Volume One: City Turmoil Chapter 39: The Final Resolution (Part 2)

After seeing Murong Hai off, Zhang Heng finally turned to face Zhang Qingcang.

"Uncle..." Zhang Heng was about to say something.

But Zhang Qingcang raised his hand and shook his head.

"Heng'er, come, let's have a drink together."

Zhang Heng said nothing, took a seat opposite Zhang Qingcang.

Between men, sometimes, words are unnecessary.

Before long, both were drunk beyond measure.

Zhang Qingyu then spoke, "Heng'er, go with peace of mind."

Hearing this, Zhang Heng sobered up considerably. So, you think I won't come back? Uncle, could you not imagine the worst? Always thinking I'll die—this isn't right.

...

When Zhang Qingyu fell asleep, Zhang Heng got up and left.

He forced the alcohol out of his body, looked up at the sky, and let out a cold smile.

(With the system, life is good—I’ve gained another skill: never drunk no matter how much I drink.)

He went to the storeroom, grabbed a large box of spirit stones, and made his way to Yan Qingxue's residence.

Arriving outside her room, Zhang Heng was about to knock when Yan Qingxue's lazy voice came from within,

"The door's not locked. Come in."

Hearing this, Zhang Heng felt a little annoyed.

Why? Why is this happening? I can understand Qian Muyun knowing I arrived, since she's a powerful cultivator.

But how could you sense me? You're just a... uh, a Return-to-Void cultivator.

Yan Qingxue was about the same age as Zhang Heng, but she had already reached the Return-to-Void stage. Her cultivation speed was terrifying, enough to make anyone feel inadequate.

Zhang Heng entered to find Yan Qingxue sitting listlessly on her bed, dressed in nothing but sleepwear.

Sister, you really don’t treat me as an outsider. Aren’t you afraid I might lose control and do something?

Truth be told, Zhang Heng wouldn’t dare do anything. He was only at the first stage of body refinement; Yan Qingxue could kill him with a single finger.

Yan Qingxue, who traveled often, had none of that lofty aura, only the straightforwardness of a woman from the martial world.

To be fair, Yan Qingxue was quite beautiful, though she seemed indifferent to her appearance.

Zhang Heng stepped forward, handed her the box of spirit stones, and said, "Miss Yan, today my family suffered calamity, and with your help, we survived. I came to thank you."

Yan Qingxue pointed, and all the spirit stones vanished—likely absorbed into her spatial aura.

Zhang Heng was stunned. Just like that? Shouldn't she be polite and decline a little? Why does she always act so unpredictably?

"Do you have other business?" Yan Qingxue asked, seeing Zhang Heng linger.

"Uh..."

Originally, Zhang Heng intended to use the spirit stones to request Yan Qingxue’s help to kill two people. Now with her accepting the stones outright, he felt awkward.

He braced himself and said, "Miss Yan, I actually need your help to kill someone."

"You should've said so earlier. Wait outside," she replied.

Zhang Heng was about to leave when a surge of powerful spirit force swept him out, and with a loud "bang," the door slammed shut.

Damn, I have legs—I can walk myself.

So what if your cultivation is high? One day, when I surpass you, I’ll let you experience this too.

Zhang Heng thought this world was truly bizarre—he had yet to meet a normal person.

Soon after, Yan Qingxue, now dressed, flew to his side. "Let's go."

"Aren't you going to ask who I want to kill?" Not asking anything—this wasn’t like Yan Qingxue.

"I can tell at a glance you’re not a bad person. Let’s hurry, I want to get back and sleep." Yan Qingxue said impatiently, stretching carelessly.

Though she called him a good person, Zhang Heng found it ridiculous. How could she just know?

At that moment, the system’s explanation mode activated.

Beep. Yan Qingxue possesses innate heterochromatic eyes, allowing her to see a person's origin aura. Those with impure hearts have chaotic origin aura.

So that's possible? This little nobody from another world was deeply impressed.

This time, Zhang Heng had asked Yan Qingxue to deal with Yue Xiong, Zhang Tiedan, and Liu Yuan of the Liu family.

Yue Xiong had to die; according to the system, three years ago, Zhang Qingyu’s entry into Dragon Burial Abyss had been leaked by him.

Though Yue Xiong had angered Yuan Yi and was marked for death, Zhang Heng wanted to act himself, as a gesture for his parents whom he never met.

Zhang Tiedan had to go as well. Though a minor character, Zhang Heng had injured his hand slapping him last time. There was no way he would let that go.

And Liu Yuan—this was to give closure to the former Zhang Heng, since he had taken over his body.

Dark night, fierce wind—the night for killing.

With Yan Qingxue's intervention, these men had no chance to escape. Lin Ye, struggling to protect himself, couldn’t help Yue Xiong. Even if he tried, he might not beat Yan Qingxue; as for Liu Tianqing, though he might be strong enough, he wouldn’t dare intervene.

After dealing with them, Zhang Heng returned to his small room.

From a distance, he saw Xiao Hong waiting at the door. At this sight, tears welled up in Zhang Heng’s eyes.

This little girl was undoubtedly the one who cared most about him in this strange world.

Upon seeing him, Xiao Hong rushed into his arms.

"Young master, you’re finally back! Are you alright?" she asked with concern.

"I’m fine, little one," Zhang Heng replied, gently hugging her.

Later, lying in bed, Zhang Heng began to organize everything.

First, with Murong Hai around, the Zhang family’s safety was assured.

Second, those minor enemies who couldn't enter the depths of Dragon Burial Abyss and bore grudges against him were dead. As for Yuan Yi and Liu Tianqing, they would surely venture into the abyss, where he could deal with them.

The only thing weighing on Zhang Heng’s mind was Xiao Hong.

She was an ordinary girl; he couldn’t take her into the abyss, nor could he bring her along while roaming the martial world.

To reduce her presence, Zhang Heng had Du Gu Bai send her straight back to the small wooden house, while he went alone against the powerful foes.

Better to let her stay with the Zhang family—here, no one would bully her, and she could live a simple, comfortable life. Perhaps, that was best for her, Zhang Heng mused.

The next day,

Zhang Heng went to Du Gu Bai’s room.

"Good morning, senior," Zhang Heng greeted with a smile.

"Come, take a look at this new poem I wrote," Du Gu Bai said, proudly handing Zhang Heng a poem.

It seemed he was showing off.

Zhang Heng glanced at it—it was indeed an improvement, now at a junior high school level.

"Senior, I came today to borrow your Heart-Guarding Sword," Zhang Heng stated his purpose directly.

Having learned from experience, Zhang Heng realized it was best not to beat around the bush with them.

"Oh, you know quite a lot, don’t you?"

Du Gu Bai was slightly surprised to hear Zhang Heng mention the Heart-Guarding Sword. At his level, he shouldn’t know about it.

"Senior, this time we’re heading into Dragon Burial Abyss. You and Sister Muyun will hold off the guardian spirit beast, while I retrieve the scripture. But my abilities are limited, so I hoped to borrow your Heart-Guarding Sword for protection."