Chapter 69: The Qingcheng Technique

Lin Hao cast a faint glance in that direction, pretending to rise to his feet, his hand half-lifted as if to stand. At once, Xiao Xiao was startled, his whole body tense. Remembering Lin Hao’s strength just moments before, and feeling the lingering ache where he’d been beaten, his courage failed him entirely—the broken sword in his hand clattered to the ground as he stumbled back several steps.

But Lin Hao merely shifted his sitting posture, picked up the teapot, and poured himself another cup of water. Seeing Xiao Xiao’s pathetic display, he looked at him, full of ridicule. Realizing he’d been made a fool of, Xiao Xiao saw his subordinates snickering behind their hands and felt a surge of humiliation—he’d lost face before his own men. His resentment toward Lin Hao only deepened.

He opened his mouth to retort but hesitated, wary. His eyes flashed with malice as he turned instead to his followers, scanning their faces. Pointing at Lin Hao, he ordered, “Today, I want you to seize him and kill him on the spot.”

Yet the room was silent. Though his men had drawn their weapons, none dared step forward.

Lin Hao burst out laughing, unrestrained and openly mocking. “Is this the extent of your power?” he taunted.

Xiao Xiao’s face turned green with rage. He glared at his men and bellowed, “What, are you all deaf? Don’t you want to live anymore?”

At his outburst, his men snapped to attention. In his fury, Xiao Xiao grabbed one of them and kicked him forward.

That man, howling, rushed at Lin Hao with his sword. Lin Hao, unruffled, flicked a teacup at the attacker—smacking him on the wrist. With a muffled grunt, the man dropped his weapon and, propelled by Xiao Xiao’s kick, tumbled at Lin Hao’s feet.

Looking down, Lin Hao said, “So the tribute just now wasn’t enough? Now you send another? I have no need for it.” With that, he gave a swift kick to the man’s shoulder, sending him flying four or five meters, knocking down several others in the process.

A clatter of bodies hit the floor.

Xiao Xiao, seeing his men so utterly useless, grew even more furious. Channeling his energy, he opened his palms toward the ground, drawing in vast streams of spiritual force. With both arms spread, he swept his hands at his subordinates.

A blast of powerful spiritual energy rushed toward Lin Hao, the wind of it scattering his hair. Then, a horde of people was flung at Lin Hao like projectiles.

In an instant, startled cries filled the air—Xiao Xiao was hurling his own men at Lin Hao as weapons.

Lin Hao faced the oncoming wall of bodies, twenty-odd men flying straight at him, and swung his arm wide.

A wave of fire erupted.

There was a deafening explosion—the roof of the inn was blown off.

“Wow!”

“What’s going on?”

“What just happened?”

“It’s an explosion!”

The bystanders outside, startled by the blast, halted in their tracks, staring at the chaos.

Someone suddenly cried, “Look out above!”

With a crash, over twenty bodies rained down from the sky. Some onlookers, unable to dodge in time, were buried beneath the heap.

“Ow, my back!”

“Ah, my hand!”

Groans filled the air as panic swept the scene. The remaining bystanders scattered, clearing the area and fixing their gaze on the aftermath.

Those sprawled on the ground were blackened, a whiff of grilled meat rising from their bodies.

Coughing violently, the official constables sprawled on the floor, blood spraying from their lips.

Before anyone could react, someone shouted, “Look to the sky!”

All eyes turned upward. Lin Hao now hovered high above, a figure of effortless grace—appearing almost immortal compared to the battered mortals below.

Everyone gaped in wonder at Lin Hao, those on the ground staring up at him in terror.

Xiao Xiao, desperate now, flew up after Lin Hao, landing on the rooftop. Lin Hao, seeing him approach with broadsword in hand, swept his Cloud-Swallowing Sword in a dazzling arc. “Azure Blade!” he called.

A streak of sword light shot toward Xiao Xiao. Instinctively, Xiao Xiao raised his broadsword to block. With a rip, though the attack was deflected, his sword split cleanly in two—left hand gripping the hilt, right hand the shattered blade.

He stared at Lin Hao, disbelief and fear flickering in his eyes. Landing lightly atop the roof, he shouted, “The Qingcheng Style! You actually know the Qingcheng Style?”

Indeed, Lin Hao’s move was the most basic form of the Qingcheng Style.

Lin Hao, hearing this, was surprised. “The system really pulled through,” he thought, “but how does he know I’m using the Qingcheng Style?”

Seeing Xiao Xiao’s fighting spirit wane, Lin Hao descended gently to the rooftop.

He faced Xiao Xiao and said, “What does it matter what technique I use? Take this!”

“Ten Thousand Azure Swords!”

No longer eager to end things quickly, Lin Hao, having been hunted across the city like a dog, was determined to exact some retribution.

In a flash, he appeared behind Xiao Xiao.

A flurry of strikes—countless swords swept past Xiao Xiao, leaving him nowhere to dodge, unable to even catch Lin Hao’s shadow. Only Xiao Xiao’s anguished screams could be heard.

When Lin Hao returned to his original spot, sheathing the Cloud-Swallowing Sword, Xiao Xiao’s clothes were shredded, his entire body drenched in blood.

“Ha! Look at him,” Lin Hao exclaimed.

The crowd below erupted in laughter at Xiao Xiao’s pitiful state.

“No way, the boss ended up like that?” The jeers grew louder.

Regaining his senses, Xiao Xiao hurriedly dropped his broken sword hilt, retrieved a cloak from his storage, and draped it over himself. He glared at Lin Hao, eyes brimming with both anger and a terror that reached deep within his soul.

Unsteady, he demanded, “You really know the Qingcheng Style? Who are you? What’s your connection to the Qingcheng Sect?”

Lin Hao, though ignorant of the Qingcheng Sect’s nature, played along coolly. “You’re not worthy to know my identity if you don’t even recognize me.”

Xiao Xiao, hearing this, grew more cautious, his earlier recklessness subdued. Inwardly, he wondered, “Could this brat be someone important from Qingcheng?”

Yet, he recalled that none of Lin Hao’s previous moves had resembled the Qingcheng Style, and that in only a day he’d seemingly mastered it. He hesitated, considering whether to let Lin Hao go.

But as he heard the laughter from below and felt the sting of his wounds, his anger flared. Xiao Xiao was not one for magnanimity, quite the opposite—he was as petty as Elder Zhou.

Glancing at Lin Hao, his eyes occasionally glinted with murderous intent.

Finally, his thoughts turned cold. “So what if he’s from Qingcheng? He broke the rules here and must abide by them. Besides, I’ve been chasing him for days and no one from Qingcheng has intervened. Even if he’s from the sect, he’s just a nobody. I’ve already offended them—better to kill him now. When the Qingcheng Sect comes looking, they won’t go to war for a nameless disciple.”

With this, the urge to kill surged, overwhelming his mind.

Lin Hao, noticing Xiao Xiao’s shifting expressions and the dark glint in his eyes, grew wary.

Clearly, this man wouldn’t let him off so easily. Lin Hao quietly readied the Cloud-Swallowing Sword.

At that moment, Xiao Xiao came to a decision. Suddenly, his demeanor changed. Smiling, he addressed Lin Hao, “Ah, so you’re a senior brother from the Qingcheng Sect! What a misunderstanding. If only you’d said so earlier, none of this would have happened!”

He cupped his hands in a show of respect, approaching Lin Hao.

“Stop!” Lin Hao called, unnerved by the abrupt change in attitude. His eyes flashed with suspicion—he didn’t trust for a moment that Xiao Xiao’s hostility had truly vanished, not after all the humiliation.

He brandished his sword, the tip aimed straight at Xiao Xiao’s throat, ready to strike if he came any closer.

Xiao Xiao quickly raised his hands, backing away in alarm. “It’s a misunderstanding, senior brother! Please lower your sword. I won’t come any closer, I promise.”

Only when Lin Hao made no further move did Xiao Xiao breathe a sigh of relief.

Trying to curry favor, he added, “No need to be so agitated, senior brother.” He even reached out, attempting to nudge the sword aside.

“Let’s put the sword away and talk this over,” he said, forcing a smile.

Lin Hao, unimpressed, gave a twist of his wrist and slashed the sword—instantly leaving a deep cut on Xiao Xiao’s hand.

Xiao Xiao grimaced in pain, a snarl of anger flashing in his eyes as he lowered his head. But when he looked up again, he wore a pitiful smile. “Ah, senior brother, I’ve said it’s all a misunderstanding. Aren’t you being a bit harsh? Even for the Qingcheng Sect, this seems excessive…”

“What exactly do you want? Out with it. If you’ve got something to say, say it now!” Lin Hao barked, giving no quarter.

“It’s nothing, really. I just wanted to introduce myself. After all, you’re an important figure from the Qingcheng Sect. If you’d revealed your identity yesterday, none of this would have happened, right?” Xiao Xiao ground out the words, barely containing his anger.

“System, what exactly is the Qingcheng Sect? Do you know? What’s going on here?” Lin Hao asked inwardly, noticing that Xiao Xiao kept emphasizing the Qingcheng Sect and was clearly wary of it.

Qingcheng Style, Clearwind Sect—Lin Hao was sure there must be a deep connection between the two.