Who in the world does not know you?

Chapter 67 Scraps

Ning Qi went door-to-door early in the morning with the wanted poster to search for criminals. Under the bright lights of the night, even in the narrow alley, he recognized the monk in front of him at a glance as the person in the poster.

Someone who can single-handedly rob and massacre multiple banks and still escape unscathed must be a master.

Ning Qi had worked as a constable for several years and had arrested many criminals. Although he was full of enthusiasm and courage, he was not a reckless person.

He gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, his gaze fixed on the monk not far away.

At this moment, the four of them were in the narrow alley, and they were already in the middle of the alley.

Even if the opponent is highly skilled in martial arts, as long as Yun Luobai turns around and runs away with Ye Zi, they can escape safely by following the way they came.

Yun Luobai's body did not move.

He looked at the arm blocking his body, and Ning Qi's back seemed unusually tall in his sight.

He's just an insignificant constable, yet he can truly be selfless in crucial moments...

Or is it that I really hold that much weight in his heart...?

"Second brother, what are you standing there for? Let's go!"

Ning Qi urged him urgently, and Yun Luobai knew all too well that turning around and running away was the best option.

However, if he ran away with Ye Zi, Ning Qi would definitely be in grave danger.

He subconsciously looked at Ye Zi beside him, and their eyes met.

Ye Zi did not appear panicked, perhaps because she was standing at the very back of the three.

When it comes to running, she's definitely the one most likely to escape.

"He's my older brother, so naturally I have to live and die with him. Why aren't you running away yet? What, you want to live and die with me too?"

Faced with Yun Luobai, who still had the leisure to argue with her in such a dangerous situation, Ye Zi simply pouted and raised her hand, giving a reason that no one could help but believe.

"I'm lame, so I can't run fast."

Ning Qi was almost driven mad by the two people behind him.

Shen Ming walked slowly toward the three of them, appearing unhurried.

"Now that I have revealed myself, I will naturally not let the three of you leave so easily."

Seeing Shen Ming getting closer and closer to where the three of them were, Ning Qi gritted his teeth, gripped the knife in his hand tightly, and leaped out.

"You thieving monk, come at me if you dare!"

The alley was narrow, and Ning Qi used his feet to move quickly along the walls on both sides. When he got close to Shen Ming, he raised his long sword high with both hands and slashed down fiercely, the blade aimed directly at Shen Ming's head.

The fat-headed Shen Ming neither dodged nor avoided the attack, but simply stood there smiling, looking up as the cold blade touched his scalp. Only when Ning Qi pulled out his sword, landed, and took a few steps back, looking at him unharmed not far away with a shocked expression, did he nod in satisfaction.

"What happened... Second brother, did you see that? I clearly hit him just now..."

"He must be a master of external martial arts. We just happened to be passing by, but he blocked our way, which proves he came specifically for us. Ye Zi's identity wouldn't attract any enemies. I only recently returned to Ningzhou Prefecture, and you, brother, are usually very popular..."

The lanterns hanging on both walls illuminated Yun Luobai's harmless face. He showed no fear, but smiled as he looked at the monk whose head had been chopped off but who was unharmed, raising his voice slightly.

"Master, could it be that Ma Ben sent you to silence us?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Ming's face showed a hint of surprise.

"Your Excellency is indeed exceptionally intelligent."

Ning Qi, furious at his failed attack, was now fully aware of the difference in strength between himself and the monk before him.

But he can't retreat; if he does, they'll all die here.

If Yun Luobai cannot leave this alley alive, then he, as the eldest brother, will not survive, even though he is currently the one among the three most likely to survive.

"I refuse to believe it, is he really made of iron?!"

Ning Qi launched another attack, swinging his sword forward, but after only four or five steps, Shen Ming easily grasped the sharp blade with his outstretched hand.

Before he could react and make his next move, Shen Ming punched him hard in the abdomen with his other fist, sending him staggering backward. Yun Luobai and Ye Zi had to reach out and support his back.

"Big brother, are you alright?"

"Second brother, you guys don't know martial arts, run! Save as many as you can, and when you see third and fourth brothers, remember to tell them to avenge me..."

With unbearable turmoil in his throat, Ning Qi, sitting on the ground, finally spat out a mouthful of blood.

Yun Luobai knew that Ning Qi wanted to give him a reason to leave.

Looking at Ning Qi's disheveled appearance, stained with blood, he was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

What bad intentions could someone have that would make someone so happy to bring a ginseng root to his older brother's house as if it were a precious treasure...?

Yun Luobai looked up at Shen Ming not far away again, her gaze cold and indifferent.

He helped Ning Qi to his feet and let the latter lean against the wall for a while. Just as he was about to step forward, Ye Zi spoke up.

"Hey, you bald monk, with your external martial arts skills honed to this level, you must be invulnerable to swords and spears by now, right?"

"Young lady, you have a good eye."

"Here's the deal: you want our lives, don't you? I happen to have a dagger on me. Let me stab you once. If you draw blood, you can let us go. If you can withstand it, then I'll die willingly. How about it, are you up for the bet?"

The sound of leaves, enveloped in the night and lamplight, was clearly audible in the narrow alley.

Throughout the process, some pedestrians on both sides of the alley stopped and wanted to enter, but they all chose to take a detour because they sensed that something was wrong.

Shen Ming looked at Ye Zi's thin and frail body with great interest, and saw that she had an ordinary appearance and nothing particularly outstanding about her.

"It seems you also want to do your part. Very well, this humble monk will grant your wish. Come and do it."

Ning Qi's eyes were full of confusion, while Yun Luobai's gaze toward Ye Zi was meaningful.

Ye Zi, limping but fearless, walked up to Shen Ming and reached into her robes to pull out a dagger.

Under the cool moonlight, Shen Ming saw a neat watershed between the hilt and scabbard, separating the emerald green and deep purple colors to the left and right.

"It really is a beautifully crafted dagger."

Looking at the dagger in Ye Zi's hand, Shen Ming couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Ye Zi did not reply or hesitate for a moment. She pulled out the dagger and forcefully plunged it into Shen Ming's chest.

The moment the long-lost, excruciating pain swept over his entire body, Shen Ming's eyes widened suddenly, his face filled with disbelief.

He looked down at the sharp dagger that had pierced his body; the hilt, a blend of emerald green and deep purple, gleamed brilliantly, as if proclaiming that it was no ordinary weapon.

"You... what kind of dagger is this... how could it..."

"It's called scrap material. My grandfather made it for me by hand the year I was born..."

The leaves whispered with a hint of mockery.

She swiftly withdrew her hand from the dagger hilt and then gracefully dodged to the side.

In the blink of an eye, Ning Qi, wielding a goose-feather saber, reappeared before Shen Ming.

With a swift motion, he slashed Shen Ming's impenetrable body, leaving a deep, downward-sloping wound.

Blood gushed from the wound, soaking the light blue monk's robe, and Shen Ming's body fell straight backward.

He couldn't understand why he had broken his spell until his death.