After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

Lin Ping coldly uttered four words, his tone devoid of any emotion, yet full of ruthless decisiveness.

He bent down, grabbed Shen Qianxue by the collar of her pajamas, and dragged her off the floor, ignoring her disheveled and disheveled state, towards the backyard of the manor downstairs.

"Mr. Lin! Show mercy!" Chen Jinmei cried out as she chased after him, but she didn't dare to step forward to stop the chilling pressure emanating from Lin Ping.

Lin Ping was incredibly strong. Shen Qianxue, dressed in a thin nightgown, was dragged along with her feet off the ground. Her hair was disheveled, and she looked extremely disheveled. Gone was the pampered young lady she used to be. She cried and begged for mercy all the way, but it was all in vain.

Soon, Lin Ping dragged her to a secluded abandoned warehouse in the backyard of the manor and kicked open the iron door.

Inside the room, a thick hemp rope lay on the ground, its knots still loose. A faint scent lingered in the air, but Shen Aoxue, who had been hiding there, was now completely gone, nowhere to be found!

Shen Qianxue's eyes widened instantly upon seeing the empty warehouse, her face filled with astonishment and disbelief. She screamed, "Where is she? I clearly tied her up here and locked the warehouse door! How could she have disappeared?!"

She was originally just jealous of her sister, so she secretly drugged Shen Aoxue and tied her up in the storeroom, only wanting Shen Aoxue to miss the battle in Black Rock Valley and to make Lin Ping disappointed in Shen Aoxue. She never thought of taking anyone's life, but now, Shen Aoxue, whom she had tied up, has disappeared into thin air!

Lin Ping stood in the center of the warehouse, his divine sense sweeping out instantly. His face suddenly darkened to the extreme, and his killing intent surged. The air around him was torn apart by this overwhelming rage, producing bursts of whistling sounds.

Two distinct auras lingered on the ground. One was Shen Qianxue's aura, and the other was the aura of an extremely secretive, top-tier martial arts master, carrying a hint of sinister and vicious martial arts aura. It was definitely not someone under the command of the Mountain Guardian King!

It turns out that from the very beginning, it was a series of elaborate schemes!

Driven by jealousy, Shen Qianxue drugged and hid Shen Aoxue, but a third-party force lurking in the shadows seized the opportunity to abduct Shen Aoxue without warning. They deliberately shifted all suspicion onto Lin Ping, aiming to completely cut off his escape route and kill him before the battle at Black Rock Valley!

This hidden aura possesses immense strength, far surpassing that of ordinary martial artists in Jiangcheng. The power behind it is far more terrifying than that of the Mountain-Suppressing King. It has been lying in wait in the shadows, watching the tigers fight from the mountain, setting up a deadly trap to eliminate him and the Mountain-Suppressing King together!

Lin Ping clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, and a murderous intent surged in his eyes. His imperial aura swept across the area, and all the flowers and plants in the backyard withered instantly.

He spoke in a deep, chilling voice that echoed throughout the entire Shen family:

"No matter what faction you belong to, if you dare to touch my people, even if you hide at the ends of the earth, I will find you and grind you to dust."

"The appointment at Blackrock Valley has arrived as scheduled. Those who dare to play dirty tricks behind my back will first be annihilated, then the Mountain King will be slain, and blood will be used to settle this score!"

Lin Ping turned his head and looked at Shen Qianxue, whose face was ferocious and whose heart was full of malice. The last bit of patience in Lin Ping's eyes was completely extinguished.

Considering that she was Shen Aoxue's younger sister, he had already tolerated her time and time again. However, this tolerance only emboldened her to act recklessly and provoke him.

Before Shen Qianxue could cry out and argue any further, Lin Ping raised his hand, gathering an extremely restrained Emperor's spiritual power in his palm, and mercilessly slapped it directly onto Shen Qianxue's forehead.

Snapped!

A dull, crisp sound.

Before Shen Qianxue could even scream, her head lolled to the side, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot, collapsing onto the warehouse floor without making a sound.

He left her with plenty of leeway with that palm strike, sparing her life but completely destroying her mind and spirit.

Lin Ping glanced coldly at Shen Qianxue, who was lying unconscious on the ground. His tone was indifferent but carried an unyielding command. He then looked at Chen Jinmei and her group of bodyguards behind him, who were in a panic.

"Keep a close eye on her. Don't allow anyone to come near her, and don't let her step out of the room even once."

"She has repeatedly harmed Aoxue, and is vicious and unrepentant. Shen Aoxue's tolerance and concessions towards her in her childhood are wiped clean today, and the two are even."

Chen Jinmei trembled, choked with sobs, and dared not ask any more questions, only nodding frantically.

"I...I understand, Mr. Lin."

Lin Ping's eyes turned slightly cold, and his voice was calm, yet it conveyed the resolute determination of a predetermined fact: "My palm strike did not kill her, but it damaged her mind. From now on, she will be completely insane, with no more intention to harm others, nor the ability to scheme against others. This is the lightest punishment."

Chen Jinmei's body went limp, and she almost collapsed to the ground. Her heart was filled with sorrow, but she didn't dare to utter a single word of pleading.

Shen Qianxue brought this upon herself; she offended Lin Ping and deserved this fate.

Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward, trembling as they carried away the unconscious Shen Qianxue, and kept a close watch on her.

Lin Ping stood in the empty warehouse, his killing intent still lingering. His divine sense was locked on that sinister and vicious unfamiliar aura. Just as he was about to leap out to search for the person, a sharp sound suddenly came from outside the courtyard wall!

call out!

A short, jet-black dart, carrying a sharp gust of wind, pierced straight into the wall of the Shen family manor, its force penetrating to the bone, causing it to vibrate incessantly.

Lin Ping's eyes sharpened, and he flicked his finger, causing the hidden weapon to fall instantly into his palm.

At the end of the concealed weapon was a yellowed piece of paper, a woman's pearl earring, and a folded photograph.

Lin Ping raised his hand and spread it out. His gaze swept across the area, and the chill around him instantly surged to its peak.

In the photo, Shen Aoxue is unconscious, pale-faced, and tightly bound with ropes. The earring is an item that Shen Aoxue usually wears close to her body.

The handwriting on the note was menacing and illegible, conveying an aggressive threat:

Hand over the ownership of the land vein in the hands of the Shen family, and deliver it to the designated stronghold in the south of the city before nightfall tomorrow. Otherwise, Shen Aoxue will die a violent death in the streets, and her body will be left nowhere!

After reading the note, Lin Ping was so angry that he laughed, a cold and icy smile curving his lips.

First, they used Shen Qianxue to secretly kidnap people and frame her, attempting to confuse the public. When that failed, they dropped their pretense and openly robbed her, using threats and inducements to demand the land vein.

Such despicable tactics are clumsy and vicious.

He finally understood that from the very beginning, what the other party was after was not the bet in Black Rock Valley, but the hidden ley lines held by the Shen family. Shen Aoxue was just a pawn they used to blackmail him and force the Shen family to compromise.

"Dare to touch my people, and dare to make exorbitant demands, they're asking for death."

He exerted force with his fingertips, instantly crushing the hidden weapon in his palm into iron filings, turning the paper strip into ashes. His imperial aura surged skyward, and the bluestone ground beneath his feet instantly cracked with fine lines.

His mind raced. In Jiangcheng, the forces that coveted the Shen family's land and had the power to secretly set up such a scheme immediately locked onto the Ma family, who had previously clashed with the Shen family and repeatedly caused trouble.

As a local martial arts family in Jiangcheng, the Ma family has always coveted the Shen family's businesses and land, and they also have secret ties with the King of Zhenshan. Their ruthless actions are in line with this vicious nature.

Without pausing, Lin Ping flashed out of the Shen family manor like a ghost, his feet barely touching the ground, his speed leaving afterimages as he sped towards the Ma family residence.

A moment later, Lin Ping entered the Ma family mansion alone.

The entire Ma family, including the patriarch, elders, and direct descendants, gathered in the main hall. Everyone looked terrified and trembled all over. When they saw Lin Ping, who had suddenly appeared and exuded a chilling aura, they were so frightened that their faces turned pale, their legs shook, and they didn't even dare to breathe.

Previously, Lin Ping had wiped out the Zhenshan King's elite guards with a flick of his finger, and his fame resounded throughout Jiangcheng. The Ma family had already heard of him and knew that this seemingly ordinary young man was a ruthless person who could destroy the entire Ma family with a wave of his hand.

The head of the Ma family immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud, trembling all over, and kowtowed repeatedly to Lin Ping, his voice hoarse and full of pleading.

"Mr. Lin! Spare me! Please have mercy!"

Lin Ping's face was grim as he glanced at the people kneeling on the ground: "Hand over Shen Aoxue, or I'll wipe out your entire Ma family today."

"Miss Shen's disappearance has absolutely nothing to do with the Ma family. We would never dare to do something as foolish as kidnapping her for blackmail!"

Ma Baoguo and his son Ma Shaofeng knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy. The scene was extremely pathetic, and they had completely lost their former arrogance.

"We really didn't do anything to Miss Shen; it has nothing to do with us!"

Ma Shaofeng was almost crying as he spoke.

Everyone was filled with fear, begging Lin Ping to spare the Ma family's lives. They looked like lambs to the slaughter, without the slightest bit of confidence of a top martial arts family.

Lin Ping stood in the center of the hall, his divine sense instantly sweeping across the entire Ma family mansion, probing every room, every secret chamber, and the aura of every person.

The next second, he frowned slightly.

wrong.

The entire Ma family consisted of mediocre martial arts practitioners; not a single one possessed the sinister and top-tier martial arts aura that lingered in the warehouse, nor did they have a trace of Shen Aoxue's aura.