Too Cruel

North of the town.

In the lanes beside the Heavenly Peng Daoist Temple, piercing screams rang out at intervals, only to cut off abruptly at their most agonized.

Their echoes wound around the crumbling courtyard walls, reaching the ears of disciples from neighboring households and sounding even more clearly to the guardians stationed there.

Some were still shaken, some gloated, some were filled with righteous indignation, and others pondered how to deal with that man...

But however grim their expressions, they were helpless before the rules currently governing the town.

The six joining forces to surround Yu Tunzhou was within the rules, and the price they paid after he turned the tables on them was naturally permitted by those same rules.

Now that the Dao Contention had begun, the guardians stationed by the various households had no grounds to intervene, unless all thirty-nine households joined forces to drive this young man out, and the two stationed saints relented and stopped interfering in the matter.

But even setting aside whether those two would relent, how could the thirty-nine households possibly join forces on the eve of the Dao Contention?

"What the hell is that sound?"

Cao Jianjia's slender brows knitted tightly, and she could not help speaking up.

The two had fought their way through every obstacle, forced their way past one encirclement, and then, with Xie Linchuan leading the way, evaded an ambush.

The situation was worse than either had anticipated. Those unwilling to face them openly and those unafraid of the powers backing them had reached a tacit understanding and were obstructing them at every turn.

By the time they hurried to the north of town, they were greeted by one bloodcurdling scream after another.

Among them were even a woman's cries of agony. Hearing them, Xie Linchuan shook his head repeatedly, thinking that whoever had struck her had been far too ruthless in crushing a flower.

At that moment, a strange look appeared in Xie Linchuan's eyes. "Brother Yu's voice isn't among them. Could he really have won?" he murmured.

Cao Jianjia wrinkled her nose, unable to understand how he could think that:

"Are you crazy? Jiang Yungu is said to have mastered a hundred martial arts since childhood. They're all garbage, but they're more than enough in the Qi Ingestion Realm. How could Yu Tunzhou defeat Jiang Yungu while surrounded by so many people?"

Xie Linchuan understood that reasoning, of course.

He tried to reason it out. "Brother Yu likes to launch sneak attacks, and he knows the terrain well. If he could use it to his advantage and split them up, dealing with them one by one, then perhaps..."

"Enough nonsense. Keep talking and your Brother Yu will have his arms and legs broken," Cao Jianjia said impatiently. "What kind of sneak attack lets one person fight six, with Jiang Yungu among them?"

Even she had needed to call Xie Linchuan along!

In her view, there was an eighty percent chance that other forces had joined in and a free-for-all had broken out.

She had not expected conflicts to erupt one after another in this Luofu Dao Contention before even the first contest for fortune had begun.

Xie Linchuan felt helpless, but the idea really had been a little too much wishful thinking.

Just then.

A familiar scream poured into their ears, only to cut off abruptly.

Xie Linchuan and Cao Jianjia stopped at the same time. Their eyes met, and they exclaimed in unison:

"Jiang Yungu?!"

The two hesitated no longer. They sprang into motion, toes tapping the ground as they sped toward the source of the scream like two light shadows.

After rounding another seven or eight corners in succession, the lanes grew narrower, and Xie Linchuan suddenly realized the terrain here was even more complicated than he had thought!

At the corner ahead.

A familiar figure suddenly stepped out.

"Brother Yu!"

Yu Tunzhou looked over in surprise, not expecting Cao Jianjia and Xie Linchuan to arrive together.

A smile appeared on his face. He knew the two had probably come to help him.

Seeing Yu Tunzhou completely unharmed from head to toe, Cao Jianjia could not help blurting out:

"Where's Jiang Yungu? Did you use the terrain here to shake off the ones who came to block your way?"

Xie Linchuan drew a deep breath. "Brother Yu, have you already dealt with all of them?"

Yu Tunzhou smiled. "I've dealt with them all. Sorry you made the trip for nothing."

Cao Jianjia was just about to speak when Xie Linchuan held out a hand to stop her. "Brother Yu, sorry for the trouble, but please take us to see them. We're looking for someone," he said gravely.

Yu Tunzhou stared at him. "You have a friend among them?"

Xie Linchuan shook his head, enunciating every word:

"An enemy."

Cao Jianjia added, "Did you run into a man with exceptional martial skills?"

Yu Tunzhou frowned, somewhat at a loss.

Exceptional martial skills...

Their fights had been extremely efficient, and he had not had a chance to see their martial skills, so it really was hard to judge.

He hesitated. "One of them ran very fast. Does that count?"

"Lightness skill?" Xie Linchuan nodded. "Let's find him first."

A short while later, Yu Tunzhou led the two through a maze of turns, treading over broken roof tiles on the bluestone paving. At last, at a secluded corner, they saw a man and a woman lying on the ground, both unconscious with their eyes tightly shut and their breathing faint.

"Jiang Yungu, Yan Xiaoxiao..."

Cao Jianjia was suddenly at a loss for words, the shock in her eyes impossible to conceal.

This guy...

Did he really deal with every enemy by himself?

Even Jiang Yungu and Yan Xiaoxiao joined forces, and he still took care of them alone?

Yu Tunzhou gave a brief introduction:

"This was the first person I dealt with."

"The girl was the second."

Xie Linchuan looked at the two unconscious figures on the ground and the broken bricks beside them.

Jiang Yungu was the first person Brother Yu dealt with?

Jiang the First?

The nickname was full of irony.

Xie Linchuan's gaze settled on their twisted legs, and his face twitched almost imperceptibly.

He had insisted on coming to see them because he feared Brother Yu had been too softhearted and merely knocked them unconscious. He had thought they should at least cripple one arm each to slow their cultivation.

He had not expected Brother Yu to be even more ruthless, directly crippling both legs of every one of them, Jiang Yungu included!

Both legs...

Hadn't that town guardian come out to stop him?

But when he remembered that Yu Tunzhou was on good terms with the town guardian, Xie Linchuan understood.

"Don't worry, I know my limits. They won't die." Seeing their strange expressions, Yu Tunzhou thought he had hit too hard and hurried to reassure them. "When I beat up Zhang Qinghe last time, Old Mo reminded me that I can't kill anyone yet."

At those words, Cao Jianjia's fair face darkened at once.

Xie Linchuan took out his folding fan, opened it, and fanned himself, suppressing the shock in his heart. "As it should be," he said slowly. "I was worried you'd go soft, so I came prepared to finish the job and cripple both their arms."

Hearing this, Yu Tunzhou frowned slightly and looked at the arms of the two at his feet, his voice somewhat hesitant:

"You mean two legs aren't enough, and we should add both arms too? Wouldn't that be too cruel?"

Xie Linchuan: "?"

He considered this in silence for a moment, then said tactfully:

"Brother Yu, once the contest for fortune begins, nothing will be off-limits in the town. When that happens, try not to take too many lives unless you have no choice. If anything comes up, you can come to me, whether it's to finish someone off or anything else."

The town's Dao Contention was more like a miniature version of the conflicts among the various outside forces. There were factions as well, and the final outcome generally remained within the households' control.

But now, Xie Linchuan could not help recalling an incident from the past.

The death rate in the town had usually been around half in previous contests, a controllable range, but accidents had happened.

The worst time, the situation had spiraled completely out of control. The disciples of the various households had fought until their blood was up, and no one cared about household ties anymore. By the end of the killing, only one person had survived.

And after that final victor left, he advanced to Form Refinement, only to die far from home while traveling the martial world. His death was said to have been gruesome!

Xie Linchuan did not want Yu Tunzhou to make too many enemies and follow in his footsteps.

If he only provoked a few households, then, if the Heavenly Peng Daoist Temple was willing to back him, Yu Tunzhou would not need to worry too much. Even Xie Linchuan's own Xie Household had the resources to protect him.

But if he incurred everyone's wrath, then even if the one from the Heavenly Peng Daoist Temple advanced to Dharma Aspect, Yu Tunzhou would be better off not going out until he reached External Scenery.

Hearing Xie Linchuan's tactful warning, Yu Tunzhou nodded.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. If I could, I'd rather cultivate alone on the mountain in peace and stability."

"Brother Yu, head back up the mountain first. Leave the cleanup here to us."

"Crack-"

The crisp sound of a bone breaking suddenly came from beside them.

Yu Tunzhou and Xie Linchuan turned to look.

A long, slender leg had stepped down and broken Jiang Yungu's right arm.

Cao Jianjia looked perfectly composed and gave a soft snort. "What are you looking at? I'm not as cruel as you. I only broke one of his arms."

Xie Linchuan felt somewhat helpless.

Why not just finish breaking them all?

In the Northern Chen residence.

Chen Xuanye stood beneath the covered walkway, recalling Great-Uncle Xuan's words. His face was full of disbelief as he murmured:

"He won... he actually won?"

"He even beat Jiang Yungu?"

After a brief, deathly silence, his chest heaved, and undisguised ecstasy and excitement appeared on his face.

Great-Uncle Xuan had been right. This would be an exceedingly useful sharp blade!

Keen-edged, ruthless, and concealing endless potential.

He would be a peerless blade for them to thrust at Great Yan!

Chen Xuanye reined in his ecstatic expression, though the gleam in his eyes was hard to hide.

Next.

All he had to do was sit and wait for Yu Tunzhou to come looking for him and walk into the trap of his own accord!