Volume Two: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter 67: Exposed

He quietly got off the train and changed his appearance. After all, someone had died on the train—this was no small matter, even if the victim was a criminal. He had no desire to return to Bin City only to be immediately summoned for questioning.

His expression shifted dramatically; he couldn’t fathom how, just after disembarking, he’d already been targeted. Glancing at Leng Qianyou beside him, he gave her a few instructions before melting into the crowd. There were too many ordinary people here. He was gambling—gambling that his pursuers wouldn’t dare challenge the power of the state.

“The target has appeared. Do we take the shot?”

“Find a concealed position and keep eyes on the target. The others are on their way.”

He’d spent some time in Bin City and was far more familiar with its streets and alleys than any outsider. He weaved left and right, moving unpredictably through the crowd, blending in without attracting undue attention.

Through his investigation, he discovered that his pursuers were two martial artist assassins—formidable, and excellent marksmen to boot.

At that moment, a phone rang. Hawk answered, reported his location, then resumed his search for Qinyang—only to realize the man had vanished without a trace. His face blanched.

“Looking for me?”

A cold voice sounded behind him. Hawk felt his entire body tremble, a chill of murderous intent washing over him, making every hair stand on end. He’d long known how dangerous Qinyang was, but never imagined that just a word or a glance could render him completely paralyzed.

Qinyang’s hand formed a blade, chopping down at Hawk’s neck. Hawk collapsed, unconscious.

The Provincial Public Security Department and the City Police had received the incident report and were already on high alert. When they boarded the train car and saw the cold corpse and the unconscious suspect, none of them looked pleased.

Though the incident was resolved, the sudden appearance of such a dangerous figure in Bin City did nothing to ease their minds; in fact, it set them even more on edge. They suspected that some unknown secret lurked behind these events.

Meanwhile, Leng Qianyou took a cab to Enchantress Beauty Studio. After paying the fare, she headed upstairs.

“I’m here to see Su Ying. Please tell her Qinyang sent me.”

“Brother Yang?” The sales staff lit up with surprise at the name—they hadn’t seen Qinyang in a month, and, truth be told, they missed him a little.

Inside the office, two stunning women stared at each other with wide eyes, an almost comical scene. The surrounding staff suppressed their laughter and hurried out.

Su Ying set aside her work, looking curiously at Leng Qianyou. After Qinyang’s month-long absence, for a beautiful woman to suddenly show up claiming he’d sent her—what could this mean?

Could this scoundrel have been fooling around outside and now it’s come home to roost?

“Su Ying.”

“Leng Qianyou.”

“Miss Leng, please have a seat. You said Qinyang sent you—do you know where he is?” She hadn’t seen Qinyang at all and was very worried, especially since lately his phone had always been unreachable, which left her quite frustrated.

Leng Qianyou shook her head. “I don’t know. He left right after we got off the train. I think he’s dealing with something important.”

She could see that Su Ying was just an ordinary person and so offered no further details. Should she tell her Qinyang had gone to kill someone? What if she scared her half to death?

“Have you known each other long?” Su Ying, unsatisfied with the answers so far, pressed on.

“Less than a month. We’re not close, not even friends.”

Hearing this, Su Ying grew all the more suspicious. Less than a month’s acquaintance, and yet he’d given her his work address—wasn’t this proof enough of a close relationship?

Damn it, could it be that Qinyang’s lust got the better of him, and after some one-night stand, he got her pregnant and had no choice but to bring her to Bin City?

The more she thought about it, the more plausible the theory seemed. She didn’t know why, but a sour feeling crept into her heart.

She brewed a cup of coffee and set it before Leng Qianyou, keeping her head down as she drank, intending to probe further. But Leng Qianyou’s replies were watertight, revealing nothing of value.

In an abandoned factory on the outskirts, Qinyang dragged Hawk inside and tossed him to the ground, his face cold.

He nudged Hawk with his foot. The sharp pain jolted Hawk awake, and he shrank back in terror at Qinyang’s icy stare.

“Beihai Qinyang, what do you want?” At the mention of this name, Hawk was certain his captor was from the ancient martial world. The name Beihai Qinyang had spread from Xishan County—outsiders wouldn’t have known it.

Now he was deeply curious how these people had found him, especially when he’d already changed his appearance.

“Speak. What’s your name? Which faction are you with?”

Hawk, tough as nails, glared at Qinyang and kept his mouth shut.

Qinyang chuckled. “Not talking? Good. I’ve always liked men with backbone.” He produced the Starfall Blade, wiped the dust from it, and continued, “Let’s see whether your bones are harder than my knife.”

“There’s an ancient torture, you know—bone scraping. They’d use a special knife to peel out a person’s bones one by one. I don’t have such a knife, but my Starfall Blade will have to do. I hope you can endure it; I’d hate to break such a fine toy so soon.”

At this, Hawk fell to his knees. Damn it, this wasn’t fair—if you want to kill me, kill me, but don’t torture me!

The sound of the blade being sharpened was shrill and grating, like a death knell. Hawk looked around at the dilapidated surroundings, uncertain when his team might arrive. What if they were late and he had his bones removed? He’d be left with nothing but tears.

“All right, time’s up. Let’s begin!”

Begin, my ass. This job was hard enough—first chewed out by his boss, now being threatened with torture. This career was just too risky. They say city folk are full of tricks; maybe it’s time to go back to the countryside.

Staring at the massive Starfall Blade, Hawk shuddered. “I—I’ll talk. I’ll talk.”

“It was Yu Chen, the eldest of the Yu family. He placed a tracking talisman on you to follow your whereabouts. We were ordered to lie in wait for you in Bin City. Never thought we’d actually find you.”

Yu Chen?

Qinyang’s face was filled with astonishment. He hadn’t expected Yu Chen to still be alive, let alone to return before him. This was truly beyond his expectations.

“What else? Tell me everything.”

“Wang Hao, Wang Kun, and Shao Bing from Xishan County, and even your close confidante Ye Meier, have all been taken by various factions to avenge their disciples.”

“As for the Enlightenment Fruit you possess, the whole ancient martial world has gone mad. They’ve sworn to kill you for it. There are many martial artists hiding in Bin City right now. My advice? Leave as soon as possible.”

Qinyang regarded Hawk with some amusement. Captured yet unconcerned for his own safety, and even offering advice—he was quite a character.

Yu Chen.

Qinyang frowned. He hadn’t realized Yu Chen had orchestrated such a grand scheme under his nose. And those shameless martial artists, using his friends’ lives to force his hand—damnable!

Suddenly, he turned his gaze outside. At least a dozen men were moving quickly toward the factory. Smiling, he looked at Hawk. “Looks like your friends are here. I’ll go deal with them first—then I’ll let you go.”