Interrogation, Escape

The other bandit, his face a mass of flesh, rolled his eyes and suddenly barked with forced bravado, "You little bastard, if you've got the guts, kill me! We heroes of Black Wind Village aren't afraid of—"

"Too noisy."

Lu Shaoyou could not be bothered with nonsense. The Qi Mei Cudgel in his hand lashed out like lightning.

It struck the bandit squarely in the forehead.

"Bang!"

With a dull crack, the bandit did not even have time to scream before his head caved in like a rotten watermelon. Blood and brains sprayed out; his body twitched twice, then went still.

Killed an Unranked Warrior. Slaughter Value +10.

The icy system prompt rang in Lu Shaoyou's mind, yet he did not even furrow his brow.

The remaining triangular-eyed bandit witnessed his companion's grisly end firsthand and was scared out of his wits.

A reeking warmth spread through his trousers.

He no longer cared about any brotherhood of the martial world. Nodding like a chicken pecking at grain, he wailed, "Spare me, Hero! Spare me! I'll talk—I'll tell you everything!"

"Just please spare this lowly one's life!"

Lu Shaoyou pressed the tip of his cudgel against the man's throat, his tone utterly without warmth. "Talk."

The bandit did not dare hide a thing, pouring out everything he knew like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

"Black Wind Village's lair is deep within Yun Yuan Mountain, atop Eagle Beak Cliff. The terrain there is perilous—easy to defend, hard to attack..."

"The Village Chief, Li Batian, is a Super First-rate Master! There are also several First-rate Masters in the village."

"As for the Young Master... Young Master Li Mo, his martial arts are merely ordinary, probably around the level of a Second-class Warrior. But... but he is exceptionally ruthless!"

"He gave the order to massacre the village!" The bandit's voice grew softer and softer, carrying an unmistakable terror.

"Tell me. Why did he give that order?"

Lu Shaoyou had never met that so-called Young Master. At the time, he had been sleeping soundly at home. Had his father not suddenly rushed into his room, hoisted him up, and fled toward the back mountain—

He might have been dead long ago.

"It began because the Young Master took a fancy to a girl in the village and wanted to snatch her back to the stronghold."

The bandit secretly glanced at Lu Shaoyou. Seeing his expressionless face, he swallowed hard and continued,

"That girl had a fiery temperament. When she resisted, she scratched the Young Master's face. He flew into a rage on the spot, saying those lowly peasants did not know what was good for them, and ordered the entire village slaughtered."

Upon hearing who was truly responsible for the massacre, the aura around Lu Shaoyou abruptly turned freezing and sinister. Killing intent churned in his eyes, nearly solidifying into substance.

The Qi Mei Cudgel in his grip trembled faintly from the force he exerted, his knuckles white.

Li Mo!

He carved that name deep into his heart and marked him as the chief evil he had to kill!

Lu Shaoyou found paper and brush, untied one of the bandit's hands, and said coldly, "Draw me a detailed route map to Black Wind Village!"

"Hero, if I draw it, will you spare this lowly one? I was forced into this too! If I refused, the Young Master would kill me!" The bandit wept streams of tears and snot, gazing pleadingly at Lu Shaoyou.

"Draw."

Lu Shaoyou was sparing with words. His Qi Mei Cudgel pointed straight at the bandit's head.

The bandit shuddered and cried out repeatedly, "I'll draw! I'll draw it right now!"

Almost at the same time Lu Shaoyou was interrogating the bandit—

Inside a secret chamber deep within Eagle Beak Cliff of Black Wind Village, candlelight flickered over Li Batian's aged, weary face.

His earlier quarrel with Li Mo, along with the cruel reality that there was no hope of receiving amnesty, seemed to have drained all the strength from his body.

He slumped in a great tiger-hide chair, looking at his son, who still wore an expression of stubbornness and confusion.

Only after a long while did he let out a deep sigh.

"Mo'er."

Li Batian's voice was hoarse and low. "Pack your things at once. Leave the village before dawn."

Li Mo abruptly raised his head, his face full of shock and confusion. "Father? Why? What do we have to fear in Black Wind Village? Those government soldiers..."

"Idiot!"

Li Batian slammed his palm onto the table, pain flashing through his eyes. "The village massacre cannot be hidden for long! Once the prefecture confirms it, they will surely send an army to wipe us out!"

"By then, Black Wind Village will truly be finished! You must flee before the government soldiers arrive—go as far away as possible!"

How could he not want to preserve the foundation he had spent half his life building? But the crime of massacring a village was simply too great, so great that even a Super First-rate Master like him could not bear it.

A trace of panic crossed Li Mo's face, but he quickly forced himself calm. "Then where can I go?"

Li Batian took a yellowed letter and a black token carved with strange patterns from his robes, then handed them to Li Mo. "Go to Azure Province, to the Blood Saber Sect."

"This letter was left behind by an old acquaintance of mine from years ago. He is now a hall master of the Blood Saber Sect, and he is also distantly related to your mother's side of the family."

"With this token, they should take you in."

He paused, then warned him solemnly, "Remember, under no circumstances may you reveal that you are the Young Master of Black Wind Village."

"From this day onward, Li Mo of Black Wind Village is dead. You are only an ordinary martial artist whose family has fallen on hard times, going to seek refuge with relatives."

Li Mo accepted the letter and token. They felt cold in his hands. Looking at the grief and resolve that Li Batian could not conceal in his eyes, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.

Though he was still somewhat dissatisfied with his father's arrangements and felt his father was worrying over nothing, he vaguely understood that this matter had probably grown far beyond control.

"Father, what about you?"

"Come with me. With your martial arts, even in the Blood Saber Sect, you could attain the position of elder."

"By then, even the prefecture would not dare do anything to the Blood Saber Sect!"

"Do not worry. Your father has his own arrangements!"

"If your father wants to escape, then even if they possess methods reaching the heavens, they will not be able to catch me!" He stepped forward, straightened Li Mo's rumpled clothes, and smiled with high spirits.

Yet the gloom in his eyes could not be dispelled.

Li Mo silently nodded, accepting the arrangement.

The darkness before dawn was at its deepest.

Escorted by two trusted bandits, Li Mo took the gold, silver, valuables, and several martial arts manuals he had prepared beforehand, then hurried away through a hidden trail on the rear mountain of Eagle Beak Cliff under cover of night.

On the way down the mountain, he looked back at the silhouette of Eagle Beak Cliff, faintly visible in the first glimmers of dawn, and the corner of his mouth curved upward.

There was not the slightest reluctance on his face. Instead, a barely perceptible sense of relief and ambition for the future flickered through it.

He had long grown tired of life in this mountain hollow. The Blood Saber Sect was a great sect renowned throughout Azure Province.

Perhaps that was where Li Mo could truly spread his wings.

Father, just wait. I, Li Mo, will surely carve out a place for myself. You will be proud of me!

"Move!"

Calling to the two men behind him, Li Mo took the lead. His eyes brimmed with anticipation for the future; he was already looking forward to life in the Blood Saber Sect.

The two trusted bandits exchanged a glance, each seeing a trace of confusion in the other's eyes.

But neither dared ask questions. They could only hasten after Li Mo.

Lu Family Village.

After squeezing every scrap of information about Black Wind Village from the triangular-eyed bandit, a cold gleam flashed in Lu Shaoyou's eyes. The Qi Mei Cudgel in his hand came down without hesitation.

"Pfft!" The bandit's scream died in his throat as he fell with hatred unresolved.

Killed a Third-rate Martial Artist. Slaughter Value +50.

Lu Shaoyou glanced at the newly gained Slaughter Value on the system panel. He now had a total of 1,280 points.

Eagle Beak Cliff was a dragon's pool and tiger's den, while Li Batian was a Super First-rate Master. Charging in rashly would be no different from courting death.

He had to raise his strength to a level capable of dealing with anything in the shortest possible time.

After swiftly sweeping his gaze over the attribute panel, Lu Shaoyou made his decision.

"Whether I can avenge this great hatred depends on you!"

"System, max it out for me!"