Lu Qianshan

Shi Zhongtang was dizzy and disoriented; how could he possibly block this second punch? He could not even muster his defenses before his entire head exploded beneath the blow.

Not far to the side, another man with a mustache was holding a longsword and preparing to come to his aid. He had only rushed a few steps when Yang Yi suddenly turned, his scarlet gaze falling upon him.

The mustached man blanched in horror. He had never imagined Shi Zhongtang would die so cleanly and decisively, losing his life in barely the time it took to draw a breath.

As he looked at Yang Yi's exceedingly youthful face, an utterly discordant feeling abruptly arose in his heart.

The two sworn brothers had thought the Qiao Household had exhausted its talents and had no one left to use, which was why they had sent a youth and a woman. But now, this was no youth at all—he was plainly a savage beast beyond the strength of man to contend with.

The fist wrapped in dense power of blood and vitality rapidly expanded in his vision. The mustached man heard death calling his name.

Thud!

Yang Yi's punch struck empty air. He lowered his head slightly and looked at the mustached man kneeling before him, prostrate on the ground, trembling from head to toe.

"My lord, spare my life! I have a great secret to offer!" the mustached man said rapidly. Cold sweat visibly poured from his back, soaking through his clothes.

As he spoke, he quickly tossed the longsword in his hand several yards away, showing that he posed no threat.

Yang Yi slowly withdrew his fist, thinking that Qian Sanbao had been right. Those two from Golden Saber Hall truly had no backbone. Shi Zhongtang had at least acted decisively, but this one had immediately bowed his head in surrender.

"Lu Qianshan?" Yang Yi asked slowly.

Lu Qianshan's body shuddered. "It is this lowly one!"

Lu Qianshan was the other hall master of Golden Saber Hall. According to the intelligence, he was Shi Zhongtang's sworn second brother.

Yang Yi reached into his robes and took out a box. Opening it revealed two pitch-black pills within, giving off a pungent, fishy stench. He pinched one between his fingers and held it before Lu Qianshan. "You should recognize this."

Lu Qianshan gathered his courage and raised his head. The instant he saw the pill in Yang Yi's hand, his face turned white. He lowered his head again and murmured, "A... a Bloodbane Pill!"

Before setting out from the Qiao Household, Qiao Yaoyao had specially equipped Yang Yi with two Bloodbane Pills in case of need.

The Qiao Household currently lacked sufficient Lan Blood. If they could use Bloodbane Pills to subdue some hostile Lan Blood, they could not only weaken their enemies but also replenish their own manpower—a stroke that killed two birds with one stone.

Under ordinary circumstances, the Qiao Household rarely resorted to such methods.

In the past, given the Qiao Household's influence and prestige, there had been no need to use such means to subdue Lan Blood. But times had changed...

Still, Bloodbane Pills were difficult to refine and extremely costly. The Qiao Household had little stock left, so Yang Yi had brought only two with him this time.

"Eat it. From this day onward, you will be the hall master of Golden Saber Hall," Yang Yi said evenly.

Lu Qianshan knew he had no room to refuse. Since the jar was broken anyway, he might as well smash it completely. He straightened up, accepted the Bloodbane Pill respectfully with both hands, and shouted, "Thank you, my lord, for granting me this pill!"

After watching him swallow it and checking his mouth to ensure he had not played any tricks, Yang Yi nodded in satisfaction.

"I'm still down here," Qin Siniang's voice came from below.

Yang Yi did not need to trouble himself with this. Lu Qianshan eagerly found a rope and pulled Qin Siniang and Qian Sanbao out.

Qian Sanbao was immensely surprised by the scene above, while Qin Siniang wore an expression that said she had expected it all along.

Shi Zhongtang had thought one trap could confine a humanoid savage beast like Yang Yi. He had been gravely mistaken.

It was not that he was foolish. Any other Lan Blood who fell into that trap would likely have become a lamb awaiting slaughter, but Yang Yi could not be judged by the standards of ordinary Lan Blood.

"If all had gone according to plan, what were you and Shi Zhongtang going to do next?" Yang Yi looked at Lu Qianshan.

Lu Qianshan hurriedly answered, "According to the original plan, that old thief Shi Zhongtang would remain here to guard you, my lord, while I personally made a trip to invite Cloud Leopard or Duan Hong over and present you and your companions to them!"

In the blink of an eye, his sworn elder brother Shi Zhongtang had become "that old thief" in his mouth...

"Ah, I understand. This subordinate will make the arrangements at once!" Lu Qianshan said, suddenly enlightened.

Yang Yi gave him an approving look. Lu Qianshan might have lacked backbone, but his mind was exceedingly nimble. Yang Yi did not even need to give him further instructions; he already knew how to get things done.

"But before that, I ask that my lord permit me to deal with the remnants of the Shi Family!"

This was Stone Manor, and all who lived here were members of the Shi Family. The upheaval here had happened too quickly and made little noise, so word had naturally not spread yet. But if the Shi Family learned Shi Zhongtang was dead, there would surely be an uproar. They had to be dealt with quickly.

"You may." Yang Yi nodded his approval.

Lu Qianshan retrieved his sword and headed straight for the rear hall.

A moment later, faint, subtle sounds could be heard. Lu Qianshan returned with his sword in hand, its blade stained with blood.

"My lord, I shall be going now," Lu Qianshan reported before swiftly darting outside.

He passed Shen Qian shoulder to shoulder.

When they had come earlier, Yang Yi had left Shen Qian outside. Though he did not think this place was some dragon's pool or tiger's den, caution was still necessary. Leaving Shen Qian outside at least gave them someone to answer their call.

While Lu Qianshan was handling the Shi Family members in the rear hall, Qin Siniang sent out a signal and summoned Shen Qian inside.

Shen Qian gave Lu Qianshan a suspicious glance. Upon entering the hall and seeing Shi Zhongtang's headless corpse, he asked, "It's already over?"

Though he knew nothing unexpected would happen with Yang Yi taking action, it was still surprising that things had gone so smoothly.

"I haven't even done anything yet," Shen Qian said, though inside he was overjoyed. Following Yang Yi out to handle matters really was as steady as a mountain.

"Then I'll trouble Brother Shen to dispose of the corpse and clean this place up," Yang Yi said.

"Ah..." Shen Qian wished he could slap himself across the mouth.

Shen Qian did not handle everything alone. Qin Siniang and Qian Sanbao helped him, and before long they had cleaned away all signs of the anomaly in the hall, waiting only for Black Wind Stronghold to walk into their net.

The wheel of fortune had turned at last.

About an hour later, laughter sounded from outside the main gate. "Brother Lu, with the abilities of you and Brother Shi, if you join Black Wind Stronghold, the chief will surely welcome you and grant you both the positions of chieftain. Then we brothers can eat great mouthfuls of meat and drink from great bowls of wine. Would that not be glorious?"

Lu Qianshan's laughter came as well. "Brother Shi and I have long had such intentions. The world is in chaos now, and Golden Saber Hall cannot hold up a single tree alone. After joining Black Wind Stronghold, we will have to rely on Seventh Chieftain's care."

"Easy enough, easy enough..."

As they spoke, the group stepped into Stone Manor. Leading them was a burly, powerful man carrying two Watermelon Hammers, his face fierce and vicious.

He suddenly stopped, his brow furrowing slightly.

Yang Yi and the others had sensed something amiss when they entered Stone Manor. How could he not have sensed it as well?

Moreover, the abnormality within Stone Manor was now far more pronounced than before.

Most obviously, he could not see the trace of a single living person!

Duan Hong had spent many years clawing his way through the martial world. He instantly sensed that something was wrong and, without a second thought, retreated directly backward, clean and decisive.