Chapter 3746 — A Dangerous Man

Remember, the Triple Stack Pavilion has always valued newcomers; nothing touching a newcomer is ever a small matter—and if a newcomer is killed, it will inevitably alarm the Law Enforcement Hall.

That was why even a scion as well-connected as Xu Lingchong dared not use crude, blunt methods against Wei Zhao, and could only resort to shadowy schemes in secret. As for anyone else, they had even less nerve; even those who had made an enemy of Wei Zhao would never dare strike to kill him outright.

But things were different now. Because he wore the Thousand-Thread Mask, Wei Zhao was no longer Wei Zhao—he was Lin Er.

Wei Zhao was a newcomer of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, but this Lin Er was nothing more than a rootless rogue cultivator of unknown origin. Killing Wei Zhao, newcomer of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, would bring down monstrous trouble; but killing Lin Er, a rootless rogue cultivator, would stir up not the slightest ripple.

As long as it was not done in broad daylight in a crowded market, the Law Enforcement Hall would never trouble itself over whether a man was murdering and robbing—what did the life or death of a mere rootless rogue cultivator matter to them?

"If you're smart, you'll hand over the Star Ink Stone right now. That might just cool my temper a little, and I'll leave you a whole corpse afterward." Yu Jiang stared at Wei Zhao with a mocking grin, but did not strike at once.

He was not in the least afraid Wei Zhao might flee, for as things stood, Wei Zhao was like a rat cornered by a cat—there was no way out at all.

A mere rogue cultivator at the peak of early Foundation Establishment, facing him—an inner disciple of the Soaring Heaven Pavilion at mid Foundation Establishment—and he still thought he could run? Could he possibly get away!

"Might I ask one thing—what exactly is this Star Ink Stone good for?" Wei Zhao showed no sign of panic; he arched a brow and asked.

Of course he did not truly care to know the Star Ink Stone's uses—there was no need for this man to explain, since that ghostly thing would tell him plainly enough once he returned. He asked deliberately only to find out how much the other man actually knew.

And from that, to judge how necessary it was to kill him!

That was right—what Wei Zhao had in mind now was not escape, but a counter-kill! His opponent was a formidable mid-Foundation Establishment expert, perhaps even a rare talent among such experts, yet Wei Zhao still had the confidence to turn the tables and kill him.

Challenging above one's level was difficult, to be sure, but it carried a heaven-sent advantage as well: one was naturally wrapped in the cloak of the weak, free to play the pig and eat the tiger!

No matter how cautious the opponent, believing his own strength gave him absolute superiority, he would inevitably underestimate his foe somewhat—such is unavoidable human nature. This cunning, vicious opponent was no exception; otherwise the man would have struck to kill long ago and never paused to waste words.

And for experts of any level, underestimation is always a flaw—especially when facing a so-called "weakling" like Wei Zhao, who held powerful hidden cards. That flaw was all the more fatal!

"You don't know what the Star Ink Stone is for?" Hearing Wei Zhao's question, Yu Jiang was visibly taken aback. He had no idea Wei Zhao had so many twists and turns in him, and assumed the man simply wanted to understand before he died.

Yu Jiang looked Wei Zhao up and down with a playful air. Not knowing what the Star Ink Stone was good for, yet daring to produce two top-grade Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pills—a gesture of such scale. So this rogue cultivator was not only far from destitute, but a rare magnate of means?

"I only know the thing is no ordinary object; as for what it's actually good for, I have no idea." Wei Zhao answered flatly.

"Heh. Then prepare to die with your eyes wide open. You don't naively think I'd be merciful enough to tell you, do you? What a wild fantasy—what do you take me for, a fool?" Yu Jiang gave a cold laugh, a savage gleam flashing through his eyes, as though he meant to strike the very next moment.

Wei Zhao's heart sank at once. This one really would not be easy to deal with.

But then Yu Jiang went on: "Still—if you hand over something valuable, say a top-grade Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill or the like, I might just let you die with a clear head."

Ha—so he meant to extort a little extra while he was at it!

The corner of Wei Zhao's mouth curved in a barely perceptible arc. He reached into his robe, and when his hand came out again it held a small box, the same kind he had shown before at the Hong Merchant Guild. He opened the lid: inside lay a single top-grade Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill.

The last batch had yielded six in all. Two had gone to his long-suffering senior brother, he had taken one himself, and two had been spent trading for the Star Ink Stone. The one in his hand now was the last.

At the sight of the top-grade Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill, greed plainly deepened on Yu Jiang's face. Setting aside the Star Ink Stone—that supreme treasure capable of altering the very trajectory of one's fate—a top-grade Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill was a fatal temptation to any Foundation Establishment expert, even one at the peak of late Foundation Establishment.

This Yu Jiang before him was naturally no exception.

After all, even if he obtained the Star Ink Stone, he could not put it to use anytime soon. For the moment, the practical value of a top-grade Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill far exceeded it—and it, too, was a priceless treasure that came only by chance!

"Is there more? If you can produce more fine things to satisfy me, I might consider letting you off." Yu Jiang said, deliberately baiting him.

Let me off? Wei Zhao secretly curled his lip at that. The man truly took him for an idiot. If he really did produce more treasures, this creature would likely lose all restraint and start killing and looting on the spot—letting him go was even less likely.

"That's all. Now you can talk." Wei Zhao said expressionlessly.

Yu Jiang shook his head in disappointment. "What a pity. Still, getting a top-grade Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill makes this trip worthwhile. Of course, I'm sure you've got more fine things hidden on you. Since you won't bring them out yourself, I'll just help you!"

As he spoke, Yu Jiang exploded into motion from a standstill, hurtling straight at Wei Zhao at a speed the naked eye could scarcely follow!

From first to last, he had never intended to tell Wei Zhao anything, still less to spare his life. All that blather had been nothing but an attempt to extort more fine things out of him.

But since Wei Zhao would not hand them over willingly, he would not press the point. Once Wei Zhao was dead, those things would still end up in his hands.

They might be damaged by sword aura during the fight, true—but matters had come this far, so damaged they would be. Kill him first and worry later.

Watching the man move, Wei Zhao's gaze sharpened slightly. That speed of his was almost no slower than Wei Zhao's own, even with the bonus from the Gale-Chasing Lightning Boots and Butterfly Microstep—and added to the formidable sword aura he had displayed in his initial ambush, this was indeed a thorny and dangerous man! RS