Behind him, the attendants stared at Li Xian's back in stunned silence, as if today were the first time they had ever met their own Second Young Master.
Li Xian wiped the blood from his blade and looked at the bodies on the ground. He took several deep breaths before he could calm his boiling blood.
He glanced at Li Chunxiao, who was still unconscious on the ground, then waved for the attendants behind him to come forward.
"Someone, help Third Miss up and see if there's a way to wake her."
"Yes, yes, yes..."
The attendants came to their senses as if waking from a dream, then immediately bustled about in a panic.
Before long, Third Miss Li Chunxiao finally came around.
"She's awake! She's awake! Third Miss is finally awake!"
"Ah Huang, what are you doing here?"
Li Chunxiao asked, clutching her throbbing head.
Soon, she realized where she was and cried out,
"Something's wrong! Ah Huang, be careful! Uncle Qin is a traitor. Hurry, let's go!"
"Uh..."
"What are you standing around for? Hurry, let's go back and find my father!" Li Chunxiao said anxiously.
Ah Huang said, "Third Miss, the Uncle Qin you're talking about is already dead."
"Dead? Who's... What did you say? Who's dead?!" Li Chunxiao's mind went blank.
"Yes, Uncle Qin is dead. Look, he's over there."
As Ah Huang spoke, he pointed at the body lying nearby, still warm.
Li Chunxiao turned her head woodenly and stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar face. For a moment, she felt as if she were in a dream.
"Who killed Uncle Qin? Did my father come?"
"No, it was the Second Young Master."
"What? Who did you say?"
"The Second Young Master," Ah Huang said, then pointed toward the other side. "Look, the Second Young Master is over there."
Li Chunxiao looked utterly incredulous. "How is that possible? Second Brother's martial arts aren't as good as mine. How could he have killed Uncle Qin?"
In the dilapidated courtyard, Li Xian stood quietly in a corner, watching his younger sister with a calm gaze.
For some reason, under that gaze, Li Chunxiao suddenly shivered.
"Are you all right?" Li Xian asked calmly.
"I'm fine."
Li Chunxiao suddenly felt that her Second Brother was different now, carrying an unmistakable air of authority.
The pressure he exuded was even greater than their father's.
What was going on?
They had only been apart for a little while. How had Second Brother changed so much?
"If you're fine, let's go back."
Li Xian left those words behind and walked out first.
"Third Miss, let's go too," Ah Huang said, helping Li Chunxiao to her feet.
"Okay."
As they crossed the courtyard, Li Chunxiao saw bodies strewn everywhere on the ground. She was deeply shaken.
"These people..."
"They were all killed by the Second Young Master alone," Ah Huang explained, his voice full of admiration.
Li Xian's performance just now had unconsciously won over everyone in the Escort Agency.
"Did Second Brother really do this? When did he become so strong?" Li Chunxiao felt as though she were dreaming and still couldn't believe it.
Before long, the Escort Agency's people had gathered themselves together and set out for Nanfeng City.
"Xiaoxiao, you're finally back."
As soon as they returned to the Escort Agency's entrance, Second Madam, who had received word, was already waiting for them.
Second Madam was Li Lantian's second wife and Li Chunxiao's birth mother. When she heard that her daughter had been kidnapped, she had nearly fainted. Thankfully, her daughter had returned safe and sound, and the heavy stone in her heart had finally been lifted.
Li Xian disliked such sentimental scenes, so he merely greeted them before returning to his room.
Over the next few days, the Li Family Escort Agency enjoyed a spell of peace.
Li Chunxiao had suffered minor injuries and a fright, so she needed to recover. For the time being, the Escort Agency wasn't taking on any escort missions.
Li Xian sent people to search around Nanfeng City for martial arts manuals, but the results were disappointing. The manuals were too low-grade, with too low a ceiling; cultivating them would be a complete waste of Proficiency Points.
By the fifth day, Li Xian's father, Li Lantian, still hadn't returned.
Half a month earlier, Li Lantian had accepted a mission to search for several missing hunters on nearby Partridge Mountain alongside the constables of Nanfeng City.
These were the most troublesome kinds of missions.
Not only did they pay little, they were also fraught with difficulties.
But the client was the Nanfeng City County Office, after all.
They had no choice but to accept the escort job.
Now he had been gone for more than ten days, without a word.
Worried, Li Xian had sent people to the County Office several times to inquire, but the answer was always the same: there was no news.
Dusk.
Facing the last rays of the setting sun, Li Xian let out a long breath.
His breath roared like a dragon or tiger, its force astonishing.
Congratulations, Host. After practicing a martial art ten times, you have gained one Proficiency Point.
What good were so many Proficiency Points when I didn't have any higher-grade martial arts to spend them on?
Li Xian felt deeply troubled.
Nanfeng City was too small.
He had sent people everywhere to inquire, but they hadn't found a single advanced martial art.
Perhaps he would have to leave Nanfeng City to find higher-grade martial arts.
"Second Young Master!"
"What is it?"
"Captain Chen from the County Office is here."
"Oh?" Li Xian's eyebrows lifted involuntarily. "Take me to see him!"
Captain Chen of Nanfeng City was no ordinary man. They said he was Heavenly Gifted, able to command fire and water, and was truly extraordinary.
They said that when Captain Chen was young, he had been a Centurion in the Dagan Demon Suppressing Division. He had suffered severe injuries on a mission to slay a Great Demonic Evil, and his strength had greatly diminished. That was why he had retired to Nanfeng City, where he now served as a carefree constable.
In the front hall, Li Xian met the renowned Captain Chen.
"Captain Chen, I didn't know you were coming. Please forgive me for not welcoming you sooner!" Li Xian said politely, cupping his hands.
Captain Chen took a sip of tea and spoke unhurriedly. "Second Young Master Li, please accept my condolences."
"What do you mean by that...?" Li Xian was stunned.
"Your father, Li Lantian, is dead!"
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