Moon Slicer

Upon returning home, Gu Qianqian still had an excited look on her face.

A year of free hot pot at Haidilao was an enormous reward for a family like theirs.

Everything that happened today seemed like a dream to her - her brother's leg suddenly healed, going out for hot pot and winning a big prize.

Had the goddess of fortune finally begun to smile upon their family?

"Qianqian, you should rest early. The college entrance exam is only a few months away, so you need to work hard," Lin Feng said, stroking Gu Qianqian's forehead.

Everything now was just the beginning; their future together would surely be even better.

"Mm-hmm, you should rest early too, brother. Don't tire yourself out," Gu Qianqian said, knowing her brother would be up late writing.

Lin Feng returned to his room and locked the door.

He sat on the bed for a while, waiting until the room next door grew quiet.

Only then did he prepare to set out.

"Hollowfication"

The skull mask appeared on Lin Feng's face again. He sensed the location of Luo Hu's stone.

It was quite far, at least 15 kilometers according to the Dide Map.

He leapt onto the roof of the neighboring building.

Under the cover of night, he sped forward!

His destination: Ping Si's house!

It was a large compound, with many henchmen guarding hidden corners.

As a local boss, Ping Si had considerable influence in the area.

Of course, he had also made many enemies, so he was always on high alert...

"Whoosh"

Lin Feng flashed to the spot where Luo Hu had thrown the stone.

"Why are there runes here?"

Lin Feng was puzzled. He saw blood-red array runes flickering beneath an old locust tree in front of the compound.

Wisps of blood essence were seeping out.

Surrounded by yin energy, it was clearly not a normal environment.

However he looked at it, something seemed off.

In an opulent room somewhere in the compound-

"Master Guo, I've prepared the girl born on July 7th at 1-3 AM as you requested. Please take a look..."

A middle-aged man with a fierce, hideous face and missing middle finger on his right hand said respectfully to an elder in a blue robe.

"Ping Si, you've done well this time. I'm impressed you were able to find someone meeting the conditions so quickly," the blue-robed elder said with a smile.

"I'll give you this Qi-Breaking Pill. Whether you succeed or not depends on your fate," the elder took out a small jade-green bottle.

This mid-grade Qi-Breaking Pill had a chance of allowing one to enter the Qi Gathering Stage when consumed.

For those wishing to walk the path of cultivation, Qi Gathering was the essential first step.

(Note: Cultivation stages are set as Qi Gathering, Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, with corresponding ability levels of C, B, A, S, SS, SSS)

"Thank you, Master Guo," Ping Si cradled the bottle, his heart filled with excitement.

He had gone to great lengths to obtain this item.

He had only recently learned that cultivators existed in this world.

If he could learn their techniques, he would be able to fly through the sky and burrow through the earth, capable of anything.

Unfortunately, he had no connections and naturally couldn't enter any of those sects.

He never imagined that two years ago, by some stroke of luck, this old man called Guo Ji would find him.

After Guo Ji demonstrated some of his abilities, Ping Si became completely convinced.

He wholeheartedly wanted to become his disciple and walk the path of cultivation.

However, this old man had very high demands, asking him to find many special items.

He had spent a considerable amount of money on this over the past two years.

Women were an indispensable part of the requirements.

If it were ordinary women, that would be easy enough.

But his methods were somewhat strange, requiring women born on specific dates and times.

Those women all met tragic ends, basically having their essence and blood drained before being incinerated with a fire spell.

"Hmm? Someone has broken in," Guo Ji suddenly said in a deep voice.

He had set up a special formation in this courtyard that would alert him if anyone entered.

Lin Feng stealthily moved through the darkness. He vaguely sensed something amiss with the array under the locust tree.

So he carefully snuck in through the back courtyard.

Suddenly, he saw the lights in the northernmost building go out.

Then instantly, a talisman flew towards him at high speed.

He simply dodged to the right, and the talisman grazed past his forehead.

Immediately after, two more talismans shot out from the room.

He evaded them in the same way, nimbly shifting his body to avoid them.

"What!"

The talismans he thought he had successfully dodged suddenly emitted a golden light.

Several streams of light scattered out, forming pillar-like beams around Lin Feng in a circle.

They directly trapped Lin Feng inside!

"Hehe, I don't know who you are, but you dare to intrude on my territory.

How do you like the taste of this Entrapment Talisman...?"

The lights came back on, and Ping Si walked out of the room with Guo Ji.

"Not a cultivator," Guo Ji said after sizing up Lin Feng.

He couldn't sense the aura of a cultivator.

"Qi Refining Stage," Lin Feng scanned with his system's auxiliary function.

Equivalent to a B-rank ability user.

He hadn't encountered cultivators before, so he had to be cautious.

"If you still won't speak, I'll have to trouble Master Guo to take action!"

Ping Si said, standing behind Guo Ji.

But he had already guessed - the skull mask and special attire resembled the one who killed Scar Ah San. Could it be the same person?

"Were you the ones who killed those women under the locust tree?" Lin Feng asked without responding to their words.

He had seen several vengeful ghosts gathered under the tree earlier, bound by special runic chains.

Though he didn't know what technique it was, it clearly wasn't anything good.

"Hehe, since you already know, you'll have to stay here today.

After I kill you, I'll naturally find out what identity lies behind that mask!"

Guo Ji ignored everything else, as these matters absolutely could not get out.

The Paranormal Affairs Bureau was still tracking his whereabouts.

Lin Feng, trapped in this cage, looked far too weak in his eyes.

He snapped his fingers lightly.

The cage began to slowly contract.

Watching the person inside being gradually squeezed gave him a peculiar sense of pleasure.

.........

Lin Feng had lightly touched the cage earlier, and a small cut immediately opened on his hand.

This construct of special spiritual power was indeed more resilient than he had imagined.

Seeing the cage growing smaller and smaller, Lin Feng's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

Waiting for the right moment, he suddenly threw the dagger in his hand.

It flew like lightning.

"Whoosh"

Guo Ji watched the incoming dagger and simply flicked his finger slightly, causing the dagger to veer off course.

This level of knife-throwing skill was nothing to him.

A cultivator's perceptiveness and reflexes were not to be underestimated.

"Kid, you're still too green,"

Guo Ji seemed to already envision the fearful expression behind Lin Feng's mask, about to be sliced into pieces by the cage.

That indescribable pleasure was about to arrive!

"Flash Step"

A black shadow suddenly flickered, and the figure vanished from the cage.

Lin Feng abruptly appeared behind him.

Guo Ji hadn't yet reacted.

A spatial movement artifact? He had never heard of such a thing!

Lin Feng grabbed the dagger with one hand and spun around.

Taking advantage of Guo Ji's shock, he sliced directly across his neck.

The system was right - a cultivator's physical body really wasn't much.

They relied entirely on those bizarre, unfathomable techniques!

"How is this possible"

Guo Ji clutched his throat in disbelief. The cage was still contracting, but how had this person escaped?

His wide eyes, until death, could not comprehend what had happened!

"Spare me!" Ping Si was so frightened he immediately knelt down.

This Master Guo had his throat slit by this person - how could he dare to act arrogantly now?

"I have a question for you," Lin Feng said very calmly, looking at this dead man.

"Please ask, sir," Ping Si's attitude grew even more respectful.

"Today, who ordered you to go cause trouble for Lin Feng's family?"

"Lin Feng?" Ping Si fell into thought.

After a moment, he recalled it was the task he had assigned to Luo Hu.

"Sir, this matter was arranged by Wen Cheng, the chief steward of Ren Xiong.

I heard it was because his sister offended Ren Xiong's daughter, Ren Yu.

They wanted to teach him a lesson.

I didn't know Lin Feng was connected to you. I was blind and foolish, please spare my life!"

Ping Si's insides churned with regret - how could he have provoked such a deadly figure!

"The Ren family, huh,"

Lin Feng pondered briefly.

"Yes, yes, it was all Wen Cheng's arrangement, please spare me!

I have some good items here, I can give them all to you,"

Ping Si saw Lin Feng hesitate and thought he might be spared.

"You've committed no small number of evil deeds..."

The dagger in Lin Feng's hand transformed into a black long sword like the Heavenly Lock Moon-Cleaving Blade.

With a "squelch" sound,

Ping Si looked at his own chest in disbelief, seeing a large hole.

He had just obtained the pill today, how could this happen...

Lin Feng glanced at him, then directly summoned a raging fire, completely engulfing the house in flames.

Many wronged souls had died here; fewer would allow these souls to find release.

"Host, you're quite decisive. I thought you might let him off," the system said.

"Why would I let him go?"

He didn't kill everyone, nor did he spare everyone.

Those few thugs and ruffians had no real power or wealth.

After being crippled, they could only live miserable lives.

But this Ping Si had quite a network of connections. If merely crippled, he still had the possibility of rising again...

For everything, he had his own considerations...

He didn't favor indiscriminate killing, but he wouldn't spare truly evil people either.

He simply followed his heart.

.............