"Now, I ask, you answer."
A low voice rumbled from the house guard's mouth.
"Who is your Flag Master? What great undertaking is he planning?"
Zhao Dezhu was nearly suffocated by the chokehold, but he was no ordinary man.
At this critical moment, he suddenly bit through the tip of his tongue, spat a mouthful of vital blood into his palm, and swung around to slap the house guard on the crown of his head.
With a muffled thump,
the house guard's head lolled at an unnatural angle, and his whole body crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
The other house guard's body also lost control at the same time and crashed to the ground.
Zhao Dezhu collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath, a smear of blood at the corner of his mouth and his face deathly pale.
That slap had clearly drained most of his vital energy. He was at the end of his rope.
Just then, someone gently pushed open the door from outside.
Shen Chu stood in the doorway, moonlight spilling in behind him and stretching a long shadow across the floor.
He looked at Zhao Dezhu, who sat slumped on the ground, barely breathing, and wore an innocent smile as he drawled, "Steward Zhao, now can we have a proper chat?"
Shen Chu's appearance made Zhao Dezhu's pupils contract. His face was filled with disbelief.
Leaning against the wall, he panted, "You... who are you now, exactly? Why do you know the Sacred Sect's secret arts? What are you trying to do?"
Shen Chu shook his head. His tone was calm, though touched with helplessness. "It's not that I'm trying to do anything. From beginning to end, I only wanted to forge blades in peace and live a quiet life. You're the ones who kept coming after me, again and again."
At his words, Zhao Dezhu's eyes shifted. He forced a smile more painful than crying and softened his tone.
"Shen Chu, since you know the Sacred Sect's secret arts too, that makes us family. Anyone who practices them is a disciple of the Sacred Sect. We're fellow disciples, so why kill one another? Let's turn our enmity into friendship. If you ever need anything, I, Zhao Dezhu, will do everything in my power to help. Just say the word!"
Shen Chu wasn't about to believe a word of that nonsense. He only watched him coldly and asked again, "What are you people really trying to do?"
Seeing that Shen Chu wouldn't be swayed, Zhao Dezhu sighed.
He weakly beckoned Shen Chu over. "All right. Since you insist on knowing, I'll tell you. Come a little closer. It's a long story, and I don't have the strength to speak loudly."
Shen Chu hesitated briefly, but still took two steps forward and leaned down slightly.
The moment he came within three feet, the dejected look in Zhao Dezhu's eyes turned vicious!
He suddenly pulled a pitch-black, short-barreled concealed weapon from his robes, aimed it at Shen Chu's chest, and fiercely triggered the mechanism!
Pssh! Pssh! Pssh!
Several streaks of cold light shot out and struck Shen Chu squarely!
Shen Chu's body jolted, then toppled straight backward. He hit the ground with a thud and lay motionless.
Zhao Dezhu froze for a moment at the sight, then threw back his head and roared with laughter.
His laughter was laced with violent coughing. He shook all over from the coughing, yet still couldn't suppress his smugness.
"Fool! What a fool! If I'd known you were this easy to deal with, I'd never have gone to so much trouble!"
He then braced himself against the wall and struggled to stand. "Cough, cough... You think you can fight me..."
"Letting you die just like this is too good for you! I should've broken your arms and legs first, then waited until the Flag Master succeeded and made you wish you were dead..."
Before he could finish his stream of curses, he saw Shen Chu twitch on the ground.
The smile vanished from Zhao Dezhu's face.
Shen Chu slowly sat up, reached over to unfasten his outer garment, and revealed a dark, close-fitting iron vest underneath.
Several short needles were stuck in its surface. Their tips had pierced the fabric but hadn't even touched his flesh.
As he took off the iron vest, Shen Chu frowned and grumbled, "Tch, this thing's still a bit heavy to wear, and it makes moving around awkward. Still, it does a great job protecting me."
He tossed the vest aside, rolled his sore, constricted shoulders, then looked down at Zhao Dezhu.
There was no trace of patience left in his eyes.
All the color drained from Zhao Dezhu's face.
He was just about to speak,
but Shen Chu didn't waste another word. He stepped forward, clenched his right fist, and abruptly gathered his power at his knuckles!
Stone-Shattering Fist!
The punch landed squarely in Zhao Dezhu's chest.
A dull crack of breaking bone rang out as Zhao Dezhu's chest caved in slightly.
His body jerked into a bow, his eyes bulged wide, and a thread of dark red blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. Then he slowly fell backward.
Thud!
One punch, one kill!
Shen Chu drew back his fist and glanced down at Zhao Dezhu and the two house guards.
He felt a little regretful.
He should've first forced every last secret out of the man, taken all his money, and only then tortured him to death!
He still acted too rashly. Next time, he'd have to be more careful.
Just then, the [Incense Offering to All Living Beings] skill activated automatically once more.
Zhao Dezhu's corpse turned into wisps of green smoke that curled upward and seeped into Shen Chu's body.
He slowly opened his eyes and clenched his fist. A denser sense of power than before seemed to linger faintly around his knuckles.
With a thought, Shen Chu brought up his status panel.
[Stone-Shattering Fist: Minor Mastery (15/100)] [Incense Offering to All Living Beings: Absorption Progress 3/100 (Can be used to break through a cultivation technique's threshold)]
The change in the numbers wasn't earth-shattering, but the tangible growth he could actually feel gave Shen Chu a greater sense of security.
After killing the man, he didn't rush to leave. Instead, he searched the room first.
Zhao Dezhu had indeed been tampering quite a bit with purchases and accounts lately. Shen Chu found a heavy money pouch in a hidden compartment beneath the bed.
When he opened it, he found over a hundred taels of bright silver. There were also several small-denomination banknotes, bringing the total to at least three or four hundred taels.
Shen Chu hefted the pouch and couldn't help but remark, "Sure enough, killing and arson make a man rich..."
He bent down, picked up the iron vest, and put it on. Then he glanced at the spot where Zhao Dezhu had disappeared.
Two house guards' corpses still remained in Zhao Dezhu's room.
Neither man had practiced any spells in life; otherwise, Shen Chu would already have absorbed them.
But what was he supposed to do with their bodies?
As Shen Chu pondered this, he suddenly let out a dry laugh.
There were two corpses in Zhao Dezhu's room. What the hell did that have to do with Shen Chu?
At the thought, his mind felt all the clearer.
Since he'd already killed them, he might as well finish the job by setting the place on fire.
He looked around the room, poured the oil from the lamp over the bed and chairs, then lit a taper. When he reached the doorway, he glanced back and casually tossed it into the room.
Before you continue