Great Perfection-Level Decapitation Blade Sect!

The night was deep and still.

No one would discover it in such a short time.

Liang Qisheng dealt with the two servant girls in the same manner.

He carried out this operation with extreme care, manipulating everything from the shadows like a demonic phantom.

He did not touch a single thing in the room, proceeding with the utmost caution throughout.

After sweeping his gaze around the room and confirming there were no flaws, Liang Qisheng quietly hid beneath the covers.

Cradling the Decapitation Blade in his arms, he let the plum tree stand in for the peach tree, lying there without moving.

He was far larger than Li Sanniang. To avoid exposing himself, he deliberately curled his body tight and lowered the bed curtains completely.

Behind the hazy gauze curtains, his tall frame was concealed.

"Now, all I have to do is wait for the fish to take the bait?!"

Time passed, yet there was not the slightest sound outside. Anyone would have found that hard not to grow restless over.

But Liang Qisheng understood that such an operation tested one's patience most of all. The closer one came to success, the more careful one had to be.

The slightest lapse, the smallest crack in the disguise, and all previous efforts might be wasted.

Especially against someone as shrewd and inscrutable as Shopkeeper Lin—one small misstep could easily let him see through the ruse.

At last, a soft sound of footsteps landing came from outside.

Swish!

The sound was like a falling leaf touching the ground, so faint it was almost impossible to notice.

But Liang Qisheng knew that someone had landed in the courtyard. Most likely, it was Shopkeeper Lin.

"He's finally here!"

Liang Qisheng remained motionless, completely reining in his breath.

Even his heartbeat nearly came to a halt, while the breath from his nose grew faint and thin.

Creak!

Very soon, light footsteps drew near. Someone pushed open the tightly shut door, slowly opening it inward.

A streak of moonlight shone into the room from outside, followed by a swaying shadow stepping inside.

"He's in. One step, two steps..."

Lying still on the bed, Liang Qisheng counted silently. Both hands clenched the hilt of his blade, and every muscle in his body began to tense.

Yet even a lion used all its strength to hunt a rabbit. As an experienced old hunter, Liang Qisheng maintained a steady mindset, silently reminding himself:

The timing was balanced on a hair-trigger.

Success was already within reach; he could not fail at the last hurdle. He had to be patient.

"Hm?!"

Suddenly, the footsteps heading toward the bed stopped.

Liang Qisheng, hidden beneath the covers and obscured by the bed curtains, felt his heart jolt.

"Has that old bastard noticed something strange?"

The entire room was deathly still, with only low, heavy breathing circulating through it.

At that moment, Liang Qisheng was incomparably tense.

He had finally waited for such a perfect opportunity.

If he missed this chance, killing Shopkeeper Lin again would be harder than ascending to the heavens—and might even require paying an enormous price.

Killing a man was different from hunting wild beasts.

People were not beasts, after all. They were cleverer, more complicated, and far harder to predict.

Rustle, rustle!

Just then, the sound of clothing rubbing together arose.

Liang Qisheng suddenly seemed to realize something. The anxiety in his heart immediately settled, and even his breathing became much steadier.

"That damned lecherous old ghost didn't notice anything at all. He's taking off his clothes!"

Only then did Liang Qisheng understand why the other man had stopped walking.

It seemed that from beginning to end, the old fellow had not noticed anything amiss. Instead, his breathing had begun to grow heavier.

Liang Qisheng had worried over nothing and overestimated the old bastard.

"Sanniang, after not seeing you for several days, this little beauty has learned the art of seeming to refuse while welcoming me in."

"This old man knows you're not asleep..."

But at this moment, there was a trace of burning heat in his voice; it was no longer as steady as usual.

Though he was not so impatient as to be unable to wait, he had still lost a bit of his composure.

Even in such a state, Shopkeeper Lin's martial foundations were still apparent.

His footsteps were nearly soundless, revealing excellent qinggong footwork; the stance had already become instinct.

With one long stride, he arrived at the bedside. Reaching out with both hands, he was about to gather the delicate body beneath the blanket into his arms.

Just as he bent down, lifted the bed curtains, and touched the bedding, an intense palpitation crashed over him.

That bone-piercing chill ran from his head to his feet, extinguishing the last trace of heat in his heart and freezing his entire body on the spot.

With his palm pressed against the bedding, terror filled his heart, and he immediately shouted:

"Who are you?!"

At the same time, his instincts told him that a savage killing intent lay right before him, sending a chill down his neck.

He could not remain here for long. As he spoke, Shopkeeper Lin leaned backward.

Then he planted one foot on the bed. Like a soaring hawk, he borrowed force in midair, intending to use the rebound to burst out of the room.

"Die!"

The bedding exploded, turning into snowflakes that filled the air, drifting like scattered down.

An ultimate killing intent that had been stored up for a long time erupted. Cold light flashed as a figure charged straight out from within.

Like a ghost, he moved as fast as lightning. The blade technique in his hand was like the wind, its sharp edge slicing through the air with a piercing howl.

"Not good! Retreat!"

It had to be said that Shopkeeper Lin, who could oversee a Nine Harmonies Hall, possessed considerable foundations. His reaction was exceptionally swift.

Though faced with ultimate killing intent, he responded appropriately at the critical moment. Both his footwork and reactions were pushed to their utmost limit.

He desperately leaned his upper body backward. The sharp blade seemed to be getting farther and farther from his throat, and he was just about to escape the danger.

Yet in the next instant, the figure amid the flying down remained cold and impassive, while the gleaming blade abruptly shot forward another three feet like a ghost.

Great Perfection-level Decapitation Blade Technique!

Having slain countless men, the executioners' lineage specialized in killing villains steeped in evil.

A fine head sent blood spraying three yards high, bursting forth in a crimson arc.

Then the frigid blade-light flashed and swept straight across his neck.

The bed shattered. As the disturbance faded, the room fell into deathly silence.

Liang Qisheng stood there, maintaining his sword-swinging posture, while Shopkeeper Lin's body remained bent desperately backward, utterly motionless.

The entire space sank into an eerie silence, as though even the wind had stopped.

Hiss, hiss!

A faint sound suddenly rang out. Shopkeeper Lin, who had not moved at all, wore a blank expression as a bluish-white hue gradually emerged on his aged face.

His clouded eyes were full of disbelief, terror, and the horror of a man at death's door.

A bloody line appeared across his neck.

Blood slowly seeped out, then sprayed outward, staining the silent room crimson.

"I never expected that the Ghost Slaying Blade Art, which I had pondered over a hundred times without finding the way in, would be comprehended on its own through that ultimate slash—a life-and-death battle, and the Great Perfection-level Decapitation Blade Technique."

Liang Qisheng sheathed the Decapitation Blade and slowly straightened. His chest heaved violently, and his breathing was somewhat unsteady.

That strike had appeared to be a single slash, but in truth, it was the culmination of his Decapitation Blade Technique over the past several months.

Once the blade emerged, the map had been exhausted and the dagger revealed; killing intent flooded the wilderness.

Without facing it personally, one could never imagine such biting coldness.