There Was Still a Difference

Luo Ning froze for a moment, then replied in alarm, "What are you trying to do? My life is priceless, of course. If you dare kill me, the Luoshui Jade Firm won't let you get away with it."

She was truly frightened. Had her actions somehow offended this terrifying man, whose motives were impossible to fathom?

But Sikong Jing merely shrugged, said nothing, and turned around. He walked over to the table and sat down.

Luo Ning opened her mouth, unable to figure out what Sikong Jing was trying to do.

Bang!

Suddenly, someone kicked the door open. A woman dressed head to toe in purple and blue strode into the room. She was tall and carried herself with a domineering air. After sweeping her gaze across the room, she said, "Luo Ning, you're dead tonight."

Luo Ning's face changed drastically, and she cried out, "Lei Shuang!"

The next moment, Sikong Jing's voice sounded behind Luo Ning.

"Since your life is priceless, I'll save it tonight. Consider it payment for the Jadeite Hairpin."

Sikong Jing had no intention of taking Luo Ning's life. They had no grudge between them, and he wasn't some bloodthirsty killer.

But since she insisted on not selling, he had no choice but to try another approach.

Just as he was about to leave, he had noticed a large group of martial artists converging on Luo Ning's room. They were probably from the Lei Ying Merchant Guild she had mentioned, which was why Sikong Jing had acted as he did.

In front of him, Luo Ning trembled slightly when she heard Sikong Jing's words.

Lei Shuang, across from them, naturally hadn't noticed Sikong Jing. She sneered repeatedly. "Luo Ning, you little slut. I thought you'd hurry back to Yun Province City tonight, so I was planning to ambush you on the road."

"Who would've thought you'd hide in an inn? You made me run all this way for nothing."

"Tell me, how should I punish you?"

Lei Shuang's sinister laughter rang out. She narrowed her eyes at Luo Ning, looking as though she had her completely at her mercy.

Luo Ning clenched her fists and glared at Lei Shuang. "Hasn't the Lei Ying Merchant Guild gone too far? All I did was take your business in Yunye City, and now you want to kill me. Are you merchants or bandits?"

"Haha..."

At that, Lei Shuang burst into laughter. "I'm a bandit. If you steal my business, you pay the price."

Luo Ning had come to Yunye City to do business. Her family ran the Luoshui Jade Firm in Yun Province City, and the Lei Ying Merchant Guild also dealt in jade. The two were competitors.

Until now, the rivalry had been confined to business tactics and competition.

But ever since Lei Shuang had taken charge of part of the Lei Ying Merchant Guild's business, she had become unreasonable and domineering.

This time, Luo Ning had taken her business in Yunye City, so Lei Shuang sent people to assassinate her and left her wounded. Luo Ning had no choice but to flee Yunye City in the middle of the night. She hadn't expected Lei Shuang to be ready for her, determined to kill her.

Seeing Luo Ning fall silent, Lei Shuang sneered again. "I know you're at the sixth level of the Dark Realm and pretty formidable, so this time I hired two hundred bandits. Let's see you survive that."

"You have only yourself to blame for being so arrogant that you didn't even bring any guards... Hm? You actually have a guard."

Only then did Lei Shuang notice Sikong Jing.

According to her investigation, Luo Ning had brought only a little maid with her to Yunye City. Where had this guard come from?

Lei Shuang's eyes filled with wariness.

At that moment, a burly, bearded man beside Lei Shuang laughed heartily. "Miss Lei Shuang, what kind of guard is that? He's only at the sixth level of the Bright Realm. At best, he's a servant. No need to worry about him."

The bearded man was the expert at the third level of the Dark Realm whom Lei Shuang had hired. He had seen through Sikong Jing's cultivation at a glance.

Hearing this, all trace of wariness vanished from Lei Shuang's face. She laughed shrilly. "So he's just a servant. No wonder I didn't find him in my investigation. Then forget about him... Attack! Kill Luo Ning."

Boom!

Without another word, the bearded man led his men in a charge toward Luo Ning.

There was a considerable gap between the third and sixth levels of the Dark Realm, so the bearded man didn't dare face Luo Ning alone. But he had two hundred subordinates behind him, most of them at the eighth or ninth level of the Bright Realm.

More than a dozen had even reached the Dark Realm. He wasn't worried about failing to kill Luo Ning, who stood alone.

As the bearded man and his men came roaring toward her, Luo Ning's face darkened.

Even if she hadn't been injured, she couldn't beat so many enemies. Was she really going to die here tonight?

"Luo Ning, right? Will you sell the Jadeite Hairpin?" Sikong Jing's voice sounded again.

Luo Ning's lips twitched. The man behind her acted as if he already had her at his mercy, and it was infuriating. She really didn't want to sell.

"Actually, it doesn't matter if you refuse. Once you're dead, the item will be mine anyway."

Sikong Jing still sounded utterly cold and unfeeling.

The Great Shang Dynasty was vast beyond measure, and there was conflict everywhere. Unless he had a reason, he had no intention of involving himself in such matters.

Now he had Su Yuexi to look after. He was no longer alone in the world.

"Servant, what are you mumbling about? I'll kill you first."

By then, the fighting had begun. The bearded man and his men had surrounded Luo Ning, while one of the hired thugs rushed at Sikong Jing.

In the thug's eyes, Sikong Jing, a mere sixth-level Bright Realm cultivator, was a pushover.

Pfft...

But he was wrong—terribly wrong.

Without even looking, Sikong Jing struck with the edge of his hand, piercing the thug's heart. Then he asked Luo Ning, "Will you sell?"

By then, Luo Ning was so hard-pressed by the surrounding attackers that she could barely keep up. She could only grit her teeth and say, "I'll sell."

"Then step back. I'll handle this."

At her answer, Sikong Jing rose to his feet and slowly pulled his hand from the thug's heart, speaking in an unruffled voice.

At the same time, Luo Ning struggled free of the encirclement and retreated behind him.

"Oh, Luo Ning, you little slut. Don't you always claim to treat your servants like family?" Lei Shuang mocked. "And now you're hiding behind a servant. You're such a hypocrite."

The bearded man laughed, too. "Poor servant. Your master sold you out, and I'm going to tear you to pieces."

Watching the bearded man charge toward him, Luo Ning asked anxiously, "You're sure you can handle this many people?"

Sikong Jing was only at the sixth level of the Bright Realm. If Luo Ning hadn't personally experienced his strength just moments ago, she wouldn't have believed he could win.

Even now, she still wasn't entirely convinced.

"There are indeed quite a few of them. I'm confident I can kill them all, but it might take some time." Sikong Jing replied calmly. Then the corner of his mouth lifted. "But it's fine. I can break through first."

Boom...

As soon as he finished speaking, Sikong Jing's true energy surged. In an instant, he advanced from the sixth to the seventh level of the Bright Realm.

At the same time, murderous intent erupted.

"He actually broke through? But, servant, what difference does the seventh level make to me compared to the sixth?" the bearded man sneered. Then he spread his arms, ready to tear Sikong Jing in two.

Bang!

The next moment, the bearded man's vision blurred. Sikong Jing's figure vanished, followed by the heavy thud of an impact.

With a cry, the bearded man felt as if a hammer had struck his head. His whole body went flying.

Sikong Jing landed quietly and replied, "There's still a difference. At the sixth level of the Bright Realm, it would take me three punches to kill you. At the seventh, only two. So... you're dead!"

With that, he lunged again and punched the man square in the face.

A flash of blood. The bearded man felt the world spin, then plunged into total darkness.