Chapter 162
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: Pocket Money Earning (2)
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Swish!
A sound came from outside. He furrowed his brow and paused for a moment. If they had approached while hiding their presence, he would have been on guard, but they were making no effort to conceal it.
"Where the hell is the outhouse supposed to be?"
It was a drunkard wandering around, unable to find the latrine. He waited for the fool to stumble off. With the treasure right in front of him, his thirst was rising in this moment of anticipation.
Hurry up and go.
"Is it here?"
Why the hell was he looking for the outhouse in someone else's room?
The man who had slipped his hand into his chest decided not to hesitate if the drunkard knocked. Anyone interrupting his grand scheme wouldn't be left alive. Once this job was done, he planned to leave Nanjing. People probably thought he had already fled beyond the city walls by now, but as the saying goes, it's darkest under the lamp.
"Whoops, what was I thinking? This is Lianhua's room. Waking a sleeping lady would be rude."
Yeah, manners matter.
The man inside nodded instinctively. As the shadow turned away, he sheathed his dagger. The drunk was lucky, all the same. If he had knocked even by mistake, today would have been the anniversary of his death.
Then the man furrowed his brow again.
Splash, splatter!
The sound of liquid hitting the floor came from near the door. Unable to find the latrine, the drunk was just pissing in the hallway. No smell yet, but the acrid stench made his nose twitch.
"Seeing Sophie made me crave a drink. Feels wrong drinking alone, though. Should I wake her?"
This bastard!
The shadow turned away. Then turned back, then again. That repetitive staggering was textbook drunkenness. Should he knock or not? If he was going to do it, just do it cleanly—instead, he was nothing but irritating.
"I'm all about manners, except with corpses."
Someone who cares about manners pisses in a busy hallway?
And floods it like that?
Irritation was boiling over inside the man. He didn't even need the fool to come in; he wanted to step out and slit his throat right there. This guy he had never even met had a talent for pissing people off.
'Should I kill him?'
Killing him without a trace wouldn't be hard. But tonight's target wasn't this idiot—it was the girl. No need to create an incident and leave evidence behind.
Crack!
But this moron kept pacing back and forth. If he just opened the door and came in, the man would slit his throat on the spot. Instead, he dawdled endlessly in front of it.
Every time the man tried to ignore him and deal with the girl first, the drunk would grab the doorknob as if to enter, then let go again. It was seriously grating on his nerves.
'This damned bastard!'
It was the first time murderous intent had surged toward someone he didn't even know. This time, if the drunk tried the door again, he decided to kill him. Unable to endure any longer, he unleashed a flicker of killing intent.
Huh.
A mocking snort came from the other side of the door.
The man's composure shook, rage bubbling up, but he suppressed his killing intent. It was a mistake he wouldn't normally make. Without this fool, he wouldn't have slipped up at all.
'You're dead, I swear it!'
He was the type obsessed fanatically with his goals. Once he set a target, nothing else mattered. Yet this guy outside was still a thorn in his side.
"Moron."
"...?"
"No damn clue."
"...?"
"Yeah, you."
"...?"
"What the hell are you doing, you idiot? Unbelievable."
"...No way?"
"Even after all that, if you still don't get it, you're a super moron. More of one than I thought. How have they not caught a moron like you yet?"
At this point, even the man couldn't pretend not to know. The drunk was openly hurling insults now—ignoring it would be the weird thing.
But it made no sense. He had activated the Shadowless Silent Art. Near-perfect stealth and camouflage technique. And yet, some random nobody had spotted him. Saying his pride wasn't wounded would be a lie.
"You son of a bitch, daring to mock me!"
"What do you call a moron if not a moron? Put your hand on your heart and think about what you've been doing. Doesn't it seem moronic?"
The man's insides boiled with fury.
What pissed him off even more was how hard it was to argue back. Even he had to admit his actions looked idiotic.
Bubble, bubble!
At this point, he couldn't hold back anymore.
This fool had provoked a master of his craft, one utterly devoted to his purpose. He wouldn't die cleanly. Sure, he was being hunted, but not out of fear—he just didn't want to draw attention.
Creak!
Mujin opened the door and stepped inside.
A masked man glared at him with flashing eyes.
Creak!
Mujin closed the door behind him.
The man stared at Mujin in disbelief. He didn't even seem drunk—what the hell gave him the guts to do this?
"Fearless, aren't you?"
"Still haven't figured it out, huh? This isn't the time for you to be casually chatting with me."
"Insolent brat, all talk! I'll make you beg for death soon enough. And right in front of you, I'll take that girl!"
"The Sword Emperor won't let that slide."
"What?"
"That's Nangong Lianhua, the precious golden flower of the Nangong family. You had no idea and were gonna rape and kill her? You're insane."
He had figured she wasn't some ordinary girl. He knew she was hiding pure inner energy—more than enough fuel to boost his own power in an instant. Of course a girl like this wouldn't be common-born. But Nangong family? Leaving evidence would be a headache.
"Those words just sealed your fate."
"Judging by your moves, you're a Yin type. Pretty high level, too. You're one of the Yin Killers, right?"
"How did you...?"
"It was true? Wow, I never imagined the Yin Killer from the Seven Killings would be such a moron!"
The Yin Killer of the Seven Killings wasn't well-known to the public. His infamy came only from a few incidents. Little info on his appearance or energy. Yet tonight, he had absurdly exposed himself.
For a Yin Killer who needed to stay hidden, it was an unimaginable string of blunders.
"I'll kill you!"
"Yeah, you've got a big mouth. Come at me."
To those who knew Mujin, this would seem odd. He had dragged things out too long. Why bother?
The Yin Killer should have noticed, but it was their first meeting—how could he?
Vmmm!
Revealing his true nature, the Yin Killer circulated the Bloodsucking Demon Emperor Art. An incomplete art that endlessly craved blood and desire. That's why he tried to hide it as it progressed.
But each time it ramped up, his reason crumbled into madness. That was how he earned the name Yin Killer.
Circulating the Bloodsucking Demon Emperor Art unveiled his hidden essence. Craving blood and vitality without end.
"No one survives. That's all on you."
"Oops. My bad."
"Tricks won't work now... Huh?"
"Your energy's pretty strong, alright. Held out well so far."
"No way?"
"Tang Clan's Immortal Sealing Powder. You know it—Qi Scattering Poison, right?"
A Tang Clan Qi Scattering Poison was different. That's why everyone said poison meant Tang Clan. Immortal Sealing Powder suppressed inner energy, as everyone knew.
But it only activated when inner energy was circulated. So Mujin had entered the room and taunted the intruder to buy time.
Even during that fake drunken act, he had sinister plans. Mujin wasn't the type to chat long with some random guy.
Tremble!
As he tried to raise his Third Realm energy, his meridians frayed and snapped. Jonglicheon finally realized he had been poisoned with Immortal Sealing Powder. The more he circulated, the faster it drained. He couldn't use Third Realm power like this.
"...You cowardly bastard!"
"Gonna hole up forever?"
Jonglicheon gnashed his teeth at Mujin, radiating venom, but Mujin just said something else.
Chill!
A chilling aura. Jonglicheon realized what he had forgotten. The moment he turned, Nangong Lianhua sprang from the bed and unleashed a palm strike.
Whoosh, boom!
In his crisis, Jonglicheon countered with Yin Blood Palm, veins bulging thick and pale on his face. The backlash from forcing his energy. Right now, he should have fled and waited out the poison instead of using power.
But she wouldn't let him evade. Her penetrating thunder energy shocked him through her palm.
Whirl, slash!
Barely blocking, Jonglicheon had no time to relax. A flying dagger shot from behind. He twisted away, but it grazed his flesh. Nearly lost his spine.
Dizzy!
Grazed by the dagger, Jonglicheon felt vertigo. Checking the spot, it was already turning black.
"Tang Clan-marked Centipede Snake Poison."
Centipede Snake Poison mixed scorpion and snake venom with toxic herbs—a Tang Clan brew. Weaker than the Poison King's staples, but useful to carry.
Of course, without the Immortal Sealing Powder, he would have expelled it with energy.
Ugh!
Poisoned, Jonglicheon writhed. He never imagined dying so pathetically without a proper fight.
"And you call yourselves righteous sect? Using poison!"
"Can't righteous sects use a little poison?"
Doesn't make them unrighteous.
Swish!
Mujin kept talking and throwing daggers without mercy. Unlike the poison, these were cheap from a local smithy. Great value—he could spam them freely.
Thud!
He desperately wanted to kill Mujin, but Jonglicheon failed. Nangong Lianhua, overcoming her physical weakness, had reached a level with Heavenly Thunder Divine Fist incomparable to before. Each inner strike boomed like thunder, tormenting him.
Zzt, zzt!
Splat!
Struck straight by a thunderbolt, Jonglicheon spat blood while forcing his blocked meridians. The result was horrific. Pain like his vessels tearing apart surged through him, his blood turning black.
Whoosh, slash!
Every time, Mujin hurled daggers to harass him. The Centipede Snake Poison on them steadily restricted his movements.
'...This can't be! Damn it!'
For Jonglicheon, this was absurd. What a disaster. No escape in sight. The cowardly scum grated on him, but this girl's power was no joke. Even at full strength, victory wouldn't be easy—she was that strong.
"No time to get distracted."
"I'll kill you at least!"
Mad-eyed, Jonglicheon spewed ferocious killing intent. Enough to stop a normal person's heart. But too bad—his opponent was on another level.
"If you can."
"Boys."
"...You sons of bitches!"
To Mujin's left and right, Yukchil and Taejin appeared.
Summoned, they unleashed fist and sword energies at Jonglicheon. No prior joint practice, but their time together made their coordination seamless.
"Watch his left hand. He's hiding a nasty hooked blade called Blood Fang."
...How?
Jonglicheon's mind collapsed.
It was his last resort for a reversal. But it was exposed before he could use it—and now his left arm flew into the air.