"Li Qing, my mom said she wants to invite you over for a casual meal. What do you say, no time like the present?" Xiao Chenyu put his arm around Li Qing, looking like he wouldn't take no for an answer.
Li Qing's face darkened as he glanced sideways at him, "Are you sure it's not a trap?"
"What trap?"
Xiao Chenyu was a little confused by the words, as he had never heard the term before.
"Uh..."
Li Qing, realizing his mistake, explained, "It's a banquet with ill intentions, like beating me up halfway through the meal."
"Oh please!"
Xiao Chenyu vowed confidently, "Don't worry, my mom is super gentle. She would never do something like that."
Gentle?
Gentle enough to beat you so badly you can't get out of bed for days? Gentle enough to make a city lord fear her like a tiger? You seriously expect me to believe that?
"Cough cough..."
Meeting Li Qing's gaze, Xiao Chenyu said with a guilty conscience, "She's very gentle to outsiders, just a bit fierce to her own family. You know, a home tyrant."
"Let's go, let's go!"
Li Qing rolled his eyes but still agreed. After all, he hadn't gotten the recommendation letter yet.
It turned out Xiao Chenyu knew his mother very well. She was indeed very gentle to Li Qing, practically a model of a virtuous wife and loving mother.
And at the dinner table, she gave City Lord Xiao plenty of face.
However, after the meal ended, before Li Qing had even left the Xiao family residence, he heard a heart-wrenching scream that sent a chill from his feet to the top of his head.
Too brutal.
By the time Li Qing left the Xiao family, the sky had completely darkened. Due to the curfew, there were no people on the streets, and Li Qing was escorted home by the Xiao family guards.
[I hope readers will remember our domain 101kan.com when reading this]
Upon returning home, standing outside his bedroom door, Li Qing paused in the act of opening it.
Because he had been on guard against Yu Xiaogang, Li Qing always placed a broom branch in the door crack when he went out. But now, the broom branch in the door crack had fallen to the ground.
Someone had entered his home.
Who?
It definitely wasn't Yu Xiaogang, because his bedroom wasn't big. If it were Yu Xiaogang, he definitely wouldn't have escaped his senses. But it must be related to Yu Xiaogang.
Li Qing retreated quickly, his spirit power surging as he activated his martial soul, and the bright yellow spirit ring rose from his feet.
Just as he spread his wings and soared into the air, about to call out loudly to the Xiao family guards who shouldn't have gone far, an ambush came from the rooftop, catching him off guard.
"Pfft!"
Although Li Qing had high agility, the sudden attack caught him by surprise, and his arm was still injured by the opponent's stab. However, the injury wasn't too severe, just leaving a deep cut.
"Brother Long, save me!"
Because the assassin hadn't activated their martial soul, they landed after only one strike, which gave Li Qing a chance to call for help. However, the next second, three spirit rings, two yellow and one purple, rose from the assassin's feet.
And the opponent also had a flying beast martial soul.
"Swish!"
As Li Qing's longsword appeared in his hand, he spread his wings and flew directly towards the direction of the Xiao family guards. But the assassin was extremely fast, arriving before him and blocking his path.
"Clang clang..."
The assassin was very professional, not saying a word the entire time, only attacking relentlessly. Li Qing countered with his sword, and the longsword and dagger collided in the darkness, producing sparks.
After a few rounds of fighting, Li Qing gradually discovered the assassin's weakness.
The opponent's speed was outstanding, far exceeding his, and their agility was on par with his, but the strength difference was huge. Several times, the dagger almost slipped from their hand during the exchanges.
However, relying on their excellent speed, Li Qing also couldn't do anything to them.
The two went back and forth in the air, fighting fiercely. The assassin remained expressionless on the surface, but in their heart, they were cursing. This was far more than just innate divine strength.
As an agility-type Spirit Elder, his agility was only on par with the opponent's.
Although he still had an advantage in speed, his strength was a pure disadvantage. Overall, he, a dignified Spirit Elder, was actually inferior to a little brat at the Spirit Master realm.
More money, definitely more money.
The assassin secretly decided in their heart that if that dog didn't give more money, they would take him out too. Because if it weren't for their outstanding strength, they might have truly fallen today.
"First Spirit Skill, Stealth!"
The enraged assassin retreated explosively, widening the distance from Li Qing, and then injected spirit power into their first spirit ring. Their figure instantly merged with the darkness.
Li Qing immediately lost track of the opponent and could only rely on his five senses to be wary of the surroundings.
As for the Brother Long he had just called out to...
Upon hearing Li Qing's call for help, he rushed back immediately, but after seeing the three spirit rings from afar, he turned around and sprinted towards the Xiao manor.
He was just a Great Spirit Master, how could he fight a Spirit Elder?
Not only Brother Long, but there was also a patrol team nearby who noticed the commotion, but after seeing the three spirit rings, they made the same choice as Brother Long.
There was nothing they could do. In a small place like Nuoding City, a Spirit Elder held that much weight.
Perhaps if they all went up together, they could force the opponent back, but no one was willing to take that risk. After all, no one knew if they would become the opponent's target for breaking through.
Let others die, not me. With such a small salary each month, why risk your life?
"Pfft!"
The assassin appeared beside Li Qing like a ghost. Although Li Qing had tried his best to dodge, his back was still cut again.
Yu Xiaogang, you are seeking death!
Li Qing regretted it now, regretting not having directly killed Yu Xiaogang back then. If he had killed him back then, how could he be facing such a deadly situation now?
Angry as he was, Li Qing didn't just sit back and wait for death.
His figure was like a fallen leaf in a strong wind, sometimes soaring, sometimes falling, sometimes rushing forward, seemingly without any pattern, causing the assassin to miss several times.
"Repeating?"
Just as the assassin was about to use their second spirit skill, they found that Li Qing's movements were repeating. Their eyes lit up, and without any hesitation, they rushed forward according to their predicted trajectory.
"Pfft!"
The assassin's dagger successfully pierced Li Qing's abdomen, but the next second, their face changed dramatically, because Li Qing grabbed their wrist, and his spirit ring also lit up simultaneously.
Black netherflame spurted from Li Qing's mouth, spraying directly onto the assassin's face.
"Boom!"
The flames were not strong at first, but they instantly burned fiercely upon hitting the assassin, engulfing their entire body in flames.
"Ah!"
The assassin kicked Li Qing away fiercely, but the netherflame burned them so much that they couldn't help but let out a 慘痛 scream, making the nearby residents' hair stand on end.
"Ah ah ah..."
While the assassin screamed repeatedly, they also frantically tried to beat out the netherflame on their body, but no matter how they beat it, the netherflame wouldn't go out, and even rolling on the ground was useless.
Li Qing, who had climbed back up, clutched his abdomen, his eyes cold as he stared at the assassin.
Yu Xiaogang, just wait to die!
Li Qing no longer cared about Flander, Liu Erlong, or Bibi Dong, because Yu Xiaogang was far more shameless than he had imagined.
If he didn't die, it would be himself who died.
If he hadn't been smart enough today, plus the assassin hadn't intended to kill, he might have truly fallen. He couldn't fall into the same pit twice.