Chapter 97: Slaying the Grand Master

Shen Qing's voice echoed throughout the Yuan Mansion.

After all, the people in the Yuan Mansion are just bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong, lording it over ordinary folk day after day, yet cringing and fawning before the White Sand King.

Yet now, facing Shen Qing's overwhelming might, they are even more timid.

Shen Qing steps forward, and the Yuan family members retreat a step.

Of course, there are also the bold ones; a few middle-aged Yuan family members exchange a glance and rush at Shen Qing.

Shen Qing's face remains calm: "Looking for death."

Only see him raise his hand; his true qi sweeps like a blade, cleanly beheading the several Yuan family members who lunged at him.

"Guard Commander Shen truly lives up to the rumors—imposing and unmatched in tyranny."

The voice came from deep within the Yuan Mansion; a white flash flickered by, and an old man in white robes appeared on the roof ahead, smiling broadly.

"I am the White Sand King's third brother, Ruan Ji. Grudges should be settled, not deepened—may I ask for your favor today, and let the matter end here?"

Shen Qing glances at Ruan Ji: "What are you, a scallion? Do I owe you face?"

"Besides, did you run that through your brain?"

Shen Qing said from the start: the Yuan family harbors Wokou pirates and has kidnapped the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

And yet this Ruan Ji actually dares to plead for the Yuan family?

Who would dare to get involved in this mess? Others would flee if they could; yet someone actually tries to worm their way in.

You, Ruan Ji, say this—have you consulted the White Sand King? Go ask him if he dares to say such a thing.

This is tantamount to the emperor wanting to exterminate a man's nine clans; everyone else would desperately try to escape those nine clans.

This Ruan Ji, however, shamelessly sticks his face out, insisting on dragging himself into those nine clans.

Are you afraid you won't die fast enough?

Are you afraid this affair won't implicate the White Sand King?

Ruan Ji's face darkens: "A twenty-year-old Guard Commander sure is imposing! Do you really think you can do whatever you want?"

"Today I'll make you know there are always people stronger than you, and heavens beyond the heavens!"

Saying that, his true qi surged throughout his body; he drew the wolf-tooth club from his waist and leapt high, smashing it toward Shen Qing's head.

Shen Qing glanced at him, raised his hand—a flash of glazed white light flared—and he steadily caught the wolf-tooth club.

"You're even stupider than I imagined."

Before his words finished, in Ruan Ji's horrified gaze the wolf-tooth club shattered into pieces under his grip; the next instant, Shen Qing's overbearing true qi shuddered, blasting the fragments outward, piercing dozens of holes in Ruan Ji's body and ending his foolish life.

Nor can it be said that Shen Qing gave him no chance—he warned him to think before speaking and let him withdraw obediently.

But he didn't withdraw.

This move directly terrified the remaining Yuan family members into stupidity.

Shen Qing also couldn't be bothered with them, instead turning his head toward a direction in the Yuan Mansion.

"Old thing, you've been watching for a while—aren't you coming out yet?"

At this moment Shen Qing's aura has peaked; ordinary Yuan family members can't withstand it and faint dead from fright.

A sigh echoed from deep within the Yuan Mansion as an old man holding an iron rod slowly walked out.

He is the Yuan family's patriarch, Yuan Zhenshan, who has broken through to the Grand Master realm.

"Guard Commander Shen, you have keen eyes."

"I am Yuan Zhenshan; I truly do not wish to offend your Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"I also know that it's Yuan Tai who's colluded with the Wokou—arrest him, and also take Yuan Sheng, who kidnapped the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"I'm offering a large sum of silver to the Guard Command—can we let this matter pass?"

Yuan Zhenshan immediately moved to sever ties.

Obviously, he doesn't grasp that many words bring loss, possibly due to old age and senility.

Doesn't this speech directly expose that he knows the Yuan family are in league with the Wokou and have kidnapped the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Now it's worse—not only did his attempt to cut ties fail, but he also gains the charge of knowing about the crime and failing to report it, abetting criminals.

Shen Qing's lips twitched upward as his right hand gripped the hilt of the Crimson Sky Blade.

"Old thing! So you knew all about this?"

Shen Qing raised his hand and unleashed the Ninefold Thunder Blade.

In an instant, thunder rumbled through the air, lightning flashed, and Shen Qing's blade sent forth a thunder dragon that surged straight at Yuan Zhenshan.

Yuan Zhenshan's face changed; his reaction was a beat slow, but once he realized it he immediately circulated his true qi to block.

Frankly, his motion was quick, but because he didn't react at first he ended up at a disadvantage.

The thunder dragon struck Yuan Zhenshan squarely.

Boom!

He was blasted backward, crashing through wall after wall.

"Shen Qing! You're a Guard Commander at twenty! Where's the dignity of a genius?"

"How dare you sneak‑attack a two‑hundred‑year‑old old man! You bastard!"

Yuan Zhenshan, whose opening move was interrupted by Shen Qing's zero‑frame start, bellowed loudly.

He has wandered the martial world for two hundred years and has never seen a talent like Shen Qing.

He says attack and attacks—giving no preparation time at all!

Yet Shen Qing's speed is extreme—there's no way to block it!

"Old thing, I'm a fifth‑level Master realm cultivator—what's wrong with me sneaking‑attacking a Grand Master like you?"

"Eh?! Why don't you admit that a Grand Master like you was successfully sneak‑attacked by a Master realm cultivator like me? Where's your dignity?"

"Die!"

Shen Qing's verbal skills are vicious, and his hand movements are even faster.

In the midst of speaking, another Ninefold Thunder Blade blasted straight at Yuan Zhenshan.

Being spoken to like that by Shen Qing, and still being successfully ambushed, Yuan Zhenshan's anger rose—he also cared about face.

He let out a low shout: "Wind moves!"

Yuan Zhenshan's iron staff traced a beautiful flourish in the air and came straight down smashing toward Shen Qing.

In the martial world, this saying has always been passed down.

Fists fear the young and strong; staffs fear the old.

That makes sense: the older one is, the more vicious and sinister their staff technique becomes.

But unfortunately, it's useless against Shen Qing.

The next moment, the iron staff slammed straight into the Crimson Void.

With a bang, a huge shockwave erupted, and the Yuan family members on the square were sent flying.

Yuan Zhenshan, at the epicenter of the shockwave, staggered back several steps, his grip on the staff trembling slightly.

This force doesn't seem right.

Shen Qing's expression remained calm: "I ambushed you to end the fight quickly, not because I couldn't beat you without a sneak attack."

"This time I didn't ambush you—do you have any other excuse?"

Yuan Zhenshan's face darkened; these words really were a slap to his face.

He stopped speaking, gripping his staff with both hands and charging again at Shen Qing's Ninefold Thunder Blade.

But at the instant before impact, Yuan Zhenshan suddenly sidestepped, avoiding the Crimson Void's blade, and swung his staff straight at Shen Qing's shoulder, while the Crimson Void darted toward his shoulder.

Sish!

All that could be heard was the sound of flesh tearing, and Shen Qing's blade cleanly severed Yuan Zhenshan's left arm.

Meanwhile, Yuan Zhenshan's iron staff landed precisely on Shen Qing's shoulder.

A ferocious expression appeared on Yuan Zhenshan's face.

"Shen Qing! You are indeed talented! But talents are all arrogant! Haven't you looked into me?"

"I, Yuan Zhenshan, am known in the martial world as the Crushing Qi Staff! Because my staff technique is called the Crushing Qi Eight Trigrams Staff!"

"Anyone struck by it has their true qi halted! And I put my full force into that strike just now—your sea of qi must be shattered by now!"

A glazed white light flashed across Shen Qing's shoulder; he raised his hand and patted off the dust.

"Is my sea of qi shattered? It does feel a bit itchy."

Yuan Zhenshan's face turned ashen; Shen Qing didn't seem to be lying—he really was unharmed!

Did I ruin my own shoulder just to give Shen Qing an itch to scratch?

What a joke!

Yuan Zhenshan snatched up his staff and swung at Shen Qing, but his staff technique had fallen into chaos.

Shen Qing snorted, launched the Ninefold Thunder Blade, seized the opening in his staff technique, and with a single slash sent Yuan Zhenshan flying—the wound deep enough to see bone.

Before Yuan Zhenshan could even hit the ground, the sound of a collapsing mountain rang in the air; Shen Qing unleashed three Mountain-Splitting Fists that slammed into Yuan Zhenshan's chest, caving it in, then flicked his right hand to plant the Crimson Void into the ground, and with his left hand snatched Yuan Zhenshan's iron staff.

Of course, Shen Qing doesn't know staff techniques at all—he just has overwhelming strength.

He simply heaved upward, blasting Yuan Zhenshan high into the sky.

Finally, Shen Qing flicked his right hand, launching three flying daggers wrapped in overbearing true qi straight at Yuan Zhenshan,

two striking the chest and one the head, to finish the job.

With a bang.

Yuan Zhenshan's lifeless body crashed heavily to the ground.

And the paper bearing the words "A mayfly trying to shake a tree—laughable, unaware of its own limits" slowly drifted down from the sky and stuck to Yuan Zhenshan's body.

Shen Qing turned, picked up his own Crimson Void, and a vivid red light flickered in the night, casting an eerie beauty.

"Work done."