Wasn't That a Surprise? Wasn't That Unexpected?

Across the street, in the tavern's first-floor hall, Ning Chuan sat alone before a tableful of dishes, eating with sheer delight.

"So good! Damn, this feels so damn good!"

Ning Chuan set down his bowl and chopsticks, patted his belly, and felt utterly satisfied.

Having lived two lives, this was the first time he had learned that being full could feel this wonderful!

A heap of empty plates covered the table, every one gleaming with oil, cleaner than if a dog had licked it.

The tavernkeeper and waiter stared from the side, dumbfounded.

After paying two taels of silver for the meal, he asked the tavernkeeper for directions to Ning Family Village, picked up his millet, and left.

"Take care, honored guest! We hope to see you again!"

The tavernkeeper's face bloomed like a chrysanthemum. He and the waiter escorted Ning Chuan a long way, still enthusiastically calling after his retreating back.

It could not help reminding Ning Chuan of leaving a foot-bath parlor in his previous life. The girls had called out the same way: "Take care, handsome! We hope to see you again!"

After leaving Qingshi Town and heading west for more than two li, he entered a small forest.

Ning Chuan found a large rock and sat down, then said toward the rear:

"Come out. You've followed me for so long; you must all be tired!"

A rustling sounded all around him. Nine burlap-clad burly men leaped from the woods, each carrying a broadsword and grinning viciously as they surrounded Ning Chuan.

"Kid, wasn't that a surprise? Wasn't that unexpected!"

One of the burlap-clad men said smugly. He was one of the two gate guards from the daytime, and he had already figured out how he would deal with Ning Chuan later.

"Captain Ning, it's this kid. He's carrying more than ten taels of silver."

Another burlap-clad man bowed toward Ning the Flayer behind him.

Then he turned back and pointed at Ning Chuan as he shouted:

"Kid, hand over the silver like a good boy, then leave behind one leg. We'll call it even for you kicking me during the day."

A mocking smile appeared on Ning Chuan's face.

"Oh? You want my silver and my leg? Then you'll have to ask whether the iron staff in my hand agrees."

Village Chief Ning the Flayer walked out with his hands behind his back. With only money on his mind, all he saw when he looked at Ning Chuan was a lump of shining silver.

Ning Chuan had grown noticeably taller, his muscles bulging. He was utterly different from a few days ago; Ning the Flayer did not recognize him, nor could he have imagined it.

"Oh, kid, you've got some guts. What a pity! You offended the Joint Defense Camp!" Ning the Flayer said.

At the sight of his enemy, Ning Chuan's eyes reddened again. He said coldly:

"Offended your Joint Defense Camp? Then I'd like to ask what exactly your Joint Defense Camp is for."

Ning the Flayer gave a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Naturally, it is to fight bandits and protect the peace of the people here!"

Ning Chuan's face was full of scorn as he asked:

"Then how do you explain colluding with bandits before, plundering the countryside and tyrannizing the people? And now you're blocking the road to rob ordinary folk—what do you have planned for that?"

Ning the Flayer's smile froze on his face, and panic surged through him.

"How did this kid find out about my collusion with the bandits?"

"No, this is too serious. It absolutely cannot be exposed!"

Such things could be done in the shadows, and everyone might know it in their hearts, but they could never be brought into the open. Once exposed, they would become public enemies.

He turned to look at the Joint Defense Camp members who had come with him. Several of them were already staring at him suspiciously.

"Utter nonsense. Kill him first!"

Ning the Flayer waved a large hand and said with a vicious grin.

Hearing the order, the nine burlap-clad men pounced like nine vicious wolves. Their sabers thrust and slashed as they launched a ferocious attack on Ning Chuan.

Ning Chuan stood still. Against these ordinary men who were only at the initial stage of the Body Tempering Realm, he felt no fear whatsoever.

A chaotic chorus of clanging rang out. After nine crisp sounds, the nine men stood frozen in place, their faces filled with horror.

Their steel blades had struck Ning Chuan as though they had hit an iron plate, numbing the webs between their thumbs and forefingers. One man had used too much force, and his longsword had been jolted from his hand onto the ground.

An eerie silence fell over the clearing. Several men still had their blade tips pressed against Ning Chuan's body as cold sweat poured down their faces, soaking their backs in an instant.

"Run!"

No one knew who recovered first, but someone shouted, threw down his blade, turned, and fled.

"Trying to run? Too late!"

The iron staff in Ning Chuan's hand swept out in a fierce circle. After a series of cracking sounds, eighteen severed legs lay on the ground, while the nine burly men collapsed and let out miserable howls.

"Ah! My legs! My legs!"

Their wretched cries echoed through the forest, startling birds into frantic flight.

The shouting vexed Ning Chuan. After another flurry of blows, the forest finally fell silent.

Ning the Flayer was scared senseless. The broadsword in his hand dropped to the ground with a clatter. He stood there blankly for several seconds before finally reacting.

He had encountered a martial artist!

With a thud, he fell to his knees and repeatedly slammed his head against the ground.

"Spare me, sir! This lowly one was merely blinded by greed for a moment! Please, sir, think of how this lowly one has elders above and children below, and let this lowly one go like a fart!"

Fear possessed Ning the Flayer, and the actor within him emerged at full force. He cried until his voice was hoarse, pleading with utter sincerity, snot and tears streaming down his face.

At that moment, he was nothing more than a terrified old man. He looked pitiful indeed.

If it had been someone else, they might have felt compassion and, with softened hearts, let him go.

But Ning Chuan knew him through and through. Not only was this man rotten to the core, he had colluded with mounted bandits, plundered the countryside, and tyrannized the people. His crimes were monstrous and beyond forgiveness!

Birds of a feather flock together; people sort themselves by kind.

The Joint Defense Camp members who followed him were certainly no good either. Ning Chuan killed them with a clear conscience.

With a wet squelch, an iron staff descended from above, piercing Ning the Flayer's thigh and pinning him firmly to the ground.

"Ah! Spare me! Spare me!"

Ning the Flayer let out a miserable shriek. Filth and urine had already poured from beneath his trousers, and his words had become incoherent.

Ning Chuan grabbed the hair at the back of Ning the Flayer's head and forced his head up.

"Ning the Flayer, take a good look at who I am."

Hearing this, Ning the Flayer stared fixedly at Ning Chuan.

At first, he did not understand. Several breaths later, it was as though he remembered something. His pupils suddenly contracted, and he muttered to himself before his voice gradually became shrill and hoarse:

"Ning Chuan, you... you... you're Ning Chuan!"

"You're actually not dead?"

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

Ning Chuan placed his blade against his throat and said coldly:

"That's right. I'm Ning Chuan. I'm not dead!"

"Wasn't that a surprise? Wasn't that unexpected?"

"As the Village Chief, you actually colluded with mounted bandits and robbed your fellow villagers. You deserve to die!"

"Today, I will kill you and rid Ning Family Village of this scourge. Die!"

Die!

Die!...

Ning Chuan's thunderous roar echoed through the mountains and forest. With a pull of the steel blade in his hand, terror froze on Ning the Flayer's face.

"Could... this... be... retribution?"

He muttered softly. His vision darkened, and his consciousness was swallowed by endless cold and darkness.

Ning Chuan threw away the steel blade. There was no pleasure in avenging his great hatred—only deep dissatisfaction.

Ning the Flayer was merely a reflection of one of the countless evils in this world. There would be thousands upon thousands of Ning the Flayers in this world!

Having only just crossed into this world, Ning the Flayer had already taught him a hard lesson.

He had made Ning Chuan realize that disorder, chaos, darkness, and people devouring people were the melody of this world.

"I didn't come to this world to remain alone for the rest of my life. Sooner or later, I'll marry and have children. I don't want my descendants living in such a filthy world."

"I must grow stronger. I must sweep away and shatter all the filth in this world. Whoever dares stand in my way—one word: kill!"

"To change such a filthy, chaotic age, gentle methods won't work. Blood must flow into rivers, and heaven and earth must be turned upside down!"

Ning Chuan hardened his heart and rose to his feet through gritted teeth.

"Cut the grass without pulling up the roots, and when the spring breeze blows, it grows again!"

"Now that Ning the Flayer is dead, I'll be a good person one more time and send his wife and children down to accompany him. A family should be neat and whole!"

"While I'm at it, I'll return to Ning Family Village and bid farewell to the place where I was born into this world. That will settle my lingering attachment!"

Ning Chuan picked up the blade, wiped it clean on Ning the Flayer's body, sheathed it at his waist, and headed toward Ning Family Village without looking back.

After Ning Chuan left, a man in black emerged from the forest and watched Ning Chuan's rapidly receding figure.

Killing intent flashed in his eyes as he murmured chillingly:

"Who is Ning Chuan? Since when did Qingshi Town have such an expert?"

"But whoever you are, if you dare kill members of my Joint Defense Camp, you will pay the price!"

This man was none other than Qu Yingchun, the Captain of the Joint Defense Camp.

He had originally wanted to act, but upon seeing how savage Ning Chuan was, he had backed down.

To kill someone, one did not necessarily have to do it personally.

And when a leader killed someone, there was even less need for him to do it himself!