339: Chapter 339 Capture Alive

Han Jingyang secretly worried for Shi Xiaoya.

Before activating that set of item skills, Shi Xiaoya's greatest reliance was only the katana in her hand.

That katana was sharp enough to gain the upper hand against almost any weapon; even if it couldn't slice through in one strike, it could gradually chip the opponent's weapon into notches during the fight.

Against thinner weapons like longswords, she had a good chance of cutting them in two with a single strike.

But now, it seemed she had met a worthy opponent; she had encountered an equally extraordinary weapon that dared to clash against Shi Xiaoya's katana for this long.

Now, Shi Xiaoya's biggest advantage had been neutralized.

Without this advantage, everything else was a disadvantage; she had practiced martial arts, but her level was mediocre, between second and third-rate, making her a total novice in front of true experts.

Zhang Dahai sent someone over to kill Zhang Chaoyue and seize the treasure, so this person's strength was definitely greater than Zhang Chaoyue's.

If they were stronger than Zhang Chaoyue, then they were stronger than Shi Xiaoya.

Should he stop waiting and go up there?

While Han Jingyang was hesitating, he saw the glass of the second-floor balcony suddenly shatter. A slender figure flew out, landed lightly on the ground, paused for a moment, and then got up and ran.

Hmm? Escaping?

Was she unable to beat Shi Xiaoya?

Or did she not want to get entangled with Shi Xiaoya for too long?

But since she had come, she wanted to run? And she wanted to run right in front of him?

Not even saying a word of greeting—that was too rude.

With a thought, the Guangxi Fengcai Fu Qingzhu Gathering Picture Vase appeared silently in his hand, and he simultaneously activated the final skill usage of this vase.

Everlasting Sword Qi.

The next second, a white sword qi chased after the fleeing slender figure like a shooting star, entering from the back and piercing through the chest.

"Thud—"

The running slender figure fell headlong to the ground.

Han Jingyang raised an eyebrow.

That's it?

It seemed Zhang Dahai's subordinate wasn't all that great. She looked strong, but she was more than a few levels below experts like Tian Chunming who could withstand several skills head-on.

No, she was not even in the same dimension as Tian Chunming.

Tian Chunming was no longer just a pure martial artist or a master of metaphysics; he was a super-expert who had fused both into one, with almost no weaknesses, capable of withstanding item skills with his physical body.

Others, even Zhang Zhiyang or even Bai Sixing, were quite a bit worse; even with orthodox legacies and profound techniques, they hadn't reached Tian Chunming's height.

Thinking about this, he suddenly felt bored.

Shi Xiaoya peered down from the broken window. In the end, she didn't dare jump down directly; instead, she leaned out, hung from the window ledge with one arm to cushion her fall, and then landed lightly. She went straight to the fallen figure, restrained her first, and then said, "Hubby, it's a woman, and she's quite pretty."

Han Jingyang walked out from the shadows and said amusedly, "Is that the point?"

"Hehe, I was afraid you'd be soft-hearted."

"Is she dead?"

"No, this woman's strength isn't bad; she won't die that easily."

"Not bad?"

Shi Xiaoya gave a coquettish snort, "She's very strong, satisfied now? Her skills are very strong, far superior to mine, but her attention wasn't on me, and she had no heart for battle. After passively defending for a while, she broke the window and ran." As she spoke, she dragged the woman into the room, "How should we deal with her?"

"Search her first, then tie her up. I'm going to find Zhang Chaoyue."

"There's no one in the room."

"No, he should be in the room. He wouldn't be stupid enough to choose to run; he knows Zhang Dahai's strength best—there's no way to run."

"Then it's... a secret room?"

"I reckon so," Han Jingyang said while observing his surroundings. He searched from the first floor to the second, and finally discovered a slight aura fluctuation near the wall. The fluctuation was very weak, about the same as that created by a sparrow.

What was this? Was a small animal hidden there? Or did Zhang Chaoyue have special hiding techniques? The latter was highly probable.

Interesting.

Han Jingyang circled the spot and found a hidden door, but it was sealed very tightly, almost airtight.

Of course, it couldn't be truly airtight; there had to be at least one ventilation hole.

Where was the ventilation hole?

After carefully studying the area, Han Jingyang had an idea and called for Shi Xiaoya to go to the outer wall to look for any potential ventilation ducts.

Five minutes later.

The airtight secret room door opened from the inside. Zhang Chaoyue crawled out, covered in sweat, and as soon as he emerged, he collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.

After gasping for a long time, Zhang Chaoyue stood up and bowed to Han Jingyang, "Boss, thank you. If it weren't for you, I would have been dead for sure this time."

Han Jingyang patted the secret room door with interest, "Is this made of lead?"

"Yes, it used over two tons of lead."

"The effect is very good."

"I discovered this by accident. Lead has a certain restraining effect on metaphysics, especially against those so-called experts who are good at telepathy or out-of-body experiences."

Han Jingyang realized, "Interesting."

He stood up and looked Zhang Chaoyue up and down, "Did you get the news in advance?"

"No."

"Then how did you know Zhang Dahai was going to kill you?"

"I went to see Zhang Dahai today," Zhang Chaoyue sighed and recounted the events of meeting Zhang Dahai during the day, "At that time, I realized Zhang Dahai couldn't bear to lose the treasure you bestowed upon me. When I got home, I kept an eye out and activated the backup plan I had reserved. Sure enough, at night, I discovered Zhang Dahai's most trusted subordinate approaching quietly, so I hurriedly called you, Boss."

"Zhang Dahai's most trusted subordinate? That woman?"

"Yes," Zhang Chaoyue nodded heavily, "That woman is named A Qi. She is Zhang Dahai's personal bodyguard and is extremely strong. Boss, where is she? Did she run away?"

Han Jingyang snorted, "With both of us acting together, how could we let her run away?"

"Did you kill her?"

"Captured her alive."

"Holy crap, Boss is mighty, Boss's wife is mighty! You actually captured Zhang Dahai's most trusted bodyguard alive! Hahahaha, now Zhang Dahai is going to be heartbroken," Zhang Chaoyue flattered him repeatedly, "Boss, I knew you definitely weren't an ordinary person. Hehe, my choice was indeed correct. Compared to you, Boss, Zhang Dahai is nothing! Boss, when are we going to wipe out Zhang Dahai and return peace to Quancheng?"

Han Jingyang waved his hand, "Alright, alright. Let me ask you, how high is this A Qi's status on Zhang Dahai's side?"

"Very high. She usually keeps a low profile; most people haven't even seen what she looks like, but everyone knows she is the person Zhang Dahai trusts the most. She has saved Zhang Dahai from danger several times and is trusted more than his own wife and children. If there ever comes a day when Zhang Dahai is abandoned by everyone, A Qi will definitely be the last person to accompany him. Some say that only when A Qi is by his side can Zhang Dahai sleep soundly."

"Is this woman's status really that high?"

"Yes. If there is one person who knows all of Zhang Dahai's secrets, it must be A Qi."

"Interesting. Then tell me, if I call Zhang Dahai now and ask him to ransom her, how much money can Zhang Dahai pay?"

"This..." Zhang Chaoyue hesitated for a moment and held up one finger, "One hundred million? Or two hundred million?"

Han Jingyang smiled and patted Zhang Chaoyue's shoulder, "Now, call Zhang Dahai and tell him that A Qi is in my hands!"

Zhang Chaoyue's expression instantly froze.