Chapter 719: Is It You?

Chapter 719: Is It You?

Zhao Kuo was instantly killed, struck dead by Huang Yun’s palm from the Dong Wei. He went straight to the heavens—no one left behind.

This shocked Huang Yun; he had held back, not aiming for a fatal blow. How did Zhao Kuo end up dead?

This was no trivial matter. Killing Zhao Kuo meant making an enemy of the Zhao family. Even if Dong Wei wanted to make peace, they wouldn’t come out unscathed.

In short, death was the only outcome.

The chaos finally calmed down, the demonic chill dissipated, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Master Huang Ling’s decisive action truly impresses me. Thanks to you, we’ve all avoided disaster,” the Han Fairy praised, retracting her Spirit Sword.

She had the power to kill Zhao Kuo, but she didn’t want to. She was too clever for that; killing him would only bring her family trouble. With someone else to handle it, she didn’t need to get her hands dirty.

“I just wanted to drive him back, I didn’t plan on killing him…”

“Master Huang Ling is too humble. In fact, we couldn’t contain him; only annihilation was an option. You took the initiative, Master Huang Ling,” someone added.

“No, it wasn’t me who killed him. He couldn’t have just died like that. There’s definitely something off, and Zhao Kuo wasn’t cultivating demonic energy; how could he have Demon Qi? Someone is scheming,” Huang Yun rebutted, unwilling to accept.

But no one believed him; it was clear that his palm strike was what had killed Zhao Kuo. Was there any doubt?

“Dear all, perhaps there is indeed something strange here. However, we owe thanks to everyone’s swift actions that brought this to a calm conclusion. I, Qin, wish to express my gratitude,” Qin Zhu declared, stepping in.

Although this chaos affected the Ling Tai ritual, Zhao Kuo’s death was at Huang Yun’s hands, which secretly delighted him; he was glad to see an arrogant figure gone.

Huang Yun was inspecting Zhao Kuo’s corpse, trying to figure out the mystery behind his death.

But he couldn’t find any clues. The signs indicated that Zhao Kuo had been cultivating demonic energy which he couldn’t contain, causing a leak of Demon Qi.

As for the curse, it was hidden and hard to find, and Lin Nuo had means to implant Qin Shili’s Demon Soul Power into Zhao Kuo’s body, making it appear he was cultivating.

Deception was his specialty.

Lin Nuo approached, crouched down, and checked the corpse, just like the other cultivators wanting to see Zhao Kuo’s state.

“He was indeed cultivating demonic energy. Master Huang Ling excels in battling Demon Practitioners, possessing a technique known as the Buddha’s Palm, which can counteract them. His Demon Qi leaked, coupled with his agitated heart, made him susceptible to suffering from Demon Qi erosion. But should an external force oppose him, it could be fatal; it just so happened he was struck down by Master Huang Ling’s palm and died,” Lin Nuo said earnestly. In reality, he had orchestrated this. Normally, when a person suddenly acquires Demon Qi, it leads to great bodily strain—death was near.

Since the curse took effect, Lin Nuo could ensure Zhao Kuo’s demise, deliberately arranging for him to die after receiving Huang Yun’s strike.

“That wasn’t the Buddha’s Palm; it was just an ordinary strike, so it wasn’t me who killed him,” Huang Yun continued to argue, but the more he denied it, the clearer it became that he was just being humble.

“Killing a Demon Disciple to protect the people is a good deed. No need for further debate,” Lin Nuo said, standing up and walking away from the crowd, no longer interested in the aftermath.

Zhao Kuo’s death was somewhat satisfying.

Lin Nuo’s gaze drifted to a spot where Qin Dao was observing in secret.

“Heh.”

He smirked and turned back to continue on his way.

Qin Dao caught that cold smile, and at that moment, he seemed to realize who was behind the trouble.

It was him, Lin Nuo.

As for the means he used, Qin Dao wasn’t certain, but he was convinced that Lin Nuo truly was a rather tricky character, just as Wu Zhao had said.

This plan had failed, and he had to report back to Wu Zhao; he needed to be wary of Lin Nuo.

As for Lin Nuo, he had begun to stir up this war, a conflict against Qin Dao, Wu Zhao, and others, letting them know he intended to cross paths with them. Today was merely the appetizer.

He intended to kill them; these people would ultimately meet their end.

But now was not the time.

The Demon Spirits of this world still needed their assistance; otherwise, he wouldn’t have enough materials.

“I didn’t expect Zhao Kuo to die so easily, but I don’t think Huang Yun was the one who killed him,” Qin Shili said as she linked her arm with Lin Nuo’s.

“Everyone saw it; he was the one who did it.”

“The Dong Wei has ties to the Zhao family; Huang Yun wouldn’t just kill Zhao Kuo like that. So, Zhao Kuo’s death is because of you, right?”

“Logically, it’s because of you.”

“Indeed, it’s because of me. But you’re the one behind all of this; I’m just the one you saved.”

“I don’t have that ability. Maybe Zhao Kuo had a weak heart; he might have died from shock. But dead is dead; we ought to know where he’s buried and just spit on his grave during Qingming.”

Lin Nuo and Qin Shili left the scene; there was nothing more to see at Ling Tai. They had witnessed the main event and were ready to slip away.

After returning home, Qin Shili didn’t cling to him every moment; she had her duties as a member of the Qin family. With visitors to entertain, she had to go receive them.

Though she was reluctant, she listened to Lin Nuo and went to host.

As for Lin Nuo, he stayed in the Qin family residence, where they provided him with a separate garden, quiet and undisturbed. He lay in the grass enjoying some Meat Floss Cake with good tea from the Qin family.

Not much cold water to drink, missing some soul.

He didn’t even know if Mu Yiting was still alive. The underworld was treacherous; losing even an arm was normal.

After all this time, he still hadn’t obtained the true secret recipe for the cold water; every attempt had failed. The stuff he made lacked any soul.

Moreover, Mu Yiting’s saliva tasted like the cold water—could it be that was where the soul resided?

If that were the case, he had essentially been drinking someone’s spit all along?

Just thinking about it felt unpleasant.

Feeling uneasy at the estate, Lin Nuo snuck out.

But he left a note in his room saying he’d be back soon.

He didn’t use the front door, opting for a discreet route. The Qin residence had a point that allowed him to climb over the wall into a narrow alley, rarely noticed by anyone.

However, he soon found someone was specifically waiting there, and just as he climbed over, he ran into them.

“Junior Martial Brother, what a coincidence!”

Liu Shuqin squinted and smiled, taking graceful steps toward Lin Nuo.

Lin Nuo took one look and thought to himself, what a coincidence indeed; who comes to a gloomy alley for fun?

“What brings you here?” Lin Nuo asked.

“Just passing by, I didn’t expect to run into you, Junior Martial Brother.”

“Doesn’t seem like you were just passing by.”

“Um… So, do you not wish to see me?”

“Not really. Is there something you need?”

“Actually, about today’s Ling Tai incident—is it true that it was you…”