And that colossal punch slammed entirely into a large tree behind Nangong Shang, instantly shattering it into splinters that danced everywhere…
He had no doubt that if this strike had not changed direction, it would have smashed his head into a pulpy mess…
Staring in shock at Liang Xiaoke, who was now inches away, his eyes were filled with incomprehension. Why, after putting himself in such great peril, would he refrain from killing him now?
“Killing you is as easy as breathing for me, but since I promised my brother I wouldn’t kill you, I absolutely won’t… As for this spear wound, consider it repayment for what I owed you back then. Don't ever come looking for trouble with me again…” Ignoring Nangong Shang’s astonished expression, Liang Xiaoke backed away several steps, forcefully pulling his body out of its rigid stance. A look of pain crossed his face as he clutched his wound with one hand, immediately sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes, seemingly to regulate his breathing and recover his vital energy…
Seeing all this, Ye Jingyu couldn't help but secretly give Liang Xiaoke a thumbs-up in his heart…
The nerve of this guy, playing the emotional card! He clearly possessed sufficient power to kill Nangong Shang, yet he pulled back at the very last moment. This act alone guaranteed Nangong Shang’s gratitude. Furthermore, by allowing himself to be speared, he exchanged it for Nangong Shang’s pity. You’re angry? You hold a grudge? Fine, how about I let you stab me once, is that enough?
For an ordinary person, that spear thrust might be fatal, but he was a Jiangshi. At most, it would consume a bit of his Corpse Qi; where were the other losses?
“Brother Nangong, my elder brother has already compromised. Let’s consider everything from the past settled then…” Secretly admiring Liang Xiaoke’s shamelessness, Ye Jingyu knew it was his turn to step forward…
Nangong Shang looked at the pained expression blooming on Liang Xiaoke’s pale face, recalling how the other man had deliberately let him stab him and had shown him mercy in the fight. If he pressed the matter further, it would be too unconscionable. He nodded slightly: “The past grievances are wiped clean, starting now…”
With that, he didn't spare Liang Xiaoke another glance, turned, and walked away. Even then, he failed to notice that not a single drop of blood was leaking from Liang Xiaoke’s chest…
Once Nangong Shang’s figure had completely vanished from their sight, Ye Jingyu saw that Liang Xiaoke was still maintaining his expression of agony and burst out, “The man’s gone, stop putting on that near-death act…”
“I’m already a dead man, how much more ‘near-death’ can I be?” As soon as he heard Nangong Shang leave, Liang Xiaoke instantly sprang up from the ground. He released the hand covering his chest and revealed a black wisp of energy there. The puncture wound from the spear tip was visibly closing at an astonishing rate…
His face broke into a triumphant grin, entirely lacking any sign of severe injury…
Who knew if Nangong Shang would spit up three thousand liters of blood if he knew all this…
“Heh heh, I say, Big Brother, your acting is quite something…” Ye Jingyu slapped Liang Xiaoke hard on the shoulder, speaking with utter contempt. Using such a tactic to deceive someone utterly ignorant of Jiangshi—it was utterly despicable, as shameless as tricking a kindergarten child with candy…
“Naturally. If I had pursued acting back in the day, I’d already be an Oscar winner…” Liang Xiaoke completely ignored the disdain in Ye Jingyu’s eyes, instead boasting proudly…
“…” Hearing Liang Xiaoke’s impudent statement, Ye Jingyu fiercely gave him the middle finger…
But Xiaoke remained completely unfazed…
“By the way, what exactly was the conflict between you and him?” Seeing Liang Xiaoke still unmoved, Ye Jingyu understood: the guy’s shamelessness had reached a state of being impervious to all poisons. Further scorn would be like drawing water from the bottom of a well—futile…
“Sigh, what conflict could there be…” Liang Xiaoke sighed softly, then recounted the entire history of his grievances with Nangong Shang…
“But that doesn’t add up. With your power, you could have killed them all. Why were you constantly being chased and forced to flee?” Ye Jingyu felt puzzled. Today, he didn't kill Nangong Shang out of respect for him, but what about before?
“Heh heh, I’m certainly not afraid of them, but I am wary of the spear in his hand. For some reason, I always feel like something is sealed within that weapon—a power that chills me to the bone. I worried that if I pushed him into a corner, and he broke the seal on that spear, what would I do then? I finally managed to come back to life; I don’t want to die again…” Liang Xiaoke grinned maliciously…
Ye Jingyu then remembered the completely transparent long spear in Nangong Shang’s hand but didn't sense anything particularly special about it. However, he knew the creature before him had been alive for who knows how many years. Even if he spent most of his time in deep slumber, he knew more than Ye Jingyu did, so he stopped pressing the issue…
“Heh heh, tell me, Brother, your follower wouldn’t happen to blab about my secret, would he?” At this moment, Liang Xiaoke glanced casually toward the darkness, clearly aware of Bing Ming’s presence already…
“Of course not, he is my shadow. But if you’re worried, you’re perfectly free to silence him permanently…” Ye Jingyu replied nonchalantly…
“Er…” Liang Xiaoke immediately dismissed the thought. Although he could sense Bing Ming’s presence through his acute perception, that didn't mean he could handle a Grandmaster who had reached the peak realm—not unless he could successfully advance his own cultivation again…
“Heh heh, let’s go…” Ye Jingyu clapped Liang Xiaoke on the shoulder, picked up the Tianzun Blade lying on the ground, and turned to walk outside…
Liang Xiaoke glanced at the shadow behind him, then snatched up the miniature submachine gun discarded on the floor and tucked it into his Qiankun Ring before following Ye Jingyu out…
A moment later, a shadow flickered in the void—it was Ye Jingyu’s shadow, Bing Ming. Watching the two walk away, a look of bewilderment crossed his face. He never left Ye Jingyu’s side, and every word spoken between the two, including the discussion of those strange weapons, had entered his sight and hearing. Yet, despite having read so much literature, he couldn't grasp what the two were actually talking about…
However, just as Ye Jingyu had said, since he had pledged to be Ye Jingyu’s shadow, he would never speak of what he should not know. It was best to keep many things buried deep inside—this was the adherence to a martial artist’s oath.