Unbelievable!

Li Mu Yang's expression was cold and stern, his back ramrod straight.

His eyes were blood-red, carrying a sinister viciousness that looked ready to devour anyone at any moment.

His clothes were stained with blood, and his face was spattered with bloody scraps of flesh left behind after he had sent the Blood Crow flying with a single punch.

This was a murderous Li Mu Yang—the Li Mu Yang Yan Xiangma had never seen before.

Of course, Yan Xiangma had only met Li Mu Yang once.

The first time he had seen Li Mu Yang, although the boy had not been likable, he had certainly not been loathsome either.

He had been a little too warm, but his smiling face had made it impossible for anyone to feel annoyed.

Even though using his fingers to snap the Lapis Lazuli apart for fun had been tantamount to viciously slapping him in the face, Yan Xiangma could forgive him for it on account of the frozen watermelon he had been treated to.

When his mother had asked whether he had come to deal with Li Mu Yang, that troublesome figure, he had even deliberately concealed the truth for him—concealed the fact that his strength was formidable. Though, to be honest, he had mainly done so to save his own face.

But in his eyes, Li Mu Yang was not a bad person.

He was not one of those pretty boys he had imagined, trying to pursue Cousin Xiao Xin in order to achieve some unspeakable aim.

Li Mu Yang did not have what it took to be a pretty boy.

It was not as though nothing like this had happened before. He had dealt with such people cleanly and efficiently.

He knew Li Mu Yang had deliberately hidden his strength, but he had never expected Li Mu Yang to possess such terrifying power.

Across the Divine Land, martial cultivators' cultivation was divided into the seven great realms of Empty Valley, High Mountain, Idle Cloud, Withered Glory, Starry Sky, Divine Wandering, and Dragon Slayer. Each realm was further divided into the three grades of high-grade, mid-grade, and low-grade.

According to this system, the Crow was at least Idle Cloud High-grade, far above his own High Mountain Realm Mid-grade. If he had faced the Crow alone, he would probably have done nothing but flee for his life. Even against Heart Buddha Ning Xin Hai, who stood beside Cousin Xiao Xin, he would have had enough strength to protect himself. If Ning Xin Hai had not been careful, he might even have suffered at the Crow's hands.

And yet this Li Mu Yang before him, whom he had met only once—the inferior student in his teacher's eyes, the trash in the students' eyes—had actually slaughtered the Crow by himself?

Yan Xiangma's expression grew grave. He watched Li Mu Yang, who stood there without saying a word, with guarded eyes and asked, "You killed him?"

"Yes." Li Mu Yang replied. "I killed him because he wanted to kill me."

Li Mu Yang did not really care whether the Crow had wanted to kill him. After all, this disaster had been drawn to them because of him in the first place.

What he cared about most was that the Crow had nearly killed his closest family—his father, his mother, and his adorable younger sister, Li Sinian.

He was a good-for-nothing. That was what everyone said, and deep down, he acknowledged it himself.

But his family's lives were far more important than his own.

They were the reverse scales he would protect no matter what price he had to pay.

He could die. His life was worthless anyway.

But his parents could not die, and his sister could not die.

So he did not regret killing the Crow in the slightest. He was deeply thankful that he had been able to do it.

"Alone?"

"Alone," Li Mu Yang replied.

"How did you do it?" Yan Xiangma's heart churned like a vast sea, and the look he gave Li Mu Yang grew increasingly aghast. He simply could not believe that this ordinary-looking high school student before him had killed an assassin ranked among the Empire's top twenty.

Could it be that the Crow had not used his specialty, Cherry Blossom Slash?

Could it be that the Crow had not unleashed his terrifying Darkness Veil?

Could it be that he had not summoned those Blood Crow pets? It looked like he had summoned them—the countless Blood Crow corpses on the ground were the best proof.

Li Mu Yang felt that this man talked far too much. He tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, "He was eaten by his own crows."

"Blood Crow Devours Master?" Yan Xiangma was shocked. "The reason Blood Crows devour their master is that, after being summoned, they have no flesh to eat and no blood to drink, while their master is in an extreme state of weakness and has no ability to defend himself. Blood Crows are creatures of the utmost evil and wickedness. There is an old saying that fighting them means injuring the enemy by a thousand while suffering eight hundred wounds yourself. For the Crow to have been devoured by them proves that, at the time, he did not even have the strength left to resist—he lost to you?"

Li Mu Yang fell silent.

Wasn't that obvious?

Besides this living person standing in front of you, who else could have helped me do it?

Yan Xiangma also knew he had asked a foolish question. He gently waved his fan, fanning away the thick stench of blood in the air, and looked at Li Mu Yang. "The Crow was a notorious assassin on the Empire's wanted list, as well as a major criminal wanted throughout the provinces. Even our Jiangnan City had laid out a Heavenly Net to capture him and bring him to justice. Since he died by your hand, you have done our Jiangnan Province a tremendous favor. The Cui Family, the Yan Family, and Cousin Xiao Xin all owe you a debt of gratitude."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Li Mu Yang asked impatiently, looking at Yan Xiangma.

He walked to where his parents and sister lay and placed his fingers against their wrists, checking their pulses one by one.

Li Mu Yang had never studied medicine. In fact, the old Daoist had once used him as a specimen while teaching his younger sister, Li Sinian, medicine.

Yet some things seemed to come naturally to him. He knew the normal pulse rate of a human being, and he could accurately determine whether someone was healthy.

Fortunately, his parents and sister were merely unconscious for the time being. Their lives were not in serious danger.

Seeing the worry in Li Mu Yang's eyes, the tension in Yan Xiangma's heart eased considerably.

He could tell that Li Mu Yang's concern for his family came from the bottom of his heart.

"Aren't you taking the exam?" Yan Xiangma asked.

Li Mu Yang's expression froze, and his face became even more troubled.

For countless students, today was an extremely important day.

For Li Mu Yang, today was the day that would determine the course of his future life.

He had already made an appointment with Cui Xiaoxin. They were going to watch the sunrise together beside Weiming Lake at Xifeng University.

But so much time had already passed, and he had yet to leave for the examination. The first test had probably begun by now.

What was he supposed to do?

Give up?

All the effort he had put in, his agreement with Cui Xiaoxin, and his hopes for a beautiful future would all come to nothing.

But if he rushed to the examination now, what would happen to his family? What would happen to his father, mother, and younger sister Li Sinian, who were still unconscious?

He could not abandon their safety for the sake of his own future. If he did that, could he still call himself a filial son and a caring older brother?

"You should go." Yan Xiangma saw Li Mu Yang's hesitation and spoke in a deep voice.

Li Mu Yang looked at him sharply but did not answer.

"Do you trust me?" Yan Xiangma forced a smile onto his face and asked in a gentle, amiable voice.

"I don't." Li Mu Yang answered with complete candor.