After Su Que figured out the general layout of the mansion, he successively killed seven people under the surprised gazes of the White Lotus Sect members.
Then, skillfully searched the bodies.
Thirteen corpses lay on the ground, and judging by his past experiences, tonight he was going to make a fortune.
While searching the bodies, he inevitably noticed their miserable state of death and couldn't help but sigh.
He wondered if these White Lotus Sect members, when indulging in gambling and pleasures in brothels the day before, ever thought they'd be beaten to death alive today.
"The reason life is so unpredictable is because of lack of strength," he mused inwardly.
Soon, Su Que took all the valuables from their bodies.
Just the silver notes and silver alone amounted to over three hundred taels, plus some jade pendants and hairpins which, judging by their appearance, must be quite valuable.
After stowing away the valuables in his clothing, Su Que walked over to the high wall of the mansion, powered up his legs, and executed a Dry Land Onion Pulling, leaping into the mansion.
Swoosh!
Su Que's loose hair flew upwards like a gust of wind, his posture slightly graceful as he landed on the ground.
From within the monkey mask, his eyes radiated a sharp gaze, scanning the surroundings.
Just as those White Lotus Sect members had said, there was no one else inside the mansion except for the leader waiting to ensnare his prey.
Su Que headed toward the medicine storeroom deep within the mansion without deliberately lightening his footsteps, which produced faint sounds.
Knowing that someone was ambushing in the medicine storeroom, he could have lightened his steps to catch the leader Zhao Tashan off guard.
But he wanted to avoid damaging the medicinal materials inside during the fight with Zhao Tashan, so he planned to lure Zhao Tashan out of the storeroom.
...
Zhao Tashan was still inside the storeroom, gnawing on raw meat and drinking strong liquor, in a very relaxed manner.
Even though he was merely the leader of a small outpost, he was a Third Blood Martial Artist, with strength comparable to the Jade Water City's White Lotus Church Master.
After Fan Wuyang was killed, it's almost certain that the position of Hall Master would soon fall to him.
In theory, in Jade Water City, there would be less than ten people who could defeat him.
In his mind, the intruder tonight shouldn't be very strong, otherwise, they would take action directly, rather than engaging in other activities.
"Swoosh..."
Zhao Tashan, tearing the raw meat with his teeth, suddenly heard faint footsteps outside the window.
"Hehe, here they come!"
Zhao Tashan put down the raw meat and wine bowl, wiped his slippery hands casually on his pants, then lifted two massive axes.
The ax bodies were pitch black, and the edges glimmered with a menacing cold light in the night.
"Swoosh..."
When the footsteps got closer, and he judged that the person had reached outside the storeroom door by the sound, he braced his body and stood up abruptly.
With legs thick as tree trunks, he pushed off the ground.
With the double axes leading the way, he charged out like a giant elephant, breaking through the door!
"Where did this little thief come from? Die for me!"
The door was shattered into fragments by the qi force from the double axes.
Zhao Tashan's massive figure burst through the splinters of wood and paper.
The two massive axes fell down towards Su Que with a whooshing sound, like two small mountains in the air!
This was the "Powerful Slash at Wilderness Mountain" from the "Mountain Opening Axe Technique" he excelled in, a move that alone had claimed the lives of many martial artists!
Su Que, already aware there was someone in the storeroom, was well-prepared.
From the moment Zhao Tashan burst through the door, Su Que had been paying attention to Zhao Tashan's stance and quickly noticed his flaw.
Zhao Tashan's double axes swung wide open, leaving his middle defense the most vulnerable.
"Hit his middle!"
As the two giant axes fell, Su Que pushed off the ground, his body flickering.
The double axes whistled past him, and he appeared in front of Zhao Tashan.
Seeing this change, Zhao Tashan's eyes widened as he prepared to swing back and chop Su Que with ferocity.
But Su Que had already aimed at Zhao Tashan's chest and punched!
He used the Hidden Separation Technique from the Seven Injuries Fist, the fist force resilient yet firm.
This fist force could hurt Zhao Tashan, but would not send him flying backward violently, in order to avoid damaging the medicinal materials behind Zhao Tashan.
Moreover, because he used only one technique of fist force, it was weaker compared to using all seven.
He needed to ask questions and couldn't kill Zhao Tashan with a single punch.
Hiss!
The fist force penetrated Zhao Tashan's body, then emerged from his back!
A circular area on the back of Zhao Tashan's clothing suddenly shattered, turning into flying fragments.
Having received this punch, Zhao Tashan was in so much pain that he could no longer hold his double axes steadily.
The double axes fell, crashing to the ground with a boom.
The axes were so heavy that they actually created two pits in the ground upon impact.
"Is it you?"
After receiving a punch from Su Que, just like the deputy leader, Zhao Tashan thought of the mysterious person who killed the medicine deliverer and Fan Wuyang.
"You know me?" Su Que squinted slightly, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
"You are the one who killed the medicine delivering lackey and Fan Wuyang..." Zhao Tashan, already in so much pain that he was kneeling, spat blood as he spoke.
"Oh."
Behind the mask, Su Que's lips curled slightly.
He didn't destroy the corpse earlier on purpose, and now he knew it indeed had the effect he wanted.
He didn't destroy the corpse because he believed the gruesome scars on it were the best disguise for his true identity.
Others could infer from the corpse that his martial arts should be ruthless techniques like the Seven Injuries Fist and Heart Shattering Palm, and they could also judge that his strength was not weak.
However, in his daily life, he was just an honest teacher who specialized in enlightening young children.
Who could associate such a teacher, who hadn't even killed a chicken, with a fierce martial artist skilled in the Seven Injuries Fist?
The more others thought he was formidable, the harder it was for them to find out his true identity.
"Do you know where Jing Sha and Luo You's bases are?" Su Que asked.
These two were the hall masters Su Que previously extracted information about from the mouths of the White Lotus Sect members, each mastering an Evil Technique.
Jing Sha mastered the "Red Fiend Technique," and Luo You mastered the "Profound Yin Finger."
"Will you let me go if I tell you?" Zhao Tashan asked.
"Yes." Su Que replied.
"I don't believe you."
Zhao Tashan, having seen the fate of the medicine delivering lackey and Fan Wuyang, knew the person before him was ruthless and would not leave any witnesses.
"You have no choice but to speak."
Su Que kicked the kneeling Zhao Tashan to the ground, stepping on Zhao Tashan's chest.
Then, with a single thought, the Marriage Robe Divine Skill True Qi surged from his foot through his meridians into Zhao Tashan's body, rampaging within.
The Marriage Robe Divine Skill True Qi, being extremely fierce and violent, as soon as it entered the body, Zhao Tashan felt his flesh, meridians, and internal organs ache, numb, and itch, feeling worse than death.
Rather than endure such torture, he wanted a quick end.
"I... I'll tell!" Zhao Tashan, spitting blood, trembled and said.
Su Que withdrew the Marriage Robe Divine Skill True Qi, looking down at Zhao Tashan with a piercing gaze.
Zhao Tashan then revealed the bases of Jing Sha and Luo You.
After committing the information to memory, Su Que asked again, "How strong is Bai Wuji?"
"He is a 'Five Blood Refining Viscera' martial artist." Zhao Tashan answered.
"Where is Bai Wuji's base?" Su Que asked.
"I don't know." Zhao Tashan shook his head.
"Besides the Seven Injuries Fist, Yin Wind Claw, Red Fiend Technique, and Minor Self-Damaging Skill, what other Evil Techniques does the White Lotus Sect in Jade Water City have?" Su Que asked again.
"None, just these." Zhao Tashan replied.
Seeing that Su Que no longer had questions, Zhao Tashan said:
"Hero, please give me a quick death!"
He was terrified that Su Que would torment him further.
The feeling of numbness and itch deep within his organs was unbearable even for someone as tough as him.
"Are every word you said just now true?" Su Que stared at Zhao Tashan.
"Of course, it's true." Zhao Tashan replied trembling.
"You still cannot die; if what you said is untrue, you shall receive the proper punishment." Su Que said lightly.
"I truly didn't lie. Please, grant me a quick end!" Zhao Tashan was extremely frightened, his face twitching violently.
Su Que ignored his pleas. The White Lotus Sect members committed countless atrocities; he could not easily trust their words.
With another thought, the Marriage Robe Divine Skill True Qi surged once more into Zhao Tashan's body.
The True Qi first flooded into Zhao Tashan's head, giving a slight jolt inside his brain, causing him to lose consciousness.
At the same time, the True Qi ravaged Zhao Tashan's limbs, and in just a moment, it severed the meridians in his hands and feet.