There Is Still a Difference

Luo Ning was stunned for a moment, then replied with a hint of terror, "What do you want? My life is obviously priceless; if you dare to kill me, the Luoshui Jade Firm will never forgive you."

She was truly frightened. Could it be that her actions had offended this terrifying and incomprehensible man?

Sikong Jing merely shrugged, turned around without a word, and walked over to sit at the table in the room.

Luo Ning opened her mouth, unable to understand what Sikong Jing was planning.

Bang!

Suddenly, the door to the room was kicked open. A woman dressed in purple-blue robes strode in. She was tall but wore a savage expression. After sweeping her gaze across the room, she said, "Luo Ning, you are dead tonight."

Luo Ning's face changed drastically, and a scream escaped her lips: "Lei Shuang!"

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

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

Sikong Jing certainly did not want Luo Ning's life; they had no grudges, and he was no bloodthirsty maniac.

It was just that since the other party insisted on not selling, he had to try a different approach.

Just as he was preparing to leave, he had discovered a large number of warriors surrounding Luo Ning's room. They were likely the Lei Ying Merchant Guild she had mentioned, which was why Sikong Jing had made his move.

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

Lei Shuang, standing opposite them, naturally hadn't noticed Sikong Jing. She sneered repeatedly, "Little slut Luo Ning, I thought you would rush back to Yun Province City overnight, and I was even prepared to intercept you halfway."

"I didn't expect you to hide in a post house, making me run so hard."

"Tell me, how should I punish you?"

Lei Shuang's sinister laughter rang out. She squinted at Luo Ning, looking as if she had her completely cornered.

Clenching her fists, Luo Ning stared daggers at Lei Shuang. "Isn't your Lei Ying Merchant Guild going too far? I just snatched your business in Yunye City, and you want to kill me? Are you running a business or are you bandits?"

"Haha..."

Lei Shuang laughed out loud at these words. "I am a bandit. You have to pay the price for stealing my business."

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

In the past, it had always been a matter of commercial tactics and competition.

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

This time, because Luo Ning had snatched her business in Yunye City, Lei Shuang had sent assassins, causing Luo Ning to be injured and forced to flee Yunye City overnight. She hadn't expected Lei Shuang to be so well-prepared, determined to see her dead.

Seeing that Luo Ning remained silent, Lei Shuang sneered again, "I know you are at the sixth level of the Dark Realm and quite formidable, so I specifically brought two hundred horse bandits this time. I'm not worried about failing to kill you."

"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being too arrogant, not even bringing guards... Hmm, there actually is a guard."

At this point, Lei Shuang finally noticed Sikong Jing's presence.

According to her investigation, Luo Ning had only brought a little maidservant to Yunye City this time. Where had this guard popped out from?

Lei Shuang's eyes were filled with vigilance.

At this moment, a fierce-looking 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; he's just a servant at best. Don't worry about him."

The bearded man was a third-level Dark Realm expert hired by Lei Shuang, and he had seen through Sikong Jing's cultivation level at a glance.

Hearing this, the vigilance on Lei Shuang's face vanished without a trace. She shrieked with laughter, "So he's just a servant. No wonder I didn't find any record of him. Then ignore him... Attack, kill Luo Ning."

Boom!

Without another word, the bearded man led his men to charge at Luo Ning.

There was a significant gap between the third and sixth levels of the Dark Realm, so the bearded man didn't dare face her alone. However, he had two hundred subordinates behind him, most of whom were at the eighth or ninth level of the Bright Realm.

There were also over a dozen who had reached the Dark Realm; he wasn't afraid of failing to kill the lone Luo Ning.

Watching the bearded man and his group charging in with a roar, Luo Ning's expression turned extremely ugly.

Against such enemies, she couldn't win even if she weren't injured. Was she really going to die here tonight?

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

The corners of Luo Ning's mouth twitched slightly. The man behind her had such an overbearing attitude that it was truly infuriating, and she really didn't want to sell.

"Actually, it doesn't matter if you don't sell. If you die, the item will naturally be mine."

Sikong Jing remained as cold and heartless as ever.

The territory of the Great Shang Dynasty was vast and boundless, filled with strife everywhere. Without a reason, he wouldn't bother with such trivial matters.

Now that he had Su Yuexi to look after, he was no longer a lone wolf.

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

Just then, the battle had already begun. The bearded man and his group were surrounding Luo Ning, while one thug charged straight at Sikong Jing.

In the eyes of this thug, Sikong Jing, a mere sixth-level Bright Realm cultivator, was a weakling.

Pfft...

But he was wrong—wrong to a ridiculous degree.

Sikong Jing didn't even look at him. With a single hand-blade strike, he pierced the thug's heart, then asked Luo Ning again, "Will you sell?"

At this moment, Luo Ning was already overwhelmed by the siege, and could only grit her teeth and say, "Sell it."

"Then step back and leave it to me."

Upon hearing this, Sikong Jing stood up, slowly pulled his hand out of the thug's heart, and spoke indifferently.

At the same time, Luo Ning struggled to break free from the encirclement and retreated behind him.

"Oh, little slut Luo Ning, didn't you claim to treat your servants like family?" Lei Shuang mocked upon seeing this. "Now you're actually hiding behind a servant; you really are cheap and hypocritical."

The bearded man also laughed loudly, "Poor servant, those betrayed by their masters will be torn to pieces by me."

Watching the bearded man charging fiercely toward them, Luo Ning asked worriedly, "There are so many of them, are you really sure you can handle it?"

Sikong Jing was only at the sixth level of the Bright Realm. If she hadn't experienced his strength firsthand just moments ago, Luo Ning would never have believed he could win.

Even now, she still felt it was rather unreliable.

"There are indeed quite a few people. I am confident I can kill them all, but it might be a bit time-consuming," Sikong Jing replied softly, then the corners of his mouth curled up. "However, it doesn't matter; I can just break through."

Boom...

As his voice fell, Sikong Jing's true energy surged wildly, instantly rushing from the sixth level of the Bright Realm to the seventh.

At the same time, a murderous intent suddenly erupted.

"You actually broke through? But little servant, is there really any difference between the sixth and seventh levels of the Bright Realm to me?" The bearded man laughed playfully, then spread his arms, intending to tear Sikong Jing in half.

Bang!

The next instant, the bearded man felt a blur before his eyes as Sikong Jing's figure vanished, followed by the sound of a heavy impact.

With a wail, the bearded man felt as if his head had been struck by a hammer, and his entire body went flying.

Sikong Jing landed quietly and replied, "There is a difference. If I were at the sixth level of the Bright Realm, it would take three punches to kill you, but at the seventh, two are enough. So... you're dead!"

As his words fell, he lunged forward again, landing a punch squarely in the center of his opponent's face!

A flash of blood flickered, and the bearded man felt the world spin before he plunged into total darkness.