Chapter Twenty-Seven: Are You Worthy?

Watching Qin Lang, who sat slumped on the ground panting heavily, a flicker of surprise passed through the depths of Ye Keqing’s eyes.

However, upon seeing the dozen or so striking wounds all over Qin Lang’s body, she felt a slight sense of relief. She surmised that Qin Lang must have fought for his life, exhausting all his potential to slay the two Red Flame Tigers.

Still, this worked out perfectly!

Qin Lang was now on the verge of death; it was the ideal moment to seize his martial soul!

Thinking of this, a smile bloomed on Ye Keqing’s face as she walked toward him, step by step.

"Keqing, you’re finally back! It was so dangerous just now. Those two Red Flame Tigers ambushed me—I nearly died at their hands. I’m lucky to be alive!" Qin Lang patted his heaving chest, looking visibly shaken, and handed his blood-stained longsword to Ye Keqing. "Hold my weapon for me; I need to bandage these wounds!"

Extending a slender, fair hand to take the sword, Ye Keqing tilted her head, looking down at Qin Lang with the haughty air of a proud swan.

"Qin Lang!"

Pointing the sword at him, her expression turned icy.

She no longer called him "Brother Qin Lang."

Gone was the gentle, heart-melting demeanor she had displayed before.

There was no need for pretense now. She viewed Qin Lang as prey already in her grasp, and she was determined to claim his martial soul.

"Keqing, what is the meaning of this?"

Qin Lang feigned shock, though he sneered inwardly. So, this venomous, scorpion-hearted woman had finally dropped the mask to strike at him, repaying kindness with malice?

"Don't be nervous. I won't kill you! I only want your martial soul."

Ye Keqing glanced at him, looking utterly nonchalant. To her, the heinous act of stealing someone else’s martial soul was as trivial as a daily chore.

Hearing these words directly from her, the last remnants of what Qin Lang had been unable to let go of vanished in an instant, and the anger that had weighed on his heart dissipated along with it.

Anger exists only because one cares.
Because one is reluctant to let go.
Because one remains attached.

But the current Ye Keqing had chilled Qin Lang to the bone; she was no longer even worthy of his anger.

"Why do this?"

Qin Lang looked at her calmly, his expression as still as an ancient well.

A flicker of astonishment crossed Ye Keqing’s eyes. Why was his reaction so flat? Given what she knew of him—a man who had silently and selflessly poured ten years of affection into her—he should have been devastated, furious, and in utter disbelief.

She never imagined he would be this composed, as if the matter had nothing to do with him at all.

*He must be feigning calm, trying to make me think highly of him,* she thought.

Deciding this, she pressed the sword closer to him and sneered, "Why? Don't think I don't know. You approached me only to covet my beauty and the influence of the Ye family, didn't you?"

Qin Lang was speechless. Wasn't it the Ye family who had shamelessly begged the Qin family for this engagement in the first place? At the time, his father was the Clan Head, and he was the Young Clan Head with a brilliant future—did he really need to covet a tiny slice of the Ye family's territory? As for nurturing her body over the years, he had never taken a single thing from them; every time, he returned to the Qin estate to eat the meals prepared by Yun'er. What exactly had he coveted?

Of course, there was no need to say any of this. Having seen Ye Keqing’s true nature, he couldn't be bothered to explain.

"The last person who coveted my beauty was executed by me. I found this jade pendant on him!"

With an arrogant air, Ye Keqing pulled a thumb-sized, crystalline jade pendant from her bodice. A mysterious and powerful aura shimmered around it. This was the treasure capable of fusing martial souls!

A year ago, a true disciple from the 'Heavenly Cloud Sect'—the greatest of the ten major sects—had come to Qingfeng Town. Coveting her beauty, the disciple had tried to force himself upon her, only to be bewitched and subsequently killed by her. This pendant was taken from his storage bag. With it, Ye Keqing could fuse with a fire-attribute martial soul, becoming a dual-martial-soul talent. Her path to becoming a powerhouse was assured.

"And today, you too shall pay the price for coveting my beauty—with your martial soul!"

A cold light flared on the blood-stained blade, and powerful spiritual energy swirled across its surface. A murderous glint flashed in her beautiful eyes as she prepared to strike.

"You think you can take my martial soul? Are you worthy?"

Qin Lang sneered. Under her astonished gaze, he slowly stood up, moving with ease. Where was the sign of any injury?

"You... you’re completely fine!"

Ye Keqing’s eyes were filled with shock. He had slain two Red Flame Tigers, yet he wasn't injured at all! Even a warrior at the eighth level of the Martial Apprentice realm would struggle against two of those beasts combined. How had a mere seventh-level Martial Apprentice like Qin Lang managed it?

However, she quickly brushed the shock aside. So what if he was unscathed? With his cultivation, could he possibly escape her?

"Hmph! So you weren't injured? You won't be making any waves in my hands!" she scoffed.

"That’s not necessarily true! You’d better figure out how to save yourself first!"

Qin Lang shook his head, a playful smile on his lips.

"Save myself? What do you mean?"

Ye Keqing frowned, asking instinctively, but her expression soon shifted to one of horror.

*ROAR—!*

A thunderous, mountain-shaking roar erupted nearby, deafening and powerful enough to strip the leaves from the trees. A massive shadow leaped into view, appearing before them.

It was a beast five meters long, its body wreathed in flames, with a violent, surging energy radiating from it. It was a Red Flame Tiger—far larger than the two he had previously killed!

A Tier 3 demonic beast!

The massive tiger nudged the corpses of the two smaller tigers, letting out a mournful howl. It suddenly raised its head, its blood-red eyes locking onto Ye Keqing, who stood frozen with her blood-stained sword. In its eyes, it was she who had slain its offspring.

*ROAR—!*

Fueled by the fires of vengeance, the beast charged at her like a moving mountain!

"You discovered this tiger earlier, and you intentionally let me hold the sword?"

Ye Keqing’s face changed, and she glared at Qin Lang in fury. She hadn't expected him to be this cunning; she had fallen into his trap, becoming the scapegoat for his schemes!

"Driving a wolf to devour a tiger—I’m just learning from you," Qin Lang sneered. "Have fun. I’m afraid I can’t keep you company!"

A Tier 3 beast had the strength of a fifth-level Martial Warrior. With Ye Keqing’s first-level cultivation, she would be lucky to escape with her life!

"Qin Lang, you bastard! I’ll skin you alive!"

As Qin Lang strolled away, the sounds of a fierce battle between human and beast, accompanied by Ye Keqing’s furious screams, echoed behind him.