Chapter 125: Capturing Qiu Yan Alive

Chapter 125: Capturing Qiu Yan Alive

"Don't hurt my beauty!" the Monk shouted, his brows knit in anger.

However, the Scarred Clown couldn't be bothered with the Monk. He lunged at Qiu Yan's face with daggers in both hands, thrusting like twin dragons seeking a pearl. In his eyes, the "Violent Fox Sovereign" was no fragile woman; she was a major figure whose reputation echoed throughout the underworld.

Qiu Yan quickly deflected with her sword. The clash of metal sparked in the dark night. Having already taken a heavy blow to the back from the Monk, she dared not exert her full strength for fear of worsening her injuries, forcing her to retreat repeatedly during the exchange.

"Are you all right, beauty?" The Monk stood behind her now, his face twisted into a leering, despicable smile.

Without a word, Qiu Yan’s face darkened with savage intensity. She spun around, executing a lightning-fast "Swallow Returns to the Nest" strike, aiming her blade straight at the Monk’s throat! The Monk gasped in surprise, hastily raising his solid steel prayer beads to parry.

He couldn't believe that Qiu Yan, despite the heavy blow he had just dealt her, still possessed such agility. Refusing to let his guard down again, he whirled his steel beads and unleashed a "Striking the Golden Bell" combo, smashing them toward her.

Qiu Yan could have retreated to avoid the blow, but the killing intent radiating from behind her kept her pinned. She knew clearly that if she backed away, she would easily fall into the Scarred Clown's attack range, leaving her caught in a pincer movement with no chance of defense.

Thinking this, Qiu Yan pivoted, using her Longyuan soft sword to take the Monk's double strike head-on. By the time she absorbed the first hit, she was at her limit; the second impact wounded her further. After all, close-quarters combat was not her strength; she needed space to wield her soft sword effectively.

Her two opponents, both top-tier experts, were clearly aware of this. They gave her no room to maneuver, trapping her in a relentless pincer attack.

Qiu Yan’s eyes gleamed with icy resolve. She realized that if she were captured alive, she would face endless humiliation. It would be better to fight to the death and perhaps take one of them with her. If she could no longer protect Guoguo, this was the only way she could help Xu Yun.

Both men were stronger than her, and the Scarred Clown was several levels above her. If she was going to choose a target for a suicide strike, she had to pick the more dangerous one!

In a split second, Qiu Yan’s Longyuan sword danced, creating a flurry of blade shadows that forced the Monk to stumble backward.

"Blood Sacrifice!" Qiu Yan roared, spinning around like a phantom to face the Scarred Clown. Man and blade merged into one; like an eagle diving from the sky, the Longyuan sword thrust toward his chest. This was a desperate, all-or-nothing strike with no defense whatsoever!

Cold sweat broke out on the Scarred Clown’s back. Only someone who had abandoned the fear of death would use such a reckless move. While he could likely deliver a fatal blow to her before she reached him, if his dodge was even slightly off, he would likely have his own chest ripped open by that sharp blade.

Clearly, Qiu Yan had been pushed to the edge and was fighting like a cornered beast. The Scarred Clown was not foolish enough to trade blows with a desperate Fox Sovereign. Disregarding his status as a master, he rolled backward in a panic, abandoning the fight entirely.

When her strike hit empty air, Qiu Yan was shocked. She hadn't expected the Scarred Clown to be so calculating that he would foresee her intention.

"Little beauty, you're looking to end it all, aren't you?" The Monk was stunned by her strike, and he would have been a fool to not understand her intent after decades in the business. "But I can't bear to let you die."

As he spoke, the Scarred Clown spat a silver needle from his mouth, striking Qiu Yan in the left shoulder. Exhausted from her previous attack, she was unable to dodge. As the needle pierced her, a wave of dizziness washed over her. She knew instantly that it wasn't just a poison needle, but one coated with a drug designed to sedate and paralyze the soul.

Though she understood what had happened, she lost control of her body. Her mind went blank, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Heh heh, my thanks," the Monk said, bowing to the Scarred Clown before hoisting Qiu Yan onto his shoulder without ceremony. "What a beauty. But I prefer them feisty; it’s more flavorful that way. This kind of submission makes it much less enjoyable."

"Monk, you are far too picky," the Scarred Clown said coldly. "If I hadn't stepped in, she would have slit her own throat by now. And don't tell me you'd be interested in taking a corpse to bed."

The Monk shuddered. "Scar, don't think of me as that depraved. My tastes aren't that twisted! Stop talking; you're making me nauseous."

The Scarred Clown sneered. "Let's go. I expect the Leopard Woman will bring that other woman back soon."

The Monk gave a wicked grin and nodded. "Heh heh, it seems I’m in for a treat tonight. It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted a ‘Double Swallow.’"

"Monk, if that guy named Xu Yun agrees to our demands, don't even think about touching these two women," the Scarred Clown warned with a cold laugh. "You’d better not forget what our mission is. The guy we're dealing with is someone who could defeat Red Scorpion."

The Monk snorted, clearly annoyed. "Scar, you’d better not order me around. You’re just a newcomer in the Green Ghost Sect."

Within the Green Ghost Sect, only the Green Ghost himself likely knew that the Scarred Clown’s strength was already above that of the Red Scorpion. The Monk was arrogant and didn't even believe he was inferior to the Red Scorpion, so he held the Scarred Clown—who had yet to prove himself in battle—in low regard.

The Scarred Clown did not intend to argue. He knew exactly why the Green Ghost had left him behind: to anchor the operation. If the Monk and the Leopard Woman failed, he would have to turn the tide alone.

The Red Scorpion had been completely abandoned by the Green Ghost; even if he dared to return, he would face execution. This mission was the Scarred Clown's ticket to becoming the number one expert under the Green Ghost, and he would not permit any failures.

Of course, to secure the title of the top expert, he had to thoroughly crush their target with brute force.

The two quickly arrived at their temporary hideout in the southern suburbs. The place was nothing but overgrown weeds; once the mission was done, they would simply burn it down, leaving no evidence behind.

The Monk put Qiu Yan on the ground and grew impatient. He ripped off his shirt and reached for her collar.

*Whoosh!*

A flash of cold light appeared, and the Scarred Clown's dagger buried itself entirely into the dirt in front of the Monk.

"Scar, what is the meaning of this?" the Monk growled. "I have no feud with you; you’d best stop meddling."

The Scarred Clown ignored him completely, not even sparing him a glance.

"You!" The Monk’s eyes bulged. Had there not been a mission at stake, he would have attacked him already.

Glancing down at Qiu Yan, who remained icy and cold even in her unconscious state, the Monk’s lust flared again. He didn't care about anything—he was going to have his fun first.

"Monk, you'd better not mess around," the Scarred Clown said blandly. "We don't know the true depth of the opponent's power. If your actions provoke him, we won't be able to complete our mission."

The Monk gritted his teeth. "I don't care! So what if I provoke him? I don't believe he’s that much stronger than me. It’s just that the waste known as Red Scorpion failed, causing the Boss to be so nervous. Hmph. I *want* to provoke him today!"

With that, ignoring the Scarred Clown's warning, he reached for Qiu Yan's collar again.

"Stop!" The Leopard Woman’s shout from the distance struck the Monk's ears like thunder.

The Monk’s rage could no longer be contained. "Is it really so hard for me to have a little fun?!"

The Scarred Clown, however, paid no attention to the Leopard Woman. His gaze was fixed on the person following her, and his expression shifted slightly.

The Leopard Woman looked calm as she joined her companions. Since both were here, she had nothing to fear.

Once his rage subsided, the Monk finally noticed the uninvited guest behind the Leopard Woman. His face darkened. "Leopard Woman, we agreed you would capture that woman. Why bring the main target here? Perfect, I’m full of pent-up fire and need someone to vent on."

The Scarred Clown stood up as well. "Leopard Woman, why didn't you follow the plan?"

"You think I wanted this? I ran into him, and I had no choice but to bring him along," the Leopard Woman said coldly. "You two had better be careful. The Red Scorpion wasn't lying to the Boss; this guy is definitely not simple."

The Monk and the Scarred Clown’s expressions changed drastically. What did she mean the Red Scorpion wasn't lying? The Red Scorpion had claimed the target was a super-expert, a monster on the same level as the Green Ghost himself.

No one believed that. If the Violent Fox Sovereign knew such a master, she would have called for help before the Feng family was wiped out, right? Why would she only come to rely on him now?

Everyone assumed the Red Scorpion was lying, including the Green Ghost. So, when the Leopard Woman said these words, the color drained from the Monk and the Scarred Clown’s faces. They were completely unprepared to face a super-expert.

The Scarred Clown had considered that the opponent might be a top-tier expert like himself, but he never imagined the man would be even more terrifying—someone who had broken through the top-tier mindset.

Hmph, this was going to be much thornier than they had anticipated.

Still, after calculating his odds, the Scarred Clown regained some confidence. He was strong, and the Monk and Leopard Woman were also formidable experts. With the three of them working together, plus their "Yin-Yang Pills," they had at least a sixty or seventy percent chance of victory.

*Sixty or seventy percent is enough...* the Scarred Clown thought to himself.

"Who hurt her?"

Xu Yun’s voice sounded as if it had emerged from the depths of hell. Following the Leopard Woman here, the first thing he saw was Qiu Yan on the ground. Knowing she had been besieged by two masters, his murderous intent erupted, his aura becoming suffocatingly oppressive.