The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 148 - 142 Dawn Chicken Killing (Part 2)

Chapter 148: Chapter 142 Dawn Chicken Killing (Part 2)

Dawn was approaching.

On the western edge of Linchuan Prefecture, in a rather secluded residence, a shadow silently leapt to the outside of a certain wing room, quietly watching the peaceful chamber, or rather, a person inside it.

Zhong Biao followed the Pharmacist, ostensibly for protection, but in reality for surveillance. He was well aware of this, so he did not take his duty to protect the Pharmacist to heart. It was also possible that Han Wenxin had instructed him that it would be better if the Pharmacist died under someone else’s assassination.

He just hadn’t expected that the assassination wouldn’t come for the Pharmacist but would come for him instead.

Qing Yu silently observed the wing room, thinking about the arrangement of the room as described by the Pharmacist, pinpointing the location of the bed, where Zhong Biao was.

Although he had carried out numerous assassinations, this was his first foray into indoor stealth killing. Qing Yu wasn’t a regular gentleman of the overhead beam or a professional assassin and lacked such experience. Sneaking silently into a room to kill someone who was asleep wasn’t something he had absolute confidence in achieving. To be frank, there was less than a seventy percent chance of success.

Therefore, instead of clumsily sneaking in and then being discovered by the experienced Jianghu veteran Zhong Biao, it was better to...

Launch a direct attack.

Qing Yu suddenly leapt up, his hands clasped around a sword as his figure shot forward like a leaping dragon, breaking through the paper-covered window, the sword edge aiming straight for the figure on the bed.

"Who goes there..." Zhong Biao, well beyond the age of forty, had scrambled through worldly society in his early years, only leaving it behind when he was recruited by the Sixth Prince. He was a genuine old hand at this, naturally familiar with the like of night assassinations.

The moment Qing Yu broke through the window, Zhong Biao was instantly awakened.

But... the short distance from the window to the bed apparently didn’t allow Zhong Biao enough time to evade the incoming sword edge, especially since the sword was in Qing Yu’s hands.

Zhong Biao had barely uttered the third word when the cold sword edge passed over his right arm, severing it cleanly from his body.

His estimate was somewhat off, and if Qing Yu hadn’t made a slight adjustment to the trajectory of his sword using the "Void Eye" as he broke through the window, this surprise attack would have merely served as a scare.

"Ahh—" A piercing scream filled the air, signaling the desperate struggle of a cornered beast.

Zhong Biao, the old Jianghu hand, naturally didn’t just clutch his severed arm and wail in pain like those fresh to Jianghu might. (Alas, my power of kings~strike through.)

Ignoring the blood that rushed forth from his severed arm like a burst dam, he gathered his True Qi into his left fist and struck towards Qing Yu’s chest.

The sword has its limits and, after cutting off Zhong Biao’s right arm, its momentum carried it beyond his body. Now that the two men were in close quarters, there was no room to wield the long sword.

Facing the cornered beast’s Absolute Kill, Qing Yu’s eyes were as calm as an ancient well, decisively abandoning his sword, his hands forming a seal around his abdomen, with black and white Taiji spinning between his hands.

"Qi Dual Flow–Yin Yang Hand Seal."

"Bon—"

Both men executed their moves, yet there was only a single muffled sound.

Zhong Biao felt as though his all-out life-risking blow had entered water. His fist, before it could reach Qing Yu’s chest, was stopped by an invisible Qi Force. The Qi Force rippled, gradually dissipating the force and True Qi from his punch.

Meanwhile, Qing Yu’s "Yin Yang Hand Seal" struck Zhong Biao in full. His abdomen opened into a bloody cavity, and the residual Qi Force even shattered the clothes on Zhong Biao’s back.

"Innate Gang Qi," its effects are quite impressive..." Qing Yu pushed aside Zhong Biao’s head that died with its eyes open, praising the technique.

The "Innate Gang Qi" from the internal skill of the Mystical Sect, passed down from the Ancient Hero "Lady Mo Yu" Ji Beiqing, was not only a True Qi-based Martial Art but also quick to pick up for Qing Yu. This particular technique was a type of Mystical Sect Internal Skill known for rapid cultivation. The Innate True Qi cultivated through this method was an extremely yin and soft Gang Qi, yet it gave birth to a Pure Yang Gang Qi that was supremely pure, firm, and yang. It provided a formidable defense for protecting the body and even came with an automatic guarding effect.

Just now, Qing Yu had used the extremely yin and soft Gang Qi to neutralize Zhong Biao’s desperate counterattack, and with the double-strength "Yin Yang Hand Seal," took his life.

"What’s that noise..."

"There’s a commotion..."

"Assassin..."

...

The Pharmacist had come to Linchuan Prefecture on business, bringing along numerous subordinates, most of whom were staying in this rather large estate.

Qing Yu’s sudden assassination of Zhong Biao happened in just a few moments, but the great commotion it caused could not be concealed. Putting aside the noise made by breaking through the window, even the screams when Zhong Biao had his arm removed were enough to awaken everyone inside the estate.

The target was dead, time to leave.

Qing Yu leaped out of the shattered window and, within a few bounding jumps, disappeared into the night.

By the time the Pharmacist arrived at Zhong Biao’s chamber, accompanied by his subordinates’ protection, all they found was Zhong Biao’s corpse staring with wide-open eyes and the bed soaked completely in blood. The assailant had already vanished without a trace.

Looking at Zhong Biao’s corpse with a gaping hole, the Pharmacist felt neither joy nor sorrow. Although Zhong Biao was his bodyguard, the Pharmacist had always watched him like a hawk watches a thief, and the other subordinates were well aware of this as well.

Therefore, the Pharmacist did not need to feign concern or squeeze out crocodile tears. Instead, he simply said expressionlessly, "See to his remains, and bury him with honors."

Then, the Pharmacist headed to his study; he had to write a letter overnight and send it to the Sixth Prince in the Divine Capital.

Zhong Biao was dead, not by his hand; it was definitely the work of some Linchuan Prefecture forces coveting the benefits of the Longevity Powder. This fact needed to be confirmed. So, after the sudden assassination of his bodyguard, it was clear the Pharmacist had to send a letter to the Sixth Prince asking for assistance—or it would seem he was taking the situation too lightly.

He couldn’t guarantee that among his subordinates who came with him from the Divine Capital, there wouldn’t be spies for Han Wenxin, especially when the majority of them were appointed by the Sixth Prince.

Hurrying to the study, he instructed several subordinates to guard the door. Following a sequence, the Pharmacist twisted a small vase on the bookshelf, and the bookshelf slowly moved aside to reveal the entrance to a secret room.

As the Pharmacist entered the secret chamber, a black figure exuding a bloody aura had already been waiting for a while.

"Have you seen Zhong Biao’s corpse?" Qing Yu, lounging in the Taishi Chair with his right hand propped on the armrest, supporting his head, casually asked the Pharmacist.

"I have, my lord."

Although the term "my lord" was the same, it now carried much more respect than before. At least, this lord had proven his strength by killing Zhong Biao, who was at the Innate Sixth Realm, in a short period—sufficient to command the utmost respect from the Pharmacist, who was merely in the Postnatal Realm.

And as for the lord’s intelligence, judging by his words and actions, it was likely not lacking.

"Alright, now that the matter with Zhong Biao is settled, let’s continue our previous conversation and discuss how to infiltrate the interest circles of Linchuan Prefecture..." Qing Yu sat up straight, "I remember you mentioning that Fu Wang of the Cao Gang, is hosting you at a banquet at the Rain Pavilion in three days..."