Assassination

He glanced around but didn't find anything unusual.

Although there were many people behind him, they were all ordinary people at a glance, and none of them stood out.

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it. With my strength, anyone who can follow me without being detected must be a top expert from Shu Province, but I haven't provoked anyone recently."

Just as he was pondering this, a waiter came to greet him.

"Sir, please come in. What would you like to eat? Our restaurant has a specialty, Hongya Cured Meat, which is air-dried cured pork. Would you like to try it?"

"Let's talk about it up there."

Alright.

A moment later, Shan Chunlai sat in a private room in the restaurant, his gaze falling through the window onto a courtyard not far away, where he saw many soldiers walking back and forth.

"If we want to kill Wei Dong, Wei Hai is the biggest obstacle. His strength is about the same as mine, but he is not as fast or quick as me. We need to wait for an opportunity."

Shan Chunlai narrowed his eyes slightly and took a sip of wine.

In the Pavilion directly opposite him, Jin Xiao was also drinking.

He took off his rough, short watch, then reached out and tore off the human skin mask from his face. He was originally a stooped, pockmarked old man, but in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a middle-aged man with white eyebrows standing on end and a fierce and imposing presence.

"Shan Chunlai, one of Wei Shaogong's most trusted men, is at the early stage of the Divine Wheel. His signature secret technique is called the Six Harmonies Wandering Body Art, and he excels at Assassination and escape."

Jin Xiao flipped through the papers in his hand, a wisp of flame rising from his fingertips, quickly burning to ashes.

"Skilled in Assassination? Ridiculous. How can you compare to my Black Ice Platform in Assassination?"

"Hmm, to gain Lin Qing's trust, I need a gift. This man's head is quite good," Jin Xiao thought to himself.

Across from the restaurant.

Commander Cao has temporarily rented the entire compound to provide a place for thousands of people to rest and recuperate. The plan is to stay for two days to replenish supplies before setting off again.

Inside the room.

Lin Qing was assigned to a secluded courtyard, took a hot bath, got up and went to the courtyard, swallowed an Essence-Replenishing Pills, and then put the Water-Fire Primordial Unity Art into his Equipment Slot.

"We're still fifty li from Shuzhou City, at most two days. I brought a large batch of pills with me when I left Shichuan Prefectural City, which might be enough to raise my Water-Fire Primordial Unity Art to the Minor Mastery completion level in one go." Lin Qing closed his eyes slightly, feeling the changes in his body. The pain was getting stronger and stronger, but he had great endurance and didn't utter a sound.

Since Shi Yi only Hardening Art to Minor Mastery, he was also able to inherit the Minor Mastery level of mastery.

However, this matter has both advantages and disadvantages. If it Perfect Mastery, he will need seven days to fully transform; if it is only Minor Mastery, it will only take less than two days.

As one Essence-Replenishing Pills after another entered his stomach, Lin Qing's internal energy surged and was continuously consumed, but his skin and flesh became increasingly tough and strong in the process of constant transformation.

Time flies, and before they knew it, it was noon the next day. Lin Qing slowly exhaled a breath of pure energy, finally raising the Water-Fire Primordial Unity Art to the Minor Mastery.

Under the blazing sun, Lin Qing examined his skin, which had changed dramatically compared to before, now gleaming with a bronze luster, as if cast from molten copper.

He tried punching his chest with his right fist and could feel that the skin and flesh were extremely tough. There was a counterforce that clashed with the force of his punch, which canceled out at least 30% of the force. This counterforce was generated purely from the skin and flesh, which is the power of the Body-Hardening Art.

"Indeed, with this Hardening Art technique protecting me, my ability to survive has been greatly enhanced. The only drawback is that it consumes too many pills."

Lin Qing had nearly 70% of the Essence-Replenishing Pills he brought with him before setting off because of this external Hardening Art. If he were to learn another external Hardening Art, the remaining 30% would not be enough.

"We lack elixirs, we lack silver, and we also lack the Four-Spirit Beast Bone. If we want to maintain a high speed on the path of martial arts, I don't know how many martial arts resources we will have to consume," Lin Qing sighed.

He's currently stuck at the Fourth Tier of the Rebirth Record. To advance to the fifth rank, he needs 50,000 taels of silver and the Four-Spirit Beast Bone, and he lacks both of them.

This is the norm for the vast majority of Martial Artist in the world. Even if their strength and status improve, things will not improve; on the contrary, they will only get worse.

Just as he was pondering this, Wei Dong's voice came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Brother Lin, there's a restaurant nearby. I heard they sell Hongya Cured Meat, which is a Shu Region. Let's go try it!" Wei Dong shouted.

"Okay, let's go now."

Hongfu Restaurant.

In the lobby on the first floor, Lin Qing Wei Dong sat at a mahogany round table against the wall, accompanied by Wei Hai.

Lin Qing picked up a piece of cured pork with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. It was slightly salty at first, but the aftertaste was full of meaty aroma, and the taste was excellent.

Wei Dong stuffed a piece of cured meat into his mouth, then shoveled several mouthfuls of rice into it, mumbling, "Delicious, so delicious!"

"Young master, I think one round isn't enough; we need a few more," Wei Hai said.

"Waiter, three more plates of cured meat, please," Wei Dong called out.

"Alright," the waiter replied, carrying over a plate of cured meat.

Just as he moved closer, Shan Chunlai, disguised as a pockmarked man, suddenly flicked his hand at a mahogany round table behind him. A Long Nail flew out of his palm and, with Long Nail, transformed into a cold glint, piercing through Xiao Er's body, exiting from his chest, and heading straight for Wei Dong's heart.

Shan Chunlai's timing and angle were extremely precise; Xiao Er's body perfectly blocked Wei Dong's view, and his body also concealed part of the Long Nail's flight trajectory.

Just as Wei Dong was about to reach for the cured meat on the table, a Long Nail suddenly pierced through the chest of the waiter in front of him, heading straight for his heart.

In that instant, Jin Xiao, who had been waiting at another wooden table nearby, made his move, raising his hand and throwing out an iron bead that flew towards them at an even faster speed.

Just as the Long Nail was about to pierce Wei Dong's flesh, the iron ball struck him first.

With a crisp sound, the Long Nail was knocked away, swirling as it fell to the ground with a sharp crack.

Wei Dong realized what was happening too late and broke out in a cold sweat.

"An assassin!" Wei Hai exclaimed in shock, and suddenly stood up.

Shan Chunlai's attack missed, he suddenly leaped up and struck out with a palm from a distance. A deep green column of energy shot out from his palm like a wave, crashing towards Wei Hai.

"Court death!"

Wei Hai was shocked. He pushed forward with both palms, and his True Qi surged, transforming into a deep blue wave that roared forward.

Two powerful True Qi collided violently, producing a deafening roar. The aftershocks swept across the hall, and hundreds of diners, unable to dodge in time, were all affected, coughing up blood and falling backward to the ground, dying instantly. Some even had their bodies explode on the spot, turning into a cloud of blood mist.

Standing behind Wei Hai, Lin Qing felt the power of the Divine Wheel Martial Artist up close. The air waves surged, and the pressure was like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down on him. Being in it was like being a small boat sailing in the waves, as if it would capsize and be crushed at any moment.

Just as the two forces were clashing and neither side could gain the upper hand, Jin Xiao suddenly made his move. A burst of black True Qi erupted from his body and instantly surged outwards like a tidal wave, covering the entire hall and crushing both forces in one fell swoop.

Lin Qing, Wei Hai, Shan Chunlai —everyone in the hall was plunged into darkness in an instant, their five senses completely shut off.

Shan Chunlai was shocked. If he remembered correctly, the old man had at least saved Wei Dong, which was enough to show that he was an enemy, not a friend. He never expected that this person would have such terrifying True Qi.

He immediately mobilized his inner True Qi to attack the surrounding black Qi Domain, then leaped up, trying to escape this place.

The two forces clashed violently, accompanied by a series of crackling sounds. Shan Chunlai successfully regained his five senses. At that very moment, a flash of cold light appeared, and a short knife whistled through the air, suddenly severing his arm.