Zheng Yongjun clutched her neck, revealing faint purple marks.
If Qin Hanchu had applied even a fraction more force, Zheng Yongjun would have met her maker.
Before Qin Hanchu, Zheng Yongjun's life was as insignificant as an ant's.
It was only to maintain a "low profile" that Qin Hanchu had held back.
"Let's go," Qin Hanchu said to Murong Yanran as he mounted his electric scooter.
Murong Yanran glanced at Zheng Yongjun's terrified face before settling onto the back of the scooter.
Under the astonished gazes of the onlookers, Qin Hanchu rode away with Murong Yanran.
"Why didn't you kill him!" Zheng Yongjun yelled at the old man.
"Ask the chairman." The old man was a Grandmaster. Though he was a guard for the Zheng family, he was entitled to disregard Zheng Yongjun's anger.
On the way back to the villa, Qin Hanchu spoke as he rode the electric scooter, "I'll be leaving Black Dragon City in a few days. Once I'm gone, you can reveal the truth to the public."
"Leaving so soon? Aren't you coming back?" Hearing that Qin Hanchu was leaving, Murong Yanran felt a pang of reluctance.
"I don't know, it depends on the situation."
"The old man's health has recovered, and Situ Lei has been crippled. They won't force you into an engagement anymore."
"If I don't leave now, your parents will announce our engagement."
"Then it will be difficult for you to prove your innocence."
Murong Yanran fell silent. She knew Qin Hanchu was right, but she didn't want their relationship to end.
"How should I calculate your salary for less than a month?"
"How about this, you can leave after you've completed a full month," Murong Yanran suggested.
Qin Hanchu smiled, "Don't worry about the salary. Consider it me helping a brother out."
Upon learning that Qin Hanchu was leaving, Murong Yanran seemed somewhat absent-minded.
During dinner that evening, she wore a somber expression.
Zhao Meiqing and her husband assumed she was troubled by the Zheng family's affairs and paid her no mind.
Two days later, Qin Hanchu took the exam for the Ancient Medical Association.
With Qin Hanchu's abilities, it was naturally a walk in the park.
The day after receiving his ancient physician's license, Qin Hanchu departed Black Dragon City with Wang Jiuhan.
That night, Murong Yanran returned to the villa alone.
"Where is Xiao Ning? Didn't you two come back together?" Zhao Meiqing asked.
Murong Yanran was silent for a long time before finally saying, "Mom, Qin Ning and I are not actually a couple. He was a shield I hired. He has already left Black Dragon City today."
"What!"
Zhao Meiqing and Murong Yuntian exclaimed in unison.
At first, they had indeed suspected that Qin Hanchu was a shield Murong Yanran had hired.
But after observing him for a period, they had come to believe that Qin Hanchu was Murong Yanran's boyfriend.
They were both very pleased with Qin Hanchu.
But at this moment, Murong Yanran declared Qin Hanchu to be a fake boyfriend.
"Nonsense!"
"Everyone knows now that you have a fiancé. He's gone, what are you going to do?"
"How can you play with your own reputation like this!" Zhao Meiqing said angrily.
Murong Yanran whispered, "I'm going back to my room."
With that, she walked upstairs dejectedly.
Murong Yuntian started to call out to her, but Zhao Meiqing stopped him.
After Murong Yanran left, Murong Yuntian said angrily, "Why did you stop me?"
Zhao Meiqing replied, "Can't you tell? This girl has developed real feelings for him!"
"What good are feelings if Qin Ning is already gone?" Murong Yuntian said.
"He can be found if he's gone."
"The fake can become real." Zhao Meiqing said.
Murong Yuntian frowned, "Are you suggesting we don't announce it yet?"
"Yes, I'll find him first and have a talk with him," Zhao Meiqing decided.
That night, Wang Jiuhan brought Qin Hanchu to Guanglong City.
This was the closest city to Villain Valley.
Anyone wishing to earn bounty money had to register as a bounty hunter here.
The next day, Qin Hanchu and Wang Jiuhan completed their registration.
After obtaining their hunter permits, they boarded a bus heading to Villain Valley.
There were over twenty martial artists on the bus, all registered bounty hunters.
"Are there this many people hunting martial artists in Villain Valley every day?" Qin Hanchu asked softly.
Wang Jiuhan smiled, "They're like us, just using the guise of hunting villains."
"They're all going to collect herbs?" Qin Hanchu inquired.
Wang Jiuhan nodded, "To hunt martial artists in Villain Valley, one needs at least late-stage Grandmaster strength. Most people are after the medicinal resources in the primeval forest."
Qin Hanchu nodded, understanding.
After a three-hour journey, they finally reached their destination.
Looking out, they saw an endless sea of trees.
Villain Valley was hidden deep within this primeval forest.
The primeval forest was incredibly dangerous, harboring not only the martial artists of Villain Valley but also fierce beasts and venomous insects.
Those who came to make a living here were all hardened individuals.
"Let's go."
With that, Qin Hanchu strode into the primeval forest.
Watching Qin Hanchu's retreating figure, a cold glint flashed in Wang Jiuhan's eyes.
Upon entering the forest, the two of them ran directly towards its depths.
In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed.
At this moment, Wang Jiuhan stopped.
Seeing Wang Jiuhan stop, Qin Hanchu also halted and asked, "Why aren't we moving?"
Wang Jiuhan's expression darkened as he stared at Qin Hanchu and said coldly, "I want to talk to you about something."
"You want to force me to hand over the antidote?"
Qin Hanchu had long guessed Wang Jiuhan's intentions.
Seeing Wang Jiuhan's grim expression, Qin Hanchu knew he was about to drop the pretense.
Surprised that Qin Hanchu had guessed his purpose, Wang Jiuhan said, "You actually figured it out."
"What if I don't give you the antidote?" Qin Hanchu asked.
"Then this will be your burial ground," Wang Jiuhan said sinisterly.
Qin Hanchu sighed, "It would have been so much better if you had just followed me obediently. You insist on courting death."
"I'm courting death? There are no experts from the Murong family here to back you up!"
"Hand over the antidote and the Guiyuan Needle Technique, and I can spare your life."
Wang Jiuhan was certain that Qin Hanchu was not protected by any experts from the Murong family.
Therefore, he was not concerned about Qin Hanchu's threats.
"Forget it, there's no need to say more to a dead man."
In Qin Hanchu's eyes, Wang Jiuhan was already a dead man walking.
Even if Wang Jiuhan were to beg for mercy later, Qin Hanchu would not spare his life.
Within the Dragon Gate, Qin Hanchu never revealed his true strength to anyone except those truly close to him.
"An eighth-rank, what makes you think you can take my life?"
"Are you going to rely on poison again?"
"As long as I don't consume it myself, your poison can't harm a Great Grandmaster."
As he spoke, Wang Jiuhan walked towards Qin Hanchu.
While walking, Wang Jiuhan's internal energy permeated his entire body.
With this protective aura, he could resist poison attacks.
He was preparing to make a move against Qin Hanchu!
"Who said I was going to use poison!"
As the words fell, Qin Hanchu's true energy erupted.
In the face of Qin Hanchu's true energy, Wang Jiuhan's internal energy flickered like a candle in the wind, seemingly about to be extinguished.