By a stroke of chance, he came into possession of the Seven Kills Sutra. This sutra is notoriously bloodthirsty; several of its previous inheritors, unable to master the sutra’s innate nature of slaughter, ultimately met their end at their own hands. Qin Yu is a man of justice and chivalry. After obtaining the Seven Kills Sutra, although he intended to right the injustices of the world, he realized that to increase his strength, he would have to rely on killing. It was at this point that the Fire Scorpion Gang came into Qin Yu’s sights. These ruthless thugs, who committed every conceivable evil and killed without batting an eye, became the starting point for Qin Yu’s cultivation of the Seven Kill Sutra. Afterward, he nearly lost his way several times and was nearly consumed by the sutra’s backlash, but Qin Yu persevered through it all. Finally, he fully mastered the Seven Kill Sutra—only to realize that the secrets surrounding it had seemingly only just begun to unfold... ....
Chapter 16: Relatives
As it turned out, it was the latter. “Perhaps you haven’t heard this name before—that’s perfectly normal. I’ve just returned from overseas to pursue opportunities here, so I’m not particularly familiar with the domestic scene yet.” Lin Hao finished his cigar, and Lin Xiaorui retrieved some perfume from the cabinet behind her, covering her mouth with her hand as she gave a few light sprays into the air. Qin Yu had a particularly strong aversion to this pretentious man, especially when he saw Lin Xiaorui groveling before him. What era was this, still playing out feudal-era antics? Lin Xiaorui and Lin Hao—could it be that these two are actually related? Recalling the explicit sounds from earlier, Qin Yu couldn’t help but look at the two of them with a slightly strange expression. Lin Hao keenly sensed this. He set down his mouthwash cup and began introducing Lin Xiaorui to Qin Yu: “This is my adopted daughter. I’m sure you’ve already met her, haven’t you?” Hearing this, Qin Yu snorted impatiently. “Can we just get to the point? Why exactly did you ask me here? I’m not the police—I have no interest in checking your household registration. Does it even matter to me who you are?” Lin Hao laughed heartily at this, his face glistening with sweat. “My apologies, young Qin. We older folks tend to ramble.” In such a short time, they’d even managed to find out his name. Qin Yu began to suspect that even before he met Lin Xiaorui, this group had already been keeping an eye on him. “Interested in working with me?” Lin Hao absentmindedly fiddled with his ring while looking Qin Yu earnestly in the eyes. “I know what you’re up to, and as it happens, I’m very interested in it too. There’s a saying in China: ‘Many hands make light work.’ Going it alone might be cool, but it’s not as profitable as working as a team.” A hint of surprise finally flashed across Qin Yu’s eyes. Was he being recruited into a group again? “Since you’ve already looked into me, you should know that I was once scammed by a pyramid scheme, so I have a psychological aversion to joining groups.” That was the truth—especially since joining a group for the sake of a woman was something Qin Yu was particularly averse to. Lin Hao chuckled knowingly and motioned for Lin Xiaorui to bring over a document: “Sorry, I phrased that a bit poorly just now. Let me rephrase the question: Young Qin, would you like to work with me for a while? Don’t rush to say no—read through the agreement first, then decide whether to sign it.” Qin Yu sat up straight, somewhat puzzled, and took the document from Lin Xiaorui’s hand. Whether intentionally or not, Lin Xiaorui’s hand brushed against Qin Yu’s forearm—warm and smooth—causing a slight flutter in his heart. Once he got a clear look at the contents of the agreement, Qin Yu sucked in a sharp breath. This was a hell of a commitment. After skimming through the agreement, Qin Yu couldn’t remember a single thing except for the clause stating, “During the term of this agreement, Party A must accept Ms. Lin Xiaorui as his personal assistant.” He cleared his throat and feigned composure: “I can see that Mr. Lin is quite sincere. As for me, I’m just a rough-and-tumble guy—young and inexperienced—so I naturally don’t like being tied down…” “Don’t worry. During our partnership, unless there’s a mission, you’ll be a free man the rest of the time—you’ll have nothing to do with me.” Lin Hao blinked his pair of harmless, large eyes, looking every bit the affable, portly middle-aged man. Because he had cultivated the Seven Slayings Sutra, Qin Yu was particularly sensitive to a person’s aura. Previously, he could only sense a person’s evil after they had killed someone, but now that his cultivation had advanced, he could occasionally perceive the evil energy emanating from a person upon merely meeting them. This Lin Hao looked harmless enough, and his aura was clearer than anyone else’s, yet it contained both good and evil—the evil and righteous energies were evenly balanced, making it impossible to gauge his true nature. “Deal.” Qin Yu had once been a fairly honest and conservative young man, but after being abandoned with a corpse, the adventurous streak within him had been thoroughly awakened. Without giving it a second thought, he tied his fate to that of this man of unknown origin. Of course, when a person is held at gunpoint, they have no choice but to comply. Faced with so many dark, round muzzles, Qin Yu couldn’t help but feel afraid. Seeing that Qin Yu had relented, Lin Hao smiled so widely his eyes narrowed to slits. “Xiaorui,” he said, nodding toward his adopted daughter. Lin Xiaorui glided gracefully to stand before Qin Yu, her slender waist curving into a perfect arc. “Brother Qin Yu.” “Brother Qin Yu!” The henchmen holding their guns swiftly lowered their weapons and bowed at a ninety-degree angle in unison, their voices booming like thunder—Qin Yu nearly jumped out of his skin. But he had to keep up the act. Qin Yu suppressed the storm raging inside him and nodded indifferently. “Mm.” Lin Hao rubbed his hands together and stood up. Qin Yu had no choice but to stand as well, and they exchanged a forced, insincere handshake, as if they were heads of state at a friendly summit. It wasn’t until Lin Xiaorui led him to his room to rest that Qin Yu belatedly realized how easily he’d walked into this trap. He should’ve at least known the reason for this “collaboration”! What if Lin Hao needed someone to take the fall? That would be absolutely devastating for him. Qin Yu sprang up from the massive bed—"According to the terms of the agreement, the fact that I’m staying here now might as well be null and void. What a waste of my time." Qin Yu settled back into a meditative posture, cultivating the mental techniques of the Seven Slayings Sutra. During this time, he didn’t forget to admonish his “little friend,” who had nearly reared its head: “Behave yourself! It’s because of you that I’m stuck here. If you cause any more trouble, I’ll chop you off.” Killing intent and *lust* must go hand in hand. Ever since he began cultivating the Seven Slayings Sutra, Qin Yu had clearly felt himself becoming even more virile than before; he couldn’t help but feel a surge of desire whenever he saw a young woman, let alone a beauty like Lin Xiaorui. Recalling how he’d taken quite a few liberties with Lin Xiaorui when they first met, Qin Yu couldn’t help but feel a bit smug. But that wouldn’t do now—she was his personal assistant, and behind her stood a powerful figure with immense influence. Qin Yu had to strictly adhere to the principle that “a rabbit doesn’t eat the grass by its burrow” and keep his distance.
