One of the Troubles Brought by War

With a sharp tug, Li Ke pulled the chopstick from the man's hand, drawing a spray of blood that forced the brainless fool to finally see himself for what he was.

The man pointed a stiff finger at Li Ke, then stared at the blood splattered across his own hand. His eyes bulged, and he collapsed to the ground, twitching uncontrollably.

Li Ke shoved aside the rigid blades, sneered, and tossed the chopstick aside. Looking down at the blood-soaked young master sprawled on the ground, he couldn't help but speak.

"Now you finally look like a man of talent."

His words sent a chill through the onlookers. While it was common enough for swordsmen to kill at the slightest provocation, this was...

Could this really be considered a man of talent?

Everyone looked at the face that had once been handsome but was now hideously mangled and twitching, and they all turned away, terrified they might have nightmares tonight.

Li Ke ignored their thoughts and turned his attention to the two people who had suddenly intervened.

One was a young man with a traditional samurai topknot; he was the one who had blocked Li Ke's weapon with his sword.

The other was an old man with graying hair and a weathered face; he was the one who had aimed for Li Ke's arm just moments ago.

"Hey, do you realize this is a member of a noble family? They manage the taxes of two villages, own two merchant fleets, and are the very patrons who fund your dojo."

The old man shook his head slightly as he looked at the young man on the ground, lamenting the loss of a young life, though he had no intention of reprimanding Li Ke too harshly.

He had seen everything that just transpired, and in Ionia, Li Ke's counterattack was entirely justified.

In fact, insulting a master's sect was already grounds for a lawful killing, let alone the fact that this fellow had attempted a sneak attack on Li Ke and had nearly succeeded.

"Huh? Well, I suppose I understand what's going on now."

Li Ke glanced at the family crest on the dead swordsman's robes and roughly grasped the reason.

The man's family had clearly made their fortune through their fleets. They naturally funded Elder Souma in hopes of securing protection, as many such patrons supported their dojo, and disciples of the Wind Technique did indeed go out to protect their assets.

However, Li Ke knew well that Elder Souma's disciples never went out to sea; they mostly went to the estates of other elders and nobles to keep the peace.

Combined with the rumors of people wanting Elder Souma to intervene against the Noxian fleet, it was obvious that the family behind this man was among those pressuring the Elder to act against the Noxians.

Because the Noxian fleet blockaded all Ionian vessels, their merchant fleets could no longer trade, and they faced the constant risk of being plundered or destroyed by the Noxians.

Those who had paid their money naturally felt their investment had gone to waste, and they grew to resent Elder Souma.

But this resentment was fundamentally baseless.

Elder Souma had stated many times that his disciples would only protect the local peace and would not involve themselves in external affairs. Every time he accepted funding, he reminded them of this fact.

Yet, those people still believed that a bit of money could make Elder Souma their puppet, and when he explicitly refused, their greed curdled into hatred.

"This incident was an accident, but it was also an inevitable conflict. Even if I hadn't killed him today, once the war broke out, he still would have resented Elder Souma for refusing to stop the Noxian fleet."

Li Ke returned his sword to its scabbard, though he remained wary of the two men.

"So, even if I hadn't killed him, his family would never have maintained a harmonious relationship with Elder Souma."

The old man who had blocked him sighed softly.

"But if the person were still alive, there would always be room for negotiation."

Li Ke didn't care. While it was awkward to kill a benefactor, he didn't believe that cowering would lead to a better outcome.

"His family is welcome to come and take their revenge on me, because they don't have the guts to seek revenge against Elder Souma. As for those who come to kill me?"

A disdainful smile appeared on Li Ke's face.

"They are more than welcome to try."

With his ability to simulate the future to a certain extent, combined with his rapid growth, he would never die unless he was suddenly swarmed by hundreds of people or faced a master like Meimu.

As for underhanded schemes, as long as he remained cautious and continued to run simulations, he would never be caught off guard.

Thinking of this, Li Ke couldn't help but scratch his head. Looking at the corpse on the ground, he felt this was all very troublesome.

Might as well finish the job...

"What a hassle. Maybe I should just kill his whole family..."

The young man with the topknot, who had been drinking water, spat it out. He stared at Li Ke in shock. It was one thing to kill someone in front of him and his father without changing his expression, but to talk about wiping out the entire family right to their faces?

He really had some nerve.

The old man was also taken aback by Li Ke's thought process, but he didn't show as much surprise, instead shaking his head helplessly.

"That won't be necessary, as his entire family has already been killed by the Noxians. He was the last one left."

He had received intelligence that the man's entire family had been slaughtered by the Noxians at sea. Not just his parents, but every relative within three generations was dead; he had only survived because he had been left behind to watch the house.

Why did he know this so clearly?

Because the young man's negative emotions had begun to affect the spirit realm. If he were allowed to continue wallowing in hatred and grief, another massive demon would manifest here.

The natural balance of this place had already been disrupted once; it could not afford to be broken again. Thus, a disciple of the Kinkou Order had provided him with the intelligence to handle the situation.

Otherwise...

He would have had to kill an innocent person to soothe the fluctuations in the spirit realm.

"That miserable?"

Li Ke was stunned for a moment. He truly hadn't expected that to be the case. In that light, the man's intense hatred and his attempt to kill Li Ke seemed almost "understandable."

Li Ke merely sneered.

"But what does his misery have to do with me?"

If this youth had requested help in his capacity as a patron, Li Ke wouldn't have been opposed to taking him along for revenge once his own strength was sufficient; after all, as a patron and a victim, Li Ke, the beneficiary, would have stepped in.

However, it was a pity.

He chose to vent his anger on an innocent, chose to ambush and kill him to satisfy his spite, and Li Ke had not known his identity beforehand.

Therefore, Li Ke's sword would not hesitate.

"War, indeed..."

The old man sighed softly. That was the nature of war; even before it arrived, its mere approach could bring forth endless suffering and hatred.

And once war truly descended, such incidents would emerge one after another without end.