Chapter 190: Sharing

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow and stopped.

"Brother, since you're not with the Stellaris Merchant Guild, why are you so intent on opposing me?" Jian Changsheng asked, his face pale.

After several exchanges, Jian Changsheng realized that the mysterious individual before him was incredibly powerful. Even if Jian Changsheng pushed himself to a near-death state, he could only manage a draw. And if his opponent also entered a near-death state, empowered by the Blood Robe, Jian Changsheng feared he might not be able to contend with him at all.

Furthermore, Jian Changsheng was already severely wounded. Continuing the fight would likely leave him incapacitated and at his opponent's mercy.

Though Jian Changsheng's words seemed casual, they conveyed significant information to Chen Ling.

The Stellaris Merchant Guild... So those inside the house were from the Stellaris Merchant Guild?

Although Chen Ling had tracked them all the way, he wasn't actually sure which faction the people in the car belonged to. Now, Jian Changsheng had provided an answer. What surprised Chen Ling, however, was that Jian Changsheng should also be affiliated with the Stellaris Merchant Guild. Why then did he seem to harbor such deep animosity towards them?

Upon reflection, Chen Ling had his answer. Jian Changsheng had killed Yan Xicai once, which likely meant he had completely severed ties with the Stellaris Merchant Guild.

"As I said, I don't care about anything else," Chen Ling replied calmly. "I only want that body."

Seeing this, Jian Changsheng agonized for a long moment before gritting his teeth.

"Alright, the body is yours... but the living captive must be left for me."

Besides the body, Jian Changsheng had deliberately held back earlier, choosing not to kill the man known as Brother Chen. He was from the Stellaris Merchant Guild and appeared to be the leader of this body disposal operation. Jian Changsheng believed they could extract a lot of useful information from him.

This was the maximum concession Jian Changsheng could offer. He couldn't have tracked them this far, endured a beating, only to return empty-handed.

Chen Ling was about to refuse, as the living captive held similar value for him. However, he had a change of mind and then spoke.

"The body is mine. As for the living captive, we can share him."

"Share?"

"You want that captive to extract information from him, nothing more. If that's the case, our goals aren't in conflict," Chen Ling said unhurriedly. "We can find a place and interrogate him in turns. What do you think?"

Jian Changsheng frowned in thought. Given their current situation, continuing the fight would undoubtedly be the worst outcome. Sharing the captive could indeed fulfill both their objectives. Jian Changsheng had even considered taking the captive back to interrogate him for a few days before returning him to the other party.

But such an arrangement would mean neither of them trusted the other. More critically, Jian Changsheng also didn't want his current squalid living situation to be exposed. After much consideration, this proposal truly seemed to be the best solution for now.

"Alright, but I'll choose the location."

Ten minutes later, Jian Changsheng carried Brother Chen, who hung like a dead weight, deep into the dense forest.

Chen Ling, hands in his pockets, followed closely. His gaze swept over the dark, eerie forest around them, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"This is the place you mentioned? An open-air forest?"

"Yes."

For Jian Changsheng, finding a place in the city to interrogate Brother Chen was too dangerous. He needed to find a completely desolate area with open terrain, making it easy for him to use his Blood Droplet ability to escape at any moment. After all, he still couldn't fully trust Chen Ling.

Once the Blood Robe's effects wore off, he would become extremely weak. If Chen Ling were to suddenly attack while he was preoccupied with the interrogation, his life would be in grave danger.

Chen Ling had no objections. Compared to these details, he was more curious about what had happened to Jian Changsheng. He trailed far behind, his gaze constantly scanning Jian Changsheng, a faint glint flickering in his narrowed eyes.

This Jian Changsheng, whom he had killed once during the Ancient Military Treasury incident, surely harbored a grudge against him. If he ever discovered Chen Ling's true identity, it could prove troublesome. Perhaps, Chen Ling pondered, he should just kill him again while he was still weak and vulnerable?

Killing him would not only avenge the exposure of his identity in Aurora City but also allow Chen Ling to have the captive entirely to himself. It seemed like an entirely beneficial move with no drawbacks.

Chen Ling rubbed his chin, meticulously calculating the possibility of eliminating his opponent.

Just then, Jian Changsheng stopped.

"Let's do it here," Jian Changsheng said, tossing Brother Chen onto the ground like a piece of trash. He didn't even bother to tie him up, seemingly unafraid of him escaping once he woke. He looked back at Chen Ling. "Do you want to go first, or should I?"

"You go first," Chen Ling replied, politely yielding.

As he spoke, Chen Ling walked to a nearby tree, sat on the ground, and squinted his eyes as if about to drift off to sleep.

Seeing this, Jian Changsheng wasted no more words. He immediately slapped the unconscious Brother Chen across the face, producing a sharp, resounding smack!

*Smack!*

Brother Chen, who had been lying like a corpse, was sent tumbling several times by the slap, crashing directly into the tree trunk behind him. He opened his eyes in terror and spat out several bloody, broken teeth.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough..." Brother Chen's vision swam. The next moment, a powerful hand grabbed his collar, lifting him entirely off the ground.

"Well, well, if it isn't our old friend Liu Chen," Jian Changsheng said. Under the dim moonlight, Jian Changsheng's blood-stained face looked utterly ferocious.

Seeing this, Liu Chen was visibly stunned. His eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

"What? Don't you recognize me?" Jian Changsheng asked flatly. "It's little Jian... Back when I was with the Yan family, I certainly received plenty of your 'blessings'..."

Jian Changsheng heavily emphasized the word "blessings," and a chilling murderous intent emanated from his words.

Liu Chen, of course, recognized Jian Changsheng. He distinctly remembered the trouble he had caused Jian Changsheng back then. Now, Jian Changsheng was a wanted man, a fugitive pursued by the Stellaris Merchant Guild. This realization filled Liu Chen with panic, as he couldn't imagine what this madman, who now utterly despised the Guild, would do to him.

However, Liu Chen was, after all, someone capable of single-handedly handling such covert and unsavory tasks for the Stellaris Merchant Guild; his resolve was not weak. He quickly suppressed his fear and spoke with an impassive expression.

"So it's you... It seems your days as a stray dog haven't been kind to you, have they? The Stellaris Merchant Guild's pursuit has left you quite pathetic, hasn't it?"

Jian Changsheng's expression instantly turned incredibly grim. He backhanded a punch to Liu Chen's lower abdomen with such terrifying force that the tree trunk behind him shuddered slightly.

Liu Chen's face went pale, and he immediately began to retch. Scarlet blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, each drop soaking into the ground.

"You won't let me live in peace, and I won't let you live in peace either," Jian Changsheng said grimly. "The agony of four Soul-Shattering Interrogations—sooner or later, I will make every single member of the Yan family experience it... and you, you are the first."