Yet the instant Qian Zhao gave the order, Yin Jiuyou, standing beside Ning Que, had already moved.
He slammed a palm onto the table, sending the chopstick holder flying into the air.
Slender chopsticks spilled out in midair.
Within a single breath, Yin Jiuyou sent those chopsticks shooting out.
Thwip!
Thwip!
And so those chopsticks became instruments of death.
They pierced either the throats or the eyes of the Treasure Abundance Hall's thugs.
"Ah..."
Screams rang incessantly through the hall!
Within a few short breaths, several thugs were dead and more than a dozen wounded.
Crack! Crack!
Gambling tables shattered as bodies crashed into them. In the blink of an eye, the Treasure Abundance Hall became a scene of utter devastation.
Qian Zhao was dumbfounded.
When he looked at Ning Que again, deep shock filled his eyes.
"So that's why you dared come charging into my Treasure Abundance Hall alone. You've got a guard who can fight!"
Qian Zhao's expression shifted uncertainly as he stared at Ning Que and asked, "Forgive my poor judgment. Which family are you a young master of?"
Every movement Ning Que made carried an air of unhurried composure. Fierce fighting raged around him, with battle cries and screams filling the air, yet he remained completely unaffected, still gazing calmly at Qian Zhao.
This made Qian Zhao think he was some aristocratic clan's young scion, visiting his little town incognito!
Ning Que took the teapot and poured tea into his cup. "A nobody. Just a wanderer."
Boom...
As his words fell, Yin Jiuyou kicked a thug dozens of meters away.
Had Qian Zhao not dodged quickly enough, he would have been knocked flying too.
Fear began to creep into Qian Zhao. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Sir, let's call this a misunderstanding. I'll waive He Hua's debt for you! Then my men can apologize, and we'll call it settled..."
But Ning Que glanced at him and said coldly, "It's a misunderstanding just because you say so?"
"I gave you a chance earlier, and you refused it. Now you're afraid?"
Ning Que understood that simply paying off the debt of fifty taels of fine silver would accomplish nothing.
These people were rotten to the bone. Once he left, He Hua and her family would still suffer.
The way to settle the debt once and for all was to deal with the problem at its root.
"Young master, watch out!"
The instant Ning Que finished speaking, a thunderous shout came from behind Qian Zhao.
The steppe man who had been resting with his eyes closed suddenly opened them.
At the same time, he appeared in front of Qian Zhao, snatched up a Steppe Saber with one hand, and slashed at Ning Que.
The Steppe Saber had a long, slender blade and a curved hilt.
Clang!!
With a crisp metallic crash, the steppe man's saber collided violently with another long saber.
Sparks even flew where the blades crossed.
Qian Zhao looked horrified, fine beads of sweat continually dripping from his forehead.
No wonder he had felt his hair stand on end, as though a venomous snake had fixed its gaze on him.
Yin Jiuyou had already set his sights on him.
Had Mukhali not blocked that strike for him, he would already have been a corpse!
Terrified, Qian Zhao hurriedly rose to leave, not forgetting to tell the steppe man Mukhali, "Kill those two for me. I'll go to my father for reinforcements... Damn it, I don't care where you pampered brat came from! On my turf, even a dragon has to coil up for me, and even a tiger has to lie down!"
Qian Zhao seemed to trust this steppe man named Mukhali deeply and left, cursing all the way.
After exchanging one strike, Mukhali and Yin Jiuyou quickly separated, then immediately clashed again.
Figures flickered throughout the Treasure Abundance Hall, with saber flashes and sword glints everywhere.
With every swing of the saber, the pressure on Mukhali grew heavier.
By the end, Mukhali had already been wounded.
He glanced down at the wound on his chest and could not help asking, "What swift saber work. What is this technique called?"
"Wavebreaker."
Even as he spoke, Yin Jiuyou brought his saber cleaving down.
Mukhali felt as though he were fighting a waterfall plunging from the heavens. At first, he could still hold his own.
Gradually, however, his strength failed him. In the end, he could no longer muster the power to block even a single move.
Bang!
Mukhali flew straight backward. Hearing the commotion, Qian Zhao turned around just in time to witness it.
He was instantly struck dumb, his face filled with terror.
This was the steppe warrior he had spent a fortune to hire from the grasslands.
Yet he had crumbled at a single blow!
Seeing their leader sent flying by one saber strike, the other steppe men seemed to lose their will to fight as well.
Then Mukhali shakily rose, wiped the blood from his mouth, and roared, "Don't panic! Take that man together!"
He pointed at Ning Que.
The steppe men also understood the principle of capturing the king first to catch the bandits.
Yin Jiuyou was merely a fighter. As long as they captured his master, they could turn the situation around.
Realization dawned on the steppe men, and they charged toward Ning Que, roaring.
Mukhali personally held Yin Jiuyou back to prevent him from rescuing Ning Que!
Yin Jiuyou's eyes turned cold. He had finally found the former Juzi's son after so much difficulty. How could he allow anything to happen to him?
Just as Yin Jiuyou discarded the saber whose edge had already curled and prepared to draw his own blood-drinking blade.
Ning Que's calm voice rang out. "Don't worry about me. Keep killing."
This surprised Yin Jiuyou.
In that brief pause, several steppe men rushed forward together.
Ning Que rose, naturally extending both fists. A simple yet profound fist technique unfolded through his hands.
Crackle...
As his fists moved, the sound of vibrating bones rang out continually, crisp and loud.
[Back-Penetrating Fist: Proficiency 20%]
Bang, bang, bang...
A group of steppe men went flying, spewing great mouthfuls of blood.
For a moment, everyone stared at Ning Que in utter astonishment.
Yin Jiuyou included.
He had thought the former Juzi's son was merely an uncut jade with a somewhat strong body, but no knowledge of martial arts!
Who would have thought he knew such a wondrous fist technique?
Several steppe men refused to accept it and swung their sabers at him again.
This time, Ning Que casually picked up a saber, and a dazzling flash of steel swept before everyone's eyes.
It reflected a pair of indifferent eyes.
[Demon-Subduing Saber Technique: Proficiency 20%]
That strike was incredibly fast!
Everyone could even hear the wind whipping past.
Yet the strike injured no one as the blade kept spinning.
It swept past every person's eyes.
So slowly.
Yet in Qian Zhao's eyes, it was impossibly fast.
It reached him in the blink of an eye.
"No..."
Qian Zhao tried to cry out.
But before he could utter the first word, everything fell silent.
The blade pierced Qian Zhao's throat, and blood spurted upward.
Qian Zhao's corpse slumped to the ground, knocking over the money chest.
The silver coins and ingots inside scattered across the floor.
Ning Que tossed the silver to the remaining people. "Go on, all of you. The Treasure Abundance Hall is closed."
He passed Mukhali, who stood rooted to the spot.
"You may need to find another job."
"One that doesn't help a tyrant commit his atrocities."
"..."
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have killed Qian Zhao, son of County Magistrate Qian, and earned 100 Karma Points.] [Yin Jiuyou of Flowing Sand has killed twenty-five steppe men, earning 75 Karma Points.]
Ning Que smiled.
A county magistrate's son was worth 100 points, and each steppe man was worth 3.
Not bad...
As he left the Treasure Abundance Hall, Ning Que casually grabbed two bottles of Daughter's Red wine.
He tossed one to Yin Jiuyou and kept the other for himself.
He lifted the clay seal, and a rich wine fragrance spread out, carrying a pungent edge.
"Good wine."
Before you continue