Beat Him to Death (Please Follow)

Qin Ming walked up, swept his gaze over Li Yuan, then drawled,

"Look who it is. The talented upstart who's been making quite a name for himself lately."

At Qin Ming's level, he naturally kept tabs on some of the more capable fighters and promising newcomers.

The Transport Gang had actually tried to recruit Li Yuan once, but they'd wanted him to serve under them for three years, so he'd turned them down.

Though Qin Ming recognized Li Yuan, that didn't mean he was going to back down.

No matter how talented he was, he was still just a fledgling who'd only recently reached the Stone Skin Realm. And talented youngsters had a way of dying young.

"Li Yuan, this street belongs to the Transport Gang now. As for someone dying?" Qin Ming sneered. "Gang fights happen. Isn't it perfectly normal for people to die?"

Li Yuan felt a headache coming on. Judging by the other man's attitude, he clearly had no intention of paying compensation.

"That's right. Someone dying in the Outer City is perfectly normal," the people behind Qin Ming chimed in.

"Bullshit! Liu San, you bastard, you did it on purpose! You saw your wife flirting with this kid, so you killed him out of spite!" Wang Kui roared.

"Don't you dare slander me!"

Both sides started hurling abuse at each other like fishmongers fighting in a market.

Qin Ming and Li Yuan stood facing each other, neither speaking.

Listening to the racket, Li Yuan felt the irritation in his chest mounting.

His opponent was a veteran of the Stone Skin Realm. If the man refused to back down, what was Li Yuan supposed to do?

Besides, he'd already been here quite a while. If he wrapped things up quickly, he might still make it to the Inner City.

Maybe the best option was to take his people and admit defeat? But if that was the case, he might as well take their money and spend every day playing the mascot.

If he ran whenever trouble came, what was the point of Li Yuan serving these little gangs? How would that make him any different from a useless good-for-nothing? What had he learned martial arts for?

Li Yuan glanced at Qin Ming. If another Stone Skin veteran showed up, he wouldn't waste a word—he'd turn and leave.

Li Yuan wasn't so arrogant as to think he could fight two opponents at once. Charging to his death when he couldn't win would just be stupid.

But right now, there was only one...

"I'll fucking kill you, Liu San! Come fight me one-on-one if you've got the guts!"

"Come on, then!"

"..."

"Li Yuan, why don't you go back and spend a few more years honing your skills before you try to make it out here? The waters here run deep. You can't handle them."

Qin Ming shook his head and lectured him like a seasoned old hand.

With his years of experience, he certainly had the credentials to pull rank.

So damn noisy. Why do they always have to force me to choose?

I just want to improve my strength in peace and find a place for myself in this world.

Li Yuan furrowed his brows, feeling more and more helpless as he thought about it. He tilted his head slightly toward Qin Ming.

"Go back? You think one Stone Skin veteran is enough to make me turn around?"

Kill!

Only by killing them all could he solve the problem as quickly as possible!

Once the thought surfaced, nothing could hold it back.

Li Yuan's eyes narrowed. He stopped wasting words, planted his feet, and shot toward Qin Ming.

His Tiger Roar Fist went straight for Qin Ming's face, the wind howling around his fist as he threw everything he had into the blow.

"Hm? You dare attack me?" Qin Ming arched a brow, surprised but not the least bit flustered.

He'd been prepared for the hotheaded youngster to make a move. "Fine. Today I'll teach you a lesson on your master's behalf. I'll show you what it means to overestimate yourself—and what it means to respect your elders!"

He gave his arms a sharp shake and crossed them in front of his chest. The muscles in his arms tensed, taking on a gray-white sheen like stone. It was the Iron Arm Technique, an external hardening art he'd spent years mastering.

"Bang!"

Li Yuan's fist slammed into Qin Ming's crossed arms as if it had struck solid rock. The rebound made his fist go numb.

"Hahaha! Kid, is that all the strength you've got?" Qin Ming laughed. He gave his arms a violent shake and sent Li Yuan flying back.

Then he went on the attack. His arms swung wide and heavy, every punch whistling through the air as he drove Li Yuan back again and again.

Whenever Li Yuan tried to strike elsewhere, Qin Ming blocked him with his iron arms. The impact only left Li Yuan aching.

The old bastard's Iron Arm Technique had a fearsome defense.

Unable to break through, Li Yuan's eyes darkened. He spotted an opening and abruptly flicked his right hand, scattering a cloud of white powder toward Qin Ming's face.

"Lime powder?"

Qin Ming was an old hand, well prepared. He didn't panic at the sight. He quickly retreated half a step, then waved both hands to brush it away, sneering,

"I've used tricks as low as that more times than I can count! You think you can pull that on me? You're showing off your axe in front of Lu Ban!"

Li Yuan said nothing. While Qin Ming was busy warding off the powder, he charged in again, his attack more ferocious than before.

Their figures clashed and crossed. In the blink of an eye, they'd exchanged dozens of blows.

After a few more exchanges, Li Yuan seemed to have run out of tricks. He feinted again, then flicked his left hand, scattering another cloud of white powder!

"Idiot! You're using the same trick twice?" Qin Ming brushed it aside with his sleeve, even more at ease this time. "Kid, are you out of ideas? Just throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks? Looks like Yang Chong didn't teach you anything worthwhile."

But as the fight went on, Qin Ming suddenly felt a faint wave of dizziness. His chest grew tight, and his breathing became labored.

"What's going on?" Qin Ming was startled. He forced his qi to rise and pushed Li Yuan back a step, but then started panting himself.

He jerked his head up and stared at Li Yuan, whose qi and blood were also somewhat disordered. "What did you put in that lime powder?!"

At last, a smile appeared on Li Yuan's face. "Who told you it was lime powder?"

Qin Ming's heart lurched. Damn it!

Poison powder!

There had probably been poison mixed into the lime powder from the start!

The second handful had only been a feint to make him lower his guard while forcing his qi and blood to circulate faster, spreading the poison throughout his body.

"Despicable!"

Qin Ming was both shocked and furious. He tried to circulate his qi and blood to force out the poison.

But they'd just fought fiercely, and the poison had already spread throughout his body amid the surging qi and blood.

Qin Ming's vision spun. It felt as if all the strength had been drained from him, and he could barely stay on his feet. His reflexes had slowed considerably, too.

Seeing his chance, Li Yuan surged toward Qin Ming again.

A heavy elbow smashed into Qin Ming's chest.

"Pfft!"

Qin Ming spat out a mouthful of blood, his qi and blood completely broken.

Li Yuan showed no mercy. He seized Qin Ming's arm and twisted it with all his strength!

"Crack!"

The sound of breaking bone rang out.

Then Li Yuan unleashed a full-force Tiger Roar Fist, slamming it into Qin Ming's throat!

"Ugh..."

Qin Ming's eyes bulged. A look of unwillingness crossed his face as his body crumpled to the ground, utterly still.

The Transport Gang's fourth leader, Qin Ming, a veteran of the Stone Skin Realm, was dead!

It all happened so quickly. From the moment Li Yuan struck to Qin Ming's death, barely a dozen breaths had passed.

The remaining members of the Transport Gang, including the bald Liu San, gaped in shock. They didn't react until Qin Ming hit the ground.

"Fourth Leader!"

"He killed the Fourth Leader!"

"Run!"

The men were scared out of their wits and turned to flee.

Now that Li Yuan had made his move, he had no intention of leaving any survivors.

He darted forward. A few screams rang out, and the rest of the Transport Gang members were all killed.

After quickly searching Qin Ming's body,

"Wang Kui, clean up the rest of this mess. I have something urgent to do, so I'm leaving first." Li Yuan didn't even glance at the bodies on the ground as he said this to Wang Kui, who was still gaping in shock.

"Also, get out of here and lie low as soon as you can..."

He had to hurry back and change before going to the Inner City. Being late was still a bad look, after all.

In a private room on the second floor of the Clear Sound Pavilion in the Inner City,

The Clear Sound Pavilion was a well-known teahouse in the Inner City, situated by a quiet canal and offering a pleasant atmosphere.

Huang Wei wore a flowing, water-blue silk gown and sat by the window.

She lifted her teacup, gently blew away the foam, took a sip, then gazed out the window.

The young woman in pink seated across from her, Chen Yun, the Chen Family's young lady, chuckled. "Sister Wei, stop looking. I think that man really isn't coming. The agreed time passed almost a quarter of an hour ago."

Another young lady, Zhang Wan of the Zhang Family, wore a goose-yellow dress and looked displeased. "If you ask me, Sister Wei, you're too kindhearted and think too much.

"He's just a hunter from the Outer City. So what if he learned some skills at a Martial Arts Hall and happens to have a bit of talent?

"Are there really so few scions of the Inner City's great families who've reached the Stone Skin Realm at his age? Was he worth going to all this trouble for, even asking a few of us sisters to keep you company?"

Chen Yun lowered her round fan and sighed, sounding regretful. "That third young master of the Lin Family may be... a little on the plump side, and his looks may be rather ordinary, but when it comes to his feelings for you, Sister Wei, he's absolutely sincere.