Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 276: Chapter 173: Plucking a Heart with Bare Hands, Challenging All Heroes Under Heaven

However, he was confident he could get away in one piece.

He was at least that confident.

”Let’s get one thing straight,” the middle-aged man said, his face grim and his tone turning serious. ”I will have an expert appraise it. If you dare to deceive me, I won’t spare you, even if this is Dragon Eagle territory.”

”I told you, I only want Martial Skills.” Wan Ze’s response was curt and direct. ”But if you try to pass off something subpar... I can guarantee that you’ll be a dead man, even after you leave the Holy City.”

Having exchanged threats, the two men locked eyes.

The middle-aged man took a business card from his pocket and handed it over.

It was a plain white card with only a name and a phone number—no title, no logo.

”Here’s my contact information. I’m reachable 24/7.”

Wan Ze took the card, glanced at it, and casually stuffed it into his pocket.

The middle-aged man said nothing more.

He bent down and lifted the two corpses from the ground, one in each hand.

His movements were swift and efficient, as if he were handling two sacks of cargo. He showed no sign of strain.

The two adult men weighed well over three hundred pounds combined, yet his steps remained steady as he carried them.

He turned and walked into the alley’s shadows. His steps were quick, but not panicked.

The rhythmic CLICK-CLACK of his leather shoes on the pavement grew faint, eventually vanishing into the night.

Silence returned to the alley.

Wan Ze stood where he was, glancing down at the bloodstains on the ground.

Dark red blood slowly seeped into the cracks between the stone slabs.

He held out his right hand and looked at it.

It was still stained with blood, which had begun to dry, forming a thin, dark red film over his skin.

Wan Ze rubbed it with his thumb. The dried blood crumbled to powder and sifted through his fingers.

He took out the business card again. A name was printed on it: Zhao Henian.

The card was ordinary, the paper even a little coarse, as if designed to leave no traceable marks.

He put the card away.

Wan Ze turned and walked out of the alley.

The street wasn’t crowded; people ambled by in twos and threes.

Some were walking their dogs, others were out for a stroll, and a few were lined up at a roadside barbecue stand.

The street was brightly lit and filled with the clamor of voices. Who would have guessed that just twenty meters away, two people had just died inside an alley?

Wan Ze moved through the crowd, and no one gave him a second glance.

He needed time to digest the information from tonight.

’The timing and method the Secret Palace chose to approach me... it’s rather curious.’

’This middle-aged man, Zhao Henian, bringing two younger men into the Holy City, onto Dragon Eagle’s turf, to negotiate with one of their own.’

’It definitely sent a signal...’

’The Secret Palace doesn’t want to escalate things, but they aren’t willing to let this go, either.’

’Of course, his demand for ten High Tier Martial Skills was impossible.’

Wan Ze had never expected to get all ten from the start.

It was a negotiation tactic: start with an astronomical price, then gradually lower it until they reached a number he could accept—one that also made the other party feel like they’d gotten a bargain.

One High Tier Martial Skill, two Middle Tier, plus one million.

This outcome was better than he had expected.

’Money is just a number? That’s something you say to fool idiots. Who doesn’t like money?’

’He had a family of four to feed, and that required money.’

’His training cost money, too... People only saw him training his heart out every day, but all the equipment he broke needed to be replaced, and the various medicinal baths and remedies all cost a fortune.’

’Who could honestly say they didn’t need money these days?’

As for the translated version of that booklet...

Wan Ze did, in fact, have a translated copy.

He could afford to give the Secret Palace what they wanted.

’But then again,’ he thought, ’I never promised to give them the complete version.’

And the Secret Palace could certainly afford to give him the Martial Skills he wanted.

’But reeling in these bastards won’t be easy.’

Wan Ze quickened his pace, heading toward the martial arts hall.

He still had Cultivation to do tonight.

He needed to become stronger.

Stronger than he was tonight.

Stronger than the Secret Palace!

Stronger than anyone in this world who dared to stand in his way!

Behind him, the city glowed with countless lights, a din of urban life.

...

Wan Ze returned to the training room.

He closed the door, sat at the desk, and glanced at the black communicator.

The screen was still dark, showing no new notifications.

Feng Jiuchen had said he would send an encrypted message in advance. ’Looks like there’s nothing scheduled for Huangliang tonight,’ Wan Ze thought.

Wan Ze put the communicator back in the drawer.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

”Spiritual Form!”

HUM!

Upon entering Huangliang, Wan Ze went straight into the ruined temple. The True Monarch Statue was nowhere in sight. Once he confirmed there were no threats, he began circulating his Taiyin Breathing Technique.

The Qi in his Dantian began to circulate slowly.

He began to absorb a ceaseless stream of Moonlight.

...

「That night.」

One thousand wisps of Moonlight, absorbed.

...

...