"Brother, what kind of medicinal pill is this?"
"Yungu Pill!"
"Huh?"
Qin Xinxin's face instantly changed color upon hearing this.
The Yungu Pill was a grade-two spirit pill. It was said that if an ordinary person consumed this pill, they would instantly reach the Gate Opening Realm and begin their path as a martial artist. It was of immense benefit to a martial artist's bones and muscles, yet Qin Ning had just given it to him like it was nothing.
"What a waste, what a waste! My arm is just broken; a single Jiegu Pill would have been enough. A Yungu Pill..."
"To avoid leaving any lingering issues. Taking a Jiegu Pill might still leave hidden injuries, making it difficult for you to progress further on your martial path!" Qin Ning said seriously.
Qin Ning did not explain further. Looking at Qin Xinxin, he asked, "You reek of alcohol. How did you get beaten into this state?"
"Oh, right!"
Qin Xinxin suddenly slapped his forehead and said hurriedly, "Du Siyuan is still inside!"
"So it's you, Qin Ning!"
Just as Qin Xinxin finished speaking, a figure stepped out from the main entrance of the tavern, leading four others, looking surprised.
Ling Du spoke bluntly, "You weren't killed by the Ling Tian Guards?"
"What are the Ling Tian Guards?"
Qin Xinxin hurriedly explained, "They are the core force of the Ling family. Every single one of them is in the seventh or eighth gate realm. That old ghost Ling Shicheng sent them to kill you!"
"I didn't run into them..." Qin Ning was speechless.
"You didn't run into them?" Ling Du's face turned pale.
Damn it, what a stroke of luck. The Ling Tian Guards actually failed to find Qin Ning.
How infuriating!
"You should be glad I didn't," Qin Ning said with a faint smile. "Otherwise, I'm afraid their corpses wouldn't even be found."
Hearing these words, the four of them were instantly dumbfounded, staring at each other in disbelief.
They had heard that Qin Ning's Star Gate had been crippled, but they hadn't heard that this guy's... brain had been crippled too?
"Are you stupid?" Ling Du was at a loss for words. "If you had run into the Ling Tian Guards, your worthless life would have been gone long ago!"
"Brother Ning, don't waste your breath on them. Du Siyuan was severely beaten trying to help me."
"Don't worry," Qin Ning waved his hand and said. "He is Master Du Zhe's son, after all. No matter how arrogant and reckless these people are, they wouldn't dare kill him."
At this moment, Du Siyuan walked out from the crowd, trembling. Ling Du and his three companions indeed did not dare to do anything too extreme to Du Siyuan; after all, his father was Master Du Zhe.
"Young Master Qin!"
Seeing Qin Ning, Du Siyuan was even more excited than if he had seen his own father.
Sheng Xinrui had given an order: if anything happened to Qin Ning, both Du Siyuan and his father would be buried with him. Seeing Qin Ning safe and sound, Du Siyuan completely forgot the pain all over his body.
"You're not dead, are you?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine! Just some superficial wounds, it's nothing!" Du Siyuan looked at Qin Ning, wishing he could rush forward and plant a kiss on him.
As long as nothing happened to Qin Ning, all was well!
"Young Master Qin, since everything is fine, let's head back to the Qin family home. I'll walk with you!"
"Go back?"
Qin Ning frowned and said, "How can we do that? Going back like this would be too humiliating. Didn't you see what they did to Qin Xinxin?"
"Uh, about that, Brother Ning..." At this moment, Qin Xinxin said with an embarrassed look, "There are a lot of them. Let's go back first, otherwise we'll be at a disadvantage!"
"A lot of them?"
Qin Ning said nonchalantly, "What's the use of having numbers? They're just a herd of pigs."
As the three of them went back and forth, the other four, hearing these words, were driven completely mad with rage.
The fact that Qin Ning was still alive was already hard enough for the four of them to stomach, but now he was treating them with utter contempt.
"It seems you didn't just have your Star Gate destroyed, you've lost your mind as well!"
At this moment, Lin Yuyuan stepped forward and said coldly, "Qin Ning, your Qin family is finished. Meeting us today is just your bad luck. Even if we kill you right now, your father won't be able to save you!"
"Come at me!"
Qin Ning stood rooted to the spot, beckoned with his finger, and said, "Come on, kill me!"
As soon as these words were uttered, the expressions of the four changed.
What right did this guy have to provoke them? What gave him the right to act so high and mighty?
"There's no need for Brother Lin to waste his effort on this brat. I'll handle him!"
Just then, a figure suddenly stepped forward. It was Shen Huo, one of the four.
Shen Huo was at the seventh level of the Death Gate realm and frequently managed the affairs of a major town for the Shen family. This time, with the deaths of Shen Yuan and Shen Linfeng, his chances of becoming the next clan leader had significantly increased.
Now, if he could kill Qin Ning, it would be another massive achievement to his name.
Shen Huo flicked his wrists, and a pair of short blades appeared in his hands.
"Tyrant Blade Art!"
He swung his arms, and the twin short blades, carrying a domineering blade force, swept directly toward Qin Ning to kill him.
"Get back!"
Qin Ning shouted. Du Siyuan and Qin Xinxin did not dare to be careless and immediately retreated.
Although they didn't know where Qin Ning's confidence came from, neither of them was a match for someone in the Death Gate realm. However, Qin Ning had already set a precedent by killing Ling Kun, who was also at the seventh level of the Death Gate realm.
Yet, Ling Kun could not compare to Shen Huo.
Even among martial artists of the same realm, there were vast differences in strength.
"Shen Huo has pushed his Tyrant Blade Art to its absolute limit. The blade shadows are almost invisible; even I wouldn't dare to face it head-on," Chu Qingming praised endlessly.
"Indeed, Shen Huo's strength is a level above Ling Kun's. This Qin Ning has only been out for a dozen days or so, so he must still be at the sixth level of the View Gate realm. He is no match for Shen Huo."
"No matter what, this brat dies today!"
The three of them stood in place, having no intention of making a move.
In their eyes, Shen Huo's blade technique was practically flawless. The constant flashing of the blade shadows made it impossible for outsiders to discern their trajectory.
At this moment, Qin Xinxin gripped Du Siyuan's arm in a death grip, consumed with anxiety.
"What kind of garbage technique are you even using to fight?"
Qin Ning felt somewhat speechless; Shen Huo's blade technique was simply too pathetic.
It lacked almost all the fierceness and dominance of true blade play. The so-called domineering aura was merely a crude accumulation of Shen Huo's own spiritual qi.
Originally, he had intended to strike back, but now he just stood there, not even bothering to move, letting Shen Huo charge at him.
What was Qin Ning trying to do?
This sight left everyone dumbfounded.
Just a moment ago, Qin Ning had looked ready to counterattack, but now he was standing completely still. Was he waiting to die?
"Brother Ning, hit him! Why... why are you standing still?" Qin Xinxin screamed immediately.
"Hmph, all bark and no bite! Fight back? Does he even dare? He's been scared witless by my blade wind!"
Shen Huo laughed heartily, his twin blades dancing even faster as his power built to a crescendo. The two blades, one from the left and one from the right, thrust directly toward Qin Ning's flanks.
Even at this final moment, Qin Ning made no move to dodge, allowing the twin blades to slash directly into his body.
Suddenly, a sharp clang rang out. The bloody spectacle everyone had anticipated failed to materialize; instead, it was Shen Huo who stumbled backward.
"How can this be?"
Meanwhile, there was still not a single scratch on Qin Ning's body, and even his clothes remained completely intact.
"Impossible! This is impossible!"
Shen Huo wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Unable to take it any longer, he charged forward once more, slashing with the twin blades in his hands.
Qin Ning suddenly spoke, "Even if I stood perfectly still and let you strike me, you wouldn't be able to kill me!"