Chapter 633
Slapping the Troublemaker to His Knees
"what?!"
The swordsman was shocked. Although his sword strike was not a particularly advanced technique, it still contained the spiritual power of his early-stage Spirit Stream Realm. Its speed and power were not weak. How could it be caught by bare hands? He subconsciously tried to pull back his short sword, but felt as if the blade was welded to the other man's hand, and it did not move at all!
Before he could react, Jiang Xuan grabbed the sword with his right hand and twisted it to the side!
"Crack!"
The steel dagger was twisted and deformed!
At the same time, Jiang Xuan's left foot kicked out like lightning, hitting the man squarely in the abdomen!
"Ugh—!"
The swordsman let out a bloodcurdling scream, his body arching like a boiled shrimp as he was kicked off the ground and sent flying backward, crashing heavily into a distant pillar before rolling to the ground.
He clutched his stomach, curled up in a ball, his face pale with pain, veins bulging on his forehead, unable to even scream, only able to groan in agony.
Clean! Efficient! Ruthless!
From grabbing the sword to twisting it off and then kicking it away, the whole process happened in the blink of an eye! By the time everyone reacted, the man with the sword was already convulsing in pain on the ground.
The hall fell completely silent.
You could hear a pin drop.
Only the suppressed sobs of the woman in red and the painful groans of the man on the ground remained.
Everyone stared at Jiang Xuan in terror, as if he were a ferocious beast that had suddenly barged into a flock of sheep.
That clean and decisive counterattack, that indifferent gaze, that ruthless and merciless method instantly shattered all their drunkenness and arrogance.
Several of the more timid ones had already begun to tremble and instinctively retreated.
"Who...who are you?!"
A slightly older man, dressed in a purple brocade robe, tried to remain calm, but his voice trembled as he shouted in a fierce but insincere tone.
He realized that this young man hadn't wandered in by mistake, but had come prepared! And his strength far surpassed that of this group of good-for-nothings!
Jiang Xuan ignored him, and didn't even look at the woman in red screaming on the ground or the man curled up in pain.
His gaze slowly swept over the faces in the hall, some terrified, some angry, and some bewildered, before finally settling on the woman in red, known as "Sister Yujiao".
He strode towards the woman in red. His steps were unhurried, yet carried an invisible pressure.
"You...you stay away!"
The woman in red was so frightened that she shrank back, ignoring the pain on her face, and screamed.
"What are you all standing there for? Attack him together! Take him down! He dares to make a move on Xinxin Peak, he's gone too far!"
However, her screams went unanswered. Having witnessed Jiang Xuan's methods just now, who would dare to step forward so easily? These people usually rely on their family's influence to bully others on this dilapidated Xixin Peak. They can bully the old servant Lin Zhong, but when they encounter a tough opponent, they are all cowards.
Jiang Xuan walked up to the woman in red, looked down at her, and spoke in a calm, unwavering voice.
"What's your name? What's your status in the Lin family?"
The woman in red felt a chill run down her spine from Jiang Xuan's gaze; it was so cold, devoid of any warmth.
She shuddered and answered instinctively.
“I…I am Lin Yujiao…I am…the legitimate daughter of the third branch of the Lin family…by seniority, I am your cousin!”
As she spoke, she seemed to regain some confidence and tried to use her status to intimidate others.
"Cousin?"
Jiang Xuan's lips curled into a faint, yet chillingly cold, smile.
"Very good. Lin Yujiao, as a member of the Lin family, do you know the clan rules? Do you know what this Cleansing Heart Hall is?"
Lin Yujiao was taken aback by his question and stammered.
"Of course I know the clan rules... This Cleansing Heart Hall... is... is an important place for the clan..."
"Since you know that..."
Jiang Xuan interrupted her, his voice suddenly turning stern.
"Who gave you the audacity to bring a bunch of scoundrels here to drink and make merry, desecrating our ancestors?!"
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Xuan suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Yujiao by the collar, lifting her off the ground like a chick!
"Ah! Let me go! What do you want to do?!"
Lin Yujiao was so frightened that she was scared out of her wits and kicked her arms and legs wildly.
Jiang Xuan didn't even look at her. With a flick of his arm, he threw Lin Yujiao out of the open palace door!
"what--!"
A piercing scream tore through the night sky. Lin Yujiao flew over the threshold like a tattered sack, crashing heavily onto the bluestone ground outside the hall. She rolled several times before coming to a stop, her gorgeous red dress covered in dust, her hair disheveled, and she was in a terrible state, tears streaming down her face from the pain.
Jiang Xuan stood at the entrance of the palace, the moonlight shining on him and casting a long shadow.
He glanced coldly at Lin Yujiao, who was lying dazed and confused outside. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone inside and outside the hall.
"Kneel outside the hall and await your punishment. If you dare to make another sound, you will be executed as an example to others."
As the words "kill one to warn a hundred" were uttered, Jiang Xuan's aura suddenly changed! It was no longer the calm and restrained one before, but a sharp and incomparable pressure, seemingly carrying the scent of blood, suddenly erupted!
His eyebrows were like sharp blades, and his eyes were like cold lightning. Just by standing there, he gave people a suffocating feeling of being surrounded by mountains of corpses and seas of blood! That was the killing aura that had been tempered after experiencing life-and-death battles and personally killing powerful enemies!
Lin Yujiao, who was struggling to get up and start cursing outside the hall, was hit by this momentum and felt as if she had been doused with ice water. All the words were stuck in her throat, her whole body was cold, her face was as white as paper, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
She had no doubt that if she dared to make another sound, that cold-eyed boy would really kill her!
Fear completely overwhelmed the pain and anger. Lin Yujiao trembled, enduring the excruciating pain all over her body, struggled to get up, and then with a "thud," knelt down straight towards the main hall, head bowed, not daring to look at Jiang Xuan again.
Inside the hall, Lin Zhong watched this scene, his aged eyes filled with shock and... a hint of disbelief.
He seemed to see a reflection of the young Master Wenjing in his youth—decisive, assertive, and brooking no disobedience. No, this young Master Xuan before him seemed to possess an added layer of coldness and ruthlessness honed by experience, surpassing even the young Master Wenjing of yesteryear!
This young master, whose original spiritual veins had been removed and whom everyone thought had died long ago, has now returned with such great power and spirit!
Jiang Xuan stopped looking at Lin Yujiao outside the hall, turned around, and once again swept his gaze over the silent crowd inside the hall.
“Those who are not members of the Lin clan, step forward now.”
His voice remained calm, yet carried an unquestionable tone of command.
A commotion broke out inside the hall.
The women, dressed in flamboyant attire and heavily made up, looked at each other, their faces pale. In the end, they walked out tremblingly, supporting each other. There were five of them in total.
They were just courtesans summoned to accompany the drinks, and had never seen anything like this before. They were terrified and their faces turned pale.
Jiang Xuan looked at Lin Zhong. Lin Zhong's face turned red, and he lowered his head in shame, whispering.
"Young master...they...are from the 'Yihong Pavilion' in the city..."
Jiang Xuan nodded, saying nothing more, but gave instructions to Lin Zhong.
"Uncle Lin, please escort them down the mountain and pay them the full amount. Also... give each of them an extra sum to calm their nerves." He wasn't one to hold a grudge; these women were just trying to make a living.
"Yes, young master!"
Lin Zhong quickly agreed, his admiration for Jiang Xuan's handling of the situation growing even stronger.
"And...and I'm still here..."
A man dressed in a pink long gown, with makeup on his face and a timid demeanor, also stepped forward timidly, his voice high-pitched.
"I...I'm not a member of the Lin family either..."
Lin Zhong's face grew even uglier. He leaned close to Jiang Xuan's ear and whispered something in a very low voice.
"Young Master... this is... this is the male concubine kept by the fourth son's family to relieve his boredom..."
A cold glint flashed in Jiang Xuan's eyes. The Lin family members not only mingled with prostitutes, but they even openly kept male lovers, bringing them to this important clan territory for their pleasure! With such depravity, how could the family not perish!
"Send them all away together."
Jiang Xuan's voice was devoid of emotion.
"Yes."
Lin Zhong accepted the order and quickly led the six non-Lin family members away from the main hall.
Those men felt as if they had been granted a pardon and followed Lin Zhong without looking back.
The main hall suddenly felt much emptier, with only four men and two women remaining, plus Lin Yujiao kneeling outside the hall, making a total of seven members of the Lin family.
The six men were now completely sober, their faces pale, and their eyes were filled with fear and unease as they looked at Jiang Xuan. They had lost all their previous arrogance.
Jiang Xuan didn't speak, only silently watching them. The atmosphere inside the hall was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe, with only heavy breathing and the faint sound of Lin Yujiao's suppressed sobs coming from outside.
Finally, Jiang Xuan spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the silent hall.
"You lot, get out here and kneel outside the hall."
"what?!"
"You want us to kneel?!"
"Kid, don't go too far! This is Lin family territory!"
The remaining people were both shocked and furious upon hearing this. To make them kneel outside the hall like Lin Yujiao? This was an utter disgrace!
"Lin family territory?"
Jiang Xuan finally turned his gaze to the few who were shouting the loudest, and the cold smile on his lips reappeared.
"You dare to mention the name 'Lin Family'?"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly moved!
Like a tiger among sheep, so fast that only a blur remains!
"boom!"
"what!"
"Crack!"
My arm!
"Pfft!"
"Spare me!"
Several muffled thuds were followed by short screams and the sound of bones dislocating.
Jiang Xuan's moves were lightning fast, whether it was a palm strike, a punch, or a kick, each strike precisely hitting the joints, soft ribs, or other non-fatal but excruciatingly painful areas of those people.
Without using any weapons or even much spiritual power, he simply relied on his physical strength and combat skills, which far surpassed those of these debauched men, to knock all six members of the Lin family to the ground in just a few breaths!
He was ruthless, yet he left room for maneuver, sparing their lives and even avoiding inflicting irreversible injuries. After all, they shared the same surname, Lin, and the same blood flowed through their veins; no matter how badly they were hurt, Jiang Xuan had still spared them.
"Throw it out."
Jiang Xuan gave Lin Zhong, who had just returned to the hall, a few words of instruction.
Lin Zhong was in high spirits at this moment, and his movements became much more nimble. He stepped forward and dragged one of the collateral relatives in each hand, like dragging dead dogs, along with the one who had been kicked away earlier, all of them outside the hall and threw them next to Lin Yujiao who was kneeling.
Soon, seven people knelt in a neat row on the bluestone ground outside the hall. They were all bruised and swollen, their clothes disheveled. Some were clutching their stomachs, some were hugging their arms, grimacing in pain, but they dared not make a sound.
She merely glanced furtively at the boy at the palace entrance, who resembled a demon, with eyes filled with fear, anger, and disbelief.
Jiang Xuan walked to the entrance of the palace. The moonlight stretched his tall figure long, enveloping the seven kneeling people.
His gaze swept over the seven faces, some familiar and some unfamiliar, and seeing the fear, resentment, and bitterness on their faces, he felt no pleasure, only a chilling disappointment.
Are these the remaining "disciples" of the Lin family? Unable to fight when facing enemies, only knowing how to enjoy themselves, bullying the weak, and constantly fighting amongst themselves. With these people, let alone reviving the Lin family, even preserving themselves in the upcoming turmoil is probably a pipe dream.
"Kneel down."
Jiang Xuan uttered two words calmly.
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an irresistible authority. Combined with his ruthless methods and the lingering murderous aura emanating from him, it struck the seven men like a heavy hammer blow.
thump! thump!
Apart from Lin Yujiao, who was already kneeling, the other six people, no matter how humiliated or angry they felt, dared not disobey in the slightest. They endured the pain, obediently knelt up, lowered their heads, and dared not meet Jiang Xuan's gaze.
They were scared, really scared.
This suddenly appearing teenager was ruthless and powerful. He didn't care about their identities at all, and would attack or throw them away whenever he wanted.
They had no doubt that if they dared to make another move now, the other side would really take drastic measures!
Jiang Xuan stopped looking at them, turned around, and walked back to the center of the Cleansing Heart Hall. Lin Zhong followed closely behind, closing the two broken doors and shutting out the row of kneeling figures.
Inside the main hall, the previous smoky atmosphere was gone, but the smell of spoiled food and wine and the stench of cosmetics still lingered, leaving the place in a mess.
Jiang Xuan stood in the center of the empty hall, looking around. The towering dome and the thick beams and pillars, where the clan emblem and portraits of ancestors once hung, were now empty, with only mottled traces remaining.
This place was where his father, grandfather, and generations of Lin family ancestors discussed and made decisions, bearing the family's honor and responsibility.
He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly carried through the palace doors to the seven people kneeling outside, as well as to Lin Zhong, who was standing to the side.
"My name is Jiang Xuan."
"From this day forward, I will take over this Cleansing Heart Peak."
Upon hearing this, the seven people kneeling outside the hall abruptly raised their heads, their faces filled with astonishment, bewilderment, and a sense of absurdity, as if to say, "Are you crazy?" Even Lin Zhong was shaken, staring excitedly at Jiang Xuan's retreating figure.
Xinxin Peak! This is the symbolic foundation of the Lin family! Even though the family has declined and its assets have been divided up, as long as this "mountain of powerful clans" remains under the Lin family's name, the Lin family has never been completely extinguished! This is a treasure land that countless forces in the Forbidden City have secretly coveted but have failed to obtain for various reasons!
Now, this suddenly appearing teenager, who is only a little over ten years old, actually said he wanted to take over Xixin Peak.
This is utterly absurd! Absolutely ridiculous!
If they hadn't been stunned by Jiang Xuan's swift and decisive actions, they probably would have already burst out laughing. What makes you think you, some nobody who appeared out of nowhere, can compete? Just because you can fight? There are plenty of capable fighters in the Forbidden City! The interests and background of Xixin Peak are not something a mere brat like you can shake. (End of Chapter)