Melee on a Stormy Night (Part One)

The maid crashed through the carved wooden door, fell in the courtyard, convulsed a few times, and immediately vomited blood and died.

Han Shantong strode out of the room, his gaze cold, and picked up the Bronze Key from the ground.

In the courtyard, a group of maids and servants lowered their heads and dared not breathe loudly at the sight.

"No one is allowed to touch these keys. Whoever does will die," Han Shantong said coldly.

"Yes, sir!" the maids responded.

Clap clap clap!

At the gate, Lu Xingmin dragged his bloated, obese body into the courtyard, clapping his hands as he laughed, "Brother Han, I've heard you have a Hidden Chamber containing rare treasures collected by your Han Family over the past century. This key must be the crucial one to opening Hidden Chamber."

Han Shantong said calmly, "In that Hidden Chamber, besides various rare treasures, the most important thing is the Land Deed, including Land Deed for several properties in the Prefectural City. Therefore, Non-Self die, no one can touch this key."

"The properties in the Prefectural City? Those are extremely valuable," Lu Xingmin remarked.

"Let's get down to business. Have you caught them?" Han Shantong turned and went back into the house, asking as he went.

"Not yet, but the scope has been greatly narrowed down. The murderer is very likely among these people." Lu Xingmin handed over a silk booklet.

Han Shantong took the document and quickly flipped through it. It listed detailed information about seven people, including Lin Qing.

"Lin Qing is only a Bright Force) cultivator, how could he kill Pang Tong?" Han Shantong wondered.

"Brother Han, this list is only based on that portrait. I don't care whether the strength matches it." Lu Xingmin shook his head.

"Very well, better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. There's no guarantee that someone won't hide their strength and pretend to be weak while actually being strong. I'll go myself and take off all seven heads to see if it's really someone from the Prefectural City causing trouble," Han Shantong said coldly.

"By the way, we've almost gathered all the babies needed for the Hundred-Child Feast; it will only take three more days at most," Lu Xingmin added.

"Then let's make our move. I suspect the people from the Prefectural City have already entered the city, and the time is set for three days from now, at my Han Family," Han Shantong said in a deep voice.

"Okay, it's settled then."

Waaaaah!

"My son, my son!"

A light rain was falling from the sky. Wang Ling, dressed in white, walked along a small alley in northern Jiangyin County. His gaze swept across the area and he saw a woman wailing in the rain at the alley entrance. A man was supporting her beside her, and he too looked heartbroken.

"Stop crying, or you'll cry until you have no tears left," the man comforted her.

"Damn Yinyuan Sect, give me back my child!!" The man couldn't stop the woman from wailing.

Last night, thieves broke into a house and took away the couple's child. Although the Constable was reported to the authorities, the officers only asked a few perfunctory questions and left.

At this moment, Wang Ling was holding a baby in his arms, who was fast asleep. This child belonged to the couple in front of him.

Instead of approaching to negotiate, he climbed over the wall into the yard, put the child inside, and then climbed back over the wall, coming and going silently.

"Han Family, it's about time to make your move at the Hundred-Child Feast!"

Wang Ling gazed into the direction of the Han Family Residence, muttering to himself, his figure gradually disappearing into the misty rain.

Crack!

It was another stormy night; the sky was ablaze with thunder, and the thunder roared like drums, echoing across the heavens.

Splash!

The rain poured down, its deafening roar drowning out all other sounds in the world.

Inside the room, Lin Qing listened to the sound of rain outside, his sleepiness completely gone, so he Tathagata Fist Manual.

With the help of his Exceptional Fist Talent, he has already mastered the fourth move, "The Heart-Lamp Ignites Wisdom," and now he is on the fifth move, "All Dharmas Are Empty," which is a move that follows the path of dodging and counterattacking.

Lin Qing was practicing when he suddenly heard a noise outside the courtyard, as if someone was climbing over the wall into the yard. Although the movement was very light and masked by the sound of rain, Lin Qing's physical abilities were extraordinary, and he still heard this extremely faint noise.

Not only that, Lin Qing also felt a faint, tingling sensation all over his body, which was the result of someone nearby releasing murderous intent and malice.

Without a doubt, an assassin had broken in, and Yang Feng also heard the commotion.

He couldn't sleep either. He was sitting by the window, flipping through a book, when suddenly, through the window, he saw a dark figure scaling the wall and entering the courtyard.

"Who's there? There's a thief!!"

Yang Feng shouted and charged out with his sword, while loudly warning the others in the courtyard to be careful.

Lin Qing didn't need to say anything more; Shen Lian and Yu Qiuyu were both awakened by the loud shout almost simultaneously.

At this moment, Yang Feng, who was the first to rush out of the room, thought that the man in black would back down, but to his surprise, the latter pounced on him directly.

Yang Feng swung his sword and slashed, but the latter reached out and grabbed the blade precisely. Then, with a sudden burst of strength, the blade shattered with a crack, scattering into fragments that flew everywhere.

Yang Feng was shocked. This astonishing strength was something even Hidden Strength Martial Artist couldn't achieve. He had also entered the Hidden Strength half a month ago and knew how strong Hidden Strength Martial Artist's Arm Strength was. He knew he could never do what he was seeing.

"Martial Artist at the Transforming Force?" Yang Feng exclaimed in disbelief, his mind racing.

His response was an even fiercer attack. The man in black unleashed a palm strike with astonishing speed. Yang Feng couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.

He spat out a large pool of blood, feeling as if countless bones in his body were broken, leaving him completely weak and unable to stand up.

The man in black suddenly rushed in front of him and stepped on his chest.

"Lin Qing, get out here! If you don't come out, I'll kill him!"

Lin Qing had already rushed out of the room. Because Yang Feng was defeated so quickly, he didn't have time to help. Hearing these words, he suddenly had a guess about the identity of the man in black.

"Master Han Family, assassinating a Constable Chief of the Soul-Calming Office is a capital offense."

Han Shantong glanced around and saw that the person who came was Lin Qing, and a cold smile crept into his heart.

He came here today to kill Lin Qing, and he doesn't care whether Lin Qing is the murderer who killed Pang Tong.

He always acts in a way that prioritizes the innocent over the guilty; tonight, everyone on that list must die, not just Lin Qing.

"Cough, cough!" Yang Feng, who was being trampled underfoot, coughed violently, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "You guys go, Lin Qing, don't worry about me!"

He didn't know if this person was Han Shantong, but he was certain that this person was very strong and was very likely Martial Artist at the Transforming Force.

He felt that even if the four of them joined forces, they wouldn't be a match for such a powerful individual.

At this moment, Yu Qiuyu and Shen Lian also rushed out of the house. Seeing this scene, Yu Qiuyu drew his Waist Saber.

"Release them!"

He made a move to rush forward, but Lin Qing reached out and stopped him.

"Don't be impulsive, going up there is just suicide."

Shen Lian, standing to the side, remained calm and laughed, "Oh, you thief, you're incredibly audacious! Release him, and I'll give you whatever silver you want!"

Lin Qing shook his head. "He doesn't want money, he wants my life. You want to kill me? Come with me, let's fight one-on-one, and let me see the skills of Transforming Force Martial Artist!"

As Lin Qing spoke, he suddenly darted forward to the foot of the wall, used his Lightness Skill to leap up, and in an instant, he jumped over the wall and left.

He knew that with Han Shantong's strength, Shen Lian and the others wouldn't be of any help at all; on the contrary, they would only be a hindrance.

Moreover, Han Shantong is a ruthless and merciless killer; if they were to fight in the courtyard, it's hard to guarantee that Yang Feng and his two companions wouldn't be implicated.

Therefore, he chose to lure the person away alone. At that time, it would be one-on-one between the two of them. Even if he was no match for the opponent, he could still escape quickly by relying on his two Perfect Mastery Lightness Skill.