"One step, two steps, three steps, four..."
As Qin Zhongyi drew closer and closer, Zeng Mu silently counted in his mind.
Whoosh! He struck, his body turning into a fierce black wind that swept down from the city wall. In an instant, he enveloped Qin Zhongyi and subdued him before he could react.
"Don't move. If you don't want to die, don't move." The Elemental Power in his palm formed a blade, which he rested lightly against Qin Zhongyi's neck. At the slightest movement, that blade could take his life in an instant.
The sudden turn of events clearly caught Qin Zhongyi off guard. Like a sailor lost in black fog at sea, he looked somewhat different from his usual calm, solemn self. An unmistakable trace of panic had crept into his expression.
Yet he did not cry out. His voice remained low and firm. "You? You actually escaped the dungeon, and you dare come here?"
"What do you want?"
"What do you think I'm doing right now?"
"Do you know that trespassing in the royal palace and taking a Palace Attendant hostage is a capital crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family?"
"Ah, yes, I suppose it is. But I don't seem to be a citizen of your Qin Kingdom, do I? Besides, I only have friends now, no relatives. Even if the punishment were the extermination of ten generations, that would hardly have anything to do with me, a man of the Holy Temple, would it?"
"I advise you to put down your weapon immediately. Then perhaps I can plead for mercy on your behalf and spare your life, even if that means permanent imprisonment."
Qin Zhongyi certainly lived up to his name. Even with a blade at his throat and death hanging over