My Apprentice Is Too Diligent

Chapter 84: One Sword to the Sky, Slash! (Two-in-One Subscription Request)

"...What do you mean?" Wu Qian paused his steps and asked in a deep voice.

"Hehe, I mean it literally," Shi Houzhong smirked, "Your 'Next Life Society' has secretly influenced so many people. Don't tell me it's just a sudden burst of kindness because you have too much money to spend?"

"Hmph~" Wu Qian coldly snorted, killing intent surging in his eyes, "What we do has nothing to do with you."

"I know it has nothing to do with me," Shi Houzhong quickly continued, "But I can provide corpses that are even better than theirs, True Qi Realm Eighth Layer, oh!"

"Wu Chairman, how many people under your command are at the True Qi Realm Late Stage?"

"When it comes to a critical moment, you wouldn't want to lose them, right?"

"The True Qi Eighth Layer I'm offering not only has reached the cultivation level, but the physical body has also undergone refining. It definitely meets your requirements!"

..." Wu Qian fell silent for a moment, then, with a disdainful look, he sneered, "If the person my subordinates are trying to kill finds out that you turned around and betrayed him, do you think he'll be so angry that he dies?"

"Hahaha!" Shi Houzhong burst into laughter at his words, "If he dies of anger, it's his choice. Who asked him to know that I am the leader of the Black Wind Thieves and a former traitor of the Shi family, and still agreed to cooperate with me?"

"Since he agreed, it means he's prepared and willingly let me backstab him!"

"...Your shameless face makes me sick." Wu Qian's face darkened, he shouted, "Speak, what do you want?"

"Hahaha, I knew Chairman Wu would want the corpse of a True Qi Eighth Layer!" Shi Houzhong laughed heartily.

Then, he became serious and said, "I want the Human Yuan Great Pill!"

"The Human Yuan Great Pill?"

Wu Qian's mouth curled up in mockery, "Do you think a corpse of a True Qi Eighth Layer is worth a Human Yuan Great Pill?"

"Even if I have it, I won't give it to you!"

"Alright, alright." Shi Houzhong spread his hands, "Indeed, it's not worth it. But if you don't have the Human Yuan Great Pill, you must have the Profound Yuan Pill, right?"

"I want five Profound Yuan Pills!"

"...I don't have five." Wu Qian frowned, "At most three, if you don't agree, then get lost!"

"Deal! Then three Profound Yuan Pills!"

Shi Houzhong grinned, "But you have to give one as a deposit first!"

Killing intent flickered in Wu Qian's eyes.

Shi Houzhong smirked sinisterly.

The two stared at each other for a while.

Whoosh!

Wu Qian reached into his pocket and took out a small porcelain bottle, throwing it to Shi Houzhong.

"Get lost!"

Shi Houzhong caught the porcelain bottle securely, opened it and looked at it with a smile on his face, "Wu Chairman is straightforward. I'll leave now, but just in case, I'll need Wu Chairman's help during tonight's operation."

Wu Qian's face grew colder, he lowly shouted, "...Fine, now get lost!"

"Alright~!"

...Night.

Chen Wuji put on the "Qin Shubao" vest, left the county town, and arrived at a designated hillside.

After waiting for a while, a sound came from the right side.

Swish!

"Whoosh~"

A strong wind swept through, and a figure flashed.

Shi Houzhong bit into a piece of meat, revealing his figure, and said while eating, "Brother Qin, come this way. We have a big job tonight."

"What's the situation?" Chen Wuji asked in a low voice, "Have all the members of the 'Next Life Society' gathered and stopped their activities?"

"How is that possible."

Shi Houzhong walked in front, chewing and saying, "The villages that the 'Next Life Society' secretly influenced need to be guarded. Several important roads need to be blocked to prevent leaks of information, so there must be people on guard. It's impossible for them to stop their activities."

"What I mean is, these guys are scared of us. During the day, I specifically checked and found that the number of people going out has increased to eight people per team."

"Leaving behind eight True Qi Realm cultivators and not letting a single one escape, isn't that a big job?"

"...If a few manage to escape, it's fine." Chen Wuji's gaze flickered, and he said calmly, "We'll kill as many as we can."

(Note: The translation provided is a direct translation and may not capture the full nuances and cultural references of the original text.)

"This is natural."

Shi Houzhong smirked, "In my opinion, it's best to kill them all at once, so we don't have to do it multiple times."

"Oh, by the way, do you want to eat braised beef?"

Shi Houzhong stopped and turned around, holding the beef in his hand, generously offering it to Chen Wuji, "This braised beef is pretty good, it's chewy."

"...Thanks, but no thanks, we should focus on the journey." Chen Wuji's mouth twitched as he politely declined.

"Alright then."

Shi Houzhong retracted his hand, turned around, and continued eating while walking.

"Our destination tonight is quite far. It's a village in the middle of the eastern mountains, where this group of people has just started to manipulate the villagers. We have to hurry, so you need to conserve your True Qi, Brother Qin."

"No problem."

"Alright, let's speed up."

Shi Houzhong quickly finished the braised beef and started to accelerate.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Hoo~

Hoo!

The night wind blew against their faces as the scenery retreated.

Chen Wuji followed Shi Houzhong, flying over mountains and crossing ridges.

After half an hour, they arrived at the outskirts of the target village.

Shi Houzhong had almost no consumption, while Chen Wuji's True Qi was depleted quite a bit.

Because of this, Shi Houzhong deliberately stopped and let Chen Wuji rest.

After a quarter of an hour, they silently entered the village.

It was a village nestled in a valley.

There were less than a hundred villagers.

When Chen Wuji and Shi Houzhong entered the village, all the men, women, and children were gathered in the village temple, crowded together and falling into a deep sleep.

Thin wisps of smoke lingered around them, refusing to dissipate.

"Hey, this smoke is Nurturing Spirit's. They're really willing to invest in 'the next life'."

Shi Houzhong chuckled softly, pointing at several people patrolling outside the temple, "Brother Qin, it's them. There are four here, and another four should be hiding."

"I'll go first, catch them off guard, and lure out the hidden four. When they appear, Brother Qin, you attack from behind."

"Alright." Chen Wuji replied in a low voice.

"Then I'll go."

Shi Houzhong lightly shouted, and with the whirlwind stirred up by his boots, he flew over.

Whoosh!

Whoosh~

Under the cover of the night, the black sword struck like a poisonous snake.

"Poof!" "Poof!"

The two members of "the next life" were the first to be hit, but before they could even scream, they fell to the ground and died.

"Enemy attack!"

The other two shouted in alarm.

As they dodged and retreated, they threw out a handful of needles to attack Shi Houzhong.

"Whoosh boom~!"

Shi Houzhong raised his hand and slapped, causing a black wind to sweep away all the needles.

But the four people hiding in the dark had already revealed themselves. Each of them held the same weapon and formed a united front, surrounding Shi Houzhong.

An invisible momentum erupted, True Qi connected and transformed into a visible force, covering Shi Houzhong within.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!

Shi Houzhong's sword energy raged, tearing through the air, but it couldn't immediately break through this large net.

For a moment, he was trapped.

Chen Wuji searched the scene with his gaze, and in the next instant, he flew out, wielding his horizontal sword, creating a flash of cold light.

"Splurt~" "Splurt!"

As the blade flashed, two heads flew up into the air.

The large net that trapped Shi Houzhong suddenly had holes, distorting and slowly dissipating.

"Hahaha, Qin Xiong, well done!"

Shi Houzhong laughed heartily, wielding his black sword and continuing to attack other members of the "Next Life Society".

Whether intentional or unintentional, he approached Chen Wuji from behind.

Swish~

Swish!

Chen Wuji's figure flickered, also whether intentional or unintentional, not allowing Shi Houzhong to appear behind him.

With a horizontal sword in his hand, he brought forth flashes of sword light, continuously forcing the two members of the "Next Life Society" he was attacking to retreat.

Hoo!

A strong gust of wind suddenly rose.

Shi Houzhong appeared to the right front of Chen Wuji, looking at Chen Wuji's back in alarm and exclaimed, "Qin Xiong, be careful!"

Whoosh~!

A sharp sound of breaking wind suddenly shot out from the darkness, heading straight for Chen Wuji's back.

Boom!

Chen Wuji erupted with True Qi, leaping into the night sky.

But in that instant before he took off, a black palm print suddenly appeared and struck from the right front.

"Bang~" "Bang~" "Bang~"

"Boom!"

Sharp Qi and black palm prints flew towards each other, colliding and erupting with a terrifying shockwave, stirring up a large cloud of dust and shooting countless fragments of stone.

In the midst of the smoke and dust, the battle momentarily ceased.

Chen Wuji lightly floated back to the ground, retreating to the side of the field, and glanced at Wu Qian who had emerged from the darkness, then looked at Shi Houzhong who was grinning, and softly said, "Brother Shi, what's going on?"

"What, what's going on?"

Shi Houzhong stared, "Are you referring to Wu Qian, Qin Xiong? I didn't expect him, the leader of the Wu Clan, to appear here. But don't worry, Qin Xiong, the two of us joining forces is not a problem to defeat Wu Qian!"

"Good, Brother Shi, you take the lead, I'll assist from the side." Chen Wuji's expression was calm as he quickly responded.

"No problem!"

Shi Houzhong shouted lowly, his feet in pursuit of the wind boots, releasing a whirlwind as he charged towards Wu Qian.

But halfway there, he suddenly made a turn, diverting towards Chen Wuji and striking out with a palm.

Whoosh boom~!

The black palm force brought forth a whirlwind, turning into a tornado and sweeping across, blocking the retreat.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

Black sword Qi closely followed, attacking head-on.

"Hmph~"

Chen Wuji coldly shouted, True Qi erupted as he struck out with the Three Yang Tremor Force, breaking through the tornado whirlwind, his figure flickering repeatedly to avoid the black sword Qi.

But at this moment, ten sharp golden lights flickering like sword Qi surrounded Chen Wuji from multiple directions, forcing him to retreat and fall into the center of the field.

Whoosh boom!

The air exploded.

The black tornado whirlwind rose again, surrounding Chen Wuji and putting him in a passive position.

Sizzle~ Sizzle~ Sizzle!

The black sword Qi pierced through the whirlwind, directly aiming for Chen Wuji's vital points.

Thud!

Chen Wuji's feet stomped on the ground, leaping into the air, quickly flipping his body, True Qi gathering to form a series of hard and armor-like forces, blocking the attacks.

The Rampaging Elephant Flips!

"Dang dang dang~!"

The black sword Qi shattered and dissipated.

Chen Wuji, in mid-air, swiftly slashed out more than ten consecutive strikes, cutting towards Shi Houzhong.

"Oh dear!"

Shi Houzhong couldn't help but retreat, avoiding the sword Qi, and exiting the field, exclaiming, "Qin Xiong is amazing, well, Wu Qian, Qin Xiong is too formidable, I'm afraid I'm no match, so you deal with it yourself. Although it's not a corpse, bringing the person is considered completing the transaction, right?"

"So, haha, I won't refund the deposit, Wu Qian, you're busy, I'll take my leave first~"

With a strange smile, Shi Houzhong greeted and spun around with the whirlwind under his feet, swiftly disappearing into the darkness.

Leaving Chen Wuji and Wu Qian facing each other, more than ten members of the "Next Life Society" appeared outside the field, watching with predatory eyes.

"You don't seem surprised?"

Wu Qian's face turned pale, his cold gaze piercing Chen Wuji. He spoke in a deep voice, "Or is it that you expected the betrayal of Shi Houzhong..."

Swoosh!

The sound of breaking wind suddenly rose.

Chen Wuji's figure flickered like an arrow, rushing towards the left side of the mountain forest.

With the combination of the Electric Light Step and the Winding Snake Steps, his movements were incredibly agile and swift. In an instant, he crossed a distance of over ten zhang, bypassing the three members of the "Reincarnation Society" who were blocking him, and darted into the mountain forest, erupting with True Qi.

Boom! Boom! Boom~

In an instant, he burst out with Qi three times, increasing his speed to the maximum, propelling his figure forward like lightning. He rushed out of the mountain forest, out of the valley, and over two mountain peaks.

He was about to reach a bend in the White Water River...

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Suddenly, golden sharp sword qi flashed from all directions, blocking all escape routes.

"Hmph~"

Chen Wuji let out a low drink, swiftly wielding his horizontal sword, releasing substantial waves of sword qi to counter and shatter the golden sword qi.

"Not enough!"

Wu Qian descended from the sky, his aura fully unleashed. His long hair danced, his eyes gleaming with golden light. With his ten fingers spread open, he shouted in anger, and dozens of golden sword qi rained down, enclosing Chen Wuji with no way to retreat.

Thud~

Chen Wuji's feet landed on the ground, and he leaped into the air, flipping his body, forcefully resisting the golden sword qi.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The collision of sword qi and protective force erupted with a crisp metallic sound.

In a series of flashing lights, Chen Wuji flipped in mid-air, moving sideways, rapidly approaching Wu Qian.

"Eager to die, aren't you?"

A hint of mockery flashed in Wu Qian's eyes. Golden light wrapped around his palms as he quickly clapped his hands towards the approaching Chen Wuji.

Bang! Bang~

"Whoosh!"

Almost in the breath before Wu Qian's palms struck, a radiant light bloomed in Chen Wuji's hand. The flame sword rapidly extended under the infusion of True Qi, its blade wrapped in flames.

Swish!

The fiery red sword cut through the void, its sword qi like a fleeting brilliance, too fast to be seen, but it cleaved through the palm prints!

From top to bottom, it swept past instinctive evasions, but it was too late. Only half of Wu Qian, who had managed to dodge half of it, remained on the ground.

Silently, he sank into the ground until he disappeared.

Sizzle!

Hoo~

The mountain wind blew.

Chen Wuji held the sword in his hand, half-kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath, his breathing gradually calming down.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, but he didn't have time to wipe it away. He relaxed his mind and listened for any movement around him.

With a trembling hand, he took out two Return Qi Pills and swallowed them, absorbing and digesting them.

In front of him, Wu Qian stood still, motionless.

Only in his eyes did astonishment, horror, anger, unwillingness, and disbelief surge.

His lips trembled, his voice hoarse as if two blunt knives were rubbing against each other.

"You... you... Zhan Tian..."

Crack!

With a crisp sound, Wu Qian, who was speaking, suddenly split in half. Starting from the position where his left shoulder clavicle met his neck, his body tore along the curve, splitting in two.

Perfectly, along with a small part of his heart, it split in half and fell to the ground. Blood flowed in large streams, staining the soil red.

Zhan Tian?

Yes, it was precisely the "Heaven-Cleaving Sword"!

Facing Wu Qian's Golden Diamond Sword Finger head-on, he unleashed this ultimate move at close range.

Chen Wuji drew upon half of his own essence, spirit, and energy, and with the enhancement of the Flame Sword, he released his strongest strike.

The result of the battle was quite good.

With one sword, he killed Wu Qian, who was at the True Qi Ninth Layer!

(End of this chapter)