Old Grudges

The moon was hazy, and the wilderness lay heavy and still.

After a moment of silence, I raised a hand and pointed at Li Wuchen, then swept my gaze over the dozen or so Wolf Head Mercenary Group members surrounding me. I shouted sternly, "Li Wuchen, A Li, if you dare kill me, the Nalan Family will slaughter every last one of your families! You... dare kill me?"

"Nalan Ye! You killed my brother back then, so you should have expected this day!"

A Li screamed herself hoarse, her voice unbearably shrill. Li Wuchen, however, seemed somewhat wary. After a moment of silence, he said, "This is the Monster Mountain Range. As long as we kill all of you, the Nalan Family will only think you were killed by magical beasts. How could they possibly suspect us?"

At those words, the five mercenaries beside me changed expression, their faces darkening. The petite girl froze as well, pointing at Li Wuchen and loudly cursing him.

The corner of my mouth lifted. Ignoring the five mercenaries beside me, I smiled faintly and looked at Li Wuchen teasingly. "Kill them all? Heh heh, do you mean only us, or are you planning to silence your own mercenaries too?"

I burst out laughing. Before Li Wuchen could reply, I took three objects from my Ring of Holding—an insignia, a jade pendant, and a sachet.

I casually tossed the three objects to three Wolf Head Mercenary Group mercenaries positioned to my left, right, and rear. My expression turned solemn as I called out in a low voice, "Gentlemen, these three items are all personal belongings of mine. Any one of them can prove my identity."

"Heh, after today, I'll have to trouble you three to deliver a message to my father at the Nalan Residence in Gama City. My father will surely reward you handsomely!"

The moment those words fell, everyone was stunned. Li Wuchen, A Li, the dozen or so Wolf Head Mercenary Group mercenaries, and the five Blood Battle Mercenary Group mercenaries beside me all stared blankly at me.

I flicked my sleeves with both hands and stood proudly, looking at Li Wuchen with faint mockery in my eyes. Heh heh, so what if you had numbers? With just a little scheming, I could turn you against each other.

Li Wuchen's expression darkened as his gaze shifted repeatedly between the three mercenaries holding the tokens. Only after a while did he look at me and say in a deep voice, "Nalan Ye, do you think everyone is like you? These men are my brothers. Do you think they'd betray me over a little money?!"

I snorted disdainfully. "If that's the case, why haven't you made your move? What are you waiting for?"

Li Wuchen fell silent at once. No one spoke again, and the eerie silence lingered for a long time before A Li cried out, "You people—Nalan Ye killed my brother! Are you actually going to help him?"

Heh heh, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group was in turmoil.

With my arms folded across my chest, I watched the scene with a slight smile. Mercenaries had always worked for profit—but then again, who in this world did anything without seeking gain? I had come all the way to this godforsaken Monster Mountain Range for profit too, hadn't I?

Heh, expecting these mercenaries who lived by the blade to possess morals and loyalty was simply laughable!

I looked over at them. The three mercenaries holding my tokens had been deliberately chosen by me. Their standing should not have been low; they were either minor leaders or veteran mercenaries with deep seniority.

When the three heard A Li's questioning, they fell silent and did not answer for a long while.

The silence persisted. The petite girl beside me watched with her eyes wide in astonishment. What she had thought was a desperate, near-certain deathtrap had been broken apart by me before the fight had even begun.

Looking at me, she murmured, "Amazing... The Nalan Family truly deserves to be one of the Three Great Families of the empire. Is even an ordinary youth of their family this formidable?"

Ka Gang and the other three mercenaries kept glancing at me, their eyes full of amazement. Unconsciously, they moved even closer to me.

I gave them a slight nod, smiling without a word as I continued standing proudly.

A Li's hysterical curses continued, but how powerless were they against mercenaries who had long grown accustomed to life and death?

The Wolf Head Mercenary Group began to split apart. Most of them intended to report the matter to my father and collect a reward. A small number were probably truly close to Li Wuchen and still intended to obey him and kill me.

However, the two sides were now vaguely confronting one another, and the originally tight encirclement had already fallen apart. Ka Gang's eyes lit up, and he whispered to me, "Young Master Nalan, this is a great opportunity. They're fighting among themselves now. If we break through, we'll definitely be able to get out!"

I shook my head and gazed at Li Wuchen and A Li in the distance. With a cold snort, I thought, A mere Dou Master and a Dou Zhe think they're worthy of making me flee? Since you dared come to kill me, I have no choice but to kill you first!

"Gentlemen, we were brothers once. I won't stand in the way of your fortunes. Those who wish to leave may leave."

At that moment, Li Wuchen spoke. He waved over the few mercenaries who still listened to him, while the remaining dozen or so mercenaries looked at one another uncertainly.

After a moment, one mercenary finally called out, "Second Commander, it's not that we're being disloyal. It's just that the Nalan Family isn't someone we can afford to provoke. This is the kind of business that gets our entire families killed!"

"I have elderly parents above me and children below me. I truly don't want them slaughtered by the Nalan Family. So... Second Commander, don't blame your brothers for letting you down."

After saying that, this mercenary seemed to have a fair amount of influence. He turned to me and shouted, "Young Master Nalan Ye, just wait. Once we get out, we'll definitely report this matter to the Nalan Family. Then the Nalan Family's experts will naturally avenge you, and you'll be able to rest in peace in the afterlife."

I...

I gritted my teeth and stared at that mercenary with a thoroughly displeased expression. Heh, was he cursing me to die? If so, then he shouldn't leave either!

I threw back my head and laughed loudly, pointing at the group of Wolf Head Mercenary Group mercenaries as I laughed and cursed, "There are actually people in this world as stupid as you!"

"You came here to kill me, so this grudge has already been forged. Do you think you can simply walk away and be done with it? Ridiculous! Anyone who dares leave today will have their entire family slaughtered by my Nalan Family!"

The dozen or so Wolf Head Mercenary Group mercenaries froze. The mercenary who had spoken first darkened even further, his hand reaching for his weapon as he said, "Young Master Nalan, what do you mean by this? Are you determined to force us to kill you?"

"You still think you can kill all of us now?"

I sneered. Because of the infighting, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's encirclement was already gone. Li Wuchen stood in front of me, and the dozen or so Wolf Head Mercenary Group mercenaries were to my right, but my left and rear were completely open. The five Blood Battle Mercenary Group mercenaries and I could flee through either gap at any time.

Of course, with the Purple Cloud Wings, I could fly away alone whenever I wanted. But that would be... far too boring!

"This matter can't be concealed. Even if you don't report it, the Blood Battle Mercenary Group will naturally do so!"

I looked at the five mercenaries beside me, then suddenly pointed at Li Wuchen and shouted, "You only have two choices now: kill me, or kill Li Wuchen! Anyone who dares leave will have their entire family slaughtered by my Nalan Family!"

The dozen or so Wolf Head Mercenary Group mercenaries were utterly dumbfounded, caught between two impossible choices. Then a voice suddenly rang out—it was Li Wuchen.

He shouted, "Brothers, you all heard him! This bastard Nalan Ye changed his word in the blink of an eye! Even if you really kill me, how do you know he won't hold a grudge against you?"

"Haven't you seen what the young masters and misses of these great families are like? Just look at Nalan Ye. Every other sentence out of his mouth is about killing our entire families—our wives, children, parents, everyone. Isn't that enough to show what kind of person he is?"

Li Wuchen pointed at me and shouted sternly, "Who knows whether, after he returns to the Nalan Family, he'll send people to kill you? To kill every last member of your families?!"

"Today, this enmity has already been forged. We might as well see it through and kill him. As for the Nalan Family, brothers, don't forget—this is the Monster Mountain Range, on the Empire's border. Once we leave the Gamma Empire, what does the Nalan Family amount to?!"

Having said that, Li Wuchen gave no one the chance to think it over. With a shout, he led A Li and several mercenaries in a charge at me.

"Brothers, get them! Kill Nalan Ye and flee the Gamma Empire!"

The dozen or so Wolfhead Mercenaries suddenly stirred. One mercenary shouted and followed Li Wuchen as he charged toward me. One move affected them all, and the rest of the Wolfhead Mercenaries immediately rushed after him as well!

Watching the surging Wolfhead Mercenaries charge at me, I cursed under my breath, knowing that my "trash-talk battle skill" had failed.

Everyone else's trash talk always worked one hundred percent of the time, so why had mine failed? Was it because I was cannon fodder rather than the protagonist?!

Though I was indignant, I wasn't the least bit afraid. Ka Gang reached out to pull me away, intending to drag me into a quick escape. I casually brushed his hand aside and took something from my Ring of Holding—a crossbow!

This crossbow was called the Dragon Slayer Crossbow. Pitch-black from end to end, it had a savage shape and radiated killing intent. I raised it, drew the string, and aimed at Li Wuchen. With a light pull of the trigger, there came a soft whoosh. Li Wuchen, a One-Star Dou Shi, did not even have time to grunt before he fell dead on the spot!

A single Dragon Slayer bolt was comparable to a Dou Shi's strike!

The Dou Shi mentioned here had no specific cultivation level attached, but it certainly wasn't someone like Li Wuchen, a One-Star Dou Shi.

"Dragon Slayer Crossbow—it's the Dragon Slayer Crossbow!"

By the moonlight, an old mercenary caught sight of the crossbow in my hand and cried out in alarm!

At once, the dozen or so Wolfhead Mercenaries descended into chaos. First, Li Wuchen had died, leaving them leaderless. Second, the Dragon Slayer Crossbow's fearsome reputation was simply too well-known. How could mercenaries who lived by the blade not know of it?

"Don't be afraid! Use your bows! Shoot him! Shoot him dead!"

A hysterical voice rang out. It was A Li.

I had first killed her brother, then killed her husband. She had to be furious, right? I laughed loudly, drew the string again, and fired another bolt. Unfortunately, the night was too dark, and I only hit her left arm.

And I had no time to draw the string again, because four or five arrows were already flying straight at me!

These were only ordinary arrows fired from normal bows, but I wasn't of the Earth Attribute—I couldn't possibly take them head-on with my body. I hurriedly put away the Dragon Slayer Crossbow and took out a sword and shield from my Ring of Holding.

This sword and shield were not ordinary iron weapons like those in the mercenaries' hands. They were magic-core weapons embedded with magic cores, and fine ones at that—each embedded with a third-tier magic core!

The one-man-tall Heavy Shield rose before me like a thick city wall. Arrows, blades, spears, battle skills—whatever came, it blocked them all.

Another three or five mercenaries rushed in front of me. I swung my sword, and it truly was incomparably sharp! Blades, spears, shields, defensive battle skills—everything was cut apart with a single slash.

"How exhilarating! How exhilarating!"

I threw back my head and laughed wildly as I charged forward with sword and shield in hand. With Li Wuchen dead, the strongest among the Wolfhead Mercenaries was only a Seven-Star Dou Zhe, two stars weaker than me. With the advantage of my weapons and armor, how could they possibly stop me?

I killed several of them in just a few exchanges. Mercenaries advanced for profit and retreated when things turned unfavorable. They immediately turned and fled, refusing to stop no matter how A Li shouted after them.

I put away my sword and shield, took out the Dragon Slayer Crossbow again, and fired bolt after bolt. Unfortunately, these mercenaries had become wary. Every one of them was an old hand, using the uneven terrain to leap and dodge. I only managed to hit two after much effort, while the rest escaped into the dense forest. I couldn't be bothered to chase them.