Flames leaped all around, sparks scattering like falling feathers onto the ridgelines of the pavilions, wooden galleries, window lattices, and curtains.
The lamp oil used in Lanyue Garden was naturally of the finest quality. Once it touched wood or silk, flames sprang up in the blink of an eye, swiftly becoming writhing fire snakes.
Then the cool wind sweeping in from the confluence of the Yudai River and the Longji River fanned them into a sudden blaze.
The temperature in the courtyard soared.
This calamity had struck far too suddenly, far too quickly.
Most of the powerful dignitaries and members of wealthy clans in the courtyard had been maintaining their dignified bearing, priding themselves on their composure.
Thus, even though Hong Yuan had knocked down Young Master Hua and slain He Xiaofeng as soon as he appeared, these people, though alarmed, had not immediately left.
After all, this inner courtyard was packed with experts, and every distinguished guest had guards at their side. Wouldn't fleeing in terror from a single warrior make them a laughingstock?
Who could have imagined that this warrior was a peerless fiend? In barely a dozen breaths, he had killed several armored soldiers and battered more than ten martial artists to death as easily as eating and drinking.
Most vicious of all, this warrior had struck the copper basins filled with lamp oil into the sky, letting sparks scatter everywhere.
An utter beast—worse than a beast!
Cries for mothers and fathers rang out from the rooms in the surrounding pavilions. Distinguished guests in splendid clothes rushed outside, their faces panic-stricken and their garments disheveled, every trace of their graceful composure gone.
With a garden this spacious, the guests in its twenty or thirty rooms, even counting their guards, maids, and attendants, numbered only a hundred or two. They could easily have withdrawn.
But now they all rushed out from every direction at once, instantly jamming together. Scattering sparks shot into the crowd, and screams of agony immediately erupted.
Their terror mounted. Those whose clothes had caught fire frantically slapped at the flames, but the fire clung to them like a festering sore gnawing at the bone. Instead of going out, it burned ever fiercer. Unable to bear the pain, the burning victims charged wildly about, creating still greater chaos.
The others were utterly terrified. The flames rising from the surrounding pavilions made them feel as though they were trapped inside a furnace.
Many had bloodshot eyes as they punched and kicked anyone blocking their way. The clang, clang of swords and sabers being drawn rang out one after another.
"How lively!"
Standing on the terrace, Hong Yuan looked down upon the chaos below and sighed.
The pavilion overhead and the rooms beside him were burning too, waves of boiling heat surging around him, but Hong Yuan paid them no mind. Ignoring the struggles and curses of Hua Feiyun—Young Master Hua—beneath his foot, he looked toward Yang Erhu.
Yang Erhu had already stood up.
Though he still could not use his true force and his blood and qi remained somewhat disordered, he could move without difficulty. He glanced below, then turned toward Hong Yuan, unable to conceal the shock in his eyes.
Just what kind of monster was this young disciple I took in?
Was this really someone I, Yang Erhu, could have taught?
"Master Qin fell into the Dragon King Society's hands..." Taking a deep breath, Yang Erhu steadied his shaken mind and fixed his gaze on Young Master Hua beneath Hong Yuan's foot.
That single sentence was enough.
Hong Yuan understood.
Whoosh!
As he lifted his foot, he flicked the Life-Taking Throat-Locking Spear upward. The floorboards tore apart inch by inch, and Hua Feiyun flipped over in midair. Before he could fall, a silver gleam flashed and pierced his right shoulder.
Hua Feiyun screamed. Like a roast chicken skewered on a spit, he was hoisted into the air, his face torn open and covered in blood.
"Where is Master Qin?"
Hong Yuan asked calmly, without any particular shock or fury. Master Qin was Yang Erhu's friend, not his.
The two of them had barely exchanged a few words.
Young Master Hua was both humiliated and terrified. The searing, tearing pain made his entire body tremble, and his voice was hoarse. "Let me go... Only—only if I live will your friend be safe..."
Rip!
The spear tip shuddered, and an immense tearing force abruptly ripped Hua Feiyun's right arm from his shoulder. Blood sprayed. As the arm fell toward the ground below, Hua Feiyun let out another piercing howl and toppled backward onto the floor.
"My arm... My arm..." Hua Feiyun's cries tore at the heart, yet they hardly stood out in the already chaotic courtyard.
"Is Master Qin still alive?" Hong Yuan continued.
Hua Feiyun curled into a ball, his body shaking uncontrollably as he howled again and again, seemingly unable to hear Hong Yuan's question.
Crack!
Amid the sound of shattering bone, Hua Feiyun's right lower leg bent sharply in two, broken bones stabbing through his flesh. Hong Yuan withdrew his spear and looked at Hua Feiyun, who seemed to lack even the strength to scream. "You still have one arm and one leg..."
Hua Feiyun rasped for breath, his heart filled with utter despair. He knew he was finished. Even if he survived, he would be a cripple.
His eyes were ash-gray with despair as he gave a wretched laugh. "Kill me! The Dragon King Society won't let you off, and my Hua Family certainly won't either! Do you know what my Hua Family is..."
"I don't want to know." Hong Yuan glanced at Hua Feiyun and shook his head, then turned toward Yang Erhu. "It seems Master Qin is already dead."
Yang Erhu closed his eyes, struggling to contain his grief and fury. A breath later, he opened them and said heavily, "I suspected as much long ago... Besides this Hua fellow, there's someone else who must die."
Yang Erhu suddenly shifted his gaze, his eyes widening with fury as he looked into the crowd below. Under his glare, one man hurriedly shrank back.
Everyone else wanted to rush outside. Only this man lingered, hesitating and wavering. It was Old Man Jia of the Dragon King Society.
Old Man Jia was terrified beyond measure. He wanted to slip away too, but if anything happened to Young Master Hua, he would die without even a place to bury his bones.
He had therefore kept looking for a chance to rescue him. When that fiend turned his attention back to Young Master Hua, Old Man Jia abandoned all hope of getting lucky. Yet now, it seemed a little too late to flee.
Yang Erhu sprang forward, pressing his palm against the floorboards, and landed in the courtyard below before charging toward Old Man Jia with long strides.
"Kill me, kill me..." Hua Feiyun murmured, repeating only those words over and over.
Hong Yuan met his lifeless eyes. His gaze was utterly vacant, as though he could not even see the enemy before him.
Chuckling softly, Hong Yuan said, "Kill you? It won't be that simple. You seem very proud of your Hua Family. You rely on them, don't you? Then I'll make you live to see the Hua Family destroyed by my hands."
"Living is the punishment I give you. This mortal world is the hell I give you!"
Hua Feiyun's eyes brightened slightly, a glimmer of life gradually returning to his ash-gray pupils.
Live?
Yes! I must live!
So what if I've lost the use of one arm and one leg? Throughout history, plenty of people with crippled limbs have accomplished great things. If others could do it, then I, Hua Feiyun, can do it too.
Besides, I still have my elder sister. She can surely restore me.
I will have my revenge. I will make this man taste ten times, a hundred times my pain and humiliation, to repay today's hatred!
Just as hope surged through Hua Feiyun's mind, a squelch rang out, and his chest suddenly went cold. His eyes froze, and he lowered his gaze.
A silver spear had pierced his heart.
Even on Hua Feiyun's blood-smeared face, disbelief seemed to show through.
"You actually believed me!"
"How does someone this naive live to your age?"
Hong Yuan smiled leisurely and drew out his spear without haste, wiping the blood from its tip on Hua Feiyun's robes.
"I have a habit. If someone is my enemy, even if he's already clinging to his last breath, I never leave him for later."
"Farewell. I won't see you out!"
Hua Feiyun's eyes dimmed. In his last glimpse, he saw his enemy raise his hand and strike, the spear sweeping past. Great chunks of blazing timber crashed down, while Hong Yuan sprang lightly away and drifted into the courtyard.
Before you continue