When the burly men saw Luo Yun approaching with his sword, they didn't show the slightest fear. Instead, they laughed.
The bald man laughed the loudest, clutching his belly as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Hahahaha! Did you see that? The little brat's got a sword! He wants to fight us!"
The burly man with the bushy beard laughed too, rocking back and forth.
"Scar Brother, this little brat's got some spirit. I like him!"
"What's your name?" Luo Yun asked, stopping in front of them and looking up at the bald man.
The bald man bent down and brought his face close to Luo Yun's. The stench of alcohol washed over him.
"What's the matter, little brat? You want to play with Big—"
He didn't finish.
The Moon Eclipse Sword pierced the left side of his neck and came out through the right.
The blade ran straight through his throat. Blood gushed from both ends of the wound, splashing all over the bearded man beside him.
The bald man's mouth was still hanging open, his eyes wide, his face frozen in the mocking grin he'd worn a moment ago.
But in the next instant, he was already dead.
His whole body fell straight down, slamming into the ground with a dull thud.
Blood poured from the wound in his neck and spread across the ground, quickly pooling into a small puddle.
The entire street fell silent.
Everyone stared at the six-year-old child, at the purplish-black longsword dripping blood in his hand, at the twitching corpse by his feet.
Luo Yun turned to look at the bearded man.
The smile froze on the man's face. His mouth hung open, his eyes bulged, and blood from the bald man spattered across his face.
His lips trembled twice, and he managed a garbled sound.
"You..."
Before he could finish, the Moon Eclipse Sword flashed past.
A thin red line appeared across the bearded man's neck.
He, too, fell silent and crashed heavily to the ground.
The remaining burly men were scared out of their wits. They scrambled backward, rolling and crawling as they fled.
Luo Yun didn't pursue them. He simply stood there, the Moon Eclipse Sword hanging at his side, blood dripping from its tip onto the ground.
He turned back to the maid.
She stood there, pale-faced, her lips trembling slightly. She looked at Luo Yun as if she wanted to say something, but it was as though something had lodged in her throat. Not a single word came out.
Luo Yun looked at her and spoke.
"I don't need you anymore."
His voice was utterly calm, as if he were talking about something inconsequential.
The maid opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing. She turned and hurried away.
She soon disappeared into the crowd.
Luo Yun looked away and headed deeper into the Inner City.
The people around him automatically parted to make way.
No one spoke or moved. They even kept their breathing deliberately quiet.
Everyone watched the small figure disappear at the end of the street, and the same thought rose in their hearts: this child was a madman.
A 24-hour protection period?
He hadn't even lasted the time it took to burn a stick of incense.
Luo Yun walked along the streets of Slaughter City, the Moon Eclipse Sword already put away.
His steps were steady, neither hurried nor slow, his back ramrod straight.
His face showed no emotion—not the exhilaration of having just killed, nor the fear of killing for the first time, but a calm, cold indifference, as though it meant nothing to him.
It was as if the two people he'd just killed weren't people at all, but a pair of rocks blocking his path.
The people on either side of the street watched him pass, their expressions varying.
Some were wary, some curious, some deep in thought, and some eager to try their luck. But no one dared make a move.
Because they couldn't be sure.
Was this child truly powerful, or had he merely been lucky?
In Slaughter City, it was best not to act on what you couldn't be sure of.
Luo Yun walked for about half an hour before stopping in front of a tavern.
It was small, with a crooked sign hanging above the entrance. Two characters were written on it: "Blood Moon."
The door was open, and the clamor of voices and shrill music spilled out from within.
He stepped inside.
The tavern was packed with people, almost every seat taken.
When they saw a child walk in, everyone froze for a moment, then turned to stare at him in unison.
Luo Yun paid no attention to their gazes. He went to the counter, hopped onto a tall stool, and sat down.
Behind the counter stood a one-eyed man. He was bald and thickset, with a grease-stained apron tied over his chest.
He looked down at the tiny six-year-old in front of him, his brows knitted into a knot.
"Kid, we don't sell milk here," the one-eyed man said gruffly, his voice thick with impatience.
"Give me a glass of water," Luo Yun said.
The one-eyed man glared at him, then turned and ladled out a cup of water. He set it down heavily on the counter, splashing some onto the wood.
Luo Yun didn't mind. He picked up the cup and took a sip.
Just then, a hoarse voice came from a corner of the tavern.
"Kid, are you the one who killed my brothers in the street?"
Luo Yun put down his cup and turned around.
A thin man rose from the corner.
He wore black leather armor, with a pair of short blades hanging at his waist. Several scars marked his face. The most striking one crossed his left eye, stretching from his forehead to his cheekbone, as if something had cleaved it open.
He walked toward Luo Yun slowly. With every step, the killing intent emanating from him grew stronger.
The patrons hurried to either side. No one wanted to get dragged into this.
Luo Yun looked at him without moving.
The man stopped in front of Luo Yun and looked down at him.
"Are you here to avenge him?" Luo Yun asked.
The man's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Avenge him? No," he said. "I just think a six-year-old brat doesn't belong here."
Luo Yun looked into his eyes for two breaths.
Then he smiled.
But there was no warmth or kindness in it.
Only the polite smile one gave before killing someone.
"A lot of people say that."
He hopped down from the stool, and the Moon Eclipse Sword slowly materialized in his palm.
The tavern patrons backed away again, leaving an open space in the middle.
The man's gray eyes fixed on the Moon Eclipse Sword in Luo Yun's hand. His pupils narrowed slightly.
That sword reeked of blood.
But he didn't retreat.
In Slaughter City, taking one step back meant death.
The man drew the two short blades at his waist. Their edges glinted coldly in the dim red light. He crouched into a fighting stance, his gray eyes locked on Luo Yun.
Luo Yun looked at him without moving.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
The man moved.
He was fast. His two short blades shot toward Luo Yun's throat and heart, one after the other, their edges shrieking through the air.
He had practiced this move for over a decade and killed countless people with it. It was always this move, and it always killed in one strike.
But this time, his blades missed.
Luo Yun shifted his body slightly, just enough for the two blades to skim past him.
The Moon Eclipse Sword swept upward from below, its edge slicing across the man's wrist. Two fingers flew away trailing blood, then clattered to the ground.
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