Master of Chinese Martial Arts: I Can Steal the Skills of a Grandmaster from the Republic of China E

The little river demon seemed to sense something, and one of its tentacles timidly reached out towards the peddler, no longer displaying its previous ferocity.

The peddler simply raised his hand casually.

There was no radiance, no sound.

The protruding tentacle was severed at the root and fell to the ground with a "thud".

There was no blood at the break point, and the tentacles shrank and withered rapidly as if they had been drained of moisture, turning into a gray, shriveled husk in the blink of an eye.

The little river demon let out a short, sharp cry of agony, and its remaining tentacles curled up in fear, no longer daring to move.

The peddler seemed to merely dust himself off; he bent down, and from beside the tentacle that had shriveled into a scabbed shell...

He picked up a grayish bead the size of a longan, which looked murky, and casually tossed it into an old earthenware jar on the wheelbarrow.

The mouth of the jar was covered with a dirty cloth, and a few soft sounds, like the clinking of abacus beads, came from inside.

Then, he pushed the cart and slowly walked toward the still-warm corpses not far away.

Zhou Xing's muscles suddenly tensed up.

It felt like being pricked by needles, not out of fear, but like the instinct of a wild animal when it encounters its predator, its fur standing on end.

His fist intent was just beginning to take shape, and he was most sensitive to the flow of qi, but at this moment he only felt a hollow, cold emptiness.

The rules of the ghost market, the river demon, Tao Zhugong and other "shopkeepers"... fragmented clues clicked together in my mind.

No wonder.

No wonder the people in the Ghost Market weren't as strong as I'd imagined, and that the River Demon, such a ferocious creature, had remained unharmed despite being so close.

No wonder things have escalated like this; the person in question hasn't shown up at all.

Because these people, these ferocious creatures, are all like leeks planted by the master. Once they're ripe, the master swings his sickle and harvests them.

Sorcerers will always emerge in waves, and in this chaotic world, in this ghost market, they are the best breeding ground.

He forced himself to turn back; since the master wasn't blocking the way, it meant they were letting him pass.

Almost simultaneously, two faint metallic reflections flashed in the shadows beside the exit doorway ahead!

Without thinking, Zhou Xing lunged to the right, rolling rapidly with his shoulders and back touching the ground!

"Bang! Bang!"

Two bullets hit the brick floor where he had just been standing, sending brick fragments flying everywhere.

Musketeers!

It's the eldest and the third brother!

Not only did they survive, they also sneaked here to ambush us!

Zhou Xing rolled on without stopping, his left hand had already drawn the gun from under his armpit, and by listening to the position of the gun flash, he flicked his wrist and fired two shots in return!

"Bang! Bang!"

The bullets struck the old wooden crates piled up next to the doorway, making two holes.

"Damn! It missed!"

The third brother cursed in fear from the shadows.

"Let's go! By water!"

The leader let out a low growl, his voice revealing a ruthless determination to go all out.

They watched helplessly as Zhou Xing killed the river demon, and then caught a glimpse of the eerie peddler. Their hearts were chilled, and they could not muster any courage to fight Zhou Xing head-on.

Having escaped to this point, the mission was not completed, and a brother was lost. These two shots were a last resort, a final gamble.

"Plop," "Plop."

Two heavy objects fell into the water. Outside the doorway, it was pitch black; it was the confluence of the Haihe River.

Zhou Xing rushed out of the gate and saw two ripples spreading across the dim water, dispersing into the distance.

Without the slightest hesitation, he turned back and whispered to the Taoist priests and Zhang Pinyou:

"Jump! Stay close!"

After saying that, he plunged into the icy river.

The moment he entered the water, the [Human Puppet Appearance] activated, all the pores on his body closed, his qi and blood were drawn inward, and his breath flowed leisurely through his internal organs, much longer than usual.

[River Demon Appearance] is activated simultaneously, making the spine as flexible as a snake, the joints click and shift slightly, and the water flowing over the skin seems to become an extension of the body.

With a slight sway of the waist, it glided far away silently.

The combination of the two truly felt like a fish in water.

Visibility is blurred underwater, but one's hearing can clearly discern even the slightest changes in the water flow.

Not far ahead, two heavy, frantic paddling splashes stood out like lanterns in the night.

"Brothers, it's your turn to experience what it's like to be chased."

Zhou Xing did not immediately kill him.

He lingered behind the two like a real water ghost, neither too close nor too far.

It would suddenly accelerate, sweeping past them and startling them with the rush of water.

Sometimes it would circle around to the front, revealing a blurry outline in the dim light, and then disappear in an instant.

The eldest and third brothers are going crazy.

They were not good swimmers to begin with, and they were also injured and exhausted.

I felt that the shadow of that evil star was swirling everywhere in the cold, dark river, as if the deadly dagger would stab me from any direction at any moment.

The fear in their hearts destroyed their will even faster than the physical exhaustion.

"Boss... I... I really can't go on..."

The third child stuck his head out of the water, his voice trembling with tears, and then coughed as he choked on the water.

"Shut up! Swim! Towards shore..."

The eldest brother roared, panting heavily, but the despair in his voice could no longer be concealed.

Zhou Xing felt that was about right.

He slid silently behind the third brother like seaweed, reached out with his left hand, and grabbed his ankle.

With a flick of his wrist, the flexible and strange strength bestowed by the [River Demon] easily dragged the person to the depths of the riverbed.

The third child struggled in terror, kicking his arms and legs wildly, and choked on several mouthfuls of water.

Zhou Xing silently thrust his short knife underwater, slicing it across Zhou Xing's throat.

Blood mist filled the air.

Hearing the commotion, the leader turned around and vaguely saw the blood mist and the sinking shadows of his companions. Terrified, he desperately paddled towards a patch of reeds not far away.

Zhou Xing followed at a steady pace.

Just as the leader's fingers touched the reed stalk, he reached out from underwater, grabbed the leader's belt, and dragged him back into the deep water.

"Spare...spare my life..."

The eldest brother was bubbling from his mouth and nose, his eyes filled with pleading.

"I said it,"

Zhou Xing leaned closer, his voice muffled by the flowing water, almost inaudible, "You won't see tomorrow."

The dagger pierced his heart, and he twisted his wrist.

The eldest brother's body stiffened, then went limp.

Zhou Xing released his grip, watching the two corpses slowly sink into the darkness at the bottom of the river.

The pent-up frustration that had been building up inside me finally dissipated somewhat with the ripples on the water.

He surfaced, took a breath, determined his direction, and swam toward the nearest shore.

Before long, they climbed onto a riverbank overgrown with weeds.

My body was soaked, but I didn't feel cold. As my blood and qi circulated, a faint white vapor rose from my skin. However, I felt extremely weak inside, and my hands and feet were a little weak.

After swimming for a while, he actually felt much more relaxed.

"Now I'm an amphibian," he thought inexplicably.

A little while later, the sound of splashing water could be heard not far away.

Qingxu, Yunqing, and Zhang Pinyou also scrambled ashore in a disheveled state.

Yun Qing's ankle was black from the injury, and she was being supported by Qing Xu, whose lips were pale.

Zhang Pinyou lay sprawled on the muddy ground, panting heavily, but her eyes kept glancing at Zhou Xing.

Mixed within the worship was an unconcealable fear of inhuman methods.

His arms were shaking violently, but he gritted his teeth and stubbornly refused to let himself completely collapse.

In the distance, a faint gray-white tinge appeared on the horizon.

That bloody and bizarre night at the Ghost Market seemed to be completely separated from everything by the Haihe River behind them, which swallowed everything.

Only the sound of the wind, the rustling of the grass, and their heavy breathing remained on the riverbank.

Zhou Xing gazed quietly in the direction of the Ghost Market, where it was still pitch black and nothing could be seen.

"You seem to be quite familiar with the ghost market."

He spoke without turning around.

Qingxu paused for a moment, realizing he was being asked, and then replied:

"I have a senior uncle who is staying at Tongtian Pawnshop. He is good at divination. I have come here to ask him about something."

Unexpectedly, they encountered a river demon causing chaos; they were entangled as soon as they reached the exit and nearly perished inside.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Zhou Xing, his tone much more sincere than before:

"I will never forget Brother Zhou's kindness in helping me."

Zhou Xing had a sudden thought: There's no need for that, I was the one who attracted the river demon in the first place.

He then asked, "Really? Your uncle, like Tao Zhugong, also engages in 'fair' trading?"

Zhou Xing's tone was very calm.

But Qingxu's spiritual senses suddenly tightened.

He sensed the weight of the question and even vaguely felt the chilling killing intent beneath the words of the person beside him.