Chapter 15 - 66-71

Chapter 66: Soulchasing

Ye Qing remained unmoving after the collision. It was Jie Chen who staggered a few steps away despite his protection.

"Damn, this lad is stronger than he looks!" The Rash Vajrapani exclaimed in astonishment while rubbing his slightly sore chest.

"Do you seriously think we'd believe that, Vajrapani? I bet you must've spent all your energy in Le Smoke Brothel last night!" Shi Jiang cackled loudly.

"Screw you! I was just careless!" Jie Chen yelled back in embarrassment before manifesting the golden light surrounding him in full. It took the form of a golden bell.

"The Golden Bell Shield?" Ye Qing exclaimed with a strange look.

"Guess you're not clueless after all!" Jie Chen sneered and rushed straight toward Ye Qing. Every time he planted his foot on the ground, he would kick up a shower of dirt and leave a deep hole behind him. Not only that, his muscles would grow a tad thicker. By the time he was right in front of Ye Qing, his arms had become as thick as a tree trunk.

Next, Jie Chen hurled his arms over his shoulders before bring it back like he was trying to flatten Ye Qing between his palms. The air exploded from the sheer amount of force behind the move, and for a second he looked like a true Vajrapani crushing a demon mercilessly.

"Big Crush Tomb Hand"

"What incredible strength!" Ye Qing squinted and channeled the Toad Force. A series of rapid croaks later, he landed a punch directly at the center of Jie Chen's palms.

Rumble!

Fist met palms, and a shockwave washed out from both men. The earth churned away from Ye Qing like a tidal wave, but he did not move an inch from his location. On the other hand, Jie Chan stumbled back and grew paler each time he took a step. By the time he took his fifth and final steps, his Golden Bell Shield shattered into pieces just like that.

"The Toad Force? But how?" Jie Chen's eyes widened like saucers as he tried to quell his raging vigor. He just couldn't believe it. His Golden Bell Shield was a Qi Invocation stage body art, and "Big Crush Tomb Hand" was a technique famed for its forcefulness and strength. On the other hand, the Toad Force was the most common qi mental art. This outcome should not have happened!

"The target's stronger than expected! Get him!"

Originally, Shi Jiang and Tao Xian weren't going to get involved. When they sense the presence Ye Qing had exuded for an instant when clashing against Jie Chen though, they blanched and rushed Ye Qing together.

Shi Jiang's stomps weren't as loud or potent as Jie Chen's, but a layer of black qi slowly covered his face and turned his coal black complexion even darker than it already was. His hands also turned pitch black with a fiendish aura.

"Black Fiend Palm"

Black Fiend Palm, as its name suggested, infused the practitioner's palms with fiendish energy. If the attack landed, it would leave a black palm print on the victim's skin. The victim might look perfectly fine on the surface, but in reality the palm energy had shattered their insides. It was a dirty technique that was a lot deadlier than it seemed.

The reason people called Shi Jiang the Blackfaced God wasn't just because he was born with a black complexion, but also because his face was covered by a layer of black qi every time he channeled the Black Fiend Palm. Black aura would also pour out of his body and give him the appearance of a fiendish god, hence the name.

The Black Fiend Palm was his signature move. Like a fiend, one strike was all he needed to turn his victims' innards into goo.

Ye Qing's expression turned serious, but a folding fan attacked his major points before he could take evasive action. It came from none other than Tao Xian, of course. The folding fan kept opening and closing like a flower going through the seasons rapidly, making it difficult to predict exactly which point of the fan he intended to tap Ye Qing's major points with. Even trickier was the fact that green needles shot out of his fan every time it opened and shut exactly once. The color of the needles made it clear that they were coated in poison. They were also aimed at his eyes, throat, mouth, solar plexus and other vital spots.

The technique was Tao Xian's signature technique. Its name was "Blooming Fan, Flying Needles", and the Sick Scholar had even composed a short poem for it:

"Farewell! Farewell!

A folding fan blooms,

leaves and petals falling scattered on the street,

Into garden, Heavens' garden,

Where she could bloom again…"

[1]

That wasn't all. Jie Chen was stomping toward Ye Qing again and using the same technique as last time, the "Big Crush Tomb Hand"!

The trio's teamwork was better than expected, attacking Ye Qing at the same time from three different directions. There was nowhere the young man could hide or dodge!

"Die!" Shi Jiang declared with a vicious grin when he saw that Ye Qing was trapped. He thought for sure that this was the end for the young man.

He was wrong. A steely flash appeared out of nowhere and surrounded Ye Qing. It wasn't until they heard a series of metallic clinks, and the blinding light had faded that they realized the young man had deflected every needle Tao Xian had shot at him. Not only that, a series of whistling sounds followed, and they felt a jolt of pain from their weapon hand. When the trio looked down, they discovered that a two-inch deep wound had magically appeared on their wrist. It was just deep enough to sever the wrist tendon, no more and no less.

Somehow, the young man had managed to deflect all the needles flying toward him and sever their wrist tendons with one saber!

Was it really one saber? Or was it three? Maybe more than that?

The trio didn't know. Their eyes were too slow to keep track of the young man's movements. One thing was certain, however. He was too fast for them to even react!

The trio exchanged glances and saw the exact same thought in each other's eyes: Retreat. After all, if they couldn't defeat their target in their best condition, what chance did they have when both of their arms were useless? The trio immediately backed away from Ye Qing. Unfortunately, they were too late.

"Did I say you can leave?"

Ye Qing frowned at the fleeing trio and summoned a new saber into his hand. Unlike the saber he normally used, this one was curved like a crescent. Then, he took off into a sprint. He closed their distance faster than the trio thought was possible and conjured what looked like a storm of blades. The trio could clearly see that Ye Qing had swung his saber only one time, but for whatever reason, they saw countless blades flying toward them instead of one. The blades were swift, bizarre, and bone-chilling like a phantom. Their hair stood on end long before the blades even reached them, and they felt like their souls were being pulled toward the deadly storm.

Their hearts sank like rocks as they prepared for the worst. Shi Jiang roared and covered himself in layer upon layer of fiendish aura. He also raised his left arm and moved it rapidly in front of him to form a protective shield.

Tao Xian tapped the air with his folding fan multiple times to create ripples of invisible force in front of him. At the same time, he flew backward like a flower that was flying in the wind.

Jie Chen's choice of defense was the most straightforward. He simply let out a mighty roar and summoned a lifelike bell around him. The golden bell was also covered in Sanskrit and mysterious runes. The monk must have cultivated the defensive art to the adept level.

It was futile though. The next second, all three men let out a muffled groan and suddenly collapsed to their feet. It was because a wound had split open on their ankles. At the same time, the blades flying toward them disappeared like they never were.

"It's fake?"

The trio could not believe it. It was only now they realized that the storm of blades they saw was just an illusion, and the real attack cut their ankles a long time ago. The attack was just so fast they couldn't even feel the pain until several seconds later, much less see it and react to it in time.

"I've never seen such a fast blade before. What is this art?" A pale-looking Tao Xian asked dazedly while coughing a couple of times.

"The Soulchasing Saber!" Ye Qing answered simply and tapped a finger against his blade to shake off the blood.

The "Soulchasing Saber" was a tricky saber art that relied on speed, illusion and intimidation to catch its victims off guard, but that it was also quite powerful in its own right. The reason Ye Qing executed it with a curved saber instead of his usual weapon was because that was what the saber art demanded. According to the manual, only a curved saber could unleash the unusual qualities of the "Soulchasing Saber".

"Can we talk now?" Ye Qing tilted his head to one side and smiled wickedly at the trio.

Shi Jiang, the Blackfaced God simply spat on the ground and began, "Fuck you, you sonuva—"

He stopped short when the blood in his body suddenly churned unnaturally. Before he could figure out what the hell was going on, his face turned beet red, and blood started pouring from every pore on his body. He looked like a blood popsicle in just the blink of an eye.

"Wait—"

Shi Jiang screamed in pain, but whatever he was going to say was lost forever when he exploded with a loud bang, showering the area with blood and gore. His blood did not fall back to the ground, however. Instead, they formed a ball in the sky and flew toward Ye Qing. His aura visibly grew after he swallowed it all in one gulp.

"There's nothing more I hate than people who swear!" Ye Qing licked his lips with an intoxicated expression before looking down at the remaining duo. "Can we talk like proper adults now, or do I have to make another example?"

Tao Xian and Jie Zhen gulped. For a time, they could only shiver like a leaf and stare at Ye Qing in terror. They didn't dare to keep him waiting for long though. Clutching his folding fan with a death grip, Tao Xian stuttered, "Are… are y-you a Vessel Augmentor?"

Only a Vessel Augmentor could separate their true qi from their body, manipulate them remotely, and defeat three famous late-stage Qi Invokers with the kind of ease Ye Qing had displayed earlier.

"What do you think?" Ye Qing countered with his own question, but the absence of denial was itself an implicit admission!

Tao Xian and Jie Chen drooped their heads and lost all will to resist. If Ye Qing was a Qi Invoker, then there was still a chance they might be able to turn things around. But a Vessel Augmentor? The only thing resisting would get them was a quicker death.

It wasn't their fault for misjudging Ye Qing's strength. His blood could already camouflage his strength, but the Annon Sutra also possessed camouflaging properties. As long as Ye Qing didn't show off his aura on purpose, there were very few humans or Strangers who could perceive his true strength. There was also the fact that he hadn't gone all out because he wanted to test his newfound skills against actual warriors. It wasn't until Shi Jiang died the way he did that the duo finally figured out his true cultivation level.

"So? Who sent you to kill me?" Ye Qing asked.

Tao Xian kept quiet for a moment before letting out a cough. "We were sent by Boss Yan, the leader of the Iron Shirt Gang."

"Boss Yan? You mean Yan Tieyi?" Ye Qing frowned. The Iron Shirt Gang was a major gang in Anyang and stood on equal footing as Qiao Six's faction. But unlike Qiao Six, the Iron Shirt Gang's business was far more heinous including such as smuggling, protection, assassination and so on.

"I have no grudge with Yan Tieyi. Why would he send the three of you to kill me?"

"I don't know. We were just following orders. That said, I saw Boss Yan reading a letter before he ordered us to take you out, so perhaps it was an assassination request," Tao Xian answered with clear regret. All three of them had thought that Boss Yan was being too cautious when he ordered them to take out some nobody they had never heard before. Now, it wasn't just too late for regrets, it looked like their "prey" was planning to take it out on their gang.

An assassination request? But I've only arrived in Anyang for a week or two. Who would want to kill me? Ye Qing thought. Could it be Faceless and Co.? No, it can't be. Faceless knows that I'm a Vessel Augmentor, and not an ordinary one at that. He'll never send three late-stage Qi Invokers to commit suicide! Who else holds a grudge against me?

A face slowly appeared in his head.

"Take me to your boss!" A cold glint entered Ye Qing's eyes as he stared at the duo. "I shouldn't need to say this, but don't try anything unless you want to end up like Blackfaced God."

"We wouldn't dare!" The duo hurriedly nodded like woodpeckers. They were already beyond thankful that Ye Qing was willing to let them live. Only a total idiot would choose to defy the young man after witnessing his unnatural and unpredictable arts, and that person had already exploded into itsy bitsy pieces.

"You better!" Ye Qing said slowly, "Now take a moment to treat your wounds and tell me more about Yan Tieyi. I want to know what martial arts he practices, how many elites there are in the Iron Shirt Gang and so on. You can lie of course, but know that I'm an acquaintance of Qiao Six. All I need to do to verify the truth is to pay him a visit. If I learned that you've lied to me, hehe…"

"We wouldn't dare!" Tao Xian hurriedly repeated and launched into an explanation, "Boss Yan is a Vessel Augmentor just like you, and his signature art is called the Iron Sleeve Art. He is known as 'Iron Shirt Yan' in the jianghu…"

...

Ye Qing was riding his donkey while Tao Xian and Jie Chen limped behind him. Tao Xian was still explaining everything he knew about Yan Tieyi and the Iron Shirt Gang when suddenly, he glanced at the duo with a steely glint in his eyes. "Wait a second. Did you just say he's sworn brothers with Zheng Feng?"

"Y-Yes? What's wrong?" Tao Xian visibly shuddered when Ye Qing's gaze drilled into his skull.

"They're sworn brothers, huh?" Ye Qing muttered to himself before ordering, "Tell me everything you know about their relationship."

When Tao Xian was done talking, Ye Qing stared at them for a couple of seconds and said, "You're my prisoners now. One thought is all I need to send you to the afterlife like Shi Jiang."

A smile cracked on Ye Qing's face when the blood drained away from both their faces. "But since I'm a good person, I'm going to give you one chance to redeem yourself. Are you interested?"

Before they could answer, Ye Qing shook his head and said, "What am I saying? Unless you've changed your mind about living, you'll do what I say no matter how much you loathe the idea! Hahaha!"

"..."

"Anyway, this is my plan…"

1. partially copied from an existing poem named "Scattered Petals Poem", by DEEPAK KUMAR PATTANAYAK

Chapter 67: Iron Shirt Yan

"Boss, don't you think sending someone after Ye Qing as per Tang Yi'an's request is a little risky?"

The speaker was a thin middle-aged man sporting a pair of mustache and a refined appearance. He was currently standing next to a lotus lake in the Iron Gang's headquarters.

The person he was speaking to was fishing in the lake seemingly without a care for the world. He was none other than the gang boss of the Iron Shirt Gang, Yan Tieyi.

Yan Tieyi's moniker was Iron Shirt Yan. He had a tall, slender physique and a long, white beard beneath his chin. His face was thin but energetic, and he was wearing a long robe with huge sleeves,a loose belt, and a huge crown [1]. Right now, he gave off the impression of a quaint, unfettered scholar whose focus was completely set on his silver fishing rod and the calm waters in front of him. He did not look like he had heard the middle-aged man's question at all.

Suddenly, the fishing line swayed a little and caused a tiny ripple. He immediately twisted his wrists and bent the fishing rod so much that it looked like a crescent. The line snapped taut, and a massive fish flew out of the lake water and drew an elegant arc in the air. It landed perfectly in the creel next to him.

It was only then Yan Tieyi asked slowly, "You're worried that we would anger Yan Yufei, right Yongzhi?"

The full name of the middle-aged man he called Yongzhi was Lu Yongzhi. On the surface, he was a steward responsible for the finance and general affairs of the Iron Shirt Gang. In reality, he was their tactician and Yan Tieyi's right-hand man. He was known by the moniker, the Humble Scholar.

"I am!" Lu Yongzhi nodded. "Ye Qing himself may be a nobody, but he is a close acquaintance of Yan Yufei. If the magistrate learns about this, he will surely put a lot of pressure on us. Objectively speaking, Tang Yi'an is nothing compared to Yan Yufei, so why are we giving up the forest for the tree?"

Yan Tieyi chuckled and shook his head. "Your words make sense, but you're not looking at the long-term picture. Yan Yufei is an impressive man, but he is a newcomer with a weak base of power. Not only that, he is too impressive a man to stay in Anyang for long. To befriend him is like trying to scoop the moon's reflection from a lake; a useful but ultimately meaningless gesture."

"On the other hand, Tang Yi'an and his uncle, You Da had been entrenched in Anyang for years. Their base of power is strong, and they're not looking to leave Anyang anytime soon. With that in mind, who do you think will benefit us more; a magistrate who will soon leave for greener pastures, or a vice magistrate who is looking to stay until he dies? To befriend Tang Yi'an is to befriend You Da, and befriending You Da is greatly beneficial to our businesses in Anyang."

"Finally, how would Yan Yufei know that we are the ones behind Ye Qing's untimely demise if the job is carried out cleanly?"

"That's why you sent Tao Xian, Shi Jiang and Jie Chen to kill him! It's to make sure that the assassination will be carried out without a hitch, and to ensure that no clues will be left behind at the crime scene!" Lu Yong exclaimed in realization. "I stand corrected, boss. Your foresight is most impressive!"

"Oh? When did you learn how to flatter people, Yongzhi? I almost thought you were someone else!" Yan Tieyi let out a fond chuckle. "I just like to prepare for any eventualities, is all. Tang Yi'an claimed that Ye Qing is at most an early-stage Qi Invoker, but you know me; I never liked sending exactly the right quantity and quality of people to do a job. It's an invitation for an unexpected variable to ruin everything, and in our line of work, it's always better to be safe than sorry."

"Speaking of which, Tao Xian and the others should be back any moment now."

As if on cue, a warrior strode over the duo and reported, "Report! Hallmaster Tao, Hallmaster Shi, and Master Jie Chen are requesting to meet you, boss!"

"Perfect timing. Show them in!" Yan Tieyi ordered.

"At once!"

A short while later, Tao Xian, Jie Chen and Shi Jiang entered the backyard. They stopped a short distance away from Yan Tieyi and saluted respectfully, saying, "We're back, boss."

"How did it go?" asked Yan Tieyi while throwing his fishing rod back into the lotus lake. He didn't look at the trio.

Tao Xian shook his head. "We managed to kill Ye Qing, but we were all injured in the process."

"Is that so? That would explain why your presence felt unstable."

Curious, Yan Tieyi beckoned them closer and asked, "Tell me exactly what happened."

Jie Chen replied in a disgruntled tone, "What else? We thought the lad was an early-stage Qi Invoker, but no, he was a late-stage Qi Invoker. Not only that, his skills were even more incredible than we thought. As a result, he managed to drag out the fight far longer than expected and even hurt us in the process."

"I see! Still, you managed to kill him in the end, so all is well!" Yan Tieyi nodded and asked another question, "Speaking of which, did you run into anyone along the way? And did you clean up the scene properly?"

"Cough cough! Don't worry, boss. No one saw us, and we tossed Ye Qing's body into the Soundless Gorge. We didn't leave until the Soundless Bugs had completely consumed his body!" Tao Xian replied.

"Good job! You've all done well!" Yan Tieyi praised them before looking at Shi Jiang suddenly. "Say, why are you so quiet today, Hallmaster Shi? You're usually the chattiest of us all."

"No, I…" Shi Jiang finally broke his silence. "Can I ask you something, boss?"

"Sure! What is it?" Yan Tieyi asked.

Shi Jiang looked unusually hesitant as shot his companions a glance. Then, he slowly walked toward Yan Tieyi.

The gang boss thought that Shi Jiang wanted to make a private, possibly embarrassing request—one that he didn't want his fellow colleagues to hear—so he joked, "You can be frank with me, Hallmaster Shi. This awkwardness doesn't suit you at all. Did a girl catch your fancy again? Is it a married woman? Do you need me to act as your go-between?"

"No, no, it's not that!" Shi Jiang replied.

"Then what is it?" Yan Tieyi asked curiously.

Instead of answering, Shi Jiang continued to approach Yan Tieyi. He was two steps away when Yan Tieyi finally felt a tinge of inexplicable unease.

It was at this moment a cold, white light blinded Yan Tieyi. The next thing he knew, blood was flying everywhere.

Boom!

A terrific energy exploded out of the gang boss. Everything around him—the stone table, the grass, the flowers, and even the trees—turned into dust, and the ground looked like a giant monster had dug it with its claws.

Tao Xian and Jie Chen did not take any damage from the shockwave because they had jumped away as soon as it was discharged. It was almost as if they knew it was coming. Even so, the powerful gale blowing past their cheeks was enough to cause every hair on their body to stand on end.

Lu Yongzhi wasn't as lucky. Having received no warning whatsoever, the shockwave had sent him flying through the air like a rag doll. He looked greatly weakened as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The greatest surprise came in the form of Shi Jiang. He was standing right in front of Yan Tieyi and the gang boss' main target, so the shockwave should've annihilated him into smithereens. However, he remained rooted to the ground as if the shockwave was nothing more but a gentle breeze.

"You're not Shi Jiang. Who are you?" Yan Tieyi asked in a harsh voice. Right now, his aura was circulating rapidly and unpredictably around his body, and his clothes were billowing out around him like a banner swaying wildly to the wind. He looked incredibly intimidating, or he would have if not for the fact that a trickle of blood was seeping out from between his sleeves and dying his white robe red in just the blink of an eye.

Yan Tieyi was both shocked and furious as he perceived his injury. If his instinct hadn't warned him in time, the surprise attack would've cut right through his throat like a hot knife through butter. Despite this, he wasn't able to dodge the attack completely. There was a horizontal line stretching from his left breast to the right.

"Answer me! Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Ye Qing. Ye for leaf, and Qing for cyan!" Shi Jiang, or rather, Ye Qing declared loudly. His bones cracked ominously under his skin until he returned to his normal size, and he removed his mask to reveal a handsome grin.

When a warrior had entered the Body Tempering stage, they could easily move their bones and muscles around and alter their physique. Theoretically, there was no physique he could not imitate unless the person was overwhelmingly bigger or smaller than him. As for his face, it so happened Tao Xian was a master of disguise and owned a useful item that allowed him to change his face as he pleased, so he happily confiscated it for his own use.

Ye Qing's plan was very simple. First, he altered his physique and wore the mask to pretend to be Shi Jiang. Then, he slipped into the Iron Shirt Gang's headquarters together with Tao Xian and Jie Chen. Ye Qing learned from Tao Xian that Yan Tieyi was a middle-stage Vessel Augmentor with incredible skill and even greater alertness. In fact, he was so cautious that he normally did not allow anyone to get within three meters of him. Therefore, the only way to assassinate him within his own headquarters and without alerting the other gang members was to kill him in one strike.

Ye Qing had planned to improvise on the fly and approach Yan Tieyi somehow while they were giving their reports. When he was close enough, he would unleash his fastest attack and kill the gang boss.

Unfortunately, Yan Tieyi proved to be more formidable than expected. His plan had gone perfectly, but the gang boss still managed to dodge the fatal blow at the last moment.

"Ye Qing? You're still alive?" Yan Tieyi exclaimed in realization and disbelief.

"Of course I'm alive. How am I supposed to kill you if I'm dead?" Ye Qing chuckled before looking at Tao Xian and Jie Chen. "Hold back the others while I send your former boss to the afterlife."

Tao Xian and Jie Chen nodded and suppressed the grievously injured Lu Yongzhi in just a short time. Then, they left to keep the others from approaching this area.

"You think you can kill me all by yourself?" Yan Tieyi scoffed. Ye Qing was just a Qi Invoker. He could never have injured him if he hadn't caught him by surprise!

"That's right!" Ye Qing answered while charging toward Yan Tieyi, his curved saber drawing a fine arc across the air. A moon suddenly appeared above their heads, and bleak moonlight shone down from the sky. It looked gorgeous, but it was the kind of beauty that could end one's life in an instant. Each and every ray of "moonlight" in the sky was a curved saber flying straight toward Yan Tieyi!

Yan Tieyi felt chilled to the bone as he stared at the grand illusion above his head. Not daring to treat the technique lightly, he immediately waved his sleeves and froze the air in front of him until it resembled cold iron. Then, he struck the frozen space and launched the frozen air into the sky like he was firing an air cannon. The earth shook, and the air trembled as the terrific force washed over the storm of sabers like a tidal wave. When all was said and done, nothing was left in the sky.

The martial art Yan Tieyi just used was, of course, the Iron Sleeve Art!

"The Iron Sleeve Art, huh? It deserves its reputation!"

Ye Qing's chuckle came from the sky, but the young man himself was nowhere to be seen. Or rather, Ye Qing had suddenly split into innumerable copies of himself and his saber had covered the sky once more!

"A shadow without a shadow, a saber without a saber" was a quote from "Soulchasing Saber". It perfectly described what Yan Tieyi was facing right now. The gang boss knew that there was no way the Ye Qings in the sky were real—this fight would be over already if that was true—but the hail of killing intent battering his skin felt was all too real.

Yan Tieyi was a nobody who clawed tooth and nail to get to where he was now. He had fought countless people in his life, and many of them were a lot stronger, trickier, and more resilient than he was. However, his experience and knowledge were completely useless because Ye Qing was like no one he had ever fought. His eyes couldn't differentiate the real from the fake, his senses could not lock onto a specific aura, and it was downright impossible to guess where the saber—the one that would take his life—would come from. It was beyond frustrating because he could not go on the offensive without knowing where his enemy was.

Suddenly, Yan Tieyi waved his sleeves around like he was dancing. Paradoxically, the dancing sleeves looked tough as steel, soft as fabric, straight as an arrow and winding like a river all at the same time. It was a perfect harmony of soft and hard power, activity and inactivity, the real and the unreal that protected the gang boss from all sides like a perfect, impenetrable globe.

It was a titanic clash between the unbreakable iron sleeves that had locked down space itself, and the omnipresent sabers that sought to squeeze through the tiniest of gaps and steal their target's soul. Who would come out on top?

1. a type of hat, not an emperor's crown

Chapter 68: Fight

Crash! Boom! Bang!

Jie Chen was a warlike monk. The distant explosions kept tickling at his fighting spirit like the demon on his shoulder. But at the same time, he knew it was suicide to indulge in his urges because the shockwaves of that battle could be felt even through the walls from over forty meters away. It was a stunning and fearful revelation to know that he could get hurt if he was standing half that distance away from the battlefield.

He turned to look at Tao Xian. "Do you think Ye Qing can kill the boss?"

"I don't know." Tao Xian shook his head with the same tinge of trepidation on his face. "It's too late for regrets anyway. We are grasshoppers tied to the same rope as Ye Qing. He must win, and we must do everything we can to ensure he succeeds."

"Yeah."

He was right. They were set on this path from the moment they agreed to Ye Qing's plan. It was either Iron Shirt Yan or them!

"Quick! There's no time to waste!"

Suddenly, the two warriors heard a commotion. It wasn't long before a group of Iron Shirt Gang warriors rounded a corner and made a beeline straight toward them. They had clearly heard the loud clash happening in the backyard.

"Hold it right there! Who gave you permission to enter this place?" Tao Xian immediately took a step forward and blocked their way.

"Hallmaster Tao! D-Do you know what's going on back there?" One of the gang members asked in a meek voice.

He replied, "A friend has come to visit the boss, and they're having a friendly spar at the back. No one is allowed to disturb them until the spar is finished?"

"A friend?" The guy looked puzzled, but he saw no reason to question Tao Xian or Jie Chen. He asked curiously, "Who is this friend? We could hear the explosions all the way from the front."

"It's none of your business. Now get back to your posts already! What if someone infiltrates the place while you were absent?" Tao Xian barked harshly.

Jie Chen also joined in with an impatient shout, "Get lost!"

"At once, Hallmasters!" The group replied and backed down immediately. Tao Xian was one thing, but Jie Chen was infamous for his impatience and bloodthirst. He really would kill them if they pissed him off.

After the group was gone, Jie Chen wiped some non-existent sweat from his forehead and asked, "If you have a plan, now's the time to say it. We can only stall this out for so long!"

The small fries were one thing, but it was only a matter of time before some Hallmasters decided to check out the commotion. And their fellow colleagues weren't so easy to fool!

"I don't. We'll just have to improvise on the fly and pray that Ye Qing finishes off the boss as soon as possible!" Tao Xian sighed.

...

"What a pain!" Ye Qing complained under his breath while bringing his curved saber down toward Yan Tieyi's right shoulder. Then, his arm abruptly took a ninety-degree turn and shot toward the gang boss' neck swiftly and without warning. However, Yan Tieyi was able to slap the blade away at the last moment and even respond with a counterattack, wrapping his sleeves around Ye Qing like he would catch the young man in a tight embrace. Thankfully, Ye Qing was just fast enough to jump away before the entrapment was complete.

The problem with Yan Tieyi's martial arts was that his force was perfectly fluid and unpredictable. Like a cloud, it could pause in one place or move like the wind, deceive or strike true as Yan Tieyi wished, and unleash both hard and soft techniques seamlessly. It was why Ye Qing was unable to break through his defense.

"Hahaha! Did you actually believe you could kill me with just this level of skill?" Yan Tieyi laughed. When he sensed a lull in the young man's aura, he immediately spread his arms wide and cleared out all the air in his vicinity in an instant. For a moment, all was still except his billowing sleeves. Then, he thrust his arms forward and launched a terrific blast of force that seemed to split both the sky and the earth in half.

Rumble!

A gigantic splash at least ten meters tall rose from the lake. A floating gazebo in the middle of the lake abruptly exploded and collapsed into the waters.

"Croak—croak—croak—"

The giant splash was still suspended in the air when five croaks resounded in rapid succession. Ye Qing's aura skyrocketed, and three inches of pure, visible energy covered his saber. He then brought down his saber in a mighty overhead swing.

"Toad Force x5"

The suspended water was cut in half as a beam of pure energy punched through its center and flew toward Yan Tieyi in a straight line. It was so powerful that it cut through the earth like a hot knife through butter and left behind a deep scar that was at least one meter deep in its wake.

Yan Tieyi did not dare to treat it lightly. He struck the ground with enough energy to lift an entire chunk of earth into the air to block the attack. The beam of energy was strong, but not strong enough to punch through several meters of earth before it crumbled away into nothing.

"Haha! You can't hurt me with your petty tricks, boy!"

Despite what he said, Yan Tieyi had to take a few seconds to catch his breath. He was feeling rather weak after expending a prodigious amount of true qi. It was fine though. His enemy was a middle-stage Vessel Augmentor just like him, so theoretically they should share more or less the same amount of energy reserves. No matter how uncanny his martial arts were, there was no way Ye Qing could defeat him in a short time, meaning that he only needed to hold out until reinforcements showed up. When that happened, both Ye Qing and those two traitors would die like the dogs they were!

"Is that so?" Ye Qing said with a light chuckle. "Let's see you can keep laughing after you catch this."

The alarm bells in Yan Tieyi's head rang like crazy immediately after Ye Qing was done speaking. Without thinking, Yan Tieyi channeled his true qi through his sleeves and surrounded his whole body in a protective circle.

"What the—?"

It was at this moment Yan Tieyi suddenly noticed countless shapeless, floating things floating just an inch away from him. They were nigh invisible save for a dark red tinge at the core. The gang boss' scalp immediately turned numb. How did these things manage to get so close without him noticing? They were anything but harmless too. His instincts were screaming that something terrible would happen if he allowed them to touch him.

"Blue Demon"

Yan Tieyi extended his hand out of his left sleeve to reveal a bluish black glove. The painfully thin fabric was covered in bizarre patterns and emitting a bluish black glow in intervals. What looked like a demon's head was sewn to the center of the glove.

To Ye Qing's surprise, the demon's head slowly opened its eyes—or was it just a trick of the light?—at the same time an irritating voice suddenly mumbled incessantly in his head. Then, a bluish black flame erupted from the glove and released a disgustingly sweet scent into the air.

As soon as the scent entered Ye Qing's nostrils, a powerful wave of dizziness and weakness immediately gripped him. His complexion immediately turned bluish black as well.

That's his Strange Artifact! It's as deadly as Tao Xian says! Ye Qing thought in shock. Before he could mount a response though, a refreshing sensation suddenly rose from his dantian and spread across his whole body. The next thing he knew, he was back to normal.

The Fruit of Life protected me from the poison!

The answer came to Ye Qing immediately. He had consumed the Fruit of Life back at the Jade Dragon Lake, and it was said to be capable of bringing someone back from the brink of death, extending one's lifespan, and protecting someone from all kinds of poisons. That said, he wasn't willing to bet his life on the author's integrity, so Ye Qing hurriedly popped an antidote and held his breath just in case.

Earlier, he had prepared some antidotes after Tao Xian told him that Yan Tieyi owned an extremely poisonous Strange Artifact that killed anyone who touched it or smelled its gas. Although it turned out to be unnecessary, he had to admit that the Strange Artifact was even deadlier than he imagined. If he hadn't consumed the Fruit of Life before, there was a good chance this fight would've ended poorly for him.

Crackle crackle!

Meanwhile, Yan Tieyi was able to clear all the Blood Shadows surrounding him with just a wave of his burning glove. Even scarier was the fact that the bluish black flames were deadly enough to burn holes in the ground.

Ye Qing clenched his fist and resummoned his Blood Shadows. Then, he sent them toward Yan Tieyi once more.

The Blood Shadows was the coalescence of his true qi and vigor. So long as he didn't run out of either element, he could theoretically summon an endless number of Blood Shadows. And that was exactly what he was going to do. The "Blood Shadow Divine Art" was a top-tier Vessel Augmentation cultivation art, and his reservoir of true qi and vigor far exceeded a warrior in the Vessel Augmentation stage. To put it simply, he could afford to piss away the power.

Sizzle sizzle!

The Blood Shadows tried to catch Yan Tieyi a second time, but once again the bluish black flames burned them into nothing. The gang boss let out an arrogant laugh and said, "What else do you have, boy? It will not be enough!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Yan Tieyi didn't even manage to wipe the smile off his face when Ye Qing waved his hand and summoned an unbelievable amount of Blood Shadows once more. This time though, he merged them together into a gigantic hand before bringing it down like he would squash the gang boss like a fly.

Yan Tieyi swore and spat out a tremendous amount of internal energy. His left hand curled into an arc, he swiped at the giant hand falling toward him and successfully shredded it into pieces.

But it wasn't enough. The shredded hand abruptly scattered into individual wisps of Blood Shadows and slipped through his guard before he could react. As soon as they made contact with his legs, his chest, and more body parts, blood immediately started seeping out of his skin. For a moment, Yan Tieyi could only watch in horror as the Blood Shadows greedily devoured his blood and weakened him even more than he already was.

What the hell is this martial art? And how does he have so much internal energy? [1] Yan Tieyi thought in panic while burning the Blood Shadows in his body into nothing once more.

At this point, Yan Tieyi finally realized that Ye Qing was, for whatever reason, far more energetic than he was even though they were both middle-stage Vessel Augmentors. Not only that, he could use his uncanny techniques in rapid succession as if they didn't cost anything. He, on the other hand, was on the verge of triggering a rebound because he was almost out of internal energy. At this rate, he was going to die for sure.

"It's do or die!"

A flinty glint entered Yan Tieyi's eyes, and he abruptly stopped defending himself. Instead, he leaped into the sky and swooped toward Ye Qing like a goshawk. Arms spread, Yan Tieyi flew erratically and unpredictably while rapidly closing the distance between himself and Ye Qing. Every time he changed positions, a goshawk's cry would pierce through the air, and his aura would grow a little stronger.

Nine cries later, Yan Tieyi abruptly vanished from view and reappeared behind Ye Qing. Then, what looked like a thousand arced, flame-wreathed hands swiped toward his major points at the same time.

"Nine Changes of the Goshawk"

"Shadowless Hand"

Everyone and their mothers knew that Iron Shirt Yan was a practitioner of the Iron Sleeve Art and the Flowing Cloud Force, but no one knew that he also practiced a powerful movement art and a claw art to complement his Blue Demon Hand. Why? It was because everyone who forced him to reveal his trump cards were dead!

"Die!"

Ye Qing broke out in a cold sweat as he spun around and faced down the gang boss' ultimate technique. He never realized that Yan Tieyi was hiding a powerful movement art and a claw art up his sleeves until it was too late. While neither art was particularly threatening per se, they were complemented by a powerful Strange Artifact that could burn a hole in the ground like nothing, and he did not think that his body was tougher than the earth.

There was no time to think. Right before the claw technique would rip him to shreds, Ye Qing executed a Soulchasing Saber technique and wreathed his saber in a sheen of energy. When he lightly cut the air in front of him, it created ripples of light—they were really ripples of blade energy—that spread out into a protective globe around him. It looked like a moon hanging in the sky.

The saber technique temporarily was good enough to Yan Tieyi's claw technique at bay, but the same could not be said for the all-consuming flames. Not only that, Ye Qing noticed that the bluish black flames were steadily eating away at the blade of his saber and spreading toward his hand!

Ye Qing pushed Blood Sea Fragrance to the max and appeared above the lotus lake in an instant. He managed to get away from the bluish black flames for a moment, but—

"You won't escape!"

Yan Tieyi appeared right behind him and executed Shadowless Hand once more. From Ye Qing's point of view, it looked like the gang boss was swiping, tearing, slapping, hooking and pointing at him from every direction all at the same time. Even worse, the fire was everywhere. Everything within ten meters of the eye of the storm were covered in bluish black flames. There was no escape.

1. true qi is a part of internal energy by the way

Chapter 69: Blue Demon Hand

Yan Tieyi was certain that he had finally gotten Ye Qing, but to his surprise, the young man shot him a wicked grin and said, "Sorry to disappoint you, but the plan was never to escape from you!"

Before Yan Tieyi could make sense of his words, he shouted, "Now is the time, Brother Frog!"

A splash erupted from the lake, and Kung Fu Frog shot into the sky like a star. Hands put together in a double palm strike pose and a ball of deadly force spinning wildly between its palms, it threw its hands forward and said,

"CROAAAAAAAAAAAAK!"

A pure white pillar streaked toward Yan Tieyi's back. The gang boss had not anticipated the Malice-class Stranger, but he did not panic. He charged his right sleeve with true qi to protect himself from Kung Fu Frog's attack and continued attacking Ye Qing with his left hand!

For a moment, it looked like Ye Qing was going to take a direct hit even if Kung Fu Frog's surprise attack was successful. Then, Yan Tieyi's vigor suddenly churned as if some sort of invisible force was wrestling for control. Although he was able to suppress the strange occurrence immediately, his movements and techniques slowed down just a fraction of a second, and in a battle like this, a fraction of a second could mean the difference between life and death.

Crack!

Kung Fu Frog's energy blast struck Yan Tieli squarely in the back. Although he was protected by a layer of true qi, Kung Fu Frog was a Malice-class Stranger and equal to a human Vessel Augmentor in terms of cultivation level. As a result, the energy blast snapped Yan Tieyi's back like a twig and sent him sailing through the air like a ragged doll, a trail of blood spewing out of his mouth.

Pop!

Ye Qing did not allow the golden opportunity to pass him by. He immediately kicked off the air and caught up to Yan Tieyi in just the blink of an eye. At this point, it was clear that the gang boss was as good as dead, but he wasn't dead just yet. Fear flashing in his eyes when Ye Qing appeared right in front of him, he attempted to channel his remaining true qi for one last gambit.

Unfortunately, he failed. Once again, his vigor churned unnaturally and interrupted his final move for just a fraction of a second. Then, a blinding light sent his vision spiraling all over the place.

It took Yan Tieyi a few seconds to realize what just happened. Oh, he cut off my head, he thought numbly. The second last thing he saw was his headless body exploding into a brilliant shower of light and fire, and the last thing he saw was Ye Qing gathering his blood into a condensed ball that looked like red amber on one hand and catching his head with the other.

Yan Tieyi, Iron Shirt Yan of Anyang and leader of the Iron Shirt Gang, did not pass away peacefully. He never figured out why a Stranger was hiding in his lotus lake, and he never figured out why his vigor had suddenly spiraled out of control twice during the last moment. Perhaps Ye Qing might have enlightened him if he was able to maintain his consciousness a few seconds longer, but alas, it was not meant to be. And so he went to the afterlife without ever getting his answers.

"Finally!" Ye Qing placed Yan Tieyi's head on the ground and let out a sigh of relief after he finally landed on his feet.

The gang boss had turned out to be a far more formidable opponent than expected, and he had to use everything he had to barely defeat him at the last moment. His current repertoire of skills had proven inadequate to to kill Yan Tieyi in short order, so he had no choice but to win by endurance and deplete his foe's reserves little by little. Even then, the gang boss had nearly turned it around with his Strange Artifact. It just goes to show that he still had a long way to go.

Fortunately, he had prepared sufficiently for the battle and even brought Kung Fu Frog with him just in case. While he was fighting against Yan Tieyi, the Malice-class Stranger had snuck its way to the lotus lake and hid at the bottom. After that, it waited until Ye Qing gave it the signal before springing a surprise Kamehameha at Yan Tieyi.

Of course, even that might have proven to be insufficient if he hadn't figured out how to affect his opponent's vigor through his Blood Shadow Magic. But all's well that ends well, so that was that.

"No time to waste," Ye Qing muttered before swallowing the blood he had ripped out of Yan Tieyi's body just now. This wasn't over until he had taken full control of the Iron Shirt Gang. As soon as the blood went down his throat, an unbelievable amount of energy immediately spread to every corner of his body.

It was like a sun was burning inside his stomach. Hot air began flushing out of his pores, and his skin turned as red as a furnace. He heated up so much that the air around him became heavily distorted.

"Damn! That's a lot of vigor!" Ye Qing exclaimed in surprise. Not only that the vigor was as refined as it was potent. Then again, this was the essence of a middle-stage Vessel Augmentor he was absorbing. It made sense that it was worth at least one silver dragon-serpent rune.

Slosh…

He could hear his own blood running rapidly inside his veins, and his bones cracking and popping like they were filled with thunder. His sweat turned into steam as soon as they left his body and temporarily shrouded him from view.

Boom!

The next moment, he discharged a shockwave that was so powerful that it threw entire chunks of earth into the air. Everything within ten meters of him was wiped clean like the ground zero of a terrible explosion.

When the shockwave finally subsided, Ye Qing was standing at the center of a massive pit. His eyelids fluttered open to reveal a pair of shining eyes that resembled the sun and the moon. His aura was spinning wildly around his person, and every inhale and exhale seemed to trigger a mini typhoon. It was like he wasn't a human, but a gigantic dragon.

It didn't last forever, however. Ye Qing continued to breathe in and out until his aura had become fully stabilized. A couple more breaths later, and his presence became as peaceful and warm as before.

"Good, good! I've gotten a little stronger than before!" Ye Qing declared with satisfaction. Yan Tieyi's vigor hadn't just healed him completely, he was a step closer to the next level as well.

"Croak!"

It was at this moment Kung Fu Frog called out to Ye Qing and leaped out of the lake. It then spat out two items in front of him. The first item was a shell-like item. It was of course Yan Tieyi's Nature's Shell. The second item was none other than the bluish black glove that had come so very close to driving him into a dead end.

The two items had fallen into the lake when he shattered Yan Tieyi's body earlier. As his first priority after killing the gang boss was to recover his strength, he thought he could grab them after he was ready. Kung Fu Frog had saved him some time and energy by grabbing them for him.

"Thanks, Brother Frog! This is your reward!" Ye Qing grinned at his friend and tossed it a jar of Pear Blossom wine. The Malice-class Stranger immediately caught the jar, croaked twice in thanks and started chugging down the delicious wine like no tomorrow. It really was a hopeless drunkard.

"Hehe…" Ye Qing chuckled fondly and put away Yan Tieyi's Nature's Shell. Then, his gaze landed on the bluish black glove.

The bluish black glove looked almost like an ordinary glove as it was no longer shining ominously or on fire. However, the mysterious patterns across its fabric and a dim but still discernible glow proved that it was anything but that. In fact, Ye Qing could tell that it was way, way better than the Skinner or the Burial Shirt Of The Dead, so much so that they did not even belong in the same league.

"What is this Strange Artifact called? What does it do?" Ye Qing asked in a soft voice after taking out the Annon Sutra and cutting his finger over the vellum.

The Annon Sutra glowed darkly for over ten breaths before it finally manifested the familiar text. Ye Qing was happy to see this because it meant that the Strange Artifact was very valuable.

"The Blue Demon Hand is a Red-class Strange Artifact made from the scalp of the Hatred-class Stranger, the Blue Demon. It took ten years to sear a Hundred Poison into the scalp using the Netherflame. The day it was complete, the sky rained blood, the Netherflame spread, and its one Hundred Poison turned everything within five kilometers of the Strange Artifact into an empty wasteland. So deadly were its flame and poisons that not even the remains of its victims were left behind."

"Unfortunately, the Blue Demon Hand is such an evil and unholy Strange Artifact that the heavens cast lightning upon it and damaged its roots. As a result, it degraded into a Red-class Strange Artifact."

"The wielder of the Blue Demon Hand gains extreme resistance to conventional weapons, water and fire. It can also unleash the Netherflame and the Hundred Poison. The Netherflame can ignite anything, rot flesh and blood, corrode energy, and scorch a person's innards. The Hundred Poison is a shapeless, formless poison that can diminish one's vigor, damage the blood vessels, and destroy one's bodily points."

"Every month, the wielder of the Blue Demon Hand must offer up their heart's blood one time. Otherwise, it would burn its wielder with the Netherflame. Moreover, the wielder must not use it for over thirty breaths, or they would be poisoned by the Hundred Poison!"

"This is incredible!" Ye Qing's eyes lit up with barely controlled excitement. The Red-class Strange Artifact was already incredibly powerful, but it had the potential to become even stronger than it currently was! According to the Annon Sutra, the original Blue Demon Hand was so powerful and unholy that the heavens decided it was too much and damaged its roots, downgrading it to a Red-class Strange Artifact. Assuming it could be restored to its original form, would it become a Malice-class Strange Artifact? Maybe even a Hatred-class? How much stronger would it become if it was a Hatred-class Strange Artifact? He could hardly imagine!

Even better, the Strange Artifact's side effects and limitations were practically non-existent to him. For most warriors, having to offer their heart's blood at least once a month was a massive loss. After all, the heart's blood was the culmination of a warrior's essence, qi and spirit. To sacrifice even one drop of it would damage their foundation and mandate a long period of recovery. However, this side effect did not apply to him because he was overflowing with vigor and true qi, and he could replenish himself with the dragon-serpent runes whenever necessary. He could literally drown the Strange Artifact in heart's blood if he wanted to.

Hell, if he could satisfy a bonafide bloodsucker like the Annon Sutra, why would he fear a mere Blue Demon Hand?

Onto its limitation, the Blue Demon Hand would poison its wielder with the Hundred Poison if it was used over thirty breaths. However, the Hundred Poison was useless against him because he had consumed the Fruit of Life. This was already proven when Yan Tieyi tried to poison him earlier to no avail, meaning that this limitation might as well not exist to him!

The Blue Demon Hand was unquestionably a deadly Strange Artifact. Most people would hesitate to use it even if its power was substantial. But to him? The Blue Demon Hand was a purely beneficial Strange Artifact that drastically elevated his combat power. One might even say that the Strange Artifact was tailor-made for him!

"Hehehe! I really am the heavens' favored son! Thanks dad!"

Ye Qing let out a silly laugh and wore the Blue Demon Hand over his left hand immediately. Once he was done injecting his heart's blood into the Strange Artifact, he proceeded to replace Yan Tieyi's imprint in the glove with his own. And just like that, the Blue Demon Hand was well and truly his!

Ye Qing tried moving his left hand around after putting on the Blue Demon Hand. It felt as if the glove didn't even exist. His fingers moved as smoothly as ever, and there was a firm connection between himself and his mind. A single thought was all he needed to channel its Netherflame or its Hundred Poison.

Suddenly, Ye Qing paused his experiment and hid his left hand within his sleeve. He then said, "Come out!"

"M… Master Ye?" Jie Chen walked out of the shadows and stared at the backyard that had been ravaged so thoroughly he could scarcely recognize it. He swallowed audibly before asking in a fearful tone, "Where… Where is Boss Yan?"

He had rushed over as soon as he heard no noise coming from the battlefield. He wanted to know who had emerged victorious. If Yan Tieyi had won, then an early warning could be the difference between life and death. And if Ye Qing had won, then all's well that ends well, of course!

He wasn't expecting Ye Qing to discover him before he even showed himself though.

Ye Qing stepped aside to reveal the head hidden behind his back. "Oh him? He's over here!"

"He's dead… he's actually dead…" Jie Chen exclaimed in shock and disbelief. He was a man of few fears, but even he could not help but stagger backward at the sight of Yan Tieyi's head, trembling.

The corners around Ye Qing's lips turned up a little. "What? Were you hoping that he'd live? Or should I say, were you hoping that I'd die?"

"A-Absolutely not! That is definitely not what I meant!" Jie Chen denied immediately even as he turned to stare at Ye Qing in disbelief. He wasn't just surprised that Ye Qing had killed Iron Shirt Yan, he could clearly sense that the young man was stronger than before. That made no sense since he had just fought a great battle against Yan Tieyi, and yet his senses clearly stated otherwise.

It was at this moment Jie Chen finally remembered the second reason he came here and said, "Oh right, the rest of the Hallmasters are already here. Tao Xian won't be able to hold them back for much longer!"

"Perfect timing!"

Ye Qing's grin widened. "Tell them that the boss will see them at the main hall!"

"At once!" Jie Chen left immediately.

Chapter 70: Are There Any Objections?

The Iron Shirt Gang headquarter's main hall was called the Flowing Cloud Hall. It was where the Iron Shirt Gang usually held their meetings. Right now, the Flowing Cloud Hall was jam-packed with people including the six Hallmasters and the three Keepers.

"Where is the boss, Tao Xian?" An old man whose hair and beard had gone completely white asked. Despite his age, his complexion was a healthy red, his skin was as smooth as a babe's, and his presence was as indomitable as a mountain. He was one of the three Keepers of the Iron Shirt Gang and a late-stage Qi Invoker. His name was Xu Yuan, the Light Vented Bulbul.

"Please be patient, Keeper Xu. The boss will arrive shortly!" Tao Xian replied calmly while fanning himself.

"'Please be patient, please be patient.' You've said that half a teatime ago, Tao Xian! When on earth is the boss showing up?" A brawny man with a scar-ridden face yelled impatiently. He was the Hallmaster of the Hundred Wars Hall, Yao Xingjun, the "Ghostface".

"Hallmaster Tao, you mentioned that an old friend of the boss is visiting today. Can you indulge in my curiosity and tell me who it is?" A seductive woman with an hourglass figure and a beautiful countenance giggled while straightening her bangs. She looked to be around twenty five or twenty six years old, and she was wearing a flowery, form-fitting petticoat. In fact, the petticoat fit her so well that everyone could see her wholesome breasts jiggling to the slightest movements.

Many men in the hall swallowed audibly, but no one was stupid enough to act on their lustful thoughts as a matter of course. It was because the woman was the Hallmaster of the Hundred Flowers Hall and the manager of all the brothels, theaters and entertainment centers owned by the Iron Shirt Gang. She wasn't just a competent businesswoman, but also an extremely accomplished warrior. She was a middle-stage Qi Invoker, and her name was Ruan Hongluo, the Hundred Flowers Celestial.

"You'll find out in a moment, Hongluo!" Tao Xian replied in the same tone he used against Yao Xingjun earlier.

"Are you hiding something from us, Tao Xian? The noise and shockwaves did not feel like a mere spar!" A cold voice spoke up next. He was a middle-aged man wearing an ice cold expression and black clothes. His whole body oozed a dark, cold presence that chilled everyone around him to the core. It was also why no one was sitting next to him. He was none other than the Hallmaster of the Punishment Hall, Yin Ju the "Living King of Hell". He was a late-stage Qi Invoker, and he was responsible for keeping the law and dishing out punishment to those who broke them.

"Please be patient, Hallmaster Yi. The boss will—" Tao Xian began. Yi Jun was even sharper than he imagined. He had probably figured out that something was amiss. Unfortunately, it was already too late!

Before Tao Xian could finish his sentence, a refreshing voice resounded from the entrance, "Everyone's here? Good! Let's jump right into it then!"

Then, a young man who wasn't even twenty yet stepped into the main hall. He was, of course, Ye Qing.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" An old, fat woman with pimples all over her face demanded. She was clutching her walking staff and staring at Ye Qing with an expression that was anything but friendly.

Ye Qing paid her lack of warmth no heed, however. He shot her a sunny smile and said, "Good day to you, Lady Poison. My name is Ye Qing, and my moniker is Joyless! As for why I'm here, I have come to make an announcement!"

Ye Qing swept his gaze across the room as he walked around the center hall. Then, to everyone's shock except Tao Xian and Jie Chen, he sat down at the main seat and curled his lips into a wicked smile. "Starting today, I'm the new leader of the Iron Shirt Gang! Are there any objections?"

"Are you kidding me? Who the hell do you think—" Yao Xingjun slammed the table and shot to his feet. As the Hallmaster of the Hundred Wars Hall, he was rash and unafraid to voice his opinion to anyone's face. Unfortunately, that was his first and last mistake of the day. The brawny man abruptly cut himself off and turned beet red in the face. Then, he started shuddering uncontrollably as blood seeped out of every pore of his body.

Bang!

Before anyone could even react, Yao Xingjun abruptly exploded and showered the main hall with bits and pieces of flesh. His blood though, they paused in mid-air as soon as they left his body and condensed into a ball above Ye Qing. It then landed snugly in his palm almost like it was a tangible object.

Clatter clatter clatter!

Obviously, everyone in the hall shot to their feet faster than Ye Qing could say, "Boo!" They instinctively channeled their powers and stared at Ye Qing with varying expressions. Some people looked stunned like their minds couldn't process what just happened. Some people looked shocked, some people looked terrified, some were puzzled, and some were furious. But no one—not a single one of them—dared to attack Ye Qing for killing one of their own.

Yao Xingjun wasn't just a late-stage Qi Invoker. As the Hallmaster responsible for all big and small conflicts inside and outside the gang, he was naturally not to be underestimated. His Hundred Wars Saber Art was famed for its deadliness, and he was at least a top four warrior in the Iron Shirt Gang. But forget putting up a fight, he had died before he could so much as draw his weapon. Worse still, no one saw how Ye Qing had done it, and without knowing exactly what kind of martial art the young man had used to kill Yao Xingjun, it was pure folly to act against him!

"Are there any objections?" Ye Qing asked again while tossing the ball of blood in his palm up and down, a playful smile dancing on his lips.

"Gulp…" Everyone swallowed with eerie unison.

For a time, the attendees could only exchange stunned looked with one another until one of the three Keepers of the Iron Shirt Gang, Yan Yuming the "Willow Leaf Sword" let out an angry shout, "You're dead when my brother comes back!"

A long, willow-thin sword glided out of his right sleeve. Then, he leaped toward Ye Qing and executed a thrust. Textbook his movements might be, the rain of swords that suddenly appeared all around the main hall was anything but. Beautiful yet deadly, they danced all over the place like swaying willow leaves.

"Spring is warm

Until the air shifts

And willow leaves dance in the wind"

Yan Yuming was one of the three Keepers of the Iron Shirt Gang and Yan Tieyi's younger brother. Naturally, his kung fu was very good. Yan Tieyi often gave him personal lessons and helped him hone his Willow Leaf Sword Art to near perfection. Fast, accurate, ruthless and deadly, there were few people in the Iron Shirt Gang who could best him in a fight.

That was why everyone was surprised when they saw the rain of swords suddenly vanishing into nothing, and Ye Qing catching Yan Yuming's sword with just a pair of fingers. If they didn't know better, they would've thought that Yan Yuming was putting on an act with the young man. Just how was he able to beat Yan Yuming's signature attack so easily? He hadn't moved away from his chair!

They knew the answer. The young man had to be a Vessel Augmentor!

"I'm a good person. Since you wish to see Yan Tieyi that badly, I'll reunite the two of you right now!" Ye Qing chuckled goodnaturedly and flicked his finger against the sword's edge. The blade twanged loudly as Yan Yuming's purlicue abruptly split in half and bled profusely. At the same time, a wisp of force slipped into his body, shook his innards, and disrupted his blood vessels. A pool of blood immediately surged up his throat and burst right out of Yan Yuming's lips uncontrollably.

Shocked, Yan Yuming instinctively tried to put some distance between himself and Ye Qing. But as soon as he kicked off with his feet, a dark red Blood Shadow appeared behind him and wrapped tightly around his neck. His head tumbled across the air, and another Qi Invoker had died just like that!

When Ye Qing made a grabbing motion, the tumbling head abruptly curved toward him and landed on a nearby table. Then, he called out, "Family should not be separated from one another. Bring it in, Jie Chen!"

Jie Chen immediately walked out of the back room while carrying a wooden box between his arms. When he placed it on the table and removed its cover, the attendees immediately cried out in shock and disbelief.

"Boss!"

"Boss…"

"How…"

Yan Tieyi's severed head was inside the box. Iron Shirt Yan was a middle-stage Vessel Augmentor and an expert in the Iron Sleeve Art and the Flowing Cloud Force. He was famous throughout Anyang and one of its strongest warriors as a matter of course. But now he was dead, and his bulging eyes were all they needed to see to know that he had not passed away in peace!

"Yan Tieyi wanted me dead, so I killed him first!" Ye Qing said with a smile and rose to his feet. An unbelievably powerful aura immediately washed over the main hall. For a moment, everyone felt suffocated like a rock was sitting atop their chest. In fact, the aura eventually grew so heavy that not even the strongest of them could lift their heads, and the circulation of their true qi turned sluggish. No one could muster even the tiniest will to resist.

He's not just any Vessel Augmentor, he's probably in the middle-stage or even… the late-stage!

The thought crossed everyone's mind at the same time.

"Everyone should pay for their mistakes. Sometimes more, sometimes less!"

Still keeping his aura in the open, Ye Qing said lazily. "I don't really care about this gang, but I suppose I should take over since I've unceremoniously removed your boss. It wouldn't be fair to the rest of you after all. Are there any objections?"

Tao Xian sensed that it was his time to shine and did not hesitate to butter up his new boss. He bowed deeply and declared, "I agree! Yan Tieyi's the one who tried to kill you first, so he only has himself to blame for his untimely death! Not only that, you are kind enough to punish only those who would do you harm, while a weaker man would've succumbed to his baser fears and taken out our whole gang! Who else deserves our loyalty if not you, Young M—I mean, boss?"

Jie Chen also took a step forward and voiced his support, "I agree. Boss Ye isn't even in his twenties yet, but he's already a Vessel Augmentor. His future is bright and limitless. It is our fortune to be able to become his subordinate."

The monk was speaking from his heart. He had been obsessed with martial arts since he was young, and there was no one he respected more than a champion. In the past, that person was Yan Tieyi, and now it was Ye Qing.

"Haha. I agree. I don't care who becomes the gang boss as long as the silver keeps flowing into the coffers!" Ruan Hongluo let out a giggle before staring at Ye Qing with deep interest. She didn't seem afraid of him whatsoever!

"I agree…"

"I agree…"

"I agree…"

Since Tao Xian, Jie Chen and Ruan Hongluo had set an example, the rest of the attendees followed suit as well. It did not matter if they meant their declaration. It was that, or suffer the same fate as Yao Xingjun and Yan Yuming.

"Good. I'm glad that most of you are intelligent people!" Ye Qing nodded in satisfaction and finally withdrew his aura, causing everyone to sigh in relief. "From today onward, we are one big family. Please, take your seats!"

When everyone had returned to their seats, he continued, "Since Yao Xingjun and Yan Yuming are dead—oh, I almost forgot. Shi Jiang is dead as well, and their positions need to be filled as soon as possible. In my opinion, Jie Chen should become the new Hallmaster of the Hundred Wars Hall and a Keeper, and Tao Xian should replace Shi Jiang as the Hallmaster of the External Affairs Hall. Yes, I'm aware he's already managing the gang's intelligence gathering and relations as the Hallmaster of the Hall of Secrets, but I'm sure he can handle two responsibilities at the same time. Are there any objections?"

Everyone: "..."

If we object, will you kill us?

Meanwhile, Tao Xian and Jie Chen could hardly control their excitement. Their gamble had been extremely risky, but in the end it was the right call. Now that Tao Xian was managing two halls at once, there were few people in the gang who could match his new status and power. Besides that, the Hall of External Affairs was one of the gang's most profitable halls. So his pockets were going to be heavier than ever before.

As for Jie Chen, he really should've been made the Hallmaster of the Hall of Hundred Wars a long time ago. However, he could never go higher beyond the vice Hallmaster position because there were people who were jealous of his talent. Now, he was both a Hallmaster and a Keeper. One might say that he had finally gotten what he deserved.

"Thank you, boss!" The duo saluted him deeply. Ye Qing waved them away before adding,

"As for the rest of you, there will be no changes. You will carry out your tasks and responsibilities as normal."

"As you command, boss!" The others also saluted Ye Qing. They were relieved. It was pretty common for a new boss to shuffle things around and make them cough up some sort of tribute to prove their loyalty, but Ye Qing hadn't asked anything of the like at all, and he could've since he could probably kill them all singlehandedly. Assuming he wasn't playing the long game, this was actually… an okay turn of events?

Many people started looking at their new boss in a new light. Noticing that his carrot-and-stick tactic had worked, Ye Qing smiled and said, "We're one big family now. So long as you do your job well and remain loyal to me, I promise I will treat you just as fairly!"

"We appreciate your benevolence, boss!" Everyone said in unison.

"One more thing. I want all of you to keep quiet about the fact that Yan Tieyi is dead, and the gang has gotten a new boss. What happened today stays within these four walls."

"Understood!" No one understood why he wanted this, but they agreed to his request all the same.

With that done, Ye Qing rose to his feet and got ready to leave. When he was passing by Lady Poison though, he suddenly said, "Lady Poison, you know it's a bad habit to poison people willy-nilly, right?"

The woman turned deathly pale and jumped away from him.

Chapter 71: Plot Within Plot

Lady Poison's true name was Cheng Mei. She was a master in the art of poisoning, and the deadliest and most subtle poison was called the Bone Melter. As its name would suggest, it was a colorless, odorless, and airborne poison that liquefied the bones and rotted the flesh if it was breathed in. It only took a short time for her victim to melt into a fleshy puddle. Her ability to kill invisibly was why she came to be known as Lady Poison.

Lady Poison had poisoned Ye Qing with the Bone Melter while he was killing Yan Yuming. She believed that there was no way he would notice as he was distracted. Once he was dead, she would speak with the patriarch of the Zheng Clan, Zheng Feng and request that he rewarded her for taking revenge for Yan Tieyi.

Zheng Feng and Yan Tieyi were sworn brothers and incredibly close. It was natural that he would want to take revenge for Yan Tieyi. He would surely reward her handsomely once he had taken over the Iron Shirt Gang. With luck, he might even make her a Hallmaster.

Of course, the plan hinged on the fact that Ye Qing did not notice the poisoning… and he did.

I need to run!

That was the only thought in Lady Poison's mind even as she frantically backed away from Ye Qing. However, she hadn't even moved three meters away from her original location when the air around her abruptly hardened like it was a solid object. She could still move, but she might as well be immobile at the pace she was going.

"Ahhhh! I will kill you even if it's the last thing I do!" Lady Poison screamed, knowing that it was do or die. Without hesitation, she discharged a cold, dark green true qi that spread to the surroundings in just an instant. Greenish flames crackled within the true qi, and the plants within the main hall withered in the blink of an eye.

Everyone except Ye Qing backed away from the true qi in an instant. Those who had seen the art in action before immediately recognized it as the Green Phosphorus Art. In essence, the Green Phosphorus Art was a poisonous gas made of dozens of deadly poisons. When mixed with true qi, it would create a phosphorus flame that was highly toxic. Anyone who touched the sparks would immediately catch the poison and fall dead in a very short time, and as the practitioner of the art, Lady Poison could spread the poison gas with her true qi and poison everyone and everything within a certain range.

"Oooh, a fellow flame practitioner?"

Ye Qing paid the phosphorus flames no heed, however. He simply raised his left hand and unleashed the Netherflame. Not only did Lady Poison's true qi caught on fire as soon as the Netherflame made contact with it, the Netherflame easily overwhelmed—no, devoured the phosphorus flame and advanced quickly toward Lady Poison.

Bang bang bang!

Knowing that her life was in grave danger, Lady Poison immediately detonated the pimples and warts covering her whole body. As it turned out, the pimples were hiding many insects that looked like winged centipedes, and they all flew toward Ye Qing from multiple directions.

"You were raising these bugs with your own flesh? Isn't that a little too much?"

Ye Qing narrowed his eyes a little and clenched his left fist. The Netherflame descended on top of the centipede swarm and turned them to ash without a sound.

"Ahhh… my Phosphorus Centipedes!" Lady Poison screeched in pain and sorrow, but she didn't dare to linger for even a second longer. She immediately made a run for the exit. However, she stiffened yet again after she took her first step, and it was a different sensation from last time. If it felt like she was wading through extremely hard water before, now her entire body was stiff to the point it felt like full-body paralysis. She couldn't see her own face, but her complexion had turned bluish black.

Poison? Am I poisoned?

The thought flitted across Lady Poison's mind. Then, her consciousness blurred, and she abruptly collapsed on the floor.

It's too—

She couldn't even form a full thought before she died.

Lady Poison had poisoned countless people her entire life, and in the end, it was a poison that took her life. It was terribly ironic to put it mildly.

"I gave you an out, and you still chose this path. Some people just can't be helped." Ye Qing let out a soft sigh before snapping his fingers. A wisp of Netherflame landed on Lady Poison's corpse and turned it into ash in an instant. With that done, he clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and said,

"Well, it's unfortunate we have to lose another one of our members, but I am glad that the rest of you are intelligent people!"

He smiled, but it only left the attendees feeling chilled to the core.

"Hallmaster Ruan, you're one of the three Keepers now. Congratulations!"

"R-Right! Thanks, boss!" Ruan Hongluo was caught off guard at first, but happiness quickly took over when she realized she had been promoted.

Before Ye Qing left, he swept his gaze across the hall one last time and said, "I said this before, and I'm going to say it one more time. What happened within these walls stays within these walls, understand?"

"As you command!"

Behind him, everyone bowed toward him and answered as respectfully as they could!

...

Qiao Residence, Rainflower Rest.

"How unexpected. I thought you didn't have time for my humble abode?"

Qiao Six was sitting at his usual seat and cooking a pot of tea. He looked a lot more relaxed and carefree compared to the last time he saw him.

"Well, I can't leave my brother alone for long, can I?" Ye Qing answered smilingly while sitting opposite of the information broker.

"And you are… Tao Xian, the Sick Scholar?!" Qiao Six looked at the sick-looking man standing behind Ye Qing with a look of obvious puzzlement. "It's only been a few days. When did you join the Iron Shirt Gang, Joyless?"

Ye Qing shook and nodded his head in succession. "I didn't join the Iron Shirt Gang, but the Iron Shirt Gang belongs to me."

"Okay, my age must be catching up to me, because that sentence makes no sense to me at all!" Qiao Six shook his head wistfully while rubbing his fingers across a tea cup.

Tao Xian chose this moment to speak up, "Don't you get it yet, Master Six? Boss Ye has become the leader of our Iron Shirt Gang!"

"What?" Qiao Six exclaimed in disbelief. Beside him, Hong Yu was so stunned that her hands shook, and she accidentally spilled some tea across the table. A refreshing scent filled the pavilion quickly.

"If you're the boss, then what happened to Yan Tieyi?" Zuo Yiyan blurted.

Ye Qing sipped his tea and closed his eyes in satisfaction. "What else? I killed him, of course!"

Qiao Six took a moment to steady himself before asking seriously, "You're not kidding me, are you? What the hell happened in the past few days?"

Ye Qing shrugged. "I'm serious! Yan Tieyi tried to kill me, so I killed him in return. After that, I procured his gang as compensation!"

"That… that's it?" Qiao Six just could not believe it. Iron Shirt Yan was one of the most prominent warriors in Anyang, and not even he was a match for that old man. Now, Ye Qing was telling him that he was dead, and he was the one who did it.

Even knowing what he did, Qiao Six could scarcely believe his own ears.

Ye Qing pulled back his left sleeve to reveal the Blue Demon Hand. He said casually, "I don't know what you were expecting, but it really is that simple."

"That's Yan Tieyi's Blue Demon Hand!" Qiao Six blurted. As the greatest information broker in Anyang, of course he knew a thing or two about Iron Shirt Yan's Strange Artifact. He fell silent for a long time before sighing, "If the Blue Demon Hand fell into your hands, then Yan Tieyi must be dead! Joyless, you… you are the living proof that the young always surpasses the old!"

Qiao Six already knew that Ye Qing was extremely strong, but to be so strong as to kill Yan Tieyi with the Blue Demon Hand equipped? Right now, the young man could probably crush him like a bug if he wanted to.

The information broker could not help but praise himself for making the right choice a few days ago. Had he chosen to fight Ye Qing to the death, the grass before his tombstone would nearly be a meter tall by now.

"You flatter me!" Ye Qing replied lazily while crossing his legs.

"That said, this business isn't over yet, Joyless. You might have killed Yan Tieyi and controlled the Iron Shirt Gang, but you still have to watch out for—"

"Zheng Feng, right?"

"That's right!"

By now Qiao Six had regained his calm, and he did not hesitate to warn Ye Qing, "Yan Tieyi once saved Zheng Feng's life, so they are closer than many blood brothers are! Zheng Feng will come after you for killing his sworn brother!"

Ye Qing did not panic, however. He said, "I know. That's why I came to visit you today, Brother Six!"

"I'm sorry?" Qiao Six's expression immediately turned wary. "What are you scheming? I'm just a businessman, you bastard! I can't possibly help you with this matter!"

Ye Qing rolled his eyes at him. "You wound my soul, brother. But don't worry, I'm not asking you to shield me from the Zheng Clan or something. I'm here to make a deal with you!"

"Okay. Tell me!"

Ye Qing sat up straight and turned serious. "Before I get to that, I want you to know that Zheng Feng is going to die no matter what. There is nothing in the world that will change that fact. Of course, I'm aware of your position, so I won't ask you to help me kill Zheng Feng. I'd rather do this myself anyway."

"I came here today because I have one, and only one question to ask you: are you interested in the Zheng Clan's assets and businesses? Of course, I mean after the guy's dead."

"What difference does my answer make?" Qiao Six replied unhurriedly.

"If you're interested, I'll take seventy percent of the cake and share the rest with you. If not, then this meeting has never happened!" Ye Qing proposed. "There are no free lunches in this world, but this is as free as it gets, brother. You best think carefully before you give me your answer."

"Free lunch? More like a high rank cultivation art that's missing a few key pages!" Qiao Six retorted while shaking his head.

"Is that so? Should I take that as a no then, brother?" Ye Qing asked with a half-smirk. He did not seem to be worried in the slightest.

"I never said that!" Qiao Six quickly changed his tune and said, "I think the profits could be distributed a little more evenly though. What if I claim seventy percent of the cake, and the rest goes to you?"

"Do you have no shame? Fine, I suppose I can make a compromise and give you forty percent of the cake."

"One must keep clear accounts even with their own brother, am I right? But since you're willing to compromise, I suppose I can take a step back as well. How does fifty-fifty sound?"

"It sounds fantastic. Are we in agreement?"

"We are. A pleasure to work with you!"

...

"You look puzzled, Tao Xian. Are you wondering why I gave up half of our cake for free?"

Tao Xian had been looking weird since they left the Qiao residence. He clearly wanted to ask a question but was afraid he would earn Ye Qing's wrath, so Ye Qing did the asking for him.

"That's right!" Tao Xian said immediately. "He doesn't even need to lift a finger to get half of the profits! How is this fair?"

"Heh. It only looks unfair because you aren't looking at the bigger picture, and you're wrong when you say that Qiao Six wouldn't need to work for it," Ye Qing replied calmly. "The thing is, the Iron Shirt Gang cannot eat up the Zheng Clan by ourselves. The Zheng Clan is a powerful clan that has rooted itself in Anyang for years. Their wellbeing is tied to many other forces and people's wellbeing."

"If I kill Zheng Feng, and the Iron Shirt Gang lays claim to all the wealth they possess, it is inevitable that we will damage some people's interests and earn their hatred. We will also give off the impression that we are excessively greedy. Once the Iron Shirt Gang has become the target of everyone's ire, we will be hindered every step of the way."

Tao Xian dipped his head and mulled over Ye Qing's words. A long time later, he slowly nodded in understanding.

"That is why Qiao Six said that my offer is like a high rank cultivation art that's missing a few key pages. Everyone wants a high rank cultivation art, but the fact that it's missing key pages means that it's highly risky to practice. If you're skilled and knowledgeable enough to figure out those pages by yourself, then good for you. But what if you're not? You're going to suffer a deviation at best or die at worst, and your enemies are only all too happy to take advantage of your downfall."

"If you can't have something all by yourself, then you might as well share it. In this case, I decided that Qiao Six is an excellent partner to share this pie with. In terms of connections, there's no one who is more connected than our so-called 'omniscient' information broker. Qiao Six's connections will make our wrongdoers at least think twice before they decide to target us. and we would not have to bear everyone's ire by ourselves."

"In fact, I would 'accidentally' miss out between ten to fifteen percent of our share when it is time to bribe the hyenas to look the other way. I guarantee you that Qiao Six will be plotting the same thing. This way, we will still get the lion's share of the cake, but no one will hate us for it."

"You are as wise as you are strong, boss!" Tao Xian praised him from the bottom of his heart.

"It's not that complicated, really. Greed is good, but too much greed is only going to cost you everything!" Ye Qing smiled.

"I shall strive to remember your lesson!" Tao Xian saluted Ye Qing before asking, "By the way, Lu Yongzhi is in our custody, boss. What should we do with him?"

Ye Qing replied, "Have Yi Jun interrogate him and find out who was the one who hired Yan Tieyi to kill me. Also, check if he wishes to switch loyalties. If he answers honestly and agrees to switch loyalty, then I don't mind welcoming him back to the Iron Shirt Gang. If not, you can just kill him. I'm pretty sure I already figured out who's the one who set Yan Tieyi on me anyway."

"As you command!"

"One last thing. I want you to pay the Zheng Clan a visit and invite Zheng Feng to a meeting. Tell him that Yan Tieyi has something to discuss with him!"