Complete one practice method every day

"Yes," Zhou Yi said with difficulty.

"What benefits did Li Lie receive from joining you?"

"I don't know the specifics."

Zhou Yi gasped, "But it's nothing more than cultivation techniques, pills, resources... to help him break through his cultivation level. If you're willing to join our Divine Flame Sect, with your strength and alchemy skills, you'll definitely get much more, far exceeding what you could have gained in the Chen family... Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Yue's knife pierced him again, even deeper than before. The excruciating pain made him scream in agony, and the rest of his words were stuck in his throat.

"How do you usually contact Li Lie? Do you use any codes, tokens, or fixed locations?" Chen Yue ignored his screams and asked the crucial question.

Zhou Yi convulsed in pain: "I don't know... I'm not usually the one who deals with Li Lie; Gu Bei is in charge personally."

Chen Yue stared at him for a moment, then slowly said, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi's eyes suddenly lit up with hope. He hurriedly said, "No, no, I've told you everything I know! You must keep your promise, cripple my martial arts, and spare my life!"

"A promise?" Chen Yue looked at him, a faint hint of doubt on his face. "What promise?"

"you!!"

Zhou Yi's eyes widened to their limit, his pupils reflecting Chen Yue's cold and ruthless face. The boundless fear and anger of being deceived had not yet had a chance to erupt.

The glint of the blade, like a flash of cold lightning in the night, disappeared in an instant.

"laugh!"

With a slight tearing sound, Zhou Yi's body stiffened abruptly. He instinctively raised his undamaged left hand and clutched it tightly against his neck. Warm liquid was gushing out from between his fingers.

Zhou Yi opened his mouth wide, as if he wanted to roar, curse, or question, but only gushing blood foam came out, making a "hoarse" sound as it leaked air.

He stared intently at Chen Yue, his eyes bloodshot, filled with extreme resentment and unwillingness, and a hint of despair as he finally understood.

Chen Yue calmly sheathed his long sword, watching as the light of Zhou Yi's life quickly dimmed in his eyes, until he finally froze completely.

"I broke my promise." Chen Yue said softly, looking into Zhou Yi's increasingly unfocused eyes, "But, those who kill will always be killed. You should understand this principle better than I do."

Any mercy shown to someone who wants their own life, or even someone who wants to feed themselves, is irresponsible towards their own life.

Chen Yue crouched down and began to search Zhou Yi carefully. Apart from a few taels of loose silver and some odds and ends, there was nothing else.

Chen Yue stood up, used his movement technique to return to the alleyway he had been in, and found that Yuan Shi and Jia Ge's bodies were still lying in the same spot. He quickly searched them again, but found very little, only a few coins.

However, as Chen Yue turned over Jia Ge's body and rolled up his sleeve, his gaze sharpened. He saw a strange pattern, about the size of a thumb, branded on the inside of Jia Ge's left forearm.

The pattern was dark red, with twisted and tangled lines that resembled rising flames or some kind of distorted runes, exuding an eerie feeling, as if it had been branded onto the skin with a red-hot iron, with a clear boundary between it and the surrounding skin.

Chen Yue immediately checked Yuan Shi and Zhou Yi's arms again, and sure enough, he found the exact same dark red brand in the same location.

"The Divine Flame Cult..."

Chen Yue silently recited the name in his heart. With three Body Refining Realm cultivators lost in succession, the other party would definitely not let it go, and the subsequent retaliation would probably be even more fierce.

"The only way is to go to the Chen family's main residence..." Chen Yue's thoughts raced.

The Chen family is a local power in Youlin County, with a Bone Forging Realm expert stationed there, making them heavily guarded and relatively safe.

But before that, there is one more thing that must be settled.

Chen Yue moved again, silently navigating the crisscrossing alleyways and rooftops. He was already intimately familiar with the terrain of Youlin County, especially the main paths between the pharmacy and the Chen family's main residence.

After the pharmacy was attacked and Chen Yue went missing, the guards who remained on duty would immediately send someone to the Chen family's main residence to report the incident.

Chen Yuqing and Li Lie, who are currently at the Chen family's residence, will surely rush back to the pharmacy to check upon hearing the news.

As the leader of the guards, Li Lie would likely use the excuse of an urgent situation and needing to scout ahead to return alone first.

This alley, the closest one to Huichuntang from the Chen family, may be one of Li Lie's inevitable routes.

Time passed slowly, and in the distance came the faint sound of the watchman's clapper and the occasional barking of dogs.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Footsteps came from the direction of the alley entrance, exceptionally clear in the quiet night. Chen Yue slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the gaps in the clutter, landing on the alley entrance.

A familiar figure was walking quickly into the alley; it was Li Lie.

Just as Li Lie reached the middle of the alley, he seemed to sense something. His steps suddenly stopped without warning, and he looked up sharply, his sharp, hawk-like gaze instantly sweeping towards the dark corner where Chen Yue was.

Chen Yue slowly emerged from the shadow of the pile of clutter, exposing half of his body to the faint starlight. However, Chen Yue's face had already changed.

The two stood about ten steps apart, facing each other in the alley.

Li Lie's right hand instinctively rested on the hilt of his sword at his waist. He squinted and carefully examined the stranger who had suddenly appeared on his only route.

Li Lie did not draw his sword easily, but stared intently at his opponent.

The air in the alley seemed to freeze at that moment.

"Guard Li,"

A slightly hoarse voice echoed softly in the quiet alleyway, "I've been waiting for you for so long."

Li Lie's brows furrowed suddenly, and his fingers pressed slightly harder on the hilt of his sword.

"Who are you?" Li Lie's voice was low, filled with wariness and scrutiny. "We seem to have never met before."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yue forced a slightly stiff smile and took another half step forward.

"We went to capture Chen Yue, but your information is wrong. That kid isn't even at the Skin Refining Realm! His martial arts are incredibly strange; he directly injured two of our best fighters! The boss told me to ask you, what the hell is going on?"

Chen Yue? Injured? The perpetrator hasn't been caught?

Li Lie narrowed his eyes slightly, staring intently at the other person's expression, trying to discern the truth from falsehood.

The resentment in the other party's tone seemed genuine. Had Gu Bei and his team failed? Had they suffered a loss? Was that why they sent this person to question them?

"Chen Yue... was he taken away by you?" Li Lie said coldly.

"I'm not the person you usually deal with, and I don't understand your code."

Chen Yue waved his hand impatiently, and at the same time deliberately rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a blurry, distorted pattern.

"The boss is right behind us. You either come with me now and explain things, or you can go and explain yourself later. It's up to you!"

After Chen Yue finished speaking, he turned and walked deeper into the alley.

Li Lie's gaze was fixed on the blurry brand on Chen Yue's arm, then on his back as he turned and left without hesitation. His eyes flickered violently, and his mind raced.

Just as Li Lie was hesitating and weighing his options, Chen Yue, who had already taken a few steps back, suddenly stopped.

Then, the figure that had been facing away from him slowly turned around, revealing a smile that was completely different from before.

"Before, I was actually a little worried that I had wronged you."

Chen Yue spoke, his voice returning to its original clear tone, "After all, it's just a few words between us. It wouldn't be right to kill someone based on suspicion."

As Chen Yue spoke, he took steps toward Li Lie, who was standing still.