Coercion and Murder

As the sun rose in the east, the darkness was driven away. Xia Mo opened his eyes and slowly emerged from his cultivation state. He stood, stretched his limbs, jumped down from the tree trunk, checked his bearings, and headed toward Qingshan Town. What Xia Mo did not know was that the Wolf Head Mercenary Group in Qingshan Town was plotting against him.

At the Wolf Head Mercenary Group headquarters, the atmosphere was somewhat grave. Several figures sat within: their leaders—the commander Mu She, second-in-command Gan Mu, third-in-command He Meng, and Mu She's son, Mu Li. "Boss, ever since the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion got the Blood Coagulating Paste formula, their business has only gotten better and better. They're making more and more money. Before long, all the resources in Qingshan Town will be in their hands."

"I know that too, but what do you suggest we do? That fat bastard Yao from the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion is about as strong as I am. Neither of us can take the other down in a direct fight. If we can't deal with him, it's best not to clash head-on with the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion," Mu She said.

"Father, our informants say that Xiao Yi Xian and that little brat can both make Blood Coagulating Paste. We can do this, then that, and then this," Mu Li said.

The entrance to the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion was surrounded by men from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. "Boss Yao, come out and meet us."

Boss Yao walked out of the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion and asked, "Commander Mu, what brings you here with such a grand display? Don't tell me you're here to annex my Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion."

"Hand over the murderer! One of your people killed men from our mercenary group. A blood debt must be repaid in blood! If you refuse, then we go to war! If I cannot avenge my brothers, how can the Wolf Head Mercenary Group continue standing in Qingshan Town?" Mu She shouted emotionally.

Boss Yao could tell at a glance that Mu She was putting on an act. Who was he trying to fool? Everyone knew that, aside from his son, even if every member of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group died, Mu She would not so much as furrow his brow. Boss Yao frowned, realizing this bastard definitely had some other motive. He was probably after the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion's Blood Coagulating Paste business.

"Commander Mu, you must be joking. Our Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion deals in medicinal herbs. Other than gathering herbs, we rarely go out, and even for herb gathering, we usually hire others. If we had killed your men, how could I not know?"

"It was a child—the boy who follows Xiao Yi Xian around. He's a Poison Master. He poisoned our men to death and stole a precious medicinal herb from us. Hand him over, Boss Yao," Mu She said.

"Commander Mu, you must be joking. If you named anyone else, I might believe it possible. But Xia Mo is only eight years old. How could he possibly kill two strong, able-bodied mercenaries and steal your medicinal herbs? What an absurd joke." Still, Yao the Skinflayer had his doubts. He had not seen Xia Mo for some time. Over the past six months, he had found the boy far too mature for his age—like a little fox, hard to fool. Even Xiao Yi Xian had become harder to fool because of him.

Moreover, Boss Yao found Xia Mo mysterious. The boy was also exquisitely handsome, perhaps some young master from a great clan who had come out to gain experience. It was best not to provoke him if possible. Besides, Xia Mo had brought the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion no small amount of income over the past six months. It was not as if Boss Yao had not noticed.

"Xia Mo isn't here. There's no point surrounding my Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion. I don't know where he is either. Perhaps he already left Qingshan Town long ago. If you want him, go find him yourself," Boss Yao said to Mu She.

"Fine, fine. Boss Yao, you said it yourself. When we catch that little brat, don't come jumping out to interfere. Wolf Head Mercenary Group, withdraw!" Mu She turned to leave, then quietly told Gan Mu beside him, "Arrange for some men to keep watch on the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion. Xiao Yi Xian is still there. That little brat will definitely come back. The moment he does, notify me immediately."

"Yes, Boss."

Meanwhile, Xia Mo was in a good mood after obtaining the treasure, wandering about the Monster Mountain Range. Fortunately, he had been traveling in the direction of Qingshan Town. Otherwise, he would not have made it back before evening. Seeing the sun beginning to set, Xia Mo stopped wandering aimlessly and started hurrying toward Qingshan Town.

As Qingshan Town drew closer, Xia Mo immediately picked up his speed. In less than half an hour, he returned to the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion. Xia Mo still had no idea what had happened. The moment he entered, Xiao Yi Xian anxiously dragged him into a room in the rear courtyard, shut the door, and locked it.

"Little Mo, are you all right? The Wolf Head Mercenary Group wants to capture you. Why don't you go back to the little valley and cultivate for now? Come out again once you no longer have to fear them," Xiao Yi Xian said worriedly.

"Sister Xiao Yi Xian, don't be afraid. There's no one in Qingshan Town I fear anymore. I just don't want to reveal my strength and invite trouble. Once I do, those great powers will surely try to recruit me. Whether I agree or refuse, there will be endless trouble afterward."

"But since someone wants to bring us trouble and we can't stop them, we just need to eliminate the source of that trouble," Xia Mo said, looking at Xiao Yi Xian.

"All right, Sister Xiao Yi Xian, don't worry. Let me tell you some good news—the cave really did have treasure. Guess how much I got. There's a prize if you guess right." Xia Mo changed the subject because he did not want Xiao Yi Xian to worry.

"One hundred thousand?" Xiao Yi Xian felt that one hundred thousand was already a lot. After all, she herself had only seen that much money within the past six months.

Xia Mo shook his head. "Even more."

"Two hundred thousand?"

Xia Mo continued shaking his head.

"I can't guess. Just tell me."

"Don't be shocked," Xia Mo said. He beckoned Xiao Yi Xian closer, leaned toward her ear, and whispered, "It's worth around one million gold coins."

Xiao Yi Xian's eyes widened, making her look utterly adorable. Then she hurried to the door, opened it, and looked left and right. After confirming that no one was there, she shut it and locked it again, finally letting out a sigh of relief. "We must never discuss this again. What if someone overhears? Why would you tell me something so important? The fewer people who know, the less danger there is," Xiao Yi Xian said seriously as she looked at Xia Mo.

"What is there to fear in telling you? If I can't trust even you, then there won't be anyone in this world I can trust anymore," Xia Mo said seriously, looking back at Xiao Yi Xian. "Sister Xiao Yi Xian, cultivate diligently. When you become a Dou Zhe, I'll give you a gift." Xia Mo knew that Xiao Yi Xian was currently at the fifth stage of Dou Qi and had a wood affinity. That was her attribute before her Poison Body of Calamity awakened.

Xiao Yi Xian's talent was actually not bad. No one had taught her before, and she had a quiet nature, so she had not cultivated much. Otherwise, she should have become a Dou Zhe by now. Ever since Xiao Yi Xian had "adopted" Xia Mo, she had begun taking cultivation seriously. She wanted to protect Xia Mo. She wanted to go to Jia Nan Academy with him.

"Sister Xiao Yi Xian, I'm going back to rest first. You should sleep early too. Good night."

"Okay. Good night."

Xia Mo returned to his room and lay on his bed, waiting for the sky to grow darker. Since some people were tired of living, he would help them along. Strike first and gain the advantage; strike late and suffer. As long as the people causing trouble disappeared, there would be no more trouble.

In the dead of night, when all things were silent, Xia Mo opened his eyes on the bed. Killing intent flashed violently in his violet-gold pupils. He put on a black hooded cloak, vaulted over the wall, and headed for the Wolf Head Mercenary Group headquarters.

A true Ancient Void Dragon or Ancient Heavenly Phoenix was fearsome beyond measure, let alone a true Dragon Phoenix. What lay in his bloodline could not be changed. It had already been decided when Xia Mo accepted the inheritance. It simply did not show itself normally because he did not wish it to. Nothing more.

Xia Mo entered the Wolf Head Mercenary Group and used his outstanding soul perception to quickly locate Mu She's room. At that moment, Mu She was resting, completely unaware of the fate about to befall him.

Xia Mo had no intention of concealing himself. He quietly opened the door, entered the room, and closed it behind him as though he were returning to his own home. Hearing the sound, Mu She immediately rolled up from the bed. As a Dou Shi, he possessed the vigilance one should have.

"Who are you? What business do you have coming to our mercenary group?" Mu She stared at Xia Mo darkly, not acting rashly. He could not sense Xia Mo's strength.

"Weren't you looking for me? Didn't I kill two of your mercenary group's men and steal one of your medicinal herbs?"

"You're Xia Mo? Hahaha, it took no effort at all to find you! Quickly hand over the Blood Coagulating Paste formula!"

Is this guy an idiot? Since I dared to come here, doesn't that tell him something? Shouldn't he be gathering his men at a time like this? Does that mysterious force that makes villains stupid really exist? Xia Mo did not stop to consider that in such a remote place, how could there possibly be an eight-year-old Dou Shi? Even if Mu She had several more brains, he would never dare believe it.

Seeing that Mu She was still foolishly laughing, Xia Mo moved, charging straight at him.

By the time Mu She reacted, it was too late to counterattack. He immediately summoned his Dou Qi gauze armor and prepared to defend head-on. He did not believe a little brat could hurt him. Unfortunately, he did not know that his opponent was a magical beast whose physical strength had reached the peak of the Dou Shi realm.

The instant Xia Mo closed in on Mu She, he coldly shouted in his heart, Ancient Dragon Fist, Ancient Dragon Impact! Xia Mo's fist suddenly filled with terrifyingly savage power. It tore through the air and viciously smashed toward Mu She's head.

Sensing the fierce force rushing at him, Mu She's expression changed drastically. He instinctively tilted his head and raised an arm to block, but the instant that little fist struck him, a crack rang out. Mu She's arm broke at once, and the fist continued onward without losing momentum, slamming into his chest.

With a bang, Mu She was hurled into the wall. He remained there for several seconds before slowly sliding down. Raising his head, he stared at Xia Mo with utter disbelief. Leaning against the wall, Mu She glared at Xia Mo. "Impossible... How could you be so..." Before he could finish, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His injuries were clearly severe.

Xia Mo looked at his fist, somewhat dissatisfied. He had seized the initiative, yet he had failed to kill Mu She with a single punch. Xia Mo did not answer him. Instead, he slowly walked toward Mu She. "Why did you have to provoke me? I didn't want to kill anyone. I was already about to leave Qingshan Town," Xia Mo murmured softly.

Seeing Xia Mo approach, Mu She immediately shouted, "Forgive me! Forgive me! I'll give you money! I'll give you the entire mercenary group! Cough, cough!"

Xia Mo ignored him. He suddenly stepped forward, Dragon Phoenix Flame appearing in his palm as he struck it fiercely toward Mu She. "Don't provoke me again in your next life."

With a bang, Mu She's skull shattered instantly. Xia Mo silently looked at Mu She, then turned and walked outside. After pausing for a breath, he let out a sigh. A ball of flame appeared in his hand, and he threw it behind him at the house.

PS: This chapter came out a little late. This newbie found that describing characters' personalities is really hard ovo

If you have votes, please give this newbie a recommendation!