Strike First (Please Follow)

"Why did you let one of them get away? How are you going to explain that to Second Master Shen?"

In the corridor, Third Master Shen had long since lost his refined air. His face darkened as he spoke.

"Who knew that brat would throw his life away and give those two an opening?"

The old woman said coldly, "Since that brat is at your Sky Sea Escort Agency branch, I'll make sure he's buried here tonight."

"This was supposed to be your job, yet you've made a mess of things at my Escort Agency branch. Now you expect me to clean up after you, too? Does that not break the rules?"

Third Master Shen said no more. His voice low, he continued, "I'll pay at most seventy percent of the fee. Once the job is done, leave the two counties and don't come back for ten years."

"This was my responsibility, and I'll bear it myself... I just didn't expect the Second Master of the Shen Family to spare not even his own son. Truly, even a tiger devours its cubs."

The old woman gave a cold laugh. Her meaning was plain.

"You needn't trouble yourself with that."

Third Master Shen's expression turned icy. If it weren't so difficult to find a Dark Force expert with a clean background in Clear Water County, this old woman would have outlived her usefulness long ago.

And now he had to clean up this mess for her.

It was only an Inner Courtyard disciple from Black Stone Martial Hall. If he died in a room at the Sky Sea Escort Agency branch, the news could still be kept under wraps.

"Remember, don't hurt my niece... As for that brat, kill him quickly."

Third Master Shen stepped up beside the old woman, bent down, and spoke in a low voice.

"I have no interest in your Shen Family's secrets. I only want to collect the rest of my fee. As soon as I do, I'll leave Clear Water County."

The old woman flicked her hand, tossing Shen Yichen's head to the ground.

"As for that brat, I'll deal with him right now."

In the guest room.

Zhou Yun quietly closed the gap in the window and darkened his expression.

He'd known Third Master Shen was up to no good, but he hadn't expected him to dare have a disciple of Black Stone Martial Hall like himself killed right here.

And it wasn't just the Dark Force expert coming to kill him. If even the slightest commotion broke out, the escorts at this Sky Sea Escort Agency branch would form an airtight wall around him.

No. Third Master Shen wouldn't dare make a scene. This is my chance.

Zhou Yun's thoughts raced. Third Master Shen didn't seem to intend to kill Shen Qingxue, either. That meant he only had to keep himself safe.

No wonder he'd managed to block the first needle the Dark Force Old Woman had thrown, almost without realizing it. It seemed she'd held back.

From the looks of it, they planned to pin all the blame on Shen Qingxue and strip her of any chance of becoming Chief Escort Leader.

There's no time. This is the only way to break out of this trap...

Zhou Yun had just made up his mind when he suddenly sensed an unfamiliar current of force drawing near.

The two Black Ape Martial Arts had sharpened his senses. He could now detect the flow of force within a person through a wall.

But that also meant the Dark Force expert who wanted him dead... had arrived!

Creak—

The door was gently pushed open, and a hunched figure appeared in the doorway.

The old woman's eyes were cloudy yellow, yet sharp as an eagle's. She scanned the room again and again.

But when she'd looked all around, she found it empty.

That brat was supposed to be sleeping in here. Where'd he go...?

The old woman furrowed her brow. Third Master Shen's information should have been reliable. Had the brat just stepped out to empty his chamber pot...?

As the old woman hesitated, a sudden whistle split the air above her.

Bang!

Zhou Yun dropped from the ceiling. With his Black Ape Fist at the Great Completion stage and his force long since built up, he slammed his fist down at the old woman's head!

"Above you!"

The old woman reacted swiftly. As a Dark Force expert, her senses were keen, and even when caught off guard, a killer like her only needed an instant to recover.

But even though she'd sensed the attack, Zhou Yun had the advantage of time and place. He was simply too fast.

The old woman's body lurched to the left, but the fist, packed with powerful force, still smashed squarely into her right shoulder.

A heavy pain swept through her. Her withered arm visibly caved in, and she could no longer raise it.

"Courting death!"

The old woman flew into a rage and charged at Zhou Yun, enduring the agony in her right shoulder.

Whether from the pride of being a Dark Force expert or the fury of her injury, only one thought filled her mind now: take Zhou Yun's head!

Seeing this, Zhou Yun advanced instead of retreating, as though the pressure of a Dark Force expert over someone at Bright Force no longer mattered.

The change made the old woman pause for a moment. Then she sneered, believing Zhou Yun had foolishly set himself against her like a mantis trying to stop a cart.

Force gathered in her withered palm. At a speed almost impossible to see, she struck toward Zhou Yun's face.

Whoosh!

The force in the old woman's palm skimmed Zhou Yun's cheek, leaving only a thin line of blood without hitting anything vital.

For an instant, the old woman froze.

She instinctively tried to raise her right hand, only to find she couldn't muster any strength.

"Now!"

Zhou Yun's pupils contracted. His Black Ape Fist shifted from fist to palm, swiftly coiling around the old woman's arm. He yanked hard.

Crack!

With a snap of breaking bones, both arms of a Dark Force expert were crippled!

"A martial art at Great Completion, and footwork at Great Completion! Are you the genius Black Stone Martial Hall has been hiding? No, impossible..."

The old woman's pupils shook. Everything went black before her eyes as a fist flew toward her face. Then she lost consciousness for good.

Even as she died, she couldn't believe that a junior at Bright Force had mastered two martial arts to Great Completion—and hadn't even used them in their first exchange.

She'd thought it would be an old hawk hunting a mouse. Instead, she'd found herself facing a fledgling hawk.

And with one arm crippled the moment the fight began, all the pieces had fallen into place for this deadly trap.

"I... killed a Dark Force expert."

Zhou Yun wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. The tension in his heart suddenly vanished, leaving him feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

A mid-stage Bright Force fighter killing a Dark Force expert all by himself—if this got out, not a soul would believe it.

The two realms were only a single character apart, but the gap between them was a heavenly chasm, a gulf countless people could never cross in their entire lives.

But now, Zhou Yun had bridged that chasm with two punches!

"There's no time to lose. I have to get out of here, now!"

Zhou Yun didn't hesitate. He knocked on Shen Qingxue's door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Shen Qingxue had been about to go to bed when she heard the knocking. Puzzled, she got up and opened the door.

"Zhou Yun? You—"

"Don't ask questions. Come with me, right now!"

Zhou Yun grabbed Shen Qingxue by the arm. Third Master Shen probably wouldn't take her life, but there were no guarantees.

Since killing the Dark Force expert had gone more smoothly than he'd imagined, there was no harm in taking Shen Qingxue with him as he fled.

She was at least a mid-stage Bright Force fighter. The two of them could look out for each other on the way.

Shen Qingxue hadn't had time to figure out what was going on, but she trusted Zhou Yun because of what had happened earlier that day, so she didn't ask questions.

It wasn't until they passed through the corridor and saw the corpse in Zhou Yun's room that Shen Qingxue was stunned.

"Junior Brother Zhou, that corpse..."

"That's right. It's the Dark Force expert."

Zhou Yun offered no further explanation. The facts spoke for themselves.

"You actually killed a Dark Force expert all by yourself..."

Shen Qingxue was too astonished to speak, but she could only force herself to accept it.

If today's events got out, the other factions would probably go mad trying to recruit Zhou Yun, even offering him an enormous salary.

Some might even pay a fortune to take him as a live-in son-in-law.

A Martial Hall disciple who'd only broken through the Gate-Knocking into Bright Force a few days ago had killed a Dark Force expert. It was enough to go down in the history of all Black Stone County.

The two of them followed the wall west, then vaulted over it in a few quick bounds.

Suddenly, a chilly voice rang out behind them.

"My dear niece, where do you think you're going?"

Third Master Shen emerged slowly from the shadows, his face dark.

At the sound of his voice, the dozens of escorts behind him sprang into action, surrounding Zhou Yun and Shen Qingxue on all sides.