Yan Shaoting

"A paltry trick."

Facing the pair's swift assault, Cao Jinxing remained seated without shifting his lower body. Only his right hand moved, swinging his sword again and again. No matter how fiercely they attacked, his sword defense stood immovable as an iceberg.

The instant Chain Horse reached out, Cao Jinxing's sword slipped through a gap in their attacks, darted toward his arms, and slashed across them.

Shrrrip-

Two figures, all four hands severed!

The phantom double shattered!

The severed hands froze into ice sculptures in an instant and struck the table with dull thuds.

"Aah!"

Chain Horse screamed.

Freezing sword energy burrowed into his bones through his severed arms. The pain felt like slicing blades and piercing needles, making him shudder and convulse uncontrollably.

Another one crippled...

Smiling Tiger panicked. Steeling himself, he relied on the properties of his black iron gloves and grabbed the blade of [Snow Soul], clamping it tightly in his hands!

The sword's yin energy seeped into his hand bones. His arms instantly turned icy blue, and his entire face went purple from the cold. "Strike with your palm, now!"

Smiling Tiger roared.

Impermanent Pig circulated his power and thrust out a palm!

Five Fiends Divine Palm!

This palm technique was vicious beyond measure. Anyone struck would be beset by five fiends-the Heaven-Rushing Fiend, the Short-Life Fiend, the Swift-Foot Fiend, the Life-Severing Fiend, and the Death-Hastening Fiend. Their blood and vitality would wither, leaving them certain to die!

Cao Jinxing sneered. With one hand, he intensified the freezing sword energy. With the other, he unleashed a move from the Cloud-Discharging Palm: Tearing Sky, Dispersing Clouds!

Their palms collided. The power of the Five Fiends Divine Palm could not break through his defense at all!

Impermanent Pig was sent flying backward, grievously wounded, while Smiling Tiger's body stiffened, enveloped in yin energy.

Fighting two opponents at once, Cao Jinxing severely wounded them both!

Just then-

Chain Horse gritted his teeth and struck. One flying kick sent the box into the air, and another knocked it out the window. A dark figure swiftly caught it, turned, and fled!

It was Five-Step Snake, who had been hiding in the shadows.

"You're not going anywhere!"

Cao Jinxing rose. Wielding Snow Soul with a move from Tyrant Saber, he unleashed an incomparably sharp sword beam that shredded the tables and chairs throughout the hall in an instant and slashed toward her back!

If that strike landed, Five-Step Snake would be cut apart on the spot!

At the critical moment, Drought Dragon took Lu Kunlun's Regretful Dragon head-on, then darted in front of Five-Step Snake. Crossing his arms over his chest, he activated his protective aura-the supreme defensive technique, Heavenly Dipper Vitality!

The sword beam struck his protective aura and shattered the barrier. Drought Dragon's eyes bulged as his internal organs suffered devastating injuries, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Run!"

Five-Step Snake hesitated no longer. Clutching the box, she fled and soon vanished without a trace.

Drought Dragon was just about to follow her out the window-

Shhk!

A sword pierced his chest!

Cao Jinxing appeared behind him like a ghost. Snow Soul had pierced his heart!

Bone-chilling cold spread through him.

He turned his head in shock and saw Cao Jinxing's expressionless face, along with the three headless bodies of Impermanent Pig, Smiling Tiger, and Chain Horse behind him.

He had killed three men with his sword in a single instant!

No.

The life slowly faded from Drought Dragon's eyes...

Four.

There was him, too...

Thud!

His body fell to the floor, eyes wide open in death.

Cao Jinxing stood before the window, his sword angled toward the ground, cold radiating from its blade.

Across the street, the passing merchants and officials of every rank had long since been left staring in stunned disbelief.

"After her!"

On the other side, Lu Kunlun panicked. We took this too far. They actually got away with it. Then Cao Jinxing's mission...

He hurriedly employed his movement skill, ready to rush outside.

"No need."

Cao Jinxing waved a hand. "What's in that box is fake."

He returned to the dining table and pried a lump of ice from beneath it. Encased inside was none other than the frozen Millennium Fire Tortoise. The ice was slowly melting.

"..."

Lu Kunlun froze, then understood and burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Brother, you really pulled it off! Brilliant!"

Only then did the Sun-Moon Prosperity Restaurant's three expert guards finally arrive.

Their leader was a refined middle-aged man in a scholar's robe. At the sight of the Fire Tortoise in Cao Jinxing's hand, surprise flickered through his eyes before his expression quickly returned to normal.

"My apologies, my apologies."

From a distance, he cupped his hands in greeting, his manner deeply deferential. "The thieves were cunning and nearly jeopardized your assignment, sir. I, Zhao Siming, offer my apologies."

"No hurry."

Cao Jinxing casually picked up a box, placed the Fire Tortoise inside, and sealed it. Only then did he look at Zhao Siming with a faint, mocking smile. "Three Xiantian experts, run in circles by someone using a Bee-Driving Spell. That must have been hard on you."

Zhao Siming hastened to explain. "Sir, as I said, the enemy was cunning. She..."

"I'll report the facts to the Pacification Commission."

Cao Jinxing had no patience for his excuses. "As for whether the Sun-Moon Prosperity Restaurant conspired with the thieves to steal the imperial tribute... I trust my colleagues can get to the bottom of it."

"..."

Zhao Siming's expression darkened.

Only then did the passing officials realize how serious this was. It actually involved tribute to the emperor!

Their faces tightened with anxiety, each afraid of being dragged into the affair.

"Brother Lu."

Cao Jinxing turned to Lu Kunlun. "There's still half a day's journey left. Sorry for the trouble, but would you accompany me?"

"Of course."

Lu Kunlun glanced at the wrecked restaurant behind him. Pretty much demolished. Thoroughly satisfied, he coughed and said, "Let's go, before that 'expert' comes back to kill us. If she could run circles around these three, she might be able to do the same to us. We'd better hurry."

Cao Jinxing nodded. "A fair point. I'd heard that the Sun-Moon Prosperity Restaurant was tightly guarded. Seeing it today, it certainly lives up to its reputation. Very tight indeed."

"Exactly, exactly."

Lu Kunlun laughed. "Without the two of us, those ten people probably would have slaughtered everyone in the restaurant."

"..."

As the two traded barbed remarks, Zhao Siming and his companions gritted their teeth, unable to let their anger show.

"I almost forgot those black iron gloves."

Cao Jinxing returned to Smiling Tiger's body and removed the gloves. Their craftsmanship proved exceptional: they were made from black gold thread mixed with black iron. Dark and unremarkable in appearance, they were nevertheless a rare treasure.

"Too bad they're too bulky. They don't suit me."

He put away the gloves, took the box, and swung onto his horse. Lu Kunlun casually took a swift horse, and the two galloped onto the main road and headed straight out of the city.

This time, under everyone's watchful eyes, no one dared entertain any schemes.

Quite apart from the grave crime of stealing imperial tribute, those two were beyond the ability of ordinary people to handle-nine corpses still lay in the hall!

That evening.

At a private residence somewhere in the capital.

Yan Shaoting stood in the courtyard, dressed in white with his hands clasped behind his back. His bearing alone was quite dashing. Unfortunately, his face was utterly ordinary.

That was already largely thanks to his mother's genes. Had he taken after his father Yan Shifan's short, fat, ugly appearance, he would have been unbearable to look at.

Five-Step Snake leaped into the courtyard, dropped to one knee, and respectfully presented the Cold Jade Box with both hands.

"Young master, I have fulfilled my mission!"

"Heh. Fulfilled your mission?"

Yan Shaoting repeated her words and sighed deeply. Then he slapped Five-Step Snake across the face, knocking her straight to the ground!

He turned toward her, his face murderous.

Only then did Five-Step Snake notice in shock that his right cheek was badly swollen, with a clear handprint on it.

In a fury, Yan Shaoting stomped on the Cold Jade Box, crushing it and exposing the crimson tortoise shell inside.

"Open your damned eyes and take a good look! Is this a fucking Fire Tortoise?!"

"..."

Before coming, Five-Step Snake had deliberately glanced inside and confirmed that it was a Fire Tortoise. But seeing Yan Shaoting's reaction now, she was no longer certain. She lowered her head for a closer look and finally realized that, although the shell was lifelike, it gave off no warmth. It was an inanimate object!

Her face instantly went deathly pale.

"Cinnabar stone? How... how could..."

Five-Step Snake panicked.

Her first thought was that someone had switched it on her. But throughout the journey, she had never let the box out of her sight. It could not have happened on her end...

Then it could only have been...

Five-Step Snake knelt in terror.

"Eleven of the Twelve Zodiac are dead, and in the end, you brought back a fake. What a resounding slap in the face!"

Yan Shaoting touched his cheek. That slap had come from his grandfather, who doted on him most. His father had been even more furious, kicking him several times and calling him an unfilial son over and over, as though he wanted to beat him to death.

The trouble he had caused was too great.

To save him, all the blame had been shifted onto Zhao Siming and the others at the Sun-Moon Prosperity Restaurant. Every one of them would be executed by a thousand cuts!

Zhao Wenhua had been stripped of every office, and the restaurant confiscated. Even Yan Song and Yan Shifan had been severely punished and would have to pay a fortune behind the scenes to build palaces and Taoist temples for the emperor.

At court and beyond, the upright faction's voice had grown much stronger.

If Yan Song and his son had not genuinely been in the Grand Secretariat at the time, uninvolved in the affair, daring to touch Jiajing's possessions would have meant death, no matter how useful they were!

After this affair-

The Yan family had suffered devastating losses, and the emperor's favor had waned. At the root of it all was this arrogant brat.

"Cao! Jin! Xing!"

Yan Shaoting was beside himself with rage.

He did not think he had done anything wrong. He only blamed Cao Jinxing for failing to know his place and daring to oppose him like this! He blamed the Twelve Zodiac even more for being so useless that they could not even steal a Fire Tortoise!

"I... I was useless... Please punish me, young master!"

Five-Step Snake hurriedly kowtowed.

Yan Shaoting glanced at her, his gaze roaming over her shapely body. He crouched, reached out a finger, and lifted her chin. In an indifferent voice, he said, "Six months confined at home, with no visitors. You'll stay and attend to me."

"..."

Five-Step Snake's heart trembled. Remembering the maidservants he had killed through his abuse, she felt a chill down her back. But it lasted only an instant before her gaze changed, turning soft and seductive.

In a gentle, lilting voice, she said, "Yes, master~"

"Good."

Yan Shaoting smiled, scooped her into his arms, and carried her into the main room. A fire burned inside him, and he needed to vent it properly.

As for Cao Jinxing...

"Someone will be along to play with you."

Bang!

The door shut tightly. The night was deep.