Chapter 181: Severe Injury and Intelligence

“What?!”

The hidden figure in the tree froze, his heart pounding in shock.

He never expected someone to suddenly appear beneath his hiding spot, instantly exposing his position with a single voice.

And he hadn’t sensed a thing.

The assassin dared not move a muscle.

He couldn’t tell if Lu Qing had truly discovered him—or was merely bluffing.

Confident in his mastery of stealth techniques, he still clung to a sliver of hope.

But the next moment, he knew he was wrong.

Lu Qing, seeing that the man in the tree still hadn’t emerged after his shout, realized at once: this intruder was no friend.

He looked up.

The tree’s canopy was dense and lush, a thick green dome overhead—no trace of the hidden man could be seen.

But Lu Qing possessed Spirit Soul Power, and had already refined the faint outline of a Spirit Soul Rune. His perception far surpassed that of ordinary Wu Dao Zong Shi.

Even without Xiao Li’s guidance, he could now clearly sense the man’s exact location.

Without hesitation, he pulled a fist-sized stone he’d picked up along the way. With expert throwing technique, he hurled it upward with all his might.

At his current strength, even a common stone could unleash devastating force when accelerated to peak speed.

Boom!

The stone shattered through the treetop like a bullet, tearing open the canopy. Leaves and broken branches exploded into the air as a figure tumbled from the branches, rolled once upon landing, and stood shakily on the ground—arms hanging limply, trembling, eyes wide with shock as he stared at Lu Qing.

Shock at Lu Qing’s ability to actually detect his presence.

And surprise at his ruthless decisiveness.

Wasn’t this young man supposed to be a chivalrous hero, a noble young swordsman?

Why attack so swiftly, without even verifying his identity?

Recalling the moment, the assassin still trembled.

The strike had come too fast. Too precise. He hadn’t had time to dodge—only to endure it.

Now, his arms were numb and throbbing, injured from the impact. It would take at least half a moment to recover.

“Thank the heavens I wore Soft Armor,” he thought, heart racing. “Otherwise, that one blow would’ve shattered both my hands.”

He no longer dared underestimate Lu Qing.

A single stone—ordinary, unremarkable—had carried the force of a Wu Dao Zong Shi’s attack.

This youth was no ordinary Nei Fu Jing cultivator.

And he still couldn’t fathom how Lu Qing had found him.

“Finally decided to come down, huh?” Lu Qing said coolly. “I thought you’d rather die up there than face me.”

Before him stood a young man in tattered cloth robes, ordinary in appearance—just another country boy you’d pass on the road without a second glance.

But Lu Qing didn’t care about his looks.

Qi Sha Lou’s top assassins all mastered the art of body reshaping and facial alteration. If this man was sent by the sect, his current face was almost certainly not his true one.

So Lu Qing activated his Abilities instantly.

A moment later, a deep crimson glow bloomed across the man’s body.

【Lin An: Elite assassin of Qi Sha Lou’s Twelve Heavenly Generals, codename ‘An Ying’.】

【Cultivation: Early Post-Natal Internal Organs Stage, skilled in multiple assassination techniques, particularly stealth.】

【Sent by Qi Sha Lou’s Qi Sha Ling to assassinate you and claim the position of Shang Shier Tian Gang.】

So it was a Qi Sha Lou assassin.

Lu Qing’s eyes turned icy.

Feeling the chill radiating from Lu Qing, An Ying flinched.

But he forced a look of outrage onto his face.

“What do you mean? I was merely resting beneath the tree. How have I offended you? Why would you suddenly attack me? If not for my skills, I’d have been killed without reason!”

Facing An Ying’s feigned indignation, Lu Qing remained expressionless.

He stared at the man.

“Is this all the courage a Qi Sha Lou assassin has? You dared come to kill me. Did you prepare for death?”

An Ying’s heart lurched.

The Qi Sha Ling had only been issued days ago. Yet here, in this remote place, Lu Qing already knew!

How had he received the news?

But he kept up the act, feigning confusion.

“What Qi Sha Lou? Are you mistaken? I’m just passing through. No ill intent at all.”

But Lu Qing saw through the lie.

He no longer cared to play games.

With a single step, the ground erupted beneath him, and he closed the distance in an instant—now standing directly before An Ying.

His right fist clenched, the air crackling as he unleashed a thunderous tiger’s roar, driving forward a devastating Tiger’s Heart Grab aimed straight at the man’s chest.

An Ying felt the sheer power of the blow and froze in terror.

He didn’t know how Lu Qing was so certain—but he knew now wasn’t the time to question.

That punch was lethal. If he showed weakness, he’d be dead on the spot.

No more pretense.

An Ying surged with his inner strength. In his hand, a short blade appeared instantly, thrusting forward to pierce Lu Qing’s fist.

Lu Qing’s punch was terrifying—but An Ying wasn’t defenseless.

The reason? The man had no weapon.

Lu Qing was fighting bare-handed.

An Ying’s blade was coated in poison. A single scratch on the fist would mean death for Lu Qing.

But Lu Qing remained calm.

As the blade neared his fist, he suddenly dropped his shoulder—sidestepping the blade’s path.

Then, with a flick of his fingers, he snapped a single, precise tap against the blade’s surface.

It seemed like a casual motion—but the force was immense.

An Ying’s already wounded arm trembled violently, numb and weak, nearly losing his grip on the sword.

Seizing the opening, Lu Qing shifted his fist into a palm and struck with full force across An Ying’s chest.

A sharp crack rang out—bones shattering.

An Ying’s body flew backward, crashing into a tree ten meters away, shaking loose a storm of leaves before collapsing to the ground—motionless.

One move. One victory.

A Qi Sha Lou Heavenly General, a Nei Fu Jing expert, felled in a single strike.

Yet Lu Qing showed no pride.

He simply flipped his hand, and another stone appeared in his palm.

A sharp whoosh split the air as he threw it—straight at An Ying’s head.

Sure enough, as the stone hurtled toward his skull, An Ying’s body jerked into motion. He dodged, then bolted into the woods—running for his life.

But he hadn’t gone three meters.

Another whoosh—the stone struck him square in the back.

The impact was brutal.

Even with his Soft Armor, An Ying couldn’t endure it.

A geyser of blood erupted from his mouth—mixed with fragments of internal organs.

Thud.

The force was so great, even a Nei Fu Jing cultivator couldn’t survive it.

An Ying’s body collapsed like a torn sack, rolling several times before lying still.

“Don’t pretend to be dead,” Lu Qing said calmly, stepping forward—then stopping seven paces away.

“You’re wearing armor. My strike only disabled you. It won’t kill you.”

An Ying didn’t move.

Lu Qing didn’t react. He simply turned the stone in his hand.

“Guess… can you dodge this one? Can you avoid my next stone?”

“Cough… cough… You’re really cautious,” An Ying said, forcing himself up, half-sitting against a tree, his face pale. “Even now, after all this… you still won’t let your guard down.”

Facing Lu Qing’s cold threat, An Ying knew resistance was pointless.

He let out a bitter laugh.

“Though I hate Qi Sha Lou… I have to admit, you scoundrels are dangerous. In the shadows, you’re hard to avoid. One wrong step, and you’re dead.”

Lu Qing stared at the wounded man, still not approaching.

“You’re quite impressive,” he said. “So young, yet this strong. No wonder Tian Ji Lou ranked you second-ninth on the latest Qian Long Bang.”

An Ying stared at him—like a man staring at a monster.

Earlier, when he’d seen the Qian Long Bang rankings, he’d assumed Lu Qing had earned his place through unparalleled martial talent.

But now he knew: Lu Qing’s martial talent was terrifying.

But his battle sense? Even more so.

That punch… it was unreal.

Even a master of hand-to-hand combat among Wu Dao Zong Shi couldn’t match it.

A Nei Fu Jing beginner, wielding such power—was this even possible?

An Ying felt his entire martial belief beginning to crumble.

And worse—Lu Qing’s mind was as sharp as a blade.

Every attempt to provoke, to lure him into a mistake—failed.

He was harder to outwit than a century-old veteran.

Could this really be just a teenager?

An Ying’s mind spun with disbelief.

“Enough talk,” Lu Qing said, cutting through the silence. “You know why I’m not killing you yet?”

An Ying’s eyes narrowed.

“You want something from me, don’t you?”

An Ying gave a weak, bitter smile.

“Yes,” Lu Qing nodded. “I don’t need much. Tell me the location of your Qi Sha Lou hideouts… and I might let you die with dignity. No pain.”

“…You want to know our hideouts?”

An Ying’s eyes widened—then narrowed, as if a thought struck him.

“You’re not planning to destroy them… are you? You want revenge?”

Lu Qing didn’t answer.

But his calm, unshaken expression was answer enough.

An Ying burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha! So bold! So naive! The young bull charges the lion’s den! No fear, no wisdom—just pride!”

He wiped blood from his lips.

“So? Give me the location—or not?”

“Give it? Of course I will!” An Ying sneered. “You want to die? I’ll be happy to give you the address. But tell me—do you even have the guts to actually go there?”

“You don’t need to provoke me,” Lu Qing replied flatly. “Whether I go or not… you’ll never see it.”

No pretense. No hiding his intent to kill.

An Ying heard it clearly.

He didn’t care.

Lu Qing’s stone had already shattered his internal organs.

He was already dying.

Only the immense vitality of a Nei Fu Jing cultivator kept him alive.

Without legendary healing elixirs, he wouldn’t survive a few days.

Even if Lu Qing let him go, he’d be dead soon.

“Fine,” An Ying said, nodding. “You’ve got courage.”

“Never thought I’d see someone challenge Qi Sha Lou. You’re the first. Lu Qing… you’ve earned your name on the Qian Long Bang.”

Lu Qing said nothing.

He’d realized—this world truly placed immense value on the Qian Long Bang.

No wonder the list had a subtle aura that drew Qi Yun together.

An Ying, now convinced Lu Qing wasn’t bluffing, spoke without hesitation—listing a string of locations.

Lu Qing listened, silently memorizing them.

An Ying watched him, then finally believed: this boy really meant to strike back at Qi Sha Lou.

A thrill surged through him.

He’d spent his life killing—yet felt no loyalty to Qi Sha Lou.

He’d been captured as a child, forced into brutal training, tortured daily.

He hated the cold-blooded organization.

But he’d also known its power.

Even with his hatred, he’d never dared rebel.

Now… seeing someone dare to strike at the beast?

Even if the odds were hopeless, he felt a strange excitement.

Then he added, “The places I told you—those are just minor outposts. Destroying them won’t hurt Qi Sha Lou. They won’t even notice.

But there’s one place… if you destroy that… Qi Sha Lou will be shattered. They’ll be broken.”

He named another location.

And then, with terrifying precision, described every trap, mechanism, and defense system in that stronghold.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end