Kill Them All (Seeking Follow-ups)

Qin Ming walked up close, his gaze sweeping over Li Yuan before he spoke in a slow, leisurely tone:

"I wondered who it was; turns out it's the genius who has been making quite a name for himself lately."

At Qin Ming's level, he naturally kept himself informed about various experts and individuals with potential.

The Transport Gang had actually tried to recruit Li Yuan in the past, but because their requirement was a three-year tenure, Li Yuan had turned them down.

Although Qin Ming recognized Li Yuan, that did not mean he was going to make any concessions.

No matter how much of a genius he was, he was still just a fledgling who had only just broken through to the Stone Skin Realm, and geniuses were very prone to dying young.

"Li Yuan, this street belongs to the Transport Gang now. As for the dead man?" Qin Ming sneered, "In a gang war, isn't it perfectly normal for people to die?"

Li Yuan felt a headache coming on; it was clear that the other party had no intention of even offering compensation.

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

"Bullshit! Liu San, you bastard, you did this on purpose! You just saw your woman flirting with this kid and killed him out of spite!" Wang Kui cursed loudly.

"Don't you go slandering me!"

Both sides began spitting at each other like people arguing in a vegetable market.

Qin Ming and Li Yuan stood opposite one another, neither of them speaking.

Listening to the noisy commotion, Li Yuan only felt his irritation growing.

The other side had a veteran Stone Skin expert, and since he refused to back down, what was to be done?

Besides, so much time had passed; if he could resolve this immediately, he might still be able to make it to the Inner City.

Was the best solution now to just take his people and retreat, admitting defeat? But if he did that, would he just be a mascot for the people paying him?

If he ran every time he encountered trouble, what was the point of him taking these jobs for small gangs? How would he be any different from a piece of trash? And what would be the point of his martial arts?

Li Yuan glanced at Qin Ming. If there were another Stone Skin expert on the other side, he would turn and leave without a word.

Li Yuan wasn't arrogant enough to think he could take on two at once; to keep fighting when you couldn't win was just plain stupid.

But right now, there was only one...

"Screw you, Liu San, if you've got the guts, let's duel!"

"Come on over then!"

"..."

"Li Yuan, you should go back and hone your skills for a few more years before you try to make a name for yourself. The water here is too deep; you can't handle it."

Qin Ming shook his head, lecturing him with the air of a seasoned veteran.

Given his seniority, he certainly had the qualifications to act like an elder.

It's so noisy. Why does everyone always force me to make a choice?

I just want to steadily improve my strength and find a place to survive in this world.

Li Yuan frowned, feeling more helpless the more he thought about it. He tilted his head slightly to look at Qin Ming.

Go back? Just because one Stone Skin expert shows up, I'm supposed to go back?

Kill!

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

Once this thought took root, it could no longer be suppressed.

Li Yuan's eyes sharpened. No more words. He pushed off the ground with all his might and charged toward Qin Ming.

He unleashed a Tiger Roar Fist aimed straight at his face, the wind whistling as he struck with full force.

"Hm? You dare make a move on me?" Qin Ming raised an eyebrow, surprised, but not the least bit flustered.

He had long been prepared for Li Yuan's youthful impulsiveness. "Fine. Today I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of your master, and let you know what it means to be overestimating yourself and what it means to respect your elders!"

He braced his arms, crossing them in front of his chest. The muscles in his arms tightened, taking on a grayish-white luster like rock—it was the Iron Arm Technique, an external hard style he had spent years painstakingly cultivating.

"Bang!"

Li Yuan's fist slammed into Qin Ming's crossed arms as if hitting solid stone. The rebound force made Li Yuan's hand go numb.

"Haha, kid, is that all the strength you've got?" Qin Ming laughed, his arms jolting forward to shove Li Yuan away.

He immediately transitioned from defense to offense. His arms moved in wide, heavy arcs, each punch carrying a whistling wind that forced Li Yuan to retreat repeatedly.

Every time Li Yuan tried to land a strike on other parts of his body, his Iron Arm blocked it, and instead, Li Yuan felt a dull ache from the impact.

This old bastard's Iron Arm Technique had incredible defense.

Unable to break through after a long exchange, Li Yuan's eyes darkened. Finding an opening, he suddenly flicked his right hand, scattering a cloud of white powder toward Qin Ming's face.

"Throwing lime?"

Qin Ming was experienced and had long been on guard. Seeing this, he remained calm, quickly retreating half a step while waving his hands and sneering:

"I don't know how many times I used these low-down tricks when I was young! You're playing this game in front of me? You're just showing off your axe before a master carpenter!"

Li Yuan said nothing, taking advantage of the moment his opponent was blocking the lime to strike again, his offensive even more ferocious than before.

Their figures intertwined, and in just a few moments, they had exchanged dozens of blows.

After a few more exchanges, Li Yuan seemed to have run out of tricks; he feinted once more, his left hand flicking out to scatter another cloud of white powder!

"Fool! Using the same trick twice?" Qin Ming was even more composed this time, brushing it aside with his sleeve as he laughed, "Kid, are you out of moves? Just throwing whatever you have? It seems Yang Chong didn't teach you any real skills."

However, as they continued to fight, he suddenly felt a wave of lightheadedness, his chest tightening and his breathing becoming labored.

"What's going on?" Qin Ming felt a jolt of alarm, forcibly gathering his qi to push Li Yuan back a step, only to find himself gasping for air.

He looked up abruptly at Li Yuan, who was also showing signs of chaotic blood-qi, and barked, "Kid! What did you put in that lime?!"

A smile finally appeared on Li Yuan's face, "Who told you that was lime?"

Qin Ming's heart sank—disaster!

It was poison powder!

The first time, the lime must have been laced with poison!

The second time was merely a ruse to lower his guard while accelerating his blood-qi circulation, forcing the toxin to spread throughout his entire body.

"Despicable!!"

Qin Ming was shocked and enraged, attempting to circulate his blood-qi to purge the poison.

But after the intense struggle, the agitation of his blood-qi had already carried the toxin to every corner of his body.

At this moment, Qin Ming felt dizzy and blurred, his strength seemingly drained away; even standing steady was difficult, and his reaction speed was far worse than before.

Seeing this, Li Yuan moved, rushing toward Qin Ming once more.

A heavy elbow strike slammed into his chest.

"Pfft!!"

Qin Ming spat out a mouthful of blood, his blood-qi completely collapsing.

Li Yuan showed no mercy, grabbing his arm and twisting it violently!

"Crack!"

The sound of bone fracturing echoed.

Immediately following, a full-force Tiger Roar Fist slammed into Qin Ming's throat!

"Urgh..."

Qin Ming's eyes bulged, a look of unwillingness crossing his face before his body went limp and collapsed, silent forever.

The Fourth Leader of the Transport Gang, the Stone Skin Realm veteran Qin Ming, was dead!

Everything happened too quickly; from Li Yuan's first move to Qin Ming's death, only a dozen breaths had passed.

The remaining members of the Transport Gang, including the bald Liu San, were left dumbstruck, only snapping back to reality once Qin Ming hit the ground.

"Fourth Leader!"

"He killed the Fourth Leader!"

"Run!"

Terrified out of their wits, they turned to flee.

Since Li Yuan had already made his move, he had no intention of leaving any survivors.

He moved, and accompanied by several screams, the remaining Transport Gang members were all slain.

After quickly looting Qin Ming's body.

"Wang Kui, clean up the aftermath. I have urgent business, so I'm leaving first." Li Yuan didn't even glance at the corpses on the ground, giving instructions to the still-stunned Wang Kui.

"Also, hurry up and go into hiding..."

He needed to rush back to wash up and head to the Inner City; being late was, after all, not a good thing.

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

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

Huang Wei wore a water-blue silk dress, sitting by the window.

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

The girl in pink sitting opposite her, the Chen family's young lady Chen Yun, chuckled, "Sister Wei, stop looking, will you? I'm afraid that person really isn't coming; it's already nearly a quarter-hour past the appointed time."

Another young lady from the Zhang family, Zhang Wan, dressed in goose-yellow, looked displeased, "If you ask me, Sister Wei, you're just too kind-hearted and overthink things.

A hunter from the Outer City—so what if he learned some skills at a Martial Arts Hall and has a bit of talent?

In the Inner City, are there really so few scions of noble families who have reached the Stone Skin Realm at that age? Is he worth all this effort you've put into the arrangements, even specifically asking us sisters to keep you company?"

Chen Yun set down her round fan, sighed, and said with some pity, "Although the Lin Family's third young master is... a bit plump and his appearance is ordinary, his feelings for you, Sister Wei, are sincere."