame? Have you even looked at yourself in a puddle?"
"Oh, right. I killed Fifth Brother, too. He was a good-for-nothing. What makes you any different?"
"You... the Vajra Mingwang Technique?"
Wu Que's pupils were completely unfocused, but his tenacious vitality as a Martial Artist let him force out a few words.
"You figured it out too late."
Yang Ling's gaze was cold as he punched Wu Que in the head.
Crack!
His skull shattered.
Wu Que's eyes rolled back, and he fell completely silent.
A tremendous wave of warmth surged into Yang Ling's body.
Just like when he'd mined a few days ago, he gained experience, but there was no sign of leveling up.
The masked brutes were horrified, their legs trembling.
By the time they came to their senses, Yang Ling was already rushing toward them like a gust of wind!
"Run!"
"He has the Vajra Mingwang Technique!"
Not one of the brutes chose to fight Yang Ling.
They were already terrified out of their wits, and didn't think they stood a chance anyway.
They all turned their backs to him.
Only now, fighting with all his might, did Yang Ling realize just how strong he was.
Even without any leg technique to boost him, he was as fast as the wind.
He caught up to one brute and smashed his fist into the back of the man's head.
Then the next.
Then another.
In less than half a minute, every masked brute was dead.
Wave after wave of warmth surged into Yang Ling's body.
"They gave me experience too? Looks like the system judged that they posed at least some threat to me."
Yang Ling stopped using the technique and stood there, lost in thought.
He had a rough idea why Fifth Brother hadn't allowed the miners to work overtime.
It would obviously interfere with the Mine Bandits' operation.
"What should I do now?"
Yang Ling looked around.
The corpses of Uncle Wang and the others, along with Wu Que's men, were scattered across the ground.
Nearly thirty bodies. In the real world, this would be a major incident.
"There's no way I can explain this now."
"Either I reveal the Vajra Mingwang Technique and get hunted down by Ku Jue Temple until I'm dead..."
"Or I find a way to disappear, but then I'll be a wanted criminal on the Black List."
"I even went to the Prefectural Office to have my portrait recorded. Once I'm on the wanted list, I'll have to change my face to stay in Zhao State. Otherwise, it'll be hard to live here."
"Damn them."
Yang Ling looked at Wu Que, still feeling that he hadn't taken out enough of his anger.
He'd been about to head to the Red Gold Mine as an inspector.
He'd even gotten himself a Constable's identity, and might have been able to complete a Class Transfer.
Then he could level up steadily and grow stronger.
Now all those plans had been thrown into chaos!
"Wait, there might be another way."
Yang Ling's thoughts shifted.
"The Dou Mine was a sham, but only Wu Que and I know that. Captain Lin shouldn't know."
"So I can get my Constable's identity as long as I return to Qingshan City. Whether I can complete the Class Transfer, I'll have to try and see."
"In a few days, someone from the Mountain River Sect will come down to check the accounts and collect the ore. They'll find the missing amount then."
"If Wu Que disappears now, they should assume he fled to escape punishment."
"I asked Steward Niu earlier why he didn't do anything about Fifth Brother and the others. He said he didn't want to offend Wu Que, but he must have noticed something was wrong. He might become a key witness."
"From the way Wu Que talked, he wanted to use my identity to affect Xu Qing's chances of getting the Red Gold Mine. That means Xu Qing has an enemy in the Mountain River Sect, and Wu Que is that enemy's backer."
"If something happens to Wu Que, Xu Qing will naturally benefit. He should make sure this matter gets buried."
Yang Ling considered it from every angle. It wasn't a perfect plan, but it could buy him some time.
As long as he got stronger during that time, this wouldn't be a major problem.
Next, he took out the Steel Pickaxe and got to work at what he did best.
Digging a hole!
A huge pit soon took shape.
First, he laid the innocent miners to rest.
Then he dealt with Wu Que and the others.
"Is this... a Silver Note?"
Yang Ling found a hidden pocket in Wu Que's clothes. Inside were several Silver Notes.
They were all worth 100 taels each, eight in total.
"Wu Que went out last night and didn't come back until morning. Could he have gone to make a deal? Had he just gotten these?"
Yang Ling's expression changed.
That raised another problem.
There was someone in Qingshan City who bought stolen ore, and he seemed to know Wu Que well! They were probably long-term business partners.
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