One-Punch Man

Two days later, Jia Lie Market.

Jia Lie Ping sat at a tea stall deep within the market while the steward across from him reported this month's accounts.

As one of the Jia Lie Clan's three publicly known high-ranking Battle Masters, his usual duty was managing the market.

Jia Lie Bi trusted him, and he had never been negligent.

"Master Ping, s-something terrible has happened!"

Just as he was checking the account books, a young man dressed in Jia Lie Clan attire stumbled over from the market entrance.

By the time he reached the tea stall, his legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed onto the table.

Jia Lie Ping frowned and raised a hand, slapping the young man across the face.

"What are you panicking for? Has the sky fallen?"

The young man staggered back from the blow, clutching his face. His lips trembled as he struggled for a long while to catch his breath.

"What is it? Speak."

"Someone... someone committed murder in the clan! Jia Lie Hong has been killed!"

Jia Lie Ping's hand froze as he reached for his teacup.

He turned to look at the young man as though he were staring at a madman.

"What did you say?"

"Jia Lie Hong was killed! Inside the clan!"

"Bullshit! Jia Lie Hong is a Seven-Star Battle Master. In all of Wutan City, other than a Great Dou Master, who could kill him?"

Jia Lie Ping slammed the teacup heavily onto the table, his tone utterly certain.

"Even if those old bastards from the Xiao Household wanted to make a move, they wouldn't dare sneak directly into the Jia Lie Clan and commit murder."

"If they truly had that nerve, our two families would have been soaked in blood long ago. Why would we have waited until today?"

"B-but, Master Ping, it's true! I saw it with my own eyes!"

The young man's voice had taken on a sobbing tone.

"That person came from who knows where and punched Master Hong right in the head. His head was even..."

As Jia Lie Ping watched the young man's expression, the sneer on his face slowly froze.

This kid did not look like he was faking it.

"Are you certain you didn't see wrong? Jia Lie Hong, he..."

Before he could finish, a fierce gust of wind suddenly struck from behind.

Jia Lie Ping's pupils contracted sharply. Every hair on his body stood on end in an instant, and the battle qi of a Seven-Star Battle Master instinctively surged over his body.

Then, searing pain exploded from the back of his head.

It was the last sensation he ever felt in his life.

The dull sound of a fist smashing into a skull erupted through the tea stall.

Jia Lie Ping's body stiffened for a moment before toppling forward rigidly.

The next second, a visible shockwave exploded outward from Jia Lie Ping's corpse.

The ground shook violently. The bluestone paving along the market streets seemed to be lifted by an invisible giant hand, while dust and shattered rocks were swept by the blast in every direction.

As far as the eye could see, everything was a murky yellow haze.

"Ah—!"

"Save me!"

The vendors threw down their goods and fled in all directions, scrambling and crawling away.

The young man who had delivered the report dropped onto the ground, then used both hands and feet to crawl backward, his face filled with terror.

When the dust gradually settled, Jia Lie Ping's corpse lay alone amid the ruins of the tea stall.

The attacker's figure had long since vanished.

Across the rooftops of Wutan City, a figure darted and weaved.

With a light tap of his toes against the tiles, Qin Yu crossed several yards and landed steadily atop the ridge of another house.

Mountain Qilin Leap.

This movement-type battle skill he had created himself felt rather like filming a wuxia movie when used in a city packed with buildings.

Of the three targets, two had already been dealt with.

Sneaking into the Jia Lie Clan to kill Jia Lie Hong had gone even more smoothly than he had expected.

That Seven-Star Battle Master had probably believed nothing could happen within his own headquarters. He had actually stayed less than ten meters from the courtyard wall and was killed by a single punch.

Then came Jia Lie Ping at the market.

The young man who had reported the news had indirectly helped Qin Yu by drawing most of Jia Lie Ping's attention, leaving him utterly unaware of the killing intent behind him.

Now, only the last one remained.

Jia Lie Kun, an Eight-Star Battle Master.

According to the Great Elder's intelligence, this man had escorted a convoy out of the city this morning, heading toward the Magic Beast Mountains.

After leaving the city, Qin Yu accelerated. Before long, a dense forest appeared at the edge of his vision.

Qin Yu slowed down, extending his senses forward through the ground beneath his feet. He quickly caught sight of figures deep in the woods.

A convoy, nine people in total.

At the head of the group, a burly middle-aged man rode on horseback with a long saber hanging at his waist.

Qin Yu silently slipped into the forest, using the tree trunks for cover as he closed in.

His feet stepped upon the fallen leaves without making the slightest sound. The ground beneath him seemed to obey his will, swallowing every trace of vibration.

Jia Lie Kun yawned.

This escort mission was truly boring. If their destination had not been the Magic Beast Mountains, there would have been no need for an Eight-Star Battle Master like him to escort it.

Still, since the clan leader had given the order, there was no harm in making the trip.

It was only a few days there and back. He could treat it as a chance to relax.

He stretched lazily and was just about to order the group to stop and rest when he suddenly felt a chill sweep over his head.

The battle instincts of an Eight-Star Battle Master made him react in an instant, his right hand flashing toward the hilt of the saber at his waist.

But he only had time to grip the hilt.

A fist descended from above and blasted through Jia Lie Kun's crown.

This punch was exactly the same as the ones that had killed Jia Lie Hong and Jia Lie Ping.

Jia Lie Kun's body tumbled from horseback. His eyes were wide open, bloodshot and unfocused.

Until his death, he never saw what his killer looked like.

The convoy instantly erupted into chaos. The guards drew their weapons one after another, but Qin Yu had already vanished into the depths of the forest, leaving behind only a few fallen leaves stirred up by the fierce wind as they drifted lazily down beside Jia Lie Kun's corpse.

Wutan City, the main hall of the Jia Lie Clan.

Jia Lie Bi sat in the seat of honor, his expression as dark as the sky before a storm.

Three people knelt before him with their foreheads pressed to the ground, not daring even to breathe loudly.

"Jia Lie Hong and Jia Lie Ping. Two men, dead on the same day, in Wutan City, on the Jia Lie Clan's own territory."

At these words, the three kneeling men lowered their heads even further.

"Who did it?"

"We're still investigating... but all the witnesses said they only saw a figure. He killed them with one punch, and he moved too fast for anyone to see his face..."

Jia Lie Bi drew a deep breath. The armrest of his chair had already been crushed to pieces in his grip.

"You're saying one person infiltrated the Jia Lie Clan, killed Jia Lie Hong, then swaggered over to the market, killed Jia Lie Ping, and left safely?"

His voice suddenly rose.

"And he only used one punch? What kind of person is he? One-Punch Man?!"

The three men shuddered and did not dare make another sound.

The main hall fell silent, with only Jia Lie Bi's heavy breathing remaining.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside. A guard stumbled into the hall, his face even uglier than the combined faces of the three kneeling men.

"Clan Leader! B-bad news!"

Jia Lie Bi's gaze swept over him, and the guard felt as though he had been targeted by a savage beast.

"Speak."

"Lord Jia Lie Kun was attacked outside the city. He... he's gone."