A Demand for an Explanation from Steward Jinshi!

Jinshi was a man of Blackstone City's Champion Marquis, at the early ninth-layer Qi Refining, with over a hundred Black Armor Army soldiers under his command.

Though he himself was at the Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, once he exposed himself, it would mean declaring war on the entire Champion Marquis Estate.

What would the consequences be?

Being hunted down? Being wanted? Or being directly erased by a Foundation Establishment Realm expert?

What was more, the Soul-Splitting Pill still resided within him. It would flare up in a month, and the antidote was still in Yang Zhenshan's hands.

If he fell out with them now, even if he defeated Jinshi, what would happen to the antidote?

If he avenged Yang Jinshan, would Yang Zhenshan give him the antidote because of that?

Endure.

Keep enduring.

Zhou Qi closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.

He could endure.

In the month since he had crossed over, he had endured Yang Mingyuan's contempt, Yang Jinshan's mockery, Yang Zhenshan's Soul-Splitting Pill, and Wang Tianfu's stalling.

He could even endure Yang Jinshan's death.

As long as he lived, as long as he grew stronger, one day...

"Move faster." A voice interrupted Zhou Qi's thoughts. Jinshi's voice came again, laced with impatience.

"What are you dawdling for?"

The two Black Armor Army soldiers answered. One grabbed Yang Jinshan by the arm, the other by the leg, and they began dragging him toward the roadside.

The corpse scraped along the ground, leaving behind a long streak of blood.

Yang Jinshan's head remained where it had fallen, rolling alone to one side.

Zhou Qi opened his eyes.

In that instant, he saw the face on that severed head.

Yang Jinshan's closed eyes seemed to open again, his mouth slightly parted as though asking, "What happened?"

Three days ago, he had still been practicing his fist techniques in the courtyard, saying he had achieved enlightenment.

An hour ago, he had still been slapping the table, saying he would go to the Wang Family with Zhou Qi and bear whatever consequences came together.

Now, he lay on the ground, dragged by two common soldiers like a dead dog.

Zhou Qi's breathing paused.

He remembered every little thing from the past month.

Yang Jinshan was a blockhead—sharp-tongued, fond of putting on the airs of an elder, always saying, "I'm the Fifth Elder, you know."

But he was also a straightforward man.

When Zhou Qi had been confined in the small courtyard, Yang Jinshan cursed and grumbled, yet delivered meals on time every day.

When Zhou Qi asked him for martial techniques, he would curse him out fiercely, but then turn around and ask Yang Zhenshan for martial techniques.

When Zhou Qi defeated Zhao Dazhu, Yang Jinshan's eyes had shone brightly as he followed behind, pestering him about how to practice the Army-Breaking Fist.

When Zhou Qi told him not to speak, he held it in until it hurt, yet still endured.

He had no schemes in his heart. Once he set his sights on something, he would walk down that single road until darkness fell.

He had set his sights on Yang Zhenshan, so he listened to whatever Yang Zhenshan said.

He had decided Zhou Qi was "one of his own," so when Zhou Qi told him to endure, he endured.

But today, he had failed to hold back. He had rushed forward and cursed Jinshi right to his face.

And then he died.

Like a joke.

"Enough, enough!" Zhou Qi suddenly chuckled, his hand tightening around the saber hilt.

"Today, I'll be irrational just once!"

As for enduring?

He had endured enough.

Ever since crossing over, he had been enduring.

Enduring Yang Mingyuan's contempt, Yang Jinshan's mockery, Yang Zhenshan's poison, Wang Tianfu's stalling.

Endure, endure, endure.

Every moment, he calculated the pros and cons. Every second, he weighed gains against losses.

He had thought he could keep enduring forever.

But now, watching Yang Jinshan's corpse dragged across the ground, watching that solitary head lying to one side, he suddenly did not want to endure anymore.

What perfect solution?

What extremely high risk?

What enmity with the Champion Marquis Estate?

To hell with it!

If his Dao Heart was blocked, what immortality was there to cultivate?

Zhou Qi raised his head.

The two Black Armor Army soldiers had already dragged Yang Jinshan's corpse to the roadside and were preparing to toss it onto a flatbed cart.

Jinshi had already reached the carriage and was about to step inside.

The people around them had begun to disperse, footsteps and whispers blending into a single murmur.

Zhou Qi spoke.

His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears with perfect clarity.

"Steward Jinshi!"

The entire scene fell silent.

Jinshi's raised foot paused, then slowly lowered.

He turned around and looked at Zhou Qi.

The surrounding people stopped as well, all turning to stare at him.

Zhao Dazhu froze where he stood, his mouth hanging open.

The fear on Li Dehou's face deepened as he desperately backed away.

The guards and minor stewards exchanged looks, not knowing what had happened.

Jinshi looked at Zhou Qi, one brow lifting slightly.

He remembered this man. Wang Tianfu had pointed him out earlier—the one said to be quite capable, at Qi Refining, Seventh Layer.

"What?" Jinshi asked blandly. "Do you need something?"

Zhou Qi looked at him, his gaze calm.

"You killed someone. Aren't you going to give an explanation?"

The instant those words fell, the entire place went deathly silent.

Zhao Dazhu sucked in a cold breath and staggered back several steps.

Li Dehou's face turned deathly pale. He really is insane. That envoy was already preparing to leave.

The guards' eyes widened as they stared at Zhou Qi as if looking at a madman.

Jinshi froze for a moment.

Then, as if the joke had struck him, he doubled over laughing until tears nearly came out.

"An explanation?" He pointed at Zhou Qi, laughing so hard he could barely straighten up. "Hahaha... What did you say? An explanation? Who am I supposed to explain myself to?"

After laughing enough, he straightened and looked at Zhou Qi with an amused gaze.

"To your Yang Family?"

Zhou Qi shook his head.

"Not the Yang Family."

Jinshi raised a brow.

Zhou Qi looked at him and enunciated every word.

"To me, Zhou Qi."

The moment his words fell—

A terrifying aura exploded forth.

The aura was so powerful that it was like a slumbering savage beast suddenly awakening. Centered on Zhou Qi, it spread madly in every direction.

Dust rose from the ground, while shattered stones were sent flying everywhere.

Caught off guard, the surrounding people were blasted backward again and again by the aura.

Zhao Dazhu dropped onto the ground on his backside, his mouth wide open and his face full of disbelief.

They had been able to trade a few moves just days ago. How... how could his opponent possess such a terrifying aura?

Li Dehou had to brace himself against a nearby tree just to remain standing, his shocked pupils contracting.

He was even weaker than Zhao Dazhu, merely at Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement. He had no idea what level of strength Zhou Qi had unleashed, but his judgment was as steady as a mountain.

This aura was stronger and more soul-shaking than the aura he had seen when Li Yuanba flew into a rage.

And Li Yuanba was at peak eighth-layer Qi Refining!

The guards' eyes widened even further, as if they had seen a ghost.

"Th-this..."

"What... what layer of Qi Refining is this?"

Jinshi's expression changed instantly.

The smile froze on his face, replaced by solemnity and shock.

He stared at Zhou Qi, his pupils shrinking.

He could not see through him at all.

That aura was deep and solid, far beyond what an ordinary Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement could possess.

Above the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.

One or two minor realms higher than his own.

Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement?

A powerful unease surged through Jinshi's heart.

But he was, after all, a man of the Champion Marquis Estate. What sort of scenes had he not seen?

He took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, and said coldly:

"Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement? You hid yourself quite deeply."

He paused, a cold smile curling onto his lips.

"But so what? Do you dare touch me? I am a man of the Champion Marquis Estate. Touch even one finger of mine, and you and the entire Yang Family will be buried with me!"

Zhou Qi said nothing.

He merely slowly drew the Cold-Iron Saber from his waist.

The blade left its sheath. Snow-bright saber light flashed beneath the sunlight, carrying a chilling cold.

Killing intent surged into the heavens.

Struck by that killing intent, the faces of the surrounding people changed drastically, and they hurriedly retreated.

Zhao Dazhu scrambled and rolled behind a large tree.

Li Dehou's legs had gone weak, and he barely managed to follow after Zhao Dazhu.

The guards ran even faster than rabbits, hiding far away in the blink of an eye.

Jinshi's face became incomparably ugly.

He had not expected this brat to truly dare draw his saber.

"Black Armor Army!" he roared. "Form up!"