Chapter 9

Two blood-curdling screams seemed to mark the beginning of the casualties among the Black Dragon Gang.

An unknown source released blow darts,

An unknown source emitted a cloud of smoke,

An unknown source splashed a potion,

An unknown source launched a flurry of blades.

Yang Qi was rapidly depleting his energy, but he was using the darkness and the complex terrain, along with his superhuman memory, to swiftly deplete the lives of the Black Dragon Gang members.

The dying screams and wails echoed through the cave, and as the torches in this area gradually diminished, panic spread among the Black Dragon Gang.

A lone bandit, trembling, began to retreat. He had given up; he didn't want any reward, he just wanted to save his own life! Any slight movement could make him jump in fear, even the wailing of the wind through the cave seemed like the low moan of death.

He stumbled and crawled back the way he came. Fortunately, his cowardice had prevented him from advancing as far as his companions, so he was left alone, but he was also the closest to the initial fork in the path.

At this moment, a disordered and rapid footsteps sounded from the darkness.

"Who! Who's there! Who is it!" He brandished his torch in a show of bravado, trying to dispel the inexplicable fear. But the footsteps continued to approach rapidly, and with a swift movement, a figure appeared in his line of sight.

"Ah!" He fell to the ground in fear, but was startled to see the figure also collapse. Upon closer inspection, it was a bandit dressed in the same clothes as him.

"Quick..." The fallen bandit extended a hand, his face obscured by shadows, his voice hoarse and distorted: "Go report to the chieftain! That woman—she's ruthless!" With a thud, his arm fell limply to the ground, and his body went limp, silent.

"Ah—!" The cowardly bandit screamed in terror and scrambled towards the direction of Shi Heilong.

At this moment, only the chieftain with his martial prowess could save him, save the entire situation!

On the other side, Shi Heilong was taking the time to recover. The initial two palm strikes from the young girl had seriously injured him, and his earlier capture of the girl had been a desperate effort to suppress his injuries. If he couldn't subdue the girl, he would be truly helpless.

"Damn Peach Thief, if it weren't for her making me let my guard down, how could I have ended up in such a predicament!" Thinking of this, Shi Heilong felt a sense of unease. During the intense battle in the hall, he had been too busy dealing with the girl's attacks to notice the skills of the Peach Thief.

However, it was a fact that no subordinates had been able to come to his aid during his confrontation with the girl. It seemed the Peach Thief was quite capable. The cries of agony from the depths of the cave carried on the wind, and Shi Heilong, with his keen senses, immediately furrowed his brow.

The abilities of the Peach Thief were beyond his expectations.

Not long after, a cry for help grew louder, and a bandit ran over in a panic: "Chieftain, chieftain, it's bad!"

"What is it?" Shi Heilong grabbed the bandit by the shoulder: "What's happened?"

"Brothers, the brothers have all been killed! All of them, chieftain!" The bandit cried and shouted: "That woman is ruthless, chieftain, you must avenge the brothers!"

"What?!" Over forty people were killed?! Shi Heilong was shocked. If it were on flat ground, it would take a great deal of effort to deal with forty bandits. How could the Peach Thief have taken them all out in such a short time?!

These were all Shi Heilong's efforts!

"Lead the way!" Shi Heilong grabbed the girl and stormed forward.

"Yes... yes!" The cowardly bandit, though fearful, dared not defy Shi Heilong and shivered in response.

As Shi Heilong walked, he was alarmed by the bodies scattered throughout the cave. He hadn't gone far when he saw at least seven or eight corpses. The cowardly bandit simply held his torch high and followed closely behind Shi Heilong, but he didn't notice that the bandit who had called for help was missing.

"Come out! Come out!" Shi Heilong, his blood boiling, roared repeatedly: "I know you can hear me. The girl in my hand has been poisoned with cinnabar and is powerless to resist. Even if I leave her alone, she will die within an incense stick's time! If you don't come out, I'll kill this girl first, then seal off the Black Dragon Gang, and see how long you can hide!"

"You, make a sound!" *Slap*, Shi Heilong backhanded the girl, who let out a muffled groan but did not scream.

"Fine, so both master and servant have guts, huh? Alright, I'll kill you first!" As he spoke, he raised his hand to strike the girl's crown.

At this moment, a rustling sound reached Shi Heilong's ears, like someone running. The sound grew closer, and Shi Heilong's ears twitched, a sinister smile appearing on his face. Estimating the position, he gathered all his cinnabar palm power and suddenly lunged around a corner, striking with his palm.

*Bang*, *Crack*, the sound of bones breaking rang out, and the person hit didn't even have time to groan before flying backward.

The girl screamed, "No!" Her face streaked with tears, she looked over to see that the one killed was a Black Dragon Gang bandit.

Shi Heilong was also stunned. At this moment, a series of rustling sounds arose, and one after another, bandits ran over, appearing within the range of the torchlight: "Chieftain! We heard the chieftain's voice and came over, is everything alright, chieftain!"

"You!" Shi Heilong said incredulously: "Why didn't you light torches or make a sound?" Having mistakenly killed his own subordinate, Shi Heilong was deeply shaken.

"We couldn't, chieftain!" "Those who lit torches or made a sound were killed!" "So everyone went in the dark!"

"Good, good, as long as you're not dead." Shi Heilong felt a rare sense of affection for his foolish subordinates, and a quick scan revealed that over twenty had gathered. I see, if the Peach Thief really killed over forty bandits in such a short time, she would be exhausted.

At this moment, a strange smoke wafted into his nose. Shi Heilong felt a slight dizziness and immediately reacted, shouting: "Bad, it's a smoke screen, everyone cover your mouths and noses and hold your breath!"

But he was too late; many bandits were already staggering and falling. Shi Heilong forcibly gathered his energy in his palm, preparing to defend against an attack from the direction of the smoke, but a cold glint flashed from behind.

*Pierce*, the blade entered the flesh, and Shi Heilong's body trembled. The strike carried no internal energy and was not very powerful, and it should not have broken through his iron shirt, but no matter how skilled his iron shirt was, it couldn't protect his... *chrysanthemum*...

"You..." He turned stiffly, and behind him was a person dressed in Black Dragon Gang attire. The person removed the hood, and it was none other than the Peach Thief. Shi Heilong gathered his last bit of energy to strike Yang Qi, but his internal energy rapidly dissipated, indicating that the blade had been laced with something: "Dissolve, dissolve, dissolve!"

*Bang*, Shi Heilong finally fell to the ground, unable to rise again.

"Why! Why is this happening!" Shi Heilong's greatest question was why Yang Qi had suddenly decided to kill him. Struggling with his last breath, he asked: "The Hall of Righteousness, the rebel army, don't they need me?"

Yang Qi said nothing, snatched a knife from a nearby Black Dragon Gang member, and plunged it fiercely into Shi Heilong's heart. Blood gushed out. Yang Qi sighed: "What a fool. From the very beginning, there was no Hall of Righteousness, and I am not the Peach Thief. I am just an ordinary person trying to protect myself. A little lie, and you took it so seriously."

*Puff*, Shi Heilong spat out a mouthful of blood, dying with his eyes open.

"Alright, girl, it's all over." After dispatching the unconscious Black Dragon Gang members, Yang Qi took off the bandit's clothes, revealing his undamaged sleepwear underneath.

Approaching the girl who was crying uncontrollably, Yang Qi patted her head: "In the future, don't talk so much. Hit them hard first, cripple them, then talk. As for revealing the truth and delivering the final insult, it's best to do it after you've plunged the knife into their heart, understand?"

"Yes." The girl nodded and finally threw herself into Yang Qi's arms, sobbing.

This time, she was truly terrified.