Chapter 113 03-25 - 108: Only the Dead Can Keep a Secret!

Chapter 113: Chapter 108: Only the Dead Can Keep a Secret!

His breath was somewhat unstable.

The enraged blow from the Qi Absorption expert was indeed extraordinary.

If it were his peak period, Liu Shuanghe would absolutely be no match!

Clutching the continuously bleeding wound on his left arm, a trace of sorrow flashed through Li Mingqi’s eyes. This time, he had actually been ambushed by a Bone Refining Martial Artist; how had he not foreseen Chen Yuan being so ruthless?

How dare he commit such a heinous crime against a Shangguan—this was a serious offense against the imperial court. Once the word got out, it would be a grave sin, punishable by the extermination of his entire clan.

“Chen Yuan, you deserve to die!”

...

Knowing that this time he had nearly no way out, Li Mingqi was also spurred on by desperation, intending to take Chen Yuan down with him.

With a step, he fiercely charged at Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan focused his mind, gripping the hilt of his saber, ready to strike at any moment. Although he had never killed a Gang Condensing Martial Artist, Li Mingqi was badly injured now, so there might be a chance.

However, Liu Shuanghe didn’t give Li Mingqi the chance, stepping in front of Chen Yuan with his sword, repelling Li Mingqi’s attack.

“Do you really think you can kill someone in front of me?”

Liu Shuanghe snorted coldly.

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“Liu Shuanghe!”

Li Mingqi’s eyes reddened, as he engaged in battle with all his might.

Sword shadows flickered, continuously marking the ground, and Li Mingqi was forced to retreat again and again, soon cornered against the wall, his eyes filled with reluctance.

“Pffft!”

The sword blade pierced Li Mingqi’s right chest, impaling him straight through.

The two were only a few feet apart, and Li Mingqi could even hear Liu Shuanghe’s breathing. With his right arm, he thrust his sword viciously toward Liu Shuanghe’s neck.

“Clank.”

Liu Shuanghe raised his arm to block, producing a sound like metal clashing— he was wearing armor!

“County Magistrate Li, tell me who is plotting the destruction of the Liu Family from behind the scenes, and I can grant you a swift death. Otherwise, you’ll certainly meet with a death by a thousand cuts today!”

Liu Shuanghe’s gaze bore intensely into Li Mingqi.

He had long suspected that there must be someone targeting the Liu Family behind this. Otherwise, the Liu Family had ceded so many benefits that, as per usual, those people should have stopped.

But no matter whether he sought peace or made any effort, those targeting the Liu Family seemed to show no mercy, as if bent on the family’s destruction.

Such ruthlessness was as if the Liu Family had a deep feud with them, like they had killed their fathers and stolen their wives.

The corners of Li Mingqi’s mouth curled up, revealing a mockingly sneer:

“Kill Chen Yuan, and I’ll tell you everything. Otherwise, you’ll never know who’s plotting against the Liu Family. It won’t be long before the century-old Liu Family completely disappears from this world.”

“Hmph.”

Liu Shuanghe snorted coldly, unaffected by Li Mingqi’s agitation, and withdrew his sword, delivering a punch to Li Mingqi’s left shoulder where his arm was broken.

“Ah… Ah….”

A gut-wrenching pain enveloped Li Mingqi’s mind, his eyes bulging, teeth clenched tightly.

“Not talking for real?”

Liu Shuanghe stepped on Li Mingqi’s chest with a cold look in his eyes.

“Heh-heh…” Li Mingqi spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Family Head Liu, since the County Magistrate won’t talk, just kill him quickly. I still have a play to perform,” said Chen Yuan, steadily approaching from the side.

“Chen Yuan, I was wrong about you. You dare to backstab me; even as a ghost, I won’t let you go!” Li Mingqi glared at Chen Yuan, hate welling up inside him.

It was all because of Chen Yuan that he had come to this wretched point. Otherwise, would he have met with such disaster?

Previously, he had entertained thoughts of plundering Ping’an County after destroying the Liu Family and then retiring, or perhaps finding a way to transfer to another County Government to serve another term as County Magistrate.

Now, all was lost.

“My Lord Li, don’t make yourself sound so innocent, nor paint me so villainously. This is all that you deserve. When you used me as a pawn, you should have considered that you too were just a pawn,” Chen Yuan said emotionlessly, step by step moving forward, with a matter-of-fact tone.

“Can you, with a clear conscience, claim that you didn’t use me as a shield to attract the wrath of the Liu Family?”

“I have always been one to repay kindness and avenge wrongs. How could I not avenge such a vendetta?”

“So, I paid the Family Head a visit late at night, asking him to take action with me against you. Truthfully, I am about to be transferred to the Prefecture City. I had hoped everything would settle peacefully, but you were seeking death, and no one else is to blame.”

“As for becoming a ghost, I wasn’t afraid of you in life, so why would I fear just a mere spirit?”

Chen Yuan’s face was expressionless as he neared.

His words were remarkably indifferent.

“You’re getting transferred?”

Li Mingqi’s eyes were full of shock; he had known nothing of this.

“Nanling Prefecture City, Heavenly Patrol Bureau, I had intended to inform you in the next few days, but then you secretly ordered the killing of Liu Ruoqing and Liu Changzhi, forcing my hand against you.”

“Chen Yuan, if you’re going to be transferred, why attack me? If you leave Ping’an County, would the Liu Family dare to seek revenge in the Prefecture City? You’re clearly ungrateful. Don’t forget, who promoted you from a mere Blood Refining Cultivation to the position of an arrest officer!” Li Mingqi stared intently at Chen Yuan, quickly discerning issues within Chen Yuan’s words.

“It was because I defeated a host of rivals that you promoted me. And don’t forget who took care of Beihai Gang for you, who quelled the horse bandits, and who…”

“What kindness do you owe me?”

Chen Yuan halted his steps, his gaze not flickering in the slightest.

“Heh heh… smooth talker.”

“Arguing about this is pointless, I don’t wish to waste words either. As for you, my lord, I won’t give you the chance to leave any last words. You can say them below just the same, there will be people to accompany you.”

Chen Yuan smiled, not fond of too much idle talk, this is a premium chapter after all, do you really think readers won’t scold him?

“You’re going to lay a hand on my family?”

Hearing that there would be people to accompany him, Li Mingqi immediately thought of his family.

Liu Shuanghe also looked at Chen Yuan in surprise, not expecting this youngster to be so ruthless as to eradicate the roots after cutting the grass, but on second thought, it made sense since they had become sworn enemies.

To not eradicate the roots was to wait for revenge, right?

Chen Yuan offered no defense, those who understood, understood. Then he said to Liu Shuanghe:

“Brother Liu, let’s do it. There’s no point in pressing him for answers, don’t waste time.”

After a moment of silence, Liu Shuanghe nodded, feeling that what Chen Yuan said made sense. Looking at Li Mingqi, he didn’t seem like he would willing to speak, and it wasn’t even certain if he knew anything at all.

Immediately after, a flash of sword light, and a thrust to the throat.

A line of blood appeared on Li Mingqi’s neck as drops of fresh blood slowly seeped from the wound.

Li Mingqi’s eyes widened, throat emitting several ‘he…he…’ sounds, reluctance in his eyes. In the last moments of his life, he faintly saw the fleeting smile at the corner of Chen Yuan’s mouth.

This kid, really ruthless!

Then, Li Mingqi died with his eyes open, Liu Shuanghe looked at his fallen opponent and inexplicably felt the sorrow of “the hare dies and the fox grieves.”

Li Mingqi was dead, dead by his own hands.

But…

What would become of the Liu Family’s fate?

Could they really survive this disaster safely as Chen Yuan had said?

If they couldn’t make it through, perhaps his own fate wouldn’t be much better than Li Mingqi’s.

With this thought, Liu Shuanghe slowly knelt down, gently closed Li Mingqi’s wide-open eyes, and whispered:

“Lord Li, I can’t let you die with your eyes open. Have a good journey, may you be an upright official in your next life…”

Chen Yuan approached Li Mingqi impassively, and said:

“Brother Liu truly has a kind heart.”

“Everyone dies someday. Perhaps when I meet my end, I will also die with eyes open. I hope that there will be someone like me to close the eyes of the dead, so they can see the road ahead clearly below.”

“It will be so.”

Chen Yuan nodded earnestly.

After a long silence, Liu Shuanghe’s expression turned stern, and he said emotionlessly with his back to Chen Yuan:

“Don’t forget what you promised me. The Liu Family must safely get through this calamity unharmed.”

“Of course, Chen keeps his word.”

“That’s good. As long as Arrest Officer Chen keeps his promise, then we will always be friends. Right now, we are grasshoppers on the same string; if the Liu Family doesn’t fare well, your fate won’t be much better either.”

“Oh?”

“Assassinating a court-appointed official is a capital offense, don’t think you’re innocent just because you didn’t strike the blow yourself. Don’t forget, it was you who lured Li Mingqi here. Anyone with intent could investigate and find out.

It’s best if Arrest Officer Chen doesn’t do anything unwise.”

“Is that a threat to me, Brother Liu?”

Chen Yuan’s face held a smile as he subtly revealed the black saber-shaped mark on his left arm.

“Heh… to put it bluntly, Arrest Officer Chen, I could feast on your secret for a lifetime, so it’s best if you…”

“Swish!”

Just as Liu Shuanghe turned his head to say something more, a streak of black light dazzled before his eyes, and before he could react,

The black light pierced through his throat instantly, his essence blood swiftly surged toward the streak of black light.

“You ambushed…”

Liu Shuanghe felt like he had been immobilized, could only watch helplessly as his essence blood was rapidly drained away.

He had not yet achieved Condensing Evil, and was utterly unable to resist the Evil Qi of the Blood Evil Saber. When Chen Yuan first came into contact with the Blood Evil Saber, this was how he had reacted.

The only difference was, Liu Shuanghe lacked a Qi Fortune Altar to save him, only feeling his life ebbing away.

In less than ten breaths, with a ‘boom’, Liu Shuanghe’s body slammed onto the ground, his skin withered, dried up, eyes staring wide as he was drained of blood by the Blood Evil Saber.

And his death rictus, no different from Li Mingqi’s!

“Whoosh.”

After the black light drained the blood, it instantly returned to the top of Chen Yuan’s left arm, and he could sense a hint of satisfaction emanating from it as it quietly lay dormant there.

Chen Yuan’s eyes flickered, realizing that the Blood Evil Saber wasn’t all-powerful, able to burst forth only once in a short time frame, but indeed, it was an essential weapon for murder and stealth attacks.

He had chosen to strike when Liu Shuanghe turned his head because that was when he was most off guard; despite constantly turning his back to Chen Yuan, Liu Shuanghe had never once let go of his sword.

Clearly, he was on guard against Chen Yuan’s surprise attack.

Alas, in the end, he still couldn’t prevent it.

Looking at Liu Shuanghe’s death rictus and wide-open eyes, Chen Yuan whispered:

“You won’t be able to feast on my secret for a lifetime, because only the dead can keep a secret.”