Killing in the Black Market

When Li Feng arrived at the entrance of the black market, the two burly men were still standing on either side, left and right.

"Once you leave the black market, mind your own safety. The black market assumes no responsibility for any risks."

Li Feng glanced without a trace at the broadswords slung across the waists of the two big men, nodding slightly.

He had no idea what their martial cultivation was like.

Yet being able to guard the gates of this black market, they probably should not be too weak.

Qi-Blood First Stage? Or Qi-Blood Second Level?

It should be around the Qi-Blood Second Level, as for the Qi-Blood Third Stage, that was quite unlikely.

Someone at the Qi-Blood Third Stage could already work as a Chief Constable in the City Guard Office, managing over a dozen constables under them.

Even without being a Chief Constable, working as a gate-guarding martial artist in a major lineage was a decent choice, so they wouldn't be guarding a place like this.

However, the outer city clearly had no such lineage that could afford a Qi-Blood Third Stage martial arts expert to guard their gates, so these two gatekeepers of the black market should be at most at the Qi-Blood Second Level.

I wonder how many exchanges I could last if I traded blows with these two men?

Li Feng thought to himself in secret.

Facing both burly men at once might be a bit overwhelming, but he could probably kill either one of them casually. After all, he had already forged his Blade Force.

With personal resources, entering the Qi-Blood realm was not difficult; even with mediocre talent, a year or two of practice was enough to make a start.

Blade Force was different, however. One had to practice a saber art to perfection, reaching a state of mastery and integration before it was even possible to forge it. This depended on one's personal comprehension and talent, and someone with mediocre talent might spend their entire life unable to bring a saber art to perfection.

After leaving the black market, Li Feng was extremely vigilant, turning his head from time to time to check if anyone was tailing him.

After all, as for the rumors about the black market, even if he hadn't heard them, he had read plenty of them in his past life's novels-things like tailing from behind, robbing and murdering, and so on.

Based on this, Li Feng was naturally cautious. This was also why he had chosen to visit the black market at night; fewer people were about under the cover of night, making it easier to conceal himself.

He quickened his pace, threading through the gloomy alleys.

However, he had not walked far before a rush of hurried footsteps echoed from behind, sounding exceptionally grating in the quiet alley, approaching rapidly from a distance and heading straight toward him.

I was targeted after all.

Since I was carrying dozens of taels of silver in my bosom, it's no surprise I caught someone's eye.

Li Feng's heart sank slightly, but instead he grew calm. He halted his steps, gripped the Constable Saber at his waist, and slowly turned around.

By the dim moonlight, he saw three masked figures in black closing in rapidly in a pin formation.

The leader sneered and pulled off his cloth mask, revealing a narrow, sinister face:

"Brat, weren't you quite arrogant back in the black market? If you know what's good for you, obediently toss your constable's saber aside, hand over all the silver on your body, and finally kneel down, shout 'Grandpa' three times, and kowtow three heavy kowtows. Once I'm happy, I might spare your life."

At that moment, the tall, thin man stared at Li Feng, sneering inwardly:

"Damn it, back in the black market, I swallowed my pride just to give the black market some face! Judging by this brat's voice, he must be a seventeen or eighteen-year-old punk. So what if he was lucky enough to forge a shred of Qi-Blood and Blade Force? His practical combat experience is definitely lacking."

"I deliberately called over two martial artists who have also stepped into the Qi-Blood First Stage. Both of them are skilled hands with rich practical combat experience, plus myself, that makes three in total. Three against one, attacking with three sabers together-there's no way we could lose to this punk!"

The mere thought of the haughty attitude Li Feng had put on in the black market made his anger flare up.

This brat's manual had sold for thirty taels. If they killed him and he had nothing else of value on him, after the three of them split it, each person would only get ten taels! Financially, not only had he failed to make a profit, he was actually out ten taels!

As for letting this brat go? Absolutely out of the question! He was dying to stab this little bastard eighteen times in a row just to vent the hatred in his heart!

"What? Knowing you were no match for me, you deliberately called two people over?"

Hearing that acidic voice, Li Feng's heart stirred. He inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity, and upon a moment of reflection, he remembered-this was the tall, thin man who had lost twenty taels on a wager back in the black market.

No wonder he had walked off from the Black Market in such a hurry earlier; it turned out he couldn't swallow his anger and had gone to fetch reinforcements.

The three of them had steady auras, meaning they should also be martial artists who had stepped into the Martial Dao. He just didn't know what stage they were at, though they were likely all at the first stage. After all, if any of them had been at the second level, he wouldn't have bothered calling three people, since an extra person meant having to split the silver thinner.

Three Qi-Blood First Stage martial artists-if they surrounded him in an open space, two fists couldn't beat four hands, and even with his perfect saber art he would inevitably suffer. It was better to use this narrow alley where the three of them couldn't swing their sabers simultaneously; that would work to his advantage instead.

Formulating his tactics in a split second, Li Feng sneered and mocked, "Just based on three pieces of trash like you, you want to murder and plunder?"

"You're at death's door and still running your mouth. Brothers, together, kill him and split the silver!" Struck where it hurt, the tall, thin man said in a fit of rage and embarrassment.

The two black-clad martial artists at his side could no longer hold back. With ferocious grins, they drew their longswords, pushed off the ground with their feet, and pounced toward Li Feng from the left and right!

Watching the two figures charging in, Li Feng stomped his foot, stepping forward instead of back, and instantly rushed straight at them. At the same time, he unleashed the perfected Water-Cutting Saber Art, the blade light resembling a great river cut off in its flow, erupting fiercely with Blade Force!

As the Blade Force washed over them, the smiles on the faces of the two martial artists instantly froze, and they hurriedly mustered every ounce of their focus to swing their sabers in counterattack.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Sparks flew in the narrow alleyway, and the sound of metal clashing rang out continuously. Relying on a fierce drive, the two launched a sharp offensive from both left and right, every strike aimed straight at Li Feng's vital points.

Yet Li Feng's saber art was already perfected, and that perfected saber art had also granted him a wealth of combat experience. Utilizing the narrow alleyway, he successively blocked the assaults of the two. An ordinary-looking Constable Saber seemed to come alive in his hands, slashing left and right, looking utterly formidable!

After exchanging merely four or five blows, the two grew more and more alarmed the longer they fought.

"Damn it, this target is too tough!"

"Old Gao, are you fucking still watching the show in the back? Hurry up and come help slaughter this brat!"

The martial artist on the left barely dodged Li Feng's attack and cursed in anxious fury.

Old Gao, watching from the rear, instantly saw his expression shift drastically. He never could have imagined that Li Feng would be so fierce, holding his ground effortlessly against two opponents and even faintly taking the upper hand.

He hurriedly drew his longsword and rushed forward, shouting, "I'm coming to help you!"

Yet.

Right now!

Li Feng instantly seized the moment of distraction from the two opponents, and the Constable Saber in his hand swept out in a smooth motion.

"Slash!"

The first strike was as fast as thunder, precisely cutting through the throat of the martial artist on the left. The man's pupils constricted sharply, and a mist of blood spurted from his throat, leaving him unable even to let out a dying shriek.

Before the martial artist on the right could recover from his shock, Li Feng spun around fiercely along the momentum of the blade, his right arm exerting force as he thrust the Constable Saber straight forward!

"Pfft!"

The sharp blade tip instantly pierced the garments of the martial artist on the right, driving straight into his heart!

The bodies of the two martial artists stiffened simultaneously, the vitality in their eyes rapidly fading. With looks of utter disbelief plastered across their faces, they toppled one after another into a pool of blood.

The entire process took place in the blink of an eye!

Watching the two men who had died abruptly, Old Gao, who had been charging halfway, stopped in his tracks, freezing completely in place while trembling uncontrollably all over.

These were two Qi-Blood First Stage experts, yet they had been instantly killed within two or three moves.

Back in the black market, when he watched Li Feng drill his saber art, he had thought it was nothing special. Only until he witnessed his two companions die a miserable death right before his eyes did he truly understand how terrifying it was to have forged Blade Force.

"Gr-Grandpa, spare my life! Expert, spare my life!"

Terrified to the point that his legs went weak, Old Gao dropped to his knees with a thud, casting his longsword aside.

Hearing this, Old Gao felt as though a great pardon had been granted. Believing that Li Feng truly intended to spare him, he hurriedly began kowtowing: "Grandpa! Grandpa! Grandpa! This humble one deserves death, I'll hand over all my silver right now."

With trembling hands, he fumbled about in his bosom, digging out all his loose silver fragments. However, before he could even raise his head, a chilling gleam had already traced an arc through the night.

Slash!

The blade grazed flesh and blood, sealing his throat in a single strike.

Old Gao's form abruptly stiffened, the vitality in his eyes gradually scattering. His hands clutched tightly at his bleeding throat, his eyes filled entirely with unwillingness and disbelief.

Didn't you say you'd spare me? Why...

"In your next life as a human, remember to honor a lost bet."

With those words, Li Feng quickly crouched down and searched the bodies of the three men, unearthing a total of over twenty taels.

The ancients did not lie to me-murder and arson bring golden belts. By merely killing three people, he had netted over twenty taels in total. This was equivalent to ten months of his salary; no wonder desperate scoundrels like this were always lingering near the black market.

Confirming that he had left no trace of his own at the scene, Li Feng tucked the silver into his bosom, sheathed his saber, pulled down his bamboo hat, and vanished swiftly into the depths of the pitch-black alleyway.