The figure heavily fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The already fierce-looking man now had a face even more twisted.
A shriek issued from his mouth as he stared in terror at the beggar gradually approaching, hurriedly saying:
"Spare me, Hero!!"
In that instant, he hadn't even seen where the sword edge was, and his hand was already gone.
The person's Sword Technique was like that of ghosts and deities, beyond what he could contend with.
He immediately turned over and knelt down, repeatedly saying:
"I am a stranger to you; I do not know where I have offended you, brother. Please, Hero, show mercy, spare this wretched life of mine!"
Chu Qing raised his sword and advanced forward, murmuring softly as he walked:
"You and I are strangers."
"..."
This remark left the infamous Iron Horse Seven Thieves speechless; with no past grievances and no current enmity, where did this harbinger of doom emerge to cut off his hand?
Yet, of his thoughts, none showed on his face.
He simply continued to kowtow:
"If that is the case, perhaps Hero disdains my deeds.
"Please, Hero, show magnanimity. From now on, this humble self shall repent and reform…"
As he spoke, a gleam suddenly flickered in his eyes.
Pleading was merely a front; the real aim was to take advantage of Chu Qing's unguardedness and launch a surprise attack.
In his left sleeve was concealed a Sleeve Arrow, which, with a surge of Inner Strength, was deadly accurate at close range.
The arrow was dipped in poison, killing upon drawing blood.
Should he strike, there's no doubt that this person would perish today.
At this moment, the distance between Chu Qing and him was just right, thus he suddenly looked up, grinning wickedly, and shouted:
"Die for me…"
Not even half the word "die" was out when a silver flash gleamed.
The arm he raised slumped immediately.
He hadn't yet managed to activate his mechanism, and the tendons in his left arm were thoroughly severed by this one stroke, rendering him powerless.
The menacing grin froze on his face, preventing him from saying more before another flash gleamed before his eyes.
His chest was already pierced by the long sword.
"You…"
He uttered one more word, but as the sword pulled away, the rest could never be spoken.
His body tilted, a corpse fell to the ground.
Chu Qing shook off the blood from the sword, first retrieving the Sword Sheath.
Only then did he approach the corpse, pondering slightly:
"In such circumstances, how should I prove I killed him?"
He glanced back at the horse circling around due to a lack of its master, and Chu Qing smirked.
He drew his sword once more, cutting off the bandit's head.
Using a piece of cloth from his person, he dipped it in blood to write [Iron Horse Seven Thieves, murders rampant, deserving execution—Night Emperor].
"Might this alias be too juvenile? Influenced by the original owner?"
Chu Qing touched his chin yet remained indifferent.
The name itself was merely an alias; whether it was used next time remained uncertain, so it mattered little.
As long as it didn't lead back to him.
His code name in the Mirror of Sin was 'Sword Ghost'; who knew what he saw to choose such a name.
Regardless, the two aliases were unrelated; even if the Mirror of Sin people found out about this, they couldn't connect them.
He tied the head to the horse; once someone discovered the riderless mount, they would see the inscription.
Eventually, word would naturally spread, and the shopkeeper would understand the matter upon hearing.
As for not bringing the head back to the shopkeeper?
Firstly, parading around with a head was cumbersome, and the scent of blood could invite unnecessary trouble.
Secondly… Chu Qing never intended to seek payment from the shopkeeper from the start.
What could he obtain from the shopkeeper?
Probably less than what he could seize from these bandits...
Moreover, his true reward was from the assassination task; unless later requested by this system to settle with the employer, Chu Qing would rather avoid seeking him.
A tea house shopkeeper with no Martial Arts, knows less, stays safer.
By this means of information dissemination, letting him know his foe is dead is sufficient.
Having completed this task, he began searching the headless body.
A moment later, he stood up, satisfied.
"Seems becoming a bandit holds more promise than an assassin, this fellow's worth is not small."
Silver was scarce, merely seven or eight taels, yet there was a handful of gold leaves.
Though only five or six pieces, each was heavy, totaling a significant fortune.
Beyond this, he particularly examined the man's left sleeve.
From inside, he extracted a Sleeve Arrow.
It was crafted finely, with a calfskin case affixed to a brass-forged arrow tube.
It could be strapped to the wrist; activating the mechanism with Inner Strength, it was quite discreet.
The downside was it only held one arrow.
Without hesitation, Chu Qing strapped it to his left wrist.
An assassin uses any means necessary.
With such an unexpected item, naturally he accepted it with a smile.
Then he took out a tinder, setting the flammable silver notes alight. Soon, as the clothing ignited, the headless corpse was engulfed in flames.
Having done all this, he finally reached out and gave the horse's rump a gentle slap.
The so-called old horse recognizing the way, the masterless steed would not only deliver the message of murder but might also help locate the remaining two targets.
Considering this, he casually opened the system's commission interface.
[Commission: Assassinate Iron Horse Seven Thieves (Two Remaining)]
Chu Qing furrowed his brow:
"Not quite right, Chu Fan is skilled. Although the Iron Horse Seven Thieves are renowned, all six combined couldn't match him alone.
"This pursuit of the bandit leader should have been completed by now.
"Why is that person still alive?
"Could something have gone awry?"
But soon he shook his head; Chu Fan had Innate Divine Power and hailed from the Taiyi Sect.
His skills were exceptional.
His stern-faced sister, though yet to act, seemed extraordinary too.
Their pairing, even if met with mishaps, should remain unscathed.
With these thoughts, he followed the horse quietly.
After merely the time of a burning incense stick, the surroundings were already low and damp, with a stream meandering along. Meanwhile, Chu Qing heard fighting sounds from afar.
Chu Qing raised an eyebrow:
"They're still fighting?"
He pondered slightly, quickening his steps.
In an instant, he approached closely, inspecting the terrain before ascending to a higher vantage point.
With a glance, he saw shadows crossing, adversaries locked in a fierce battle below.
Chu Fan and the remaining two Iron Horse Seven Thieves were involved; aside from them, there were two more women.
The Iron Horse Seven Thieves were negligible, but the two women elicited a discretionary arch of Chu Qing's brow.
They appeared young but their Martial Arts were exceedingly adept.
Both mastered a joint attack Technique, formidable when combined.
Yet the coaction method seemed odd… one tall, one short; the tall one wielded the short one like a club, the fighting intense and forceful.
If only the two Iron Horse Seven Thieves remained, Chu Fan would have slain them long ago.
However, currently, not only had Chu Fan failed to kill them, he was instead being relentlessly pressured by the strange Technique of these two women.