164: Chapter 164 The music continues, then the dance begins…

In an instant, violent true Qi surged uncontrollably from her body. Her long sword rang as it left its scabbard, carrying a bone-chilling killing intent as she prepared to pounce and kill.

"Hahahaha."

Facing the enraged woman, Qin Feng was not only unafraid, but instead threw his head back and burst into a burst of extremely arrogant and triumphant laughter.

He sat steadily in his chair, watching Zhao Simin, who was so angry she was about to lose her mind, with composure, and mocked:

"Why are you so angry? You wanted to kill me anyway. Even if I hadn't said that I killed Senior Brother Zhao, wouldn't you still be trying to kill me for the foundation establishment fruit?"

Qin Feng shrugged and blinked with an innocent expression. His wretched demeanor was enough to make anyone grit their teeth in hatred. He continued: "I purposely told you the news at this time for no other reason than to make you angry and annoy you a bit more."

"You—you lunatic! I will kill you! Kill you!!!" Zhao Simin trembled with rage, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Kill me? Wait until you think of a way to do it first. By the way, because I have offended so many people, this Young Master plans not to leave the Outer Sect for the next three years."

Qin Feng restrained his smile, his gaze becoming incomparably cold and overbearing in an instant, and he coldly spat out one word: "Scram!"

His massive Divine Sense pressure, combined with the subtle blood aura of his Heavenly Tyrant Body—though he was only at Qi Refining Level 7—and that Evil Qi forged from walking through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, forcibly shocked the irrational woman back to a bit of clarity.

Zhao Simin gripped her long sword tightly, her fingernails digging into her flesh until blood flowed.

She knew that if she attacked now, she would not gain any advantage; the methods of the Law Enforcement Hall were never just an empty reputation.

"Qin Feng... just you wait. If I, Zhao Simin, do not tear you into ten thousand pieces, I swear I will not be human!"

Leaving behind a curse filled with resentment, Zhao Simin turned into a blue light and fled the courtyard in a state of utter embarrassment and fury.

Watching the figure flee in such a sorry state, Qin Feng brushed the dust off his sleeves, returning to his lazy demeanor. He turned his head, grinned at the three women behind him, and waved his hand, saying: "Sometimes, angering an enemy to death is also a skill. Don't let that crazy woman ruin our refined mood."

"Come, keep the music playing, keep dancing!"

...Another day, with drizzling rain. Outer Sect trading area, back hall of Tongbao Bank.

Inside the originally magnificent back hall, an extremely oppressive and desperate atmosphere now permeated the air. Proprietress Hao Shuang leaned listlessly on a soft couch, her plump and alluring figure appearing somewhat wilted, and her beautiful, captivating face was etched with anxiety and worry.

Below her sat two men who looked extremely comical and miserable.

The pot-bellied fat man on the left was the trading area manager, Manager Niu Defa.

However, his face was currently swollen like a purple-red steamed bun, his two eyes squeezed into thin slits, and his mouth whistled as he breathed, heavily bandaged.

On the right was the Chief Manager, Manager Fu An, who had been slapped flying by Xu Hongxia. He was currently wrapped in white bandages like a living mummy, revealing only a pair of eyes filled with resentment and a mouth that was trembling.

"Proprietress... that is a full eight million Low-Grade Spirit Stones..." As soon as Manager Fu An spoke, he pulled at the shattered bone wounds on his face, grimacing in pain, and said with a tearful, muddled face:

"Even if we at Tongbao Bank pawned our land deeds, shops, and even our underwear, we couldn't scrape together such an astronomical figure. But... but Elder Xu said, once seven days are up, if even one is missing, she will raze Tongbao Bank to the ground and extract our souls and refine our marrow!"

"Shut up! Do you think I don't know? Do you need to be here wailing like a funeral mourner?!" Proprietress Hao Shuang rubbed her temples irritably and slammed the table, shouting angrily. But after scolding him, she herself let out a deep sigh, her eyes filled with despair.

That transaction contract was protected by the entire Sect's rules, and a big shot at the Golden Core Stage had personally come to collect the debt. Renounce the debt? That would be truly tired of living.

"Manager Niu Defa, could you please point out a clear path..." Proprietress Hao Shuang could only cast her hopeful gaze toward Manager Niu Defa, who was sitting uneasily to the side.

"Hiss—it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" Manager Niu Defa just wanted to speak, but the pain made him gasp. His eyes flashed with extreme resentment and fear as he said in a hoarse voice:

"A clear path? Xu Hongxia is a big shot at the Golden Core Stage. I am merely an Outer Sect manager at the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage. In her eyes, I am not even as good as an ant. This Spirit Stone... it is clearly impossible not to pay."

"Are we really just waiting to die, or go bankrupt?!" Proprietress Hao Shuang screamed unwillingly.

Just as the back hall fell into a dead silence of despair, Manager Fu An, wrapped up like a mummy, suddenly had a fierce and vicious light explode in his eyes. He lowered his voice and suggested in a sinister tone:

"Proprietress, Manager Niu Defa... since we cannot come up with so many Spirit Stones, then... what if the creditor died?!"

Once these words were spoken, Proprietress Hao Shuang and Manager Niu Defa were both shocked and exchanged a glance.

"The creditor died?" Proprietress Hao Shuang frowned slightly, tapping her folding fan against her palm, "You mean... kill that Qin Feng?!"

"That's right!" Manager Fu An nodded heavily, his bandage-wrapped head shaking back and forth with excitement:

"Although the transaction contract is overbearing, as long as the owner of the contract dies, the contract will naturally become void. Although Xu Hongxia protects her own, as long as we do it cleanly and let Qin Feng die outside, as a Peak Elder, could she really kill all of us at Tongbao Bank without any grounds?!"

Upon hearing this, a flash of intense struggle crossed Proprietress Hao Shuang's eyes, and then she gritted her teeth fiercely and said:

"This method is feasible! But... that kid could kill Senior Brother Gou Dongxi in three moves, and even my Qi Refining Level 9 guards are not a match for him. How can we make a move within the Sect? What if we alert Xu Hongxia..."

"It is indeed difficult to make a move within the Sect. However, we can find a way to make him leave legitimately!" Manager Niu Defa, who had been silent, laughed coldly, his swollen, fat face full of calculating viciousness:

"I have acquaintances at the Outer Sect Deacon Hall. I can pull some strings and have the Task Hall issue a 'mandatory task' that the kid cannot refuse."

A mandatory task?! Within the Hehuan Sect, as a Sect Disciple, having enjoyed the Sect's protection and resources, one naturally has to fulfill obligations. Every Outer Sect Disciple must complete one mandatory contribution task issued by the Sect each month. This is a hard rule and cannot be refused!

If there is no task assigned that month, the Disciple can choose to accumulate it or pay a large sum of Spirit Stones based on their cultivation to offset the task. But as long as the Task Hall explicitly assigns it, it is a mandatory dispatch, and no one can shirk it!

"A mandatory task?!" Proprietress Hao Shuang's eyes lit up, and she slapped her thigh, saying excitedly: "This plan is excellent! As long as the Task Hall issues a mandatory task, that kid must leave the Sect's sphere of influence to execute it. Once he leaves the protection of the Sect's Formation and Xu Hongxia's line of sight..."

"Hmph, once outside, there will be no one to call for help from the heavens or the earth!" Manager Niu Defa coordinated with Proprietress Hao Shuang, a cruel smile appearing on his face as he nodded:

"Rest assured, this matter is not a big problem. I will go contact the deacon of the Task Hall immediately."

"Good, as long as this matter is accomplished, there will be no lack of benefits for Manager Niu Defa!" Proprietress Hao Shuang finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a look of ruthlessness and resentment appeared once again on her originally beautiful face.

She turned her head abruptly, staring fixedly at Manager Fu An, who only revealed his eyes, and issued a secret order in a cold tone, word by word:

"Manager Fu An, take five hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, go to the underground black market in the trading area, and post a bounty, saying you want the head of the Outer Sect Disciple, Qin Feng!"

"Under a heavy reward, there must be brave men! There are plenty of people in that black market who want money more than their lives. Five hundred thousand Spirit Stones is enough to buy the life of a Foundation Establishment Stage expert."

Calculating in her mind, Proprietress Hao Shuang took a deep breath, her chest heaving violently, her eyes flickering with final madness and a desperate gamble. She added:

"In addition, you personally take a few trusted Sect death warriors, follow him secretly, make multiple preparations, and must ensure nothing goes wrong!"

"This trip, that little beast must die. Otherwise, our Tongbao Bank will really be finished. Go do it!"

"Yes, this servant guarantees that he will not return." Manager Fu An grinned viciously, dragging his body, which had not yet recovered from serious injuries, and retreated tremblingly.