"That kid’s been targeted?"

"It’s that guy in the bamboo hat! The kid is doomed!"

"Martial Arts Introduction, Qi Blood First Layer. The kid’s not built at all. Now that the man in the bamboo hat is after him, he’s probably a goner."

"Still too young, not enough experience. He thought he could just wear a hood and no one would recognize him. But he never considered that his thin frame makes him look like a harmless little lamb. He didn’t even think to pad his clothes with cotton scraps to look more imposing. Serves him right if he gets unlucky!"

"Yeah, you have to be careful about everything when you’re out and about. If you have to blame someone, blame the kid for being weak and flashing his wealth."

"..."

...

’He’s catching up!’

After making a few turns, Chen Ping’an could feel the person behind him picking up speed.

They were still in a relatively secluded area. Clearly, the other party planned to ambush him here.

Whether he would be killed or spared would depend entirely on his pursuer’s mood.

’Bring it on.’

A cold glint flashed in Chen Ping’an’s eyes. He pretended to have just noticed he was being followed and hastily quickened his pace.

"Trying to run? You think you can get away!?" The man in the bamboo hat behind Chen Ping’an also began to speed up. He dropped the pretense, showing his hand.

His Qi Blood was abundant, and his speed was immense. In just a few breaths, he caught up to Chen Ping’an. Seeing the panicked, fleeing figure before him, he reached out, intending to grab the kid and control him completely.

As a martial artist at the Martial Arts Introduction, Qi Blood First Layer, his strength surpassed that of a typical grown man, let alone the boy in front of him.

The moment the man in the bamboo hat placed a hand on his opponent’s shoulder and exerted his strength to subdue him...

...he found that...

...the boy’s body didn’t move an inch.

’What’s going on?’

A flicker of doubt crossed the bamboo-hatted man’s face, and a jolt of alarm struck his heart.

He watched as the boy’s other hand shot up, pressing down on the back of his own. An immense force surged through, and with a bend of the boy’s waist, the bamboo-hatted man was sent flying through the air, crashing hard onto the ground.

’Damn it! I misjudged him!’

If a normal person had taken such a fall, they would likely be seeing stars, unable to get back up for some time.

But the man in the bamboo hat was at the Martial Arts Introduction level. His skin was tough and his Qi Blood was full; he was no ordinary person. The fall only left him feeling a bit sore.

At that moment, he realized he had picked a fight with the wrong person.

However, his reaction was extremely fast. He flexed his waist, attempting an iron bridge to spring back to his feet.

’This kid is a wolf in sheep’s clothing!’

’Judging from that immense strength just now, he’s likely already in the Qi Blood Second Layer, or maybe even at Qi Blood Second Realm Perfection.’

’I can’t fight him head-on!’

’Run!’

But before the man in the bamboo hat could get fully to his feet, a foot came stomping down viciously toward his head.

"Dammit!"

The man in the bamboo hat was terrified.

In the nick of time, he managed to wrench his head to the side.

THUD!

A foot smashed through his bamboo hat, stomping hard onto the ground right beside his ear and kicking up a cloud of dust.

It was hard to imagine the kind of damage that kick would have caused if it had landed true.

Just as the man in the bamboo hat thought he had escaped disaster, the same foot kicked out from the side, aiming for his forehead with unbelievable speed.

"Shit!" The man in the bamboo hat cried out in alarm, his hands flying up to protect his head.

But...

An excruciating pain shot through his head, and then his world went black.

After landing the blow, Chen Ping’an didn’t relax in the slightest. He followed up with several more kicks to vulnerable spots until the man was completely unconscious. Only then did he step forward to search the body.

The bamboo hat on the man’s head was shattered, revealing the blood-spattered face of an ordinary middle-aged man. His head had been deformed and twisted by the barrage of kicks.

Looking at the man’s head, a bloody, mangled mess, Chen Ping’an finally felt a wave of nausea, his stomach churning.

’I can’t stay here!’

Reason told Chen Ping’an he needed to clean up and leave this place as quickly as possible.

Fighting back his discomfort, he searched the man in the bamboo hat and found a black cloth pouch and a dagger. The fight had been over too quickly; his opponent hadn’t even had time to draw the weapon.

Chen Ping’an checked around and, finding nothing else, hesitated for a moment. Finally, he picked up a rock from nearby and smashed it down hard on the man’s head.

Fights were common in Nanquan Lane, but it was rare for someone to actually be killed. Although the injuries to the man’s head might not reveal anything, Chen Ping’an decided to cover his tracks just to be safe.

Fortunately, unless an important figure was killed or it was a case involving the ruin of an entire family, the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office wouldn’t even bother investigating a murder like this near the Black Market if no one reported it. And even if someone did, the case would likely be closed with little to no effort.

The world was not a very peaceful place these days.

The Daqian Dynasty, founded eight thousand years ago, was long past its golden age. Martial artists breaking the law was a common occurrence. It was only because they lived within the County City that they didn’t feel it so keenly.

Using the bamboo-hatted man’s clothes to wipe the blood from his feet, Chen Ping’an quickly left the scene.

He wiped the blood clean, worried he might leave behind any trace.

’These shoes... I’ll burn them when I get back!’

’If I had practiced some kind of Leg Technique, I might have been able to kick his head open with one blow. A pity that with brute strength alone, this is the most I can do! The Iron Cloth Shirt provides more than enough defense, but it lacks killing power. Against an evenly matched opponent, I’d be forced into a slugfest.

Luckily, this bamboo-hatted man’s Martial Arts Cultivation was lower than mine. My sudden outburst caught him off guard, allowing me to finish him smoothly. It looked like I completely crushed him, but in reality, if he had been on his guard and had a sharp weapon, it wouldn’t have been so easy to kill him, even with my superior Martial Arts Realm.’

Chen Ping’an was well aware of his own current shortcomings. Having only practiced the Iron Cloth Shirt, his offensive power was severely lacking. In a real fight, he was just a brute with thick skin and tough flesh.

If his opponent were more agile, even with a lower Martial Arts Realm, they could have stalled him for a long time.

’Fortunately, I managed to trade for a copy of the Flying Locust Throwing Technique! It should help compensate for my weaknesses a bit.’

The Flying Locust Throwing Technique, also known as Flying Locust Stone, sounded impressive.

In reality, it was just an ordinary Lower Grade Technique, belonging to the category of Hidden Weapon Techniques.

To call it a Hidden Weapon Technique was actually a bit of an overstatement.

Flying Locust Stone! In plain terms, it just meant "stone." The Flying Locust Throwing Technique was simply a method for hitting people with rocks.

Being short on cash, this handwritten Cultivation Technique was all he could find. After all, even a handwritten copy of the Iron Cloth Shirt could sell for six taels of silver.

Having this technique was better than nothing, he supposed. At least his Martial Dao Cultivation wouldn’t have to stagnate.

Proceeding with caution the rest of the way, Chen Ping’an returned to his small courtyard without any further incident.

...

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