"One, two, three, four..." Young Master Qin silently counted. There were eighty-seven enemies encircling him. Thirteen were women, seventy-four were men.
Each face bore the hardened look of a battle-hardened killer—especially the elders standing atop the cliff. Their eyes glinted faintly, yet their presence was as deep and unreadable as a still lake. Clearly, not ordinary folks.
What was worse, they had taken the high ground, locking him into a complete siege. If they rained down hidden weapons from above, Qin might as well be caught in a celestial spiderweb, doomed to be torn apart.
To make things even more irritating, his carriage driver—poor, clueless Qiao Wei—was now in their hands, being held hostage to threaten him.
Qin Ren frowned. Without a word, he turned and ducked back into the carriage.
The enemies were baffled.
"Eh? What the hell is he doing?" asked one old man with three long wisps of beard, looking like a half-retired immortal.
"Shouldn't he at least ask who we are?" he muttered to the fat monk beside him, who held a shiny bronze staff.
The rotund monk rubbed his greasy scalp. "Hiding? Afraid? Nah, not likely. That little sex fiend's got balls the size of a donkey's."
Another middle-aged scholar in white robes, holding a folding fan, frowned. "Maybe... he's digging a tunnel under the carriage. He could be escaping right now."
No one answered him. Dig a tunnel in this terrain? What was he, a mole?
Among the gathered elders, the only young voice belonged to a slender woman clad in white combat gear. A veil of white silk fell from her hat, hiding her face. She spoke coldly:
"This time, Snowdrift Hall has truly shamed itself—resorting to kidnapping like common thugs. How are we to show our faces in the martial world after this?"
The "immortal"-looking old man cackled dryly. "Hallmaster Ye, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. That little demon Qin Ren has ruined countless maidens and driven many righteous men to suicide out of shame! We do not need to worry about honor when hunting a monster."
This veiled woman was none other than Ye Yingxue, the chief of Snowdrift Hall. She looked at Qiao Wei, who had a blade pressed to his neck, and sighed silently.
Suddenly, the white-robed scholar stepped forward and yelled, "Qin Ren, your fate is sealed! Surrender now!"
Inside the carriage, Qin Ren had already donned full battle gear: a golden silk armor beneath his clothes, an invisibility cloak over his shoulders, a mystical sash around his waist, and a pouch filled with 108 Thunderfire Bombs from Qin Feng. Holding Zhen Luo tightly in his arms, he gave her a quick kiss.
"Your prince is going to kill now," he grinned. "Stay inside, darling. Don't let their blood dirty those pretty little eyes of yours."
Zhen Luo blinked. "Brother Qin, are those people outside bad guys?"
"I don't know," he said. "But even if they're not, they're definitely not good. Ambushing me like this, holding my driver hostage? They're worse than thieves."
Zhen Luo nodded solemnly. "If you say they're bad, then they're bad. If they deserve to die, then they must die."
"Smart girl." Qin fondled her chest with a lewd grin, then stepped out of the carriage.
As soon as he emerged, the grin vanished.
Gone was the lazy rogue. In his place stood a cold, steely-eyed warrior—his face eerily similar to his eldest brother Qin Feng. Standing atop the carriage shaft, he scanned the enemies below with icy disdain.
The Asura Eyes, rumored to have terrified tens of thousands, gleamed in his gaze.
Those caught in his stare felt as though they stood knee-deep in a field of white bones and blood. The youth, once seen as prey, now towered like a demon god atop a mountain of corpses.
A collective shiver ran through the ranks. Several masters involuntarily stepped back, heads bowed.
On the cliff, his gaze swept over the elders—finally pausing on Ye Yingxue.
The moment his eyes landed on her, they changed. The cold cruelty vanished, replaced by a lecherous glint.
Ye Yingxue narrowed her eyes. "That bastard dares to leer at me?"
Just then—AHHHHH!
The fat monk lost his footing and plummeted straight off the cliff. Mid-fall, he flailed, forgetting his lightness skill in terror. He smashed into the rocks below with a sickening splat—flesh shredded, skull cracked open. Dead on impact.
Even masters… sometimes die from sheer stupidity.
Those who had been caught in Qin Ren's stare went pale. The immortal-looking elder croaked, "T-This little sex fiend... such murderous aura!"
Ye Yingxue blinked. "What murderous aura? All I saw was a pervert's face staring at my chest. Wait—what happened to the monk?"
"That's no fall," snapped the scholar. "He was assassinated—killed by one of Qin Ren's invisible, silent, soundless hidden weapons! Another righteous man dead at this demon's hands!"
The others eagerly nodded, vowing revenge.
Ye Yingxue frowned beneath her veil. Invisible? Soundless? Only one? That's awfully convenient...
A claw-like elder chimed in, "That brat must've only had one of those deadly darts, so he picked the weakest among us! Vile!"
Ye Yingxue sighed inwardly. One dart? Do they really think anyone buys that?
Qin Ren, meanwhile, had no idea what they were babbling about. He only vaguely wondered why the fat monk fell. Maybe he was so overwhelmed by my looks, he decided to die with dignity? Now that's a man with principle.
Then, the claw-handed elder roared, "Fiend! You've added another life to your sins! With no weapons left, what else can you do? Surrender now!"
That was it.
Qin Ren's rage exploded. Fiend? Demon? Me? I'm a tasteful womanizer, not some evil cultist! That monk killed himself out of envy, not from some hidden dart!
He roared back, "F*** your mom, your grandma, and your ancestors eighteen generations deep! You self-righteous scum! What did I ever do to you?! You want money, right? That's all it is!"
He pulled out a thick wad of silver notes. "Ten thousand taels right here! Take the cash and let my guy go!"
Then he pulled out five Thunderfire Bombs. "Otherwise? I'll kill the men, rape the women, drown your kids, and poison your elders! No one leaves alive!"
To him, they were just fancy-dressed bandits—organized, disciplined, yes, but still just robbers. And he hated being robbed.
Meanwhile, the claw-hand elder was shaking with rage. "You see?! You all see?! He's obscene! Filthy! Disrespecting the law and virtue!"
Even Ye Yingxue looked displeased. That vulgar tirade had included her too.
She made a quick hand signal. Her subordinates pressed their blades harder against Qiao Wei's neck.
Blood trickled down.
"Surrender now, demon, or we kill him!"
Qiao Wei shrieked, "Young Master! Help me! I've always been loyal! You can't let them kill me!"
Qin Ren's face changed again—like flipping a mask.
His eyes turned cold. Three words emerged like ice daggers: "You. Dare. Touch."
The two Snowdrift disciples looked into his eyes—and saw a vision of endless corpses, mountains of white bones, and an Asura standing atop them, laughing maniacally.
Their hearts gave out.
Blood burst from their eyes, noses, ears. They collapsed dead before they even understood what had happened.
And in that moment—Qin Ren moved.
His lightness skill was so fast he left a trail like a tail behind him. He darted into the crowd, scooped up Qiao Wei, and returned to the carriage before they realized he was gone.
A disciple checked the two bodies and howled, "Hallmaster! Shen Guanxi and Hong Delun were poisoned by Qin Ren!"
Ye Yingxue gasped. "What?! Poison too?!"
She leapt down like a gust of snow.
But Qin Ren was already done playing.
His fury had crystallized into an icy, killing calm.
Next to him, Qiao Wei felt like he stood beside a beast made of ice—one that reeked of blood and death.
"Master Qin," he whimpered, "these bastards dared insult you... Let's kill them all!"
Qin Ren grinned darkly. "Naturally. Kill. Them. All."
He raised his arm.
With a casual flick, he hurled five Thunderfire Bombs straight into the enemy crowd.