A Ferocious Tiger in His Heart, Sharpening His Blade to Kill

Acting rashly would surely draw out the forces behind Shopkeeper Lin and expose his identity.

Even with the protection of his master from Yama Gate, he would likely face enormous trouble.

Liang Qisheng's target was Shopkeeper Lin. He would make his plans before he acted.

For now, Nine Harmonies Hall and the forces behind it had not provoked him, so naturally he had no desire to make enemies of them.

Avoiding the crowds as much as possible, Liang Qisheng entered Lotus Town.

He threaded through the alleyways, chose a direction, and walked in from the end of the street.

Liang Qisheng had once been a hunter and herb gatherer, and had come to Lotus Town many times to purchase supplies. Naturally, he knew where the black market was.

The place he was heading for now was precisely Lotus Town's black market.

What he needed to do now was gather as much information on Shopkeeper Lin as possible.

He would search for an opportunity within it, formulate a plan, and ultimately find a truly viable chance to deliver a fatal blow.

Liang Qisheng knew very well that for an old hand like Shopkeeper Lin, he had to kill with a single strike. It would be difficult to find a second opportunity.

As a lawless no-man's-land, the black market was a chaotic mix of dragons and fish.

Before entering the black market, Liang Qisheng bought a black robe that completely concealed his body, avoiding the danger of being directly exposed.

As he walked through the black market, Liang Qisheng sensed killing intent clinging to every passerby, some thick, some faint.

Clearly, almost no one who mingled here was weak.

Not only that, the surrounding stalls sold all manner of goods.

Some were blatantly stolen goods, still stained with blood. One glance was enough to tell they came from dubious sources, yet they were displayed here openly and sold without the slightest concealment.

Thus, this place was also a den for fencing stolen goods, with people of every identity gathered here.

It could bring in vast sums of money, and with dragons and fish all mixed together, even the official powers could not control it.

Liang Qisheng had no interest in the stolen goods for sale. Before long, he stopped outside a shop hung with a door curtain, lifted it, and walked inside.

Inside were individual partitioned rooms. He found an empty spot and sat down.

A figure soon appeared opposite him and asked in a low voice, "What intelligence does this guest require? Our prices are fair, and we cheat neither the old nor the young."

This was the place in the black market that sold intelligence. Old Man Zhao had passed by it several times when taking him to sell herbs, but they had never entered.

"Lin Lang, the chief shopkeeper of Nine Harmonies Hall in Lotus Town!"

Shopkeeper Lin's real name was Lin Lang.

Without any hesitation, Liang Qisheng gave the name.

"Please wait a moment, sir!"

After only a short while, someone delivered a booklet, and the man opposite relayed the information: "Lin Lang, chief shopkeeper of Nine Harmonies Hall in Lotus Town, a hereditary servant of the Li Family, one of the three great families of Stone Martial County. Tendon-Forging Realm, sixty years old..."

When Liang Qisheng left the room and departed the black market without looking back, a sheet of paper had appeared in his hand. It clearly recorded Lin Lang's information in exhaustive detail.

It included all the detailed intelligence from his recent years, though the price was not low—it had cost him a full hundred taels.

"Just the shopkeeper of Nine Harmonies Hall costs a hundred taels!"

"...Then buying detailed information on the county city's three great families, the Six Great Martial Halls, and those nobles would cost thousands, even tens of thousands of taels."

Liang Qisheng truly felt that after half a lifetime of bitter training, he had returned only to remain penniless.

"East Suburb Alley, Number Nineteen, Number Five... Number Nine..."

"...This is the place!"

Under the night curtain, Liang Qisheng wore a fitted black martial outfit, looking sharp and capable.

Though he was tall and powerfully built, his aura was completely concealed.

Standing in the corner by the wall, even when others passed by, they failed to notice his presence.

Having trained the Black Tiger Fist stance to his level, he could imitate a tiger hunting its prey.

In nature, the king of beasts hid deep in the mountains. When it moved greatly, mountains crumbled and earth split; when it moved subtly, it concealed itself within the forest, its very breathing nearly stilled.

A body hidden in shadow was the mark of a natural-born predator.

His deep gaze fixed on the small courtyard ahead, and even Liang Qisheng's heartbeat grew faint.

He harbored killing intent, yet his state of mind grew ever more steady, as cold and indifferent as a stubborn stone.

The martial arts passed down through executioners, whether the Decapitation Blade Technique or the Ghost Slaying Blade Art, were born with the taste of cold-bloodedness.

He had killed countless people; the stronger his killing intent, the less of it leaked out.

This was already his fifth day in Lotus Town. After obtaining information about Shopkeeper Lin, Liang Qisheng had remained still.

Like the most brilliant and seasoned hunter deep in the mountains, he was far more experienced than even the craftiest prey.

He had all the time in the world to wait, while his opponent had only one chance.

The moment killing intent surfaced would be the moment he bared his fangs.

This chief shopkeeper of Nine Harmonies Hall in Lotus Town was himself a figure constantly surrounded by people.

Either he kept to his home and rarely went out, or guards invariably accompanied him, or he remained inside Nine Harmonies Hall at all times.

Taking his life would not be easy, which matched the information recorded by the Ghost Market.

Thus, Liang Qisheng had continued to lie in wait. He knew there was only one chance—fail to kill the tiger, and one might instead be wounded by it.

In a public setting, he was not confident he could land a certain kill.

Though he had improved considerably, there was still a whole rank between them. He had fought Shopkeeper Lin head-on before and had a fair understanding of the man's strength.

So, he had sought other opportunities. In the end, his attention settled on the most crucial piece of information he had purchased from the Ghost Market.

Shopkeeper Lin was rather lustful, yet somewhat afraid of his wife, so he had hidden a beauty away in a golden house.

Li Sanniang, the peony courtesan of Spring Creek Pavilion, had been bought out by him and installed in the largest courtyard behind the alley where Liang Qisheng was currently staying.

Whenever Shopkeeper Lin had the chance, he would quietly come to this courtyard and enjoy the blessings of a man with beauties on both sides.

Only, this secret was exceedingly well concealed, and few knew of it.

Yet the Ghost Market information Liang Qisheng had obtained contained no exact time. As the chief shopkeeper of Nine Harmonies Hall, Shopkeeper Lin was busy every day, and the frequency of his visits varied. Liang Qisheng had no way of knowing which day he would come.

So he could only wait. Since there was no definite time, he could only rely on lurking here himself and searching for an opportunity to strike.

Fortunately, during the three years he had followed Old Man Zhao, Liang Qisheng had become the finest hunter. He had all the time and patience needed to wait.

Just moments ago, Liang Qisheng had already slipped into the courtyard to investigate. Inside were only Shopkeeper Lin's mistress, Li Sanniang the peony courtesan, along with a group of serving servants and maids.

Liang Qisheng did not rush to act. Instead, he continued waiting patiently.

Raising his head to look at the courtyard shrouded in darkness, Liang Qisheng sprang three paces beneath his feet, and his figure vanished into the shadows.

Late the next night!

Liang Qisheng once again arrived outside the residence at the very end of the Eastern Suburbs alley.

This time, he had received definite news: Shopkeeper Lin was hosting guests at a banquet outside today and would most likely come here to spend the night.

He had prepared everything and climbed over the wall into the residence.

Without any mishap, he used Flick Finger Force with the aid of a small stone to knock the sleeping Li Sanniang unconscious, then hid her in the woodshed.