The Heart Is Not Still, So Kill!

In Great Huai Village, Huangling County, even though it was the eleventh day of the first lunar month, snow was still falling heavily, adorning the entire village like a kingdom of ice and snow.

Unfortunately, no one was there to appreciate such beautiful scenery.

The entire Great Huai Village appeared incredibly quiet.

Even if someone approached Great Huai Village from the surroundings, they would quickly leave, their expressions filled with terror.

Ji Qing led his horse, walking step by step into Great Huai Village.

A thick layer of snow had accumulated on the bamboo hat he wore.

Even his body was covered in snow, the cold seeping into his bones, making him incredibly chilled.

However, no matter how cold it was, it couldn't compare to the coldness in Ji Qing's heart.

This was Great Huai Village.

Once a bustling Great Huai Village, it was now completely deserted.

An old man from a neighboring village, seeing Ji Qing leading his horse towards Great Huai Village, hurriedly shouted, "Hey, young man, you can't go there!"

"Why can't I go there?"

Ji Qing asked.

"Don't you know, young man, that this is Great Huai Village? Great Huai Village offended a Demon Lord, and all two hundred plus villagers were poisoned to death. It's a tragedy! Not even the chickens, ducks, or dogs in the village survived."

"It's said that the poison the Demon Lord used was extremely potent. The yamen even posted a notice, telling villagers not to enter, lest they also be poisoned and die in Great Huai Village."

The old man exhaled, his feet moving constantly as he clearly couldn't bear the cold.

"I remember there was a Steward Jin in Great Huai Village. How is his family doing?"

Ji Qing asked again.

"You mean Master Jin? Alas, what a wicked fate! Master Jin was such a good person. During disaster years, he would reduce rent for his tenants, and even hired martial artists from the jianghu with his own money for Rat Extermination. He repaired bridges and paved roads every year..."

"His family too... they were all poisoned to death, not even the children escaped..."

The old man sighed repeatedly as he spoke.

Steward Jin had a very good reputation in this area; he was a renowned philanthropist.

Unfortunately, not a single soul in his household survived. Like the other villagers of Great Huai Village, they were all poisoned to death.

Ji Qing's eyes grew colder.

He resolutely stepped into the boundaries of Great Huai Village.

"Young man, why don't you listen to advice..."

The old man watched as Ji Qing's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, shaking his head.

Ji Qing walked along the familiar road.

Finally, he arrived at the Jin manor.

The once grand Jin manor was now incredibly desolate.

There was still a seal from the Government Authorities on the main gate.

Ji Qing tore off the seal and pushed the door open.

The courtyard was empty, and the ground was covered in thick snow.

In Ji Qing's mind, he seemed to recall Steward Jin, and he also recalled Suo'er.

That little girl, who was about the same age as Ji Yao, looked like a carved jade, incredibly cute.

Ji Qing went to the back mountain.

There was a large pit here.

The Government Authorities had cremated the bodies of all the villagers of Great Huai Village into ashes, then buried them all in this large pit, creating a simple grave.

Two hundred and eighty-one people were all in this grave.

Perhaps in a few decades, no one would remember that such a tragedy had occurred in Great Huai Village.

But Ji Qing remembered.

He would always remember!

Ji Qing closed his eyes.

After a year of traveling the jianghu, he believed he had become sufficiently cold-hearted.

Ji Qing was also well aware that he was not some kind of "great hero."

His hands were also stained with blood.

Whether the jianghu called him a Demon Lord or a great hero, Ji Qing didn't actually care.

He never acted against his conscience!

He only killed those who deserved to be killed!

Great Huai Village and Ji Qing could only be considered as having met by chance.

Every wanderer in the martial world travels through many places in their lifetime.

Great Huai Village wasn't a particularly special place.

Steward Jin and Suo'er weren't particularly special people to Ji Qing either.

However, when Ji Qing closed his eyes, no matter what, he couldn't calm his heart.

He could deceive others, but he couldn't deceive his own heart!

His heart was not at peace!

His thoughts were not clear!

For someone in the martial world, what do you do when your heart is not at peace?

The method is simple and brutal.

When your heart is not at peace, you kill!

After killing, your heart will be at peace!

Ji Qing didn't linger any longer.

He turned and left.

Evidence?

Reason?

Motive?

They were no longer important.

That was a matter for the Government Authorities.

As far as Ji Qing was concerned, he only needed to know one thing.

"Those who disturb my heart shall be killed!"

Ji Qing naturally knew who had "disturbed his heart."

The newly ranked eighth on the Villain Ranking, the Poison Demon Ouyang Bo!

Anyang City, Listening Wind Tower.

Ji Qing arrived in a secret chamber and met Shopkeeper Yu.

Ji Qing took off the bamboo hat from his head, shaking off the thick snowflakes from it.

Shopkeeper Yu smiled and asked, "Great Hero Ji left Anyang City on the first day of the first lunar month, and after a long journey, you've finally returned."

Shopkeeper Yu didn't inquire about what Ji Qing had been doing.

They were merely partners, not subordinates.

Ji Qing looked up at Shopkeeper Yu and said in a deep voice, "I need detailed information on the Poison Demon Ouyang Bo!"

"The Poison Demon Ouyang Bo... not many people buy information on him, but..."

"I'll pay!"

Ji Qing threw out a banknote.

Shopkeeper Yu smiled charmingly, subtly put the banknote away, and then produced a large file, all containing information about Ouyang Bo.

Ji Qing examined it carefully.

The Poison Demon Ouyang Bo, in his forties, learned his poison arts from an unknown source. He had begun to make a name for himself in the martial world twenty years ago, but Ouyang Bo didn't have much fame in the martial world at that time.

It wasn't until ten years ago, when Ouyang Bo poisoned and killed all seventy-three members of the Zhao family, that he suddenly appeared on the Villain Ranking, though his ranking was still low.

Later, Ouyang Bo continued to poison and kill some martial artists, and his ranking on the Villain Ranking steadily improved.

It wasn't until the recent Great Huai Village massacre that Ouyang Bo suddenly became eighth on the Villain Ranking, becoming a renowned great Demon Lord!

Ouyang Bo's martial arts were also second-rate. He might have already opened his Extraordinary Meridians, reaching the peak of second-rate internal energy.

In terms of martial arts, Ouyang Bo's poison arts could only be said to be formidable, but they didn't possess much deterrent power.

However, when it came to poisoning, Ouyang Bo was truly terrifying.

No one in the martial world wanted to provoke Ouyang Bo.

"Better to provoke the King of Hell than the Poison Demon!"

That's what they said about Ouyang Bo!

"Hmm?"

"No government bounty? And no reward money at all?"

After Ji Qing finished reading all the information, he couldn't find any bounty offered for Ouyang Bo.

After all, Ouyang Bo had been famous for a long time and had already appeared on the Villain Ranking.

How could someone so utterly evil not have a bounty on them?

Shopkeeper Yu shook his head and said, "Great Hero Ji, you might not know this, but it's not that no one has offered a bounty. It's that no one dares to. Not even the government authorities dare. Ouyang Bo is different from the other Demon Lords on the Villain Ranking. His poison is silent and deadly, capable of causing widespread panic and wiping out entire families with a single act."

"In fact, if Ouyang Bo wished, poisoning an entire city wouldn't be impossible. Under such circumstances, who would dare to put a bounty on Ouyang Bo? The government authorities are also the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. If they were to offer a bounty and anger Ouyang Bo, causing him to poison places under their jurisdiction, the officials' hats of office would likely be lost."

"So, over time, even though Poison Demon Ouyang Bo's ranking on the Villain Ranking has steadily climbed and his evil deeds have multiplied, there has never been a bounty for him."

Ji Qing understood.

"No one dares to offer a bounty?"

"Then I'll offer one in my name! Whoever provides a clue and ultimately captures or kills Ouyang Bo will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces!"

"Boom."

Shopkeeper Yu's expression changed drastically in an instant.

"A thousand gold pieces? A thousand taels of gold?"

"That's right!"

A thousand taels of gold.

Even Shopkeeper Yu was moved.

What kind of hatred and grudges could this be?

Ji Qing was clearly prepared to fight Ouyang Bo to the bitter end!