Chapter 39 I Promise You Won't Feel Any Pain
"Yu... Yu Qian?" The young master of the Fang family finally realized why Qin Chao was determined to put him to death. It turned out he was seeking revenge for Yu Qian.
Fang Hua's eyes darted around as he quickly spoke, "Yu Qian's death has nothing to do with me. We were forced to separate because my family opposed our marriage. I love her, and I even planned to take her abroad to study with me. I had already prepared all the necessary documents!"
"Keep going, keep spinning your lies!" Qin Chao sneered, hugging his arms and looking at Fang Hua's pitiful display. "Fang Hua, there's a saying that goes, if you don't want people to know, don't do it. Do you think that everything you've done will be forgotten just because Yu Qian is dead? Two months ago, you drugged and raped her, causing her to be pregnant for two months. And just a few days ago, you had her gang-raped by your friends. Your crimes are almost unforgivable. And now you're here pretending to be an innocent young master? Go f*ck yourself!"
With that, he kicked Fang Hua, sending him tumbling to the ground and rolling several times. The expensive clothing he wore was now covered in dust.
"Please spare me... Spare me..." Fang Hua was completely hopeless. It turned out that Qin Chao had known everything all along. It seemed that tonight he really wanted to kill him and be done with it.
"As long as you don't kill me, I'm willing to give you anything! Money, women, power, whatever you want!" Fang Hua, who had never faced the threat of death before, knelt on the ground and repeatedly banged his head against the ground.
"Do you know what it means to be afraid? Do you regret it now?" Qin Chao looked coldly at Fang Hua's performance.
"I know now. Please spare me. I promise to be a good person from now on. I'm willing to go to the police and confess that Yu Qian's death was related to me!" Fang Hua tried to say anything that would appease Qin Chao, but he underestimated Qin Chao's intelligence and his determination to kill him.
"Snap!" Qin Chao lit a lighter and used the flickering flame to light a cigarette, which he placed between his lips. "That sounds very nice."
He took a drag and walked over, squatting beside Fang Hua. He put the cigarette in his mouth and patted his face. "My dear Fang, I agree with everything you said."
Fang Hua's expression lightened at these words, but Qin Chao's next sentence plunged him into despair once again.
"But why were you indifferent when Yu Qian begged you?"
With a loud "bang," Qin Chao's fist landed on Fang Hua's abdomen, causing him to double over in pain. The cigarette fell out of his mouth and onto the ground. Fang Hua gasped for breath and began to foam at the mouth. He curled up on the ground, looking like a fat shrimp. He felt as if all the air in his stomach had been squeezed out, making it difficult for him to breathe. He was in agony and felt like he was about to suffocate.
"Don't worry, I won't let you die so easily," Qin Chao said as he produced his soul-locking chain. He tied Fang Hua's legs and hung him from a crooked-necked tree by the river. The other end of the chain was tied to the front of an Audi A6L.
The branches of the crooked-necked tree stretched out over the river, just as Qin Chao had planned. He had spent several days carefully planning the perfect spot for Fang Hua.
Qin Chao sat in the Audi and looked back. Fang Hua was still impressive, and the naked beauty was still unconscious in the car, sleeping soundly. Qin Chao could faintly hear her snoring.
"Sleep well if you're tired," Qin Chao said, then looked at Fang Hua, who hung from the tree like a dead pig. He sneered and started the car, driving forward. The chain rattled as Fang Hua was pulled into the ice-cold river.
"Gurgle, gurgle..." Fang Hua seemed to be shouting something, but the icy river water choked off his words, and bubbles rose to the surface.
"Rattle, rattle!" After a while, Qin Chao backed up the car and pulled Fang Hua out of the water. With water still streaming down his body, Fang Hua was so cold that his skin turned white, his eyes turned red, and his whole body shuddered.
"Help...help me..."
Qin Chao lifted him up again and then drove him back into the river, letting the water of the Songjiang River wash Fang Hua's filthy soul.
"Gurulu..." Another large bubble rose up, this time it lasted longer, until Qin Chao pulled up Fang Hua.
"I, I f*ck your mother... I, I will kill you! You..."
"Gurulu..." Obviously, Qin Chao didn't like Fang Hua's way of greeting, so he sent him back into the river.
"I'm sorry... I beg you... please let me go... I beg you, please treat me like a fart and let me go! I... Gurulu..."
"Sorry, I can't let you go. I have to answer to Yu Qian, Liu Chuan, and that elderly couple," Qin Chao tormented Fang Hua back and forth with the car. Fang Hua was on the brink of collapse, both physically and mentally.
"Kill... kill me..." Fang Hua finally lost his strength to resist, his whole body hanging limply on the chain.
"Very well, I'll grant your wish." Qin Chao had tortured Fang Hua enough, so he finished smoking a cigarette and was about to activate the car, this time planning to sink Fang Hua completely into the river.
But just then, a white sword suddenly descended from the sky and pierced into the front of the Audi A6L, pinning the car firmly to the ground.
Then, a beautiful woman in white descended lightly like a fairy and landed on the hilt of the sword. She looked at Qin Chao with an unfriendly expression.
"Bai Jiaojiao?" Qin Chao got out of the car and looked at the woman standing on the sword. "Are you here to kill me? If so, please wait a moment, I'll kill this beast first, then we can discuss our matter."
"Sorry, I'm not interested in your demonic pill right now!" Unexpectedly, Bai Jiaojiao coldly snorted and pouted her lips, "And I have no objection if you want to kill this beast. It's just that my kind-hearted sister asked me to stop you."
"Hua Niang?" Qin Chao also thought of the colorful woman who resembled Kongkong. Just as her beautiful face appeared in his mind, a colorful light flashed across the sky, and then, as if she had walked out of Qin Chao's mind, the woman stood face-to-face with him.
Bai Jiaojiao had a spoiled and beautiful appearance, while Hua Niang carried an air of virtuous beauty. This female snake demon was gentle and kind-hearted.
"Sir, although this person is heinous, as a cultivator, you cannot kill ordinary mortals. Otherwise, you will have blood on your hands and bring upon divine retribution," said Hua Niang, shrugging her shoulders.
"Ha, this man is unforgivable. If I don't kill him, he will continue to harm others, and more people will die at his hands in the future," Qin Chao replied, his anger rising despite Hua Niang's well-meaning advice. "Since heaven is unwilling to take him, I am not afraid of the hard work. I'll take care of this beast's life."
"Sir, you can't!" Hua Niang was not angry at Qin Chao's cold demeanor, but continued to patiently persuade him. "You are a born demon with a magic pill in your body. If you focus on cultivation, you will become a great cultivator who can roam the world. It is not worth sacrificing your future for such a small person."
"If he doesn't die, I'm afraid it won't just be me who suffers. It's likely that the people around me will suffer as well."
"Sir, you are a cultivator. These trivial troubles cannot affect you."
"You foolish girl!" Qin Chao finally lost his temper, speaking sternly. "Do you have big breasts but no brains? This is the world of humans, and there are naturally human ways of dealing with things! What you're saying won't work here! If reason worked, there wouldn't be beasts like Fang Hua in this world, and Yu Qian wouldn't have died!"
"Sir, no matter what you say, I won't let you kill this person!" Hua Niang was stubborn, shaking her head and blocking Qin Chao's path.
"Save me, save me... I can give you a lot of money!" Although he didn't understand the situation, Fang Hua saw someone blocking Qin Chao and once again had a strong desire for life.
"Die!" Qin Chao couldn't wait to kill the beast. He took a few steps forward and charged at Hua Niang with his shoulder.
This logical-minded Hua Niang was also a snake demon who had been cultivating for many years. Qin Chao couldn't see through her true strength, which meant she had already passed the foundation building stage at least. The level difference was too great, and he didn't know if he could win. But even if he couldn't win, he had to fight. Because if he couldn't defeat Hua Niang, he wouldn't be able to kill Fang Hua.
"Bewitching Clouds Sleeve!" Hua Niang used a spell from her sect, Tian Shan's Misty Peak. Two groups of colorful sleeves danced in the air like a barrier, as if two iron doors, easily blocking Qin Chao's attack.
Qin Chao was not one to hold back. He balled his fist and slammed it hard against the colorful Bewitching Clouds Sleeve.
A loud bang, like that of a temple bell, rang out. Qin Chao's ears were ringing and his fist was tingling as his body rebounded from the impact.
The difference in strength was evident, and the defense of that Bewitching Clouds Sleeve was also too abnormal. It was a pity that Qin Chao had not reached the realm of magic, and he couldn't learn spells. Otherwise, with his powerful magic, breaking through this Bewitching Clouds Sleeve would not have been difficult.
But now, he was only at the refining qi stage, and as a demon soul level Qin Chao, he was helpless against Hua Niang.
He had a sudden idea as he stepped back, he stretched out his hand and pointed at the Soul Chain.
"Retrieve!"
With a swish, the entire chain vibrated and then loosened the bindings on Fang Hua's legs, flying into Qin Chao's ring.
"Ah!"
"Thud!" Fang Hua fell into the river. Qin Chao had already found out that Fang Hua was a duck on land and couldn't swim at all. Sure enough, this arrogant young master cried out and flailed for a few moments in the water before gradually sinking.
"Oh no!" Hua Niang immediately flew up, trying to rescue Fang Hua from drowning.
"Bai Jiaojiao, come take my magic pill, I'll let you slaughter me!" Qin Chao opened his arms and shouted to Bai Jiaojiao, who was standing on the sword.
Bai Jiaojiao's eyes widened. Although Hua Niang forbade it, she still coveted Qin Chao's magic pill.
"Give me your life!" Bai Jiaojiao immediately shouted, kicking the shining sword into the air and wielding it in her hand. She flew towards Qin Chao, and whispered something to him as she approached.
"Don't worry. You're cool, I'll make it quick and painless!"
Chapter 40 The Power of a Bullet
At this moment, Qin Chao wasn't sure whether to praise Bai Jiaojiao's cuteness or not. In his eyes, that shining sword had already slashed through dozens of meters of distance and instantly arrived in front of him.
"Sir?" Hua Niang, who had flown onto the surface of the lake, was startled and no longer paid attention to Fang Hua, who had sunk into the water. She turned around to save Qin Chao.
"Swift!" She was suspended in midair, and she swung her Bewitching Clouds Sleeve. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the entire riverbank, stirring up both Bai Jiaojiao, who had only just cultivated to the Foundation Establishment stage and occasionally defeated some divine power-level experts with the sword given to her by her master, and Qin Chao.
However, the wind was fierce but without any intention to kill. Therefore, the two of them were only blown away to separate sides, but they were not injured. Qin Chao exhaled two breaths and looked at Hua Niang with a meaningful glance.
Indeed, this flower snake demon was terrifyingly kind-hearted. But at least she was not obsessed to the point of being foolish. This time, he had gambled with his life, and fortunately, he had won.
What if he had lost the bet? Qin Chao had not thought about this question yet.
Hua Niang cast a spell to save Qin Chao, but when she turned around to look for Fang Hua, the figure of the young master was nowhere to be found on the river. The surface of the Songjiang river was calm, like a sleeping beast under the night sky.
"Sir, you have committed the sin of killing." Hua Niang looked at Qin Chao and sighed, "We practitioners have the biggest taboo, which is to kill ordinary people. It doesn't matter if the person dies, but the sin of killing is on your head. You, sir, originally had a bright future, but now, it is filled with obstacles."
"Obstacles make life more interesting." Qin Chao waved his hand dismissively, imitating the style of the ancients. He made a bow to Hua Niang and said, "Thank you for saving my life. But I, Qin Chao, am just a worthless life, and there is no need for Fairy Hua Niang to worry about me. You are very kind, but there are many things in this world that you don't understand."
As he spoke, he pointed towards the black river, "The beast that just died, his sins are enough to be executed a hundred times over. But this kind of person, unfortunately, is protected by the most powerful forces. When a cultivator commits a sin, the heavens intervene. But when mortals commit sins, who will take responsibility?"
"Mortal affairs should be handled by mortals," came the reply.
"Exactly! Heaven and earth are not benevolent, they use all things as dogs. I know what you want to say to me - that this is the way of the heavens. But I cultivate the demonic path, I play against the heavens! If the heavens are not benevolent, then don't blame me, Qin Chao, for being unjust!"
"Crack!" Suddenly, a dazzling lightning bolt struck the crooked-neck tree by the riverbank for no apparent reason, reducing it to charred remains.
As demons, Hua Niang and Bai Jiaojiao were most afraid of the power of lightning. Even with their powerful abilities, they couldn't help but tremble and turn pale in the face of the thunderbolt.
However, Qin Chao remained standing tall and proud as if the lightning strike was nothing more than a casual drop of a garbage bag.
"Do you see that? Even the heavens can only frighten people," he said, a cold smirk playing at his lips. Hua Niang and Bai Jiaojiao were dumbfounded. In the face of the heavens, the person before them was either too brave or too foolish.
If it were the old Qin Chao, he would never have dared to confront the heavens. But under the subtle influence of the residual memories of the demon god, Luo De, he had changed.
"Sir, it's best to avoid committing sins in the future..." Hua Niang sighed, looking at Qin Chao with a complicated expression. In a flash, her memories went back five hundred years, and she saw a disciple of the demonic sect, dressed in black, standing proudly in front of her.
"Hua Niang, don't worry. With me here, no cultivator will dare to harm you. Even if the heavens want to take you away, they'll have to get past me first!"
It was a pity...five hundred years had passed, and his bones must have turned cold...
"Jiaojiao, let's go..." At this moment, Hua Niang's expression was somewhat desolate. She waved her cloud-veiled sleeves, turning into a colorful light that shot off into the distance.
"You're not bad," Bai Jiaojiao said to Qin Chao as she put away her sword. She too transformed into a white light and chased after her sister.
"I think I'm pretty good," Qin Chao said, rubbing his nose and chuckling to himself.
Killing Fang Hua didn't weigh on his conscience. As he had said, someone like Fang Hua was not worth sparing even if he died a hundred times.
"It seems like I should clean up the battlefield," Qin Chao said, eyeing the Audi A6L. He planned to drag the beauty inside the car out and sink the vehicle into the river.
But suddenly, the alarm bells started ringing around him. Qin Chao was startled and immediately used his magic to wrap his face in black scales.
If the police saw his face, his life would be over.
Kidnapping the young master of the Fang family had made the police work fast. In just a few minutes, the sound of the alarm bells reached Qin Chao's ears. Dozens of police cars formed a row and surrounded the riverbank.
Several dozen heavily armed police officers jumped out of their cars and aimed their guns at Qin Chao.
Luo Hao, the captain of the criminal investigation team, was nearly forty years old and had a calm mind. He had received strict orders from above to rescue Fang Hua. If they succeeded, it would be a chance for him to make a name for himself. He had been entrusted with this rescue mission by the higher-ups.
At the same time, the special police team arrived. Several snipers found their positions and lay in ambush.
Luo Hao looked at Qin Chao, who was leaning against the Audi A6L, and picked up the loudspeaker to shout at him.
"You have been surrounded. Release the hostage in the car and seek leniency. If you release the hostage, you will be charged with attempted kidnapping at most..."
To be honest, in the face of so many police cars, Luo Hao's words were quite intimidating. Unfortunately, he had made a wrong judgment. Qin Chao had already killed Fang Hua, and he couldn't hand over the hostage no matter what.
"Sir!" At this moment, a young police officer ran over to Luo Hao in a panic and whispered in his ear. "The sniper team found out that Fang Hua is not in the car!"
"What?" Luo Hao felt a sense of unease. He raised his megaphone and shouted, "Confess and you'll receive a light punishment. Resist and you'll be severely punished! Where have you hidden the hostages?"
Qin Chao looked at the flashing red and blue police lights before him, facing the black gun barrels pointed at him. However, his heart remained calm and he did not feel afraid. He slowly stretched out his arm and pointed towards the vast river.
Immediately, the police officers were in an uproar. This fierce bandit had actually killed the young master of the Fang family directly? Wasn't his kidnapping for ransom?
"Damn it!" Luo Hao was angry. Did they mobilize so many people and go through so much trouble just to collect the body of Fang Hua? And how was he going to explain to his superiors now that Fang Hua was dead? How was the city's leadership going to explain to the Fang Group?
At this moment, Luo Hao felt that his future was uncertain!
But as he was lost in thought, Qin Chao quickly took two steps backwards and was about to plunge into the vast river.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Luo Hao raised his familiar Black Star 54 handgun. Although the police force had already switched to the better 92 model, he had been using the 54 for more than twenty years and it had become a habit.
Luo Hao was a famous sharpshooter in the police academy. He raised his hand and fired a shot that hit Qin Chao's shoulder. He could have aimed for his head, but he wanted to capture him alive so that he could explain to his superiors!
However, he overlooked Qin Chao's toughness. The 54 handgun bullet had strong penetrating power and went straight through Qin Chao's shoulder, causing blood to spurt out. But Qin Chao only shook his shoulder and continued to run.
Luo Hao frowned and raised his gun again. This time he aimed at Qin Chao's leg. But at the same time, gunshots rang out from the other side.
"Bang bang bang!" Three shots in a row, but all of them hit the ground. The police officer who caught everyone's attention was none other than the probationary female officer Ai Xiaoxue. She seemed to blow on the gun barrel regretfully, shrugged her shoulders at the angry Luo Hao, and turned to look for Qin Chao's figure on the river surface.
"Send out patrol boats! Search the river!" Luo Hao was itching with hatred, and he immediately began to deploy his troops. After all, the other side had been shot in the shoulder. How far could they possibly escape in this icy river?
"Xiao Ai, aren't you a sharpshooter? Why did you miss so badly?" Xie Jun quietly asked the trainee policewoman next to him.
"It's too dark to see," Ai Xiaoxue replied calmly, then put the gun back into its holster.
In the icy river, Qin Chao felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Blood continued to flow out, but he couldn't check his injury. He was like a torpedo in the water, quickly swimming away to a far distance.
After being demonized, he could hold his breath for a long time in the water. Using this advantage, he swam out a long way in less than two minutes, until he estimated he couldn't see the shore, then he emerged from the water.
"Hoo... " The autumn wind on the river blew on his head, making him more awake. In this vast river, there was only the reflected moonlight.
In the distance, he vaguely saw a bridge. It was the newly built Songjiang Bridge, which had just been put into use. Enduring the pain, Qin Chao quickly swam over and approached the bridge.
Soon, he arrived under the bridge. He dragged his body and climbed onto the bridge's foundation, getting out of the icy river.
Leaning against the bridge foundation, he let out a long breath. The cigarettes in his pocket had been soaked and ruined by the river. Helplessly, he threw all of them into the water.
Tonight was really dangerous. If he hadn't run fast enough, he might have become a hundred pounds of flesh by the river. He didn't want to be buried with Fang Hua, that beast. It wasn't worth it.
After leaving the river, the wound on his shoulder was healing rapidly. Fortunately, he had only been hit by a pistol bullet from a Type 54, and it hadn't embedded itself into his flesh.
It seemed that his abilities were still too weak. He didn't know at what level he would no longer fear bullets.
When his wound was almost healed, Qin Chao used his powerful aura to evaporate the wet river water from his body. Then, he summoned his bicycle from his ring.