Into the Mountains to Exterminate Wraiths

The pockmarked apprentice lay in a pool of blood. After struggling for a moment, he finally stopped breathing.

The handsome young man's leather boots stepped over the man's dangling arm. He drew out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his forehead before turning to look at the rest of the escort agency's people. "One, two, three..."

He tossed aside the pitchfork still smeared with scraps of flesh and blood, lightly tapping his fingers through the air.

As though he were counting.

After Tao Yanchen finished counting heads, he smiled and looked at Wei Yu. His narrow eyes slowly narrowed. "Escort brothers, how many people did you bring on this trip?"

"...Nine."

Wei Yu had considerable experience in the martial world and immediately understood the implication behind those words.

Judging from what had just happened.

This young nobleman of the Black Flood Dragon Army was a terrifying thing wrapped in false kindness, casually killing people while laughing and chatting.

There had clearly been ten of them on this escort mission, yet one had now been killed, and the other party was asking such a strange question.

His intentions were plain for all to see.

It was simply to...

Toy with them!

Facing this handsome young man who killed for amusement, Wei Yu merely lowered his head and gritted his teeth. "My lord, there are nine of us on this escort mission. As for the rosewood furniture, you may take it all."

"No, no, no! I only want half."

Tao Yanchen laughed and waved his hands repeatedly in refusal. "If I took everything, how would I be any different from those bandits and horse thieves? We of the Black Flood Dragon Army are an upright force that speaks for the people."

"Yes, the Black Flood Dragon Army's reputation for righteousness is known throughout the world. There is no one who has not heard of it."

Wei Yu cupped his fists and hurriedly followed along with his words, taking the chance to flatter him as well.

Yet even so, Wei Yu was trembling with fear, terrified that one wrong word would make the other man fly into a rage and kill someone.

As for resisting?

Running away?

There were over a hundred people around them. What could they use to resist? What could they use to escape?

All Wei Yu could do was pray without end, hoping that once this group took the rosewood goods, they would let them leave.

As for the ensuing losses and compensation.

As long as they could keep their lives.

Money could be earned again.

Jiang Jingnian, however, was different. Seeing the pockmarked apprentice murdered so brutally, he felt a chill in his heart. He could only think in an almost reflexive panic, Even if I die, I'll drag a few down with me.

Even with his talent traits.

Faced with such a sudden threat, one that vastly surpassed his own strength, he did not believe he could survive.

So his mind was full of thoughts of how to seize an opportunity to kill this Tao Yanchen.

When facing a smiling tiger like this, if one merely hoped to cling to life, the final outcome would be nothing more than being toyed with before being humiliated and killed.

There was absolutely no second possibility.

Jiang Jingnian lowered his head, his heart brimming with murderous intent, while his face showed only weakness and terror.

Unlike Jiang Jingnian, who harbored a killing intent born from desperate straits, everyone else, including Wei Yu, had been scared out of their wits and only begged for the other side to mercifully spare them.

They believed there was still hope, so they clung to luck and lacked the courage to fight to the death.

Even when death truly stood before them.

They would still struggle for another chance.

Only when they truly could not gain one would they embrace the will to die.

But in that process—first beat of the drum, then weaker, then spent by the third—whether opportunity or courage, both would have long been worn away.

Thus, a helpless counterattack before death was basically useless.

Tao Yanchen seemed quite pleased by the flattery and nodded. Only then did he slowly say, "I suspect this pockmarked bandit, like those villagers, was parasitized by Bifang Blood. I had no choice but to act despite the pain."

"As for you escort brothers, we are about to enter the mountains and surround that Demon Wraith. We happen to be short on manpower. Surely gallant escort masters such as yourselves will not refuse my invitation?"

In just a few words.

He had assigned a nature to everything that had happened in this village.

Wei Yu's pupils shrank. He then glanced at Jiang Jingnian and the others, only to find that all of them had their heads lowered and did not dare make a sound.

So he smiled helplessly, stepped forward, and bowed with cupped fists. "Since my lord has invited us, and since this is a matter of exterminating Demon Wraiths for the people's sake, we martial men naturally dare not refuse."

"Good, good, good!"

Tao Yanchen threw back his head and laughed, looking immensely pleased. "I knew I had not misjudged you. From now on, the people of Tongda Escort Agency are friends of mine, Tao Yanchen."

Wei Yu repeatedly said he did not deserve such words.

Afterward, the escort agency's wagons and horses were taken over directly by the Black Flood Dragon Army.

Tao Yanchen turned and headed into the village.

He seemed to be going to see whether there was any more amusement to be found.

As for the escort agency's people, Butler Wei assigned them to the sides of those martial-world figures. "These two are Marrow Tempering Martial Masters: Huo Qi of the Firewind Saber and Tang Shiming of the Flying Feather Fist. You will follow these experts for now."

Regarding this arrangement.

The escort agency's people nodded repeatedly, raising no objections whatsoever.

These dozen or so martial-world figures were all Tao Yanchen's subordinates.

Their attitude toward the forcibly recruited escort agency members was neither warm nor cold. They merely gave a simple introduction.

Among them were two Marrow Tempering Martial Masters, while most of the rest were Bone Tempering Martial Masters.

There were only three Blood Tempering Martial Masters.

In other words.

Most of the people here.

Were stronger than those from the escort agency.

Jiang Jingnian followed behind Wei Yu. He had originally calculated the distance and prepared to suddenly unleash two Psychic Whips, but after Tao Yanchen spoke a few words with Wei Yu and forcibly recruited them into the group, he simply turned and left.

The killing intent in Jiang Jingnian's heart had nowhere to vent and could only be suppressed completely.

Now isn't the right time. And once we surround the Demon Wraith, if chaos breaks out, I'll have a chance to escape.

But this might also be intentional on their part.

What are they after?

Just to watch us make fools of ourselves and amuse themselves as they please?

Jiang Jingnian's thoughts surged and churned before gradually settling again.

In the oppressive circumstances just now.

He had prepared to make a last-ditch fight.

But now that the situation had changed, he could only move according to circumstances and wait for another opportunity.

"Axu, how many villagers escaped?"

After turning back into the village, Tao Yanchen peered through the wooden houses, trying to find any fish that had slipped through the net.

As his words fell.

A black-clad woman with a graceful figure, long slender legs, and a white veil slowly emerged from a shadowy corner.

"Young Master, we let twenty-three people go."

The woman stood beside the handsome young man and spoke calmly.

"Very good. The numbers were calculated perfectly! As expected of my good Axu—you can precisely complete every task I give you."

Tao Yanchen smiled and nodded, glancing at the pocket watch in his hand. "However, this batch of Insect Incense produced by your Lotus Intent Sect isn't very good. Those escort masters nearly noticed something was wrong."

"Young Master, some people always have keen noses or sharp senses. Besides, the bewildering effects of Insect Incense are not omnipotent."

The black-clad woman looked puzzled. "And what is the point of capturing these weak escort masters?"

That batch of goods was worth a fortune, so it was indeed worth keeping.

But those escort masters could either have been deliberately released or simply silenced. What use was there in keeping them?

Were they really going to take this group of burdens into the mountains to exterminate the wraith?

"It's fun, that's all! Axu, don't you think so?"

Tao Yanchen turned around at the entrance of a wooden house. Half his face was shrouded in shadow, making his expression impossible to see clearly.