Burn the Bodies, Destroy the Evidence, Scatter the Ashes

"Oh? That wild man and wild ox were remarkably nimble."

A refined, elegant man in the tree smiled as he slowly set down his bow and drew the sword at his waist.

"Senior Brother Su, leave such barbaric people to your junior sister."

A woman giggled sweetly, cold glints flashing through her eyes.

"Junior Sister Wan, you deal with that wild ox. Leave the wild man to me. Don't let yourself get hurt," the scarred man said with a savage grin.

"Then thank you, Senior Brother Tian." Junior Sister Wan glanced back with a smile, every gesture brimming with charm and leaving the scarred man's heart itching unbearably.

Senior Brother Su merely smiled in silence. Hunting this sort of wild man would be a fine deed for boosting the Hundred Profound Sect's reputation.

Not only would they be eliminating a scourge for the people, but who knew how many wealthy households in the city would donate money? Their standing in the martial world would rise, and even more newcomers would come flocking at the sound of their name.

"You opened with killing moves. Aren't you afraid of killing the wrong people?"

A cold voice came from beneath their tree, its emotions seemingly suppressed to the limit.

Senior Brother Su looked at Chen Xun and sneered. "Your face is blurred beyond recognition, you wear animal hides, and you travel with a wild ox. You're the wild man who eats human bones, aren't you? We didn't mistake you."

"We have never eaten human bones. We used them to build graves for them. If you don't believe us, you can inspect them yourselves."

Chen Xun spoke each word with ringing force. "Old Bull and I have never provoked any of you."

"Haha..."

The three of them acted as though they had heard the funniest joke in the world. Senior Brother Su shook his head with a sigh. As expected of a wild man. "Do you think you get the final say now?"

"Old Bull and I can confront them face-to-face, but I'll say this one more time: we have never provoked any of you!"

Chen Xun's icy gaze swept over the three in the tree. "You misunderstood."

"Wild man, I think you're the one who misunderstood. The truth no longer matters."

The scarred man drew his saber with a savage grin and dropped down, landing solidly on the ground. His cultivation was profound. "Only when you die will the common people feel at ease, and only then can my Hundred Profound Sect go another step further!"

The moment his words fell, the scarred man charged forward. Veins bulged high across his body, his saber light quivered and hummed, and he looked ferocious beyond measure as he slashed straight for Chen Xun's head.

"Too slow."

Chen Xun narrowed his eyes slightly, sidestepped, and drew the Mountain-Splitting Axe from his body, meeting that swift, heavy saber strike head-on.

Clang!

Sparks burst forth. The scarred man's tiger's mouth trembled, and his expression changed drastically. This wild man possessed terrifying strength, but his attacks had no form or technique. At a glance, he clearly knew no martial arts.

Chen Xun silently gave Black Bull a look. The two swiftly became entangled in battle, metallic clashes ringing out without pause as neither could gain the upper hand.

Black Bull was about to step forward to help when Junior Sister Wan darted out from behind and slashed with her sword. Yet Black Bull kept fleeing and dodging, and she could not harm even an inch of its hide.

"You damned beast."

Junior Sister Wan's pupils widened slightly. It was her first time seeing such an agile black ox. Sword light flashed continuously from her hand as she chased Black Bull all over the place.

Senior Brother Su frowned. This wild man was immensely strong, and Junior Brother Tian likely could not hold on much longer. He shouted, "Junior Brother Tian, I'll help you!"

"Senior Brother Su, come quickly and kill this fiend!"

Panic filled the scarred man's eyes, cold sweat streaming down his face. His hands were now covered in blood, his tiger's mouths split open. Every collision with the Mountain-Splitting Axe sent a shudder through his entire body.

Senior Brother Su leaped into the air. This wild man was riddled with openings. Wielding his longsword, he brought it viciously down from Chen Xun's side with razor-sharp killing intent.

"So you finally came."

The corners of Chen Xun's mouth lifted slightly. His left hand instantly drew another Mountain-Splitting Axe from his waist, blocking the sneak attack with lightning speed.

Clang—

A piercing collision rang out. Senior Brother Su was startled. He used dual axes? Chen Xun suddenly accelerated beneath his feet and vanished from where he stood.

"Junior Brother Tian, watch out!"

Senior Brother Su was horrified. This wild man had not even used his full strength earlier.

But his warning came too late. Two flashes of axe light swept past, blood sprayed from the scarred man, and his head flew into the sky. His body hit the ground with a thud.

That afterimage had not stopped yet. Senior Brother Su stood dumbstruck in shock, his eyes rolling wildly as he gripped his longsword in a deathly hold.

Boom!

Chen Xun stamped down hard, leaped up from the side, and brought both axes crashing down. Senior Brother Su reacted swiftly, raising his sword to block the attack, but he had underestimated absolute strength.

"Aaaah!!!"

Senior Brother Su let out a roar of fury. His sword was cracking, while the sounds of breaking bones rang continuously from his hands and body.

His sword was split apart alive. The two axes did not lose any momentum as they cleaved into Senior Brother Su's body, sending great blooms of crimson blood bursting forth.

"You..." Hatred filled Senior Brother Su's eyes. He could not believe that he would die just like this.

"I still can't use lightness skills. It would've been a pity if you got away."

Chen Xun snorted coldly as he slowly pulled the axes from his body. "The moment you harbored killing intent, your ending was already decided. Otherwise, I wouldn't have wasted words on you."

Senior Brother Su collapsed limply, disbelief still lingering in his eyes.

A scream also rang out from Junior Sister Wan's side. When Black Bull saw Chen Xun make his move, it acted as well. A single kick crippled her, and once Black Bull Charge was unleashed, she died completely.

"Old Bull, get to work."

"Moo!"

The man and ox were both quite angry. They burned the bodies, destroyed the evidence, scattered the ashes, and arranged the crime scene in one seamless chain. Even the finest investigator would have to declare that nothing had happened here.

The two figures gradually disappeared, though displeasure filled both their faces. What kind of nonsense was this? It had come completely out of nowhere.

Still, it gave Chen Xun a harsh lesson: the human heart was treacherous. They changed clothes and prepared to head down the mountain to ask around. After all, they truly had done nothing bad.

The next day, Chen Xun carried a bamboo basket on his back, washed Black Bull and himself until they were clean, then set off down the mountain with the medicinal herbs they had cultivated, wearing an utterly harmless expression.

At the foot of the mountain were not only commoners, but also government soldiers and martial artists. Every one of them held their heads high, their gazes more arrogant than the last, while endlessly discussing how they would encircle and suppress the wild man.

"Big Brother, what happened on the mountain? Why such a grand mobilization?"

Chen Xun led Black Bull over. The people around them only gave him two appraising looks before turning away. Just a cowherd boy.

"Little brother, you don't know? A wild man has appeared in the mountains."

A middle-aged man said in a loud, animated voice, "I heard he kills people and even eats their bones. Don't go up the mountain, whatever you do."

"Ah?" Chen Xun was greatly shocked. Could they be talking about him? Aside from yesterday, he had not killed anyone in the mountains for years.

"Hehe, that's why your life is what matters. These mountains are so vast—finding a wild man won't be easy."

Seeing Chen Xun's shocked expression, the middle-aged man seemed quite pleased with himself and added a few more words.

"Thank you, Big Brother. Then I won't go into the mountains."

Chen Xun cupped his hands and led Black Bull toward the city. The more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt, as though he had grasped something yet could not put it into words.

He had the constant feeling that what was clearly a small matter had somehow been blown out of proportion by certain people.

"Old Bull, forget it. Don't get tangled up in this mess."

Chen Xun patted Black Bull and said with easygoing indifference, "Perhaps some important figure arranged all this."

"Moo?"

Black Bull did not understand, but it no longer mattered. In any case, they had escaped.

Chen Xun returned to the city and visited the Ning Family. Everything was well. Ning Si's hair had turned much whiter, and Chen Xun took out several precious medicinal herbs as gifts.

Ning Si kept sighing that he had taken in such a fine disciple, though his heart was far too kind and he feared Chen Xun would suffer for it someday. He held Chen Xun there and talked with him all night.