Chapter 94: Fifty for One

The night was as still as stagnant water.The wind was as sharp as a blade.

In this silent night, Xu Qing moved like a blade, his sharp edge piercing the darkness ahead as he pursued his target through the air.

Having made his move, Xu Qing disregarded everything else. This mermaid cultivator had come looking for trouble, and he had no choice but to kill her. Even if she belonged to the Third Prince, since she had attacked him, Xu Qing was ready to face the Third Prince's wrath. At worst, he would kill her today and flee out to sea tonight, leaving the Seven Blood Eyes Sect.

Although it was a pity, things had come to this, and Xu Qing didn't hesitate. He was moving incredibly fast, closing in on the fleeing mermaid woman.

However, this mermaid sister was highly cultivated and possessed numerous talismans. At this moment, she was burning her cultivation base without hesitation. As soon as she sensed Xu Qing was about to catch up, driven by the terror of a life-or-death situation, she immediately produced three talismans resembling flight charms for added speed. This propelled her speed to an astonishing degree. In an instant, she drastically widened the distance between herself and Xu Qing, reaching the harbor.

Although she had created some distance, it wasn't enough to alleviate her inner tension. Her heart had already reached its breaking point with the death of her retinue and her sister's near-death state. Xu Qing's ruthless attacks had given her an unprecedented sense of imminent death, and the coldness in his eyes made the mermaid woman tremble violently.

It wasn't until she saw the familiar dharma vessel ahead at the harbor that the sense of crisis in her heart finally eased, and hope appeared in her eyes. She no longer pondered why her protectors hadn't arrived; all she wanted now was to quickly board the dharma vessel ahead and seek refuge with her lover.

"You killed my clansman, my people, and put me in such a wretched state, Xu Qing... I will make sure the Third Prince expels you from Seven Blood Eyes, and then, my revenge will begin!" The mermaid woman gnashed her teeth, her eyes bloodshot, and even began to burn her bloodline, causing her speed to surge once more.

Xu Qing's gaze grew colder. He recognized the direction she was heading—it was where the Third Prince's dharma vessel was located. Even from a distance, Xu Qing could see the Third Prince's enormous and luxurious vessel. It was brightly lit, and sounds of singing and dancing seemed to emanate from it. This sight intensified the killing intent in Xu Qing's eyes. He didn't hesitate to expend his flight talismans, burning them to achieve even greater speed, but ultimately, he was still a little too slow.

Ten breaths later, the mermaid woman in the distance, propelled by the dual burning of her bloodline and cultivation, finally neared the Third Prince's dharma vessel. She surged forward and stepped onto it, stumbling as she landed, and letting out a tragic plea for help.

"Li Lang, save me!!"

As her voice echoed, several of the Third Prince's retainers immediately rushed out from the dharma vessel, forming a protective circle. The Third Prince himself quickly emerged from the cabin, a look of surprise on his face, and swiftly approached the mermaid woman.

"My beauty, why the tears? Who has wronged you?" The Third Prince gazed at his lover, disheveled and pitiful, her face etched with sorrow like a rain-beaten begonia. His heart ached as he gently helped her up, then noticed the dying head of her sister nearby. "How could this be?" The Third Prince's face hardened with anger.

At the same time, Xu Qing suddenly arrived, standing on the sea surface outside the Third Prince's dharma vessel. His expression was grim as he looked at the mermaid woman being helped up by the Third Prince.

"It's him! Li Lang, it's this Xu Qing who killed my clansman! My sister and I went to reason with him, but this villain cruelly destroyed my sister's body and slaughtered many of my people. Even I had to burn my bloodline to escape this calamity." "Li Lang, you must avenge me! Whether personally or through our clan alliance, my mermaid clan will not let this go, especially concerning my poor sister." The mermaid woman spoke with indignation, gnashing her teeth as she pointed at Xu Qing on the sea.

At this moment, the sister's head in her hand slowly regained consciousness, looking at the Third Prince weakly and beginning to wail.

"How audacious! To go to such extremes, you are truly courting death!" The Third Prince's expression turned cold as he slowly spoke. His surrounding retainers also took on grim expressions.

Xu Qing remained silent. The sea breeze now ruffled his daoist robe as he stood on the water, making a rustling sound, and his long hair danced in the wind. He looked at the Third Prince, then out at the open sea beyond the harbor, having made a decision in his heart.

Seeing this, the mermaid woman finally breathed a sigh of relief. A look of intense malice appeared in her eyes as she gazed at Xu Qing. She had already planned how she would deal with him. She even thought her sister's original suggestions were too soft; she wanted to make him regret ever being born, ten times over what her sister had proposed.

"Thank you, Li Lang, please, Li Lang, this..." The mermaid woman, her eyes full of venom, was about to speak, but before she could finish, the Third Prince next to her gently interjected.

"My dear, you've misunderstood. I meant, my dear, *you* are truly audacious."

"Li Lang, you..." The mermaid woman froze, looking up at the Third Prince. She saw his familiar face, unchanged from before, still showing the same tenderness he'd had moments ago, his gaze incredibly gentle, seemingly full of deep affection. This made her think she had misheard. Just as she was about to speak again, the Third Prince gently raised his left hand and, as if stroking her beautiful hair, placed his palm on top of her head.

With a 'bang,' the mermaid woman's body trembled, and her head shattered, exploding instantly. Blood and flesh obscured her shattered eyes, extinguishing her gaze. Headless, she became a corpse, falling to the ground, her life extinguished.

Witnessing this, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, utterly taken by surprise. Meanwhile, the dying mermaid sister, who had been weakly wailing, was completely stunned. The lingering weakness on her face was instantly replaced by an expression of profound bewilderment; she seemed unable to believe what she was seeing, utterly incredulous at what had just transpired. What was more, the tenderness and affection on the Third Prince's face remained as usual, completely unchanged as he wiped the blood from his hands. This scene caused a powerful sense of disorientation in the mermaid sister's mind. She couldn't comprehend that the man who had once held her and her sister affectionately in his arms was now gently killing her sister. If his expression had changed from gentle to sinister when he acted, she might have been able to accept it. But for this man to maintain an expression of unwavering affection from beginning to end, it sent an unprecedented shiver down the mermaid sister's spine.

"Li Lang..." The mermaid sister's eyes were filled with immense terror.

Still wiping his hands, the Third Prince smiled gently at the mermaid sister, then looked up, his smile still mild, at Xu Qing. "My apologies, junior brother. Do you require anything further?"

Every hair on Xu Qing's body stood on end. He looked at the Third Prince's gentle, smiling face, then shifted his gaze to the corpse on the deck, and finally glanced at the utterly terrified head of the sister. The mermaid sister's head was clearly deeply poisoned and wouldn't survive much longer. Xu Qing remained silent. As his hairs bristled, a profound chill rose within him. The Third Prince's actions and words sent shivers down his spine; he had never encountered anyone like this. The turn of events was completely unexpected for him; Xu Qing had even been ready to flee Seven Blood Eyes just moments ago. Now, in silence, he gazed at the Third Prince's amiable face. After a long moment, he cupped his fists and bowed to the Third Prince. Then, with a strong sense of caution, Xu Qing departed.

After moving some distance away, he looked back at the Third Prince standing on the deck, the image of the prince gently killing the mermaid woman with a look of tenderness still vivid in his mind. Xu Qing remained silent. He felt that the Third Prince was an extremely dangerous individual!

On the dharma vessel, the Third Prince remained mild and smiling. It wasn't until Xu Qing's figure had disappeared into the distance that he turned his head to look at the mermaid sister's head on the ground. His gaze was tender, filled with deep affection, as he softly spoke.

"My dear sisters, you were truly good girls. You allowed me to complete my master's task and also helped me gain a favor from that little devil on Sea Lizard Island. Very good, very good. I find I like you even more now."

The Third Prince's voice was gentle, but as his words reached the mermaid sister's ears, her expression suddenly changed, revealing even deeper terror in her eyes. She was about to speak, but in the next instant, the Third Prince raised his foot and stomped on her.

With a 'crunch,' the head shattered.

"Ah, well, from now on I can only savor your softness in my memories," the Third Prince said with a regretful expression. As he spoke, his retainers lowered their heads, not daring to look at him, and quickly began to clean the blood and flesh from the deck.

Soon, after the entire deck was clean again, a retainer disciple approached the Third Prince with a crystal bottle, speaking in a respectful whisper. "Third Prince, those mermaid protectors have been apprehended, caught red-handed."

"Very good," the Third Prince smiled. "Go send a message to the mermaid clan. I've suppressed the matter of them attempting to steal our sect's dharma vessel schematics, but I require a drop of ancient tears from the mermaid royal family. Have it delivered to me as quickly as possible."

After speaking, he took the crystal bottle, drank a mouthful of the invigorating liquid inside, then handed it back. He then stepped forward, walking on air, transforming into a long rainbow as he headed straight for the Seventh Peak.

Before long, his figure appeared at the summit of the Seventh Peak. At the peak's grand hall, Master Seven was seated before a chessboard, deep in thought. Opposite him stood a servant, playing chess with Master Seven.

"That move was incorrect!" After a moment, Master Seven looked up sternly at the servant. Hearing this, the servant lowered his head, picked up the piece, and placed it on another square.

"How can you take back a move? Do you know that taking back a move counts as a loss? You've lost!" Master Seven declared, waving his hand to scatter the pieces, then his gaze fell upon the Third Prince who had arrived.

"Greetings, Master." The Third Prince's demeanor was entirely different from before; he was extremely respectful now, kneeling and bowing deeply.

"What is it?" Master Seven spoke indifferently.

"Master, your disciple has investigated the mermaid clan matter. Although there were some unexpected twists, it ultimately concluded successfully. They were indeed attempting to steal our Seventh Peak's dharma vessel schematics for the Sea Corpse Clan. We caught them red-handed, and your disciple also confirmed that the mermaid clan was secretly building a Bone Tower as a pledge of allegiance to curry favor with the Sea Corpse Clan, our human race's mortal enemy. Here is the evidence. Additionally, four deacons within the sect were bribed by Mermaid Island; their names are also listed here," the Third Prince said, taking out a jade slip and respectfully presenting it with both hands.

Master Seven raised his hand and, with a remote grab, took the jade slip and scanned it. His gaze then fell upon his disciple below, his expression growing colder, but he said nothing. The Third Prince's body slowly trembled. After a long pause, he spoke in a low voice.

"However, there is one matter for which this disciple seeks punishment: the mermaid clan's kin tortured and killed a civilian child of our Seven Blood Eyes. His sister and another collaborated. Your disciple's oversight in this matter earlier is inexcusable. I ask for your master's reprimand."

"Rules cannot be broken. Go to the Candle Bone Cave and seclude yourself for seven days," Master Seven said slowly, his expression finally softening.

Hearing the words "Candle Bone Cave," the Third Prince's heart trembled. He bowed his head in assent and took his leave.

Only after watching his disciple depart did Master Seven stand up, his gaze fixed on the harbor below the mountain, seemingly looking at Port Seventy-Nine, lost in thought. After a while, he lifted his head, looking further into the distance, towards the sea.

The servant beside him spoke softly. "The mermaid clan is not foolish. It's unlikely they would brazenly send someone to steal dharma vessel schematics..."

"I am naturally aware of Third Junior's greed and his intention to set a trap. However, on major issues like the evidence of the Bone Tower, he wouldn't dare fabricate it," Master Seven said slowly. "The mermaid clan... over these years, they've grown so close to the Sea Corpse Clan, our mortal enemy. Their ambition is quite evident. All the resources our sect provided in previous years, and the disciples who sacrificed themselves to resolve their clan's crises, were all in vain. Since that's the case, we must reclaim everything, principal and interest," Master Seven said, a cold glint appearing in his eyes as he looked towards the sea.