Chapter 42

White Shadow sneered. "Old man, do you truly not know what beastly deeds your son Yang Wudou has committed? Or have your old eyes really grown dim? Shall I bring your grandson before you and let you see what that bastard son of yours has done?! Hmph. I never fire an arrow without a target, so I will not lay out his vile deeds one by one here. We all know them in our hearts. Old Yang, seize that vile beast Yang Wudou at once and make him kneel in the central courtyard. Behead him to atone for his crimes!"

The moment Yang Qianjun heard the words "grandson," his heart jolted. Both his sons were obsessed with martial arts and indeed possessed considerable military talent, yet their temperaments were vastly different. His eldest son was upright and fiercely resolute, swift and decisive in his actions, with the courage of a hero and the heart of a benevolent man. His second son, however, was far more perverse in his conduct, often bullying men and tyrannizing women. Yang Qianjun had repeatedly tried to instruct him with both kindness and severity, but the boy refused to mend his ways despite repeated teaching. Yang Qianjun pitied him for losing his mother at a young age, and in the end, helplessly compromised by laying down rules that could not be crossed, with severe punishment for any violation. One such rule was that he could not leave offspring with any woman who was not his lawfully wedded wife. Thus, although Yang Wudou had often harmed the beautiful maids and serving girls in the manor, he had not dared cross that thunder pool. Yang Qianjun had therefore turned a blind eye. Yet who could have known that something would go wrong with the maid You Ye? Not only had You Ye become pregnant with Yang Wudou's child, she had even successfully given birth. This was a colossal scandal for the Yang family, a great misfortune for the household.

Even so, how could Yang Qianjun possibly hand his own son's life over to another? His face darkened at once as he sneered. "Since when did my Yang family's private affairs become the concern of a demonic creature like you? Hmph. Today, that lowly maid beside you, who seduced her master, must suffer severe punishment here and wash away the stain on my Yang family's good name with her full-blooded life!"

White Shadow sneered. "Stubborn beyond redemption. Not even immortals can save that little beast. Whoever stands in my way dies!"

Yang Qianjun roared, "How brazen! Do you truly think I cannot deal with you?! Ha! Thousand Army Break!" As his thunderous roar fell, he took on the bearing of a raging lion, his aura erupting. The grim formation behind him twisted into one, and a sudden roar like exploding thunder rang out. The wild sound descended like enormous bells and great chimes crashing down overhead. The rolling sound waves shook the ground until the bricks and stones cracked inch by inch, while flowers, grass, and trees rustled violently, leaves falling and branches snapping.

The vast, surging sound shot straight at White Shadow in the sky.

Many of the Yang family's relatives, servants, and guards had their eardrums burst by the roar of Thousand Army Break. Some were shaken to death on the spot, while more than half were deafened. This was simply an indiscriminate calamity—injuring the enemy by a thousand while harming oneself by eight hundred. This alone showed Yang Qianjun's decisiveness in slaughter. He had not hesitated in the slightest, nor cared about the cost.

White Shadow gave a low cry as the rolling, overwhelming sound surged toward her. Her white robes fluttered, and she stepped in front of You Ye. She spread her hands and traced a mysterious circle through the air. Vital energy burst from her body and gathered before her like a mirror, its surface smooth, crystalline as ice, cold and pure.

In an instant, the surging force crashed into the icy mirror of vital energy before White Shadow.

Bzzz, bzzz!

A muffled sound rose, so oppressive it made breathing difficult. The air trembled, nearly making everyone unable to stand as their inner organs shook. The sound waves struck the icy mirror of vital energy like a heavy hammer pounding against a gigantic drum, sending ceaseless vibrations through it.

White Shadow's figure swayed, clearly suffering greatly beneath the impact of the sound waves. Crack! At last, the icy mirror of vital energy could no longer withstand Thousand Army Break's sonic assault. Cracks spread across it one after another. With a crisp crack, the vital energy dispersed and the ice mirror shattered. The rolling sound waves struck White Shadow head-on, drawing a muffled groan from her as she flipped backward through the air. Yet White Shadow was no easy opponent. Even while flying back, she casually hooked a hand out, pulling You Ye to her side so that she would not fall and suffer harm from the sound waves. From the look of it, she still had strength to spare.

White Shadow retreated a full hundred feet before finally stabilizing herself in the air, her breathing growing rapid.

After this violent attack had driven back the strange White Shadow in the sky, Yang Qianjun and the elite guards behind him all looked drained, their faces pale. When he saw White Shadow still standing proudly in the air with effortless composure, every wrinkle on Yang Qianjun's face twisted, and his gaze became even colder.

White Shadow sneered. "Thousand Army Break truly deserves its name as a powerful sonic attack. So many people joining as one and linking their auras to unleash it does give it some force. But if you think it can do anything to me, you are far too naive. I have not even made a move, yet you have already spent more than half your strength. What right do you have to fight me now? Old Yang, if you know what is good for you, hand over your son Yang Wudou at once. Otherwise, within a single night, I will wash your entire Yang family in blood! Those who dare treat the violation of women as a game shall be killed without mercy! The fact that I am giving you time to consider is already mercy beyond the law, solely because I acknowledge that you spent your life in the military and conducted yourself openly and honorably."

As she spoke, White Shadow lightly flicked her wrist. A full six sturdy men behind Yang Qianjun gave muffled groans as chilling frost burst from their bodies, and they collapsed to the ground with thuds. These military elites, personally trained by Yang Qianjun, were all exceptionally skilled and naturally gifted. Yet before White Shadow, they had no power to resist. Seeing this brutal scene, Yang Qianjun fell silent. Looking at the blood all over the ground and the corpses of relatives, most of them dead or wounded, even his aged body trembled. Soldiers were forged of iron and blood, but they were not without feeling.

White Shadow sighed. "Yang Qianjun, your son's crimes are too numerous to be recorded even on bamboo slips. He is no longer fit to live in this world. I uphold justice and have come to execute him according to its code. Do you have any objection? If a son is not taught, the fault lies with the father. That Yang Wudou has reached this point in his life is the greatest blot on your life, Yang Qianjun..."

As Yang Manor suffered this great calamity and Yang Wudou's life hung by a thread, the pungent stench of blood and piercing screams drifted in on the wind. Most of his drunkenness had faded, and he finally sobered. Upon hearing White Shadow's voice, he suddenly looked toward Ning Chang'an. Yang Wudou's expression was complicated as he asked in a deep voice, "Do I truly deserve to die?"

Ning Chang'an said, "You did things that deserved death."

No one was born deserving death. There were only prices that could be repaid by death alone; karma and retribution never missed by a hair.

Yang Wudou's gaze flickered. "You came to kill me?"

Ning Chang'an nodded.

Yang Wudou let out a long sigh. "There really are quite a few people who want to kill me. But I do not want to die yet, and no one can make me die! Who can decide whether I live or die?" Yang Wudou suddenly let out a furious roar. His toes tapped the ground, and he shot forward. In the blink of an eye, he crossed the rear courtyard and landed beside his father, Yang Qianjun.

Yang Wudou raised his head toward White Shadow in the air and shouted, "Demon, if you want to kill me, then come! Zhao Lei, you truly are a calamity, a femme fatale! Back then, I should have killed you myself and cut off all future trouble!"

Zhao Lei was You Ye's real name.

From high above, staring down at Yang Wudou who had suddenly appeared beneath her, You Ye's gaze flickered. The distance was too great for her to see his expression clearly, but she could certainly imagine his furious and flustered face. It was an expression she would never forget for the rest of her life, branded into her heart in the cruelest possible way. Back when she had still been an innocent little maid, this furious and flustered man had dragged her into a room, stripped off her clothes, pinned her to the bed, and violated her. That enraged face had once been her nightmare. Whenever it flashed through her mind, she could neither eat in peace nor sleep at night.

You Ye said resentfully, "You are truly heartless! You think that having status, martial skill, money, and lackeys means you can trample over everything others have and reap their lives as you please? When you drove me away, I told you that you would regret it. You did not expect retribution to come so quickly, did you? I am not dead yet. My child has not even grown up, and your retribution has already come knocking. Do you know? When I came here today, I had intended to die by your hand. I wanted to plant the seed of hatred with my life, so that the son whose identity you would never know could one day completely overturn Yang Manor and kill you with his own hands. Is that cruel? Hmph, hmph. When dealing with cruel people, what mercy is there to speak of? Hahaha! Zhao Lei is dead. Only You Ye remains..."

Yang Wudou laughed wildly. "Bitch, you want to kill me and overturn my Yang family?" Yang Wudou drew his saber and pointed it directly at You Ye, his eyes brimming with killing intent.

Yang Qianjun said in a deep voice, "Prepare the crossbows!" One enormous military steel crossbow after another was raised in unison, aimed at the two women in the air, ready to fire at any moment.

White Shadow sighed. "It is useless! Old Yang, since you insist on remaining stubborn, do not blame me for showing no courtesy. The Yang family should not be destroyed because of a single beast!"

Yang Qianjun's raised hand pressed heavily downward through the air, determination written across his face. Nearly a hundred steel crossbows behind him fired at once. The sounds of arrows tearing through the air rang without pause. Three volleys came in succession, arrows swarming like flying locusts as cold glints filled the sky.

As White Shadow's body shifted, her hands struck out repeatedly and her bent fingers flicked again and again. Strange, unfathomable icy vital energy shot through the air. Yang Qianjun shouted, "Dodge!" All the Yang Manor elites had gathered here, and those who had held on until now were no ordinary people. Yet when Yang Qianjun's word "dodge" fell, they were already half a beat too slow. One scalp-numbing muffled groan followed another as person after person froze solid and fell, unable to rise. White Shadow killed as swiftly as harvesting wheat.

Yang Qianjun was, after all, a soldier. He won battles through elite troops and sound strategies. Though his martial skill was formidable and seasoned, compared to the strange and unfathomable White Shadow, he fell short by more than a single level. They could not be mentioned in the same breath. If Yang Qianjun himself could not match her, there was even less need to mention those behind him. This was simply a massacre. Yang Qianjun's eyes split with rage. The only person in the field able to deal with her attacks was Yang Wudou. As he swung the long, narrow saber in his hand, he shattered the vital energy force directly and stood proud and unyielding.

White Shadow sneered, then suddenly dove down with You Ye. "You Ye, remember this. In the future, you too can be like me—save unfortunate sisters and punish men who deserve death. Do not be bound by the law; roam free and unfettered."

You Ye's eyes filled with longing as she asked curiously, "What kind of sisters deserve saving?"

White Shadow said, "Sisters who have suffered injustice and oppression."

You Ye asked again, "What kind of men deserve death?"

White Shadow said, "The chief culprits, men like Yang Wudou!"

Like fleeting light and passing shadows, White Shadow had already arrived before Yang Wudou. Yang Wudou gave a wild shout, and the long saber in his hand suddenly slashed out. Its technique was precise, its angle vicious, its saber art domineering.

There was almost no flaw in this strike. Ning Chang'an stared intently at Yang Wudou's saber, his gaze grave. If he himself faced such a blow without the Gloomy Cold Soul Severing Sword in hand, he would surely suffer greatly—at best losing an arm, at worst losing his life. This saber strike drew upon all the strength in Yang Wudou's body, poured in the energy coursing through his limbs, and focused every shred of his mind into killing intent. It was Yang Wudou's proudest strike, his trump card.