Chapter 32 - 31: Coercion

Four Martial Artists at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer had teamed up to kill a single Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Three Heavens. Not only had they failed to injure him, but he had turned the tables and killed them instead.

If anyone had told him such a story, Qin Shou would have slapped them silly. It was a complete fantasy, an utter pipe dream.

But now, Qin Shou had no choice but to believe it. Here at the foot of the mountain, the wind whistled through a gully thick with shrubbery. The stench of blood still hung heavy in the air. Of the four Law Enforcement Hall elites, he was the only one left alive.

Qin Feng moved like a cheetah, a phantom blur. He threw a punch, and a tremendous force slammed into the chest of the man with the severed hand. Amidst the man’s indignant, furious gaze, the blow directly shattered his heart. BANG! The immense power sent the man’s body flying dozens of feet, leaving a trail of blood before it tumbled into the bushes.

After killing the one-armed man, Qin Feng glanced at the only one left standing: the dark-faced man. He took in the other’s expression—a mix of shock, fear, bitterness, unease, and vigilance—and simply looked at him. Yet that single glance made the dark-faced man, Qin Shou, feel as though he’d been targeted by some terrifying Ancient Fierce Beast. The hair on his body stood on end, and his scalp prickled.

Born with the Superpower to communicate with birds and beasts, Qin Shou’s senses were far more acute than others’. He could feel an indescribable, primal fear rising from the depths of his bloodline.

Qin Shou’s muscles locked up. He stood frozen to the spot, not daring to move an inch, much less swing the long saber he held—a blade more precious to him than his own wife.

His eyes were wide with fear as he watched Qin Feng casually loot the three corpses on the ground. He watched him pull out stacks of silver banknotes, bottles of Elixirs, and a Secret Manual Technique that looked exceptionally valuable.

It was obvious that Qin Feng was extremely practiced at looting; one look at his methods told you he did this often.

Killing and robbing had become second nature to him! Qin Shou’s face grew paler. Anyone would feel a chill creep up their spine at the thought of being looted so thoroughly after death.

Qin Shou couldn’t help but wonder, ’If he kills me, will I be looted just like that?’

Most Martial Artists shared a bad habit born of overconfidence: they preferred to keep their valuables on their person rather than at home.

He was no exception!

Qin Shou gritted his teeth, swearing a vicious oath in his heart. ’If I get out of this alive, I’m never carrying my entire fortune on me again.’

Qin Feng glanced at the Elixir in his hand with a flash of surprise. He had actually found a bottle of exceptionally precious Top-grade Quenching Essence Pills. But then he remembered Qin Yue’s background, and it all made sense. Qin Yue had been a man of high status—the Legitimate Son of a Law Enforcement Hall Elder and an elite member himself. On top of that, he had seized all of Qin Feng’s father, Qin Zhan’s, assets. It was no wonder he possessed such treasures.

There was also a Low Tier, Spirit Martial Level Saber Technique called Cold Moon Slash.

The other three bodies yielded a few more Elixirs, but they were mostly Lower Grade. Qin Feng sneered at them and casually tossed them away. Qin Shou’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head; he almost leaped to his feet.

As elite disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall, their monthly stipend was only a single bottle of Low Grade Quenching Essence Pills. They treasured them and could hardly bear to use them, yet Qin Feng had just tossed them away after a single glance.

’What an absolute wastrel! A disgrace to his family!’

Qin Shou’s eyes went red as he gulped. If Qin Feng weren’t more ferocious than a pack of wolves, he would have rushed over, snatched up all the Elixirs, and stuffed them into his robes.

"You want them?" Suddenly, a cool voice sounded right next to his ear. Qin Shou jumped, and when he looked up, his face went sheet white.

"Am I that frightening?" Qin Feng asked, strolling over with a faint smile on his face.

Seeing he had apparently terrified the dark-faced man, Qin Feng chuckled. "You seem to really want these Elixirs," he said, his voice laced with temptation. "Want them? They can all be yours."

Qin Shou’s eyes lit up. GULP. He instinctively swallowed hard. The temptation was immense. There were four or five scattered bottles of Elixirs on the ground. Ordinarily, that would be worth at least half a year’s stipend for him. The temptation was simply too great.

"On one condition: you follow me." Qin Feng’s next words stopped him in his tracks.

His face went pale, his feet feeling as heavy as lead. ’Follow you, First Master Qin? Isn’t that a death sentence? The Law Enforcement Hall is hunting you with everything they’ve got, Young Master. Following you would be suicide!’

Qin Feng noted the dark-faced man’s hesitation and reluctance. He spoke calmly.

"Don’t worry," he said impassively. "I, Qin Feng, never force anyone. I’ve always believed in persuading people through virtue. If you’re unwilling, I have another option for you."

"What option?" Qin Shou’s eyes brightened, a look of delight on his face. ’Anything is fine,’ he thought, ’as long as it means I don’t have to follow this terrifying man.’

"The other option is I kill you and loot your corpse," Qin Feng said with a cold, malicious smirk.

Qin Shou’s face turned ashen. ’Persuading people through virtue, my ass! Is this even a choice?’

Qin Shou’s face was a mask of indecision. After a long moment, with a CLANG, he dropped his long saber, knelt, and pleaded in a low voice, "Ninth Young Master, please, just let me go. I have elders to care for and children to raise. Following you is a dead end! I’m begging you, give my family a chance to survive!"

"Letting you go is impossible," Qin Feng said coolly, ignoring the dark-faced man’s pleas. He idly toyed with the Secret Manual he had just looted.

"You have the ability to communicate with birds and beasts. Letting you go would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains—a future threat. With your ability, it would be difficult to hide my tracks from you. On the other hand, with you on my side, it will be much, much harder for the Qin Family to find me. So, tell me, why would I ever let you go?"

Qin Shou’s face paled. For a long moment, he was speechless.

Qin Feng continued, "Actually, following me is a good path for you. You saw those Elixirs. I can tell you, I can get my hands on as many of those as I want. Follow me, and you’ll have an endless supply of Elixirs! And Secret Manuals!"

Qin Feng casually tossed the Low Tier, Spirit Martial Level ’Cold Moon Slash’ Secret Manual in front of Qin Shou, whose eyes were immediately glued to it.

A Spirit Martial Level Martial Skill... This was valuable enough to be a family heirloom.

Qin Shou could afford to be indifferent about the Elixirs. He knew his own aptitude was limited; he would never amount to much in his lifetime of cultivation. But he could not ignore a Spirit Martial Level Martial Skill.

Unlike Elixirs, a Martial Skill could be passed down through the generations. Even if he couldn’t master it, he could pass it to his son, and his son to his grandson. It could be a legacy.

The temptation was immense!

Qin Feng could see that Qin Shou was tempted. But he still had reservations, likely because he feared the Qin Family’s ruthless methods and didn’t dare to betray them.

Qin Feng sneered. "As for the Qin Family, you don’t need to worry. I’ll make them think you’re already ’dead.’ You just need to stay hidden behind the scenes. You won’t have to show your face in public."

Qin Shou was thoroughly convinced. As long as he didn’t have to openly oppose the Qin Family and endanger his own, siding with Qin Feng was an acceptable risk—especially with so many benefits right in front of him.

Both the Elixirs and the Secret Manual were treasures that money couldn’t buy.

Of course, the most important factor was the cold glint in Qin Feng’s eyes as he stared at him, his expression making it perfectly clear that if he dared to even think of refusing, he would be cut down where he knelt.

"I’ll do it!" After a moment’s hesitation, Qin Shou wisely chose to agree.

’I’ll agree for now, just to placate him,’ Qin Shou thought, agreeing out loud while his mind raced optimistically. ’When I get the chance, I’ll slip away from this devil! Then I can go back to being a Law Enforcement Hall elite, free and easy!’

An hour later, however, Qin Shou’s optimism vanished. His limbs went cold as he watched Qin Feng approach, dragging two bound Qin Family disciples whose eyes were spitting fire.

"Qin Shou, to prove your loyalty, pick up your saber and kill them both!"