owlsbooks Chapter 53 Yang Qian's Scheme, Shen Lian's Choice
Chapter 53 Yang Qian's Scheme, Shen Lian's Choice
Shen Lian lay on the ground, breathing heavily.
The burning pain in his chest and the churning blood and qi within his body constantly reminded him that he had been defeated.
The defeat was complete and without any doubt.
He looked down at the black-clad youth who was looking down at him, and his heart was filled with bitterness and resentment.
Shen Lian, who rose to fame at a young age, held a high position and wielded great power in his early thirties.
He was an influential figure who held absolute power throughout the entire Ming Dynasty.
But I never expected that I would be defeated in such an obscure little place, and by a young punk who is even younger than me.
Moreover, they lost so humiliatingly.
"Who...who are you?"
Shen Lian gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words.
He was unwilling to accept it; he wanted to know who he had lost to.
Who I am is not important.
Yang Qian said calmly, "The important thing is that you are now my prisoner."
He slowly squatted down and reached out to pat Shen Lian's cold, dusty face.
"Commander Shen, I'll ask you one more time, do you still want to confiscate my property and exterminate my clan?"
His movements were flippant, and his words were bland, but the naked humiliation and contempt he contained were like the sharpest needles, piercing Shen Lian's proud heart!
Scholars can be killed, but not humiliated!
"You...don't even think about it!"
Shen Lian roared!
He suddenly pulled out a strangely shaped short crossbow from his pocket!
Without a second thought, he aimed at Yang Qian's head and pulled the trigger!
"call out!"
A specially made crossbow bolt, gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light, burst forth from the crossbow mechanism in an instant!
It's almost at its limit!
This is their secret weapon, the "Soul-Chasing Crossbow," which the Embroidered Uniform Guard uses specifically to deal with martial arts masters!
Its power and speed are so great that even a master would have no chance of dodging it at such close range!
He wanted to die together with this brat who had humiliated him!
However, the next second, something happened that made his eyes widen in horror!
Yang Qian faced the Soul-Chasing Arrow, which was powerful enough to pierce steel, but he neither dodged nor avoided it!
He simply extended two fingers casually and then gently pinched them together!
"Ding!"
With a soft click, the unstoppable Soul-Chasing Arrow was easily caught between his fingers!
It was as if it wasn't some deadly weapon, but just an ordinary toothpick.
"This...this is impossible!"
Shen Lian was completely stunned!
His face was filled with utter horror and disbelief!
Catching a deadly arrow with bare hands?!
Is this even human?!
What terrifying eyesight and reaction speed that requires!
What kind of inhuman physical strength would that require?!
What kind of demonic magic does he practice?!
"this one?"
Yang Qian looked at the crossbow bolt that was still trembling slightly between his fingers, and a disdainful smile appeared on his lips.
Then, he applied a slight pressure with his fingers.
"Snap!"
With a crisp snap, he actually broke the crossbow bolt made of fine steel in half!
"Commander Shen, aren't your methods a bit too childish?"
Yang Qian casually threw the broken crossbow bolt on the ground, then stepped on Shen Lian's chest!
"puff!"
Shen Lian spat out another mouthful of blood!
He felt like his sternum was about to be crushed!
"Now,"
Yang Qian pressed down slightly with his feet, looking down at him with an expression as if he were a dead man. "Do you have any last words?"
The shadow of death instantly enveloped Shen Lian's entire mind!
He could clearly feel the cold, undisguised killing intent emanating from the other party!
He knew that if the other party exerted even a little more force with their feet, he would really be done for today.
He doesn't want to die.
He still has many things left to do, and many ambitions yet to be realized.
"Wait...wait a minute!"
His survival instinct ultimately led him to give in.
He managed to say with difficulty, "You...you can't kill me!"
"Oh?"
Yang Qian raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Give me a reason not to kill you."
"I...I am a commander of the Imperial Guard!"
Shen Lian, panting heavily, said, "I represent the Great Ming Dynasty! Killing me is tantamount to declaring war on the entire Ming Dynasty! At that time, the court will absolutely not let you go! They will send endless armies and experts to hunt you down! Even if you are a grandmaster, a great grandmaster! You will absolutely not be able to escape the court's inescapable net!"
He was still trying to threaten Yang Qian with the authority of the imperial court.
However, Yang Qian just smiled after hearing this.
"Yeah?"
He pushed off with his foot again!
"Snap!"
A clear sound of bones shattering came from Shen Lian's chest!
"ah--!!"
Shen Lian let out a painful scream!
"Have you forgotten?"
Yang Qian looked at his face, contorted with pain, and said coldly, "I dare to kill even a high-ranking constable from your Six Doors. Do you think I'd care about killing another commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
What?!
Upon hearing this, Shen Lian's pupils suddenly contracted!
He stared at Yang Qian in horror!
"Lord Chasing Life...Did you kill him?!"
He never imagined that the mastermind behind the sensational case he had been investigating for so long would be this mysterious young man in front of him!
But wait, that's not right!
According to intelligence, Lord Zhui Ming disappeared after he was investigating the mysterious grandmaster who had killed a hundred riders.
Is it...
A chilling guess suddenly flashed through Shen Lian's mind.
Could it be that the so-called mysterious grandmaster who slew a hundred riders and this young man named Yang Qian are actually the same person?!
The moment this thought crossed Shen Lian's mind, he felt his worldview was about to collapse!
A young man in his early twenties not only possesses the terrifying cultivation of the eighth level of the Innate Realm, but also the monstrous strength to kill a top-tier Grandmaster?!
This is no longer a monster! This is clearly a god or demon!
"Now,"
Yang Qian smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the man's expression, which was as if he had seen a ghost.
This is exactly the effect he wanted!
He wanted to completely break down all the psychological defenses of this commander of the Imperial Guard!
"Do you have any other reason not to kill you?"
He asked casually.
Shen Lian fell silent.
He knew that any threat was futile in the face of this lawless madman.
If he wants to survive, he has to offer something that will tempt the other party!
But what bargaining chips does he have?
money?
status?
The other side doesn't even respect imperial power, so why would they care about these worldly things?
Martial arts cheats?
The other party himself possesses unparalleled divine skills at the level of gods and demons, so why would he look down on those low-class people from the Embroidered Uniform Guard?
What do I have left?
Shen Lian's brain was working at lightning speed.
suddenly!
He had an idea!
Something that might save his life!
"I...I know a huge secret!"
He looked at Yang Qian and said with difficulty, "This secret concerns the truth behind the earth-shattering battle twenty years ago between Yan Nantian and the Ten Evils in the Valley of Evil! It also concerns the woman in your arms, her... mystery of origin!"
What?!
Upon hearing this, Yang Qian's heart skipped a beat!
He glanced down at his stunningly beautiful sister-in-law, still in shock and bewilderment, in his arms, then at the Imperial Guard commander on the ground who was resorting to any means to survive. A hint of amusement flashed in his cold eyes.
Tell me about it.