Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 275: Chapter 173: Bare-Handed Heart-Plucking, A Challenge to the World’s Heroes

The middle-aged man stood frozen, his expression changed.

A young man who had entered the Martial Dao less than half a year ago had just killed two Martial Artists as easily as slaughtering chickens.

And that composure, that... nonchalant attitude, reminded him of certain people.

People he never wanted to see again for the rest of his life.

”Wan Ze...” the middle-aged man said, his voice turning grave for the first time. ”You are too bloodthirsty.”

Wan Ze looked at him and suddenly smiled.

”You, a Secret Palace Assassin, are in any position to say that?” he said slowly, his gaze lingering on the man’s face for a moment. ”I only kill those who deserve to die. Are you sure you want to stop me?”

The implication was clear: I’ve already killed two, and I don’t mind killing one more.

The middle-aged man took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling.

’Fucking lunatic,’ he cursed inwardly.

But he didn’t say it out loud.

He had seen many young Martial Artists—some exceptionally talented, some decisive and deadly, some shrewd and calculating—but he had never seen anyone like Wan Ze.

That mix of calm and crazy made it impossible to guess his next move.

The middle-aged man forced his tone to remain calm. ”Wan Ze, it’s not that we can’t talk.”

Wan Ze watched him, not replying, but not leaving either.

”But you’re asking for too much,” the man said, his earlier arrogance gone, replaced by the haggling tone of a negotiator. ”The most I can approve is three Martial Skills.”

”Three High Tier Martial Skills?” Wan Ze’s interest was piqued, and his eyebrows rose slightly.

The middle-aged man almost laughed in exasperation.

Three High Tier Martial Skills?

It was no exaggeration to say that releasing those three would be enough to make a behemoth like Dragon Eagle personally intervene.

High Tier Martial Skills weren’t cabbages you could buy at the market. Each one was the very essence of the Martial Dao, refined, verified, and perfected over generations.

Putting three of them together would be enough to make any Martial Dao faction green with envy to the point of madness.

Besides, he didn’t have that kind of authority.

”The most I can give you is one High Tier and two Middle Tier,” the middle-aged man said through gritted teeth, as if he were carving off a piece of his own flesh.

Wan Ze was dissatisfied and shook his head. ”How about this? I’ll give you a High Tier Martial Skill, and you go back into that pit and find me another ancient scroll.”

The middle-aged man’s expression grew even uglier.

He knew better than anyone what was in that pit.

The booklet had come from there, and everything inside was a hot potato.

Go through it again?

That wasn’t looking for ancient scrolls; it was looking for death.

”One million in cash!” The middle-aged man was silent for a few seconds before making a new offer. ”Plus one High Tier and two Middle Tier Martial Skills. How about it? This is the most I can offer in good faith. However, I’ll need to inspect the goods first.”

”Deal,” Wan Ze nodded, then added, ”But I’ll need a deposit. I’ll take one High Tier Martial Skill for now.”

The middle-aged man’s face darkened another shade.

’Damn it!’

Forcibly suppressing his anger, the middle-aged man took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady. ”The High Tier Martial Skill isn’t on me. Even if I go requisition it for you, it will take time. Retrieving a High Tier Martial Skill from the Secret Palace’s Scripture Pavilion requires at least three levels of approval. The fastest it can be done is a week. I can give you two hundred thousand as a deposit first.”

”Two hundred thousand alone isn’t enough,” Wan Ze said, his tone decisive and leaving no room for negotiation. ”You have to add a Middle Tier Martial Skill.”

The middle-aged man frowned.

Two hundred thousand in cash, plus a Middle Tier Martial Skill. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The terms weren’t actually outrageous. While Middle Tier Martial Skills were valuable, the Secret Palace still had quite a few in its inventory.

The problem was that this young man was too domineering—so much so that even a veteran of the Secret Palace like him was struggling to handle it.

Wan Ze looked over and said coolly, ”To people like us, money is just a number. I can’t possibly trust you with a pile of scrap paper. You have to give me something of real value.”

”Fine.” The middle-aged man was silent for a long moment before finally nodding. ”Any requirements for the Martial Skill?”

”Fist Techniques, Leg Techniques, or Body Techniques are preferred,” Wan Ze said after a moment’s thought, then added, ”It would be even better if you could get me Secret Martial Arts.”

Upon hearing this, a strange light flickered in the middle-aged man’s eyes. He stared at Wan Ze for two seconds, as if re-evaluating something.

”You’re from Dragon Eagle. You should be practicing the Dragon Eagle Secret Martial Arts, yet you’re interested in the Secret Martial Arts of other Sects?” The middle-aged man’s tone was probing. ”Aren’t you afraid of being branded a traitor who has betrayed his masters and ancestors?”

Wan Ze just gave him a cool glance. ”I don’t think our relationship is close enough for me to explain my every move to you, is it?”

The middle-aged man was speechless.

The atmosphere turned awkward.

The alley was so quiet they could hear the traffic from the distant road.

Wan Ze broke the silence, annoyed. ”What are you standing around for? Go get it ready. Give me your communicator number. I’ll contact you anytime to make the trade. I’ll choose the location.”

The middle-aged man couldn’t hold back any longer. ”You get to choose both the time and the place?”

’Damn it all,’ he thought. ’Negotiations are supposed to be between equals. If one side controls the time and place, the other side is just meat on the chopping block.’

”What else?” Wan Ze looked at him, his eyes filled with a kind of ’are you an idiot?’ confusion. ”Should I go directly to your headquarters instead? So you can tie me up before we trade?”

As he spoke, Wan Ze’s tone grew even more impatient. ”You’re a distinguished Martial Artist of the Secret Palace, and you’re worried I’m going to set a trap for you? What would I want your life for? All I want are Martial Skills!”

The middle-aged man fell silent.

That much was true.

If Wan Ze had wanted him dead, he could have made his move just now.

Given the speed and Power Wan Ze had just displayed, the middle-aged man wasn’t entirely confident he could kill the kid.