Accidental Killing

"You little bastard, you're dead meat." Jin Tian swept his gaze over the spot where Shi Mu had stood, and seeing no one there, burst into wild laughter.

But in that instant, with a sharp whoosh, a black shadow shot out from the pit in the ground where Shi Mu had been standing. In a single flash, it was right in front of the blue-robed youth.

"Ah!"

Jin Tian was horrified and tried to dodge, but it was already too late.

The black shadow let out a low growl and drove a fist heavily into his abdomen.

Although Jin Tian wore the Golden Silk Armor, which could absorb a fair amount of the punch's force, a terrifying power still pierced through the armor. With a pained cry, he clutched his stomach with both hands and immediately dropped to one knee.

The black shadow was naturally Shi Mu, who had narrowly escaped death.

At the moment the marble exploded, he had curled his entire body into the pit beneath him, barely managing to survive the disaster.

But if any part of his chain of actions—throwing the horse and stomping out a pit with both feet—had been even a fraction slower, he would have ended up like that charred horse carcass.

With that in mind, Shi Mu was equally furious and alarmed. Ignoring Jin Tian's pained expression, he grabbed the youth's collar with one hand and, with the other, began slapping his face wildly, like a windmill.

Smack! Smack!

Smack! Smack!

In no time, Jin Tian's entire head was swollen like a pig's, his eyes squeezed into thin slits, barely able to open even a little.

"Stop!"

"Shi Mu, that's enough. You're not really going to kill him, are you?"

The other Jin family disciples, who had been lying on the ground, finally came to their senses and stood up, shouting in protest. Two of them even walked over, intending to stop Shi Mu.

Hearing this, Shi Mu's face darkened. After the images of Aunt Zhen and Shi Yuhuan flashed through his mind, he finally let out a cold snort and released his grip on the blue-robed youth's collar.

But just then, the pig-faced Jin Tian's eyes flickered with venom. He suddenly raised an arm, and a silver crossbow bolt shot from his sleeve, straight at Shi Mu.

At such close range, even if Shi Mu reacted instantly, he had no way to block it. His face twisted in alarm as he twisted his body, barely managing to avoid the vital area over his heart.

Bang!

The silver bolt struck Shi Mu's chest in a flash, but it bounced off with a metallic clang.

This left both Shi Mu and Jin Tian momentarily stunned.

But the next moment, Shi Mu's eye twitched. He lifted his leg and kicked Jin Tian hard.

In his fury, Shi Mu held nothing back this time.

Even though the Golden Silk Armor absorbed much of the force, Jin Tian was still launched into the air, spitting out a mouthful of blood with a wha, before crashing heavily several yards away.

"I have to kill him. I have to kill him, no matter what it takes!" The blue-robed youth, despite the searing pain, twisted his pig-like face into a grimace midair, his eyes filled with madness.

But the moment his body slammed into the ground, he suddenly heard several shouts of alarm!

"No!"

"Get out of the way!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Jin Tian could even see the terrified expressions of the other youths nearby. The two who had already rushed forward were now sprinting desperately toward him, as if trying to catch him.

"Strange. Since when was I this popular in the clan?" Jin Tian wondered in confusion as his body hit the ground hard. At the same time, a chill ran through the back of his neck. Half a blade had pierced through his throat from the other side. His eyes went wide, blood bubbled from his mouth with a few gurgles, and after a few violent convulsions, he went limp, his face full of unwillingness.

The two youths who had been about to rush over stopped in their tracks, staring in terror at the mud-covered corpse on the ground and the bloodied half-blade protruding from its neck, completely at a loss.

Shi Mu himself was stunned by the sight.

It turned out that the spot where Jin Tian had landed had a half-broken sword blade sticking diagonally out of the ground—one of the ones Shi Mu had snapped earlier. When Jin Tian fell, his neck had struck the blade directly, killing him instantly.

It was pure bad luck for the blue-robed youth. If any other part of his body had hit the blade, the Golden Silk Armor would have left him with only a minor injury at most.

"You killed Jin Tian!"

"Fifth Uncle and the Jin Mansion will never let you go!"

"This kid is too strong. We're no match. Hurry back to the clan and report this!"

The other Jin family disciples still standing were all dumbfounded. After someone suddenly shouted, the rest snapped out of it. Some immediately drew their weapons, while others leaped onto their horses and galloped off toward Feng City.

Seeing their companions flee, those who had been about to fight suddenly remembered how ruthless Shi Mu was—he even dared to kill. They were pampered youths; charging at him would be like lambs walking into a tiger's den.

So the remaining youths hastily mounted their horses and chased after their companions.

Shi Mu finally came to his senses. Watching the Jin family disciples ride off into the distance, his face darkened. But he made no move to pursue.

Even though Jin Tian had died by accident, Shi Mu knew the Jin family elders wouldn't see it that way. With Fifth Master Jin insisting, they would almost certainly make him, an outsider, pay with his life for Jin Tian's.

Even if Aunt Zhen pleaded for him, it would likely be useless.

And he wasn't about to entrust his life to someone else's hands.

That meant he had to leave Feng City—no, even Quanzhou—immediately.

Shi Mu's thoughts ran cold. He glanced at Zhang Suo, who was already pale with fear, and without another word, turned and ran toward the estate.

He had to start his escape now.

But after taking just a few steps, he suddenly remembered something. He spun around and strode back toward Jin Tian's corpse.

Half a day later.

"Elder Brother, what are you saying? My Tian'er is dead, and at the hands of Shi Mu? That's impossible!" In the main hall of the Jin Family estate, Fifth Master Jin's eyes were wide as saucers, utterly refusing to believe the words spoken by the Jin Family Head before him.

At this moment, seven or eight Jin Family elders had already gathered in the hall, along with five or six younger Jin Family disciples who had witnessed Jin Tian's death firsthand.

Only now, under the gazes of these Jin Family seniors, those youths were all pale as ghosts, not daring to breathe too loudly.

"Someone, bring Tian'er's body up." The Jin Family Head sighed and waved a hand to the side.

No sooner had he spoken than two servants immediately carried in a long, cloth-wrapped object and set it down in the center of the hall.

Seeing this, Fifth Master Jin's body began to tremble, and he dared not step forward to lift the white cloth.