Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

Looking at her ninth brother's confident and determined profile, and then at Qin Chuan's unfathomable eyes that seemed to control everything, Honglian felt a deep sense of worry and confusion.

This high-stakes gamble, with the fate of the entire South Korea on the chessboard, has only just begun.

The incense at Zilanxuan seemed to have taken on a hint of iron, blood, and gunpowder.

Chapter 20 Capturing the Ink Crow

The night was as dark as ink, and the streets of Xinzheng appeared exceptionally empty and quiet after the curfew.

The carriage carrying Han Fei and Hong Lian rumbled along the stone-paved road.

Inside the carriage, Honglian was still somewhat absent-minded, her mind constantly replaying everything that had happened inside Zilan Pavilion.

“Ninth Brother,” Honglian couldn’t help but speak, her voice filled with confusion, “that Qin Chuan… your bet… what if…”

“Honglian, although I am not strong enough to kill a chicken, I have a clear understanding of principles and a firm grasp of rules.”

Han Fei leaned against the carriage wall, gently waving his folding fan, his eyes sharp and full of confidence.

"As for the bet... I'm never afraid of challenges. Qin Chuan is an unfathomable man, but being on the same path now is an aid."

Honglian was about to say something when suddenly—

"Whoa—!"

The coachman let out a terrified scream, and the carriage came to a sudden stop!

The immense inertia caused the two people inside the car to slam forward!

Han Fei had no martial arts skills and couldn't maintain his balance at all. His forehead slammed heavily against the carriage wall, and he immediately saw stars.

Honglian screamed, and if Han Fei hadn't instinctively reached out to stop her, she would have almost fallen out of the car.

"What's going on?!"

Despite the dizziness and pain, Han Fei shouted angrily, gripping the carriage wall tightly to steady himself.

Outside the car, there was only deathly silence, except for a chilling, bone-chilling aura that instantly engulfed the entire street like a tidal wave!

The air seemed to freeze, the moonlight was pale, and the temperature plummeted.

"Waaaaah—"

"Ho ho ho-"

A chilling wailing and howling sounded out of nowhere, drifting aimlessly, filled with a venomous and chilling intent of death!

"Ghosts...ghost soldiers! They're the ghost soldiers from the Ghost Soldiers Robbery Case!" The coachman's voice was trembling with despair, clearly terrified.

Honglian's heart sank to the bottom, gripped by immense fear. She peered through the gap in the carriage curtain, which had been blown open by the wind.

Under the pale moonlight, thick, ink-like fog rolled and spread!

In the mist, distorted, semi-transparent ghostly figures appeared and disappeared!

They were clad in tattered and decaying armor, wielded rusty weapons, and had eerie green flames burning in their empty eye sockets!

They drifted silently, surrounding the carriage, their chilling killing intent like an invisible giant hand gripping everyone's throats!

Honglian was so frightened that her voice changed, and she gripped Han Fei's arm tightly, her nails almost digging into his flesh.

Han Fei's face was pale, and blood seeped from his forehead, but his eyes remained as sharp as an eagle's.

He knew this was no real ghost! It was the Nightfall! It was Ji Wuye's warning! Their target was him and Honglian!

He forced himself to remain calm, his mind racing as he tried to find a flaw in the illusion or a way to escape. But unarmed and without any martial arts skills, he felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness in this realistic illusion of death!

He could only hold Honglian tightly behind him, using his frail body to shield his sister from the carriage curtain, his eyes fixed on the churning ghostly mist and approaching ghostly figures outside, searching for any glimmer of hope.

Just then, a figure as fast as black lightning appeared silently on the roof of the carriage!

It was Mo Ya, the leader of the 'Hundred Birds' under Ji Wuye!

He was dressed in a tight-fitting black suit that accentuated his sharp and sleek lines. His fluffy black feather shawl fluttered slightly in the night breeze, exuding a deadly aura amidst his elegant and alluring demeanor.

With a cynical, mocking smile on his face, the unique, eerie lines under his eyes shone faintly in the moonlight, echoing the delicate lines and patterns on his clothes.

The metal ornaments adorning her wrists, waist, and boots gleamed with a cold, icy light.

"Young Master Han Fei and Princess Honglian, the General asked me to convey his greetings."

Mo Ya's voice was languidly magnetic, yet chillingly cold:

"The night roads of Xinzheng... are not safe, especially for those clever people who like to meddle in other people's business. This little 'Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts' is just a reminder to you two. Some murky waters are not to be trifled with, or you'll drown."

Before the words were finished, the ghostly figure in the mist seemed to receive a bloodthirsty command, letting out an even more shrill and eerie shriek, accompanied by a bone-chilling wind, like a tide from hell, and suddenly rushed towards the carriage!

That invisible killing intent almost tore the fragile carriage apart!

Han Fei's pupils contracted sharply. He pressed Honglian tightly against his back, straightened his back, and tried to use the majesty of a prince and his fearless gaze to fight against this terrifying illusion and the impending real attack!

But he knew in his heart that this was nothing but a futile and tragic endeavor.

Honglian closed her eyes in despair, shrinking tightly behind Han Fei, waiting for the cold touch of death.

At the critical moment!

A figure, more ethereal and elusive than a bolt of lightning, appeared without warning in front of the carriage, like moonlight condensed from the void!

He was still wearing that black robe, and he was empty-handed.

Faced with the overwhelming and hideous ghostly figures, his expression remained as calm as a deep well.

Just as the ghostly claws were about to tear through the carriage curtain and touch Han Fei and Hong Lian, Qin Chuan moved!

His movements didn't seem fast; in fact, they had a leisurely, unhurried quality to them.

With the very slightest touch of the toes to the ground, one feels as if weightless, as if merging into the moonlight and gentle breeze!

With one step, the space beneath his feet seemed to lose its meaning. His figure was ethereal and uncertain, like a reflection in water. He was clearly right in front of him, yet he gave people a mysterious feeling of being unreachable and inaccessible.

With a seemingly casual step, he miraculously passed through the several ghostly figures rushing towards him!

The claws of those ghostly figures had clearly touched his clothes, but it was as if they were grasping at nothingness, passing through him without any hindrance!

It was as if he himself was a projection of a higher-dimensional being!

Immediately afterwards, Qin Chuan's figure made several extremely mysterious turns between the thick fog and the ghostly shadows. Each turn perfectly avoided all the actual attacks, and the afterimages he left behind were even more illusory and difficult to discern than the ghostly shadows created by Mo Ya!

He wasn't dodging; rather, he was strolling leisurely through this web of death woven from illusions!

This scene instantly froze the mocking smile on Mo Ya's face on the carriage roof!

His pupils contracted sharply in utter shock! He prided himself on his unparalleled lightness skill and his mastery of illusion techniques, but he had never seen anything so bizarre and unpredictable, a realm that was almost "Tao"!

This completely overturned his understanding!

"Who goes there?!" Mo Ya shouted, his voice filled with surprise and solemnity for the first time, even with a hint of barely perceptible horror.

Qin Chuan did not answer.

After passing through the shadowy figures, his target was clearly the black crow on the roof of the carriage!

Mo Ya reacted extremely quickly, his figure instantly transforming into a blurry black afterimage, like a startled night owl, rushing backward at a speed exceeding the limits of human endurance!

This is the signature skill that made him famous!

However, he was fast, but Qin Chuan's movements were even faster and more unpredictable!

Qin Chuan's figure was like a persistent ailment. No matter how Mo Ya turned, shifted, or accelerated, or even left behind several lifelike afterimages in mid-air to confuse him, Qin Chuan's true form could always follow him closely, always keeping a short distance away!

It was as if all of Mo Ya's movements were within the opponent's expectations and control!

Qin Chuan's steps seemed to land on invisible nodes, each step precisely timed to the moment when Mo Ya's old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated!

The horror in Mo Ya's heart was beyond measure!

This is simply unbelievable!

He had never felt so powerless, as if all his struggles were nothing but child's play in the eyes of the other party!

This is no longer a contest of lightness skills, but a crushing defeat of realms!

Just as Mo Ya was trying his best to accelerate and disappear into the shadows of the alley next to him, a slender and steady hand, as if crossing the boundary of space, silently placed on his Jianjing acupoint!

A surge of powerful yet incredibly pure internal energy instantly penetrated his body, precisely sealing several key acupoints around Mo Ya's body!

Mo Ya felt as if all his strength had been drained in an instant. His ghostly speed vanished in an instant, and he fell straight down from mid-air like a kite with a broken string!

The black crow crashed heavily onto the cold, hard stone pavement, its fluffy black feathers falling loose, making it look utterly disheveled.

He stared in shock and anger at the dark figure that had landed gracefully before him like a celestial being, only to find that he couldn't move a single finger and could only make hoarse "hoarse" sounds.

As Mo Ya was subdued, the thick ghostly fog that filled the streets and the countless hideous ghostly figures, like bubbles that had been punctured, emitted a silent shriek and vanished without a trace in an instant!

The moonlight shone down again, and the streets returned to calm, as if the terrifying scene from just moments ago had never happened.

Inside the carriage, Honglian opened her eyes with trembling hands and saw the incredible scene clearly through the gap in the curtain.

She saw Qin Chuan descend like a god, strolling leisurely among the terrifying ghostly figures.

She saw his incredible, unbelievable, and comprehensible lightness of movement, as if it were a dream.

She watched as he effortlessly subdued the powerful and enigmatic assassin in black.

When Qin Chuan landed gracefully, the moonlight outlining his tall and solitary profile, Hong Lian's heart felt as if it had been struck hard by something!

All fear and despair were replaced at this moment by a stronger and more unfamiliar emotion.

It was the ecstasy of surviving a catastrophe, the indescribable shock, and the uncontrollable, drum-like heartbeat!

All her previous grievances and misunderstandings seemed so ridiculous and insignificant at this moment.

Qin Chuan's gaze swept lightly over the subdued Mo Ya, then turned to the carriage.

He walked to the car and lifted the curtain.

Han Fei was pale, with a wound on his forehead, and his eyes were filled with shock, lingering fear, and a renewed understanding of Qin Chuan's unfathomable strength.

He maintained his composure as a prince, though his hand, which was tightly protecting Honglian, trembled slightly.

Honglian, on the other hand, met Qin Chuan's gaze.

That gaze remained deep and calm, but in Honglian's eyes, it seemed to contain the stars and the sea, carrying a light that dispelled all darkness.

He had just gone through a thrilling battle, yet his breathing remained as steady as ever, and not even the hem of his clothes was disheveled.