The God of the Human Realm!

Chapter 23 I, Hong Yuan, am trustworthy.

Fractured sternum

neck roasted over hot coals

His right palm was pierced by the long knife again, and blood gushed out.

Even though Meng Yue had experienced many battles and suffered numerous injuries, he was in so much pain that his face was contorted in agony, and he opened his mouth as if to scream in agony.

puff!
A large foot pressed down, stepping on Meng Yue's chest. With a slight force, it blocked the roar that Meng Yue was about to unleash from his throat.

Meng Yue's Adam's apple bobbed, and he looked like he was about to roll his eyes back.

Hong Yuan relaxed a little and said gently, "Junior brother, you are a tough guy. A little injury like this can be cured with some hot water. There's no need to make a fuss. Don't let your brother look down on you."

Meng Yue's hair sizzled and crackled with the hot charcoal, while his neck emitted a smoky aroma from the heat.

His face was contorted in agony, his body convulsing from the intense pain, his teeth clenched, and his bloodshot eyes staring at Hong Yuan with a mixture of fear, resentment, and pleading.

Hong Yuan stared at him for a while, until Meng Yue could no longer bear it and wanted to howl, then stomped on his anger and scattered it.

However, this time Hong Yuan took out a knife and used it to knock away the stove and charcoal before smiling at Meng Yue's pale face.

"Junior brother, tell me, why did you want to kill me? And..." Hong Yuan's gaze shifted to the group of hooligans in the room, some dead, some drunk, and some trembling, "Who are these people?"

“They are Yan San’s men from the docks. I hired them to deal with you. As for why I want to kill you? Isn’t it right?” Meng Yue’s voice was dry and hoarse, weak and powerless, but he still said with hatred, “I stayed at the martial arts school for two years, treating Yang Erhu with utmost respect and trying to please him in every way. He wouldn’t accept me as a disciple, but he accepted you, this brat who came out of nowhere? Why?”

Hong Yuan scrutinized Meng Yue's face. With the powerful observational ability granted by [Clear Eyes and Penetrating the Mysterious], even though the other party's face was covered in blood and his expression was ferocious, he could clearly discern some subtle changes in his expression.

Hong Yuan clasped his right hand, stroking the hilt of the long sword that pierced Meng Yue's palm and penetrated three inches into the ground. Suddenly, he pulled with one hand, and the steel sword fell into Meng Yue's palm. He then swung his hand and brought it down.

next moment.

With a 'swoosh', a line of blood pierced through Meng Yue's wrist, and his right hand had been severed by a single stroke.

"Ah!" Meng Yue's shrill scream sounded like a demon, but this time Hong Yuan did not stop him. After he stopped, he calmly said, "Junior brother, you are lying. Can you reorganize your words and answer again? If you deceive me again, you will lose your other hand."

Meng Yue trembled, his face ashen, and he hissed, "What difference does it make whether you talk or not? You're going to die anyway. If you're a real man, don't torture me. Just kill me!"

Hong Yuan said calmly, "As long as you tell the truth, I might let you off the hook."

Meng Yue's eyes were filled with resentment, and he hissed mockingly, as if laughing at Hong Yuan's words, which could only fool ghosts.

“I, Hong Yuan, am trustworthy.” Hong Yuan’s tone was calm yet firm. “Besides, even if you don’t tell me, there are so many survivors in this house. I can get a lot of information out of them. It’s just a matter of taking some time.”

"You mean what you say? If I ask, you really won't kill me?" Meng Yue asked hoarsely.

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Meng Yue's unfocused eyes also held a hint of expectation; naturally, he didn't want to die if he could live.

"Alright, I'll tell you! I come from the Dragon Subduing Sect, and I joined the Yang Family Martial Arts School on the orders of Young Master Shenxiao, all for... the Dragon Tiger Ancestor..."

Hong Yuan listened silently, and when he heard the name of the Dragon and Tiger Ancestor, his eyes flickered slightly.

According to Meng Yue, the sect he came from had a deep connection with the Fuhu Sect. In the past, there was a master in the martial arts world known as "Dragon Tiger". This Master Dragon Tiger had been traveling the martial arts world for many years and had taken in two disciples, one surnamed Zhang and the other surnamed Li. Zhang and Li each received half of Master Dragon Tiger's mantle. Originally, Master Dragon Tiger hoped that they would work together to carry on and promote his legacy.

Unexpectedly, with the death of Longhu, Zhang and Li became enemies for some unknown reason. Both of them opened their own sects, and the Fuhu Sect that Hongyuan joined was the lineage of Master Li.

Meng Yue comes from the 'Dragon Subduing Gate' lineage of Master Zhang. He follows the orders of the Divine Firmament Prince behind him and infiltrates the Yang Family Martial Arts School, intending to obtain the secret teachings of the Tiger Subduing Gate and achieve the 'Dragon and Tiger Power'.

The reason for killing Hong Yuan was that he had become Yang Erhu's protégé and was blocking their way.

“Senior Brother Hong…we don’t need to fight to the death. Both Subduing Dragon and Taming Tiger worship the Dragon and Tiger Ancestor, and we come from the same source. My sect’s Young Master Shenxiao is a genius. Why don’t you bring the secret teachings of Taming Tiger and come to serve us? With Young Master Shenxiao’s magnanimity, he will definitely give you an important position. Wouldn’t that be better than being stuck in a small martial arts school?” Meng Yue said these words with great effort.

With a whoosh, two more fingers of Meng Yue's left hand flew out.

Perhaps he was numb from the pain, Meng Yue just stared blankly as his bloodied fingers rolled to the floor, his mouth opening and closing as if he didn't even have the strength to roar.

"Junior brother, is there anything else you want to add? I feel like you're still lying to me."

"I do not have……"

"Think again!"

Meng Yue was already exhausted and his will was being eroded by weakness and pain all over his body, but Hong Yuan insisted on forcing him to tell the story repeatedly.

After a while, Hong Yuan smiled, as expected, there were some unexpected gains.

For example, he learned that in Yangquan County, Meng Yue had a contact person named 'Mr. Cui', whose main job was to convey the orders of the Divine Firmament Prince to Meng Yue.

There was also the incident when Meng Yue went to the dock to look for Yan Laosan that night. At that time, there was an unexpected event: some thugs attacked Yan Laosan's gambling den under the cover of night, killing and injuring about twenty people before being forced back by a cold arrow.

'Could the person who broke into Yan Laosan's lair be the teacher?' Hong Yuan carefully checked the time and felt that it matched the timing of Yang Erhu's departure, return, and injury that night, which made him somewhat suspicious.

"Can you let me go now?" Meng Yue asked weakly.

“Of course.” Hong Yuan nodded.

The next moment, the long sword twirled in his hand, a flash of light swept across, slicing open Meng Yue's throat. The latter's eyes were wide open, his pupils were bloodshot, and he stared at Hong Yuan with his last breath.

"Sigh!" Hong Yuan sighed, slowly wiping the blood off the blade from Meng Yue's clothes. He said calmly, "Junior brother, you've suffered because you're uncultured. The 'Yuan' in my name, Hong Yuan, refers to the primordial spirit! In your next life, try to learn from your senior brother and become a well-read and cultured person."

Meng Yue opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but the light in his eyes had already disappeared.

Hong Yuan immediately turned around and left the room, which reeked of alcohol and blood. The few remaining ruffians inside were half-drunk and half-awake, trembling with fear, and even had a sense of relief at surviving a catastrophe.

"Survived?"

Their faces lit up with ecstasy.

Suddenly, a head popped into the room, a bright smile spreading across its face. "Happy? Did you think your life was saved?"

(End of this chapter)