Kill Them Clean

"Lin Xiao, you can't kill me. If you kill me, you'll be in great trouble."

Li Yue trembled as fear filled his heart.

Lin Xiao sneered.

"Who would know if I killed you?"

"And since you wanted to kill me, you should have been prepared to be killed."

"I, Lin Xiao, am not a patient man. Even if I spared you today, you'd only come looking for trouble again later. Killing you outright will save me trouble down the road."

Li Yue hurriedly said, "Lin Xiao, listen to me. I was truly carried away for a moment. As long as you spare me today, I swear I will never trouble you again. Wherever you appear in the future, there will never be a trace of me, Li Yue."

"Mm. Since that's the case, you may go."

Lin Xiao gave a slight nod.

Seeing Lin Xiao nod, Li Yue was overjoyed. As expected, Lin Xiao didn't dare kill him. But did he think that would make him grateful? Once I get the chance later, I'll still kill you.

Li Yue had just turned to leave when he felt a streak of coldness at his throat.

"I still feel more at ease with dead men."

Spurt!!!

A spray of blood mist erupted, and disbelief flickered in Li Yue's eyes.

Lin Xiao actually dared to kill him.

Lin Xiao sheathed his blade and shook his head with a cold smile.

He then piled the corpses together, set them ablaze with a torch, and turned to leave.

He had originally been sleepy, but after all that commotion, every trace of drowsiness had vanished. He mounted his horse and rode away at once.

The system's notification that he had completed the mission already sounded in his mind.

"Ding! Mission completed. Reward issued. Host may claim it at any time."

Just as Lin Xiao killed Li Yue and the others in retaliation,

four monks arrived in the capital of the Wu Kingdom.

All four monks hurried along, their expressions anxious.

"Martial Uncle, did Huang Bai truly have the audacity to secretly learn our temple's Golden Bell Shield?"

A young monk asked with a frown.

The leader was a middle-aged monk of around fifty or sixty, yet he did not look old at all. His face was fierce, giving off the impression that he was not someone to be trifled with.

This monk was named Jue Yong. In the martial world, he was known as the Evil Exterminating Monk. He was a member of Shaolin Temple's Discipline Hall, hated evil as bitterly as an enemy, and had a fiery temper.

This time, he had descended the mountain under orders to recover the Golden Bell Shield stolen by Huang Bai.

As one of Shaolin Temple's Seventy-Two Supreme Arts, the Golden Bell Shield was a cultivation method never taught outside the temple. Shaolin would never permit any one of them to leak into the martial world.

Whenever any supreme art leaked into the martial world, Shaolin Temple would recover it, cripple the practitioner's cultivation, and make them swear never to spread it further—or else kill them.

The reason Shaolin Temple could become a sacred land of the martial world was because of the Seventy-Two Supreme Arts within it. They were Shaolin Temple's foundation.

"Enough. Split up and ask around. See whether you can find any clues about Huang Bai. I'll go speak with the imperial authorities and have them help us investigate as well."

After speaking, Jue Yong turned and walked into the distance.

Sure enough, with the court's assistance, they immediately learned of Huang Bai's group's whereabouts.

"Amitabha. Sir, are you saying that the man resembling Huang Bai has already left the city?"

The government official replied politely, "Yes, Master. According to the reports sent back by my men, the person you seek has indeed left the city."

"Very well. Thank you for your trouble, sir. Shaolin Temple will remember this favor. Should you have need of anything in the future, simply inform our temple."

"It was only a small effort. Master, there is no need for courtesy."

After receiving the news, Jue Yong gathered his three disciples and pursued them beyond the city.

Some unknown time after Lin Xiao had killed Li Yue and the others and departed,

the four monks arrived at the scene.

"Martial Uncle, there are indeed signs of a fight here, but why can't we find any bodies?"

One of the monks asked in confusion.

Jue Yong scanned the area, then came to a patch of scorched earth. He crouched down and lightly brushed over it, and fragmented golden runes appeared in his palm.

Shaolin Temple had a unique secret art for identifying its own cultivation methods. Whether a person was alive or dead, they could determine whether that person had cultivated a Shaolin Temple technique.

With that light touch just now, he had checked whether anyone here had been a disciple of Shaolin Temple.

"Someone must have destroyed the bodies."

"If nothing unexpected happened, Huang Bai, the man we were looking for, has already been killed."

"We just don't know whether that person obtained the Golden Bell Shield Huang Bai stole. We'll need to find him and confirm it."

Meanwhile, inside a mountain cave,

a figure sat silently in meditation.

The sounds of dragons and elephants surrounded his body.

Thirteen Dragons, Thirteen Elephants Power.

The Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was a cultivation method practiced by Buddhist protectors of the Western Regions.

First, it tempered the body; second, it tempered wisdom.

Dragons and elephants tempered the body, while prajna tempered wisdom.

The Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was no ordinary cultivation method. Not only could it develop the potential of the human body, it could also develop one's mental potential.

If Lin Xiao's understanding of martial arts had once been only half-understood,

then after being strengthened by the max-level Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill,

his current understanding of martial arts was such that even a Great Grandmaster Realm expert might not compare to him.

Even without the system, relying on the potential developed by the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, he could still be considered a peerless prodigy.

Any cultivation method could be mastered in the shortest possible time.

That was the benefit of developed intelligence.

Huff!!!

After completely integrating the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill into himself, Lin Xiao exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Yet that breath alone instantly turned into a sharp arrow, piercing straight through the cave wall and leaving behind a hole of unknown depth.

"Is it really this powerful?"

Lin Xiao looked at the result caused by that casual exhalation, surprise appearing on his face.

He exerted force through his legs and rose directly from the ground, but two deep footprints remained where his feet had pressed down.

It seemed his control over his suddenly increased strength was still somewhat lacking.

He then examined his martial cultivation realm.

Without realizing it, he had actually broken through to the Innate Seventh Stage.

Moreover, if given just a little more time, he could easily break through to the Innate Eighth Stage as well.

The further one progressed in martial cultivation, the harder it became. Thus, even with divine cultivation manuals, advancement was no longer as fast as before. Although he had obtained the max-level Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, it had only raised his realm to the Innate Seventh Stage.

Of course, this was also related to the martial arts of this world. This world's level far exceeded those martial arts novels from his previous life by an unknown margin.

The top cultivation methods from martial arts novels of his previous life might not be top-tier in this world. And even cultivating them to great success could not possibly make him the strongest person in this world in one stroke.

If he had to classify them, the worlds in Jin and Gu's novels from his previous life could roughly be considered low martial worlds. The worlds in Huang's novels, where one could shatter the void, counted as mid martial worlds, while worlds like The Storm Riders could be considered high martial worlds.

As for whether The Storm Riders was stronger or weaker than this world, it was difficult to say. After all, he did not yet understand this world well, nor had he personally witnessed what battles between those powerful experts looked like.

Still, although the max-level Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill had not made him a top-tier expert, it had greatly improved his combat power and martial foundation. Now, he probably dared to fight even a Grandmaster expert.

With the full eruption of Thirteen Dragons, Thirteen Elephants Power, even a Grandmaster might not be able to withstand it.

Of course, he was not blindly confident enough to casually challenge Grandmasters. It only meant that when facing a Grandmaster in the future, he would possess the means to protect himself in an emergency.

He was very satisfied with his current strength.

How long had he even been in this world? Yet he already possessed such strength.

As long as he was given some more time, this world would definitely have a place for him.

The sky had fully brightened. It was time to continue the journey.

His figure flashed as he rushed out of the cave and mounted the Blood-Sweat Dragon Steed. With a slight squeeze of his legs, the Blood-Sweat Dragon Steed galloped forward.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

In less than another day, he should be able to enter Stability Prefecture.

Over the past three days, he had sometimes entered towns to rest and sometimes spent the night outdoors.

He had seen no shortage of mountains, rivers, and lakes. This other world's pristine natural environment was far superior to Blue Star from his previous life.

After traveling for another half day, he finally arrived at Lingyun Lake, on the border of Stability Prefecture.

The fastest route into Stability Prefecture was to cross Lingyun Lake by water.

Standing atop a distant mountain peak, Lin Xiao looked over the glittering surface of Lingyun Lake. His gaze then shifted toward the rising cooking smoke at the foot of the mountain.

There should be a village there. Perhaps he could rent a boat to cross Lingyun Lake there.

Without lingering, he rode toward the village.

Throughout the journey, Lin Xiao had not kept wearing his Flying Fish Uniform.

He had put a long robe over it, and his Embroidered Spring Blade was wrapped in cloth as well.

After all, the Flying Fish Uniform and Embroidered Spring Blade were too eye-catching. It was better not to invite unnecessary trouble.

The moment he entered the village, the villagers noticed him.

An elderly man past sixty stepped forward warmly. "Young man, where have you come from?"

Lin Xiao replied politely, "From the capital, heading to Stability Prefecture."

The old man was slightly surprised. "From the capital? That's no short journey. You must have endured plenty of wind and sleeping under the open sky along the way, haven't you?"

Lin Xiao nodded. "Mm, I've indeed suffered a little."

"I suppose you wish to cross the lake, young man. How about this? Rest at my home first. It's getting late, and the winds on Lingyun Lake are strong at night. Even if you have money, no one will be willing to ferry you across after dark."

"You should rest for the night and talk about it tomorrow."

The elderly man was kindhearted and explained the situation to Lin Xiao.

"Mm, then I'll trouble you, Elder."

As he spoke, Lin Xiao directly handed over a silver ingot.

Seeing the silver, the old man hurriedly declined.

"No, no, this is far too much money."

Lin Xiao reassured him, "It isn't much. Consider part of it payment for lodging, and for the rest, I'll trouble you to find me a boatman tomorrow."

"Oh, if that's the case, then all right, young man. Tomorrow, I'll definitely find you an experienced boatman to ensure you cross the lake safely."

"Thank you for the trouble, Elder."

The old man had only an old wife at home. He explained that he had three sons, all of whom had gone elsewhere to make a living.

Those who lived by the mountains relied on the mountains, and those who lived by the water relied on the water.

But ever since a force called the Five Lakes Alliance emerged, earning a living on Lingyun Lake had become increasingly difficult.

Fishermen who went out onto the lake had to pay a fixed sum of silver, and there was also a time limit on how long they could fish there.

Sometimes, when luck was poor, they could not even earn back the money they handed over in a day.

Later, the young people in the village no longer wanted to live such a precarious life, so they left to make their living elsewhere.

After hearing the old man's words, Lin Xiao said nothing.

That was simply the state of society.

Forces like the Five Lakes Alliance existed everywhere.

Even if he wanted to intervene, he could not possibly manage them all. Besides, he was not someone who liked to meddle in other people's affairs.

After making do with a simple meal at the old man's house, Lin Xiao lay on the bed and fell into deep thought.

Once he reached Stability Prefecture, he did not know how much trouble he would have to face.

The Emperor had sent him to Stability Prefecture because he surely wanted Lin Xiao to change its current state and restore the court's control over the prefecture.

But Stability Prefecture was filled with aristocratic families and sect factions. Who knew how long it would take to fully pacify it?

And his strength was still somewhat insufficient.

Those aristocratic families and sects might even have Grandmasters overseeing them.

It seemed he could only wait until he reached Stability Prefecture and decide according to the circumstances.

Just as the entire village fell silent,

more than twenty riders arrived outside the village.

Some of them were huge and burly, with vicious faces, while others had sharp mouths and monkey cheeks, their eyes filled with ruthlessness.

The leader was nearly two meters tall, holding a massive horse-chopping saber. He looked as fierce as a demon.

"Boss, there seems to be a village ahead."

One of the lackeys said to the leader.

"Haha, brothers, we're in luck tonight. Same old rules: make them hand over their gold, silver, and valuables first. Kill the men, keep the women, and let the brothers have their fun first."