Chapter 63: Careful, the Opponent is Very Strange

"Head Constable Wei, arrived so early? Arriving this early means there are no skewers to eat," Lu Yang teased with a smile at the entrance.

It was still morning when Head Constable Wei arrived at the barbecue shop, bringing two constables and a silk banner.

"Here, the banner we agreed upon yesterday, I brought it over for you."

Head Constable Wei shook the banner out in the middle of the street, intentionally putting it on display; written upon the banner were the words "Acting Bravely for a Just Cause, Promoting Righteousness."

This act indeed drew quite a crowd of onlookers.

The two constables held up the banner and hung it on the wall directly facing the main door of the hall, making it highly conspicuous.

Originally, there were two ghost-slaves skewering meat in the hall, but Lu Yang had told them in advance to go to the backyard to do it and not show their faces.

Lu Yang brought over three cups of tea and casually asked, "Did those foolish thieves from yesterday reveal anything? Where did these outsiders come from, to dare provoke the famous, iron-faced Head Constable?"

"Sigh, don't bring it up, nothing was revealed at all." Head Constable Wei picked up the cup of boiling water and tea leaves, downing it in one gulp.

A throat at the Foundation Establishment stage was not afraid of being scalded by boiling water.

"Why is that?"

"That band of foolish thieves had weak willpower; they talked after just a little intimidation. Just as they were about to explain why a group of cultivators came to Yanjiang County, they were killed by an assassin who appeared out of nowhere. Nine cow-hair poisoned needles stabbed into their necks, causing instantaneous death. The room was sealed, and nobody knows how the assassin got in."

"At that moment, my instinct was to look outside for the assassin, but I found nothing. Later, I figured it out; the assassin must possess some kind of shadow-related spell. He hid in the shadows in advance, and the moment we questioned them, he killed. Taking advantage of the time I ran outside, he slipped away through the shadows."

"If I had blocked the door back then, I wouldn't have let the assassin escape. I only hate that I was too furious at the time to think of this!" Having spoken, Head Constable Wei furiously drank the tea meant for the other two constables completely clean.

The two constables looked at Head Constable Wei with bewildered faces; they hadn't even had a sip yet.

With a beaming smile, Lu Yang saw off the furious Head Constable Wei and the two unlucky constables who hadn't managed even a drop of water.

Meng Jingzhou transmitted his voice: "According to yesterday's plan, kill Qin Yuanhao?"

After returning last night, Lu Yang spoke of what he had seen; since they now knew the location of the Yanjiang Helm, there was no longer any need for Qin Yuanhao to remain alive.

The three of them had formulated a plan to ambush Qin Yuanhao overnight.

Specifically, it was discussed between Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, while Mangu listened in.

"No rush, I have some new ideas, let's prepare a bit more."

……

The black-robed man tapped lightly on the door of Qin Yuanhao's residence, but even after a long time, no one came to open it.

The black-robed man simply waited.

Finally, the main door swung open, yet the entrance was completely vacant, as though the door had opened on its own.

The wide-open door resembled the massive maw of a demon, swallowing the ignorant masses.

Unhurriedly, the black-robed man stepped into the grand residence. Just as he entered, the door shut with a loud thud and the bolt slid into place, locking the black-robed man inside the estate.

The black-robed man took out a bone plaque and said loudly, "Is Senior Qin Yuanhao present? I come to visit on behalf of my master's entrustment."

"I wondered who it was, so it turns out to be a ghost-slave under Brother Tiger's command."

The voice came from behind the ghost-slave. Qin Yuanhao appeared abruptly; the ghost-slave hadn't even noticed from which direction Qin Yuanhao had approached, appearing as if out of thin air.

"What business do you have with me?"

"My master says it has pondered for a few days and feels that what you said makes sense—it is good to enjoy the shade backed by a great tree. It wishes to join the Yanjiang Helm, but it also has concerns, so it would like to invite you to Pine Mountain for a discussion."

Qin Yuanhao looked at the ghost-slave playfully: "Oh? Brother Tiger delayed its reply for so long, I thought it had no intention of joining the Yanjiang Helm."

The ghost-slave smiled apologetically: "Master takes a longer time to deliberate."

Qin Yuanhao's expression changed instantly, and he gripped the ghost-slave's neck: "How dare you play tricks in front of me! Speak, who sent you? Given Brother Tiger's personality, how could it possibly take the initiative to join the Yanjiang Helm!"

The ghost-slave was struck with terror, repeatedly claiming that no one had sent him.

Qin Yuanhao increased the strength in his hand by another notch, squeezing until the ghost-slave's soul began to fade, before the ghost-slave finally spoke the truth.

"A few days ago, several blind cultivators entered Pine Mountain and stumbled upon Master's tracks. Master killed them, and while sorting through their clothes, discovered their sect was extraordinary, with Golden Core stage grandmasters among their elders."

"Master worries that a Golden Core stage cultivator might come knocking and is somewhat afraid. It then remembered Senior Qin's invitation, and after convincing the mistress, decided to join the Yanjiang Helm, so it sent this lowly one to invite you over to discuss the specific matters together."

Having obtained the desired answer, Qin Yuanhao tossed the ghost-slave aside carelessly: "That sounds more like it."

No longer doubting the ghost-slave, Qin Yuanhao followed him to Pine Mountain.

"Senior Qin, Master is waiting for you not far ahead," the ghost-slave said respectfully. "Master dislikes onlookers, after you."

Ignoring the ghost-slave, Qin Yuanhao walked forward alone.

The forest was dense and secluded, appearing as though it hadn't seen human traces for a long time, and the distant chirping of birds added a touch of serenity to this dense woods.

A four-meter-long tiger demon sat cross-legged ahead, with two cups of tea placed on a stone table, presenting an appearance of entertaining a guest.

Unconsciously, Qin Yuanhao lowered his guard, and his pace quickened slightly.

Suddenly, his cultivation technique operated automatically, forming a thin membrane on the surface of his body that blocked an attack coming from nowhere, leaving only a shallow bloody line on his neck.

"An ambush!"

How seasoned was Qin Yuanhao's experience; he retreated backward violently, spotting a nearly invisible fine line stretched across the air at neck height.

"These hanging noodles are actually useful, almost took his head off."

A gloating voice rang out from a tree to Qin Yuanhao's right, belonging precisely to Meng Jingzhou.

What Qin Yuanhao saw was not a fine line, but Longxu hanging noodles that Lu Yang had purchased from the cafeteria.

According to the description of the senior brother who sold the noodles, this kind of hanging noodles killed invisibly and was most suitable for an ambush.

Had it not been for the special nature of Qin Yuanhao's cultivation technique, which possessed an automatic defensive effect, his head would have been severed by now.

"You dare scheme against me!" Qin Yuanhao glared ferociously at the tiger demon; this wasn't about inviting him over to discuss joining the Yanjiang Helm, it was a trap from beginning to end!

Who could have expected that the tiger demon had long since vanished, the soil beneath Qin Yuanhao's feet turned soft, and the Green Peak Sword struck directly toward Qin Yuanhao's crotch.

Fortunately, Qin Yuanhao reacted swiftly; his right knee collided with the Green Peak Sword, knocking it askew and saving his life-source.

Seeing that the situation was bad, he turned and fled.

He was entirely unprepared while the opponents were fully prepared, how could he fight this?

"They must be fellow members of the Demonic Path!" Qin Yuanhao was certain; that sword strike just now was too devoid of virtue, which righteous path fights like that?

Mangu had been waiting behind him for a long time, swinging a whole tree right at him, sending Qin Yuanhao flying far away.

"Hmm, why did it feel like there was no impact?" Mangu was puzzled; he had clearly hit the opponent, but it felt like hitting a piece of paper.

Qin Yuanhao flew a long distance away, yet his aura remained grand and he was not injured.

"Watch out for the opponent's cultivation technique, it's very bizarre!" Mangu warned loudly.

"A few juniors think they can deal with this old man? You're a hundred years too early!" Qin Yuanhao laughed loudly; as long as they couldn't discover the true effect of his cultivation technique, no one could capture him.

Lu Yang unhurriedly leapt into the air, and using his identity jade plaque, directed a phrase at Qin Yuanhao: "Collect!"

Qin Yuanhao froze for a moment, not yet understanding what had happened; this jade plaque looked like an alternative storage ring, but a storage ring couldn't collect a person.

Qin Yuanhao noticed that the way Lu Yang and the other two looked at him was very strange.

He slowly lowered his head, only to find himself stark naked, his clothes having vanished at some unknown point.

Qin Yuanhao's clothes had been collected into the jade plaque, leaving him shivering in the air wearing only a pair of underpants.

"Fuck, you're the ones who are uncanny here!"