Go through the procedures, or just kill?

The courtyard that had bustled with visitors only yesterday was now thick with the stench of blood.

Several corpses lay on the ground, flies buzzing wildly around them. The sight was truly sickening.

Outside the courtyard, some villagers had gathered, but they only dared watch from a distance. None dared step inside, afraid that one careless move might cost them their own lives.

When Song Xuan and the others arrived, they could still faintly hear the malicious gossip of a few loose-tongued women.

"I said it ages ago, that daughter-in-law of Old Zhang's had the face of a fox spirit. Nothing good could come of her. See? Now disaster really has struck!"

"What a curse she is! She brought death to her husband's entire family on her wedding day. Why didn't she die herself?"

"They say she went to report it to the authorities. Hah, who knows whether she went to report it or took the chance to run away! If you ask me, she brought her lover here and got Old Zhang's whole family killed!"

Clang!

With her face covered, Song Qian held the bride in one hand and drew the sword at her waist with the other. Its icy gleam seemed to radiate cold even beneath the sunlight, its tip pointing straight at the gossiping women in the distance.

These women might dare spread rumors about every household in the village, wagging their tongues about everyone's affairs, but faced with someone as ruthless as Song Qian, who drew her sword at the slightest provocation, they instantly cowered like dogs. Before she even spoke, they scattered.

"A bunch of loose-tongued women. Don't mind them!" Song Qian offered a word of comfort.

The bride's face was deathly pale. She merely shook her head gently without saying a word.

Soon, carrying Lin Daiyu over his shoulder, Song Xuan left several afterimages at the village entrance before landing outside the courtyard with a whoosh. He had barely set her down when his little cousin retched and vomited.

Song Qian rolled her eyes at her brother. She simply could not understand how a brother so utterly incapable of cherishing a delicate flower had managed to hold Lu Qingxue so firmly in his grasp.

Song Xuan strode into the courtyard and briefly examined the corpses. Once he confirmed they had been murdered, he beckoned to Song Qian.

"Don't just stand there. We knew them, after all. Let's lay them to rest."

In a small grove outside the village, Song Xuan held a jar of wine and poured it before several fresh graves.

"Old sir, I buried you and your wife together. Your two sons are right beside you. You'll have company on the road to the Yellow Springs, so you won't be lonely."

"Rest assured. You treated me to wine, and I'll repay you with justice. This matter will be settled!"

"Not one person who deserves to die will be spared!"

The bride had not spoken a word the entire time. Silently, she burned paper offerings before the graves of her parents-in-law and her husband. Once the yellow paper had burned completely, she turned and knelt before Song Xuan.

"Benefactor, I haven't had much schooling, and I'm not good with words. All I can say is this: in our next lives, my husband and I will become oxen or horses to repay your kindness!"

As she spoke, she raised her head and stared unblinkingly at Song Xuan, as though trying to engrave his face into the depths of her soul.

"Benefactor, the people who killed my whole family... they will die, won't they?"

Song Xuan nodded. "Not one of them will escape!"

The bride forced a faint smile, then began kowtowing. As she continued, her body suddenly went still. Song Qian hurried forward to check on her, only to find black blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. She was already dead.

"She poisoned herself! She must have prepared the poison before going to the County Yamen to beat the drum and demand justice!"

Song Qian's eyes grew moist. She reached into her robes and felt around for a small bottle containing Lesser Rejuvenation Pills issued by the Black Robe Guard, used to treat all kinds of injuries.

"I don't know whether these pills can counter poison. If..."

Song Xuan reached out to stop her. "Let it be. She was determined to die. Living would only have been torment for her."

Song Qian's lips moved, but she silently put the pills away, then angrily spat out a curse she had once heard Song Xuan use.

"This fucking feudal society!"

After cursing, she began digging a grave on her own and buried the newlyweds together. Once she finished, she drew a deep breath.

"Brother, do we go through the procedures, or just kill?"

Song Xuan glanced at the newly raised grave. Only yesterday, he had wished the newlyweds a hundred years of happiness and hearts forever united. Today, they were both dead.

At the thought, a cold, murderous edge entered his expression. "The procedures are too slow. We still need to hurry south. Let's just kill!"

"All right!"

Song Qian instinctively slipped an arm around her little cousin's waist. "I'll take you back to the boat first. What comes next might be a little bloody."

Lin Daiyu shook her head. "Cousins, let's stay together. I won't be able to find peace unless I see that scum die with my own eyes!"

Song Qian turned to her brother. "What do you say? Are we taking her?"

"Bring her."

Song Xuan said evenly, "Since she doesn't want to be a bird in a cage, she'll encounter things like this sooner or later. The martial world has never been as beautiful as you imagine."

That afternoon, a fine drizzle fell between heaven and earth. The few pedestrians on the streets hurried home to shelter from the rain, leaving scarcely anyone in sight.

Holding paper umbrellas, Song Xuan and the two girls arrived outside a Manor as though merely taking a stroll through the rain.

Song Qian said softly, "I've confirmed it. This property belongs to the commandery governor's son. Someone saw him arrive here this morning."

Song Xuan did not ask how she had gathered the information, just as Song Qian never asked him exactly what internal cultivation method he practiced.

Looking up at the dark, overcast sky, Song Xuan drew a black gauze cloth from his sleeve and covered his face.

"Brother, wearing a mask should keep our identities from being exposed, right?"

"It helps a little, but not much. Mostly, it's to build the habit of concealing our identities whenever we can."

Song Xuan sneered. "As for exposing our identities... kill everyone, and naturally there's no need to worry about that! This weather is perfect for killing. One bout of rain can wash away most of the traces."

Glancing at the tightly shut courtyard gates, he stepped forward and said as he walked, "Keep our cousin safe. If anyone escapes, kill them all, regardless of age or sex!"

Perhaps because of the rain, no one stood guard outside the Manor. Song Xuan walked up to the gates and stared at them for a moment. Pure yang limitless internal energy gathered in his palm, and in the next instant, he struck fiercely!

Boom!

Wood splinters flew and dust sprayed in every direction as the seemingly solid, heavy gates burst into fragments.

He could easily have scaled the wall, yet he insisted on smashing through the gates. That alone showed just how much fury had built up inside Song Xuan.

The sound of the gates shattering alerted the servants and guards in the courtyard. As the commandery governor's son, their master had gathered an assortment of people from all walks of life to accompany him wherever he went.

Some carried the rough air of martial-world outlaws. Seeing Song Xuan enter the Manor alone, they drew their blades without a word and charged straight at him.

Watching the four or five men rush toward him, Song Xuan suddenly spun the paper umbrella in his hand. In an instant, the droplets on its surface shot through the air like bullets. A few wet thuds rang out, and the men fell.

Song Xuan strode through the bloodied water, holding his umbrella in one hand. His face was icy, and the killing intent in his eyes locked firmly onto a pale-faced young man not far away!