Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Now that he knew the situation, if he refused, Li Sanhe would likely kill him to keep it a secret.

"Brother Xu, if you’re not satisfied with the money, just say so. But please, you must help me with this," Li Sanhe added.

Xu Yang’s mind raced. Taking a step forward, he said in a deep voice, "Who does Gang Leader Li want to kill? If it’s within my ability, I won’t refuse. But if it’s beyond me, you’ll have to forgive me for being unable to help."

Li Sanhe replied in a sinister voice, "Zhang Tong, the son of Zhang Sishui from the Sishui Gang. He has a Minor Achievement in Qi Gathering Cultivation. With your skills, Brother, you can definitely kill him."

Xu Yang sneered inwardly. Li Sanhe had revealed the target without hesitation, completely certain that he wouldn’t dare to refuse.

’That Zhang Sishui also has a Great Achievement in Qi Gathering Cultivation. If I kill his son, how could he possibly spare me?’

’If I refuse, Li Sanhe will kill me right now. If I agree, the consequences are unpredictable.’

"Brother Xu, don’t worry. I’ll strike with you. I’ll handle Zhang Sishui, and you just take care of killing Zhang Tong."

Xu Yang was silent for a moment before speaking. "I can help with this, but I have two conditions that Gang Leader Li must agree to."

Li Sanhe laughed, relaxing the palm in which he had been discreetly gathering force. "Please, Brother Xu, state them. If they’re within my power, I’d agree even if there were ten."

Xu Yang said, "Gang Leader Li, you must know that the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon is about to begin. If I had no chance, it wouldn’t matter. But my cultivation is at an awkward level, neither high nor low, so I want to take a gamble and see if I can succeed in the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon.

Thirty taels is too little; it’s not nearly enough for my needs for the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon. I want fifty taels."

’So greedy,’ Li Sanhe thought. ’A mere Minor Achievement in Qi Gathering Cultivation... how is killing one person worth fifty taels?’

Li Sanhe sneered to himself, but his suspicion that Xu Yang was merely feigning agreement diminished greatly.

If he had had a chance at the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon in his youth, he would have absolutely risked his life for it. There were few Martial Artists, if any, who didn’t dream of the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon.

The ones who didn’t were those who lacked even the qualifications to compete. Xu Yang, as it happened, was one of those who was qualified.

"Fine, fifty taels it is. Consider the extra twenty taels a sponsorship from your Brother Li for Younger Brother Xu’s Martial Arts Ascension Dragon."

After a moment of feigned hesitation, Li Sanhe agreed.

Fifty taels was a bit steep, but it was an amount he could still produce.

’The money isn’t the main issue right now. The priority is to eliminate Zhang Tong. Even if he isn’t killed, as long as he fights Xu Yang, he’s bound to get injured.’

’Once he’s injured, he’ll naturally be unable to reach Qi Gathering Great Success. And since I’ve hidden the fact that Zhang Tong is on the verge of Qi Gathering Great Success, it’s Xu Yang who will most likely die.’

’Once he’s dead, why would I need to pay?’

"Brother Li is generous. However, I must receive the money before I act. That is the first condition."

"But of course!" Li Sanhe agreed without hesitation.

’Once Xu Yang is dead, I can naturally take the money back.’

He was inwardly ecstatic. ’Young people are so gullible. You think the money is yours just because I handed it to you?’

"I can give Younger Brother Xu the money right now."

Li Sanhe fumbled in his robes for a moment before pulling out a silver banknote and handing it over, his expression full of sincerity.

"Brother Li is truly generous!"

Xu Yang laughed heartily, stepping forward to take the silver banknote. Without a second glance, he tucked it securely inside his robes.

Seeing this, Li Sanhe felt a secret pang of regret. He had spent most of his money on cultivation over the years; fifty taels was no small sum for him.

However, the thought that he would get the money back made him feel a little better.

"Now, Younger Brother Xu, you can state your second condition." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Li Sanhe looked at Xu Yang, who was now just a short distance away, a broad smile on his face.

Xu Yang said, "Brother Li, you know I’m aiming for the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon. Therefore, I hope this matter remains only between you and me."

Li Sanhe roared with laughter. "So that’s your second request! You can rest assured about that. I didn’t even tell my own subordinates I was coming to see you. I, your brother, swear that no third person will ever know about this."

As he spoke, he placed a large hand on Xu Yang’s shoulder and patted it a few times.

Xu Yang smiled. "Since Brother Li says so, I naturally believe you. So, Brother Li, when do we make our move?"

As he said this, he casually mimicked Li Sanhe’s gesture, reaching out and letting his hand rest lightly on Li Sanhe’s shoulder.

"Of course, the soon..."

The sooner, the better!

But Li Sanhe never finished his sentence. The very instant Xu Yang’s light hand touched him, a tremor shot through his entire body. It was as if something had detonated within him, accompanied by a muffled THUD.

Wind and Thunder Strength!

Light Spirit—swift as the wind and fierce as crashing thunder. It was a Killing Move designed specifically for masters at Qi Gathering Great Success, one that not even Protective True Qi could block.

Li Sanhe was caught completely off guard by Xu Yang’s Wind and Thunder Strength, mainly because the descending palm had felt soft and powerless, with no discernible force behind it.

Furthermore, Xu Yang’s whole speech had lulled him into letting his guard down, making him believe Xu Yang was already on his side.

Finally, and most importantly, with his Great Achievement in Qi Gathering Cultivation, he didn’t believe Xu Yang would ever dare to attack him. And even if he did, he thought Xu Yang couldn’t possibly harm him.

He had never imagined that although Xu Yang’s cultivation was only at Qi Gathering Minor Achievement, he had already mastered the Wind and Thunder Strength—a feat many experts at Qi Gathering Great Success had yet to achieve.

From the very moment they met, Xu Yang had been lulling him into a false sense of security.

CRACK!

Even with the powerful Physique of a master at Qi Gathering Great Success, under the surprise attack of Xu Yang’s Wind and Thunder Strength, Li Sanhe’s internal organs, protected by muscle and flesh, began to fracture under the bombardment of Vajra True Qi, developing countless tiny, pinprick-like holes.

This was the terrifying power of the Wind and Thunder Strength: the exterior of the body felt no impact. The True Qi blasted directly into the interior, striking the most fragile organs.

Caught off guard, Li Sanhe’s face contorted in agony. But he was, after all, a ruthless veteran of the Jianghu. Despite being severely wounded by the surprise attack, he reacted instantly, striking his palm toward Xu Yang’s head.

But facing a master at Qi Gathering Great Success, how could Xu Yang dare be careless? The instant he had made his move, he had already planned out a series of follow-up attacks.

Li Sanhe had only just raised his hand when Xu Yang’s second palm landed on his chest.

CRACK!

This palm was even more ferocious than the last, containing a more terrifying Force. A huge amount of Vajra True Qi was channeled into Li Sanhe’s body through a special method, bombarding his organs.

"ARGH..."

Li Sanhe let out an involuntary scream, nearly fainting from the pain as his body convulsed.

Although he had managed to raise his Protective True Qi, the Force of this palm was even more intense, and the injury it inflicted was no less severe than the first.

As a result, the Force in his own strike weakened instantly.

Although his palm connected with Xu Yang’s head, it felt like striking solid rock, and the impact sent a numbing shock through his hand.

Xu Yang felt his head spin, but the injury wasn’t serious. He knew the terrifying resilience of a master at Qi Gathering Great Success; even after two palm strikes of Wind and Thunder Strength, Li Sanhe wouldn’t die immediately. He absolutely could not give him a chance to counter-attack and kill him.

Even if it meant taking another blow from Li Sanhe, he had to strike again.

He strode forward, this time his hand a fist that slammed into the same spot his palms had struck. He poured his pure, tyrannical Vajra True Qi into Li Sanhe’s body as if it cost him nothing.

BANG!

At the same time, Li Sanhe’s palm also struck his body.

Both men shuddered, their faces contorting in pain.

Xu Yang felt as if he had been struck by a sledgehammer. Even his body, tempered by Vajra True Qi, couldn’t fully block the blow. He stumbled back uncontrollably as a foreign True Qi invaded his meridians and ran rampant.

Fortunately, his meridians, having been scoured for years by his own tyrannical Vajra True Qi, were far from ordinary and were not destroyed.

PTUI!

In contrast, Li Sanhe violently spewed mouthfuls of blood, mixed with fragments of his internal organs. His body swayed, on the verge of collapse.

"Wind and Thunder Strength..."

His eyes filled with disbelief. Xu Yang had actually mastered Wind and Thunder Strength, a Killing Move that could take down an expert at Qi Gathering Great Success. If he had known, he would never have been so careless.

HUUFF!

Suppressing the churning in his chest and forcing Li Sanhe’s invading True Qi out of his body, Xu Yang let out a long breath.

The place where Li Sanhe had struck him still throbbed with pain, but it wasn’t a major issue. As long as no bones were broken, it was nothing to worry about.

He didn’t rush forward to attack again.

Li Sanhe had endured three strikes of Wind and Thunder Strength; his internal organs were shattered. Death was only a matter of time. He was barely clinging to his last breath.

"Why?" Li Sanhe asked, his voice full of indignation. "Didn’t we already have an agreement?"

His heart, meridians, liver, and lungs had all been pulverized by the Wind and Thunder Strength. He knew he wasn’t going to survive.

He had never imagined he would die not at the hands of Zhang Sishui and his son, but at the hands of Xu Yang.

Xu Yang sneered. "Compared to the alternative—being hunted down by both you and Zhang Sishui after killing Zhang Tong—I much prefer dealing with you right now. Did you really think I couldn’t see your scheme?

Most importantly, I never made peace with you. I’ve wanted to kill you all along. I just never had the opportunity."