A Fight to the Death in the Rainy Night (Part Two)

The three flying needles were as swift and deadly as ever.

Whoosh whoosh!

From a distance of more than twenty paces, it accurately struck Pang Tong's right leg.

Pang Tong felt a sharp pain in his right leg. He turned around and saw three Golden Needles piercing it.

His pupils suddenly contracted. "This is the Soul-Punishing Needles. Are you from the Yinyuan Sect?"

He understood that the Soul-Punishing Needles was a hidden weapon often used by the Yinyuan Sect. It contained a potent poison that amplified pain, and was therefore often used as a torture device.

He reached out and pulled out the three Golden Needles, but in that instant, Lin Qing caught up again.

Pang Tong's face suddenly contorted with rage, and his eyes revealed a frenzied killing intent.

He understood that Lin Qing had no intention of letting him off the hook; tonight was a life-or-death struggle—win or die.

He suddenly activated his Mountain-Suppressing Technique, his blood and qi surged, his strength erupted, and his body suddenly spun around, his legs like long whips, carrying immense power and howling winds, fiercely lashing at Lin Qing.

"Mountain-Crushing Strike!"

"Zhenyue!"

"Die!"

This move is the strongest killing move of the Zhenyue Technique. The energy is circulated and gathered in the right leg, doubling the power.

Lin Qing also felt a surge of power coming towards him, and suddenly unleashed the second move of the Tathagata Fist Manual, Buddha's Light Shines Everywhere.

He transformed his fist into palms, and suddenly struck forward with both palms like a whirlwind, unleashing dozens of palm strikes in an instant, frantically slapping at Pang Tong's right leg.

With a series of cracking sounds, Lin Qing could feel a tremendous force on his right leg, but as he continued to strike, this force gradually weakened and was eventually completely dissipated.

However, he was not entirely unharmed. At the moment of contact, he could feel a force penetrating his body through his palm and then suddenly exploding, damaging his internal organs.

This is Hidden Strength, which can injure the enemy from within. Lin Qing's prepared Body-Hardening Art played a crucial role at this time, weakening the intensity of this Hidden Strength to less than 10%.

Lin Qing only felt a sharp pain in his chest, but did not suffer any more serious injury.

At this moment, Lin Qing changed his move again, and suddenly struck forward with his right palm.

This move, called Tathagata's Tathagata Heart-Seal, emphasizes speed. It requires striking the enemy the instant their old strength dissipates and new strength is generated, aiming to strike their vitals and deliver a decisive blow.

At this moment, Pang Tong was in the same situation. Before he could retract his right leg, Lin Qing's palm had already struck out. He had no way to dodge and could only watch helplessly as the palm struck his heart.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, Pang Tong was blasted away again, his chest caved in, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood in mid-air before crashing to the ground, splashing water everywhere.

Intense pain shot through his internal organs, blurring his vision. Each breath felt like a burning pain, as if his internal organs were being cut by a blade.

He struggled to stand up, but Lin Qing was already in front of him, looking down at him, and stomped heavily on his left leg.

Crack!

With another sharp crack, Pang Tong's left leg was broken, the bones shattered completely.

Lin Qing didn't stop, and suddenly kicked him, breaking his right leg.

Lin Qing didn't want to do this; he had no interest in torturing people whatsoever. But some of them didn't deserve to be called human; they were nothing more than beasts in human skin.

In an instant, Pang Tong's limbs were completely twisted and shattered, turning him into a complete cripple.

He let out a low growl, his eyes fixed on Lin Qing.

Lin Qing slowly drew his Waist Saber, then suddenly thrust it into Pang Tong's mouth, twisting it to shred Pang Tong's tongue.

In an instant, Pang Tong's mouth was filled with blood, and he couldn't even make a sound.

Pang Tong's body trembled slightly, his eyes filled with resentment.

Lin Qing looked down at Pang Tong, who was lying there like a dead dog, and released all the anger that had been building up inside him these past few days, feeling incredibly relieved.

Is it cruel?

He didn't think it was cruel; to be merciful to the enemy was to be cruel to oneself.

Moreover, given Pang Tong's personality, if their positions were reversed and he were in Pang Tong's hands, he would probably be ten or a hundred times more miserable than he is now.

The next instant, Lin Qing suddenly swung his blade, and with a flash of light, Pang Tong's head was severed and fell to the ground.

Lin Qing dared not delay any longer. After all, this was the Inner City, and Pang Tong had just been shouting, which may have alerted the patrolling Constable nearby. If they delayed any longer, things might get complicated.

With a clang, Lin Qing sheathed his sword, grabbed Pang Tong by the foot, and quickly dragged him to a pine tree by the roadside. The pine branches were dense, shielding him from the rain.

Lin Qing quickly searched Pang Tong's body and found two hundred-tael silver notes, a little over twenty taels of loose silver, totaling two hundred and twenty-seven taels, as well as two black square boxes.

Lin Qing didn't examine it closely. He took out the Corpse-Dissolving Water from his pocket and quickly poured it onto Pang Tong's corpse.

The Corpse-Dissolving Water was specially made and would not lose its effectiveness when it came into contact with water. In a short while, Pang Tong had turned into a puddle of filth.

Lin Qing threw down a tinderbox, and the pile of filth was quickly burned to ashes.

In that instant, the progress of Pang Tong's salvation on the panel reached 100%.

Lin Qing did not rush to absorb its memories, but instead used his Lightness Skill to quickly disappear into the rainy night.

To avoid being followed, he ran at top speed, circling the city several times and turning seven or eight corners until he was sure no one was following him before returning home.

The two elders were already asleep, so Lin Qing didn't dare disturb them. He climbed over the wall, tiptoed back into the house, quickly took off his night clothes, changed into clean and fresh clothes, and then sat down in a chair. Listening to the pattering rain outside, he completely relaxed.

At this moment, he felt very relieved. With Pang Tong dead, his situation in the Soul-Calming Office would improve significantly.

Whoever comes to power afterward won't be any worse than Pang Tong was in power.

Lin Qing took a deep breath, quickly calmed himself down, and kept recalling the battle that had just taken place in his mind.

This is a habit he forced himself to cultivate: every battle is an opportunity to improve himself, and even in the face of a resounding victory, he actively reflects on what he could have done better.

"Your Lightness Skill isn't fast enough!"

"Our strength is not enough. If we could kill Pang Tong with a single punch, the risks of this trip would be greatly reduced."

Lin Qing pondered for a long time, repeatedly reminding himself that there are always people more capable than oneself, and there is always something beyond one's understanding.

One should never be arrogant or complacent. Killing Pang Tong is nothing special, after all, there are Transforming Force Martial Artist in this city, and there may even be stronger ones.

"I need to become stronger," Lin Qing thought to himself.

He pondered for a moment, then took out the two black wooden boxes from his pocket, opened them, and glanced inside. There were two pure white pills inside.

He immediately smelled a rich medicinal fragrance, which made his blood surge and his body feel a strong urge to swallow the two pills directly.

"This is..."

"Essence-Replenishing Pills!"

A hint of joy flashed in Lin Qing's eyes. These two pills were the best qi and blood tonics available in this county town, each costing fifty taels.

Ordinary people can't buy it even if they have money; only those in high positions in government offices or scions of prominent families like the Han Family have the opportunity to come into contact with it.

"Excellent! With these two Essence-Replenishing Pills, my strength will increase significantly."

Lin Qing closed the box, and with a thought, absorbed the fragmented memories from Pang Tong.