As he spoke, the old man gradually tightened his grip. The muscles in his arm bulged, and he squeezed with such force that it seemed he meant to crush Chen Shanzhen's entire shoulder.
Chen Shanzhen was in utter agony. He wanted to scream, but couldn't, and though people passed by all around them, not a soul noticed anything amiss.
"Senior, please spare me. I..."
Chen Shanzhen begged in a piteous voice. He'd already given up hope.
But in the next instant, the pressure on his shoulder eased a little, and his heart suddenly relaxed.
At that moment, the old man happened to notice Chen Han. Seeing that Chen Han wore the same clothes as the man in front of him, he assumed they were together. That was the only reason he hadn't killed Chen Shanzhen outright.
Of course, Chen Han had no desire to get involved. Now that he saw the old man notice him and loosen his grip, he wanted to say, "This man has nothing to do with me. Senior, do as you please." But with three other members of the Chen Family nearby, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
After a brief exchange of glances, neither Chen Han nor the old man spoke.
The two of them were secretly working together, so they couldn't let anyone else find out.
The old man slowly lowered his hand and leaned close to Chen Shanzhen's ear. "Young man, I'll let you off this once. In the future... don't be so arrogant."
With that, the old man disappeared into the crowd with the little girl, their figures vanishing from sight.
They were like ghosts—there one moment and gone the next.
Chen Shanzhen gasped for breath. Before he'd even recovered, he blurted out in lingering fear, "Go! Back to the residence. Hurry!"
Watching him leave, Chen Han's eyes flashed with disdain. Most of the Chen Family's members—people like Chen Qiuyu, Huaijin, and Chen Shanzhen—weren't good people.
Having grown up in a martial arts Lineage, they'd learned to curry favor with those above them and bully those below, fawning on the strong and preying on the weak. That lofty, entitled nature was engraved in their bones, and it would be hard to change.
The Black Mountain Gang or the Chen Family, neither was any good. Of course, Chen Han wasn't any better, enjoying without a shred of guilt the martial arts resources he'd gained by exploiting others.
Chen Han didn't dwell on it. He continued patrolling the streets with his junior brother.
By then, the old man had already gone some distance. He glanced back in the direction Chen Han had gone.
"Boy, you don't really think I let him off for your sake, do you? You're still too young... Just wait a few more nights, and you'll be dead..."
The old man was disheveled, his gaze sinister and chillingly cold.
A few days later, as the sun sank below the western hills, night fell.
The Black Market.
A lean young man made his way to a shop he knew well. The shop reeked of blood, and a huge character for "meat" was painted on its sign.
The young man went inside and saw a woman—a tall, voluptuous beauty with long, pale legs. Heat surged through him at the sight, and desire stirred in his heart.
"Aunt Xue'er, I haven't visited in a long time. How's business?"
Knowing the beautiful woman's wanton nature, the young man sat beside her without the slightest embarrassment. He placed a hand on her long leg, enough to drive any man out of his mind, and stroked it in circles.
He felt utterly content, and the fire within him only grew hotter.
"Oh, my dear nephew, why are you in such a hurry? Can't you see I'm not in the mood?"
Qing Xue gave the young man a resentful, exaggerated eye-roll and folded her arms over her chest. She ignored him, letting his hand roam over her leg.
"Who is it? Who made my Aunt Xue'er angry? I'll go teach him a lesson."
"Teach him a lesson? All right, then. Help your aunt teach him a good one... Though I wonder if you're up to it. Don't go getting yourself beaten to death..."
Qing Xue's voice suddenly turned soft and seductive. The young man reacted at once and pulled her into his arms. "Whether I'm up to it—you'll find out soon enough, won't you?"
"Is that so? I don't think you can, unless you prove it to me right now."
"Then don't go begging for mercy later, Aunt Xue'er..."
As he spoke, the young man pounced on her... After a passionate bout, Qing Xue lay against his chest, her face flushed and alluring. She traced circles on his chest with her finger while the young man looked thoroughly satisfied.
"Had your fill?"
"No. Aunt Xue'er, I could never get enough of you. I can't get my fill no matter how much I have."
Qing Xue smiled and scoffed. "Who said I was talking to you? Don't flatter yourself..."
"Then who were you talking to?"
The young man looked confused. But the next instant, a piercing pain surged from his heart. He'd felt this before, when he was trying to break through a gate. It had been agony beyond words.
Now the pain had returned, and it was several times worse than before.
His whole body convulsed violently. He tried to struggle, but couldn't move at all. The pain had sapped every bit of his strength; he couldn't even sit up.
Terror filled his eyes, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints. He stared at Aunt Xue'er, perched enticingly on his chest.
The flush still lingered on Aunt Xue'er's face. Her fingers teased his chest, as if beckoning something out.
Sure enough, a sight he would never forget unfolded before him: a bloody hole burst open in his chest, from the inside out. Strange-looking insects crawled out one after another and obediently climbed onto Aunt Xue'er's hand.
"What... are those..."
Qing Xue rolled her eyes at him again. "You're about to die, and you still have so many questions. Very well, I'll grant you this last wish."
"They're Blood-Nurturing Insects. They can live in a person's heart, preferably someone who practices martial arts.
"When that person practices every day and nourishes their qi and blood, the Blood-Nurturing Insects can draw on it. They're especially effective when he's breaking through a gate, converting the qi and blood into a pure form and storing it in their bellies."
As Qing Xue spoke, she put one of the insects into her mouth and chewed it repeatedly, her expression one of blissful intoxication.
A few breaths later, her complexion visibly grew rosier, and her whole being seemed invigorated.
"All right, now you know what you wanted to know. Disappear..."
After taking care of everything, she put on her dress and returned behind the counter as if nothing had happened.
Before long, someone wearing a black gauze hat entered the shop. The gauze was thick, making the person's face impossible to see.
But from the person's aura, she already knew who it was.
Wasn't this the boy whose body had recovered remarkably quickly? In barely half a year, he'd restored his ruined body to the level of a Dark Force martial artist. That was almost unheard of.
No!
Qing Xue narrowed her eyes. She had once trained her eyes in a secret martial arts technique that let her see through clothing and discern what lay beneath. She'd used it to ensnare countless martial artists, tampering with the Exotic Beast meat and raising Gu in their hearts.
Now, as she looked at Chen Han, her face filled with astonishment.
"This boy's physical strength had already improved at a rare pace before. Now, after only a few days apart, he's improved again. He's reached Transformation Force!"
How could this be!!!
She had never heard of anything like it, let alone seen it.
After her astonishment faded, excitement gleamed in her eyes. "This boy is certainly no ordinary person. Either he has extraordinary talent, or he's eaten some heavenly treasure... But whichever it is, if I extract all the Gu and eat them, they can nourish me instead."
"Good, good..."
Joy filled her heart. At the same time, she shot Chen Han an utterly seductive glance and raised one slender leg, the view beneath her skirt appearing and disappearing from sight.
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