Cremate the Body and Scatter the Ashes

"Oh? That wild man and wild ox were quite nimble."

A refined, elegant man in the tree smiled, slowly setting down his bow before drawing the sword at his waist.

"Senior Brother Su, let Junior Sister handle such barbaric people."

A woman giggled sweetly, cold gleams flashing through her eyes.

"Junior Sister Wan, go deal with that wild ox. Leave the wild man to me. Do not get hurt," a scar-faced man said with a savage grin.

"Then I must thank Senior Brother Tian." Junior Sister Wan looked back with a captivating smile, making the scar-faced man's heart itch with desire.

Senior Brother Su merely smiled without speaking. Hunting such wild men was a fine thing for boosting the Hundred Mysteries Sect's reputation.

Not only would they rid the people of harm, but who knew how many wealthy households in the city would donate money? Their standing in the martial world would rise, and even more newcomers would come drawn by their fame.

"You came with killing moves right away. Aren't you afraid of killing the wrong people?"

A cold voice came from beneath their tree, its emotions seemingly suppressed to the extreme.

Senior Brother Su turned towards Chen Xun and sneered. "Your face is blurred beyond recognition, you wear animal skins, and you travel with a wild ox. You are that wild man who eats human bones, aren't you? We did not mistake you."

"We have never eaten human bones. We buried them and raised tombs for them. If you do not believe it, you may go see for yourselves."

Chen Xun spoke word by word, each one ringing with force. "Old Ox and I have never provoked any of you."

"Haha..."

The three seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world. Senior Brother Su shook his head and sighed. Wild men were indeed wild men. "Do you think you have the final say now?"

"Old Ox and I can go confront them face-to-face, but I will repeat it once more: we have never provoked any of you!"

Chen Xun's icy gaze swept over the three in the tree. "You misunderstood."

"Wild man, I think you are the one who misunderstood. The truth is no longer important."

The scar-faced man drew his saber with a savage grin, stepping down and landing steadily on the ground. His skill was deep and solid. "Only when you are dead will the people feel at ease, and only then can my Hundred Mysteries Sect advance another step!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the scar-faced man charged forward. Veins bulged high on his body, his saber light trembled and hummed, and he looked ferocious beyond measure as he went straight for Chen Xun's head.

"Too slow."

Chen Xun narrowed his eyes slightly, sidestepped, and drew the Mountain-Splitting Axe from his body, meeting the swift, heavy saber strike head-on.

Clang!

Sparks flew. The scar-faced man's tiger's mouth trembled, and his expression changed drastically. This wild man possessed tremendous strength, but his moves had no form or method. One look showed that he had never practiced martial arts.

Chen Xun silently gave Big Black Ox a look. The two swiftly became locked in combat, metal crashing endlessly as they fought without either side giving ground.

Big Black Ox was about to step forward to help when Junior Sister Wan darted out from behind and chopped down with her sword. Yet Big Black Ox kept fleeing and dodging, and she could not harm even an inch of its hide.

"You beast!"

Junior Sister Wan's pupils widened slightly. It was her first time seeing such an agile black ox. Sword Light flashed continuously from her hand as she chased Big Black Ox all over the place.

Senior Brother Su frowned. This wild man was immensely strong; Junior Brother Tian likely could not hold on much longer. He shouted, "Junior Brother Tian, I will help you!"

"Senior Brother Su, come quickly and kill this fiend!"

Panic filled the scar-faced man's eyes as cold sweat streamed down his face. His hand was filled with blood, the tiger's mouth split open. Every collision with the Mountain-Splitting Axe sent a shock through his entire body.

Senior Brother Su leaped into the air. This wild man was full of openings. He swung his longsword, carrying fierce killing intent as he slashed viciously down from Chen Xun's side.

"So you finally came."

The corner of Chen Xun's mouth curled slightly. His left hand instantly pulled another Mountain-Splitting Axe from his waist, blocking the sneak attack with speed too swift to cover one's ears.

Clang—

A piercing crash rang out. Senior Brother Su was startled. He used dual axes! Chen Xun suddenly accelerated, vanishing from the spot in an instant.

"Junior Brother Tian, be careful!"

Senior Brother Su was horrified. That wild man had not used his full strength just now.

But it was already too late for warnings. Two Axe Lights flashed past. Blood sprayed from the scar-faced man as his head shot towards the sky, while his body fell to the ground with a thud.

That afterimage had not yet stopped. Senior Brother Su was stunned, his eyes darting wildly as he gripped his longsword with all his strength.

Boom!

Chen Xun stomped fiercely and leaped up from the side, both axes chopping down heavily. Senior Brother Su reacted swiftly, raising his sword to block the attack, but he had underestimated absolute strength.

"Aah!!!"

Senior Brother Su let out a roar of fury. His sword was cracking, and the sounds of bones breaking rang continuously from his hands and body.

His sword was forcibly split apart. The two axes did not lose any momentum as they chopped into Senior Brother Su's body, crimson blood bursting forth in great sprays.

"You..." Senior Brother Su's eyes brimmed with hatred. He could not believe he would die like this.

"I still cannot use lightness skill. It would have been a pity if you had escaped."

Chen Xun snorted coldly, slowly pulling the axes from his body. "The moment you harbored killing intent, your ending was already set. Otherwise, I would not have wasted words on you."

Senior Brother Su collapsed limply, disbelief still lingering in his eyes.

A scream also rang out from Junior Sister Wan's side. When Big Black Ox saw Chen Xun make his move, it made its own. One kick crippled her, then Black Ox Charge finished her off completely.

"Old Ox, get to work."

"Moo!"

The man and ox were both thoroughly enraged. Cremate the body and scatter the ashes; arrange the crime scene from start to finish. Even the finest investigator would have to say that nothing had happened here.

The two figures gradually vanished, though both wore disgruntled expressions. What the hell was this? It had come out of nowhere.

Still, it gave Chen Xun a solid lesson: the human heart was treacherous. They changed their clothes and prepared to head down the mountain to ask around. After all, they truly had not done anything bad.

The next day, Chen Xun carried a bamboo basket on his back, washed both Big Black Ox and himself clean, then carried the medicinal herbs they had cultivated down the mountain. His eyes looked utterly harmless.

Down the mountain, there were not only commoners, but also soldiers and people of the martial world. Each held their heads high and puffed out their chests, their gazes more arrogant than the last as they endlessly discussed how to encircle and suppress the wild man.

"Big Brother, what happened on the mountain? Why such a huge mobilization?"

Chen Xun led Big Black Ox over. The people around them only gave him a couple of appraising glances before looking elsewhere. He was merely a cowherd boy.

"Little Brother, you do not know yet? A wild man has appeared in the mountain range."

A Middle-Aged Man cried out dramatically. "They say he killed people and even ate their bones. Do not go up the mountain, whatever you do."

"Ah?" Chen Xun was greatly alarmed. Could they be talking about him? Other than yesterday, he had not killed anyone in the mountains for years.

"Hehe, that is why your life is what matters. With such a vast mountain range, finding the wild man will not be easy."

Seeing Chen Xun's shocked expression, the Middle-Aged Man seemed quite pleased with himself and added a few more words.

"Thank you, Big Brother. Then I will not go into the mountains."

Chen Xun cupped his fist in salute and led Big Black Ox towards the city. The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed, as though he had caught hold of something yet could not put it into words.

He always felt that what had clearly been a small matter had somehow been blown up by certain people.

"Old Ox, forget it. Do not get tangled up in this mess."

Chen Xun patted Big Black Ox and said free and easy, "Perhaps some great figure arranged this."

"Moo?"

Big Black Ox did not understand, but it no longer mattered. They had escaped anyway.

Chen Xun returned to the city and visited the Ning Family. Everything was well. Ning Si's hair had turned much whiter, and Chen Xun brought out several precious medicinal herbs as gifts.

Ning Si kept sighing that she had taken in a fine disciple, except his heart was too kind, and she feared he would suffer for it one day. She held Chen Xun there and talked with him through the entire night.