Chapter 17: Striking Stone with an Egg

Before anyone could see how he started, Xie Jinhuan, standing by the carriage, launched from his spot, instantly crossing three zhang!

Lin Wanyi was still urgently thinking about what to do when her peripheral vision caught a black afterimage carrying a streak of cold light flashing past Fu Dongping's side.

By the time they saw clearly, the figure had already stopped by the stable, holding the Zhenglun Sword inverted in his left hand, with ink-green blade rolling down blood droplets!

Fu Dongping was no amateur, but with his executioner's sword only two inches out of its sheath, poised in a forward-step draw stance, his entire body had already frozen in place.

Drip, drop, drip, drop...

Blood droplets splattered, and a pool of blood gradually appeared on the ground!

The large courtyard fell silent; the market manager who had run over from afar to check the situation, even Lin Wanyi and Jia Zheng, all stood frozen in place, eyes full of confusion.

After pausing for an instant, Xie Jinhuan spun his left hand, flourishing a sword flower:

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~

Clang—

The three-foot green blade returned to its sheath in the blink of an eye!

"You can't even draw your sword, yet you dare enter the Jianghu to make a fool of yourself?"

Thud~

Fu Dongping, holding the executioner's sword with both hands, stumbled one step and knelt on both knees; looking down, one could see blood gushing like a spring from his left rib, his waist and abdomen directly sliced off by a single sword strike, his expression utterly bewildering.

He lifted his sword, trying to struggle to his feet, but with his waist and abdomen sliced to pieces, how could he exert any combat power? He desperately propped himself up with the executioner's sword, twitched, and then collapsed back to the ground.

Jia Zheng, who had been on high alert, initially thought this well-dressed Young Master was a gigolo hired by the family head; discovering the assassin had vanished in an instant, his eyes turned to shock, thinking:

What's going on here?

He's dead just like that?

It was only at this moment that Lin Wanyi realized this ferocious-looking assassin was gone just like that; seeing this fluid sword-sheathing move, her heart skipped a beat, and she murmured silently:

So handsome!

No wonder martial artists are the least useful among the Five Great Sects, and swordsmen are the least capable among martial artists; yet young ladies and wives still prefer swordsmen, for when they show off their coolness, they simply surpass everyone in the world by a realm.

Judging by this terrifying sword speed and the air of effortless ease, he probably possesses the level of a Rank 4 martial artist.

Without using a Dragon Blood Pill to solidify his physique, he's already this terrifying; if he had solidified it, wouldn't he have directly entered Rank 3...

Oh my god, a Rank 3 martial artist at twenty years old; if the Pill King discovered this, wouldn't he kneel and beg Xie Jinhuan to be his son-in-law...

Wait, with this strength, why did I set a three-year deadline?

Three months would be enough...

Lin Wanyi realized she had vastly underestimated the Double-Headed Dragon's strength, setting the deadline far too long, and felt extremely regretful in her heart!

Xie Jinhuan didn't waste much time; sheathing his sword, he squatted in front and rummaged through Fu Dongping's body:

"Speak! Who sent you?!"

Fu Dongping lay on the ground, his body twitching uncontrollably; unable to struggle to his feet, facing Xie Jinhuan's questioning, he remained tough until the end, gritting his teeth and saying:

"Jianghu rules, I can't disclose... Ah—!"

A scream of agony echoed through the large courtyard.

Xie Jinhuan held the Tiangang Mace, jammed it into the wound in his waist and abdomen, scooped out his intestines, and held them up before Fu Dongping's face:

"People of the Jianghu should die with dignity; I'm not a righteous hero. If you say another word, I'll cut off your second brother, stuff it in your mouth, and make you truly famous throughout the Jianghu. Will you speak or not?"

?

Jia Zheng, who had originally wanted to step forward to help, was so startled by this demonic-like conduct that he retreated, his eyes filled with horror.

Lin Wanyi also instantly came to her senses; even as a demoness of the Wu Sect, she quickly turned her head away, thinking silently—Is this really a weapon skilled in battle?!

Fu Dongping had killed as many as he had, but he truly never expected that this seemingly upright son of a County Commandant would use such vicious methods, and do so with an unchanging face as if it were a daily routine.

Perhaps thinking this madman would truly commit such demonic acts, Fu Dongping's toughness vanished instantly; biting through a mouthful of blood, he responded:

"It... it was a mysterious person. He said you overturned his warehouse yesterday, causing him to lose his goods..."

"Me?"

Xie Jinhuan's cold expression froze for a moment; he had thought it was a simple business rivalry killing, but only now did he realize this assassin was actually targeting him!

Are these demons and bandits insane?

He killed three fierce bandits, including Chen Yuan, just yesterday; today they sent such a small fry to retaliate?

Could it be they don't know the warehouse situation...

If they don't know the situation, how did they know his location?

He only got out of prison last night...

Xie Jinhuan's head was full of question marks; he wanted to ask more carefully, but unfortunately, he thought this was a small thief sent to assassinate Lin Wanyi, so his strike was too ruthless, leaving no time for much interrogation.

Fu Dongping's waist and abdomen were sliced to pieces, his intestines scooped out; there was no way to survive. After struggling a few times, his breath ceased.

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan could only quickly rummage through his body.

But apart from a huge sum of three hundred taels, Fu Dongping's body held only a used small black bottle.

Xie Jinhuan took the small black bottle, looked at it, discovered it was for holding poison, and turned back to ask:

"Really no antidote? What should we do?"

Lin Wanyi was an heir of the Gu Du Pai, capable of refining poison herself; poisoning her was no different than throwing a meat bun at a dog.

However, it wasn't good to show off under the bright daylight; she leaned against the carriage, her face flushed red, sweat rolling down her forehead:

"It's fine, I have my own way to detoxify. Jia Zheng, go quickly to report to the authorities. Xie Jinhuan, take me back to the medical hall first."

How could Jia Zheng dare to delay? He immediately ran to call the officials.

Xie Jinhuan tossed the empty black bottle aside, tucked away the sudden windfall, and returned to Lin Wanyi's side.

Because the carriage was full of poison powder, it couldn't be driven; he lifted Lin Wanyi in his arms, randomly hijacked a carriage, and headed toward the Lin Family Medical Hall:

"Will we make it in time? Or should we find a medical hall nearby?"

Lin Wanyi was carried in the princess hold, her face instantly flushing crimson, but now was no time to discuss propriety between men and women.

"I'm a disciple of the Gu Du Pai—I can metabolize it myself. Just find me a quiet place to rest."

Xie Jinhuan said nothing more upon seeing this, whipping the carriage back along their path, but after traveling a short distance, he realized they were near the Academy; his home was right ahead, so he directly turned into Wencheng Street.

Gulu gulu…

Lin Wanyi's meridians were completely blocked; her arms bore faint bruises that quickly faded as she silently cultivated to suppress the poison—when suddenly the carriage halted. Xie Jinhuan lifted her into Qingquan Alley and leapt over a courtyard wall.

Lin Wanyi blinked in surprise. "Why are you here? The clinic is still ahead…"

"This is my home."

"Ah?"

Xie Jinhuan leapt over Qingquan Alley's roof and landed within a two-court compound, carrying Lin Wanyi into the main chamber of the inner courtyard.

Lin Wanyi glanced around in disbelief—she had never imagined this bachelor lived in a mansion worth its weight in gold.

But she asked no further questions now. Placed upon the bed, she propped herself up, sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and began metabolizing the poison.

The poison was too potent—her entire body was drenched in sweat, her jet-black hair clung to her cheeks, her dewy skin flushed like an apple, her robes stuck to her form, revealing her lush, graceful curves.

Xie Jinhuan had intended to leave, but feared she might die; he sat instead on the stool beside the bed, watching her complexion closely.

Huh huh~

As Lin Wanyi settled into meditation, faint white mist rose from her coiled hairpin; though her supple skin occasionally darkened with bruises, they vanished swiftly.

Between her stacked palms, a faint emerald flame flickered, threads of black vapor oozing from her palms and merging into it, then dissolving entirely.

Xue Ning San was extremely potent—it could coagulate blood and cause systemic thrombosis; ordinary people died instantly upon exposure. But Lin Wanyi's condition suggested she could handle it without issue.

After observing for a moment, Xie Jinhuan quietly exhaled in relief, picked up Meiqiu as a pillow, and began squeezing and squishing her to pass the time…

——

Meanwhile, at the County Commandant's government office.

Due to recent rumors of a "Super-Class Demon Beast," all government office Runners had been ordered to patrol outside; the compound itself had grown eerily quiet.

Linghu Qingmo, clad in a snow-white gown, her coldly beautiful face veiled, stood at the morgue's entrance, frowning as she watched the coroner examine the corpse. With no results after a full night, she drifted into thought, recalling her clash with Xie Jinhuan yesterday.

Though he had touched her chest, her mind had gone blank at the time—she couldn't even say how it felt, only that it was strange.

Now that she reflected on it, she regretted squeezing his chest in retaliation.

After all, when he squeezed her, she suffered the loss; when she squeezed a man's chest, wasn't she still the one who lost?

But she'd already squeezed it—might as well call it an eye for an eye…

……

The corpse on the slab had been fished from the river, soaked for who-knew-how-long, then stored in the morgue for five or six days—it had swollen and rotted into a bloated giant, unrecognizable in face, even in gender.

Liu Qingzhi, though accustomed to corpses, was thoroughly nauseated; he stood behind with cotton stuffed in his nose and urged:

"My lord, you're injured—go rest. Even if this corpse is tied to the demon bandits, we won't find anything. The elders of Danwang Ge have already inspected it."

Linghu Qingmo knew the Wang Fu elders had found nothing, but this corpse clearly linked to the demon bandits; even if no clues emerged, she had to determine the cause of death. With no other leads, what if this was the breakthrough?

Linghu Qingmo couldn't perform an autopsy. After watching a moment without insight, she asked:

"Are you certain Xie Jinhuan's father died in the line of duty?"

Liu Qingzhi shook his head with a sigh. "The Chi Lin Guard personally verified it—no error possible. Little Xie is a tragic soul—his mother passed early, his father is gone; now he's alone. But as long as he lives, his ancestors' loyalty to the state will grant him preferential treatment in official advancement."

Linghu Qingmo had truly not realized yesterday how bleak Xie Jinhuan's background was—but given such hardship, his current martial prowess made sense.

Any young man whose closest kin had been slain by demons would risk everything to cultivate, vowing to exterminate all evil in the world!

As they discussed this, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the government office.

Tap tap tap…

Linghu Qingmo turned her head and saw Yang Dabiao sprinting in, beaming:

"My lord! Another death on Jinmen Street!"

??

So delighted was his tone that every government office Runner, coroner, and Linghu Qingmo turned to stare—clearly thinking: Are you mad?

So many cases already—and you're smiling because someone died?

Linghu Qingmo's expression darkened. "Yang Dabiao, have you not slept?"

"No no no."

Yang Dabiao, still elated, stepped forward to explain:

"Fu Dongping—the notorious bandit we've hunted for half a month—was publicly murdered. The killer? My brother Xie Jinhuan. He cut him open so satisfyingly, his intestines spilled out. That dog deserved to rot on the street…"

Hearing the bandit was dead, Linghu Qingmo quietly exhaled in relief. After a moment's thought, she asked:

"Wasn't Xie Jinhuan under house arrest? How did he encounter Fu Dongping on Jinmen Street?"

"Uh…"

Yang Dabiao looked awkward, stammering an excuse:

"He had a headache this morning, went to the Lin family clinic. Probably because he's too handsome—he accompanied Physician Lin on a stroll, and the demon bandits hired assassins to retaliate…"

Linghu Qingmo, hearing the demon bandits were involved, immediately grew serious and moved toward the door:

"Why didn't you say so sooner? Is Xie Jinhuan injured?"

Yang Dabiao spread his hands. "My lord, you're overestimating Fu Dongping. Even you couldn't withstand one strike—how could he even brush Xie Jinhuan's sleeve?"

"…."

Linghu Qingmo realized he was right, then muttered strangely:

"Did the demon bandits lose their minds? Hire a nobody like this to kill Xie Jinhuan?"

"I think they meant to poison him. When that failed, they switched to blades. Xie Jinhuan's fine, but Physician Lin seems to have been poisoned…"

"Where are they?"

"Back to Green Spring Lane; I was just about to go check..."

"Liu Qingzhi, bring the antidote."

"Yes."

—

Indeed, the backlog is running low!

(End of this chapter)