Opportunity

The main hall was dim.

Only two or three oil lamps flickered gloomily.

They illuminated the hideous corpses lying in pools of blood on the floor. The old leader of the Chai Gang was among them, his head severed from his body, held aloft by his graying hair.

As the voice echoed.

Meng Xuan's pupils contracted violently.

It was not because his father, a man of Three Refinements cultivation who once shook the Outer City with his might, had been decapitated; it was because the fierce man holding his father's head, who was now slowly turning around, possessed the face of the man he had seen just this evening—the head of the Qin Family?

"This, how could this be..."

Meng Xuan's voice trembled.

His mind was nearly blank.

He felt that this man's temper was simply too volatile. He had only spoken a few careless words that evening, for which he was not only beaten severely, but now, barely into the night, this man had slaughtered his way into the Chai Gang and twisted off his father's head. No one could remain calm in such a situation.

"My father was at Three Refinements, you, you..."

"Do not speak useless words."

Discarding the head in his hand, Qin Jiu took two steps in one, arriving before him in the blink of an eye.

Then, he raised his hand and gripped his throat.

"Tell me."

"Why did you, the Chai Gang, and the people behind the Fisher Gang allow the Demons to gather in Songshan County, and when will the Wei Army arrive at the county seat?"

"What?"

Meng Xuan was stunned, then sneered: "You had best not kill me, otherwise..."

"Snap."

Qin Jiu remained expressionless.

His right hand exerted a sudden, violent squeeze.

Meng Xuan's eyes bulged, then his head slumped limply, and all signs of life vanished from his body in an instant.

"Tap, tap."

Outside the hall.

Several sets of footsteps rang out.

He tossed the corpse at his feet and turned to look at the doorway. Almost simultaneously, Qin Xuanzhou, Huang Jing, and the others walked in quickly.

"Family Head, all core members of the Chai Gang have been executed."

"We have also found their secret vault."

"What shall we do next?"

Qin Xuanzhou bowed in salute.

The others followed suit, but as their gazes swept over the corpses on the floor, their faces could not help but twitch.

"The three of you, move all the bodies to this building."

"Huang Jing and Qin Xudong, go to the secret vault."

"You, come with me to the Li Family."

Qin Jiu said this, then added: "Once you have finished these tasks, one person is to remain at the Chai Gang. After one hour, set fire to this building. Qin Xudong must transport the contents of the vault back to the Qin Family alone, while the other three are to immediately head to the Li Family to provide support."

"Do you have any questions?"

"None."

The group spoke in unison.

Qin Jiu nodded slightly, then immediately left the Chai Gang with Qin Xuanzhou.

On the road.

Qin Xuanzhou opened his mouth to speak several times, only to hesitate, until he finally could not help but ask: "Family Head, are you... truly a Second Refining martial artist?"

His tone was far from calm.

This Family Head, who by seniority was his own cousin.

Previously, he had been an out-and-out playboy. Even when Qin Guihong was alive, no matter how much he forced him to practice martial arts, it was to no avail. Yet tonight, the man had personally severed the head of a Three Refinements martial artist.

It was simply unbelievable.

When did he learn martial arts, and when did he break through to the Second Refining?

And was he really only at the Second Refining?

The doubts in his heart surged like a stormy sea, unable to settle for a long time.

Facing Qin Xuanzhou's inquiry.

Qin Jiu nodded slightly.

"I only just broke through to the Second Refining stage, so there is no need for you to be overly surprised."

"As for the old gang leader, if he hadn't been struck by your punch, combined with his own advanced age and withered vitality, I wouldn't have been able to take his head off guard," Qin Jiu said, shaking his head. "Do not misjudge my strength; you are the one who will need to deal with the Li Family's Three Refinements expert later."

"That man is different from the old Chai Gang leader."

"He is in his prime, so you must not be careless."

"I understand."

Qin Xuanzhou nodded.

His thoughts, however, drifted further and further away.

He remembered very clearly that on the day he took over the Hundred Beasts Garden, Qin Jiu was merely a sickly wretch eroded by Demon aura. It was impossible for him to be a martial artist; otherwise, how could he have allowed such aura to enter his body?

Counting only from that time.

Less than a month has passed since then...

More than an hour later.

The two returned to the Inner City and headed straight for the Li Family estate.

However, upon arriving at the Li Family, Qin Jiu did not act immediately. Instead, he took Qin Xuanzhou to scout the perimeter of the Li Family residence. Firstly, the Inner City was not like the Outer City; if they made any noise here, it would easily attract the attention of the County Office.

Secondly, while the Li Family only had one Three Refinements martial artist on the surface, their guard force was far superior to that of the Chai Gang.

"Should we return to the Qin Family and summon the guard force?"

On a rooftop overlooking the outskirts of the Li Family estate, Qin Xuanzhou stepped on the eaves, observing the night patrol guards below while speaking in a hushed voice.

Qin Jiu shook his head immediately.

"No."

"The more people there are, the easier it is to ruin things."

"Although I intend to wipe out the Li Family tonight, if outsiders learn that this was the work of the Qin Family, then tonight's actions will have lost their meaning." He pondered for a moment before adding, "We will wait for Huang Jing and the other two to arrive first."

"We will strike directly at the Li Family head and strive to kill him in the shortest time possible. Once that happens, the Second Refining martial artists in the guard force will naturally know how to avoid harm. Once the Li Family members are all dead, those guards with different surnames will naturally scatter like loose sand."

As members of a great family, Qin Jiu understood the nature of those hired guards.

To use a saying from his past life:

As a mere guard, how much silver do you earn in monthly wages to be worth fighting for your life like this?

Not long after.

Huang Jing arrived with two other figures to rendezvous.

Qin Jiu had everyone cover their faces.

Although he hadn't made them do so at the Chai Gang, that was because they were in the process of slaughtering the entire gang. The situation at the Li Family was different; he did not wish to commit a heinous act of total extermination.

It would suffice to kill only the Li bloodline.

Li Family, Inner Hall.

The Li Family head, Li Shuyan, sat in the high hall with his eyes closed, as if resting.

However, his hands were clasped together, constantly rubbing the thumb ring on his finger.

Clearly, he was pondering something.

"Tap, tap."

Footsteps approached.

Li Shuyan opened his eyes and looked toward the doorway, a trace of surprise flashing across his face.

"Mu'er, you haven't slept yet?"

"I don't know why, Father, but I feel inexplicably restless and wanted to come out for some air."

Li Mu walked into the hall, first shaking his head before asking, "Father, why are you still awake so late? Is there something on your mind?"

"Hmm."

Li Shuyan nodded and said, "I am thinking about the affairs of the Qin and Han families."

He valued this son, who had broken through to the Second Refining before the age of twenty, immensely, and thus he did not hold anything back, saying: "According to the original plan, the Fisher Gang wanted the Qin Family's secret recipe, while the Chai Gang wanted the Han Family's properties and martial arts."

"As for our Li Family, we were to take over the assets of the Qin Family."

"However, the members of the Fisher Gang are now nearly wiped out, with only their leader remaining. I believe the Li Family should be able to step in and secure that secret recipe, keeping it until that person enters the city one day, so we may present it to them and secure a bright future for you."

"A chance that might perhaps allow you to..."

"Break through beyond the Internal Strengthening realm in the future."

"What kind of chance?"

Li Mu asked, looking slightly puzzled.

But almost at the same time, Li Shuyan's expression suddenly changed drastically.

In an instant.

A chilling blade light, accompanied by a trembling hum, pierced down from the roof, aiming straight for his crown.