Aftermath

Wind and rain raged. In the dim little compartment, the seductive sounds grew more urgent.

After things calmed down.

"Brother Que," Si Xiaoshuang said softly as she lay in Wang Que's arms, "will they really be willing to give up the third spot?"

"I have two capable men, and Cao A-Man is on our side too. What is there to worry about? The five of us have made the fastest progress in sword practice, so when we make demands, what can those worthless rabble do but cooperate, no matter how unwilling they are? If they want to stir up trouble, then don't blame me..."

Wang Que was extremely confident, a trace of viciousness showing in his eyes.

Xu Qiuguang and Wu Mo had followed him ever since they had been beggars in Azure River County.

Later, they discovered that even the servants of Hidden Sword Manor lived better than beggars. They had food and clothes, and even had a chance to learn martial arts.

So he had brought the two of them into the manor as servants without hesitation.

Having mingled among the beggar circles of Azure River County since childhood, Wang Que was very good at reading people.

He had always dreamed of becoming someone important.

After entering Hidden Sword Manor, he found that he had every chance to climb upward, starting as the leader of the sword-wiping servants.

He had entered sword practice the fastest, and through both open recruitment and secret maneuvering, he had successfully formed a small clique and become the undisputed "senior brother" among the sword-wiping servants.

Everyone treated him with respect, and even female servants like Si Xiaoshuang had begun throwing themselves at him.

In truth, he had had his eye on Si Xiaoshuang for a long time. She was exactly his type.

Among the female servants, Si Xiaoshuang was the sharpest, and she treated him quite well too.

Now that he had gotten everything he wanted, Wang Que was very satisfied.

As for the other good-looking female servants, he could slowly sample them after becoming a household guard...

"What a pity the Xu and Wu brothers can't follow me, but next year won't be too late..."

The sudden news that the spots had been drastically reduced was something he could not change.

At least there was still Cao A-Man. That good teammate with strong limbs and a simple mind would make an excellent weapon in the future.

As for Xu and Wu, they could only wait and see next year.

He had cast aside the two of them and chosen Si Xiaoshuang precisely to get on Leng Shuangyu's good side.

Once he became a household guard, he could bring his brothers up with him, form another small clique, and become the boss again. So what?

Wang Que did not think his talent was particularly high. If he relied on martial arts and spent his life fighting desperately, he likely would not move up even after twenty years.

Only by attaching himself to the steward Leng Shuangyu could he truly turn his life around.

Sending a personal maid to Leng Shuangyu's side, then having her whisper a few things in her ear when the opportunity arose, was the best way to open a path upward and earn Leng Shuangyu's favor.

He wanted to become a steward. He wanted to be like Leng Shuangyu—swaggering about, whipping people, tossing silver around as rewards, making these servants kneel and lick his boots!

As for sacrificing Li Lanqiao, Li Mu, and the others...

In this world, how could one become someone important without sacrificing a few underlings?

If anyone was to blame, it was those people for not meeting him earlier, seeking refuge with him, and obeying him.

"Brother Que, if I can successfully become Steward Leng's maid, I'll listen to you for the rest of my life..." Si Xiaoshuang was deeply moved.

"It'll definitely go smoothly," Wang Que said with a smile. "What matters most is that you hurry and cultivate your swordsmanship to the proficient level."

"With Brother Que guiding me, I'll definitely reach proficiency."

A blush flashed across Si Xiaoshuang's face as she nestled into the young man's arms again, feeling very warm.

She had never expected Wang Que to be so dependable.

When Zhao Tuo had told her that she was never to mention the spots again, she had nearly fallen into despair.

Fortunately, she was clever enough to make plans along several lines early on.

She had latched onto Wang Que before that little slut Meng Ling did, making Wang Que so infatuated with her that he could not bear to let her go.

"Once I have a spot and become a maid, life will get better..."

Si Xiaoshuang's eyes were filled with anticipation.

As for how Wang Que had done it, she actually knew.

Because Xu Qiubai, who helped Wang Que with his affairs, she had also...

No matter what, whatever effects the others suffered were because they were too weak.

And she, Si Xiaoshuang, knew how to use her own advantages to become stronger.

The strong were entitled to more resources. The weak could only endure in silence, or else suffer grave consequences.

This world was one where the weak were prey to the strong. Si Xiaoshuang had understood that principle long ago.

She understood even better that a woman had to learn how to rely on a man, and choose that man wisely.

Her own mother had been too foolish. She had found an unreliable man who sold the mother and daughter from place to place. In the end, her mother had died of illness, and no one had cared.

As for her, she had used the sympathy of a passing merchant to escape here in a carriage. After going through many twists and turns, she had finally entered the manor as a servant.

If servants wanted to rise up, they had to pay a great price, including their bodies. She had long been prepared for that.

The others must have prepared themselves to be devoured too...

"That's about enough. They should be done with their business and coming down soon."

Wang Que patted Si Xiaoshuang. Only after greedily sweeping his gaze over her once more did he rise and pick up the gray clothes beside him.

Si Xiaoshuang shot him a resentful look and hurriedly began dressing as well.

"Li Lanqiao the day before yesterday, Li Mu today, and we'll continue in a few days... We have plenty of time, after all. We'll slowly cripple them," Wang Que said as he fastened his buttons. Thinking of his plans put him in an excellent mood. "As for the household guard spots..."

Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.

"Is that Old Black? Stop rushing me. You're always in such a hurry. Just wait after you're done. What are you so anxious about?"

Wang Que could not help cursing. His pleasant mood after enjoying his spring night had been ruined.

He tugged at his waistband and opened the door.

BOOM!!

The lightning was blinding, nearly obscuring his vision.

A faint series of sharp popping sounds erupted, only to be swallowed by the thunder.

Before Wang Que could react, his eyes widened and he fell. Twelve bloody holes appeared below his throat, blood streaming across the floor.

"Brother Que?" Si Xiaoshuang was sitting on the bed with her back to the door, still fixing her clothes. The enormous clap of thunder startled her, and she could not help turning to look for Wang Que.

Instead, she saw Wang Que collapse, while a dark figure stood in the doorway.

Its head was wrapped and its face covered, revealing only a pair of cold, gleaming eyes. It held something like a short sword in one hand.

Si Xiaoshuang's eyes widened. Her entire body turned ice-cold as she opened her mouth, about to scream.

"Kill..."

The shadow crossed three steps in one, charging forward and stabbing fiercely!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Four sword shadows trembled into twelve, erupting with astonishing sword force. In a single exchange, Si Xiaoshuang was pierced through.

Bloody holes covered everything below her face. Blood sprayed out, staining the bed red before slowly dripping to the floor.

Li Mu wiped the blood spattered on his body and feet clean with the bedding.

He then took out a dudou and quickly wiped away the nearby footprints, before covering Wang Que's startled face with it.

He skillfully searched the bodies, then turned and left.

It sounded like a long sequence of events, but everything had happened in an instant.

With a quick glance, he saw the wind and rain shaking the world, the light dim, and the storm thundering. Not a single person had noticed the commotion here.

There were over a hundred little compartments across five floors, with rooms for eleven people scattered far apart.

Li Mu had long paid attention to the others' lodgings, especially the situation of Wang Que's clique. He knew that below the second floor, in weather this foul, it would be difficult for anyone else to discover anything.

So the moment he reached the second floor, he struck.

Amid the occasional thunderclap and torrential rain, Li Mu quietly returned to his own sleeping quarters.

He wore no shoes, and his steps were light. Any footprints along the way that might arouse suspicion had been dealt with.

He tossed his face covering and head wrap out the window, letting them be swept into the wind and rain.

Bending slightly, he scooped water from the bucket and washed the blood from his body.

Then he soaked the bloodstained clothes in soapy water. The stains slowly faded, after which he poured out the bloody water and left the clothes piled in the washbasin.

At last, every trace connected to the matter had disappeared.

Li Mu changed into a clean set of gray clothes and gray trousers, letting out a light breath.

Only then did his heart begin to race.

He had never expected himself to calmly and decisively commit murder for the first time... killing four people in a row!

I've changed... When did I change...

Li Mu fell silent, looking at the broken piece of wood in his hand as he recalled a saying.

A weapon in hand, murderous intent arises.

At first, he had not wanted to kill anyone. Crippling them so they could no longer compete for the spots or use borrowed influence to harm others would have been enough.

But there was no way around it. At the moment he struck, he suddenly thought that if he merely crippled them, what if they spoke out? What if some flaw of his was exposed and they noticed it?

There were too many details to worry about, too many troubles to handle... Li Mu had no choice but to aim his attack at the most vital areas and kill with one blow.

That was the easiest and simplest way.

"It's already happened, and they brought it on themselves. None of them were good people..."

That included Si Xiaoshuang. She had been fueling all of this from behind the scenes. Zhao Tuo, Wang Que, and Xu Qiubai all had connections to her.

Li Lanqiao had already been crippled. Was he supposed to leave her alive to keep harming him?

"Just now, I unleashed the sword force of proficient Fine Rain Flying at full strength. Judging by how they identified the wounds last time, it will be difficult for them to suspect me. Every sword-wiping servant in this building will likely be ruled out. But just in case..."

Li Mu's thoughts shifted as he carefully considered everything. There should not be any trace left behind.

As for whether anyone had heard anything, and where he had been? Naturally, he had been here the entire time and had never left his room. The thunder had been too loud...

No matter how they investigated, they would never trace it back to a sword-wiping servant whose swordsmanship had not even publicly reached proficiency.

He glanced at the Sword Register. After striking four times in a row, there had indeed been an improvement.

[Qi and Blood: 7.0↑]

[Dripping Water Swordsmanship: 555/1000 (Proficient)]

"Qi and Blood has risen to 7."

"My proficiency is increasing quickly too. If I keep this up, I might reach minor success before the assessment."

Li Mu was satisfied. He counted the money and valuables he had gathered.

There were thirty copper coins in total, enough to buy medicine for bruises and sprains.

Only then did he fall backward onto the bed.

The wooden bed was hard and uncomfortable. Once he became a household guard, he could lay down a soft cushion...

Late that night, a terrified cry erupted.

Zhao Meng hurried over. After examining all four corpses, he took a deep breath.

"Without at least three years of swordsmanship experience, it would be impossible to wield the sword force of Fine Rain Flying with such mastery..."

"A beautiful woman brings disaster."

Looking at Wang Que, whose face was covered by a dudou, and Si Xiaoshuang, who had died so miserably, Zhao Tuo's thoughts stirred, and he vaguely reached a conclusion.

First, the others resting in the dormitory building could be ruled out. With swordsmanship that had not yet reached proficiency, they simply could not carry out such a ruthless assassination.