Chapter 84: Chapter 84 Choices Du Jiangbo’s plan was undoubtedly well-thought-out. This way, he could leverage Gu Sheng’s hand to eliminate the Black Sand Gang’s martial artist, and then conveniently kill this unknown nighttime assailant himself. However, there was one thing he miscalculated. That was Gu Sheng’s strength. The reason Gu Sheng used knockout smoke wasn’t that he couldn’t handle the three men himself, but rather to ensure greater reliability and minimize commotion. With his current level as an Iron-Skin Martial Artist and his Perfect Realm mastery of the Iron Stone Fist, dealing with two opponents on the same level was as easy as child’s play. Moreover. Given Gu Sheng’s personality, even with the use of knockout smoke, he would never leave himself recklessly exposed to any flaw. While the smoke was useful, it wasn’t without countermeasures. Gu Sheng never places all his eggs in one basket. So when Du Jiangbo’s power exploded and charged toward Gu Sheng, he was instantly dumbfounded. Gu Sheng’s movements were uncannily agile; with a delicate point of his toes, his initial forward momentum seamlessly transformed into a backward retreat. Du Jiangbo’s fierce shoulder charge hit nothing but air, and due to his overexertion, he even slightly lost his balance. "Not good!" His heart sank as he met a pair of icy, triangular eyes. After his disguise, Gu Sheng’s triangular eyes seemed exceptionally cold and vicious. Du Jiangbo’s vigilance earned a faint trace of admiration from him, but such awareness alone was far from sufficient. The short axe in Gu Sheng’s hand descended casually, tracing a trajectory of incomparable finesse. It split through the air as its whistle resounded sharply. The First-level Ripping effect was astonishingly potent. Combined with Gu Sheng’s current strength, it could easily tear through the defenses of an Iron-Skin Martial Artist, slicing along the body’s contours, breaking bones, and severing tendons without issue. Du Jiangbo’s scalp went numb as goosebumps rose all over his body. "Hah!" He uttered a low shout, calming himself. Likewise, he had no intention of attracting attention from others. Taking Gu Sheng’s life would allow him to slip away freely, completely freed from the confines of this makeshift prison. It was a rare opportunity he wasn’t willing to let pass. His fists curved strangely as he clenched them, forming a peculiar shape, and shockingly bypassing the axe to attack Gu Sheng’s armpit. The technique was peculiar enough that a faint trace of astonishment flashed across Gu Sheng’s eyes. However, though the technique was indeed bizarre, its power was incomparable to the Iron Stone Fist. With Gu Sheng’s current insight, he could effortlessly detect its weakness. With a turn of his power, the initially downward-slicing short axe slammed horizontally onto Du Jiangbo’s arm, producing faint metallic reverberations. Du Jiangbo let out a muffled groan, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes. The person in front of him appeared to be no more than an Iron-Skin Martial Artist, but their power was eerily abnormal, far exceeding his own by an immeasurable degree. Even the casual force of an erupting blow left him reeling. Regret arose in his heart; it seemed he’d grossly underestimated Gu Sheng’s strength. But Gu Sheng wasn’t going to give him a chance. Before Du Jiangbo could utter a sound, Gu Sheng’s left fist burst forth with a surge of power, like a boulder flung at high speed, overwhelmingly fierce and tyrannical, brutally striking Du Jiangbo’s chest. With a muffled "bam," Du Jiangbo’s body soared uncontrollably into the air. When he hit the ground and tried to crawl away, his body immediately froze. The chilling edge of the axe rested against his throat. Du Jiangbo had no doubt that if he dared to move, the next moment would be the downfall of his head. Fear welled in his eyes as he swallowed nervously, a bitter voice escaping his lips: "Hero, spare me! The Black Sand Gang are your enemies and mine as well; there’s no need for us to clash blades." Du Jiangbo was the type to cherish his life above all else; otherwise, he wouldn’t have perpetually refrained from resisting Han Lu. Now that Gu Sheng held his life in his hand, there was no hint of insolence. His liver trembled with fear, every strand of hair stood upright as he raised both hands, utterly still. Seeing Du Jiangbo’s submissive cooperation, Gu Sheng couldn’t help but smirk inwardly. From the very beginning. He hadn’t intended to kill Du Jiangbo outright. Just now, he’d displayed his strength to ensure Du Jiangbo understood: killing him would be as easy as crushing a chicken. The goal was to shift the blame. Gu Sheng had prepared two plans. The ideal choice was keeping Du Jiangbo alive, giving him the chance to flee, then staging evidence at the scene. Everything could then be pinned on Du Jiangbo, leading Han Lu’s attention entirely onto him. But there was one issue—human nature is unpredictable. Although Du Jiangbo and Han Lu were mortal enemies, if Gu Sheng casually let him go, Du Jiangbo might reveal his involvement to shift the focus, spurred by a stronger desire for survival. Even if Han Lu was skeptical, the risk would remain. Thus, Du Jiangbo had to agree to cooperate willingly. As for the possibility that Du Jiangbo might rather die than comply? Then Gu Sheng would have to adopt the backup plan. Kill Du Jiangbo and disguise himself as him—torch Li Family Fort to the ground to achieve the intended effect. The Great Achievement Realm technique of Shapeshifting couldn’t replicate another person’s appearance, but matching the medium-built frame of Du Jiangbo was perfectly doable. Under the cover of darkness, no one could detect a flaw. The sole weakness would be the aftermath—if Han Lu couldn’t find the slightest trace of Du Jiangbo, suspicions could arise. After all, Du Jiangbo, being merely an Iron-Skin Martial Artist, couldn’t possibly leave not a single trace while escaping Canghe County’s territory. Numerous thoughts darted rapidly through Gu Sheng’s mind. But externally, his expression betrayed nothing as he coldly sneered: "You’re an enemy of the Black Sand Gang? From what I hear, you’re Han Lu’s most loyal dog, even offering up your own wife." Du Jiangbo’s complexion froze, clearly pained by the jab, his eyes reddening. Perhaps to persuade Gu Sheng further, he became visibly tearful. "Hero, you don’t know the truth. The outside world might brand me, Du Jiangbo, as a cuckold, but it’s clearly Han Lu—the scoundrel—and my vile wife who conspired behind my back! He’s a Refining Blood Realm martial artist; I’m no match for him, and he even has his men monitoring me at all times." "If given the chance, I’d swallow their flesh and blood whole, sever their heads, and use them as chamber pots!" A savage and vengeful glint flickered in Du Jiangbo’s eyes, resembling a wolf. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮 Gu Sheng stared intently at his eyes, feeling slightly moved. "Is that true?" "Absolutely true! If I’m lying to you, let me die horribly. Spare me this once, and I’ll become the most loyal dog you’ve ever had!" Gu Sheng shook his head with a derisive laugh, his triangular eyes radiating a sinister light, and his hoarse laughter only added to his menacing tone. "A dog like you? I wouldn’t dare keep you. I might let you live, but there’s a condition." "Hero, say it!" Du Jiangbo’s heart surged with hope at this sudden turn. "After tonight, you must leave Canghe County immediately and appear conspicuously in two faraway towns. Remember—everything here tonight was your doing. You’re the one who killed the Black Sand Gang’s men." Du Jiangbo’s face froze in realization. He wasn’t a fool and immediately understood Gu Sheng’s intentions. This was making him the scapegoat. Faced with a choice between inevitable death now or a chance of capture by the Black Sand Gang later, the choice was obvious. "Agreed! I accept your condition. Even if Han Lu captures me, I’ll claim full responsibility for tonight’s events." A resolute fierceness burned in Du Jiangbo’s eyes. Gu Sheng nodded silently but responded coolly: "The problem is—I don’t trust you. What if you turn around and betray me?" Du Jiangbo froze, gripping a short blade in his hand. He silently stepped over to the Black Sand Gang martial artists’ corpses. His eyes turned red, as though recalling years of pent-up anguish and rage, and he began maniacally stabbing at the bodies. Thud-thud! The sound of the blade plunging into flesh rang loud and clear. Only when the corpses had become complete bloody messes did Du Jiangbo stop, panting heavily. This was his blood oath—a statement that, even if he betrayed Gu Sheng, the Black Sand Gang would never forgive him. Turning back, Du Jiangbo asked bitterly: "Hero, is this enough?" Gu Sheng chuckled coldly. His post-disguise voice was harsh and grating as he slowly produced a black, murky pill. "This is the Child Pill of the Mother-child Insect Poisonous Insect. Swallow it, and no matter where you go, I’ll be able to track you through the connection between the Child Insect and the Mother Insect."