Chapter 251: The Weight of the Name, Xue the Demon King, and Xue Jing's Promise

Chapter 251: The Weight of the Name, Xue the Demon King, and Xue Jing's Promise

"Who are you?"

Xue Jing looked at the man before him with a hint of suspicion. The man was clad in a black robe and hood, his lower face covered by a mask, obscuring his features.

"Eh... Hey, it's me, Brother Xue," the hooded figure replied, his voice filled with nervous laughter. He slightly lifted the black hood, revealing a pair of reddish eyes with vertical pupils like those of a snake.

Xue Jing tilted his head, feeling that the eyes were somehow familiar, and began searching his memory for a match.

Soon, he found the person he was looking for.

"Snap!"

Without hesitation, Xue Jing reached out with his right hand and grabbed the hooded figure by the neck, lifting him high into the air, his feet dangling over half a meter from the ground.

"Cough—Wait a moment!"

The black-robed man, An Luping, tried to pry open Xue Jing's iron-like grip on his throat, but to no avail. His struggles had no effect, and he could not even make Xue Jing's hand tremble in the slightest. He could only flail helplessly in the air like a duck wriggling in its last moments before slaughter.

"I remember you," Xue Jing said, slightly raising his head to look at the man in his grasp. "Your name is Mr. An, isn't it?"

"You dare... show yourself to me?" Xue Jing asked, his gaze fixed on the man in his grasp.

An Luping, or Mr. An, was a priest of the Qingcheng Dragon Sect in Qingcheng City. After the destruction of the sect by the Kangde Company, he had abandoned the sect leader, Ning Fengwan, and fled to the inner ring of Yuan City, where he joined the main branch of the Dragon Sect. Later, he returned to Qingcheng City to persuade Ning Fengwan to join the Yuancheng Dragon Sect, but she refused.

According to Xue Jing's speculation, this man was responsible for the recent attacks on the North Lion Holy Sect in Fengcheng and the Dragon Sect a few days ago.

"Wait... wait, let me explain... Brother Xue," An Luping stuttered, his eyes filled with panic as he struggled to speak.

"There's no need for explanations," Xue Jing said, looking at him intently.

Xue Jing loosened his grip slightly. "You should know that there's only one reason why you're still alive right now... Tell me, where's Yun Qin? Is she alive or dead?"

Yun Qin was a follower of the Qingcheng Dragon Sect and had become Cat's attendant after she took over as the sect leader. She was like an ancient maid serving a young mistress.

She was the only person Cat cared about in the Dragon Sect, and Xue Jing had met her before.

"She's alive, really!" An Luping quickly assured, his heart sinking.

The last time the Divine Son sent a 'Naga Messenger' with two Snake Servants and several believers to capture Ning Fengwan, they were almost annihilated by Xue Jing. Only the Naga Messenger escaped and severely reported him, claiming that the information he had provided was completely inaccurate and that Xue Jing's combat power far exceeded his description.

It was a miracle that he had first met Xue Jing when the latter was just a slightly stronger-than-average kid! Although he may have had a bit of talent, his martial arts progressed rapidly in a short period, and he even secured a spot in the U19 tournament in Fengcheng...

An Luping had carefully studied the tournament recordings to ensure he didn't exaggerate when describing Xue Jing's strength.

Little did he know that Xue Jing's true strength was several dozen times more formidable than he had imagined. Not only did he possess the divine secret technique of a Chosen One, but his martial arts prowess alone was enough to crush the renowned Zhou Yinglin!

Due to Xue Jing's vastly superior strength and the Dragon Sect's recent establishment, the Divine Son did not want to engage in open warfare and attract the attention of the Yuancheng authorities. Thus, he decided to negotiate with Xue Jing...

And with the malicious suggestion of the Naga Messenger, An Luping was tasked with inviting Xue Jing to the negotiations.

The situation was utterly absurd.

It was like sending a thief who had stolen from the police to invite the very same police officer whose money he had stolen to negotiate in the thieves' den.

Even if one wanted to court death, there were better ways than this...

Fortunately, he had a backup plan and was still holding the trump card—Yun Qin.

"So, where is she?" Xue Jing asked, his tone devoid of emotion.

"She's safe, I swear!" An Luping raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"I've come here under the orders of the Divine Son of the Dragon Sect to invite Brother Xue to discuss some matters..."

Xue Jing's grip tightened. "I don't think we have anything to discuss. Tell me where Yun Qin is, and I'll grant you a quick death."

An Luping felt his throat constricting, making it difficult to breathe. He quickly spoke, his words rushing out in a rapid stream, "Wait! Cough... If I die, Yun Qin will die too! Only I know where she is. If I don't bring her food, she'll starve to death!"

Xue Jing's grip tightened further, and after a long while, as An Luping's eyes rolled back and his struggles weakened, he said, "You truly deserve to die.

"Enough!" Xue Jing released his hand, and An Luping fell from mid-air, landing on the ground and continuously coughing as he rubbed his neck.

Before he could relax, Xue Jing suddenly opened his palm, and a black flame condensed in his hand.

Then, Xue Jing grabbed An Luping by the hair, forcing his head back, and stuffed the black flame into his mouth.

"Ugh—!!"

The black flame was devoid of heat, even carrying a chill, and it entered An Luping's mouth, flowing into his body and staying there.

It caused no harm, but the subtle cold sensation from his organs reminded him that the black flame was inside him.

"This thing is my divine secret technique." Xue Jing slowly explained.

"With just a thought, it will burn you to ashes."

"I can control its range, up to two hundred meters."

"This doesn't mean that you'll be safe if you get further than two hundred meters from me... Once you exceed this distance, it will escape my control, instantly detonate, and burn you to death as well."

Cold sweat dripped down An Luping's face.

"As long as my eyes don't see Yun Qin, this flame will remain inside you."

An Luping's voice trembled as he said, "But... if I die, you'll never see Yun Qin again."

Xue Jing glanced at him, "Mr. An, do you think I'm negotiating with you or bluffing, afraid to really kill you?"

Xue Jing patted him on the shoulder, a smile in his eyes.

"Words can reveal much more information than you think."

"You just said that Yun Qin would starve to death if you didn't bring her food... right?"

An Luping's pupils contracted.

"Looks like I guessed right... She's in Yuan City, maybe even close by."

Xue Jing's tone remained calm, his voice soft.

"Mr. An, you may not know, but I'm also a member of the Sixth Agency, and I'm affiliated with two special forces under the Sixth Agency's Special Service Department, 'Zhi Go' and 'White Crow'."

"Fortunately, these two special forces have extremely high authority and can even conduct large-scale carpet searches of the entire city... Even more fortunate is that the commanders of these two special forces admire me and want to recruit me completely."

As Xue Jing spoke, cold sweat beaded on An Luping's forehead.

"With your ability, you probably can't hide someone in high-security areas where the privileged and powerful reside or in the territories of large companies, so it'll be much easier to search."

Xue Jing's gaze turned cold, and killing intent emanated from him, slicing through An Luping like sharp knives, causing him to feel phantom pains.

"Let me say it again, I'm not negotiating with you."

"Either go and die, and I'll take some effort to find Yun Qin... But I'm a lazy person, and I don't really want to go through the trouble, so if you take me there now, I'll retract the black flame from your body and spare your life."

"As long as you don't appear before me again, I won't take your life."

"Rest assured, I'm not like you. My motto is to keep my word, and I won't go back on my promises."

Xue Jing spoke softly.

"Well? It's a fantastic deal, isn't it?"

An Luping's heart raced, and he was in a state of panic.

He never imagined that things would come to this.

Just a single piece of information unintentionally revealed, and he was pushed to such a desperate situation.

Was this person really just a seventeen-year-old boy?

"I..."

He opened his mouth but couldn't bring himself to speak.

Seeing this, Xue Jing shook his head and sighed, "Looks like you're refusing my proposal... Never mind, that's fine too. After all, I don't really want to spare your kind anyway. I'll just find her myself."

He raised his right hand, about to snap his fingers.

"Three."

"Two."

"One..."

"Wait, I agree! I agree!!!"

An Luping shouted anxiously, his voice cracking with desperation.

Xue Jing's eyes remained unchanged, and he said softly, "You agreed a little too late."

"Snap!"

The snap of his fingers rang out.

Instantly, An Luping felt a terrifying pain throughout his body, as if countless vicious ants were devouring his flesh and blood.

"Ahhhhhh!"

An Luping screamed, flailing on the ground like a beached fish, his face contorted in pain.

He gritted his teeth and bore the agony, dragging himself halfway up before pleading to Xue Jing, "Please... Brother Xue, I agree, stop, stop it..."

Xue Jing looked down at him, his eyes cold and detached, as if gazing at a corpse.

"I really agree... I'll take you to Yun Qin right now... I also know a lot of intelligence about the Dragon Sect, and I can tell you everything..."

Seeing that Xue Jing remained unmoved, An Luping grew more anxious and quickly began to sweeten the deal.

"I... I also have money. I can give you anything you want..."

It was only when An Luping started to babble incoherently, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, that Xue Jing waved his hand and halted the incineration of the shadow flames within him.

"Ha... Ha... Ha..."

An Luping lay on the ground, panting heavily, his whole body trembling.

His nerves had been stretched to their limit, and in that moment when he had almost despaired and collapsed, Xue Jing had precisely reined it back.

At this point, the sheer will to survive after the disaster made him dare not entertain any more hopes.

He forced himself to stand, his body riddled with wounds, and looked at the terrifying boy before him, his heart filled with utmost fear.

He now deeply understood why this boy had earned the nickname 'Demon King'.

"Lead the way," Xue Jing said softly.

His tone was casual, as if chatting with a friend, but to An Luping, it sent a shiver down his spine, and he shrunk back slightly, quickly replying, "Yes... please, follow me..."

...

Yuan City, C16 District, outside an ordinary residential building.

Xue Jing followed An Luping, looking around at their surroundings.

The C-rated areas were relatively more modest compared to the B and A-rated zones, and the passersby had fewer cybernetic implants visible on their bodies.

As An Luping opened the door, Xue Jing followed him inside.

"Yun Qin is in the basement..."

An Luping pointed to a concealed spot covered by a carpet, his voice shaking.

But by now, Xue Jing didn't need his guidance; he had already activated his visualization, mapping the surroundings in his mind and clearly 'seeing' a life reaction not far from his feet.

As the visualization became clearer, the image of the life reaction also took shape.

It was a little girl crouching on the ground, and her appearance was indeed Yun Qin, whom Xue Jing had met before.

"You said you would spare my life," An Luping said, his eyes flicking to Xue Jing.

Xue Jing glanced at him and snapped his fingers.

Thin tendrils of black flame emerged from An Luping's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, eventually dissipating into the air.

Feeling the chill within him dissipate, An Luping even felt a sense of gratitude and warmth towards Xue Jing.

He had actually kept his word; he truly was a man of his word!

An Luping had an urge to kneel and thank Xue Jing, a strange impulse as if he were facing his savior.

He suppressed the impulse and stuttered, "Then, then can I... can I go now?"

"Mhm," Xue Jing replied softly. "Honoring your word is important. You may go, but if I see you again, I won't hold back."

Tears streamed down An Luping's face. "Thank you... thank you so much..."

He wiped his tears and scrambled towards the exit.

As he stepped out of the door and into the sunlight—though it was only the dim light of the setting sun—he had never felt such beauty in it.

He vowed to cherish this life, to never again cross paths with such a terrifying monster, to stay far away and never appear before that person again...

An Luping took a deep breath, his body aching from the black flames' scorching. He turned the corner, intending to head to the hospital first.

But as he did, he suddenly saw a familiar figure standing there, facing away from him as if waiting specifically for him.

An Luping's eyes widened in disbelief, and he suddenly realized something, laughing bitterly in despair.

"Ha... Hahaha, hahahaha!"

Xue Jing slowly turned around, looking at the dazed and drooling An Luping, and smiled faintly, "What a coincidence, Mr. An. We meet again."

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end