The dagger twisted, accompanied by Qin Shaoyang’s piteous scream, as Nan Shiying forcefully gouged out his eyeballs.
“I didn’t like the way you looked at me just now!”
She chuckled, stepping on the eyeballs. With a squelch, they burst, like a firecracker exploding, sending shivers down everyone’s spines.
This person was likely some malevolent star, smiling brightly as she crushed a man’s eyes. The sheer contrast sent a chill through the onlookers.
The young girl’s eyes widened, filled with fear, shock, and a hint of exhilaration.
“Come, will someone take me to the Qin estate?”
“I… I!”
The young girl spoke timidly, her second “I” carrying more conviction.
“Xiao Wan!”
The innkeeper called out, then shook his head at her.
*Absolutely not*, he thought.
The young girl pushed herself up from the table. The garment draped over her shoulders slipped slightly with the movement, and she quickly pulled the collar closed.
This girl shouldn’t go out in this state.
She glanced around. Those who met her gaze quickly lowered their heads. These people lacked even a young girl’s courage.
Fine, asking a passerby would have to do.
Nan Shiying, dragging Qin Shaoyang, walked towards the inn’s exit. The young girl hurried after them, but the Poison Elder grabbed her. “Alright, if you go out like this, what about your reputation? Forget what happened today if you can. Since she saved you, don’t go seeking death. Live well, live with all your might, and that will be your repayment.”
“Of course, if you want to watch the show, you can go change your clothes, get yourself up, and if you’re quick enough, you might even catch the tail end of it.”
The Poison Elder spoke as he stood up. He walked over to a thug who had been feigning death, curled up in a corner like a quail, patted his shoulder, and then headed for the door.
The crowd, thinking he was going to kill the thug, found his action of merely patting him baffling.
Yet, keeping this person around was ultimately a menace. The innkeeper trembled, picking up a stool and approaching the thug. With each shaky step, he was more terrified than if he were the one to be killed.
The young girl gritted her teeth, turned, and ran to the kitchen to grab a cleaver. Her gaze determined, she walked towards the thug. Coupled with the blood on her face, she truly resembled a ruthless killer. However, before the girl could get halfway, the thug suddenly collapsed, blood gushing from all seven orifices.
In mere seconds, he dissolved into a puddle of blood.
“Hiss~”
The crowd collectively gasped again.
The old man who had been silently stuffing his face was also a ruthless killer? What kind of person had Qin Shaoyang angered!
Everyone was filled with dread!
*Wait, they… they don’t actually plan to destroy the Qin estate, do they?*
But there were only three of them in total. How could they possibly contend with the powerful Qin family that dominated the region?
*No, they couldn’t miss such a rare, once-in-a-century event.*
The patrons who had witnessed the entire affair in the inn rushed out. On the bustling streets, people were startled to see a refined young man carrying someone who looked like a blood-soaked gourd. Then, seeing the dark, dense crowd following him, they quickly parted to the sides.
Some sharp-eyed individuals recognized the blood-gourd as the tyrannical Qin Shaoyang, and almost set off firecrackers in celebration. What had happened? How had Qin Shaoyang fallen to such a state?
Those following Nan Shiying spoke up, piecing together the story. Upon hearing that the young man not only subdued Qin Shaoyang but was also bringing him to cause trouble at the Qin estate, the onlookers joined the procession. As Nan Shiying’s entourage grew, it finally attracted the attention of the city patrol.
Hearing the citizens’ discussions, the yamen runner broke out in a cold sweat.
*Where did this ominous figure come from now?*
*No, this must be reported to the Prefect immediately.*
…
With directions from the citizens, Nan Shiying quickly found the Qin estate. The estate’s gates were grand and opulent, towering over the surrounding residences.
“Xuan Yi!”
Nan Shiying stood at the foot of the steps, Qin Shaoyang in tow.
Xuan Yi strode up the steps and blasted open the Qin estate’s main gate.
The Qin estate’s guards rushed out, surrounding Xuan Yi. “Who dares to trespass into the Qin estate? Such audacity!”
The Qin guards yelled their reprimands. The response was a sword faster than light.
Xuan Yi, drawing his sword, charged directly into the Qin estate.
Nan Shiying, carrying Qin Shaoyang, walked in unhurriedly, treading on a carpet of blood and corpses.
“Presumptuous!”
A furious roar, like thunder, echoed through the sky. Qin Tianlin, the current head of the Qin family and Qin Shaoyang’s father, wielding a heavy hammer, blocked Xuan Yi in the front courtyard.
Qin Tianlin, a mere tail-end of a first-rate master.
He swung his heavy hammer with fierce momentum and imposing aura, launching a formidable attack towards Xuan Yi.
His techniques were broad and powerful, while Xuan Yi’s swordplay excelled in speed and ingenuity, specializing in overcoming the strong with the soft and the slow with the fast. Xuan Yi was already an elite master, and his opponent was a mere waste of space struggling to break through to first-rate. Within dozens of moves, Qin Tianlin’s琵琶骨 (pípá gǔ - the clavicle and scapula region) was pierced by a sword.
Xuan Yi did not kill Qin Tianlin. Instead, he crippled his martial arts in a similar fashion and dragged him, like a dead dog, before Nan Shiying.
Nan Shiying casually tossed Qin Shaoyang next to Qin Tianlin, then crouched down, smiling at him.
The Qin estate’s martial prowess was no more than this. Their ability to act arrogantly in Xiling Prefecture for so long was solely due to the backing of the Ghost Fiend Gate.
“If you wish for a swift death, then truthfully confess all the wicked deeds you and your Qin family have committed over the years. If you do not wish to die swiftly, you can bite your tongue, or pray in your heart that the Ghost Fiend Gate hears of this and comes to your rescue.”
“I’ll give you three seconds to choose.”
“Three, two…”
At two, Nan Shiying abruptly stopped, looking at Qin Tianlin with mock regret. “Since you have not made your choice within the time I allocated, I will assume you have chosen the second option.”
Hearing this, Qin Tianlin’s eyes widened. Although he had resolved to die before speaking, he had not expected his opponent to be so shameless, stating three seconds but only counting to two.
Shameless, utterly shameless!