On the road outside Tongguan Town.
Fa Cai the Ruffian led the way ahead, while Qin Zheng followed behind.
After reaching a large tree, the ruffian stopped. He turned around with a mournful face and said to Qin Zheng, "Sir, I really can't go any farther."
"The people in that ruined temple are all outlaws of the greenwood. If they see that I brought you there, they'll definitely pull their blades and cut me down first."
"Follow this road for about another li, and you'll reach the ruined temple. Sir, please show mercy and let me go!"
Qin Zheng stared hard at him. At last, his lips parted, and he uttered one word: "Scram."
The ruffian's face immediately lit up with delight. Turning around, he ran back the way they had come.
Yet after only a few steps, he hesitated, then turned back to look at Qin Zheng and reminded him, "Sir, the people in that ruined temple are no simple folk."
"If it isn't some irreconcilable blood feud, I'd advise you not to go."
Qin Zheng turned to look at the ruffian and asked, "What's your name?"
The ruffian froze, seemingly not expecting Qin Zheng to ask his name.
After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I've had no father or mother since childhood, so I gave myself a name: Fa Cai."
Qin Zheng nodded, then said, "Go. Find some honest work and support yourself from now on. Don't keep idling your days away."
Fa Cai the Ruffian answered blankly, then turned and left with some hesitation.
Qin Zheng turned around as well.
The old stall owner's fifty meat pies could not possibly have cost a single piece of silver.
The thought flashed through his mind, and Qin Zheng immediately turned his gaze back to the road ahead.
He had come this time to serve as bait and lure Shi Dian out.
But the old man had not appeared. Instead, Qin Zheng had found his hiding place.
Thinking it over, that was only natural.
He was an executioner, all alone in Black Goose City, with no relatives in Tongguan Town either.
Now that he had offended the Golden Cicada Gang, rather than staying quietly in Black Goose City, he had run off to such a godforsaken backwater.
There had to be something fishy about it.
Even if that old fox Shi Dian knew of him, he would notice the trap within and would not rashly show himself.
What made Qin Zheng feel that something was wrong was that finding the other party's hiding place had seemed far too easy.
He had merely taken a stroll through Tongguan Town and casually obtained crucial information from a stall owner.
Then he had learned the other party's hiding place from a ruffian.
If it had truly been this simple, Ji Changyin and Bailiff Xu should have acted long ago.
There would have been no need for him to serve as bait.
As Qin Zheng thought of this, his brows furrowed slightly. Then a thought suddenly surfaced in his heart.
This had all been deliberate!
After he arrived in Tongguan Town, Shi Dian's people might have noticed him long ago.
Then, through the hands of others, they had lured him—or Ji Changyin and Bailiff Xu behind him—into that ruined temple!
So if he continued on to the ruined temple a li away, he would very likely walk into an ambush!
At that thought, Qin Zheng narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze around, trying to find Ji Changyin, who was hidden in the shadows.
No matter what the truth was, he should first tell him his suspicions.
Besides, Shi Dian had most likely already guessed that the two of them were here and prepared an ambush.
There was little point in continuing to hide.
But just as he was about to call out, a voice suddenly rang out from afar.
"Sir! Don't go over there!!"
Qin Zheng focused his eyes and saw that it was Fa Cai the Ruffian, who had just led him here.
"There's a trap there! They told me to lure you over, give me—"
Before Fa Cai the Ruffian could reach him, Qin Zheng suddenly sensed countless arrows shooting from the mountain at his side.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The arrows tore through the air with sharp, ripping shrieks.
At the same time, the sounds of weapons clashing in battle rose from the mountain.
Not good!!
Qin Zheng's pupils suddenly contracted.
He tore the coarse cloth from his back and seized the Ghost-Head Saber in his hand.
"Get down!!!"
Qin Zheng knocked aside the arrows flying toward him with several slashes.
He threw himself toward Fa Cai the Ruffian at full speed, using his lightness skill as he shouted.
But Fa Cai the Ruffian seemed stunned by the sudden turn of events, standing utterly motionless.
A ruthless glint flashed in Qin Zheng's eyes. He exerted force through both feet again, and his entire body became like a phantom, instantly rushing in front of Fa Cai the Ruffian.
Then the Ghost-Head Saber moved like a shadow, blocking every incoming arrow.
"Sir, thank you!"
Only then did Fa Cai the Ruffian recover his senses. His voice trembled as he spoke to Qin Zheng.
"Run! Don't look back!"
Qin Zheng barked at him in a low voice.
Fa Cai the Ruffian nodded rapidly, then sprinted toward Tongguan Town.
By now, the arrows from the mountain had stopped. Only the violent sounds of clashing weapons remained.
It should have been the Golden Cicada Gang remnants fighting Ji Changyin and Bailiff Xu.
Qin Zheng did not leave immediately, because those Golden Cicada Gang remnants—including Shi Dian—were the finest targets for harvesting merit.
An ordinary prisoner could provide him with, at most, a few qian of merit.
But the two Golden Cicada Gang members Qin Zheng had killed so far, Shi Yan and Wei Feng, had each provided over one tael of merit. One was worth several ordinary men!
Those who had endured until now without being captured and still remained at Shi Dian's side would certainly yield more, not less!
At that thought, a ruthless light flashed in Qin Zheng's eyes. He stamped his foot, used his lightness skill, and swiftly darted into the mountains.
Following the sounds of battle, Qin Zheng soon spotted Ji Changyin. Beside him stood a man dressed in a bailiff's uniform.
The two held long sabers as they dealt with five or six Golden Cicada Gang remnants surrounding them. Several Golden Cicada Gang remnants already lay dead on the ground.
Seeing this, Qin Zheng swiftly concealed himself. After quickly approaching the battlefield, he picked his target.
His body suddenly shot forward!
The Ghost-Head Saber sliced through the air, leaving a white streak behind it.
Before the other party could react, the blade swept across his neck.
In an instant, blood erupted from the severed neck, blasting his head into the air.
"Watch out! Arrows may strike from the shadows at any time!"
Seeing Qin Zheng enter the battle, Ji Changyin shouted a warning.
Whoosh!
The moment his words fell, an arrow came flying in.
Qin Zheng sent the remnant before him flying with one slash, then twisted his blade and deflected the arrow.
These remnants were no weaklings. All of them were martial artists who had entered the realm.
With archers hiding in the dark to launch sneak attacks as well, no wonder Ji Changyin and the other man had been unable to quickly take them down.
Qin Zheng deliberately concealed his strength at this moment and did not slaughter his enemies with broad, sweeping attacks.
Even so, under the combined assault of the three men, the remnants could not hold on for long before they were all cut down and wiped out.
Taking advantage of a gap in the fighting, Qin Zheng spared a thread of attention for the Merit Scroll.
He had killed three remnants and gained a total of four taels and three qian of merit.
Joy immediately filled Qin Zheng's heart.
The gains from this brief moment exceeded what he could harvest in several days!
"Why didn't you run?"
After confirming that all the remnants were dead, Ji Changyin looked at Qin Zheng and asked.
"My lord, I also wished to do my part in eliminating the Golden Cicada Gang remnants!"
Qin Zheng replied with righteous fervor.
"So this is the little executioner you mentioned?"
On the other side, the tall Bailiff Xu looked at Qin Zheng.
He then nodded and continued, "Not bad. His saber techniques are fierce. He's a fine prospect."
"Thank you for your praise, Bailiff Xu!"
Qin Zheng clasped his fists and replied.
"Let's go. Shi Dian actually dared to lure us here himself. He must be close to breaking through!"
"We need to be extra careful from here on!"
Ji Changyin spoke. Then the two men took the lead. Without searching the corpses, they returned to the road and prepared to head for the ruined temple.
Qin Zheng felt a slight pang of regret at that.
But after the three had taken only a few steps, a familiar figure walked toward them from ahead.
It was none other than the Golden Cicada Gang's leader, Shi Dian!
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