Yet unexpectedly, in the space of just a few breaths, Xiao Yan slaughtered every mercenary who had surrounded him. They fell to the ground one after another, dying before they could let out more than a few screams.
Mu She stood rooted to the spot, watching the men he had brought fall one by one. The savage expression on his face gradually gave way to shock.
Mu She had actually attacked when Xiao Yan made his move, driving a fist straight toward Xiao Yan's back, hoping to land a sneak attack while he was busy dealing with the mercenaries.
What Mu She had not expected was that, barely had he thrust his fist forward, Xiao Yan struck his arm with a backhanded palm. The force of that blow was terrifying. Mu She felt as though a massive boulder had smashed into his arm, and a heart-piercing agony shot through it.
When Mu She looked down, his arm was already hanging limp. Its bones had shattered into who knew how many pieces, leaving it utterly crippled.
"Aaargh!!!"
Mu She screamed and staggered back several steps before landing on his backside. His face twisted hideously with pain, and beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead one after another.
"Ah, my arm, my arm..."
Terror filled Mu She's thoughts. At last, he fully realized one thing: the young man before him was far stronger than he had ever imagined.
Setting aside the fact that he himself was only a two-star Dou Shi, even an ordinary two-star Dou Shi probably could not have crippled his arm so effortlessly.
Just how strong is this Xiao Yan? Could he be a Dou Ling expert?
Mu She thought in shock, but he immediately dismissed the idea. Xiao Yan was simply too young. An eleven- or twelve-year-old Dou Ling? No one would dare believe such a thing. Still, whatever Xiao Yan's actual strength was, Mu She knew perfectly well that he would probably not escape with his life today.
At that thought, Mu She lost every trace of his earlier ferocity. He hurriedly scrambled up, dropped to his knees before Xiao Yan with a thud, and began kowtowing repeatedly.
"Spare me, my lord, spare me! Everything that happened before was a misunderstanding! It was all a misunderstanding!"
"My lord, I had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai, and I offended you! Please be magnanimous and spare me! If you let me go, all the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's wealth and men will belong to you. We're willing to submit to you and follow your lead from now on. I swear we'll never harbor any disloyalty!"
Kneeling on the ground, Mu She kowtowed and begged for mercy, looking utterly wretched. He seemed like an entirely different person from the fierce-eyed man who had wanted to avenge his son moments earlier.
Yet as Xiao Yan looked at Mu She kneeling on the ground, his expression did not change in the slightest. "A misunderstanding? Why didn't you call it a misunderstanding when your son tried to kill me?"
Xiao Yan spoke flatly, then raised his hand and brought his palm down on the top of Mu She's head.
With a bang, Mu She went limp and collapsed to the ground, dying on the spot.
Seeing Mu She die right before her eyes, Xiao Yi Xian froze where she stood. Her eyes widened, and for a long while, she could not utter a word. He... he really killed Mu She too?
Xiao Yi Xian was stunned. Mu She was the leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, a two-star Dou Shi expert, and a notoriously ruthless figure in the Qingshan Town area.
Yet Xiao Yan had killed him with a single palm strike, leaving him no chance to resist at all. As she thought about it, Xiao Yi Xian recalled the earlier scene. From beginning to end, Xiao Yan had remained as calm as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze while facing Mu She and all those mercenaries, as though he had never considered them worth worrying about.
No wonder he was so calm earlier. He's actually this strong.
Xiao Yi Xian thought to herself, and her gaze grew somewhat complicated as she looked at Xiao Yan.
She had kept urging him to leave quickly, yet he had never even taken the Wolf Head Mercenary Group seriously.
The thought left Xiao Yi Xian feeling a little embarrassed. Meanwhile, after dealing with Mu She, Xiao Yan did not linger in the camp. He took Xiao Yi Xian with him and headed straight back toward Qingshan Town.
They had only just started down the road when a system notification suddenly appeared before Xiao Yan's eyes.
[Ding-dong! Mission two complete. You successfully helped Xiao Yi Xian escape Mu Li of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's harassment and wiped out the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, earning further recognition from Xiao Yi Xian.] [Congratulations, host. Current mission progress: mission one complete, mission two complete.]
After the system notification appeared, the corners of Xiao Yan's mouth lifted slightly. Mission two is finally complete. Next comes mission three.
Xiao Yan thought to himself, then turned to glance at Xiao Yi Xian beside him. Before long, the two had returned to Qingshan Town and reached the vicinity of the Myriad Medicine Pavilion.
By then, the sky was gradually darkening. The mercenaries outside the Myriad Medicine Pavilion had long since dispersed, leaving only a few assistants tidying things up by the entrance.
Noticing Xiao Yi Xian's return, the assistants immediately approached her with concern written all over their faces. "Miss Xiao Yi Xian, are you all right? We heard that the Wolf Head Mercenary Group came to trouble you again."
"Miss Xiao Yi Xian, you're finally back! We were worried sick."
Hearing their questions, Xiao Yi Xian smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine. Thanks to Young Master Xiao's help, everything has been resolved."
As soon as Xiao Yi Xian finished speaking, the assistants breathed sighs of relief and thanked Xiao Yan one after another.
Xiao Yan waved a hand without saying much. After the assistants dispersed, he looked at Xiao Yi Xian and said, "Xiao Yi Xian, I'll go with you tomorrow morning to search for treasure in the cave in the Magical Beast Mountain Range."
At Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Yi Xian froze.
"You... how do you know about the cave?"
Xiao Yi Xian was utterly astonished. She had only learned by chance that there was hidden treasure inside the cave, and she had never mentioned it to anyone. Even Mu Li of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, who had long coveted her, knew nothing about it.
But Xiao Yan had only just arrived in Qingshan Town. How had he learned about it?
Filled with astonishment at that thought, Xiao Yi Xian stared at Xiao Yan, momentarily at a loss for words.
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