Undercurrents

Among them, Hu Long adapted the fastest.

For someone who had mastered Comprehensive Combat Arts to the perfection level, this was simply a breeze.

Since he had already displayed his skills before Hu Zhenkui, there was no need to hide his light now.

"Hu Long's movements are very standard; you all should learn from him."

Hu Qitian naturally noticed this, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

However, upon recalling Hu Long's background information, he reconsidered.

It was said that he had already mastered a portion of Integrated Force, which meant his cultivation in combat arts had reached a considerably high realm.

Being able to achieve such a level was, therefore, within reason.

After everyone had grasped the basic essentials of the Mountain Standing Stake, Hu Qitian produced several birdcages from somewhere, inside which were small sparrows with brown-hemp feathers and black-spotted cheeks.

He placed one on each person's shoulder.

These birds were not afraid of people; they stood on the shoulders, looking around, occasionally preening their feathers, and staring wide-eyed at the people.

"When you can practice to the point where it wants to fly but cannot take off,"

"That is when you have truly mastered Integrated Force."

"Sparrows, and the vast majority of birds, require a kicking motion the moment they take off from a stationary position."

"As long as you use your body to neutralize that subtle force, it cannot gain leverage and naturally will be unable to leave your body."

Hu Qitian said.

As he spoke, he demonstrated it for everyone himself.

Sure enough, no matter how hard the sparrow flapped its wings, it could not fly away.

Hu Zetong did not believe it and moved slightly.

As a result, the next second, the sparrow flew off his body.

Hu Long also gave it a try, but he did not succeed either.

The rest of the people fared the same.

Clearly, this required an extremely high degree of mastery over Integrated Force.

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

Linhai City, urban village.

The night market stalls by the roadside were still lit with dim yellow lights, and the smell of cooking oil mixed with the night breeze, drifting through the humid air.

"Boss, slice a pound of pig head meat."

"Coming right up!"

The rhythmic thudding of the chopping board sounded, and the meat, wrapped in oil paper, was quickly handed over.

Wang Ting wore a mask, carrying the cold dish in his hand, and walked home with his head down.

Whenever he encountered people on the road, he subconsciously stepped aside, not daring to get close.

He wanted to avoid being recognized.

Fortunately, it was flu season, so there were many people wearing masks on the street, and he did not look out of place.

As he neared his residence, he paused, turned, and ducked into a small, brightly lit convenience store nearby, coming out with a bottle of the cheapest white liquor.

The place where he lived was remote; the streetlights had been broken for a long time, and the corners of the walls were piled with debris.

He pulled out his key and was just about to aim for the keyhole when his vision suddenly went black.

Without making a single sound, he collapsed limply to the ground.

Ten minutes later.

In the old bathroom, the faucet was not turned off tightly, and water droplets fell onto the tiles with a light "drip, drip" sound.

On the floor, bright red blood meandered along the gaps in the white tiles, flowing into the rusted drain.

At this moment, Wang Ting lay on the ground like a broken sack, his body covered in blood, twitching occasionally, his breath weak.

He struggled to lift his eyelids, looking at the two figures standing before him, his pupils filled with terror.

"I... I am Wang Ting... but I really don't know anything about any Sheepskin Scroll... Xue Wu's family... has nothing to do with me... I'm innocent..."

As he spoke.

His heart was filled with grievances.

If he had been captured by his own enemies, he would have accepted his fate.

However, based on the current situation, these two had come for Xue Wu and his family.

The problem was that he hadn't done it, but these two wouldn't listen at all; they had broken his limbs directly and even used some method he didn't know to make him feel pain akin to death by a thousand cuts.

He couldn't even commit suicide, which was driving him nearly insane.

The masked woman leaning against the doorframe lowered her eyes to look at him upon hearing this, her gaze as calm as well water, without a single ripple.

It was as if she were looking not at a person, but at a stray dog by the roadside or an ant in the corner of a wall.

To Wang Ting, she felt far more terrifying than any of the murderous criminals he had encountered in the past.

"Oh."

She spoke softly.

"To be able to hold out until now without speaking, it seems we really made a mistake."

Hearing this, Wang Ting's expression relaxed, and a look of relief surfaced on his face.

"It's fine, as long as you've cleared it up, I..."

--Thwack!

A muffled sound.

Before he could finish his sentence, a bloody hole abruptly appeared between his eyebrows.

It pierced straight through his entire skull.

Red and white matter splattered onto the yellowing tiles behind him, and the trace of relief on his face froze in place.

His body fell straight to the ground, and he never made another sound.

"Why did you kill him?"

Under the bathroom lights.

Two figures, a man and a woman, stood facing each other.

They were Bai Ling and Tail Fire.

They had been looking for this man for a long time.

They had expected to find out the whereabouts of the Green Bag Fragment, but they hadn't expected this outcome.

As for whether the other party was telling the truth, it was unlikely to be false.

Because no one could endure the pain of having their bones, muscles, and fascia shattered by internal force; it was several times more painful than death by a thousand cuts.

Even a man of iron could not hold out.

"Scum like this deserves to die!"

Tail Fire's expression remained unmoved.

As he spoke, he extended his right hand to his forehead in a gesture similar to a devout prayer.

It was a purification ritual unique to the Pure Fire Sect.

"It's just a pity that I wasted a Blood Tracking Talisman."

Bai Ling looked pained.

Clearly, the Blood Tracking Talisman she mentioned was very precious.

Afterward, she looked at him.

"Then what do you think we should do now?"

"It's simple. Since this person didn't have the Green Bag Fragment, there are only two possibilities.

First, that thing has already been taken by those guys from the Pivot Court.

Second, the other party handed it over to someone else beforehand.

If it were the former, we should have been attacked by that group the moment we found this person.

Moreover, with our abilities, it is impossible to snatch the Green Bag Fragment back from the hands of the Pivot Court.

Therefore, I am more inclined toward the latter; no, to be more precise, we can only hope it is the latter."

Tail Fire said calmly.

"So, I suggest we start with the person's acquaintances."

"According to the information gathered so far, that woman's child is named Xue Wu, and he previously had a girlfriend.

However, that girlfriend is a member of a branch of the Hu Clan."

Tail Fire paused slightly when he mentioned the Hu Clan.

There was no need to say more.

Bai Ling naturally understood why he was like this.

Although the Hu Clan was merely a family that barely qualified as a mid-tier clan.

The terrifying aspect of these clans lay in their deeply intertwined relationships, and any clan that had managed to survive until today.

Was fundamentally inseparable from those few top-tier clans that had been passed down for a thousand years.

Once you provoked one of them, you would likely invite endless retaliation.

When the Pure Fire Sect was besieged back then, everyone assumed it was due to their cruel cultivation methods.

But only a very small number of people knew the true reason why the Pure Fire Sect was nearly wiped out.

It was because the Pure Fire Sect had accidentally killed a member of a top-tier clan, which triggered the fury of that clan and led to devastating retaliation.

Although the Pure Fire Sect was not completely annihilated and managed to flee the Yu State.

They were severely crippled and took nearly forty years to recover even a little.

Yet they dared not approach the heartland of the Yu State again, only daring to linger in border cities.

If not for the Sect Leader ordering them to retrieve the lost piece of the "Green Bag Fragment," the two of them would never have come here.

"Check first; if the target has no connection to the main family, then strike directly."

Bai Ling said softly.

Although these clans were powerful, they carried extreme arrogance in their bones.

Only those from the main family were truly regarded by them as their own kind.

Therefore, taking action against collateral clansmen and taking action against members of the main family were two completely different matters.