Please, don't I look like a bad guy

Under the night sky,

Purple Sun Prefecture lay silent, like a colossal beast crouching motionless under the moonlight.

"Dry weather and flammable goods!"

"Beware of fire and candles!"

The hoarse voice of the night watchman echoed through the empty streets.

Recently, Purple Sun Prefecture had been restless at night, with even the patrolling constables increased in number.

Yet, compared to the vast city, their presence was but a drop in the bucket.

Luo Yao, clad in black night attire, moved stealthily through the city.

She had heard from her senior brother that the prefecture was hosting the Misty Rain Tower's Endless Trials.

Aside from the participants slaughtering each other, many others were taking advantage of the chaos to loot and stir trouble.

That was why she had deliberately chosen to venture out at night to uphold justice.

After all, assassins preferred to act under the cover of darkness.

However...

"Miss Luo."

"I've been waiting for you for quite some time."

As she passed by a narrow alley, a voice called out to her.

In the darkness stood a gaunt figure, as if he had been there all along—or had materialized out of thin air.

His withered frame was draped in a black robe that clung tightly to his body in the night breeze.

"Qi-Blood Realm, yet not staying near the Scorching Jade Forest, and still daring to flaunt a famed weapon so openly? I thought you might have a master escorting you."

"Turns out, you really did sneak out on your own."

His voice grew increasingly ethereal.

As his words fell, an eerie chill swept through the air, sending shivers down one's spine.

"Night Ghost Liu Heng?!"

Luo Yao recognized the man and paled in terror.

The Night Ghost Sect passed down its legacy to only one disciple per generation.

This was because its martial arts were bizarre, requiring a unique bone structure. Practitioners of the Night Ghost Sect's techniques became emaciated, their appearances inhuman, their temperaments twisted.

Moreover, their power waned during the day but surged at night.

The previous sect leader, Liu Heng's master, had died in the siege of the Scorching Jade Forest.

"I love eating children the most."

"Especially those in the bloom of youth, like you..."

"My father killed your master, so I’m not afraid of you!"

In her panic, Luo Yao struck first.

The Gentleman's Brush hidden in her sleeve shot out like a cold star, swift as lightning—capable of piercing even refined steel.

Yet, just as she thought she had succeeded, Liu Heng's figure dissipated like an afterimage.

"An illusion?!"

"Keh keh keh... Your Violet Star Eyes are still far from mastery."

An owl-like voice echoed from all directions.

The mere soundwaves sent Luo Yao flying backward, tumbling several times across the ground. Her pristine brocade robes were instantly soiled with mud.

Worse, a sharp pain shot through her hand—the Gentleman's Brush was gone.

"A famed weapon indeed."

"The Judge will surely be pleased..."

Liu Heng toyed with the brush before tucking it into his robe.

Leisurely, he positioned his back to block the moonlight as he advanced toward Luo Yao.

He took great pleasure in watching the expressions of righteous heroes in their final moments.

Would this little girl beg for mercy in tears?

Or would she offer riches to buy her life?

Or perhaps... threaten him?

"Ugh..."

Luo Yao's face was deathly pale, her eyes filled with despair.

She was both regretful and bewildered.

Was the martial world truly this treacherous?

Her opponent was clearly at the Profound Core Realm—why would someone so strong stoop to bullying a mere Qi-Blood Realm practitioner? That was just unfair!

Back home, she had never felt such pain before...

Was she... going to die?

Tears streamed down the girl's face.

"I don’t want to die..."

"Keh keh..."

"Not at the hands of such an ugly monster... Waaah..."

Liu Heng's laughter abruptly ceased.

He hated nothing more than being called ugly—even if it was true.

Lies didn’t hurt; the truth did.

"You’re dead!"

All desire to toy with her vanished. He raised his palm, ready to end Luo Yao’s life.

At the critical moment—

BOOM!

Was that thunder?

No—it was the sound of air exploding.

A streak of black light, like divine punishment or a falling meteor, came crashing down.

The sheer pressure of the wind made it hard to breathe.

"Who goes there?!"

Liu Heng repeated his earlier trick, vanishing from sight.

But this time, the black light halted mid-air, revealing the figure wielding it—a tall man wearing a bronze dragon-head mask. The black light turned out to be a short-handled hammer in his grip.

A divine weapon!

"Friend, you must be from the same world as I."

"How about this—you take the girl’s life, and everything else is yours. What say you?"

Liu Heng’s pupils flickered as he spoke.

"Isn’t the Endless Trial a fight to the death upon meeting?"

The dragon-masked man chuckled lightly.

"One should pick their battles wisely. With your strength, we might even become colleagues in the future. Why spill blood needlessly?"

Liu Heng sounded utterly sincere.

"Fine, have it your way. Go ahead."

The dragon mask nodded twice, as if agreeing to the terms.

Step—

Liu Heng had barely taken half a step when—

Whoosh!

A gust of sinister wind billowed under his robes as he suddenly attacked.

But what awaited him was a hammer radiating murderous intent.

"Knew you couldn’t be trusted!" x2

Li Mo’s hammer smashed into Liu Heng’s claw, sending sparks flying.

Liu Heng’s figure was flung backward, vanishing once more.

His voice echoed from all directions:

"Keh keh keh, so you haven’t even reached the Jade Marrow Realm."

"Just relying on a divine weapon and brute strength to challenge someone two realms above you?"

"And it’s nighttime!"

Countless ghostly shadows, carried by the eerie wind, surged forward. Liu Heng’s figure seemed to flicker along with his voice.

Yet, behind the dragon mask, a pair of eyes calmly closed.

When the hammer rose again, the air itself seemed to freeze.

After honing his skills in the Merchant’s Dance Arena, Li Mo no longer needed his eyes to see.

By sensing killing intent alone, he could pinpoint his foe.

Thus—

The hammer passed through the swarm of ghostly shadows, slow yet unstoppable, before landing squarely on one particular figure.

BOOM!

Liu Heng’s expression hadn’t even had time to change.

The unavoidable strike reduced him to a mist of blood.

The force of the blow was so concentrated that not a single brick or tile around them was damaged.

"You know, if you wanted to fight, you should’ve done it sooner."

"Instead, you had to play cat and mouse..."

Li Mo paused mid-sentence, suddenly recalling—

Back when he played games, he too loved to toy with his opponents when he had the upper hand, trapping them in their spawn instead of ending the match...

Hmm.

Why did he suddenly understand how villains thought?

"W-Who are you?"

"If you’re going to kill me... at least let me die knowing why."

The trembling voice of a certain "mouse" betrayed her fear.

"You can call me the Hammer King of the Northwest."

Li Mo casually picked up the Gentleman’s Brush, glanced at it, and tossed it back to the girl.

"You’re not going to kill me?"

"If you don’t scram right now, I’ll hammer you to death."

Li Mo feigned menace.

He wasn’t sure how to react to this girl.

Seriously, do I not look like a bad guy to you?

Instead of running while you can, you’re still asking questions?

"Thank you... but I’ve never heard of you. Which sect are you from?"

"The Hard as Iron Gang."

"I'll remember this. I'll repay you someday..."

Luo Yao ran a few steps away, then turned back abruptly:

"Oh, by the way... do you know where Luo Yu from the Blazing Jade Forest is?"

"He's at the prefectural office."

Li Mo felt a vein throb on his forehead.

"Thanks! You're actually pretty nice."

Finally, Luo Yao left.

But not long after her departure,

another cautious figure slipped into the alleyway.

"You again—"

Li Mo initially thought Luo Yao had returned.

Yet when he looked properly,

he saw a small beggar girl with threadbare but meticulously clean clothes, scurrying in like a little mouse.

She carried a bamboo basket filled with odd trinkets, her eyes still wrapped in tattered cloth. Clutched in her arms was a broken tree branch.

She lifted her head slightly, the wariness in her white-blindfolded eyes almost palpable.

"Um... do you have... anything you don't need?"

Li Mo: "......"