Chapter 640
The Chi Family's Evil Servant Commits Murder in the Street
As soon as he stepped off the carriage, the group of rhinoceros-horned wolf cavalry immediately reined in their horses in unison, dismounted, and stood at attention on both sides. Their movements were swift and decisive, demonstrating a strict military discipline.
"It's Chi Ze! That jinx is back again!"
"Damn it, that bastard has been causing trouble every few days for the past six months. Does he even allow people to do business?!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! Do you want to die?! He's from the Chi family! He's in power right now!"
"Pah! What Chi family member! I heard that he wasn't originally surnamed Chi. He only got the surname Chi because he hooked up with his somewhat beautiful sister and climbed the social ladder. His sister married a collateral branch of the Chi family, and that's how he was given the surname Chi."
He only got to where he is today by earning some military merits in the border army and currying favor with the Chi family. Once he gained power, he forgot who he was, acting arrogantly and domineeringly—it's disgusting!
Along the streets, pedestrians hiding in shops or corners whispered and resentfully discussed the matter, their eyes filled with disgust and fear.
Chizawa? Chi family?
Jiang Xuan handed the still-sobling little boy in his arms to a woman next to him who was pale with fright and thanking him repeatedly. Hearing the surrounding discussions, his brows furrowed even more.
It's the Chi family again! Along the way, I've killed many Blackscale Guards sent by the Chi family to ambush me, hijacked their warships, and just taught Chi Cangfeng a lesson for trying to obstruct my takeover of Xixin Peak. Unexpectedly, not long after entering the Forbidden City, I've encountered the Chi family again, and even been whipped by one of their men!
The wound on his back was still burning with pain, and a cold glint flashed in Jiang Xuan's eyes.
Instead of reacting immediately, he walked over to an elderly passerby who had been talking the loudest but was now shrinking back and not daring to speak anymore, and asked in a low voice.
"Old man, does this Chi Ze... come here often? What brings him here?"
The old man glanced at Jiang Xuan and saw that although he was young, his eyes were calm and steady, and there were fresh whip marks on his back. He knew that Jiang Xuan was the one who had been beaten while saving people. So he lowered his voice and spoke with sympathy and indignation.
"Young man, you're new here, right? Don't mess with that scoundrel! He's only started coming here regularly in the last six months or so, every few days, and every time he comes he causes a ruckus! All because... he's harassing a girl in Lingjiu Residence!"
"girl?"
Jiang Xuan's heart stirred.
"Yes!"
The old man sighed and pointed to Lingjiu Residence.
"About a year ago, the old manager of Lingjiu Residence, a lame old man, suddenly hired a helper, who was an extremely beautiful woman! Her appearance, her temperament... oh my, I've lived most of my life and never seen such a beautiful girl!"
She was just too cold, like an iceberg, and didn't talk much. But because of this girl, the whole alley became a sensation, and many people came to see her.
"But the good times didn't last long."
The old man shook his head.
"For some reason, Chi Ze took a liking to that girl and came to bother her time and time again."
When the girl ignored him, he started causing trouble in various ways, either driving away customers or smashing things. Lingjiuju used to be doing well, but after his antics, who dares to come now? Only we neighbors occasionally come to patronize the old manager's business.
That girl…sigh, she's stubborn too. Whenever Chi Ze comes, she hides or keeps a cold face and doesn't say a word. The old shopkeeper seems to have some skill, so Chi Ze doesn't dare to really use force, but this dragging on is quite annoying!
Xiuwen is as cold as an iceberg? She arrived more than a year ago? Jiang Xuan was almost certain that the girl the old man was talking about was most likely Instructor Xiao Ke from the Bloodthirsty Camp! The timing and her demeanor matched perfectly!
But given Instructor Xiao Ke's strength and personality, how could she tolerate Chi Ze's entanglement for more than half a year without taking drastic measures? Was there some kind of concern? Or... was the old manager of Lingjiu Residence, that "old cripple," the key?
As he was pondering, a loud bang suddenly came from inside Lingjiu Residence!
"boom!"
It sounded like tables and chairs being smashed to pieces.
Immediately afterwards, the half-closed door of Lingjiu Residence was violently kicked open, and more than a dozen diners who were eating inside were roughly thrown out like rolling gourds, landing on the street in front of the entrance, groaning and screaming in pain, looking utterly disheveled.
Two burly men dressed in black, clearly Chi Ze's bodyguards, stood at the door, their fierce eyes sweeping over the groaning diners on the ground and the onlookers outside, as they shouted sternly.
"Get out! Lingjiu Residence is closed today! Lord Chizhe has important business to attend to here! Anyone who dares to approach again will be killed without mercy!"
Arrogant, domineering, and utterly unreasonable!
Jiang Xuan's eyes turned cold. He stepped forward, helped up a middle-aged diner who had fallen and was bruised and battered, and asked.
What's going on inside?
The diner was both shocked and frightened. He clutched his sore arm and whispered.
"What else could it be! That bastard Chize is causing trouble again! Apparently, he was coldly rejected by the girl inside, so he went berserk, smashed things, and kicked all of us customers out! What a mess!"
As expected! Jiang Xuan's heart tightened. With Instructor Xiao Ke being so persistent, it was probably her limit to have endured this long. If she couldn't resist and taught Chi Ze a lesson… she would completely offend the Chi family!
He's already in a precarious situation, and he's also involved in the old affairs of Xixin Peak and the Lin family. If his visit to her drags her into a direct conflict with the Chi family...
No! We can't let things get worse!
Without further hesitation, Jiang Xuan gently pushed the diner who had been helped up aside and strode towards the entrance of Lingjiu Residence.
"Stop right there! Are you deaf? I told you we're closed! Get out!"
The two guards at the door shouted angrily when they saw that Jiang Xuan not only did not avoid them but walked straight towards them.
One of them was none other than the scarred man who had charged at Jiang Xuan on horseback and whipped him in the back earlier! He recognized Jiang Xuan now, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.
"Oh ho? It's you again, you reckless brat? Didn't you get enough of that whipping just now? You still dare to come closer? You're asking for death!"
As he spoke, he raised the long, black whip in his hand again, infused it with spiritual power, and with a sharp whooshing sound, lashed it fiercely towards Jiang Xuan's face! This whip was even more vicious than before, clearly a heavy blow, intended to give this ignorant youth a lesson he would never forget!
However, this time, Jiang Xuan did not dodge.
Just as the whip was about to strike his face—
Jiang Xuan made a move!
He shifted his feet strangely, his figure moving like a ghost, narrowly avoiding the sharp whip shadow. At the same time, he took a quick step forward, instantly closing the distance with the scarred guard!
With lightning speed, his left hand shot out and precisely grabbed the wrist of the person holding the whip, twisting it forcefully!
"Crack!"
The crisp sound of a dislocated wrist bone is enough to make your teeth ache.
"what!"
The scarred guard cried out in pain as his whip slipped from his grasp.
At the same time, Jiang Xuan raised his right hand high, his five fingers together, and with a sharp gust of wind, slapped the scarred guard's cheek, whose sinister smile had not yet faded!
"Snapped--!!!"
A slap, louder and more muffled than a whip cracking, resounded at the entrance of Lingjiu Residence! The scarred guard felt an irresistible force slam into half of his face, as if struck by a hammer! He was sent spinning 360 degrees, blood mixed with several dislodged teeth gushing from his mouth, stars flashing before his eyes, his ears ringing, the world spinning around him!
"Pfft!"
His legs buckled, and he was slapped so hard that he knelt down on the ground, clutching his face, which was swelling rapidly like a pig's head and was covered in blood and gore. He made strange hoarse noises in his throat and couldn't get up for a long time. He almost fainted!
quiet!
Deathly silence!
The other guard at the gate, as well as the pedestrians on the street who hadn't completely dispersed, all stared in disbelief at the scene, as if they had seen a ghost!
This handsome young man, who looked to be only a teenager, with whip marks on his back, and who had just saved someone… actually slapped… that fierce-looking guard under Chi Ze, who was at least at the late Earthly Realm level… to his knees?! And knocked out all his teeth?!
This...this contrast is just too much!
Jiang Xuan shook his slightly numb right hand, not even glancing at the scarred-faced guard lying on the ground like a rag doll. His cold gaze fell on another guard at the door who was already terrified, and... the wide-open door of Lingjiu Residence.
"Now, may I go in?"
He asked calmly, his tone understated yet carrying an undeniable pressure.
Jiang Xuan slapped the scarred guard so hard he fell to his knees, spitting blood, clearly incapacitated for the time being. The other guard at the door, seeing this, paled, both shocked and furious, and shouted angrily.
"Boy! How dare you lay a hand on a guard of the Chi family?! You're asking for death!"
His reaction was quick; the long sword at his waist was drawn with a clang, and with a flash of light and a sharp gust of wind, it slashed diagonally toward Jiang Xuan's neck! This strike was ruthless and swift, clearly indicating that he had seen blood and possessed the cultivation of a mid-stage Earthly Realm expert.
But Jiang Xuan was even faster!
The instant his opponent drew his longsword, he moved forward instead of retreating, cutting into the gap in his opponent's sword strike like a fish. His left hand shot out like lightning and grabbed the handle of the black iron whip that had fallen to the ground!
"Snapped!"
The iron whip felt heavy in my hand, and the shaft was icy cold.
The moment Jiang Xuan gripped the whip handle, his spiritual power surged into it, and the dim spiritual patterns on the iron whip were forcibly activated by him, shining with a faint dark light!
"It feels good to hit people with this whip, doesn't it?"
Jiang Xuan's eyes were icy, and his voice was devoid of any emotion.
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly flicked his wrist, and the black iron whip, infused with spiritual power, lashed back like an enraged venomous dragon, accompanied by a piercing shriek, faster than the guard's sword!
"Snapped--!!"
The iron whip struck the guard wielding the sword with perfect precision on the shoulder! The force contained in the whip, combined with Jiang Xuan's physical strength far exceeding that of an ordinary Earthly Realm cultivator, erupted instantly!
"Crack!"
A clear cracking sound rang out.
"what--!"
The guard let out a shrill scream as he was sent flying through the air by the whip. His long sword slipped from his hand, and the bones in half of his shoulder and arm were shattered by the blow!
He crashed heavily onto the bluestone ground several meters away, rolling and howling in pain, coughing up blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. After convulsing a few times, his eyes rolled back and he passed out completely.
This whip not only shattered his bones, but its violent force also penetrated his body, injuring his internal organs!
In just two breaths, the two guards at the entrance, both at least in the mid-to-late stage of the Earthly Fiend Realm, knelt down and fainted, completely losing their fighting ability!
Jiang Xuan didn't even glance at the unconscious guard. He dropped the blood-stained iron whip in his hand, and in a flash, he rushed into the wide-open gate of Lingjiu Residence.
Inside the lobby on the first floor, tables and chairs were overturned, and cups and plates were scattered everywhere, clearly indicating that they had just been roughly cleaned up by Chize's men. The air was filled with the mixed smells of spilled food and wine, as well as a faint sense of impending doom. The lobby was empty, with only the wooden staircase leading to the second floor visible.
Jiang Xuan didn't linger; his figure moved like the wind, and he stepped straight up the stairs. The wooden stairs creaked softly under his feet.
The second floor was also a mess, even worse than the first floor.
Several screens in the private rooms were overturned, and decorative vases were smashed to pieces. Still, no one was visible, but Jiang Xuan's keen hearing detected faint conversations emanating from deeper within, along with a suppressed fluctuation of spiritual energy.
His gaze swept across the room and he noticed an inconspicuous, slightly ajar wooden door at the innermost part of the second floor, which seemed to lead to the courtyard at the back. The sounds and fluctuations of spiritual energy were coming from there.
Jiang Xuan approached the door silently and peeked out through the crack.
Behind the door was a small but elegant courtyard, planted with several clumps of green bamboo, a small rockery, and an ancient well. At this moment, two groups of people were facing each other in the courtyard.
On one side was Chi Ze, who had just gone in, along with seven or eight other guards he had brought with him.
The guards then dispersed, forming a semi-circle that surrounded the people on the other side of the courtyard.
And the one surrounded in the middle was only one person.
It was a woman.
She was wearing a simple, plain white cloth dress; the fabric was ordinary, but it was very clean after being starched.
She had short, neat, jet-black hair that revealed her smooth forehead and graceful neck. Her features were delicate and beautiful, and her skin was fair, like the finest mutton-fat jade.
Her figure was tall and slender, and even in the simplest clothes, she could not hide the aloof and pure temperament that emanated from within, like a lotus flower on a snow-capped mountain. Especially her eyes, clear and calm, yet seemingly containing the ice of millennia, looking at people with a natural detachment and coldness.
It was Xiao Ke! The instructor from the Bloodthirsty Camp who always had a cold face, was strict in training, but would always leave him an extra dose of medicine when no one was around!
Compared to her imposing and austere appearance in the Bloodthirsty Camp, Xiao Ke, now dressed in plain clothes and without makeup, possessed less of the battlefield ferocity, but more of a woman's delicate beauty and... an indescribable charm hidden in the streets. Only the coldness in her eyes remained unchanged.
At this moment, Xiao Ke held a simple, ancient-looking battle sword with a narrow, straight blade. The tip of the blade was firmly pressed against Chi Ze's carotid artery; with just a slight push, he could take his life.
However, Chizawa, with a knife to his neck, did not show much tension or fear on his face.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze lingering greedily and intensely on Xiao Ke's cool and beautiful face, a playful smile even appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Miss Xiao Ke, that's not how you play with a knife."
Chizawa's voice carried a feigned composure, yet it also revealed an undisguised aggression.
"You know you wouldn't dare kill me. If you did, this Lingjiu Residence, and that lame old manager... would all be buried with me. And it would be... a river of blood." (End of Chapter)