My Core is the Boss

As Yellow Hair bellowed, the other four burly men closed in on Qi Yuan, ferociously cracking their knuckles. They wore the mocking look typical of street thugs.

Qi Yuan threw a punch, his voice icy cold. "By the laws of Tianke, those who serve demons shall be executed on the spot without mercy!"

Yellow Hair burst into laughter. "What era do you think this is?! Still talking about Tianke laws!"

The next instant, his smile froze. A pair of iron fists struck his chest at a speed he could not react to. He bent forward like a cooked lobster, his bloodshot eyes protruding. Stars exploded before his eyes as his stomach acid churned violently.

The burly men froze for a moment, unable to react. Then, they turned to look at Qi Yuan.

A red bridal veil wrapped around his fist as contempt bled from his eyes. "How long has it been since you bathed? Good thing I had the foresight to wrap my hand, or your chest hair would’ve dirtied my hand."

Yellow Hair could barely breathe, let alone respond.

Not far away, Xiaomei’s eyes widened as well. She didn’t expect this at all. Before her shock could fade, Qi Yuan casually reached out and pulled a butcher knife from the pile of firewood.

As he held the butcher knife, Qi Yuan suddenly felt he had grasped another profound truth. "I finally understand why people in ancient times killed with blades, while modern people use guns. It’s to keep their hands clean."

A cold flash streaked through the air. Qi Yuan leaped upward, taking advantage of his falling momentum to swing his knife rapidly. A perfectly good head rolled onto the ground. Blood splattered everywhere, adding another shade of red to this festive day.

Qi Yuan moved extremely quickly. The butcher knife swung before the first head could hit the ground. A spray of blood mist burst outward. Before the smell of blood could even spread through the air, everyone heard the repeated thud of heads hitting the ground.

Murderous intent radiated from Qi Yuan’s eyes, making him look like a god of slaughter.

"You’re a blood martial artist!" Fourth Master Huang, who had been squinting his eyes, showed a look of surprise. "You hid yourself well. To silently break through and become a blood martial artist, stepping onto the transcendent martial path."

The old man sighed, his voice even carrying a trace of admiration. "Don’t think that just because you’ve become a blood martial artist, you can ignore heaven and earth. Yunyan County is not a place for you to run wild!"

Pride glimmered in Fourth Master Huang’s eyes as he pulled out a cane. Crystal-white like jade, it was clearly no ordinary object.

"Do you know what this cane is made of? The bones of a blood martial artist." He wore a kindly, benevolent expression, and even his tone was gentle. "He was just like you. He thought a bit of skill made him invincible.

"My elder brother’s grandson took a liking to his pregnant wife. What an honor, right? Who would’ve expected that she was just as ignorant as he was? She died in my grandnephew’s bed and even bit his lip until it bled. At that point, our estate hadn’t even bothered him yet.

"Relying on his little bit of ability, he dared charge into our residence. My elder brother saw how overconfident he was and killed him. I thought his bones were rather sturdy, so I asked my elder brother for a few and made this cane. Oh, right. The bead on the cane was polished from his wife’s skull!"

Hearing how leisurely he spoke, cold sweat formed on Xiaomei’s forehead. The demons of Yunyan County truly did eat people.

Qi Yuan listened calmly. "Your setting really is that of a classic major villain. I didn’t think the boss would actually show up in a game within a game."

The old man was somewhat surprised by how unfazed Qi Yuan was. After all, he said all those things to boast, warn, and provoke him. Born with incomplete bloodlines, blood martial artists were easily enraged and prone to losing reason. [1]

At such times, their strength would increase slightly, but their speed and agility would greatly decline. And speed was Fourth Master Huang’s specialty. Yet his words had failed to anger Qi Yuan.

Like an agile monkey, the thin old man sprang up and fiercely swung his cane at Qi Yuan’s back. "I see that you’re somewhat smarter than the owner of these bones! Light Crane Touches the Azure!"

What Fourth Master Huang displayed was unmistakably a demonic martial art. Famed for speed, it could strike thirteen times once mastered. It was quite an overkill, considering one strike was enough to seriously injure an ordinary blood martial artist.

Feeling the wind rushing at his back, Qi Yuan grinned. "Shift!"

He slipped past the technique in a flash. "This game sure has some interesting martial arts. They give you quite a substantial boost."

Martial arts and Dao techniques were entirely different concepts. Experience from Canglan didn’t mean much here. However, it didn’t mean Qi Yuan lacked martial combat experience. If anything, that was what he had in abundance after slaughtering his way through Heaven’s End.

The only thing Fourth Master Huang had over him was martial techniques. Just like spells in the cultivation world, these bloodline martial techniques could unleash the hidden power within one’s qi and blood, erupting with tremendous force.

Right now, Qi Yuan was equivalent to a cultivator who possessed only the realm but no spells. "But I have skills! Heaven-Cleaving Sword!"

Ever since growing stronger, Qi Yuan had rarely used skills, but they were universal across all worlds. A violent gale of air-rending force swept outward. His butcher knife seemed coated in a layer of blood as it descended from above.

Crack.

The cleaver landed squarely on Fourth Master Huang’s head. A look of utter disbelief appeared on his face. He had never imagined that Qi Er, who had only just entered the Qi Blood realm, would kill him in a single strike. Also, what was that skill just now?

Qi Yuan withdrew the blade, smiling in delight. "Not bad. Finally found the joy of playing games again. Oh, I got three drops of blood."

To Qi Yuan, the demon’s essence was the most valuable thing of all.

A dead weasel lay on the ground, emitting a pungent stench.

Not far away, Xiaomei stood and trembled, gritting her teeth. "Brother Qi, you can’t drink that blood! Without the government’s Blood-Calming Pill, it will drive you insane!"

Qi Yuan searched through the memories in his mind, but found nothing regarding the Blood-Calming Pill. He looked at Xiaomei with anticipation. "How do you know so much? Could it be that you’re a special NPC?"

She shuddered even more, confused by his words. In the end, she bit her lip. "I shall not hide it anymore. Actually, I’m from the Zhao family of Jiangcuo."

Qi Yuan shook his head. "Never heard of it."

1. ***E/N: Too bad Qi Yuan is alr crazy to begin with. ☜