Chapter Thirty-Six: Kill

The more he spoke, the angrier Wang Qingxuan became—especially when he recalled how Wang Hongbo had treacherously murdered the temple master.
"If I ever get the chance, I must personally put an end to that beast!" Wang Qingxuan said, his fury barely contained.
Qin Yi listened, unsure how to comfort him. Had Qingwei Dao Palace simply retreated from the battlefield, perhaps a third or even half its people could have escaped. Yet, because Wang Hongbo betrayed his own for personal gain, Qingwei Dao Palace was utterly destroyed.
"Master, please rest here for a while. I need to go down the mountain to take care of something," Qin Yi said after glancing at the sky.
"Alright, be careful," Wang Qingxuan replied, asking no further questions.
"I will."
With that, Qin Yi descended the mountain.

...
Night fell.
Inside a tent, Qin Zumin lay with his eyes closed, his mind in chaos.
Earlier that afternoon, he had heard the news: the entire Qingwei Dao Palace had been sent out on a mission. By dusk, the county military declared that the Qingwei Dao Palace members had fled and were exterminated.
Severed heads were piled outside the vanguard camp, forming a grisly mound.
"Surely Fourth Son is safe," Qin Zumin worried, his heart in turmoil.
"This damned world!"
Suddenly, there was a slight disturbance inside the ten-man tent.
Qin Zumin snapped his eyes open and saw a shadowy figure standing before him, startled enough to shout.
"Shh..."
"Fourth Son?" Qin Zumin recognized the familiar voice, his joy overwhelming.
"And the others?"
"I knocked them out. Father, put on this armor. I'll get you out of here soon," Qin Yi said, handing over the armor.
To avoid any unexpected danger, he wanted his father to be armored—one more layer of protection for his life.
With Qin Yi's help, his father was soon dressed.
"Here, let me carry you."
A shadow departed the tent, carrying a man, and sped toward the camp's edge.
Though carrying a person slowed Qin Yi, his speed remained swift.
He slipped past sentries, evaded patrols, and within a quarter hour, escaped the camp without incident.
Qin Yi brought his father safely to Qingwei Dao Palace, then descended the mountain again.
He disliked owing anyone a favor.

...
Second Battalion, Vanguard Camp.
Inside a tent, Qin Yi—masked, hair disheveled—clutched the throat of a fat monk.
"Where is Wang Hongbo from Qingwei Dao Palace staying tonight, after he returned?"
"Please, don't kill me! Wang Hongbo is still staying at Vanguard First Battalion," the monk stammered.
"Thanks."
Qin Yi knocked the monk unconscious and vanished.
He returned to Vanguard First Battalion, where the camp was eerily empty and lifeless.
In the center, a lone tent shone with light.
"That must be the one," Qin Yi thought, approaching swiftly.
Just as he was about to rush in, the tent's flap opened. Wang Hongbo, bleary-eyed, emerged, likely for a nighttime relief.
The two locked eyes, both stunned.
"Who are you?!" Wang Hongbo was instantly on guard.
The distance was ten meters; Qin Yi crossed it in a blink.
Bang!
Wang Hongbo instinctively raised his hands to block, but a fist bypassed them and struck him square in the eyes.
His forehead collapsed instantly.
Seizing the moment, Qin Yi twisted off Wang Hongbo's head and left without hesitation.
Just as he exited the camp—
"Where do you think you're going!" a booming shout echoed behind him.
A sharp whistling filled the air.
An arrow shot toward Qin Yi's back.
Without turning, Qin Yi shifted his body, dodging the arrow.
This maneuver cost him a beat in speed.
"Daring to break into my camp at night? You shall not leave!"
The voice, ghostly and cold, appeared behind him.
A large hand suddenly reached from behind, grabbing for Qin Yi.
Startled, Qin Yi thought, "Such speed!"
Moments ago, the attacker had been twenty meters away, firing arrows; now he was right behind him.
"Leap!"
Qin Yi unleashed a secret technique, narrowly evading the grab.
"Hmph, do you think you can escape?"
The voice, relentless as a shadow, appeared at his left side, the same hand reaching again.
His opponent had used a body movement secret technique as well.
"Fivefold Force!"
Qin Yi roared and acted decisively.

Fist collided with palm.
Pop!
The tremendous force sent Qin Yi flying.
He barely touched down with his toes before unleashing another secret technique.
"Leap, Instant Step!"
His speed doubled.
Pang Shaozheng saw the masked figure widen the gap and was shocked. "Such speed—he must be a master of eighth-stage body movement martial arts!"
Without hesitation, he nocked three arrows.
Swish, swish, swish!
Three arrows flew together.
But the shadowy figure shifted bizarrely, dodged all three, and disappeared into the maze of tents, vanishing into the night.
"So, this is the one who killed Xue Yintu," Pang Shaozheng muttered, his face dark. He had come to question Wang Hongbo about Wang Qingxuan, but instead encountered an intruder.

...
In a grove outside Helium Town, Qin Yi's face was pale. His right arm hung lifeless.
"A bone is broken—such is the power of an eighth-stage secret technique," he mused, examining his bloodied hand and the swollen fracture, wryly smiling.
"Never thought Pang Shaozheng would be so much stronger than Xue Yintu. Eighth-stage strength is truly formidable."
In their brief clash, without using body movement techniques, their speeds were nearly equal. In terms of strength, Pang Shaozheng completely overwhelmed him.
That explained why Qin Yi withdrew without hesitation after their exchange.
Any longer, and he might have been trapped for good.
"Could it be that Pang Shaozheng has mastered a first-rate martial art?" Qin Yi wondered.

...
Qingwei Dao Palace.
"You’re injured?" Wang Qingxuan approached, seeing Qin Yi's limp arm.
"Are you alright, son?" Qin Zumin asked, worried.
"It's nothing serious. Went to kill the traitor, but ran into Pang Shaozheng on the way out—barely made it back," Qin Yi said, tossing the cloth-wrapped head to the ground.
"That turncoat is dead!" Wang Qingxuan exclaimed, both shocked and delighted at the sight of Wang Hongbo's severed head.
"Fortunately, your body movement was quick. Pang Shaozheng is extremely strong—his cultivation is seventh stage, but with innate strength, he rivals the eighth stage. He’s definitely mastered a first-rate martial art, though whether it's seventh or eighth stage, I can’t say."
"Indeed, he’s very strong," Qin Yi agreed.
Soon, Wang Qingxuan helped set Qin Yi’s bone, then rummaged through the medicine room to find some herbs for his wound.