Decisive and Ruthless

"Mu Li!"

Xiao Yi Xian frowned slightly, not out of apprehension, for she trusted Xiao Yan's strength.

But she despised Mu Li.

Relying on his status as the young commander of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, he had pursued her relentlessly, even resorting to all manner of underhanded tricks behind the scenes and bribing the people around her.

He thought she knew nothing, unaware that her frequent changes of guards and maids were meant to guard against not only Mr. Yao, but him as well.

Yet Xiao Yi Xian had never expected that even a wise person, after a thousand considerations, would still overlook one thing.

The person she trusted most in the Myriad Medicine Pavilion had long since betrayed her.

Mu Li chose to ignore the disgust in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

"Xiao Yi Xian, I never imagined you were the one who discovered this treasure. What a coincidence!"

At that moment, no one paid any attention to Xiao Yan standing beside her.

He looked far too young. No matter how strong he was, how strong could he possibly be?

Having the strength of a two- or three-star Dou Zhe would already be quite remarkable.

"Looks like they're underestimating me!"

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Xiao Yan couldn't help chuckling.

Xiao Yi Xian teased, "Then show them some of your strength and slap them hard in the face!"

"Naturally. These fellows wanted to take over the moment they arrived. Don't I, Xiao Yan, have any dignity to uphold?"

Xiao Yan shrugged, utterly relaxed in both manner and tone.

In all those fanfics from my previous life, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group was practically a mandatory dungeon. I hadn't planned on going out of my way to cause them trouble.

But they just had to rush over and offer themselves up!

Looking at Xiao Yan's utterly unconcerned expression, Xiao Yi Xian burst into a giggle.

Her smile was radiant and captivating, enough to send ripples through anyone's heart, but it cut Mu Li deeply as he stood nearby.

It was as though the goddess he had fawned over in vain had turned around and thrown herself into another man's arms.

"You damned brat. I was going to leave you an intact corpse, but now you've made me angry."

Mu Li's smile vanished, replaced by intense rage and jealousy.

With an angry shout, an invisible aura erupted from Mu Li. Pale green wood attribute Dou Qi surged from his body and spread around him.

Just as he was about to attack, He Meng stopped him from the side.

"Young commander, calm down!"

"This brat is so fearless that he probably has some strength. Let me take him on instead."

He Meng was a veteran mercenary, after all. Though greedy and lecherous, he could hardly have been completely useless if he had become the Third Regiment Commander of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

Although Xiao Yan looked young, he had remained calm and utterly confident ever since they entered.

If he wasn't a fool, that could only mean he had something else to rely on.

Mu Li was no weakling-a Six-Star Dou Zhe-but He Meng felt it would be safer to handle this himself.

Otherwise, if something went wrong, he would have trouble answering to Mu She.

Mu Li thought for a moment, forcibly suppressed his anger, and said gravely, "Third Regiment Commander, leave this brat breathing for me."

He Meng grinned confidently.

"Don't worry, young commander. I will."

"Enough babbling!"

Unwilling to listen to their nonsense, Xiao Yan pushed off with his toes and shot forward in an instant.

Before anyone could react, a sharp rush of air suddenly echoed through the spacious stone chamber, followed by a black blur flashing before their eyes.

Shhk!

Immediately afterward, another low sound rang out.

He Meng's eyes widened. He stared uncomprehendingly at Xiao Yan, who had suddenly appeared before him, then lowered his head in utter bewilderment.

An arm like solid steel had somehow pierced his chest, and blood instantly stained his robes red.

"Urgh..."

Bloody froth spilled from He Meng's mouth. Unwilling to accept his fate, he still wanted to say something, but this absurdly young fellow had already pierced his heart. No power could turn back the heavens now.

Thud!

With an indifferent expression, Xiao Yan tossed the lifeless corpse aside like a piece of rubbish.

Beside him, Mu Li and the handful of skilled Wolf Head Mercenary Group members behind him had already been stunned by his methods. They stared blankly at the scene, unable to recover their senses.

"How is this possible?!"

"The Third Regiment Commander was an Eight-Star Dou Zhe! How could he die so easily?"

Mu Li muttered over and over, all his anger and jealousy toward Xiao Yan turning to fear in that instant.

Xiao Yan said casually, "Don't worry. I'll send you down to see him right now."

Mu Li instantly snapped out of his daze. Looking at Xiao Yan before him, he screamed frantically, "No! You can't kill-"

But before he could finish, Xiao Yan was already in front of him, lashing out with a whipping kick.

Bang!

Mu Li's voice cut off abruptly. His body flew sideways like a cannonball and slammed into the stone chamber's wall, embedding itself there.

For an instant, the entire mountain seemed to shake.

Mu Li himself was nothing more than a mangled, bloody mass, plainly as dead as could be.

With those two attacks, Xiao Yan had taken the so-called aesthetics of violence to their utmost limit. Watching it all, Xiao Yi Xian hadn't even seen him use Dou Qi.

He had relied entirely on brute strength, cleanly and decisively crushing everything.

The scene was undeniably bloody, yet for some reason, the usually gentle and kind Xiao Yi Xian felt a strange thrill and satisfaction as she watched.

She suddenly felt that Xiao Yan was brimming with charm.

"Eek..."

Xiao Yi Xian shook her head repeatedly, immediately dispelling the unrealistic notion that had suddenly sprung up in her heart.

"Run! Hurry, run!"

"He's a devil! The young commander and Third Regiment Commander are both dead!"

The remaining Wolf Head Mercenary Group members turned and fled without the slightest hesitation.

They wished they could grow another pair of legs.

With that measly monthly pay, why risk our lives?!

But since they had already come, how could Xiao Yan let them leave?

In a flash of lightning and fire, Xiao Yan shot forward again, weaving like an afterimage among the Wolf Head Mercenary Group members fleeing for their lives.

After a series of dull thuds, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian were the only two living people left in the cave.

Xiao Yan turned back and teased her upon seeing her dazed expression. "What, did I scare you?"

Xiao Yi Xian shook her head repeatedly.

"N-no."

"Those fellows had bad intentions to begin with. If they're dead, they're dead. I just thought you were..."

"Pretty handsome just now!"

By the time she finished, Xiao Yi Xian's lovely face had flushed slightly. Unbidden, the image of Xiao Yan decisively and ruthlessly disposing of Mu Li and his men surfaced in her mind.

"Hahaha, really?"

"It's an honor to receive praise from Xiao Yi Xian, the goddess of Qingshan Town."

Xiao Yan laughed heartily as he teased her.

Xiao Yi Xian gave him a coy, reproachful look.

What goddess of Qingshan Town? This fellow just loves teasing me.

Then Xiao Yan turned to business.

"By the way, Xiao Yi Xian, I suspect there are still Wolf Head Mercenary Group members up on the cliff. Have Little Lan take me up. I'll deal with them all before coming back down."

"All right."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded, walked to the cave entrance, and blew her whistle.

Meanwhile, atop the cliff!

Sensing the disturbance coming from below the cliff, Mu She frowned slightly, an instinctive unease rising in his heart.

The Wolf Head Mercenary Group had come out in full force this time intending to hunt a tier 2 magical beast and demonstrate their strength.

As it happened, two days earlier they had heard that a tier 2 magical beast had appeared on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range and had been badly wounded by the mercenaries in the Myriad Medicine Pavilion's herb-gathering party.

Hoping to snap up an easy prize, they had gone to great lengths to find and kill that wounded tier 2 magical beast.

Yet just as they were preparing to return, they had run into this affair.

Although discovering a cave abode containing a predecessor's inheritance was a good thing, Mu She also understood one thing clearly.

Opportunity and danger often went hand in hand!