Fighting for One's Life

"You lot stay here and keep watch while I go inside to have some fun!" Li Baoyu sneered before pushing open the door to the backyard.

The guards watched his retreating back with eyes full of envy.

"The Young Master is truly fierce today."

"Indeed. Though he's always been a scoundrel, he's never been this lawless before."

"I wonder if he'll leave us some scraps to enjoy later."

The men winked and chuckled lewdly.

Inside the room in the backyard, the moment the door clicked shut, Li Baoyu spread his arms and lunged toward the slender figure:

"Beauty!"

Yu Qinglian dodged to the side and kicked him in the lower back, sending him sprawling to the floor.

Li Baoyu twitched twice before passing out cold.

Yu Qinglian raised her eyes to look at Lin Yi, who was sitting at the table, sipping tea as if nothing had happened. "Are you certain he is my enemy?"

Lin Yi set down his teacup, walked over to Li Baoyu, and crouched down. After fumbling through the man's chest robes for a moment, he pulled out a warm, smooth jade pendant and held it before her eyes. "You should recognize this, at least."

Yu Qinglian's pupils constricted.

The jade pendant was carved with a plum blossom pattern.

Of course she recognized it.

Back when the Joyous Sect captured countless girls to raise as Cultivation Vessels, every time a girl finished her training and was ready to be harvested, a person holding a pendant of this exact style would arrive to take custody.

Hatred erupted from the depths of her eyes as she said coldly, "What now?"

"Just wait." Lin Yi rolled Li Baoyu over, leaned in close, and exhaled a wisp of purple-black Corpse Puppet Path True Qi, slowly channeling it into the man's body.

"What are you doing?" Yu Qinglian frowned.

"Killing him." Lin Yi's lips curled upward.

The moment the yin energy entered his body, it surged straight toward his heart. Li Baoyu's face instantly flushed red, his body convulsed, and his legs kicked wildly. Within three breaths, he went completely still, his life force extinguished.

Dealing with a mortal who possessed no cultivation was, for Lin Yi, as easy as turning over his hand.

"You're insane!" Yu Qinglian's face turned ashen. "We agreed only to kill Hu Ma! Do you have any idea that the Master of Qingsong Hall damaged his foundation practicing martial arts years ago and has only this one son? He dotes on him like his own life, and you just killed him like this!"

Did Yu Qinglian want Li Baoyu dead?

Of course she did. Ever since she learned he was the son of her enemy, she had wanted to tear him limb from limb.

But the current situation was all wrong.

A Seventh-grade martial artist, for heaven's sake.

The big boss of Jiaqing County, the man who held all the power—how could they possibly fight someone like that?

They needed to build up their strength first!

Did Lin Yi know this?

Lin Yi certainly did, but Li Baoyu had to die.

For one, Li Baoyu only had value as a corpse; only as a corpse could he be completely controlled by the Corpse Puppet Path.

For another, he needed to bind himself further to Yu Qinglian.

The fact that Hu Ma was the son of the County Magistrate was still a secret, and Yu Qinglian hadn't known when she agreed to help him deal with Hu Ma.

But paper could not wrap up fire forever. Once the truth came to light, she might not hesitate to betray him.

Now, both of their hands were stained with Li Baoyu's blood.

He was the principal offender.

She was the accomplice.

To ensure her own survival, she would have no choice but to give her all in the future.

Yu Qinglian paced back and forth, her face livid.

She hadn't expected Lin Yi to be so daring; he killed the son of a Seventh-grade martial arts expert without a second thought. Regret began to gnaw at her heart.

But things had reached this point; there was no turning back.

Yu Qinglian gritted her teeth and looked at Lin Yi:

"The price for this is too high. I've practically gambled my life away..."

Lin Yi frowned: "What do you want..."

Yu Qinglian said: "I want you to assist me in cultivating the Infatuation Path from now on, until I reach the Eighth grade..."

"Swear it by the Heavenly Dao..."

At the Black Wind Gang headquarters, Hu Ma sat on a chair like a king, clutching a beef leg and tearing into it like a hyena, his mouth glistening with grease.

"Damn it all to hell! That old bastard from the Lin Clan won't listen to reason or force!"

"Hall Master, what should we do next?" A lackey sitting below him raised his head cautiously.

"What else can we do?" Hu Ma shot the man a glare and let out a cold snort. "If he refuses to listen to reason, we'll just wipe out his entire household."

"But the gang leader recently ordered us to keep a low profile... Isn't wiping out a household a bit too extreme?"

"Extreme your mother's head!" Hu Ma raised his hand and hurled a gnawed beef bone with all his might. "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. It's not like it's the first time we've done this. If something goes wrong, I'll take the fall, so stop acting like a coward! I don't pay you lot to be a bunch of spineless wretches!"

The men in the hall fell silent, terrified.

Hu Ma had not reached his current position through his laughable, ugly physique, but through the ruthless, cutthroat nature buried deep in his bones.

His subordinates both respected and feared him.

"Boss! Boss!"

"Something terrible has happened!"

A flurry of rapid footsteps echoed from outside. A short, thin figure scrambled in, tripping and stumbling until he reached Hu Ma, where he collapsed onto his knees.

"A-Liang?" Hu Ma recognized the man and stood up abruptly. "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Lian Niang at Willow Pavilion? Why are you back here?"

"Did something happen to Lian Niang?"

The servant boy named A-Liang panted heavily. "Something happened to Lian Niang! The son of the Green Pine Martial Hall master, that good-for-nothing playboy Li Baoyu who spends his days bullying others, is trying to force himself on Lian Niang... By the time I ran out, he had already dragged her into the backyard!"

Before he could finish, Hu Ma's True Qi erupted with a roar, and he lunged toward the stables behind the hall.

"Neigh—"

A stallion let out a long, piercing cry.

Hu Ma's face was flushed crimson, and his voice boomed like thunder as he threw back a command: "I'm heading to Willow Pavilion first; you lot follow behind!"

Hu Ma was absolutely livid.

For all these years, Lian Niang had been the moonlight in his heart.

Back then, in the bitter cold of winter, if she hadn't given him charcoal and steamed buns, he likely would have starved to death.

Even now, having achieved success, immense power, and a prominent status, he had never forced himself on her. He had maintained his respect for her, waiting for her consent.

He never imagined that something he cherished so dearly would be ruined by a lazy, good-for-nothing playboy.

Could Hu Ma endure this?

Hu Ma could not!

This was the first time Hu Ma had ever risked his life for someone!

Wait for me, Lian Niang!

Even if your body is defiled, you will remain pure and flawless in my heart. I will never despise you.

On horseback, the blood rushed to Hu Ma's already dark face, making him look like a long-marinated tea egg as he galloped wildly toward Willow Pavilion.