The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 197 - 9 Letters of Commission

Chapter 197: Chapter 9 Letters of Commission

"Gong Ziyu... will not let you go..."

When he said this, Blood Bat No.8’s eyes bore no fear of death, for his fear had long been wholly occupied by a person wearing a bronze mask. His eyes were filled with intense mockery, as though laughing at the fate soon to be faced by Qingxu.

"Mysterious bluff!" Qingxu swiftly drew the long sword that had pierced through Blood Bat No.8. The blade was not stained with a trace of blood—it must be a fine sword.

"Senior brother." A crisp voice rang out, and three figures leapt into the courtyard from beyond the surrounding wall. It was Qingzhou and two others.

"Senior brother, I’m useless. I let that person hiding outside escape," apologised Qingzhou.

"Eldest senior brother, it’s not Qingzhou senior brother’s fault. It’s all because Chen Qinglin and I held him back..." As Qingling spoke, she sharply tugged at Chen Qinglin’s sleeve, gesturing for him to speak.

But at that moment, Chen Qinglin wished he could shrink his neck into his body, not daring to utter a word. The three of them had just gone to intercept someone hiding outside blowing a whistle. He, in a foolish daze, had charged forward and been wounded by a poisoned sword. Fortunately, his companion Qingling, the prized disciple of the "Su Nu Peak" Peak Master and expert in medical skill, had promptly neutralized the poison, saving his life.

But because of that, Qingzhou stayed behind to protect the pair, letting the person in the black cloak escape.

In the end, it was truly his fault. Now, Chen Qinglin dared not speak.

"No matter, I needed that person to deliver a message to Gong Ziyu, to show him the might of my Zhenwu Sect." At this moment, Qingxu’s face no longer bore the harsh coldness of before; instead, it was filled with compassion, "My junior brothers and sisters need not blame yourself too much. This isn’t your fault."

Touched by Qingxu’s consideration, not just the sensitive Qingling, but even the frivolous Chen Qinglin, were extremely grateful. Although they remained silent, their eyes revealed everything they felt. Seeing this, Qingxu nodded inwardly.

Qingzhou, who also nodded silently, was pleased as well, to see Qingling and Chen Qinglin warming up to Qingxu. Even if the assassin from the Azure Dragon Association had escaped, it was worth it in exchange for the favor of the most beloved disciples of the "Su Nu Peak" and "Chi Ming Peak" Masters.

"By the way, senior brother, why do I not see junior brother Qing Ren and the others? Could it be..."

"I arrived too late. Junior brother Qing Ren and the others... have fallen victim to the Azure Dragon Association’s poison hands," Qingxu said, unable to hide his sorrow and lament, shedding the indifference he’d shown earlier when his junior brother died.

He stepped aside to let Qingzhou and the others see the horrific scene in the courtyard.

What Qingzhou and the others first saw were not the corpses of Qing Ren and the others, but the mutilated bodies and scattered limbs of the Exorcism Sword Guard.

Qingling immediately covered her eyes with a cry of "Ah," unable to bear the sight of the bloody scene. Chen Qinglin shivered in fear; even though he was skilled in Martial Arts, the pampered young man had never even killed a chicken, let alone witnessed such a sight.

"I was just too incensed earlier, and I struck too fiercely. I’m sorry to have startled my junior brother and sister," apologized Qingxu.

"It was just that the tragedy that befell junior brother Qing Ren and the others was too devastating. I couldn’t help it; my killing intent went too far."

"It’s us who are too weak," Qingling shook her head. Saying this, she forced herself to look directly at the battlefield in the courtyard.

Once in Yang City, she was drenched in blood by that ’Qingling.’ At that time, she was so terrified she couldn’t move. Ever since she’d been anxious, thinking that ’Qingling’s’ death was partly her fault. Now, faced with such a bloodbath again, she couldn’t afford to be that timid. It was the primary reason she had descended the mountain this time.

As they talked, they walked inside the main hall. As soon as they entered, they saw Qing Ren lying on his back, his face filled with unwillingness, his eyes wide open even in death.

This time, Qingling showed no fear, carefully examining the bodies of Qing Ren and the other two.

"Senior Brother Qing Ren died from two swords piercing his chest, but before death, someone tortured him with a claw-like weapon, leaving wounds all over his body. Senior Brother Qing Lun also died from that claw-like weapon, a single strike crushed his throat. And Senior Brother Qing Qi died from the thin swords of these black-clothed men, the sword was poisoned, after Qing Qi Senior Brother was poisoned, his movements became sluggish and he was stabbed to death with three swords."

Qingling reported the cause of death for the three of them, one by one.

Hearing this caused anger to arise in the hearts of the other three people present. Even someone as hedonistic as Chen Qinglin, who had a deep sense of identification with the True Martial Sect, naturally felt righteous indignation at the deaths of Qing Ren and the others.

"Azure Dragon Association, I, Qingxu of the Undying Azure Dragon Association, swear not to rest until I’ve had my vengeance."

Qingxu’s resolute vow echoed under the night sky above the Mei Family.

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"How interesting..."

Qing Yu held the newly acquired box in his hands, his face adorned with an inscrutable smile.

Unexpectedly, the ’Supreme Primordial Pill’ transported by the Wantong Escort Agency had not been ambushed. His men had easily acquired the ’Supreme Primordial Pill’; the people of the escort agency were killed, but not as many as those foolish thieves killed along the way for the pill’s sake.

The box quickly reached Qing Yu’s hands, but inside the box, there was more than just the ’Supreme Primordial Pill’—there was also an unexpected item, a letter.

A letter for murder. The letter described the person Qing Yu was commissioned to kill, the ’Supreme Primordial Pill’ was the down payment for the job. If the job was done successfully, there would be a tail payment.

This delivery by the Wantong Escort Agency was not for anyone else but meant specifically for Qing Yu.

"The former Eastern Sea Naval Commander Xie Lang, it seems someone is unwilling to let bygones be bygones and wants a post-autumn reckoning."

Xie Lang, the very man who, under the command of his former superior Zhao Zhonglin, opened the gates wide and allowed Japanese merchant ships to enter inland.

Qing Yu shouldn’t have known the ins and outs of this matter. Only a very few people were aware of the details, even Luo Yan only knew thanks to his master’s blessing, let alone Qing Yu.

Qing Yu came to know of this matter through Shadow Pavilion.

After Qing Yu and the others thwarted the Japanese in Linchuan Prefecture, the scheme plotted by Zhao Zhonglin came to light. Zhao committed suicide first to protect the others involved in the matter. Even Xie Lang, who was directly implicated, took the entire blame after Zhao’s death, facing only the charge of misplaced trust, and was stripped of his position as Eastern Sea Naval Commander and sent home.

But now, it was clear that someone did not wish Xie Lang to go unpunished after being involved in such a significant affair.

"This Xie Lang truly knows how to make enemies, can’t even wait for such a short time, and now they want him dead."

Xie Lang’s recent actions had offended many people. Not just the waterway officials along the Luoshui who, after receiving the stamped orders from Xie Lang, allowed Japanese ships to pass directly. But also the members of the Six Gates and the military searching for infiltrating Japanese spies everywhere, as well as others affected by the intense search who had their questionable businesses busted. It could be said that people all over wanted nothing more than Xie Lang’s death.

However, during this period of mourning for the old general Zhao Zhonglin, it was not deemed appropriate to lay hands on Xie Lang.