The Fierce Wind Eagle traveled at incredible speed, and the wind pressing against the rider was fierce.
At this moment, with her Dantian crippled, Dong Zhezi couldn't hold her seat on the eagle’s back, which was small besides. Teng Qingshan could only hold her, gripping her feet while supporting her weight.
“Sir, you hold no grievance against my Dong family,” Dong Zhezi said, laughing as she lay prone on Teng Qingshan’s back. “You didn’t harm my subordinates when you came to capture me; you are a kind man. Sir… you were hired to catch me, surely it is for gold and silver? Name your price, Sir. I, Dong Zhezi, believe I can afford it.”
Having witnessed Teng Qingshan’s might, Dong Zhezi could only try appealing to him softly.
“Silence.”
Teng Qingshan let out a sharp reprimand, frowning as he pondered: I am carrying Dong Zhezi now, and I must enter Wu’an City! Entering with a woman slung over my back will surely attract gossip. If only I had a carriage—but the Fierce Wind Eagle is parked outside the city, and there’s no way to hire a carriage beyond the gate!
Teng Qingshan was deeply troubled…
How to enter Wu’an City!
To stride in openly carrying a voluptuous woman? It would invite stares from passersby—that method was out!
To fly directly into the city while carrying Dong Zhezi on the Fierce Wind Eagle’s back? That would attract even more attention!
He needed a carriage, but there was nowhere to hire one outside the city.
“Troublesome,” Teng Qingshan shook his head.
Suddenly, Teng Qingshan felt a soft pressure against his back, and his brow furrowed. “Dong Zhezi, are you trying to court death?”
Dong Zhezi, draped across his back, was deliberately rubbing her full breasts against Teng Qingshan’s back. Having practiced inner strength since childhood, she had reached the Innate Realm by her early thirties. In terms of beauty and figure, she was at the absolute peak of allure, and she understood men intimately.
“Sir, don’t be angry,” Dong Zhezi whispered, turning her head slightly to breathe a puff of air near Teng Qingshan’s neck.
Hush!
Teng Qingshan immediately set Dong Zhezi down in front of him. She first gasped, eyes wide, then stared at him with surprised admiration, a delicate blush spreading across her face—a look of one ready to be plucked. In her heart, however, she sneered: All these wretched men are the same around women. Even an Innate Golden Core Martial Saint—what of it? He will still kneel at my hem.
But to share a moment of cloud and rain with this Innate Golden Core Martial Saint high in the sky… ah… Dong Zhezi felt a stirring of excitement.
It had to be said—
Dong Zhezi possessed genuine seductive charm.
As she closed her eyes, waiting for Teng Qingshan’s ‘bullying’… Teng Qingshan extended his left hand and pressed gently behind her neck. Dong Zhezi immediately felt a wave of dizziness and collapsed into unconsciousness.
“Truly tedious,” Teng Qingshan muttered. His left hand gripped her shoulder, stabilizing her body during the high-altitude flight.
As for a woman’s seduction? His training as an assassin in his previous life had long desensitized him to such tactics. If he couldn't handle a woman’s flirtation, Teng Qingshan would have surely died long ago in his former life.
“Entering Wu’an City, it seems there is only the most direct approach left.”
Teng Qingshan could devise no other method.
...
The Fierce Wind Eagle circled hundreds of feet above Wu’an City. Teng Qingshan gazed down, observing carefully. “The Rising Sun Tavern must be the most luxurious establishment, located in the heart of Wu’an City, the most prosperous district.” With Teng Qingshan’s eyesight, even from hundreds of feet up, he could clearly discern the streets and shops below.
Wu’an City’s main arteries were few, standing out clearly from this height.
As for the Rising Sun Tavern!
The architecture of the Rising Sun Tavern was highly distinctive, and Teng Qingshan quickly located its position.
“Hah!”
Carrying the unconscious Dong Zhezi, Teng Qingshan leaped directly from the eagle’s back, plummeting like a dark shadow from several hundred feet up.
“Hmph!” Teng Qingshan tucked his body horizontally as he fell, simultaneously extending a thin, crimson membrane from his waist that resembled wings.
This immediately increased the wind resistance significantly, causing his descent to slow considerably. But even reduced, the speed of the fall remained terrifying.
“Whoosh!”
Like a meteorite, under Teng Qingshan’s subtle control, he plunged directly into the open courtyard of the stately manor located behind the Rising Sun Tavern.
With a heavy thud, a massive crater appeared in the front yard. Teng Qingshan’s entire body, including Dong Zhezi’s, was encased in a sheath of crimson Innate True Essence. The violent impact summoned nearly a hundred experts placed there by the Rising Sun Merchant Guild, all of whom flew out immediately.
“Who goes there!”
Whoosh!
Under the gaze of nearly a hundred people, Teng Qingshan, wreathed in flame, vaulted out of the crater, then tossed Dong Zhezi to the side. “It’s fortunate I acted as your cushion and wrapped you in layers of Innate True Essence; otherwise, this impact alone would have killed you in your sleep.”
“Who are you?” The nearly one hundred figures surrounded Teng Qingshan, yet they hesitated.
True Essence forming protective shields around the body—that was the undeniable mark of an Innate Martial Saint!
“Hmm? Fetch your steward for Wu’an City.” As he spoke, Teng Qingshan pulled a token from his robes—the unique token belonging to an Administrator of the Rising Sun Merchant Guild.
Many looked closely.
“Greetings, Administrator,” they all bowed respectfully.
The Head Manager of the Rising Sun Tavern also rushed over.
“Administrator Teng!” the Head Manager bowed deeply. “The Guild just notified us that Administrator Teng would be arriving in Wu’an City. We never expected you to arrive so quickly.” As he spoke, he glanced down at Dong Zhezi on the ground, lingering briefly on her alluring figure. He knew Administrator Teng was coming to fetch someone, but he didn't know who!
Dong Zhezi, now tossed on the ground covered in dust, was not recognized by the Head Manager.
“Bring your Chief Steward here, and tell him the mission is complete,” Teng Qingshan instructed.
“Yes, yes,” the Head Manager immediately arranged for runners.
...
In a quiet residence within Wu’an City, this was the temporary lodging for the Jiang family.
The Second Steward of the Assassin Hall arrived here.
“Second Steward, please, have a seat,” the slightly plump elder said with a smile.
Meanwhile, the Third Young Master, who had just succeeded as the Jiang family head, eagerly inquired, “Second Steward, did that Strongest Martial Saint agree to take the mission?”
“Haha…” The Second Steward chuckled and clasped his hands in a greeting. “Congratulations, Head of the Jiang family! The Strongest Martial Saint has already captured Dong Zhezi and brought her to Wu’an City.”
“What!”
The Third Young Master, the plump elder, and the tall, thin elder in the hall were all stunned.
“We only finalized this yesterday noon, and already…” The three dared not believe it.
The distance to Twin Mountain City was nearly a thousand li. This was impossibly fast.
“Haha, what kind of methods does the Strongest Martial Saint possess?” the Second Steward laughed. “Now, the three of you should prepare the gold and the inscribed stones and send them to the manor behind the Rising Sun Tavern.”
“Good,” the Third Young Master stood up abruptly, his eyes gleaming. “That bitch Dong Zhezi—humph, I will make her wish she were dead!” Fierce malice flashed in the Third Young Master’s eyes, filled with endless hatred and brutal energy. He could never forget the nightmarish days she inflicted upon him.
“The Strongest Martial Saint truly has remarkable means,” the plump elder exclaimed in admiration.
They had only issued the mission yesterday noon. Teng Qingshan had set out for Twin Mountain City on the Fierce Wind Eagle early this morning, arrived by midday, and captured Dong Zhezi right after lunch. The distance between Twin Mountain City and Wu’an City was only a thousand li—less than an hour’s flight with the Fierce Wind Eagle.
Only one day had passed, and the person was captured and delivered to Wu’an City. Such speed was astonishing.
Inside the quiet drawing-room of the manor behind the Rising Sun Tavern.
Dong Zhezi lay limply on a chair, eyes closed, clearly still unconscious. In this room were only Dong Zhezi, Teng Qingshan, and an elder with streaked white hair.
“Chief Steward, when will those inscribed stones arrive?” Teng Qingshan frowned.
“Mr. Teng,” the elder said with a polite smile. “This mission was set yesterday, and Mr. Teng delivered the person today! I expect the Jiang family is still wondering… whether the Strongest Martial Saint would even accept the mission? They must be dreaming if they think we’d deliver the captive on the second day after the assignment was posted.”
“Therefore, I estimate the Jiang family is currently caught off guard,” the elder chuckled.
This elder was the Chief Steward of the Rising Sun Merchant Guild in Wu’an City, holding great authority; many people deferred to his orders. However, in front of Teng Qingshan, he dared not show a hint of arrogance. He was acutely aware of the terrifying power this man possessed.
“But rest assured, Mr. Teng, they are within the city now, and the inscribed stones will be delivered shortly,” the elder assured him.
Teng Qingshan nodded.
Teng Qingshan suddenly turned to look at Dong Zhezi and sneered, “Dong Zhezi, stop playing possum. Since you’re awake, open your eyes.” Teng Qingshan’s hearing was incredibly sharp; he could judge whether someone was truly unconscious by monitoring their breathing and heartbeat.
“Hmph.”
Dong Zhezi opened her eyes, glaring at Teng Qingshan with pure fire.
“Dong Zhezi, Sir accepted the mission from our Assassin Hall. You don’t need to keep glaring at him,” the Chief Steward said coldly.
“Assassin Hall?”
Dong Zhezi was shocked. Someone hired the Assassin Hall to capture her? Thinking of the consequences, her mind became a frenzy. She stared at Teng Qingshan like an enraged lioness: “You had better release me. You… you entered my Dong family home openly; many people saw your face. If you don’t let me go, my Dong family will certainly retaliate against you, definitely!”
“Openly?” The Chief Steward looked at Teng Qingshan in surprise.
“Oh, retaliation?” Teng Qingshan smiled at Dong Zhezi.
Dong Zhezi ground her teeth. “Don’t wear that look of indifference! Listen to me, if anything happens to me, my Dong family will settle the score with you! If we can’t kill you, we will take revenge on your relatives and friends—we absolutely will!” Driven to hysteria, Dong Zhezi began issuing wild threats to Teng Qingshan.
“Take revenge on my family and friends?” Teng Qingshan smiled at the hysterical woman.
“Dong Zhezi, stop dreaming. Your insignificant Dong family wants to retaliate against the Sir?” the Chief Steward scoffed. “If you die, you die. In the struggle for supremacy, death is common. Your family won’t challenge the Sir over you. Besides, they lack the qualifications to challenge him!”
“You shut up!” Dong Zhezi shrieked. “You’re just a steward—how dare you interrupt me when I’m speaking! What is your status!”
“Hmph!” The Chief Steward’s face darkened; even the most patient steward had limits to his temper.
Her Dantian destroyed, her person captured, and now learning the Assassin Hall was involved—this cascade of blows made Dong Zhezi realize she was finished. Like a drowning person grasping at anything, Dong Zhezi reacted this way.
“Sir, Chief Steward!” The Head Manager of the Rising Sun Tavern rushed in, smiling cheerfully. “The Jiang family members have arrived.”
“Oh?” Teng Qingshan’s eyes showed a flicker of pleasure.
“What, the Jiang family?” The previously frantic Dong Zhezi froze, her face instantly draining of color, her body trembling uncontrollably. “It was the Jiang family who hired your Assassin Hall to capture me?”