49: Captured

Although he had successfully killed Shadow Scorpion, Qin Feng did not feel the slightest bit of relief. Like a shadow in the dark of night, he moved silently through the complex corridors of the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion, wanting only to leave this place of trouble as quickly as possible.

The battle just now had seemed smooth, but it was actually fraught with danger. Shadow Scorpion was, after all, a professional assassin at the Late Martial Master Peak. Had Qin Feng not relied on precise intelligence to poison him in advance and weaken most of his strength, then unleashed his full power unexpectedly with an Earth Rank Cultivation Technique and a Profound Rank sword technique, the outcome would have been uncertain. Assassins excelled at lurking and assassination; head-on combat was indeed not their strongest suit, but their desperate counterattack before death was by no means easy to handle.

"Finally... I've eliminated this hidden threat," he thought to himself, just as he was about to find his way out.

However, at the very moment he was about to step out of the back door of the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion, a lazy yet undeniably majestic feminine laugh rang in his ears like a Ghost:

"Hehehe... Little Brother Ghost, you killed someone on my territory and now you're just going to walk away like that?"

The voice was seductive to the bone, yet it made the hair on Qin Feng's body stand on end! He spun around abruptly, only to see a graceful figure standing quietly under the moonlight in the backyard.

She wore an intricate and magnificent rose-red dress, her hair piled high in a cloud-like bun adorned with swaying jewels. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, her exact age impossible to tell. Every frown and smile exuded a thousand charms, yet she also carried the dignified aura of someone long accustomed to a high position. She was the proprietress of the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion, Hua Qianying!

Qin Feng's heart constricted, and his muscles tensed instantly. Forcing down the shock in his heart, he cupped his fists and said in a deep voice, "Proprietress Hua, I did not intend to cause trouble in your esteemed establishment. It is just that this person was a Silver Rank Assassin from the Blood-Filled Tower named 'Shadow Scorpion' who intended to harm me and my family. I was forced to strike first to gain the upper hand. I meant no offense." He deliberately pointed out Shadow Scorpion's identity, both as an explanation and a subtle warning.

Hua Qianying covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes rippling with a charm that seemed capable of ensnaring one's soul. "Hehe, you certainly are silver-tongued. I saw clearly that you didn't hurt the girls in my pavilion, so you at least know the rules." She took a couple of light steps forward. Though seemingly casual, she instantly closed the distance between her and Qin Feng, an invisible pressure descending upon him.

"However..." Her tone shifted, becoming somewhat playful. "I have quite a bit of interest in you, the 'Ghost' whose reputation has been rising lately. Come with me. Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

Go with her? Alarm bells rang in Qin Feng's mind! If he fell into the hands of this mysterious Martial King expert, his life and death would no longer be his to decide!

"Not good!" Without any hesitation, he pushed the Primordial Unity Qi Art and Flying Leaf Art within his body to their limits. His figure transformed into a trail of green smoke as he shot out in the opposite direction without looking back! Facing a Martial King, he didn't even have the thought of resisting; his only path to survival was to flee!

"Trying to run?" Hua Qianying chuckled, her laughter carrying a hint of playfulness, like a cat toying with a mouse.

Without any apparent effort, she simply raised her slender, jade-like hand and pressed down gently in the direction Qin Feng was fleeing.

Buzz!

An indescribable, terrifying pressure descended instantly! It felt as if the entire space had been frozen! Qin Feng felt the air around him become as thick and heavy as mercury. His Ghost-like movement technique came to a sudden halt, as if he had fallen into an invisible quagmire, unable to move even a finger! A Martial King's Domain was truly this terrifying!

Immediately after, a supple yet irresistible force wrapped around him. His vision blurred, and in a whirl of dizziness, he was picked up by Hua Qianying like a small chick.

It's over!

Qin Feng's heart sank, feeling bone-chillingly cold. In the face of such an absolute gap in strength, all his schemes and trump cards seemed utterly powerless.

Just as he was in despair, deep within his consciousness, the Silver Sword Emblem that had remained silent suddenly sensed the life-and-death crisis facing its Host. It emitted a faint, almost imperceptible silver glow, and a trace of sharp Sword Intent seemed to be brewing.

However, Hua Qianying didn't seem to notice this subtle change. She simply carried Qin Feng, and with a few flickers of her figure, she returned to her luxurious bedroom on the top floor of the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion. She casually tossed Qin Feng onto the carpet, and the binding force dissipated. But Qin Feng could feel that a more subtle and powerful Restriction had already enveloped the entire room; he was trapped.

Sensing that the pure binding force was not accompanied by immediate killing intent, the flickering light of the small silver sword gradually faded and returned to tranquility.

Qin Feng struggled to his feet, looking at the woman before him who was smiling like a flower yet possessed heaven-defying strength. His mind raced. He definitely couldn't win in a fight, and he couldn't run away.

"I'll see what she... actually wants first." He forced himself to calm down. Since she had no immediate killing intent, there might still be room for maneuver. He just didn't know what this Outer Sect Deacon of the Hundred Flowers Palace, the Martial King Hua Qianying, saw in him, this "Ghost."