Accidental Killing

"You little brat, you're dead." Jin Tian glanced at the spot where Shi Mu had been standing. Seeing no one there, he immediately burst into wild laughter.

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

"Ah!"

Jin Tian was startled. He tried to dodge, but it was already too late.

The shadow let out a low growl and slammed a fist into his lower abdomen.

Although Jin Tian wore the Golden Silk Armor, which could absorb much of the force, a terrifying power still punched through the armor. He let out a scream and immediately dropped to one knee, both hands clutching his stomach.

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

The moment the marble exploded, he had curled up in the pit beneath him, only just managing to escape disaster.

But the chain of movements he had just made—throwing the horse aside and then stomping a pit into the ground with both feet—would have to be performed without the slightest delay. If he had been even a little slower, he would have ended up like that horse, burned to a crisp.

Shi Mu was naturally just as enraged and shocked. Paying no heed to Jin Tian's pain, he grabbed the youth by the collar with one hand and, with the other, struck the blue-robed youth's face over and over like a windmill.

"Smack!" "Smack!"

In the blink of an eye, Jin Tian's head had swollen up like a pig's. His eyes were squeezed into two slits, and even opening them a little seemed difficult.

"Stop!"

"Shi Mu, that's enough. You don't really want to kill him, do you?"

Only then did the other Jin Family youths, who had been lying on the ground, come to their senses and get to their feet, shouting for him to stop. Two of them even came straight over, intending to keep Shi Mu from continuing.

At their words, Shi Mu's face darkened. The images of Aunt Zhen and Shi Yuhuan flashed through his mind. At last, he snorted and released the blue-robed youth's collar.

But just then, a vicious glint flashed in the eyes of Jin Tian, whose face had become a pig's. He suddenly raised an arm, and a silver crossbow bolt shot from his sleeve straight at Shi Mu.

At such close range, Shi Mu had no chance of blocking it, no matter how fast he reacted. His expression changed drastically as he twisted his body, barely managing to move the bolt away from his heart.

With a thud, the silver bolt flashed into Shi Mu's chest, only to ricochet away with the clang of metal striking metal.

Both Shi Mu and Jin Tian were stunned.

But in the next instant, Shi Mu's eye twitched. He raised a leg and kicked Jin Tian hard.

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

Even with the Golden Silk Armor absorbing much of the force, Jin Tian was sent flying into the air. He spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed down several zhang away.

I'll kill him. I'll definitely kill him, no matter what it takes! Though his body was wracked with pain, the blue-robed youth was still in midair, his pig-like face twisted into a knot, his eyes blazing with madness.

But the moment he crashed to the ground, he suddenly heard several cries of alarm!

"Watch out!"

"Get out of the way!"

Out of the corner of his eye, the blue-robed youth could even see the terror on the faces of the other youths nearby. The two youths who had already rushed out were sprinting toward him with all their might, seemingly trying to catch him.

Strange. Since when have I been so popular among the clan?

Jin Tian was still wondering when he hit the ground hard. At the same time, a chill ran through the back of his neck. Half a broken blade pierced through his throat, and his eyes flew wide open. Blood bubbled from his mouth as he made a few muffled sounds. Then his body gave several violent spasms, and he went limp, his face frozen in unwilling disbelief.

The two youths who had been about to rush over stopped in their tracks. They stared in terror at the dirt-covered corpse and the half blade protruding from its neck, at a loss for what to do.

Shi Mu himself was dumbstruck by what he had just witnessed.

It turned out that the spot where Jin Tian had fallen had been exactly where half of the blade Shi Mu had broken earlier was stuck in the ground. When Jin Tian hit the ground, his neck had struck the blade. Naturally, he had died beyond any hope of saving him.

The blue-robed youth had been unbelievably unlucky. If any other part of his body had struck the blade, the Golden Silk Armor would have left him with no more than a minor injury.

"You killed Jin Tian!"

"Fifth Master Jin and the Jin Mansion will never let you go."

"That brat's vicious. We're no match for him. Hurry back and warn the clan!"

The other Jin Family youths still standing there were all stunned. Someone suddenly shouted, and only then did the others come back to their senses. Some immediately drew their weapons, while others scrambled onto their horses and galloped toward Feng City.

Seeing their companions' reactions, those who had been thinking of fighting finally realized that Shi Mu was terrifying—he even dared to kill. They were pampered young masters; charging straight at him would be like sending sheep into a tiger's den.

The other youths hurried onto their horses as well and took off after their companions.

Shi Mu came to his senses too. Watching the Jin Family youths ride away, his face darkened, but he made no move to pursue them.

Jin Tian's death had been an accident, but Shi Mu did not believe the Jin Family's leaders would see it that way. With Fifth Master Jin insisting on it, there was a very good chance they would make an outsider like him pay with his life for Jin Tian's.

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

He would never place his life in someone else's hands.

That meant he had to leave Feng City—and even Quanzhou—at once.

Thinking this, Shi Mu's blood ran cold. He glanced at Zhang Suo, who stood nearby, pale with fright, then turned without a word and ran toward the estate.

He had to flee for his life immediately.

But after taking only a few steps, he suddenly remembered something. He hurriedly turned around again and strode toward Jin Tian's corpse.

Half a day later.

"Big brother, what did you say? My Tian'er is dead, and Shi Mu killed him? That's impossible!" In the main hall of the Jin Family's mansion, Fifth Master Jin stared wide-eyed at the Jin Family Head, unable to believe his words.

By then, seven or eight of the Jin Family's leaders had gathered in the hall, along with five or six Jin Family youths who had witnessed Jin Tian's death.

Under the watchful eyes of their elders, the youths were all deathly pale and did not dare breathe too loudly.

"Someone, bring Tian'er's body in." The Jin Family Head sighed and gestured to either side.

As soon as he spoke, two servants carried a long bundle wrapped in white cloth into the hall and laid it in the middle.

Fifth Master Jin trembled at the sight. He did not even dare step forward to lift the white cloth.