Chapter 2150: Earth Rank
Decapitation with a single stroke. Clean, smooth, and neat.
“What?!” shrieked the tall man. His comrade had been upper human rank and a hair stronger than him!
How could a young man, one who couldn’t train in martial dao, execute a cultivator with one stroke?!
This was a conspiracy!
Yus.h.i.+ Moli was plainly a formidable swordsman, but the rumors circulating in Aurora City made him out to be useless trash. Stories of his inept.i.tude were everywhere within one hundred kilometers of the city and many jeered that he was the dog son of a tiger father.
Was all of this a conspiracy planted by Yus.h.i.+ Jianchou?
A myriad of emotions a.s.sailed the tall man, but he felt incredible fear more than anything. Whether it was the angle or speed of Yus.h.i.+ Moli’s blow, it rivaled, if not surpa.s.sed what an experienced swordsman could deploy.
The strength behind it was on par with upper human rank! Yet the man didn’t sense the ripples of true qi from Yus.h.i.+ Moli!
“This won’t do, Yus.h.i.+ Moli plainly has the strength of upper human rank and is an old hand at killing people. I’m no match for him if we go toe-to-toe!” The tall man frowned. “This must get back to the rest, the lord must know!”
Yus.h.i.+ Jianchou had concealed a major killing weapon in his family. He certainly wasn’t harboring any resemblance of good intentions in doing so!
Run!
A frosty glint in his eyes, Yus.h.i.+ Moli tensed, ready to test his skills and fight the other man. Who would’ve thought that his opponent’s next reaction would be to run away instead?
“He’s gone?” Yus.h.i.+ Moli blinked. “Is he that cowardly?”
The boy shook his head, but didn’t mind the development. There would be others who came along for revenge, but he really didn’t care. The man was very fast and vanished amongst the trees with a few rises and falls. Yus.h.i.+ Moli wouldn’t be able to catch up to him even if he wanted to.
“I need to get out of here as soon as possible. I’ll be dead without a doubt if he comes back with helpers!” Although caution ran through Yus.h.i.+ Moli’s mind, he moved at a leisurely pace that belied what he said he should do. He searched through the headless body and found a cloth bag.
“Three gold coins and a dozen silver coins? He’s so poor and he doesn’t have any secret methods on him.” Yus.h.i.+ Moli blinked at what he found on the fat man’s body. “It looks like who I killed last time is no ordinary person. Are these guys here to take revenge for Luo Qing?”
He realized what was going on when he connected the dots. Yus.h.i.+ Moli quickly hopped onto his horse and urged it back to Clearsnow Estate.
The two martial cultivators who’d ambushed him today most likely had something to do with Luo Qing. Those two wouldn’t have a reason to kill him otherwise.
Killing two more people today didn’t raise any uncomfortable feelings in Yus.h.i.+ Moli’s heart. He was neither excited nor dejected by his deeds. It was like he’d done something so insignificant that it didn’t bear consideration.
He also wasn’t worried about the one who’d gotten away. Clearsnow Estate was Aurora territory. Even with how small it was, there were martial cultivators standing guard over it. No one would dare make trouble here.
Yus.h.i.+ Jianchou was the city lord of Aurora City and its strongest cultivator. He still possessed a certain amount of authority.
Granted, Yus.h.i.+ Moli felt that he would have nothing to fear even if his father didn’t possess his reputation and there were no cultivators in residence at the estate.
……
The boy put recent affairs out of his mind when he returned to Clearsnow Estate. It was like a tiny wave had risen in the boundless sea, gone after it died down. The only thing he felt was that he and Aurora City weren’t meant to be.
Life had been far from ideal when he lived in the city and now that he’d moved out, he always ran into bizarre ambushes after he visited.
He wouldn’t be visiting in the future then!
Yus.h.i.+ Moli raised his sword in the forests of Qingqiu Mountain and continued practicing his sword techniques and body method.
……
“You’re back.” Mister Zhou raised his brows when he saw the tall man return to Aurora City.
“Mister Zhou, we’ve all been fooled!” The man knew to conceal his emotions, so there was no particular expression on his face at the moment. He placed his lips close to the young man’s ears and whispered a few sentences.
Mister Zhou frowned. “Take me to it!”
In the middle of a small path five kilometers out from Aurora City.
The fat man’s headless body was sprawled over it. His robes were slightly open, a sign that someone had searched through them.
“What a forceful blow!” Mister Zhou sucked in a sharp breath when he saw the wound on the corpse. “Even certain earth rank sword experts will find it difficult to deliver such a stroke. Was it really Yus.h.i.+ Moli who killed him?”
“Yes!” the tall man confirmed emphatically. “Yus.h.i.+ Moli’s body method is odd. It’s a bit like the Galewind Step, but it’s many times more sophisticated! He only struck once, but I didn’t even get a clear look before fatty died!”
The tall man inwardly rejoiced when he heard Mister Zhou’s a.s.sessment of the blow. Earth rank! Thank goodness he’d immediately run away instead of fighting Yus.h.i.+ Moli. He’d also be dead if he tried to take down the boy.
Mister Zhou took in a deep breath and crouched down, carefully examining the fat man’s wound.
“This wound is very similar to the one on the young master’s throat. It’s obviously from the same person, but this one is much more sophisticated.” It was a very unwelcome discovery. “If he wasn’t hiding his strength three days ago, then he’s continuously improved during this time. This person is very frightening!”
“We…” the tall man began.
“Dispose of his body and don’t let word of this spread. I’m going to find the lord and see what he decides,” Mister Zhou ordered.
……
“What?? How is this possible?!” Luo Hanye had received nothing but a stomach full of anger for his time in Aurora City. He ran into Mister Zhou when he left the metropolis.
Mister Zhou was the grand steward of Coldnight Estate. Although he was young, he was very experienced and possessed a high cultivation level. Luo Hanye trusted him immensely.
Although Mister Zhou had followed his master to Aurora City, he didn’t accompany Luo Hanye in visiting Yus.h.i.+ Jianchou. Instead, he’d brought a gift to pay his respects to Yuqing Yang.
Not only did Mister Zhou fail to see the grandmaster, but his gift was also returned.
Luo Hanye’s expression s.h.i.+fted when he heard Mister Zhou’s report upon leaving Aurora City.
“If Yus.h.i.+ Moli really is behind it, then the boy has fooled everyone,” Mister Zhou nodded.
“Hmph, so that runt killed Qing’er. How will I ever face my brother if I don’t take revenge for Qing’er!” Luo Hanye ground his teeth.
Luo Qing was the son of Luo Hanye’s elder brother—Luo Lengye. The two brothers had founded Coldnight Estate near Aurora City thirty years ago. Upon its establishment, they were attacked by the biggest band of robbers in the vicinity—the Blackwind Robbers.
The fight lasted three days and three nights. Although the Blackwind Robbers were eventually repelled and never dared set foot into the estate again, its lord—Luo Lengye—died from his injuries. He left behind only his son, Luo Qing.
The two brothers were very tight knit and Luo Hanye treated Luo Qing as his own son after the death of his elder brother. Sadly, Luo Qing’s martial potential was incredibly poor. Even with the aid of countless cultivation resources, he only managed to ascend to mid human rank despite being nearly forty years old.
When Luo Qing heard of Yuqing Yang visiting Aurora City three days ago, he secretly slipped away to meet the grandmaster. But Yus.h.i.+ Moli killed him when greed overtook him.
“Yus.h.i.+ Jianchou can’t possibly be in the dark that Yus.h.i.+ Moli killed my nephew. Since he insists on playing dumb, then let him keep up the act.” Killing intent flashed through Luo Hanye’s eyes. “We can’t do anything in Clearsnow Estate. Set a watch on it and kill Yus.h.i.+ Moli when he sets foot out of it!”
As livid as he was, Luo Hanye didn’t lose his reason. The consequences would be disastrous if he sent people into the estate, even if they were a.s.sa.s.sins. Coldnight Estate could not endure Yus.h.i.+ Jianchou’s wrath. The city lord was the strongest in the surrounding area.