Chapter 100: Your Life Points, I Accept
The woman in the black skirt ran ahead.
The man in white chased behind her.
Mu Qingtong stopped helplessly and turned around. "Why are you following me?"
"What do you mean? Is this road owned by your family?" Xia Feng carried the Ancient Warblade and raised his chin.
"Chen Xingdao said to disperse."
"You don't seem to want me to follow you?"
"Chen Xingdao said, disperse!"
Seeing Mu Qingtong's dismissive attitude, Xia Feng narrowed his dark eyes suspiciously. "You don't actually plan to assassinate Gongsun Ze, do you?"
Mu Qingtong smiled faintly. "Not stupid."
With that, she turned to leave.
"Oh my god! You're serious?" Xia Feng was stunned. This woman truly held grudges—and acted on them without hesitation.
He quickly followed. "Wait, wait!"
"What now?" Mu Qingtong shot him a sharp glance. "Trying to stop me again?"
"No. Gongsun Ze deserves to die." Xia Feng sighed. "But before you take revenge, there's someone else you need to kill."
"Someone else?" Mu Qingtong frowned.
"According to reliable information, an organization is abducting noble daughters from District 51—and you're one of their targets."
Xia Feng briefly explained No. 17's plan.
"So you're saying an organization called [Garden] is kidnapping noble daughters?"
"I don't know if they're called Garden, but the guy codenamed Octopus mentioned orders from the 'Garden bigwigs.'"
After hearing this, Mu Qingtong lowered her gaze and fell silent.
Xia Feng noticed her reaction and raised an eyebrow. "You seem to know what Garden is?"
"Let's go." Mu Qingtong took a step forward, her voice icy. "We'll kill the Octopus first."
"Hey! Wrong way—it's this direction."
...
"Sixty! Sixty!"
In the dark forest, a black-robed man muttered excitedly, repeating the number like a chant. "Sixty. Sixty."
"Tsk~ I hope that fool No. 11 keeps his word and actually shows up." He grinned in anticipation.
Once he killed the gullible No. 11, he'd hunt down Mu Qingtong. Perfect.
"The higher-ups only said to capture Mu Qingtong alive. They never said I couldn't have some fun with her first." The black-robed man licked his lips.
"Tonight's going to be glorious." Suppressing his excitement, he quickened his pace.
Soon, he reached his destination.
Pushing through the undergrowth, he spotted a figure in a black robe wearing the No. 11 mask.
No. 11 sat lazily on a boulder, idly twirling a branch.
"Really… that stupid?" No. 17 nearly laughed aloud. He'd prepared for a trap, but No. 11 was genuinely this naive.
Approaching slowly, he smirked. "Long live Burning Heaven."
"…?" Xia Feng paused, then quickly responded, "Long live Burning Heaven!"
The phrase was a customary greeting among Burning Heaven Temple devotees—a fact drilled into textbooks. Xia Feng had memorized it long ago but never expected to use it.
So No. 17 and the original No. 11 were both Burning Heaven members?
Xia Feng's mind raced. Thirty-seven players joined the Life Roulette Game, yet two were from Burning Heaven. Did that mean the organization had a way to force entry?
The moonless sky left the forest in darkness, save for the faint glow of a firefly tree nearby. Its light stretched their shadows long across the ground.
Xia Feng studied No. 17's shadow—just a hair's breadth from merging with a branch's shadow, which in turn overlapped with his own.
No. 17's strength was Level 2. Dealing with him wouldn't be hard, but noise was a risk. In such a confined space, even a slight disturbance could draw unwanted attention.
A swift, silent kill would be best.
Though No. 17 approached, he remained cautious. Chuckling from a safe distance, he called out to Xia Feng, "Owl, since we've met—do you know which direction the great star Mu went? Earlier, I noticed her heading this way."
Seeing No. 17 halt, Xia Feng raised his eyes with a smile. From behind the boulder, he lifted a black-clad woman into view. "No need to search. I've already caught her."
As he spoke, Xia Feng patted Mu Qingtong's supple cheek teasingly. "You know what? This little beauty is quite pretty~"
In Xia Feng's arms, the "unconscious" Mu Qingtong lay still—her eyelashes fluttering faintly, lips rosy as she breathed evenly, showing no reaction to his provocation.
A cold female voice warned in Xia Feng's mind: "Try moving again."
Xia Feng arched a brow. Gripping her delicate jaw, he tilted her face side to side. "Tsk tsk~ Look at this lovely head. Perfect for chopping off and using as a chamber pot~"
No. 17 stared at the beautiful captive, his pupils dilating behind the mask. Shock twisted into frenzied glee.
"Well done, Owl!"
Ecstatic, he rushed toward the seemingly defenseless Xia Feng, his grin turning predatory. "But tonight, this little beauty belongs to me!"
Thud—
The moment his boast left his lips, his charge ended abruptly—his body collapsing mid-step.
Scrambling up in panic, he gaped at Xia Feng in horror. Behind his cracked mask, the whites of his eyes had blackened, pupils reforming into a disintegrating golden cross. Clawing at his skull, he unleashed a bestial shriek:
"NO!!!"
Mu Qingtong's spirit weapon + Blood Beast Shadow—Xia Feng's favored combo. Efficient. Convenient.
He'd used it to instantly kill Li Siwen, Liszt's son.
But No. 17 was different. A Level 2 spiritual master with fortified mental defenses, his resilience was abnormal. Mu Qingtong's control lasted barely a second at most.
Yet even that sliver of time was invaluable.
Blood Beast Shadow required two conditions: static shadows and a mentally vulnerable target. Normally, high mental resistance could repel the beast's corruption.
But now? No. 17's mind was wholly occupied resisting Mu Qingtong's domination—leaving nothing to fend off the Blood Beast's soul invasion.
Each time he mustered focus to counter the beast, Mu Qingtong's control yanked his awareness away. The cycle repeated—the beast gnawing deeper with every lapse.
Screams turned guttural as blood seeped from No. 17's eyes. He stared dumbly at the now-standing pair, mouth working soundlessly in a plea that never came.
Then—through the haze of terror—he saw the man approach. A merciless voice drifted down:
"No. 17, your life points... I accept."
(End of Chapter)