Chapter 403: There’s One Restaurant on the Plain Hill, and Two Hammers (10)

When it came to clearing out bad guys, Qing showed a fierce sincerity—her intelligence seemed to spike dramatically.

But origins are hard to escape.

Qing was someone who had gone to sleep in the modern world. And unless you'd grown up in a society where life and death duels, vendettas, and blood-for-blood plots were common, it was hard to say you'd ever really devised a scheme before.

So even Qing’s “schemes” weren’t anything particularly sophisticated.

“I still have three bottles of poison left!”

That naïvely trusting Old Snake Grandpa had gifted her three whole bottles of extremely lethal poison.

And it wasn’t even under duress or persuasion—just a pure gift out of goodwill.

So how high-level could Qing’s grand plan really be?

Her intent was simply to sneak in during the night and sprinkle poison here and there.

Jin Jakang, unwilling to let a guest shoulder danger alone, had decided to accompany her.

If people in the Killing Moon Sect began dropping dead afterward, the people of Guangzhou would surely believe that they had pulled something shady first.

From Jin Jakang’s perspective, it wasn’t a bad idea.

Even if the plan didn’t result in actual deaths, just spreading the rumor would be enough to make the Killing Moon Sect flinch and hide.

That alone would buy the Jin family time—which was exactly what they needed.

If they were lucky and the poison inflicted real damage, they might even push the sect out completely.

Or, if they managed to eliminate the sect master or someone close to him, the sect’s internal strife might finish the rest—after all, that was the way of the unorthodox.

But then... what the hell?

“The Golden Talisman Guild is gone?”

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the Golden Talisman Guild was said to be wiped out.

“Explain. Tell me everything.”

“We don’t know. At dawn, someone saw smoke rising, so the fire patrol rushed over—but it was a field of corpses. They turned back in a panic. The whole city’s saying it's divine punishment from a curse.”

“Hmmm.”

Jin Jakang rubbed his chin.

Could it have been that child, the Heavenly Fire Sword?

But how?

So he headed to the guest hall.

Of course, Qing wasn’t staying in the guest hall anymore—she had set up her own shrine and was overseeing the Jin Manor Reconstruction Festival.

She was stringing up lettered charms when she spotted Jin Jakang and ran over to greet him brightly.

“Ah! Clan Head! You’re here?”

How could someone smile so innocently like that?

Seeing her like this, Jin Jakang couldn’t help but feel genuinely pleased.

Come to think of it, even his own children had never welcomed him this warmly.

They say raising kids is pointless—and here’s someone else’s daughter treating a stranger’s father better than her own.

If only Heavenly Fire Sword were half as sweet as her.

Once again, Qing had earned herself another day's worth of Elder Love Points.

“Did Heavenly Fire Sword perhaps hear the news too? That the Golden Talisman Guild was—hmm. I see. You haven’t.”

“Huh?”

Qing’s face was so honest it was almost painful.

Jin Jakang had been about to ask if it was her doing—but the answer was clear.

She clearly had nothing to do with it.

“The Golden Talisman Guild is gone?”

“Apparently there was a massacre during the night. The entire estate was littered with corpses. Aside from the members who were staying outside, they say everyone inside was wiped out.”

Her tone was gentle, almost like a college professor.

But the content of her words? Horrific beyond belief.

“Hmm. Well, that’s good news, I suppose?”

“It is. But something feels off about it.”

Jin Jakang agreed—it was good news, no doubt.

The Golden Talisman Guild was a coalition of loan sharks.

In modern terms, predatory lenders or illegal loan enforcers.

They were basically all the worst moneylenders in Guangzhou gathered into one faction.

And now they’d added martial strength to their arsenal—one could only imagine how monstrous their extortion tactics were.

Qing, in her usual carefree manner, added:

“Come on, good riddance. Guys like that, drowning in grudges, they’re lucky to die of natural causes at all. If the trash takes itself out, that’s a win in my book. Maybe they pissed off the wrong person while stomping around like fools?”

****

All of Guangzhou was ablaze with talk of the Jin Family Curse.

Didn’t the Earthwork Immortal Lady say it herself?

That she had shattered the curse placed on the Jin Family Manor—and that the curse would now turn on its master?

And now, the Golden Talisman Guild, once thriving, had been utterly massacred overnight.

“The curse! It’s real! The curse came back for its master!”

It was a moment of triumph or tragedy for thousands of ordinary folk in the city—depending on where they had placed their bets.

Yet among both the winners and losers of the gambling pools, two sentiments rang loud and clear:

“Those Golden Talisman bastards got exactly what they deserved.”

“The Earthwork Immortal Lady really is the real deal.”

But one bold little girl dared to defy the chorus:

“That’s not true! It wasn’t a curse! A hero did it—the chivalrous one!”

The whispering townsfolk paused, intrigued by this fresh perspective on the case.

“A hero? What are you talking about?”

With a dreamy expression, the little girl clasped her hands together.

Then, with her tiny lips, she began recounting the tale of the previous night...

****

In the Martial World, you must always beware of passersby.

For instance, during a bloody brawl in a tavern, if your blade happens to knock over someone’s dinner, you might get flattened by that customer’s iron fist.

Or when you’ve cornered your prey during a hunt, only for some passerby to interrupt—and next thing you know, you’re the one being hunted.

But people pass by all the time.

Everyone knows that strangers can be dangerous—but if you spent your life avoiding every potential passerby, all you’d ever do is sit quietly and breathe.

So even the Golden Talisman warriors had to work for their keep.

They couldn’t just sit and breathe to stay alive.

Which meant today, too, they were out collecting debts from a particularly troublesome defaulter.

A nasty job, sure—but someone had to do it.

“Please, no! You can’t!”

“Can’t? What’s that supposed to mean? So what—you planned to run off with the Golden Talisman’s money?”

“I’ll find a way to repay you, please! Just—please, spare my daughter!”

“Tch. Haven’t we been more than patient already? You shouldn’t take this the wrong way. We’re only here to help you pay. Out of the kindness of our hearts, we’re even recommending you some high-paying work.”

“Then take me instead—ugh!”

The woman was savagely kicked and sent sprawling across the ground.

“Mama!”

The little girl, not fully grown, scrambled toward her mother—but her wrist was already held fast. All she could do was struggle helplessly, tugging until her arm felt like it would pop out of its socket.

“Let go! I said let go, you bastard!”

In response, the Golden Talisman enforcer spat on the ground.

“Tch. What the hell’s wrong with old bitches? What, you think some dried-up hag like this can earn more than a handful of coins? Even if she spreads her legs for the rest of her life, you think she’ll pay off the interest? Listen here—what’s so special about having kids, huh? Daughters are for selling off, everyone knows that. Back when she needed the loan, she groveled like a worm saying she’d do anything. But the moment it’s time to pay up, they all start barking. And I’m the bad guy? I’m the bad guy, huh?!”

The Golden Talisman enforcer roared.

It sounded like a question—but it clearly wasn’t one.

And yet, completely out of place and tone-deaf, a reply came flying in.

“Sounds like you are the bad guy. Hey—how much does this woman owe, that you’re trying to tear her kid away right in front of her?”

The Golden Talisman enforcer turned his head toward the voice.

Mid-twenties, maybe.

A sleek face—but the black eyepatch slashed across it ruined what might’ve been good looks.

A one-eyed young man.

The enforcer flinched slightly, shoulders tensing, then gave the youth a long once-over.

No visible weapons.

Hands smooth—like they’d never touched hard labor.

No insignia or badge showing any sect affiliation.

The Golden Talisman enforcer’s shoulders relaxed again.

“What the hell’s this now? You think it’s fun to butt into someone else’s business? What, you gonna pay her debt for her?”

“Wouldn’t be impossible.”

“Ha. Is that so? That’ll be one hundred gold ingots. You planning to pay it all now?”

The one-eyed youth looked down at the woman lying crumpled on the ground.

“How much was the original loan?”

“Ten silver taels! It was ten silver! And they’re demanding forty gold from us now!”

The girl, still being held by the enforcer, shouted with fire in her voice.

“Exactly! If we sell you, we’ll get at least a hundred gold for you, so asking for forty is already a discount. We’d be losing sixty if we let you go cheap. You gotta pay full price.”

“Hoh. Miraculous accounting.”

The youth grinned—a dazzling smile, the kind that might have made a lot of women cry, had it not been for the eyepatch.

“So let me get this straight. You lend ten silver and expect to collect one hundred gold? Did I hear that right? That’s—what is that, a hundred times markup? No, wait, twelve silver to one gold, so... well, anyway, you’re just a fucking bandit.”

“Bandit?! You’ve got a death wish? You insult us in Guangzhou—the Golden Talisman Guild—and think you’ll walk away!?”

“Thank you. Really—thank you.”

It was so random it made no sense.

Unless the one-eyed youth was completely insane, why would he suddenly start thanking them?

But a chill crept in. Why was he so calm?

“What the hell are you thanking me for, huh?!”

“For choosing to live as scum.”

“The hell are you—ghk!”

Before the enforcer could finish his question, a sharp gasp of shock escaped him.

Something massive and shadowy blocked his vision.

The one-eyed youth had silently approached and grabbed the enforcer’s face in his large palm.

Simultaneously, sharp stabs of pain bloomed at his shoulders, and his arms went limp—completely useless.

That ancient martial proverb surfaced in his mind:

Beware passersby.

“P-p-p-please, great warrior, s-s-spare me—”

“Hmm. Hey, kid. This bastard’s a loan shark, right? I doubt he let you off interest. How much did you pay in total? Probably repaid the principal a long time ago, right?”

Now free, the girl wrapped her arms tightly around her mother and shouted at full volume.

“Yes! If you add it all up, it’s more than a gold tael!”

“What a rotten bastard. Then—do you want him dead? If you do, I’ll kill him.”

The little girl’s eyes widened—huge and round.

Then she hugged her still-groaning mother even tighter.

And in her eyes—a fierce, electric rage.

“That bastard! Kill him! Kill him dead!”

“’Kill him dead’—rude way to ask.”

The youth grabbed the Golden Talisman enforcer by the throat with his other hand and lifted him clear off the ground.

“K-khkkk, khrrkk...”

If Qing had seen this, she probably would’ve commented:

“You don’t hear that? His breath’s still coming out. If you’re going for the throat, squeeze it shut properly.”

But regular people weren’t Qing.

No one dared to interfere. They simply stayed silent, awed by the presence of a true expert.

The one-eyed youth turned to the crowd.

“What about you all? What do you think? Does this man deserve to die? Is he just garbage that would benefit the world more by rotting underground?”

The enforcer, dangling in midair, scanned the crowd with desperate eyes.

But—

“Kill him! That bastard sold off more than one person!”

“That little shit was rotten since he was a kid! Gambled away his whole family’s fortune! Sent his parents to early graves!”

In the end, grudges always come home to roost.

The Golden Talisman enforcer’s gaze turned hollow—filled with despair.

If he had known, maybe he would’ve lived differently.

But regrets that come only when death is already upon you? Those aren’t repentance. They’re just regrets.

The one-eyed youth looked utterly satisfied.

And the very next morning...

The Golden Talisman Guild was destroyed.

****

People weren’t so easily convinced by the girl’s tale.

“So you're saying that one-eyed youth singlehandedly wiped out the Golden Talisman Guild? Come on. What is he, some immortal master who reversed his aging? I’ve never heard of any one-eyed martial artist with that kind of reputation.”

To which the girl screamed:

“Don’t call him one-eyed! That’s rude to the great hero! Poison Eye! Don’t you know what Poison Eye means!?”