Jiang Asheng's Purpose

Shaolin's Hundred Step Divine Fist was not an especially precious martial art, but when cultivated to a profound level, it was still fiercely masculine and tyrannical, unmatched in its sheer force.

Wen Qingkong threw a savage punch. His immense inner power surged and roiled, while his entire body resounded with the thunderous roar of tigers and leopards. His muscles and bones chimed in unison, faintly resembling the meditative chant of Buddhist Zen.

Ye Zhanqing let out a shrill, miserable scream, like the wailing of a vicious ghost!

Wen Qingkong's fist force struck her body in full.

That scorching, masculine inner power was precisely the bane of her cold and sinister nature.

Under the continuous bombardment of his fist force, Ye Zhanqing instantly swelled like an air-filled toad, then burst with a pop, scattering foul-smelling flesh and blood everywhere.

When she had died before, her flesh had not smelled nearly this bad. After all, she had only died that night, and not much time had passed.

Yet after such a brief Corpse Transformation, the flesh had already become unbearably putrid, enough to make one retch.

Pinching his nose shut, Wen Qingkong looked at the chunks of flesh covering the ground, feeling somewhat helpless.

Ye Zhanqing's resentment had been far too great.

He found a piece of cloth and barely covered his nose, then carried out the corpses of Lei Bin, the Magician, and the other three Black Stone assassins.

Then he found water and cleaned the Corpse Seamstress Workshop.

By the time he finished, daylight was already beginning to break.

Wen Qingkong could only temporarily place the five corpses in the morgue and wait until nightfall to find a chance to dispose of them.

Li Lan got up to make breakfast.

"You should get some rest."

"I'll call you once the food is ready."

Wen Qingkong nodded. Li Lan was always able to take care of everything in daily life without needing him to worry.

Wen Qingkong slept for a little while, but woke up again before long.

When he came out, he discovered that there was already another person in the house.

It was Zeng Jing's husband, Jiang Asheng, the Jiang Asheng who made a living running errands for people.

"Mr. Jiang, what brings you here?"

"I have a somewhat presumptuous matter to discuss. I hope Brother Wen will forgive me."

Jiang Asheng smiled at Wen Qingkong, his gaze carrying a deeper meaning.

Wen Qingkong immediately understood that this man had long known Zeng Jing was Drizzle. He had lived with Drizzle day and night while pretending not to know. Wen Qingkong had no idea what exactly he was doing it for.

Could the hatred of an exterminated family truly be set aside so easily?

Was this the mysterious boundless power of love?

After Li Lan finished preparing the meal, she took little Shuang'er and left.

Usually, the three of them ate together. But with a guest visiting today, Li Lan did not let Shuang'er remain nearby.

"I never expected Brother Wen's external hardening martial arts to be so formidable."

"Black Stone suffered a heavy loss this time."

Once Li Lan and Shuang'er had left, Jiang Asheng got straight to the point, immediately revealing Wen Qingkong's battle with Black Stone the previous night.

"My little skill is still no match for the famous Sansha Swords of Mingzhou's martial world. Young Master Zhang, wouldn't you agree?"

Jiang Asheng was stunned, and intense shock surfaced in his eyes.

Not even Drizzle had discovered his identity.

The renowned physician Li Guishou's disguise techniques were no empty boast. How had Wen Qingkong, this young man, discovered him?

"It seems Brother Wen is no ordinary tanner either."

Jiang Asheng probed cautiously. If Wen Qingkong were merely a lone tanner, there was no way he could know Jiang Asheng's identity.

Wen Qingkong chuckled and spoke a single line that made Jiang Asheng rise to his feet involuntarily.

"Venerable Mother White Lotus, the homeland of the True Void."

Jiang Asheng's expression darkened slightly. He truly should not have come looking for Wen Qingkong.

Black Stone was already terrifying enough, but compared with the White Lotus Sect, it was simply insignificant.

That was a rebel force that had revolted for generations and contended with the Great Xia Dynasty for centuries.

No wonder a mere tanner possessed such formidable external hardening martial arts. So he was a member of the White Lotus Sect. Everything made sense now.

"Mr. Jiang, you came to ask me to join you in dealing with King Runner, didn't you?"

Wen Qingkong exposed Jiang Asheng's purpose.

In the original plot, after Jiang Asheng discovered that Black Stone assassins had arrived, he defeated Lei Bin and Ye Zhanqing, then immediately went to seek out King Runner.

That showed that although he appeared to run errands every day, he had actually long since investigated King Runner's identity.

Now, the lower half of Rama's Remains had long fallen from the Kongtong Twin Swords into King Runner's hands, while the upper half was in Drizzle's possession, hidden at Yunhe Temple outside the city.

Wen Qingkong was also deeply interested in Rama's Inner Power, that supreme art capable of restoring the incomplete.

Jiang Asheng steadied his emotions. He had roamed the martial world for many years and come from a family of officials, yet he had never expected to have his state of mind thrown into such turmoil by a youth today.

Remembering what his father, Zhang Hai Rui, had once told him, Jiang Asheng tried his best to calm down.

"You killed Lei Bin, the Magician, and Ye Zhanqing. The enmity between you and King Runner can no longer be reconciled. Join forces with me to kill King Runner, and we can eliminate all future trouble."

"Fine!"

"But Rama's Remains will be mine."

Wen Qingkong agreed without hesitation.

He was not one to dither. Since they had already become enemies, he had to strike first. But the terms needed to be made clear.

Jiang Asheng did not hesitate and nodded in agreement.

Jiang Asheng did not care that much about Rama's Remains. The upper half had always been with the Zhang family, and Jiang Asheng had already read it countless times.

Now, all he wanted was to avenge the extermination of his family.

"Who is King Runner's true identity?"

"Cao Feng."

"A minor palace eunuch of Mingzhou's royal family, the lowest-ranking sort of eunuch without even an official grade."

Jiang Asheng sneered. Back when he had uncovered that identity, he simply could not believe it no matter what. King Runner of Black Stone, who controlled Mingzhou's situation and could be called the master of its underworld forces, was actually just a palace eunuch.

He looked at Wen Qingkong, only to find no surprise on Wen Qingkong's face.

"Aren't you surprised?"

"There is nothing to be surprised about. King Runner needed to conceal his identity, and an unnoticed minor eunuch was perfectly suited for that."

"After breakfast, we'll go."

"But to make King Runner appear and fight us, we need one thing."

"That thing will depend on you."

Wen Qingkong looked at Jiang Asheng.

Faced with Wen Qingkong's calmness, Jiang Asheng could not help shaking his head. The youth before him was simply far too mature.

Today, having come to pay a visit, it was Jiang Asheng, the seasoned veteran of the martial world, who instead seemed like an emotional youth unable to control himself.

As for the thing Wen Qingkong meant, Jiang Asheng naturally knew.

The upper half of Rama's Remains held by Zeng Jing was what King Runner wanted most.

After breakfast, Wen Qingkong informed Li Lan, then returned home with Jiang Asheng.

Zeng Jing was hanging out laundry. When she saw Wen Qingkong and Jiang Asheng arrive together, panic filled her eyes.

Had Wen Qingkong told Jiang Asheng everything?

"There's no need to keep acting. He already knew."

Wen Qingkong looked at Zeng Jing and pointed at Jiang Asheng.

Zeng Jing stared at Jiang Asheng in astonishment.

Jiang Asheng met her questioning gaze and nodded.

"Give me the upper half of Rama's Remains."

"Young Master Wen and I are going to kill King Runner!"

"What!"

Zeng Jing cried out. Even as Drizzle, the assassin who had once dominated Mingzhou's martial world, she found it difficult to control her emotions at that moment.

Kill King Runner?

What did the two of them take King Runner for?

Some stray chickens and dogs by the roadside that they could crush at will?