Chapter 50: Chapter 50

Shi Huiming frowned. After Zhao Jiu entered, he had tried to determine who wanted him dead. He could think of plenty of suspects, but not a single person he could identify with certainty.

Intending to probe him, Shi Huiming asked in a deep voice, “Jiangnan or Shu? Surely you can tell me that much?”

“The Ghost Market.”

Zhao Jiu did not understand what he meant and decided not to think about it. Instead, he revealed his identity as a professional assassin to shut down all further questions.

“You should write a will and leave something for your descendants. Whether you die confused or knowing, you’ll still be a ghost. A man dies as a lamp goes out. Knowing too much won’t do you any good.”

Realizing that he could extract nothing from Zhao Jiu, Shi Huiming stopped hesitating. He understood that striking first granted the advantage, while striking second invited disaster.

He rested one hand on his teacup and stared motionlessly at Zhao Jiu, searching for an opening.

PLIP.

A drop of rain that had gathered beneath the eaves finally fell and struck the stone steps. Zhao Jiu shifted slightly aside to avoid the splash.

An opening!

Shi Huiming attacked instantly, hurling the teacup at Zhao Jiu.

Zhao Jiu turned aside and dodged, but his vision was obscured for a split second. Shi Huiming immediately closed the distance and drove a horizontal punch forward.

Zhao Jiu reacted quickly, crossing both arms before his chest. Although he blocked the punch, he did not have time to steady himself. He retreated three steps and landed directly before the stone steps.

The continuous drizzle considerably impaired visibility. Shi Huiming naturally would not give Zhao Jiu a chance to catch his breath. Before Zhao Jiu could regain his footing, the next attack was already upon him.

Shi Huiming’s fists roared through the air, forcing Zhao Jiu to remain on the defensive. For a time, Zhao Jiu appeared outmatched and rather bedraggled.

Fortunately, Zhao Jiu possessed plenty of experience. Although he had suffered a minor setback, he quickly stabilized the situation. His hands traced circles through the air, diverting Shi Huiming’s attacks, before he retreated three steps to open the distance between them.

Shi Huiming had attacked repeatedly without breaking through. His initial burst of momentum had already been exhausted—the first surge was vigorous, the second weakened, and the third failed. The initiative he had seized was gone, along with his advantage.

Both men were now standing in the rain, so he had even lost the advantage of terrain. If he retreated inside again, he would surrender all his momentum as well.

Shi Huiming was unwilling, yet there was nothing he could do. Zhao Jiu looked younger than him. If the fight dragged on, Shi Huiming would most likely be the one worn to death.

Before he could formulate a plan, Zhao Jiu pushed off the ground with his rear foot and rapidly closed the distance. His palms clung to Shi Huiming like maggots attached to bone.

Without time to react, Shi Huiming punched with both fists, intending to survive the immediate exchange before worrying about anything else.

Amid the fine rain, fists and palms collided, blasting the surrounding droplets away. As the two exchanged attacks, Zhao Jiu advanced step by step while Shi Huiming retreated at the same pace.

Shi Huiming’s foot suddenly struck the stone steps. He thrust both fists forward and blocked Zhao Jiu’s palms.

“Back!”

Internal Qi surged through him, forcing Zhao Jiu away as Shi Huiming leaped back onto the steps.

Shi Huiming released a long breath, but his heart was already roiling like a stormy sea. Throughout those exchanges, Zhao Jiu’s stride had scarcely changed. Every advance and retreat had been perfectly measured, and he had remained as relaxed as if he were taking a stroll after dinner.

After testing each other, Shi Huiming was the one beginning to decline. Without using Internal Qi, he had been completely unable to stabilize the situation.

With that realization, Shi Huiming took a seemingly submissive step backward.

“Little brother, must this Shi die?”

“What do you think?” Zhao Jiu’s tone remained unchanged, still teasingly confident that everything was under his control.

“Alas.”

Shi Huiming released a long sigh and retreated into the room.

Zhao Jiu accelerated over two steps and was about to charge inside when a cold gleam thrust out at him. He did not dare meet it head-on. He forcibly halted his forward momentum and fell backward, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Focusing his gaze, he saw that it was a spear.

Zhao Jiu planted both hands on the ground and rolled several times in succession, avoiding the follow-up thrusts. He flung several hidden weapons behind him to buy time, then hurriedly rose to his feet.

Treacherous! Despicable! Utterly without morals!

Zhao Jiu complained inwardly without pause. He was fighting openly and honorably, yet Shi Huiming had launched a sneak attack to deceive a young man only in his early twenties!

When Zhao Jiu regained his footing, Shi Huiming shouted and charged with his spear. True Qi circulated through him, making the thrust extraordinarily fast, but Zhao Jiu raised a hand and knocked it aside.

Shi Huiming reacted quickly. He pivoted, adjusted his grip, and swept the spear toward Zhao Jiu like a whip.

Zhao Jiu retreated two steps and avoided the attack, but the spear’s cold gleam and flickering shadow immediately pursued him, denying him any opportunity to open the distance.

Wave after wave of attacks followed, each seemingly intended to kill Zhao Jiu.

Zhao Jiu naturally was not afraid of a Fourth-Rank. He merely wished to conceal his strength and kill a Fourth-Rank as another Fourth-Rank. He was not genuinely fighting for his life.

When Shi Huiming realized he could not overcome Zhao Jiu, his spearwork abruptly changed. Thrusts, upward flicks, chops, and sweeps poured forth all at once as he tried to kill Zhao Jiu as quickly as possible.

Zhao Jiu naturally obliged him. He alternated between his left and right hands to block, remaining close to the spear shaft so that Shi Huiming could not bring his full strength to bear.

Another round of fighting followed. Over the next fifteen minutes, Shi Huiming failed to gain the slightest advantage. Instead, Zhao Jiu suddenly slipped inside the spear’s reach several times, forcing Shi Huiming into a flustered retreat and leaving him utterly bedraggled.

Shi Huiming withdrew his spear and retreated to the edge of the stone steps. His gaze was grave and his expression dark. Much of his meticulously groomed hair had been soaked by the rain and now hung in a tangled mess. The hand gripping his spear had turned pale, and his heart had sunk to the bottom of a valley.

Zhao Jiu, by contrast, had scarcely changed. If anything, his expression had become even more relaxed.

A mere Fourth-Rank was completely at his mercy. Allowing Shi Huiming to struggle a little longer was already an act of bodhisattva-like compassion.

Shi Huiming flourished his spear and charged several steps forward. The spearhead darted out first, aimed directly at Zhao Jiu’s throat.

Zhao Jiu pressed his palm downward, intending to knock the spear aside. Unexpectedly, the spear’s momentum shifted. It whipped from side to side and deflected Zhao Jiu’s hand.

“HAH!”

True Qi erupted violently as the spear thrust toward Zhao Jiu’s throat.

Zhao Jiu’s hand had just been knocked aside, leaving him no time to block. The spearpoint’s cold gleam was already directly before his eyes.

With no other choice, Zhao Jiu circulated his True Qi and stopped the thrust. Two fingers of his left hand pinched the spearhead in place.

He said excitedly, “Chief Shi, excellent spearwork! As a Fourth-Rank, you forced out the True Qi of a Third-Rank through your technique alone. Truly admirable! Unfortunately, you’re self-taught. Otherwise, give you ten years—no, eight—and you would certainly reach Third Rank. Even First Rank might not be beyond you.”

Shi Huiming’s expression changed dramatically, his face filling with despair. He tried to pull back his spear, only to discover that it would not move in the slightest.

His Internal Qi instantly went slack. Like a hero who had reached the twilight of his life, he dejectedly released the spear.

He knew the truth better than anyone. When a Fourth-Rank fought another Fourth-Rank, he feared almost no one. However, an immense mountain separated the Fourth and Third Ranks. Even if the strongest Fourth-Rank in the world fought the weakest Third-Rank, as long as the Third-Rank wished to flee, the Fourth-Rank could do nothing but watch.

The moment Zhao Jiu revealed his True Qi, Shi Huiming’s heart had turned to ashes.

He helplessly released his spear and effectively surrendered. Remembering how Zhao Jiu had toyed with him like a dog for the better part of an hour, he could not help saying self-mockingly, “Little brother, you truly are merciful. You actually allowed me to struggle for this long.”

Hearing the helplessness and faint bitterness in his voice, Zhao Jiu withdrew his True Qi.

The spear dropped straight to the ground.

“Truthfully, I don’t want to kill you. Not only are you not worth much money, but the Canal Gang is also too powerful. Killing you comes with too many complications. I don’t like that.”

Zhao Jiu used External Release of True Qi to keep the drizzle away and stood with his hands behind his back.

“Can I ask why I have to die?” Shi Huiming said. “I won’t live to see tomorrow’s sun anyway. I’d like to die knowing the reason.”

Zhao Jiu slowly drew the Embroidered Spring Saber from behind his back and gripped it in his right hand.

“Do I still need to tell you who wants you dead?”