Assassination

"Father, Mother, I'll be heading back to the Martial Arts Hall shortly."

Jiang Chen said.

Since his cultivation had broken through, he needed to go to the Martial Arts Hall to inquire if there were any stronger auxiliary secret medicines available.

The medicinal potency of the Five Elements Pill was still a bit too weak for him.

"Alright."

Jiang Sihai did not stop him and immediately had someone prepare his things.

By the time Jiang Chen finished his hearty breakfast, his bundle was already packed; aside from clothes, shoes, and socks, the most important item was the money.

This time, Jiang Sihai had provided two thousand in silver notes.

This was to ensure Jiang Chen could focus on his cultivation without worrying about financial matters.

"I'm leaving."

Jiang Chen shouldered his bundle and strode away, disappearing into the morning mist.

"This matter must be reported to the clan."

After watching Jiang Chen depart, Jiang Sihai headed to his study.

Going back on a promised arrangement required a proper justification.

And the fact that Jiang Chen had stepped into the second stage of Blood Qi was the best reason possible.

Not only would he stop handing over money, but according to clan rules, he would also demand that the clan provide funding for his support.

Of course, it was highly unlikely the clan would actually provide the money; this was merely a bargaining tactic.

"Hm?"

As Jiang Chen was walking briskly toward the Martial Arts Hall, a sense of danger suddenly spiked in his heart.

Whoosh!

The next moment, two figures lunged out from around the street corner, swinging wooden clubs downward.

"Late stage of the second stage of Blood Qi?!"

Jiang Chen retreated almost instinctively, simultaneously flicking his sleeve with force.

A cloud of gray medicinal powder flew directly into their faces.

The two attackers let out miserable wails, clutching their eyes as they stumbled backward.

Swish!

Having succeeded with the powder, Jiang Chen did not flee; instead, he lunged forward with a rapid stride.

His left hand's fingers were pressed together, striking with the cunning of a venomous snake toward one man's throat.

Ancient Martial Art: Snake Hand!

His right hand formed a fist, with the index and middle knuckles protruding slightly, delivering a swift punch directly into the other man's abdomen.

Ancient Martial Art: Heart Splitter!

Immediately, the sounds of shattering bone and tearing flesh rang out simultaneously.

The man whose throat had been crushed died on the spot.

The one severely wounded in the abdomen was sent flying a long distance, rolling on the ground and howling in agony.

Ancient martial arts were also known as killing techniques; every move was aimed at taking a life.

These could not be compared to gentle methods like the Stone Moving Method or the White Ape Fist.

This was why Jiang Chen was confident that as long as he stepped into the True Martial Realm, he would pass the Martial Exam with high marks.

Cultivation could be rapidly improved with the help of external resources.

But combat experience had to be gained through personal trial, polished step by step.

"Who sent you?"

Jiang Chen stepped heavily onto the man.

If he hadn't wanted to interrogate the person behind this, that previous punch would have struck the heart directly.

Four hundred catties of force, concentrated at a single point, erupted with piercing power.

Forget a human; even a black bear would have had its heart shattered and died from such a blow.

"W-we were just short on money; no one ordered us."

Even at this life-or-death moment, the man was still playing tough.

"Is that so? Then you can go to hell."

Jiang Chen applied force with his foot, and the sound of cracking bones could be heard.

A mere pair of second-stage Blood Qi cultivators dared to rob a student of the Martial Arts Hall?

Either they were brain-damaged, or they had specifically targeted him.

Compared to the former, he was more inclined to believe the latter.

Furthermore, he had already guessed the suspect.

"Wait!"

"It was Seventh Young Master Zheng who sent us! We were just following orders!"

Seeing that Jiang Chen was about to deliver a lethal blow, the man hurriedly spoke up.

In his heart, he was busy greeting every single one of Zheng Hao's ancestors.

They had been told he was just a pampered young master whose cultivation was only at the first stage of Blood Qi, someone they could easily take down.

And yet?

He had slaughtered one of them in a single exchange.

With such brutal methods, this was no young master; he was clearly an executioner who had likely claimed countless lives!

"So it really was Zheng Hao."

Jiang Chen was not surprised by this answer.

It seemed Zheng Hao and his cohorts had racked up quite a few debts outside, to the point where they had resorted to such underhanded tactics, attempting to kill for wealth.

This also stirred a murderous intent within him.

Since Zheng Hao and his group were courting death, he would send them on their way!

"How did you know my whereabouts?"

Jiang Chen then asked.

To be able to intercept him with such precision, there was likely a mole in his household.

"I'm not sure, it seems someone was passing information to the Seventh Young Master."

The man's intelligence was limited.

Snap.

Having obtained the information he wanted, Jiang Chen decisively sent him on his way.

"Poor wretches."

After a practiced search of the bodies, aside from daggers and poison needles, the two were completely penniless.

Tossing the two corpses into the sewer, Jiang Chen vanished quickly into the street.

Two quarters of an hour later.

White Ape Martial Hall.

When Jiang Chen arrived, the martial hall had only just opened its doors.

After dropping his luggage off at his quarters, he headed to the training grounds and began practicing White Ape Fist.

His fists whistled through the air, his Blood Qi surged, and his momentum was extraordinary.

As for the attempted assassination just moments ago, it had absolutely no impact on him.

"This fluctuation..."

Many disciples who had arrived early at the training grounds looked at Jiang Chen in shock.

The second stage of Blood Qi?

Jiang Chen, who had always been a laggard, had actually broken through to the second stage of Blood Qi?

Was this for real?!

Westward Street, a dark alleyway.

"Why haven't they returned yet?"

Zheng Hao and his group peered out from time to time.

As time passed, the shops on the street opened and pedestrians grew more numerous, yet the two men they had dispatched were nowhere to be seen.

This naturally left Zheng Hao and the others puzzled.

Jiang Chen was only at the late stage of the first Blood Qi level, while the two men sent to waylay him were both at the late stage of the second Blood Qi level; they should have been able to handle him with ease.

"Brother Zheng, could they have taken the money and run?"

An older disciple couldn't help but ask.

"Impossible!"

Zheng Hao shook his head.

For a task like robbery, he naturally used trusted confidants.

He would never employ someone who would be blinded by greed at the sight of wealth.

"Could it be that Jiang Chen didn't head toward Westward Street?"

A senior disciple speculated.

"From his home to the Martial Arts Hall, Westward Street is the shortest route. He has no reason not to take it."

"Furthermore, if the intelligence was wrong, they should have come back to report to us. Why have they been missing without a trace?"

Zheng Hao was also filled with questions, unable to figure out which part of the plan had gone wrong.

"Could it be that Jiang Chen escaped?"

A disciple suddenly had a wild thought.

"Do you think that's possible?"

Zheng Hao didn't believe it.

A First-Stage Blood Qi cultivator escaping from the hands of two ambushing Second-Stage Blood Qi cultivators?

There was no way that was possible, no matter how one looked at it.

One had to understand.

A First-Stage Blood Qi cultivator only has three hundred Blood Qi.

Meanwhile, a Second-Stage Blood Qi cultivator has six hundred.

The two are simply not on the same level.

"Let's go, let's take a look."

Seeing that it was already the hour of the dragon, Zheng Hao and his group stopped waiting and arrived at the ambush site.

On the street, shops were opening and vendors were setting up stalls; everything was as usual.

"Shopkeeper, I'd like to ask about something."

After scouting the area stealthily, Zheng Hao and his group went to a nearby shop to inquire for information.

"Two corpses?"

As it turned out, they actually managed to dig up some news.

About two quarters of an hour ago, while patrolling, the yamen runners discovered two corpses in a ditch and had them sent to the Mass Grave outside the city.

"Dead?"

Zheng Hao and the others were all shocked.

Those two corpses were, in all likelihood, the two men they had sent out.

Those two were killed?

Who did it?

Jiang Chen?

That's impossible!

Then, did the Jiang Clan arrange for someone to escort him?

That shouldn't be possible either.

If someone were escorting Jiang Chen, those two wouldn't have made a move.

"Recently, there have been gang fights all over the East District. I've heard there are also sinister things harming people in the shadows. You'd better stay in the Martial Arts Hall and not run around."

The shopkeeper warned Zheng Hao and his group.

Lately, people have been dying frequently in Willow Catkin Ward.

Some died in gang conflicts.

Others died inexplicably, suspected to be the work of evil spirits.

Affected by this, even they were closing their stalls early, fearing that something might happen.

"We couldn't have been so unlucky as to get caught up in a gang fight, could we?"

Zheng Hao and the others exchanged glances, their moods turning terrible.

They had originally thought that by taking down Jiang Chen today, they would be free of debt.

Now, not only was the money not in their hands, but they had also lost two lives.

"Back to the Martial Arts Hall."

Zheng Hao turned and left. He wanted to go to the Martial Arts Hall to see Jiang Chen's reaction.