My Apprentice Is Too Diligent

Chapter 17: As You Wish

The person's breathing rate was as slow as a turtle, barely audible.

Their heartbeat seemed nonexistent, and their aura remained still.

Silently, like a ghost, they flipped into the courtyard and arrived at the door.

Chen Wuji controlled his breathing to remain calm, as if he were asleep.

In the darkness, his eyes blinked without pause, staring at the door, waiting for the other person's move.

Both inside and outside were still for a moment. A thin needle pierced through the thick cardboard on the door, extending into the room.

Then, Chen Wuji saw wisps of smoke emanating from the needle, drifting in the air and filling the entire room.

Chen Wuji held his breath and remained motionless.

"Crack~"

Soon, the door was gently pried open, slowly revealing a slender figure.

Wrapped in a hazy moonlight, the figure floated into the room like feathers, approaching the bed and observing the closed-eyed Chen Wuji.

At close range, Chen Wuji finally heard the other person's breathing, heartbeat, and even emotional fluctuations.

"What's the point of being suspected of being at the Body Refining Eighth Layer if you've fallen into my trap?"

"Even if you really are at the Body Refining Eighth Layer, what can you do..."

"Heh~!"

The last word suddenly changed, turning into a hoarse gasp of fear.

Because the Chen Wuji with closed eyes suddenly reached out and grabbed the person's neck, who was within arm's reach.

Crack! Crack~

Crack, crack, crack!

Lifting the small figure dressed in black, Chen Wuji quickly pressed certain points on their body.

Like acupressure, he first disabled their cultivation, then cut off their ability to speak, and finally their ability to move.

Like a disabled person, they were thrown on the ground, their mouth wide open, but unable to make a sound.

Seeing this, Chen Wuji slightly relaxed, opened all the windows to allow air circulation, and let out the remaining smoke in the room.

After waiting for a while, he turned back to the person in black and restored half of their ability to speak.

"What's your name? Who sent you?" Chen Wuji calmly spoke, "Tell me, and I'll make it quick. If you don't, we'll play slowly."

"I... I'm just a bit tight on money recently, so I wanted to come in and get some silver..." the person in black weakly and hoarsely replied.

"It seems we have a disagreement."

Crack, crack~

Chen Wuji understood and quickly acted, first sealing the person's ability to speak, then twisting and contorting their wrists and ankles, causing maximum pain without damaging their bones.

Instantly, the person in black was drenched in sweat, their mouth wide open, but no sound came out. Their face turned pale as paper, and their body trembled uncontrollably.

Pain!

Pain that penetrated the bones!

Wave after wave of intense agony stimulated their nerves, making the person in black wish to immediately slit their own throat.

But they couldn't even bite their tongue, and because their body was different from ordinary people, their mental state was more prominent, and they couldn't even faint. Instead, they became even more clear-headed.

At this moment, they experienced what it meant to be better off dead.

Chen Wuji watched expressionlessly.

Not only did the "Easy Embryo Turtle Breathing Technique" allow him to have a thorough understanding of his own body, but with a little exploration, he could also grasp the skeletal structure, tendons, fascia, and organs of others in an instant.

Because of this, Chen Wuji had enough confidence to torture someone without letting them die.

He let the person in black suffer for a full cup of tea's worth of time before releasing them.

"Now, can you talk?"

"Uh~ Heh!" Taking a long breath, the person in black, drenched in sweat, lay on the ground, recovering their breath like a revived soul.

After a while, in a hoarse voice, they said, "I... I'll talk!"

"My name is Kong Kong'er, 36 years old this year, at the Body Refining Fifth Layer. My main cultivation technique is concealment-type..."

"Get to the point!" Chen Wuji coldly interrupted, "Who sent you? What was your goal in coming here? Are you here to kill me?"

"Yang Qin!"

Kong Kong'er hurriedly replied, "I was sent by Yang Qin!"

"Yang Qin?" Chen Wuji frowned, "The county's constable, Yang Qin?"

"Yes, it's him!"

Kong Kong'er felt aggrieved and gritted his teeth, saying, "This bastard asked me to steal a jade plaque, claiming that the plaque is in the hands of Master Chen. I just used the 'Hypnotic Incense' provided by someone surnamed Yang. This kind of hallucinogenic smoke can even affect someone at the Body Refining Eighth Layer. It's expensive and hard to come by, and ordinary people can't get their hands on it. I didn't expect it to be ineffective against Master Chen. You're really amazing, Master Chen!"

"A jade plaque? What jade plaque?" Chen Wuji grasped the key point and asked in confusion, "How does Yang Qin know that I have a jade plaque?"

In his heart, he thought of the strange jade plaque he obtained from Xiong Zengtong.

"I don't know what jade plaque it is."

Kong Kong'er replied, inhaling deeply, "Yang Qin only said that after controlling you with the 'Hypnotic Incense,' he could ask about the whereabouts of the jade plaque. After asking, he would kill you, Master Chen."

"Heh~" Chen Wuji chuckled lightly, "Why didn't Yang Qin come himself?"

"Well..." Kong Kong'er pondered for a moment and replied, "Yang Qin said that you, Master Chen, are at the Body Refining Eighth Layer, and he might not be a match for you."

Afraid...

No, wary!

Is Yang Qin wary of me?

"He guessed that I killed Xiong Zengtong? Wiped out the Xiong Gang?"

"But there's no evidence, so he doesn't dare to openly make a move against me?"

"Most importantly, it seems that Yang Qin only wants to retrieve that 'born' jade plaque, and he wants to do it privately!"

"He doesn't dare, and he doesn't want to cause a big commotion in public?!"

Various thoughts quickly flashed through Chen Wuji's mind.

Maintaining a calm demeanor on the surface, he spoke calmly, "Where is Yang Qin now? If you obtain the jade plaque, where will you meet him?"

"At a small courtyard in Changshou Alley before dawn."

Kong Kong'er quickly reported an address.

Finally, with a hoarse voice and nervousness, he asked, "Master Chen, are you going to kill him?"

"Do you want him dead?" Chen Wuji asked in return.

"Of course!" Kong Kong'er gritted his teeth, "If I die, he should die too!"

"Is that so."

Chen Wuji nodded, "Alright, I will grant your wish."

"Thank..."

Crack!

With a crisp sound, Kong Kong'er's words came to an abrupt end.

His neck was completely crushed, and he died on the spot.

"Yang! Qin!"

Holding Kong Kong'er's lifeless body with one hand, Chen Wuji's face showed no expression, but his eyes were filled with killing intent.

Since Yang Qin suspected him and sent Kong Kong'er to make a move, Chen Wuji naturally wouldn't just sit idly by.

Whoosh!

Carrying the corpse, he swiftly left the house and leaped onto the roof, heading towards the outskirts of the city.

He disposed of the body in a hidden mountain ditch and quickly returned to the county town.

Back home, he changed into a set of night clothes and activated the perfected "Easy Embryo Turtle Breathing Technique."

With the sound of cracking, he controlled his physique, adjusted his breath, and transformed into the same appearance as Kong Kong'er.

Then, he covered his face with a cloth and left again, heading towards Changshou Alley.

...

Changshou Alley had a nice name, but the people living there were all poor.

The courtyard where Kong Kong'er and Yang Qin were supposed to meet was located in the farthest corner, with no residents nearby.

After Chen Wuji arrived, he controlled his aura and waited until it was almost dawn.

Then, he climbed over the wall one after another and entered the courtyard.

"Why are you so slow?"

In the dilapidated courtyard, Yang Qin, who was sitting under the eaves practicing, saw "Kong Kong'er" and stood up eagerly, asking, "Where's the jade plaque? Did you get it?"

Chen Wuji didn't respond, he just held a small wooden box in his hands and approached Yang Qin slowly...

(End of this chapter)