Chapter 71: I'm Going to Kill Someone
Qin Feiyue steadied himself and said to the Black Venerable, "The Grand Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture holds no interest for the National Teacher."
The Black Venerable lowered his eyelids, snickering, "If the National Teacher has no interest, does General Qin have any?"
Qin Feiyue's heart tightened, knowing that no matter what he said, he couldn't dispel the wariness this utterly vicious scoundrel felt toward him.
An old man seated below Qin Feiyue raised his white brows slightly and said, "I'm old, with not many days left. So I'd very much like to see the legendary Grand Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture, said to allow one to become a god or a demon. I beg the Lady Cult Leader and the Black Venerable to grant this wish!"
"Easily said."
The Lady Cult Leader's beautiful eyes glanced around, and she smiled, "Who else wants to see the Grand Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture?"
A sallow-faced woman seated below Fu Yundi laughed, "If the Lady doesn't mind, I'd also like to see this demonic scripture of godhood and demonhood."
The Lady Cult Leader looked at Fu Yundi and said, "And the City Lord?"
Fu Yundi laughed heartily, "Lady, don't mind me. I have no designs on the Grand Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture. I merely wish to see this so-called divine and demonic mystic art, to compare and verify it against my own. I bear no ill will toward you; in fact, I have some sympathy. The Heavenly Demon Cult has been hunting you for so long, utterly ruthless. You stand alone, and I'd like to share your burden."
Qin Mu blinked, his gaze sweeping across the powerful figures one by one. In the Zhenjiang Pavilion, everyone expressed interest in the Grand Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture. And precisely because of this, everyone was hesitant, afraid to make a direct move against the Lady Cult Leader.
Because even if they seized the Grand Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture from her, they would become a target for everyone else!
The Lady Cult Leader's eyes sparkled with charm. Suddenly, she let out a light laugh, her delicate hand spreading open to reveal a jade box in her palm. "Inside this is the Grand Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture. The talismans on the outside are the seals of successive generations of Cult Leaders."
The atmosphere in the Zhenjiang Pavilion suddenly became incredibly tense. Qin Mu immediately felt several powerful, terrifying auras lock onto him. Ling Yuxiu also let out a muffled groan. These auras weren't aimed at them, but at the Lady Cult Leader beside them. However, because they were so close, Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu were caught in the crossfire like fish in a pond!
The Lady Cult Leader paid it no mind. She opened the jade box, and a faint melody seemed to emanate from within. Then, a thread, like a spirit snake, poked its head out of the jade box and rose slowly upward.
"It's the real Grand Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture!"
The Black Venerable tapped his staff and said decisively, "Please, Lady, put it away!"
Qin Mu's expression turned strange. He leaned in to look at the jade box, a bizarre feeling welling up inside him. What was in that jade box wasn't the Grand Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture at all—it was clearly the ball of yarn from the basket that Granny Si often carried!
He remembered that ball of yarn. Granny Si kept it in her basket, wound around a jade hairpin. And now that jade hairpin was inside the box. When he was little, Granny Si would put him in the basket while she sewed clothes. Once, Qin Mu couldn't hold it in and left a pile of excrement in the basket, smearing the Grand Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture until it stank to high heaven.
"She really is Granny Si!"
The youth felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. "I was wondering why Granny wasn't staying at the inn. Turns out she dressed herself up so prettily to come out and show off, looking for some fun..."
The Lady Cult Leader completely ignored the Black Venerable. The thread rose higher and higher, then suddenly swelled, growing thicker and thicker. When it became as thick as a bucket, everyone's expressions changed. They saw that the thread wasn't a thread at all, but a wondrous text composed of countless characters!
Countless characters formed a circle, outer layers wrapping around inner layers, layer upon layer, an unknown number of them. When shrunk to the limit, they didn't look like characters at all, but rather a single thread.
This was the Heavenly Demon Cult's foundational demonic scripture, the Grand Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture!
"It's genuine. Can everyone be certain now?"
The countless characters suddenly shrank back into a thread and returned to the jade box.
The Lady Cult Leader closed the jade box, still sealing it with the talismans of successive Cult Leaders, and said with a smile, "But if you want to see it, you need to think carefully. To look upon the Heavenly Demon Cult's foundational demonic scripture is to become the Cult's enemy. Then the Heavenly Demon Cult won't be hunting me anymore—they'll be hunting all of you here today, and you will all die. Who will come and take the jade box?"
Everyone's faces changed drastically. Hesitation flickered in their hearts. The jade box was right in front of them, but not a single person dared to take it!
Qin Feiyue's expression shifted between uncertainty and resolve. Others might fear the Heavenly Demon Cult, but he didn't. Even if the Cult was strong, it couldn't oppose the entire nation of Yancheng. However, if he took the jade box, he would become the target of everyone present. Whether he could even walk out of the City Lord's Mansion alive was debatable.
Everyone else harbored the same thoughts. Even Fu Yundi hesitated, unable to make a decision.
The Lady Cult Leader watched their expressions with amusement, thoroughly enjoying the sight of these arrogant powerhouses being stumped. It was one of her pleasures.
Silence fell over the pavilion.
Just then, Qin Mu stretched lazily and stood up. "I'm full! Sister Yuxiu, thanks for bringing me here for a good meal. City Lord, do I need to pay for eating here?"
He broke the silence, lightening the mood in the pavilion. Everyone turned to look at him, half-smiling. This youth was clearly a country boy who had never seen the world, crashing the feast to eat and drink his fill, and now he had the nerve to ask Fu Yundi if he had to pay.
Fu Yundi coughed to ease the awkwardness and said, "A guest is a guest. Since I'm hosting a banquet, even though you weren't invited, I won't charge you."
Qin Mu smiled, his expression bright and sunny. "City Lord won't charge me, but I can't just not pay. I don't have much money on me. Is a hundred dragon coins enough? City Lord, wait a moment. I'm going to go kill someone. Once I win the money, I'll pay you back."
Fu Yundi frowned. Before he could respond, Qin Mu walked straight down from the Zhenjiang Pavilion, stepped onto the lake, and strode toward the platform in the middle of the water, announcing loudly, "Young Master Tingyue, I heard that outcasts can fight on the platform here, and winning earns a hundred dragon coins. I'm an outcast, so I'll give it a try."
His steps were unhurried, but in just a few paces, he reached the platform and looked at the youth opposite him.
On the platform, the blood of the outcast youth killed by Fu Tingyue was still bright red. Slaves were dragging the boy's corpse to throw into the lake, then washing the platform with water.
Large fish in the lake stirred up waves, fighting over the remains of the dead youth.
Qin Mu set foot on solid ground and looked at the youth across from him. Fu Tingyue was the same age as him, but his brows carried a fierce, murderous air, clearly a seasoned killer.
This youth was sizing him up, a beast-like malice gleaming in his eyes.
In the Zhenjiang Pavilion, the atmosphere suddenly fell silent again. The pavilion was filled with renowned powerhouses, masters of great divine abilities, well-traveled and knowledgeable. Yet none of them had expected Qin Mu to dare challenge Fu Tingyue, the so-called number one in the Spirit Embryo Realm, just to earn a hundred dragon coins to pay for his meal!
"What audacity..."
The Hundred Goodness Elder sighed, "A youth with such audacity rarely lives to adulthood. They usually die at this age."
Fu Yundi smiled faintly. "The Grand Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture hasn't been claimed yet, but we've encountered such an unexpected diversion. Let's watch this first. After this amusing affair is settled, we can decide the fate of the scripture. Lady Cult Leader, what do you think?"
The Lady Cult Leader said with a smile, "I'm just a weak woman. What opinion could I have?"
Ling Yuxiu gritted her teeth, wanting to stand up and call Qin Mu back. Qin Feiyue coughed, a note of warning in his voice, and she had no choice but to sit back down.
On the lake platform.
A middle-aged man walked over, carrying a tray with a money pouch on it. Fu Tingyue raised an eyebrow and said, "There's a hundred dragon coins in the pouch. If you beat me, you take it. But in the past three years, at least a thousand people have come, and none have taken it."
Qin Mu thought for a moment and asked, "Are you the number one martial artist in Xianglong City?"
Fu Tingyue smiled arrogantly and nodded. "The acknowledged number one. Within a thousand li of Xianglong City, I'm the best among all martial artists! I've killed countless martial artists, all in fair duels, not relying on my father's reputation! No one who has lost to me has ever survived!"
Qin Mu nodded slightly. "Do you use weapons?"
Fu Tingyue clasped his hands behind his back and smiled. "You can use a weapon. I'll do whatever. When I feel like using a weapon, I can use one at any time."
*Clang!* A sharp sound rang out as the butcher's knife howled through the air and landed in Qin Mu's hand.
This move of his didn't rely on refining Qi into threads, but on resonance—his Yuan Qi resonating with the knife, attracting each other like two magnets!
His Yuan Qi was churning more and more violently, more and more ferociously. The state he had been in when he killed the great serpent was manifesting in him again!
The angrier he got, the more violent his Yuan Qi became, the stronger the resonance, and the sharper the knife!
Yet Qin Mu's expression was utterly calm. A calm exterior, a wild and unrestrained interior!