Killing with a Smile

The expert raised his head and glanced at Meng Zhao. He felt that this young man was even more striking than he had been that day, then said calmly,

"That is correct. Since my brothers and I have fallen into Young Master Meng's hands today, whether you kill us or carve us up is entirely up to you.

"I only hope Young Master Meng will consider the bigger picture and avoid harming the harmony between the Sun and Meng Families."

He was still trying to use the Sun Family's backing to force Meng Zhao into submission, making him wary of damaging the vessel for the sake of the rat and afraid to act rashly.

In his view, Meng Zhao had only recently returned to the family and ought to proceed cautiously, not deliberately invite trouble for himself.

And no matter how poor the relationship between the Sun and Meng Families was, if he sparked an all-out war, it would inevitably be a blow, detrimental to future development.

Yet Meng Zhao burst into laughter at his words. He casually slipped the Jade Prayer Beads onto his left wrist and shook his head.

He took a Steel Saber from the hand of a Meng Family martial artist beside him. Its blade was smooth and bright, faintly glinting with cold light.

Then he casually walked over to a man whose face was full of pleading. Without even blinking, he flicked his wrist and chopped down. Saber Light flashed, followed by a spray of blood that dyed everyone's vision scarlet.

A large head rolled away. At nearly the same instant, blood spouted forth like a spring, shooting a foot into the air and splashing over the kneeling men nearby. Though Meng Zhao had never practiced any saber techniques, his martial foundation was there; both his speed and strength were remarkably formidable.

This scene frightened not only the Sun Family martial artists kneeling on the ground. Their faces went pale, their eyes blank, their hearts filled with terror of death. Those splashed with blood in particular now feared Meng Zhao as they would snakes and scorpions.

Had they been free to move, they would have gladly knocked their heads against the floor several more times just to preserve a moment of peace in their hearts.

The Meng Family experts, including Lü Yue and Wang Tao, were also greatly shocked.

Before Meng Zhao swung his saber, they had still seen their Young Master smiling, handsome and extraordinary. After Saber Light flashed, his smile remained unchanged, but what it gave them was no longer the warmth of sunlight—it was a chill that seeped into their bones.

Killing while laughing and talking—such conduct made the Meng Family experts shudder inwardly.

Whatever slight contempt they had once held for Meng Zhao vanished without a trace, replaced by deep awe.

A good, qualified leader needed not only benevolence toward his own people, but also strength and ruthlessness. Only by combining kindness and authority could he win people's conviction.

Now, this Young Master who had come from a monastery had answered their expectations perfectly. Rather than astonishing, his performance was downright terrifying.

Even if Meng Zhao had killed with a grim face full of rage, it would not have struck them as hard as this. They were truly stunned.

When the hawk-nosed man saw that man killed, his heart turned cold. He closed his eyes, unable to bear watching any longer, and lost all confidence.

Meng Zhao walked up before him with a smile. Blood still stained the Steel Saber in his hand. He laid the blade across the hawk-nosed man's shoulder and wiped it back and forth before resting it against his neck, smiling as he said,

"Well? Carving you up would take time and effort—far too troublesome, and unnecessary. Killing people is much simpler.

"Besides, it seems you guessed that I had discovered your identities, which is why you tried to use the Sun Family to pressure me.

"But with the likes of you, I'm afraid you're not enough to make the Sun Family and our Meng Family go to war. You aren't qualified."

This resounding slap struck the hawk-nosed man and his brothers across the face. It burned fiercely, yet it laid bare reality.

Killing them and killing Sun Chuanshan were matters of entirely different natures.

Were they blood descendants of the Sun Family head? Could they represent the Sun Clan?

Apparently not. They could not do either. In truth, they were not nearly as important as they had imagined themselves to be.

Seeing that no one spoke, Meng Zhao nodded in satisfaction. He removed the Steel Saber from the man's neck, tossed it back to one of his subordinates, and continued,

"Very good. It seems you all understand your situation now. So now, it depends on your choice.

"Do you want to die, or do you want to live?"

Just as the hawk-nosed man was about to answer, he saw that several of his brothers had already begun begging for mercy impatiently. Others did not speak because of their relationship with him, yet they too turned their heads toward him with expectant looks.

If it had only been one man, death was merely death—there would have been no need for further words. But so many lives were still in his hands. How could he act on impulse?

"Young Master Meng, let's open the skylight and speak plainly. What do you want us to do?"

Clearly, if Meng Zhao truly wanted to kill them, he would not have wasted so many words on them. How convenient it would have been to simply strike them down—why go through such unnecessary trouble?

Still, he truly did not know what benefit people like them could offer the other side, and he was deeply puzzled.

Meng Zhao did not answer directly. Instead, he gave Lü Yue a look, and Lü Yue immediately understood.

After clearing his throat, he had the Meng Family experts escort everyone else away.

Only the three of them and a bloody corpse remained in the spacious, deathly silent rear hall.

The matter of the Earth Spirit Pearl was too important. Too many people should not know the details; this was simply a prudent measure.

Meng Zhao did not beat around the bush.

"Tell me everything about how you raided the manor under my name, from beginning to end. Do not leave out a single detail.

"Especially why you burned the Medicine Field, whether you found anything in the Medicine Field, and who took it away.

"Oh, right. And that traitor, Bai Yang, who connected you all together—how much do you know about him?

"Tell me everything. Do not conceal anything, and do not try to test my patience.

"If I feel that you have hidden anything at all, your brothers will lose their heads."

The hawk-nosed man suddenly understood. Some doubts he had buried in his heart were instantly resolved, and he finally understood the strange actions of certain strange people. He said frankly,

"Fine. I will tell Young Master Meng everything I know. I only hope Young Master Meng will keep his word and spare my brothers' lives."

As for himself, it was not that he did not care about life and death. He was merely more at peace with it.

As he spoke, he recounted the entire operation from start to finish, every process and detail.

Meng Zhao, Lü Zhong, and Lü Yue had already deduced most of it.

They had also learned some things from Sun Chuanshan at Spring Welcome Pavilion. There was nothing particularly unusual; it merely filled in the overall course of events and details.

What it did confirm was that the burning of the Medicine Field that day had been the work of Bai Yang, the traitorous guard.

The hawk-nosed man and his group had only raided the medicine storehouse and had not participated in it.

Moreover, after Bai Yang arranged a false scene of his own death that day, he left alone, seemingly with somewhere to go already in mind. There had been no news of him since.

Therefore, the matter of the Earth Spirit Pearl should indeed have been Bai Yang's doing, and the Earth Spirit Pearl was now in Bai Yang's possession.

Meng Zhao could not help feeling disappointed, though he had anticipated it before, so his disappointment was limited. He quickly recovered.

Other than the Earth Spirit Pearl, this group no longer held any appeal for him.

As for revenge, he could even let Sun Chuanshan, the principal culprit, go. Why would he need to act against these little shrimps?

He possessed that much magnanimity. Besides, if he really killed them, Sun Chuanshan, that chess piece, would become difficult to use.

He instructed Lü Yue,

"Ale, I'll leave these people to you. See if you can pry more information about the Sun Family from their mouths.

"When you interrogate them, question them separately, then compare their answers one by one. If there are omissions or falsehoods, give them a little lesson.

"And remember to clean up the loose ends. My eldest uncle and the others will be back soon."

The moment Lü Yue heard this, he knew he had work to do again, but he was delighted inside.

Since Meng Zhao was willing to entrust these matters to him, the trust and closeness needed no further words. He would naturally serve with all his strength.

As for the hawk-nosed man, knowing that their lives were safe, he finally let out a breath of relief. Yet deep in his heart, there was also a faint sense of loss.

Meng Zhao's disdain—was that not an injury in itself to them?

As for revenge, he did not even dare entertain such a thought.

They had escaped once, but they might not escape a second time.