Li Mo's Fury

"Have they all been arranged?"

Inside the study, Wei Tuo held a teacup, his lid gently nudging the foam.

Ma Liu bowed, "Have no fear, Helmsman. The news that 'Black Wind Village was destroyed by an anonymous righteous individual from Yun Yuan County, its leader Li Batian executed, and no one in the village survived, and that this righteous individual has already reached Dragon Snake Crossing in Qingzhou' has been released.

"As you instructed, I specifically emphasized that this righteous individual acted alone, leaving Black Wind Village littered with corpses. He's a ruthless character who kills without blinking."

Wei Tuo put down his teacup. "Very good. That's how it should be spread. I want everyone to know that a fierce dragon has arrived at Dragon Snake Crossing, a dragon that dares to pluck the tiger's whiskers."

Ma Liu flattered, "Helmsman, your wisdom is profound. But, is that brat surnamed Lu really that capable? Destroying Black Wind Village by himself?

"Li Batian was, after all, a Super First-rate expert."

"Does it even matter if he destroyed it now?" Wei Tuo stood up and walked to the window. "What matters is that everyone believes he did."

"He dared to kill in front of me. That courage and skill are not fake. He's a knife, a swift knife that can test the depths of the Blood Saber Sect for us."

Ma Liu lowered his head. "This subordinate understands. Helmsman, you intend to use a borrowed knife..."

"Go," Wei Tuo waved his hand. "Continue to have people monitor his every move. Also, spread the news wider. The more outrageous, the better. It's best to portray him as an Asura who crawled out of hell, specializing in dealing with all who resist."

"Yes, Helmsman!" Ma Liu took his orders and quickly retreated.

Within three days, the entire Dragon Snake Crossing was like a pond into which a boulder had been thrown, completely stirred up.

In the lobby of an inn, a traveling merchant who had just arrived from another region was surrounded by a group of idlers.

"My lords, you didn't see it! I came from Yun Yuan County, and I heard about it along the way! Black Wind Village, such a large stronghold, gone just like that!"

"How did it disappear? Tell us in detail!" a man in coarse cloth urged impatiently.

The traveling merchant lowered his voice, feigning mystery. "They say it was a lone warrior, and for some unknown deep hatred with Black Wind Village. On a dark and windy night, he charged in alone!"

"Whoa! Alone?"

"Indeed! I heard the righteous individual wielded a black iron staff, killing anyone he saw, whether man or god! Li Batian, a Super First-rate expert, couldn't even last three moves against him. His head was smashed like a watermelon!"

A scholar in a green robe at a nearby table shook his head and retorted, "Not so, not so, what you're saying is incorrect. They say the righteous individual was clad in snow-white robes, with a handsome and elegant demeanor. He was originally a scholar, but because Black Wind Village massacred his village, he narrowly escaped. From then on, he abandoned literary pursuits for martial arts, cultivated divine skills, and one day, seeking revenge, he caused Black Wind Village to flow with blood and pile up with bones!"

"How did I hear that the person was eight feet tall, with a green face and fangs, and could swallow a man in one gulp..."

"Green face and fangs? The righteous individual was clearly dressed in snow-white, exceptionally handsome, and because Black Wind Village committed evil deeds, he drew his sword in anger and pursued the criminals for a thousand miles!" A young woman with romantic notions glared and retorted loudly.

"No, no, it was a delicate young lady, seeking revenge for her husband..."

Various bizarre rumors spread like wildfire in the teahouses, taverns, and street corners of Dragon Snake Crossing. The protagonist's image ranged from a murderous god to an immortal banished from heaven, with no end to the descriptions.

The only common point was the terrifying power and ruthless methods attributed to him.

On the second floor of the teahouse, by the window.

Lu Shaoyou took in the fervent discussions.

He slowly sipped his tea. Wei Tuo's fire was burning even brighter than he had anticipated.

This was the effect he wanted.

"Li Mo, you must have heard by now, right?" Putting down the teacup in his hand, Lu Shaoyou gazed at the bustling street and murmured.

The news, like a winged plague, spread rapidly towards the heartland of Qingzhou, carried by the waterways of the Yunmeng River and by merchants and wandering knights traveling north and south.

In Qingzhou, at the Blood Saber Sect's Thunderclap Hall, inside a luxurious room.

"What did you say?! Say it again, damn you!" Li Mo's eyes were bloodshot as he grabbed his confidant by the collar, his knuckles cracking from the excessive force.

His confidant, terrified by Li Mo's ferocious appearance, stammered, his teeth chattering, "Young... Young Master... O-outside, they're all saying... Black Wind Village... Black Wind Village was... was destroyed! The Village Chief, he..."

"What happened to my father?! Speak quickly!" Li Mo roared, his voice hoarse, completely changed by extreme anger and unbelievable fear.

"The Village Chief... also... also... died..." the messenger confidant wailed.

"Boom!"

Li Mo felt a deafening roar in his mind, as if his entire world had collapsed in an instant.

The hand that was gripping his confidant's collar loosened powerlessly. He staggered backward, falling onto the cold ground.

"No... impossible... my father is a Super First-rate martial artist... there are few opponents for him in all of Yun Yuan County... how could he possibly die..." he muttered distractedly, tears mixing with snot, flowing uncontrollably.

Black Wind Village was his home, and Li Batian was his only family.

Now, his home was gone.

After a brief moment of shock, a volcanic rage erupted, filled with immense hatred.

"Who! Who was it..." Li Mo suddenly sprang from the ground, his face contorted with extreme anger, his eyes filled with terrifying bloodshot veins. "I will tear you to pieces! Butcher you a thousand times!!"

Like a cornered beast, he roared madly in the side hall, smashing all the teacups, ornaments, tables, and chairs within his reach into pieces.

"Ahhh!!"

After raging for a long time, Li Mo, breathing heavily, calmed down slightly.

He knew very well that with his meager skills, seeking out the righteous individual who could kill his father would be like a moth flying into a flame, courting death.

"Uncle Lei... yes, Uncle Lei!"

Suddenly, as if grasping at the last straw of hope, a glimmer of expectation flashed in his eyes. He rushed out of the side hall, sprinting towards the main hall of Thunderclap Hall without regard for anything else.

In the hall of the Thunderclap Hall.

A middle-aged man, exceptionally burly, with a rugged face and a ferocious inch-long scar across his forehead, was meticulously wiping a gleaming, heavy broadsword with a piece of tiger hide.

The blade was wide and substantial, clearly a formidable weapon.

This man was the hall master of Thunderclap Hall, one of the ten major halls of the Blood Saber Sect, Lei Xiaotian.

A genuine Super First-rate Martial Artist, and one of the few old acquaintances of Li Batian before his passing.

More importantly, Li Mo's mother had a rather distant, almost negligible, cousin relationship with Lei Xiaotian.

"Hall Master," a subordinate entered quickly from outside, bowing as he reported, "Li Mo is here to see you. Judging by his appearance… it seems something catastrophic has happened."

Lei Xiaotian's hand paused slightly as he wiped the broadsword, his thick brows furrowing. "Li Mo? Let him in."

Before the words had even fallen, Li Mo burst in like a gust of wind, wailing and disregarding all decorum. With a thump, he knelt directly before Lei Xiaotian, grabbing his thigh tightly.

"Uncle Lei! Uncle Lei! You must seek justice for your nephew!" Li Mo, a mess of snot and tears, cried with heartbreaking intensity, "My father… my father was killed! Black Wind Village… the entire Black Wind Village is gone! Wuwuwu… Uncle Lei!"

Lei Xiaotian felt his body jolt. The heavy broadsword in his hand clattered onto the hard bluestone floor with a piercing clang.

He quickly helped Li Mo up. "My dear nephew, you… you mustn't cry yet! Speak slowly, what exactly happened? Your father… his martial arts were not weak, how could he have… in Yun Yuan County…"

Li Mo, choked with sobs, haltingly and incoherently recounted the news he had heard from outside, along with his own speculations, all in one go.

As Lei Xiaotian listened, his expression grew increasingly grim. By the end, his weather-beaten face seemed so tight it could wring out water.

Though he and Li Batian weren't exactly sworn brothers, Lei Xiaotian had indeed provided some assistance behind the scenes when Li Batian was establishing his foothold in Yun Yuan County back then.

The scar on Lei Xiaotian's forehead seemed to come alive, twitching slightly. A fierce light flickered in his tiger-like eyes. "What audacious gall! To dare harm a friend of my Blood Saber Sect! And to pursue them into Qingzhou territory!"

"Uncle Lei!" Seeing Lei Xiaotian's anger, Li Mo clutched him like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline. "That person is ruthless and his martial arts are unfathomably deep. Even my father was no match for him!"

"My… my own meager skills make revenge as difficult as scaling the heavens!"

"I implore Uncle Lei to show compassion, for the sake of my deceased parents, and avenge my father's deep-seated hatred! In the future, your nephew is willing to serve you like an ox or horse, to go through fire and water without hesitation!"

As he spoke, he prepared to kowtow desperately again.

Lei Xiaotian looked at the tear-streaked, disheveled young man before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

With Li Batian dead, this child was now truly without support.

His distant cousin, Li Mo's mother, had also offered him some help years ago.

He had to consider that favor, at least a little.

He remained silent for a long moment, finally letting out a long sigh. "My dear nephew, you should get up first."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of intense hope ignited within Li Mo. He stopped crying, lifted his head, and gazed at Lei Xiaotian with his red-rimmed eyes, full of pleading.

Lei Xiaotian picked up his broadsword from the ground and paced a few steps within the hall, each step seeming to land precisely on Li Mo's heart.

Finally, he stopped and said in a deep voice, "Regarding your father's matter, I, Lei Xiaotian, will not stand idly by. I will help you get revenge."

"Thank you, Uncle Lei! Thank you, Uncle Lei, for fulfilling my wish! Your great kindness, your nephew will never forget!" Li Mo was overjoyed, his excitement mounting as he once again prepared to kneel and kowtow.

"However…"

Lei Xiaotian's tone abruptly shifted, growing colder. He raised a hand to stop Li Mo, "My Blood Saber Sect has its rules. My Thunderclap Hall expending manpower and resources for you is not without its price."

"This matter is no small affair. The person who could annihilate Black Wind Village single-handedly is certainly no ordinary ruffian."

"To deal with him, it's unlikely my Thunderclap Hall alone can easily succeed."

"Perhaps… it might even require the attention of higher-ranking individuals within the sect."

The ecstatic joy on Li Mo's face froze instantly. He looked at Lei Xiaotian with a hint of unease. "Uncle Lei… what do you mean…"

Lei Xiaotian turned around, his gaze sharp as lightning, directly meeting Li Mo's eyes. "What I mean is, if you want revenge, you must be prepared to pay a price."

"In this world, there is never a free lunch, nor is there ever a blood revenge taken without cost."

He spoke word by word, slowly, "Are you… ready?"