Heads

Over the next few days, Su Yuan unleashed a killing spree, hunting both Monsters and those who deserved to die.

[Hibernation: 1934/2000 (Perfect)]

[Slaughter: 156/500 (Minor Success)]

Another gong rang. It was already the fifth day of the hunt.

Su Yuan returned laden with prey, and his ranking soared.

He glanced toward the high platform and noticed it was unusually empty today.

It was no surprise that a few young masters and young ladies were absent, but several of the powerful Vein Splitting experts were missing too.

Did something happen? Did Cloud-Striding Martial Hall make a move? Su Yuan guessed.

"They've gone mad! Completely mad!" Shan Xiongqing roared in fury from the high platform.

The Jiguang Society had launched an unprecedented rebellion in Ji City. This time, they were no longer merely trying to break prisoners out of jail; they planned to seize the opportunity to overthrow Liang rule over the city once and for all.

Now the entire city had descended into chaos.

The Liang People had already split their forces to guard against trouble during the ceremony, even bringing along some prisoners as bait. They had never expected their opponents' ambitions to be so great.

"An ant trying to shake a tree," Chai Nian said mildly, waving his fan.

All they needed to do was send part of their forces back to the city. With so many Vein Splitting Martial Warriors there to crush the rebellion, it would amount to nothing more than a small ripple.

Since the rebels weren't making trouble here at the ceremony, things were quieter on their end.

Shan Xiongqing understood this perfectly well. What had truly enraged him was that Yun Xu had been rescued and had vanished without a trace!

Gao Mian sneered nearby, looking only at the rankings. She feigned surprise. "Oh? Su Yuan's already risen to tenth place."

Only then did the others turn their attention back to the competition.

"How did he get to tenth?" Shan Xiongqing looked at the rankings, his anger mounting. He swept his gaze over the Martial Academy's people and only then realized how many of their Martial Warriors were missing.

The Chai Family had lost people too, but the Su brothers he was most concerned about were both safe and sound.

"A bunch of useless trash!" Shan Xiongqing could no longer contain himself. He slammed a palm down on the table.

Chai Nian, too, lost his composure.

It wasn't Su Yuan who made his expression change. It was the fact that Su Tieniu was about to be overtaken.

Right behind him, eyeing the prize like a tiger, was Wang Jin of Huishan Martial Hall.

Rong Yulian and the other Liang People present grew displeased.

If a Jing person from a martial hall took first place, where would that leave their dignity?

"The rules must be changed again!" Shan Xiongqing ground out.

"With chaos breaking out in the city, there must be insiders pulling the strings. Great Liang is raising loyal dogs, but there's no guarantee a traitor isn't hiding among these Martial Warriors. I propose we add a test of loyalty."

"What sort of test?" Chai Nian asked, glancing sideways at him.

"I have a batch of useless prisoners. We'll release them into the mountains and order every contestant to bring back the head of a Jing traitor. Refugees will count too, and we'll greatly increase the points awarded for this sort of kill." Shan Xiongqing's gaze darkened.

The moment he said it, everyone understood his scheme.

When it came to slaughtering refugees, the Shan Family Martial Academy had always been the worst offender.

But a test of loyalty was indeed necessary—and it would also give them a way to suppress Wang Jin and the others from the martial halls.

I wonder if they'll dare turn their blades on their own people.

After some discussion, the rules were changed once more.

Su Yuan and the others were stunned when they heard the new rules.

The points for a refugee's head had gone up from five to ten.

And each prisoner released into the mountains was worth a hundred points.

For comparison, killing a first-tier demon tiger after considerable effort was worth only thirty points.

Anyone who could identify a hidden traitor would also receive a hundred points.

The contest had turned from a hunt into a full-fledged competition to kill people.

More importantly, everyone had to turn in a head.

Otherwise, they would be deemed disloyal, their scores would be voided, and they would be treated as potential spies or traitors to be captured and interrogated.

Then soldiers brought the prisoners to the valley entrance, untied them, and drove them onward. "Run! Hurry! The hunt is about to begin. This is your last chance!"

Most of the prisoners were covered in wounds, their leg bones shattered. They could only prop themselves up on their elbows and crawl through the mud, struggling for the faintest hope of survival.

Su Yuan looked them over. He recognized most of their faces, but the one he knew best was Duan Hongyan.

At the sight, most of the Martial Warriors fell silent.

Du Hengfeng licked his lips excitedly. "This game is practically made for me!"

"Brother Yuan, what do we do?" Tie Niu asked tensely.

The thought of being overtaken in the rankings had already made him anxious. Now he was completely flustered.

Su Yuan sighed inwardly.

If he wanted to keep his footing in Great Liang, he had no choice but to take part in this game.

"Take them," Su Yuan said hoarsely.

He wouldn't kill them himself. He would take what others had already claimed.

It was the most barely acceptable option he could think of.

But they all knew that even if they didn't get their hands bloody themselves, taking part in the competition made them accomplices.

The young masters and young ladies on the platform remained expressionless.

They firmly believed their subordinates were all loyal dogs, eager to tear into their former kin to prove their innocence.

It was only a few Jing people they were killing.

Only Gao Mian looked at Su Yuan and thought of that scroll. A trace of worry flickered in her eyes.

The gong rang again. Everyone split up and entered the mountains to search.

Du Hengfeng received a secret message from Shan Xiongqing and whispered to his fellow disciples, "The young master has ordered us to join forces, hunt down people from the Chai Family and the martial halls, and seize their prey."

The mountain was now under much lighter supervision.

Du Hengfeng was displeased. The young master still didn't trust him and insisted these useless fools join in.

But what angered him more was that he couldn't figure out where that brat Su Yuan had gone.

The group began sweeping through the mountains.

He had nearly killed all the refugees in this area, and the rest had fled into the depths of the mountains.

There were only a few dozen prisoners, so claiming a head wouldn't be easy.

Su Yuan quietly followed behind them. So they've grouped up? That's a bit of a problem.

It wasn't that he couldn't kill them. It was that if too many people died all at once, it would surely invite a thorough investigation.

He kept tailing them, waiting for a good opportunity.

Some prisoners knew they couldn't escape and chose to kill themselves.

Faced with the heads he'd gotten for free, Du Hengfeng was unimpressed. "Where's that wretch Su Yuan hiding? It'd be more fun to take something from someone."

Like a plague god sweeping through, the group began to ravage the mountain forest.

They didn't just steal heads. They also silenced witnesses, killing any other contestants they came across.

"The Shan Family's working in a group!" A woman with braided hair, dressed in pale blue and white, sensed something was wrong. She hurriedly retreated and cried out in alarm.

"After her!" Du Hengfeng's gaze turned cold as he lunged forward.

But the woman's footwork was superb. She darted and wheeled through the trees, and Du Hengfeng couldn't catch up with her for the moment.

Her shouts drew the attention of more Martial Warriors.

"Damn it! You lot, deal with the others!" Du Hengfeng barked.

It didn't matter which Martial Academy they belonged to. He'd kill them all.

Then first place would be his for the taking.

He recognized the woman as Huang Tong of the Rong Family Martial Academy.

His anger surged, and he chased after her without pause.

Seeing the chaos unfold, Su Yuan realized the hunting contest had become a battlefield of Martial Warriors, a living hell.

More and more people were being dragged into it, all hoping to seize heads while they could.

He quietly followed Du Hengfeng.

The man was alone now.

Su Yuan lay in wait beside the path he was pursuing her along.

"Little brat, let's see where you run now! Why don't you stop and fight me?" Du Hengfeng called coldly.

"Your big sister doesn't pick on shorties. Get lost while you still can!" Huang Tong's mocking voice came from ahead.

"What did you call me? Raging Horse Neighing Wind—" Du Hengfeng roared, about to unleash his technique.

A large hand suddenly shot out from the shadows to the side and clamped down on his head. Then it dragged him, head and all, into the forest, vanishing in an instant.

"Huh? Did I really scare him off?" Huang Tong looked back, saw no one, and grew suspicious. She turned and headed back toward the chaotic melee, hoping to pick up some easy spoils.

By the time she returned, the fighting was almost over.

To her astonishment, most of the Shan Family Martial Academy's people lay dead on the ground.

Su Yuan cut off the head of a Shan Family Martial Warrior and called out to the others, "Don't let these go to waste! These heads count for points too. Just as I suspected, the Shan Family Martial Academy was harboring traitors. They dared to gang up and hunt down loyal men like us!"

After subduing Du Hengfeng, he had immediately hurried back and ambushed people amid the chaos, helping the others finish off the stragglers.

Everyone present had been worried about how they would explain killing so many Shan Family Martial Warriors.

Su Yuan's words gave them an out. After all, it was true that the other side had grouped up to hunt them, and they chimed in one after another.

"Exactly! They were traitors!"

"Save one for me!"

With Su Yuan taking the blame, everyone swarmed forward and divided up the heads.

He gave priority to the Chai Family Martial Warriors present.

Huang Tong watched, surprised.

Had everyone really taken Su Yuan as their leader?

She remembered him as nothing more than a low-grade root-bone with a single bloodline.

She stopped one of her fellow disciples to ask. Only then did she learn that Su Yuan had appeared and disappeared like a ghost in the melee, his movements uncanny as he picked off several people one after another.

No one wanted to make an enemy of him, so they knew when to quit while they were ahead.

"Oh? He's good at moving unseen?" A spark of interest appeared in Huang Tong's eyes.

"Miss Huang, thank you for your help. Keep these heads as a small token of my gratitude." With that, Su Yuan picked up several heads and quickly vanished into the forest.

[Hibernation: 2000/2000 (Perfect)]

[Acquired Trait: Shadow Concealment]

[Hide in the shadows and gather your breath, lurking unseen as you wait for the right moment]

[You can conceal and regulate your own aura, blending your form into the shadows. Your movements become swift, your presence greatly diminished, making it easier to lie in wait and hide while you gather strength.]

The gong must have rung already. He needed to hurry back and turn in his spoils.

"Thank me? Because I drew that shorty away?" Huang Tong wondered, even more suspicious now.

At the valley entrance camp, most of those who returned carried only the heads of refugees, just to prove their loyalty.

Only a few brought back the heads of prisoners. Their scores surged, propelling them into the top ranks in an instant and earning envious looks from everyone.

Others were still tirelessly hunting Monsters, like Tie Niu and Wang Jin.

In the end, they couldn't get past the hurdle in their hearts. Their rankings hadn't fallen, but without proving their loyalty, all those points would be wiped out.

"Brother Yuan, I'm sorry. I can't get the medicine now, and I've let down the young master too." Tie Niu looked utterly dejected. He had no heart left for hunting and hid in the mountain forest.

Chai Nian couldn't sit still any longer. "Su Tieniu! What are you doing!"

He had never imagined that the Martial Warrior he had worked so hard to cultivate would be so weak-willed.

Seeing Chai Nian lose his composure for once, Shan Xiongqing couldn't help grinning.

He searched the returning crowd but didn't see Su Yuan. His heart leapt with joy.

Had that brat finally died?

But where were my people from the Shan Family Martial Academy?

Gao Mian suddenly rose to her feet, her face pale. She was about to leave the platform and enter the mountains.

Just then, a familiar voice rang through the hubbub, carrying a hint of playful mockery:

"Got your heads here!"