Chapter Twenty: The Defeat of Wang Chuan

Unless Li Er were dead, it would be impossible for Qin Lang to obtain his sword!

"As for how Li Er died, you can ask him yourself on the road to the underworld!"

Too lazy to waste any more breath on Wang Chuan, Qin Lang drew his long sword and stepped toward him. Under the sunlight, the blade reflected a piercing, icy glare.

"No, no! Don't kill me!"

Faced with the threat to his life, Wang Chuan retreated repeatedly. A foul stench suddenly filled the air; terrified out of his wits, he had lost control of his bowels, leaving his trousers soaked.

Qin Lang pinched his nose and frowned. Having encountered him several times before, he had always found this boy to be arrogant. He had assumed Wang Chuan was a man of some mettle, but it turned out he was nothing more than a coward.

"My father is the head of the Wang family! He dotes on me—if you spare my life, money, beauties, cultivation manuals, martial arts techniques—anything you want, he will give it to you!" Wang Chuan pleaded, his face twisted in terror as he scrambled backward.

Qin Lang sneered. If he could trade Wang Chuan for a powerful cultivation manual or martial technique, he might have considered it. But clearly, given the foundations of the Wang family, there was nothing they possessed that was worth his notice.

"Rest assured, I won't chop you up to feed the demonic beasts. I'll give you a quick end!" Qin Lang extended his arm, his sword pointing directly at Wang Chuan.

Wang Chuan wore a miserable expression, his heart trembling. Weren't these the very words he had said to Qin Lang before? At the time, he had been so arrogant standing before him! How ironic that the tables had turned so quickly.

Qin Lang swung his arm, and a cold flash flickered from his blade!

*Squelch!*

"No—"

A shrill, miserable scream tore from Wang Chuan’s throat. Blood gushed forth as a large head went flying into the air!

Until the very moment of his death, Wang Chuan was filled with regret—regret that he had ever provoked Qin Lang. He was the young master of the Wang family, the heir to the lordship, with a bright and promising future ahead of him! Yet, he had died at the hands of the very trash that everyone in Qingfeng Town mocked.

Wang Chuan died with his eyes wide open, unreconciled.

***

After slaying Wang Chuan, Qin Lang salvaged many valuable items from his body: thousands of silver notes, a large quantity of first-grade spirit pills, and even some second-grade ones. Clearly, as the young master of the Wang family, Wang Chuan had far more cultivation resources than Li Er.

What surprised Qin Lang most was finding a Spirit Cleansing Pill. It was a second-grade pill of extreme rarity; one could only consume it once in a lifetime, and it would forcibly elevate a Martial Disciple’s strength by one rank without any side effects. It was the dream of every Martial Disciple, yet it was so scarce that it was often impossible to find, regardless of how much money one offered. As far as Qin Lang knew, not even the Alchemy Pavilion in Qingfeng Town had one for sale. He had no idea how Wang Chuan had acquired it, but now, it was his gain.

With the Qingfeng Town Youth Trial Tournament less than half a month away, Qin Lang could use the pill to boost his strength to the ninth rank of the Martial Disciple realm. With that, he would have enough confidence to crush the conspiracies of the Ye family and Ye Keqing.

However, Qin Lang did not rush to take the pill. The one-month deadline was almost up; his top priority was to help Yun'er refine her body with the Heavenly Ice Flower. Carefully tucking away the pill, he hurried back toward Qingfeng Town. The flower would only be effective within three days of its maturity; he had to make it back in time.

***

At the Qin family’s Martial Arts Pavilion, a twelve-year-old girl sat listlessly on the veranda. Her clothes were white as snow, and her delicate features drew fiery, lingering gazes from the young disciples passing by.

"She is truly too beautiful—even more so than Ye Keqing, who is hailed as the greatest beauty in Qingfeng Town!"

"Since when did our Qin family have such a beautiful girl? How did I not notice her before?"

"That girl is Qin Lang’s maidservant. A month ago, he even forced his way into the Martial Arts Pavilion for her sake!"

"Tsk tsk, if only I had such a beautiful maid!"

The group of disciples gossiped incessantly, casting looks of envy, jealousy, and hatred upon learning she belonged to Qin Lang. Yet, the girl seemed entirely unaware. Her clear eyes stared blankly into the distance, lost in thought.

"Young Master, where are you..." she murmured, her eyes filled with worry and longing.

"What’s wrong, little girl? Thinking of that boy again?" The white-haired elder lying on a recliner nearby chuckled.

Caught in the act, a blush bloomed on the girl’s pale face, though she did not attempt to refute him.

***

This girl was Yun'er, Qin Lang’s maid. A month ago, when she awoke from her coma and learned that Qin Lang had gone alone to the Heavenly Mountain in the Tianfeng Mountains, risking his life to find the Heavenly Ice Flower for her, she had come here every day to wait for his return.

"If I had been conscious then, I would never have let the Young Master go to the Heavenly Mountain!"

"My life is cheap; how could it be worth the Young Master risking his own?"

"If something were to happen to him, how could I ever have the face to see the Master in the afterlife?"

Yun'er was filled with self-reproach. She had not been able to help her young master, and instead, had caused him so much trouble.

*Hisss!*

A chill from the depths of her soul struck her. Yun'er felt as if she had plummeted into an ice cellar; her body grew deathly cold, and her already pale face turned even whiter. As the one-month limit approached, the martial soul that had been suppressed within her began to show signs of awakening. These days, the icy energy flared up from time to time, and with increasing frequency.

"Little girl, is the cold affliction acting up again? You must hold on. Believe that Qin Lang will be back soon!" The Supreme Elder, noticing her distress, tried to offer comfort, though even he did not believe his own words.

If Qin Lang had obtained the Heavenly Ice Flower, he surely would have returned by now. His delay could only mean one of two things: he had failed to find it, or he had perished at the hands of the beast guarding it.

*Sigh.* I grow more foolish in my old age! Why did I ever agree to let that boy go to the Heavenly Mountain alone? With only the strength of a Martial Disciple, how could he possibly be a match for the guardian beast? Now, not only is the girl unsaved, but the Qin family has lost a promising talent.

*Hisss!*

Another wave of even colder energy surged from her soul. Yun'er’s lips turned purple, and her teeth chattered uncontrollably.

"Supreme Elder, thank you... thank you for all your care these days. I know my own body best... I’m afraid... I’m afraid I won't live to see the Young Master return!" Her voice trembled, and her clear, bright eyes dimmed with sorrow.

She didn't think she could make it through today. How she wished she could see the Young Master one last time before she left this world! But alas, it seemed there would be no such chance.

Her consciousness began to blur. Yun'er’s body went limp, and she slumped sideways, falling to the ground.