The long sword pierced the chest, protruding more than half a foot from Xin Youhen's back.
Blood dripped from the tip of the sword, soaking the ground.
Looking at Xin Youhen's face full of disbelief, Chu Qing felt somewhat helpless. Xin Youhen had turned into 'Xin Yujian', so what was impossible?
The long sword was withdrawn from the chest, and with a muffled groan from Xin Youhen, it was already sheathed.
"From the moment you let me strike first... you were already a dead man."
Xin Youhen covered his chest with his hand and looked at Chu Qing:
"I see... If I, if I were at my full strength, and if I hadn't been injured... you, you wouldn't be a match for me...
"It's hateful... too hateful!
"If, if I still had the secret techniques of the Valley of Myriad Nights..."
He reached out, but it was unclear whether he wanted to grab Chu Qing or the secret techniques he spoke of.
But before his arm could fully extend, he thudded to the ground as a corpse.
[Mission completed!]
[Successfully killed Xin Youhen and obtained a 'Random Martial Arts Treasure Chest'.]
Chu Qing looked at the prompt, exhaled gently, and then turned to look at Wu Qianhuan.
Wu Qianhuan was intimidated by the murderous intent in his eyes and instinctively took a step back.
Her face was also full of doubt and suspicion.
Is he really Chu Qing?
If he is, where does all this killing intent come from?
And what about that sword technique?
At that moment, Wu Qianhuan thought that if she were in Xin Youhen's place, she would probably have died even faster.
What kind of sword technique is this?
Simple, pure, unimaginably fast.
Besides that, there were his calculations, his cunning...
Chu Qing has never been someone incredibly intelligent.
If there must be a prodigy in the Chu Family, it would be Chu Tian, not Chu Qing.
If he truly is Chu Qing... then what has he experienced in the seven years that he disappeared to become like this?
Is he unwilling to show his true face because there are some compelling reasons?
Wu Qianhuan gazed deeply at the person before her and suddenly took a deep breath:
"I will prepare a silver note worth a thousand taels for you, without any mark from the City Lord's Mansion of Celestial Dance City.
"You can exchange it at any Wanbao Money Shop across the land.
"But you have to tell me, how can I find you?"
Chu Qing smiled slightly, the murderous intent in his eyes having vanished completely:
"Tonight at midnight, at the Du Huating in the east of the city, I will be awaiting the esteemed presence of the young lady."
"It's a deal then."
Wu Qianhuan gazed at Chu Qing for a moment, then turned and left.
Chu Qing suddenly spoke:
"Wait."
"Is there anything else?"
Wu Qianhuan paused in her steps.
After a slight hesitation, Chu Qing finally said:
"Miss Wu, you are one of my clients, so I have some news to give you.
"On the way to Celestial Dance City, I encountered a Celestial Dance Guard who had his legs cut off.
"He still had a breath left in him and told me something."
Wu Qianhuan's breathing instantly became rapid:
"You saw him? What did he say?"
"He said... tell the Cyan Leaf Sword Handle every, every, every."
Wu Qianhuan: "?"
Her expression changed rapidly, as if she were performing a face-changing act, cycling through surprise, expectation, and a 'are you kidding me' look.
Finally, she asked:
"What does it mean?"
"...That question should be directed at you."
Chu Qing rolled his eyes:
"I conveyed every word that the man said before he died, it has nothing to do with me to figure out the meaning."
"Okay, thank you."
Wu Qianhuan composed her emotions, paused, and then asked:
"What should I call you?"
What to call him?
Chu Qing was a bit embarrassed, and finally, he cheekily said:
"You can call me... Night Emperor."
After saying it, even he got goosebumps.
When he first left the name, it did not feel odd, but saying it now, the name was terribly juvenile.
There's nothing he could do, he couldn't think of a less juvenile name, lacking talent in naming.
Wu Qianhuan's expression shifted slightly:
"So you are the Night Emperor... did you kill the Seven Iron Horse Thieves?"
Chu Qing nodded with a smile:
"Yes, before they died, they mentioned that there was an insider for them in the Celestial Dance City."
Wu Qianhuan was not surprised by this:
"Do you know who it is?"
"I do."
Chu Qing nodded without hesitation.
Wu Qianhuan was taken aback again, this person really knows? How does he know so much?
She immediately asked:
"Who is it?"
"Miss Wu, the message above is free of charge, but if I give you the one below... people might suspect some improper exchange between us."
Chu Qing laughed:
"Or are you, the young lady of Celestial Dance City, fond of trying to get something for nothing?"
Wu Qianhuan raised her eyebrows slightly:
"Are you obsessed with money?
"How much?"
Chu Qing held up five fingers.
"Fine, I'll give it to you tonight, now speak!"
Wu Qianhuan, wealthy and generous, did not care about the cost.
Chu Qing nodded in satisfaction:
"As expected of Miss Wu, direct and straightforward.
"In Celestial Dance City, the one working secretly with the Seven Iron Horse Thieves is Liu Shijie, the Vice Hall Master of Luoyu Hall."
Upon hearing this, Wu Qianhuan's expression did not change, though her eyes showed some thought.
Chu Qing was a bit surprised:
"Did you suspect him early on?"
"Although Luoyu Hall appears legitimate, there are many strange things... Even today, I was testing that Tang Xi at the Chu Family..."
Cuts off there, gently shaking her head:
"These things have nothing to do with you; this information is very important to me, thank you, farewell!"
"Please go ahead."
Chu Qing cupped his fists, Wu Qianhuan gave him one last look, turned on her heel, and headed towards the Celestial Dance City.
It wasn't until Wu Qianhuan completely disappeared from sight that Chu Qing turned his attention to Xin Youhen's corpse.
After a brief search, he shook his head in disappointment.
Xin Youhen had come for murder, and since Chu Yunfei was still in the Chu Family, it was unlikely he planned to return alive, so apart from some scattered silver taels, he had nothing else on him.
Especially frustrating was the lack of a silver note to start a fire... he had to find some grass tufts on the side and use a flint to ignite the flames and get the fire going.
Watching the roaring flames and thick smoke rising.
Chu Qing gazed at the distant Celestial Dance City.
Exhaling gently:
"Valley of Myriad Nights, Celestial Dance City, Luoyu Hall, Mirror of Sin... The Celestial Dance City is indeed full of drama unfolding.
"From what Wu Qianhuan just said, the banquet set by Chu Yunfei is not so simple.
"The Valley of Myriad Nights dare to make a move against Wu Qianhuan, suggesting that beneath the seemingly calm surface lies unresolvable conflict.
"Could it be the Valley of Myriad Nights hiring someone to assassinate Chu Yunfei?
"If that's truly the case, things might get complicated from here on..."
He organized the information he had gotten in his mind, then suddenly looked towards a patch of grass on the side, his expression faintly surprised:
"Already gone?
"No matter, there's still one more matter to settle."