He Yi Ming materialized at the same moment, pausing only briefly before lightly scaling the wall. A quick glance from his eyes immediately locked onto the figure of the man in black.

With a slight exertion of his feet, he sprang out, accelerating immediately to pursue at top speed.

Had the fleeing figure been the short, thin drunkard, He Yi Ming might have hesitated, perhaps unwilling to invite trouble over this matter.

After all, that drunkard was a retainer of the Xu family. If he were caught attacking someone by chance, he would have no defense whatsoever.

However, the one fleeing now was not the drunkard, but the other man in black who had been meeting him. This significantly eased He Yi Ming’s reservations.

Time was pressing, and he certainly did not want this to drag on. The other man was clearly cautious, sticking to back alleys instead of the main thoroughfares. Furthermore, his speed was moderate, indicating an extreme level of prudence.

A hundred meters away from the Cheng Manor, He Yi Ming suddenly surged forward, appearing behind the man in black like a whirlwind. His internal energy surged forth like a tide, and simultaneously, he extended a hand, the Eighth Layer Soft Palm striking soundlessly towards the man ahead.

The greatest characteristic of Water-elemental techniques, aside from the seemingly endless and long-lasting internal energy, was their lightness and softness, making them the perfect choice for surprise attacks and blunt strikes.

Yet, despite the man in black's careful movements, he sensed the disturbance behind him even though He Yi Ming’s appearance was sudden. His reaction was lightning-fast; he stomped his feet and shot forward like a bolt of lightning, turning mid-air as his eyes, sharp as electricity, flicked towards He Yi Ming.

His brow furrowed slightly. He Yi Ming was secretly startled; while this man’s power might not match the drunkard’s, he had clearly mastered an extremely sophisticated movement technique. He even had the feeling that if this person were to flee without restraint, He Yi Ming might not be able to catch him.

With a shift in thought, He Yi Ming instantly retracted his hand. Fortunately, the Water-elemental technique was held back and not fully unleashed; the opponent had not perceived the true might of the strike before it dissipated.

"Who are you, and what is your connection to that drunkard from the Xu family? Confess everything honestly," He Yi Ming scoffed, raising his head to speak in a condescending tone.

Indeed, the man in black's expression immediately changed, and a sharp glint of coldness suddenly shot from his eyes.

Upon seeing He Yi Ming, he too was inwardly shocked. That this youth could approach so close without making a sound was astounding. Moreover, they were near the Cheng Manor; a fight here would surely alert its residents, so his first instinct was to distance himself.

But when He Yi Ming spoke those words, he instantly understood that this matter required a conclusion. If he allowed this person to expose the drunkard’s identity, it would be a disaster for him as well.

His gaze swept over He Yi Ming once more, and he hardened his resolve. No matter how strong this young lad was, he couldn't possibly surpass him. Since the youth sought death, he would oblige him.

"Who are you, sir? What are you saying? Forgive this humble one, but I do not understand," the man in black lowered his voice, speaking nonsensically with a slightly hoarse accent, all while slowly shuffling his feet forward.

He Yi Ming noticed the movement and felt his heart settle, yet he remained outwardly composed. "You don't need to know who I am, but since I witnessed your collusion with that drunkard, you must come back with me." A wide smile crossed his face. "If the Xu family learns I have discovered their inside operative, they will surely reward me."

As he spoke, he mused inwardly: who cares if the Xu family has an operative? The more such operatives, the better. And even if he went to expose them, the Xu family probably wouldn't appreciate it.

However, the man in black was unaware of his thoughts. After murmuring a few agreeable sounds, he suddenly pushed off with his feet, moving with a speed slightly faster than his earlier flight, lunging toward He Yi Ming like lightning. Simultaneously, he raised both hands, fingers together to form a sharp, pointed cone, his arms weaving in bizarre, unpredictable motions as if they possessed no joints, striking forward like two venomous snakes emerging from a hole, carrying an eerie chill.

A look of genuine horror appeared on He Yi Ming's face; this was no pretense.

The speed of this attack surpassed his estimations, utilized now to its extreme, giving him a true sense of cold dread. Moreover, the man's combat technique was incredibly strange; the movement of his two arms produced a faint, "hissing" sound.

It gave He Yi Ming the chilling impression of two giant pythons revealing their deadly fangs.

He was certain he had never heard of such a martial art before. This must be a closely guarded secret of some specific clan, but definitely not one of the prominent families in Taicang County, otherwise, his father and the others would have mentioned it.

Feeling the pressure from the full-force attack, He Yi Ming confirmed that this man was an Eighth Layer internal energy cultivator. However, with his ethereal movement technique and this bizarre set of combat skills, he could likely escape even from an ordinary Ninth Layer master.

His mind raced, and he abruptly raised both hands above his head, unleashing the Tenth Stance of the Thirty-Six Mountain-Splitting Forms without reservation.

Yet, the execution of this innate battle technique was markedly different from before. He lacked the intense, world-splitting momentum typically associated with it; instead, it carried an inexplicable sense of soft, yielding energy.

This peculiar transformation gave an unpleasant, dissonant feeling—like biting into something delicious only to suddenly find a fly in your meal.

Although the man in black sensed this strangeness, he was already committed, the arrow loosed from the string.

If He Yi Ming’s Mountain-Splitting Forms had possessed their usual earth-shattering momentum, the man in black would have instantly aborted the attack and fled in disarray. But because the execution was so incongruous, it solidified his decision to risk everything in a fight.

The next moment, their four hands slammed violently together.

The man in black's expression shifted slightly. He had been trying desperately to adjust the trajectory of his strike, aiming to bypass the opponent's palms and strike his body directly. But he suddenly found that the two palms cleaving down from the youth contained an incomprehensible quality; no matter how he shifted, it was useless, and his hands collided squarely with those two strikes.

He was secretly shocked: What kind of technique was this?

However, the thought barely surfaced before he had no further time to focus, as the immense power transmitted through the palms instantly eradicated all other considerations.

That strength, churning like the sea and mighty as a mountain, instantly overwhelmed him.

His body rocketed backward with a speed no less impressive than when he approached, flying straight from this street corner to another, crashing heavily against a wall, which crumbled under the impact.

He Yi Ming quickly rushed over, his hands sweeping out to pull the man from the rubble, and then sped away into the distance.

Although this location was a hundred meters from the Cheng Manor, and the residents weren't the wealthiest, they were still figures of some note in Taicang County, naturally equipped with formidable household guards. But by the time these men arrived, the scene was already deserted.

Even carrying a person, He Yi Ming felt no strain. He was unfamiliar with the county town itself, but finding an uninhabited place within this district of affluent homes was easy enough.

Soon, he arrived at a secluded courtyard, near what looked like a woodshed. After placing the man in black in a dark corner behind the house and conducting a brief examination, He Yi Ming could only offer a wry smile.

Most of the man's bones were shattered. His hands, chest, and abdomen, in particular, had been pulverized by the immense force of the Thirty-Six Mountain-Splitting Forms. If he tried to lift him even slightly, the body collapsed limply, like a mollusk without any skeletal support.

Reaching out, he confirmed the man's breath had long ceased. With injuries this severe, if he had survived, he wouldn't be human.

He rummaged through the man’s clothes, finding some silver ingots and books. The oilcloth package he had been keenest on also fell into his hands.

In addition, there seemed to be another book, but he didn't have time to examine it now. He shoved all the items into his robes, hastily placed the corpse inside the woodshed, covered it with a layer of firewood, and then turned to leave.

As this area was rarely visited at night, if even this spot were discovered, he would have nothing more to say.

As he vaulted over the wall and returned to the Cheng Manor, a sudden shock jolted him.

He had killed someone tonight—a complete stranger.

Yet, few ripples stirred in his heart. It wasn't until he had secured the secret manuals and returned to the Cheng Manor that he remembered this was a dead body...

His expression flickered rapidly through many changes. He recalled the agonizing feeling from when he killed Hu Bin previously, and he had to admit: he had changed. Compared to before, his state of mind had undergone a monumental shift.

He did not know what this change signified, nor what it might bring him, but he knew with certainty that he was profoundly different from who he had been.

Touching the secret manuals in his robe, a deep sense of resignation washed over him. Must obtaining something always necessitate losing something else...?

Ps: First update for today, requesting recommendation votes, ^_^