Cleave the Path of Life and Death with Both Hands, Sever the Root of Right and Wrong with a Single Blade

Given Shopkeeper Lin's current cultivation level, Liang Qisheng naturally understood the power of the Great Vajra Finger.

Even in the hands of a Bone Refining expert, this was a top-tier secret manual.

What he did not know was that the Great Forest Temple, a sacred site of martial Zen cultivation, possessed seventy-two ultimate techniques renowned throughout the world, among which was a supremely yang and rigid technique called the Great Vajra Palm.

This Great Vajra Finger was actually created centuries ago by a lay disciple of the Great Forest Temple who had studied the Great Vajra Palm, painstakingly researching and modifying it to produce this manual.

Later, this technique spread to the Western Regions, where it merged with internal cultivation methods and became one of the signature ultimate techniques of the Vajra Sect.

It inherited the might and power of the Great Vajra Palm but was more insidious and vicious, training the five fingers into a force known as Finger Spear. At high levels, it could pierce anything, specializing in breaking armor.

Even hard external skills like the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt would be punctured with a single finger, leaving a bloody hole.

Though This Humble One did not know how much effort Shopkeeper Lin had expended to obtain the Great Vajra Finger manual, in the end, it benefited Liang Qisheng.

In the give and take of fate, some destinies were already sealed.

Since the good stuff was in hand, Liang Qisheng did not linger and quietly left with his gains.

The next day, many yamen runners and constables in Lotus Town were urgently dispatched to search for the culprit, creating an atmosphere of tension.

The Li family behind Nine Harmonies Hall was enraged, sending direct-line disciples to search the entire town.

They made a huge commotion, even setting up checkpoints at the town exits for inspections, casting a pall of oppression over Lotus Town.

Soon, rumors spread through every street and alley.

"Have you heard? Shopkeeper Lin of Nine Harmonies Hall was killed, they say on the bed of that little slut Li Sanniang, the courtesan of Spring Creek Pavilion."

"Heh heh, I know, they say his head was chopped off, and he was naked when he died."

"But Nine Harmonies Hall is Li family property. Someone daring to commit such a deed on their turf—isn't that practically challenging the Li family?"

"A storm is coming, and it can't be held back. The authorities are already involved. I heard not only was Shopkeeper Lin killed, but two thousand silver taels on him were stolen."

"...They say that was part of the Li family's quarterly funds for purchasing medicinal herbs, and the main family has sent people to investigate."

"I heard even the Li family head was alerted, directly posting a reward: one hundred taels for any clue, and a thousand taels for catching the killer!"

All kinds of news spread through Lotus Town, true and false, fueling endless gossip.

The Li family's actions were massive, and other factions also sent people to probe for information.

After all, it had been years since anyone dared to slap the face of Shiwu County's three great families.

Sword-for-hire mercenaries and bounty hunters, drawn by the reward, gathered around Lotus Town, searching for leads.

Such a convergence of people ignited the already volatile atmosphere like a powder keg.

Conflicts and disputes erupted daily, making the entire town unstable for a time.

The Li family mobilized a large force to investigate everything related to Shopkeeper Lin, but unfortunately, his failed ambush of Liang Qisheng had been a secret known only to the two of them.

Moreover, after the killing, Liang Qisheng had already left Lotus Town, leaving no clues to be found.

The Li family's domineering methods instead stirred resentment among other local powers.

In the main hall of Nine Harmonies Hall, several martial artists sent by the Li family sat in command.

"Any findings during this time? Who did Lin Lang offend?"

Seated at the head was a steward from the Li family's main branch, a Refining Tendon peak expert and the leader of this operation.

"Reporting to Lord Bihe, Lin Lang guarded Nine Harmonies Hall and rarely went out. We don't know when he bought a small courtyard outside..."

The Nine Harmonies Hall personnel in charge of the investigation explained with some bitterness.

They had looked into Lin Lang's recent movements but found no leads.

As for who Lin Lang had offended to invite such disaster, they had no clue at all.

In fact, if this hadn't happened, they wouldn't have known that Lin Lang had secretly kept a mistress—the peony courtesan Li Sanniang of Spring Creek Pavilion.

"A bunch of useless trash."

Li Bihe slammed the table, sending those kneeling below into a sweat of fear and unease.

Though the Li family seemed vast and powerful, internal strife between branches meant that once someone caught a handle, they would be skinned alive even if they survived.

"I have some information. A few days ago, someone bought information on Lin Lang at the Ghost Market east of town. And the one who killed him did it with a single blade stroke."

"Such saber skill is at least Refining Tendon peak, possibly even Bone Refining. Combine these two leads and investigate."

As a power-holder in the Li family, Li Bihe naturally had hidden sources of information.

"But if it involves a Bone Refiner, that's beyond our scope. Send the clues up to the main family and let the elders deal with the headache."

He issued orders based on his judgment. What he didn't realize was that the information was flawed from the start.

To avoid revealing his identity, Liang Qisheng had deliberately disguised himself in a black robe when purchasing intelligence at the Ghost Market, so no one knew his appearance.

Thus, with the current information, unless the other party had precognitive abilities, they would never find him.

"Also, recall everyone back."

"The incident in Lotus Town has stirred up quite a bit of trouble. It was just a dead shopkeeper, but the authorities are already pressuring us. Order needs to be restored here."

Li Bihe spoke with a mix of schadenfreude and regret.

"What a pity about that 'Tiger-Leopard Bone-Forging Pill'—a secret treasure of the Liaodong Tiger-Leopard Sect. We went through the smuggling channels and paid a huge price to get just one."

"It was originally meant as a birthday gift for the old ancestor's eightieth. I never even got to see it, and now it's lost. I'm afraid a lot of people in the clan are going to be in deep trouble."

His voice fell.

The people present looked at each other. A pin drop could be heard. No one dared to make a sound.

When it came to the internal strife within the Li main family, they, as outsiders, would only bring disaster upon themselves by speaking rashly.

"I didn't expect things to blow up this big. Just one dead shopkeeper, and even the Li main family has stepped in."

Soon, news of the Lotus Town incident reached Liang Qisheng through special channels.

He hadn't anticipated that killing just one Shopkeeper Lin would cause such a stir. But in his heart, there was not a trace of regret.

What was the point of training in martial arts? It was to keep one's mind clear and free from humiliation.

With both hands, cleave open the path of life and death; with one blade, sever the root of right and wrong.

If there's a grudge, settle it—no need to wait ten years.