They Won't Let Me Sleep Unless They Die

At first light, Qin Yu opened his eyes.

After returning last night, he had not slept. He cultivated instead of resting, gradually washing away the discomfort brought by killing someone for the first time.

Pushing open his door, Qin Yu headed straight for the First Elder's residence.

It seemed the First Elder had risen even earlier than him.

The old man sat behind his desk, holding a cup of hot tea as he leafed through a yellowed booklet.

When he saw Qin Yu push the door open and enter, he was briefly startled before setting down his teacup.

"Friend Qin Yu? This is..."

Before the First Elder could finish speaking, he noticed the few dark red stains that had already dried on Qin Yu's collar.

The old man's gaze sharpened slightly. The usual cheerful expression on his face slowly faded, replaced by the steadiness befitting his age.

"What happened last night?"

Qin Yu sat opposite him and said bluntly,

"On my way back, someone tried to kill me. People from the Jia Lie Household."

The First Elder fell silent for a moment. Then he put down the booklet, rose to his feet, walked to the door, and shut it.

"How many?"

"Four. Three High-Rank Dou Practitioners and one Two-Star Battle Master."

"A Two-Star Battle Master?"

The First Elder's brows furrowed even tighter.

The Jia Lie Clan had sent a Two-Star Battle Master to kill a "One-Star Dou Practitioner." This was no longer a matter of overestimating Qin Yu. They had been determined to eliminate him completely.

"Did you deal with the bodies?"

"I did."

"Good."

The First Elder sat back down, lightly tapping the tabletop twice with his fingers before looking up at Qin Yu.

"So you came to me because you want to learn about the Jia Lie Clan?"

"Yes."

Qin Yu's tone was calm.

"Jia Lie Bi's exact cultivation, the number of High-Rank Battle Masters in the clan, whether there are any hidden experts, and also..."

"Their exact movements."

The First Elder did not answer immediately. His gaze lingered on Qin Yu's face for a long while before he finally became certain.

Qin Yu was serious.

But this could hardly be called an angry retaliation after being ambushed. From the way he had come to him early in the morning, openly explained what had happened, and gathered intelligence...

This time, the Jia Lie Clan would likely have a huge chunk torn out of it.

A Seven-Star Battle Master could do many things in a place like Wutan City.

The First Elder walked to the bookshelf behind his desk and took down a locked wooden box from the highest shelf.

"The Xiao Household and the Jia Lie Clan have fought for so many years that we've long since figured each other out."

He took a bronze key from his robes and unlocked the box. Inside were several neatly stacked booklets and a pile of letters.

The First Elder pulled out a thin booklet and handed it to Qin Yu.

"The Jia Lie Clan's core combat strength is all recorded here. Don't worry, this is all the latest intelligence."

Qin Yu opened the booklet. It contained information on the Jia Lie Clan's major figures, recording every detail that could be recorded.

Age, cultivation, Dou Qi attributes, commonly used Dou Techniques, personality traits, daily habits...

Another dossier.

When he reached the pages documenting the High-Rank Battle Masters, Qin Yu's gaze lingered for a long time.

The Jia Lie Clan had four High-Rank Battle Masters in total.

One was marked as "leader of the deathsworn, rarely appears," with cultivation at Eight-Star Battle Master. Of the remaining three, two were Seven-Star Battle Masters and one was an Eight-Star Battle Master.

"The Jia Lie Clan only has these four High-Rank Battle Masters?"

Qin Yu raised his head and confirmed it with the First Elder again.

After all, the Jia Lie Clan already had three Great Dou Masters. As for their High-Rank Battle Masters...

"That's right, just these four. The Jia Lie Household's foundation is only so much."

The First Elder nodded firmly.

"If the Oba Clan hadn't been so indecisive, how could the Jia Lie Clan have fought us for this long?"

Qin Yu continued flipping through the booklet. The last few pages recorded the recent movements of the Jia Lie Clan's major figures.

The First Elder had clearly put considerable effort into it. Some entries even had their source and date written beside them in small characters.

"Oh, right."

The First Elder suddenly recalled something. Bending down, he dug out another letter from the box and unfolded it for a glance.

"News arrived just yesterday. The Jia Lie Household has a shipment that needs to be delivered to an outpost on the edge of the Magic Beast Mountains. An Eight-Star Battle Master is escorting it."

"When are they leaving?"

"Within the next couple of days. The exact day hasn't been decided yet, but the goods have already been loaded. They probably won't delay for long."

Qin Yu closed the booklet and shut his eyes.

That leader of the deathsworn was the best hidden, so he would leave him alone for now.

As for the other three, he had to take them out one after another without giving them any chance to react.

After hearing Qin Yu's plan, the First Elder was silent for quite some time.

"Friend Qin Yu, the cultivation of those three is at least equal to yours. One of them is even a star above you."

"One star is nothing. It won't be a problem."

The First Elder was momentarily speechless. Qin Yu had undergone such a transformation within a year, so he must have had some great fortuitous encounter. Fighting opponents a rank above him truly might not be a problem.

"But even if you really kill all three High-Rank Battle Masters, what about the Jia Lie Household's three Great Dou Masters?"

The First Elder's concerns were not unreasonable. Qin Yu might be able to handle one Great Dou Master, but what if all three stayed together?

"They can't stay indoors forever. Even if the High-Rank Battle Masters are gone, their clan will still remain. Their clan still has to function, doesn't it?"

However, Qin Yu seemed to have anticipated this question. He explained slowly,

"Second Elder Jia Lie Nu is occasionally sent out on assignments. That will be an opportunity."

"If those three huddle together like turtles hiding in their shells, then I'll keep killing. I'll kill until the Jia Lie Clan doesn't even have a Battle Master left."

The First Elder's expression changed drastically. After taking several deep breaths, he scrutinized Qin Yu again.

"First Elder, they have threatened things important to me. I won't be able to sleep unless they die."

"You..."

Qin Yu's words made the First Elder sigh inwardly. This kid had plenty of courage, and his methods were ruthless enough as well.

"First Elder."

Qin Yu stood and set the booklet down.

"When that Jia Lie Kun leaves, please have someone notify me."

"Then be careful."

The First Elder pondered for a moment, as though considering something.

"If you need anything, you can tell me. I don't think Xiao Zhan would pass up an opportunity to eliminate the Jia Lie Clan."

Just as Qin Yu was about to reach the door, the First Elder spoke again.

"Of course."

Qin Yu did not turn around. The corner of his lips curled upward slightly. So far, everything was unfolding exactly as he had expected.

The Xiao Household and the Jia Lie Clan had harbored grudges for many years. With his involvement this time, how could Xiao Zhan possibly let this opportunity slip away?

But first, he had to let Xiao Zhan see the opportunity and make his decision.

Even if the Xiao Household did not participate, it did not matter. At worst, he would wait a little longer.

Going out was training. How could challenging a Great Dou Master across ranks not count as training?

After leaving the First Elder's place, Qin Yu did not return to his room. Instead, he left the Xiao Household and headed straight for Jia Lie Clan territory.

To deal with three targets in quick succession, he needed to scout the area in advance.

After killing them, all that remained was to wait for the Jia Lie Clan's reaction.

After all... if a commander lost his generals and did not quickly make up for it, wouldn't that be giving his enemies the perfect chance to strike while he was down?