Chapter Twenty-Three: Qin Qing’s Blade

I landed the strike and immediately let go of the blade handle, retreating several meters to a relatively safe position.

Once the zombie I had run through collapsed, its clothes and flesh began to turn to sand at a visible speed. Within moments, nothing remained but a pile of human-shaped yellow sand.

Qin Yun looked at her severed arm and muttered to herself, "How unlucky. I'll have to spend a long time healing this."

She pointed to her own chest. "Yuan Zheng, you stabbed me in the heart; I will remember you. When we meet again, you will have to heal this knife wound in my heart."

I frowned, caught off guard. What exactly did she mean by that? Was it a grudge? Somehow, it didn't feel like one. I had the lingering sensation that there was a hidden meaning behind her words, yet I couldn't discern her true intent. All I could do was watch as she retreated toward the edge of the cavern and vanished into the rock wall.

Although Qin Yun was gone, a red silhouette remained on the stone face. Was she showing me that image on purpose? And why would she willingly abandon the physical body she had fought so hard to seize?

I turned my head and saw that the body left on the ground had already had its throat torn out by a white fox. The fox wiped the blood from its mouth and spoke in Old Man Hu's voice, "Young Master San, forgive me, but I had no choice."

I said coldly, "By 'no choice,' do you mean betraying my location, or killing Qin Yun's physical body?"

Old Man Hu sighed. "Both."

"I am the last king of the Three Ridge Mountains, and I must be responsible for my fellow practitioners here. As for killing Qin Yun, I feared she would reclaim the body. The Mountain Dog’s secret treasure can only be used by the living; if we let her return, we would all face annihilation. My actions were dishonorable, Young Master San. Whether you wish to punish me or strike me, I will accept it without complaint."

Old Man Hu was surprisingly forthright. Had he tried to quibble or make excuses, I wouldn't have let the matter slide so easily. But because he owned his actions, my anger dissipated.

I picked up the dagger that had pierced the zombie. "Increase the commission by thirty percent, and handle the aftermath of this mess for me."

"Thank you!" Old Man Hu stood up and bowed with both hands joined. "We accept your favor, Young Master San. From now on, if you have any business in the Northeast, our Immortal Clan will be at your beck and call."

One couldn't take Old Man Hu's words entirely at face value. The Immortal Clan prioritized avoiding misfortune, and their methods were generally moderate. If I asked them for small favors, I didn't want to keep owing them; if I asked for something major, they might not be willing to help.

I raised the dagger. "I'm taking this. You don't mind, do you?"

"It is only right," Old Man Hu nodded. "Anything you, Young Master San, have won belongs to you."

He knew I was just being polite. Besides, the dagger was of little use to them, and since I hadn't taken the Mountain Dog's mountain-splitting axe, I was effectively splitting the spoils with them. He had no reason to offend me over a single dagger.

I discarded my ordinary short blade and used its sheath to protect the dagger for the time being, then asked, "Where did this dagger come from?"

Old Man Hu shook his head. "I have no idea. I have never heard of any expert from beyond the Three Ridges ever visiting these mountains."

I frowned, searching the cavern for a long time, but found no further clues. I simply took Qin Yun's corpse, left the cave, found a spot with good feng shui, and dug a hole to bury her.

As I was filling the pit with dirt, Old Man Hu, standing beside me, whispered, "Qin Qing is here."

Even without his warning, I could hear someone approaching quietly from behind. Although the person was suppressing their breath and trying to stifle their murderous intent, they were no veteran of the underworld; they couldn't keep their heart as still as water before killing. The murderous aura that arrived with the footsteps was impossible to miss.

At that moment, I wondered what was going through Qin Qing's mind. He clearly knew his sister’s death had nothing to do with me, yet he insisted on pinning the blame on me. Was he just banking on me being too soft-hearted?

When Qin Qing came within three meters, he let out a strange cry and raised an axe toward the back of my head. The force of the strike clearly intended to split my skull in two. I turned around casually, blocked his arm, and tossed him into the pit.

Qin Qing scrambled up, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at me. "Yuan Zheng, you killed my sister! You will die a miserable death!"

I squatted by the edge of the pit and asked slowly, "You know perfectly well how she died. Why must you persist in targeting me?"

Old Man Hu sneered, "Isn't it obvious?"

"His parents are dead, his sister is dead; he certainly looks pathetic enough. He lacks the power to take revenge, and he doesn't dare to try, so he just wants a target to vent his frustration on. Neither the spirits that ate his parents nor we of the Immortal Clan are people he can afford to provoke. But you are different. You are a practitioner, yet you live in the mortal world. At the very least, on the surface, you have to follow the laws of society. Qin Qing doesn't believe you would dare to kill him."

"Understood," I nodded.

Qin Qing shrieked, "Yuan Zheng, just you wait! As soon as I get down this mountain, I'm going to report you. I’ll make sure you end up in jail!"

I looked at him with a faint, mocking smile. "What are you going to report me for?"

"For murder!" Qin Qing pointed at the corpse. "You killed my sister!"

"She was killed by a beast!" On the surface, I was arguing with Qin Qing, but I had already decided he had to die. This person could not be left alive.

Qin Qing said coldly, "If you didn't kill her, why bury the body? Just wait until you—"

Before he could finish the word "jail," a fox lunged out from nearby and bit his throat. In his agony, Qin Qing instinctively grabbed the fox and ripped it away. Although he threw the fox aside, he tore a chunk of flesh from his own throat in the process.

Blood spurted from his throat like a fountain, and he clutched his neck as he collapsed into the pit. His mouth opened and closed as if trying to call for help, but no sound came out.

Old Man Hu said coldly, "Young Master San, we will take care of this person for you. Consider it returning a favor."

Before I could offer a polite response, Qin Qing's ghost stood up from the pit. "Yuan Zheng, do you think I won't report you just because I'm dead? I couldn't report you in the world of the living, but in the underworld, I will still see you judged!"

"If someone is a fool in life, they're a fool in death," I said, rubbing my temples. "Since you're handling it, finish it properly. I can't even be bothered to kill this guy myself."

I turned and walked away. Old Man Hu said coldly, "Do it."

As Qin Qing's screams echoed from behind me, a burst of green fire erupted from the pit.

Old Man Hu kept his promise, giving me a small box of gold bars, while the remaining thirty percent of the commission was paid in aged wild ginseng.