Chapter 20

## Chapter 20. How About Giving It to Me?

The expression on Qingtian's face crumbled for just a moment.

It was a subtle difference, barely noticeable to the average person.

But it couldn't deceive my eyes.

"What are you saying?"

In an instant, he regained his usual composure and asked me.

When I stared at him silently, Qingtian frowned and spoke again.

"What are you talking about? You didn't call me here to play a joke, did you? ... Could it be you think I'm the culprit?"

He let out a small sigh and shook his head in disbelief.

But I was confident in my judgment.

I intended to verify it now.

"You mean that dark martial art."

I suddenly changed the subject. Fortunately, I got the reaction I expected.

"Excuse me?"

"The martial art the culprit has mastered. It's called Xueyu Magong (Blood Rain Demon Art). It was one of the techniques practiced by the Blood Sect warriors in the past."

"......I've heard it's an unknown dark martial art."

"Back then, I didn't know, but now I'm certain."

"......"

Qingtian's eyes wavered, and his pupils dilated.

While he might be able to hide his expression, he wasn't skilled enough to control all his physical reactions.

I folded my arms and continued calmly.

"You must have heard the story. At first, dark martial arts bring rapid progress, but as time goes on, they cause problems in the body. The mind deteriorates, leading to madness, or the qi and blood twist, leading to death......"

"......I've heard of it."

"Fortunately, Xueyu Magong is a relatively stable dark martial art. The Blood Sect conducted numerous experiments to minimize its side effects. If you don't overdo it, you won't go mad or die."

I didn't need to mention that I had contributed to minimizing those side effects.

"Why are you telling me this......"

"But that's only if you've learned the proper Xueyu Magong. What you've learned seems to be a poor imitation. If you keep using it, you won't live long."

"......"

I watched as Qingtian's breathing grew rougher and his whites of the eyes turned red.

"One of the side effects of Xueyu Magong. When emotions intensify, the whites of the eyes turn red."

"......If you suspect me based on that alone, I'll tell you I haven't slept well for days because of the investigation."

"Didn't you feel pain in the Jingwen point after circulating your qi, and have trouble digesting food? That's also a typical side effect."

"......"

"Ultimately, it makes your nerves more sensitive. To hide this, you always suppress your emotions and maintain a blank expression."

"I've always been like this."

"Since a few years ago, you've been like this."

"......Did you investigate my background?"

Qingtian's expression turned unpleasant.

I nodded. Before coming to see Hu Yi's body, I had met people who knew Qingtian and heard their stories.

"At first, I suspected the bodyguard. He's a first-class expert and good at managing his expressions, typical of a wandering warrior. It seemed possible to obtain the lost Blood Sect's martial arts by wandering around...... But then."

I looked at Qingtian, whose expression had hardened, with a sympathetic gaze.

"A seasoned wandering warrior wouldn't casually learn a martial art that damages the body. Especially not someone with a family."

"......"

"Learning Xueyu Magong is also quite painful. If you had to learn such a martial art, you must have been desperate. Not someone born into wealth or a spoiled son, but for example......"

I stared at him intently.

"What if it was a boy born an orphan, with poor physical strength, but a burning desire to become a martial official?"

"......"

Qingtian remained silent. After a moment, he spoke again.

"All of this is just a hypothesis. Without any evidence, it's just speculation. You say I learned a dark martial art? How do you plan to prove it?"

I knew how to prove he had learned the dark martial art, but there was no need to do so.

My gaze shifted to Qingtian's feet.

"The shoes you're wearing."

"......?"

"They were scorched, weren't they?"

"......!!"

"When I asked if you had been to the crime scene yesterday, you clearly said no. So why were your shoes scorched?"

Qingtian, flustered, tried to come up with an excuse.

I chuckled and cut him off.

"After killing Hu Yi, you changed your clothes but didn't change your shoes, did you?"

In fact, the scorch marks were so faint that they were barely noticeable.

But I didn't miss that small detail.

Qingtian glared at me, gritting his teeth.

"Do you really think you can pin the blame on me with just that?"

"It might be difficult, but isn't this enough for the Martial Arts Alliance to investigate you further?"

"......"

It was a perfect victory for me.

"You must have killed Hu Yi to cover up your crime and quickly conclude the case. Your impatience ruined everything."

"......"

Qingtian's eyes began to fill with red blood.

He suddenly pulled out a sword from his waist and launched a surprise attack.

Whoosh!

I quickly stepped back. The blade grazed past my ear. Qingtian, his eyes bloodshot, roared like a wild beast and lunged at me.

"Nobody should know that man was my father!"

"Not so fast, let me finish......"

Qingtian, already beyond hearing, fiercely swung his sword at me.

Xueyu Magong is a martial art that draws out latent power within the body to temporarily enhance physical abilities and internal energy.

It might sound like an elixir of immortality, but it wouldn't be called a dark martial art if that were the case.

'In exchange for a temporary boost in physical abilities, aging accelerates, and the more you use it, the more you deteriorate.'

In other words, it's a martial art that trades life span for power.

"AAAAH!"

Given that, Qingtian's strength, speed, and internal energy were on par with a first-class expert.

In contrast, I hadn't even reached the 2-star realm of Yiqian Shen Gong.

I had created a tiny inner dantian, but I couldn't yet harness its power.

If I really wanted to, I could use it, but there would be side effects.

'Well, I don't need to use my internal energy in this situation anyway.'

Qingtian seemed to have practiced martial arts diligently, but to me, who knew all the techniques of Xueyu Magong, his sword movements were no different from flailing around.

Whoosh! Swish!

After a few exchanges, I had gauged all of Qingtian's sword techniques and moved into his guard, pressing a few acupoints.

Thud!

"......!!"

Qingtian's body stiffened as the acupoints were sealed.

I used his own strength against him, forcefully pinning him to the ground.

Bang!

I climbed onto Qingtian, who had fallen flat on the floor, and pressed his arms down with my knees, while applying pressure to his neck with my palm.

Qingtian, pinned beneath me, gasped and struggled desperately.

"Kill...... me. Rather...... kill me now."

"First, calm down."

I slightly loosened my grip on his carotid artery, and Qingtian, tears of blood streaming down his face, pleaded.

"I only killed a piece of trash that deserved to die. But the world will remember me as a filial traitor who killed his father! So rather, kill me now. Since I won't live long due to the side effects of the dark martial art......"

"You're too hasty. When did I say I would report you to the authorities?"

"......What?"

Qingtian's struggling body froze. I slowly released his arms and stood up.

Qingtian, rubbing his reddened neck, also stood up.

"You won't...... report me?"

"I'll watch what you do."

"......What do you mean?"

I am not part of the Martial Arts Alliance.

I am even less a part of the orthodox factions that preach rigid justice.

I believed Qingtian had killed people who deserved it and felt no sympathy for them.

Most importantly, I was more interested in the spoils of this case than its resolution.

"I'll pretend I don't know about this."

"Why......"

Qingtian was so flustered that he didn't even notice the change in my tone.

"And I can help you with the side effects of Xueyu Magong. I can't restore the years you've already lost, but I can minimize the side effects so you can use it more safely in the future."

"How...... how can you do that?"

I was a former martial arts instructor of the Blood Sect.

I knew almost all of the Blood Sect's martial arts and how to treat cases of improper practice or demonic possession.

"In exchange."

Of course, I wasn't going to do it for free.

I smiled and proposed a deal to Qingtian.

"That useless will. How about giving it to me as a life ransom?"