It was nearing noon.
Outside the Listening Rain Pavilion on the outskirts of Jinling, the summer cicadas' drone was shattered by a deafening boom. Chu Xuan’s palms channeled True Qi into a blade, and the sixty-foot-long blue-brick wall crumbled to dust under his strike as if it were made of paper.
Amidst the swirling dust, he strode in, stepping over shattered bricks. Behind him, the shouts of the Martial Administration guards and the clashing of drawn steel merged into a chaotic din, but they couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
Inside the pavilion at the heart of the lake, Chu Keke was chained tightly to a vermilion-lacquered pillar. Her once-bright eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks swollen, and several hideous wounds traced down to her neck. Beneath her torn clothes, the flesh of her whip-scarred skin was still weeping blood. A black-iron sword hung above her, suspended by a silver wire from the pavilion eaves; should that wire snap, the blade would plunge downward to skewer her.
"You deserve to die!!!"
Chu Xuan’s roar sent massive waves crashing across the lake, his aura surging like a violent tsunami. With every step he took, the stone floor cracked beneath his feet; the guards who tried to block his path were sent flying like kites with severed strings.
"Brother! Run!"
Chu Keke screamed with her last ounce of strength, tears streaming through the blood on her face. "Don't worry about me, it’s a trap..."
Before she could finish, another mouthful of blood spewed from her lips.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Chu Xuan leaped into the air, descending like a deity. He gazed at his sister’s tear-streaked face from afar, his voice softer than it had ever been. But as he turned toward the figures smirking in the shadows, his killing intent surged.
"Dare to lay a hand on my sister? None of you are leaving here alive today!"
Outside the pavilion, the sound of metal clashing rang out. Wherever Chu Xuan’s fists passed, guards were sent flying; their wails mixed with the sound of breaking bones, sending ripples across the entire lake.
Inside the pavilion, the faint scent of Longjing tea drifted through the air. Bo Tian, the head of the Martial Administration, sat with his legs crossed, slowly rotating a teacup between his fingertips. He watched the slaughter in the distance with utter disdain.
"This kid is quick. Based on his moves, he has some talent, but not enough."
"Don't worry, Madam Song. I’ve made foolproof preparations today. I will make this remnant of the Chu Family pay in blood, a sacrifice for Song Hui and Young Master Song!"
Zhang Shanliu’s knuckles turned white beneath her black mourning clothes, her blood-stained dagger reflecting a chilling light. She grabbed Chu Keke by the hair, yanking the girl’s paper-pale face toward her.
"Chu Xuan! You killed my husband and son; I must make you watch your loved ones suffer until they break before I can satisfy my hate!"
A cold flash streaked by. A new gash bloomed on Chu Keke’s cheek, and warm beads of blood dripped down her chin onto her tattered clothes—a harrowing sight.
"Let her go!"
Chu Xuan abruptly held back, his surging True Qi receding like a retreating tide. His eyes turned blood-red as he looked at his sister’s fragile figure against the pillar. "If you have the guts, come at me! What kind of person takes their anger out on a defenseless woman?"
"What about it?" Zhang Shanliu laughed maniacally, pressing the dagger hard against Chu Keke’s throat. "I want you and your sister to go to hell! Your Chu Family was so arrogant back then—look at you all now, helpless under the knife!"
Bo Tian rose leisurely and clapped his hands, his eyes full of mockery. "As expected of the Chu Family orphan. To have reached this level in just five years... If Zhao Tai and Zhao Qian hadn't insisted on tormenting you themselves back then, you would have been buried in the ashes of the old Chu estate long ago. Orders from above: cut the weeds and dig up the roots. If you were allowed to grow, never mind Jinling—I fear the entire Dragon Country wouldn't be able to hold you down."
Chu Xuan was expressionless. "Who was the mastermind behind the destruction of my family? You’d better tell the truth!"
"Hahaha!" Bo Tian threw his head back and laughed, his face full of arrogance. "Do you really need me to spell out the Chu Family’s little problems? It's all because you were an eyesore to some very important people! You are the one who killed your own family! As for me, I’m just someone doing a job. I helped clean up the scene, forged the evidence, and picked up some benefits along the way, which is how I climbed to this position."
He leaned in close to Chu Xuan and said triumphantly, "Want to know who pulled the strings? Try your next life! Today, you are definitely going to die!"
With that, he pulled a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve, poured a dash of grayish-brown powder into a cup of wine, and watched as the liquid rippled slightly. "Want to save your sister? Drink this."
The crowd held their breath, watching as Chu Xuan took the cup without hesitation and drained it in one gulp. Seeing this, Bo Tian burst into laughter. "What a fool, dying to protect his sister! This poison dissolves a martial artist's cultivation. Even if you have god-like abilities, you’re now nothing but meat on the chopping block! Men, take him!"
At his command, dozens of black-clad warriors surged forward like a tide, wrapping iron chains around Chu Xuan’s limbs like venomous snakes. Bo Tian straightened his collar with satisfaction and called out toward the shadows: "Brother Zhao, it’s done. The boy has no wings to fly now. Today, we’ll teach him what happens when you offend those you shouldn't!"
From the shadows, Zhao Yaojin walked out slowly. Behind him, a deafening sound of footsteps erupted, like rolling thunder across the earth. Over a thousand iron-clad cavalrymen emerged like a black torrent; the roar of their iron boots on the ground sent ripples across the lake.
"Chu Family remnant, failing to root you out back then was truly my sister Zhao Qian’s mistake." Zhao Yaojin’s eyes burned with endless hatred. "But today, I won't repeat the past. The Lingzhou Governor sent a thousand cavalrymen to assist me in dealing with you—it seems they won't even be needed!"
He shook the exquisite porcelain bottle in his hand. "This 'Martial-Erosion Powder' is a treasure of the Lingzhou Governor. I never expected you to be so easily fooled; a single cup of poisoned wine has sent you to your doom."
"So it was you!"
The moment Chu Xuan recognized Zhao Yaojin, a monstrous rage ignited in his eyes. Back then, Zhao Yaojin and Zhao Qian had groveled and fawned over him to get close to the Chu Family; to think they had become the accomplices in their destruction was truly loathsome.
"Zhao Yaojin, you spineless dog!"
"A dog?" Zhao Yaojin suddenly threw his head back and laughed, flashing the token at his waist. "Open your dog eyes and look! I am now the captain of the Lingzhou Cavalry. If I stomp my foot, the entire Southern Territory trembles! And you? You're nothing but a stray dog!"
He curled his lip, a look of contemptuous malice on his face. "You might have lived longer if you’d kept hiding, but you had to come looking for death. I’ll settle the score for my sister and father today. As for your sister..."
Zhao Yaojin licked his lips, his gaze sweeping over the weak Chu Keke in the pavilion. He laughed lecherously, "Such a sweet little beauty. I'll take my time tormenting her. I'll strip her naked and tie her to the city gate for all to see, then find a hundred beggars to take turns..."
Chu Keke trembled violently at these words, tears gushing out uncontrollably. Humiliation and terror nearly caused her to faint.
Chu Xuan’s wrists bled against the iron chains, his veins bulging. "Zhao Yaojin, if you move a finger on her, I will make you wish you were dead!"
"Wish I were dead? You think you still have the chance?"
Zhao Yaojin leaped onto the pavilion. "So what if I said it? I won't just say it—I’ll do it!"
Just then, Zhang Shanliu threw herself at Zhao Yaojin’s feet. "Captain Zhao! Please, let me have the first revenge! I want to use his blood to sacrifice to my husband and son! I’m going to slice the flesh from his bones, one piece at a time!"
Zhao Yaojin shoved her aside impatiently, then turned back and sneered, "He’s not long for this world, do whatever you want." He waved a large hand, and the cavalrymen immediately dragged Chu Xuan toward the open space beside the pavilion.
Chu Keke was left where she was, unguarded. It was clear that in their eyes, only Chu Xuan mattered; Chu Keke was merely bait, insignificant.
Chu Xuan was thrown heavily to the ground. Seeing the pavilion now empty of guards, the corners of his mouth tilted upward. This was exactly the effect he wanted! Once Chu Keke was out of their direct grasp, his chance would come. And that so-called "poisoned wine" was merely the beginning of his ruse.
The iron chains dug deep into Chu Keke’s skin; she struggled frantically, screaming hoarsely, "Don't hurt my brother! I beg you!"
Zhao Yaojin’s distorted grin nearly split his face, revealing white, jagged teeth. He mocked, "Little bitch, once I grind your brother’s bones into powder, I’ll send you to join him in the dirt!" He licked his lips again, his eyes flashing with filth. "But before that, you’ll have to taste the flavor of a thousand men, hahaha!"
Zhang Shanliu’s knuckles whitened as she gripped her dagger. She lunged toward Chu Xuan, the flames of vengeance burning in her eyes.
*Crack, crack, crack...*
Just as the cold blade was three inches from Chu Xuan’s throat, a blinding golden light erupted from his body. The black iron chains, unable to bear the pressure, let out a series of deafening explosions, shattering into flying iron filings.
Before anyone could react, Zhang Shanliu’s neck was gripped by Chu Xuan’s pincer-like arm. The sound of her vertebrae cracking was bone-chilling. In the next second, Chu Xuan ripped her head clean off. A fountain of warm blood sprayed into the sky, tracing a gruesome arc through the air.
Her head hit the ground with a thud at Zhao Yaojin’s feet, scaring him into stumbling back.
"This is impossible!"
Bo Tian’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "That was a secret poison from Huichuntang! Even a Grandmaster would have his meridians shattered and his body paralyzed after drinking that!"
"What if I told you I am a hundred times stronger than a Grandmaster?" Chu Xuan shook the blood from his hand, a cold, chilling smile playing on his lips.
A faint, golden dragon-shaped shadow rose around him, mysterious runes shimmering between its scales. Every movement whipped up a howling gale, pulling fallen leaves and dust into the air.
"As for this poison, in front of my True Dragon body, it’s nothing more than an itch."
His voice, deep as a tolling bell, made everyone’s eardrums ache. Bo Tian’s face turned paper-white. He grabbed Zhao Yaojin’s arm and roared, "This kid is a monster! Get the cavalry in here!"
"Kill him!" Zhao Yaojin commanded.
A thousand armored cavalrymen surged forward like a black tide, their cold blades forming an impenetrable wall of steel.
*Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!*
Chu Xuan scoffed, turning into a golden stream of light as he charged into the formation. Wherever he passed, blood and flesh flew.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Several gunshots pierced the air, bullets trailing savage plumes of fire toward Chu Xuan. Yet, as soon as the bullets touched the golden aura circling him, they weirdly froze in mid-air, as if pinned in place.
*Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!*
Chu Xuan’s eyes turned cold. With a light flick of his fingers, the bullets reversed direction, hurtling back at a speed even greater than before. A series of muffled thuds echoed; the cavalrymen who had fired widened their eyes as blood flowers bloomed on their foreheads, and they collapsed stiffly into pools of their own blood.
The blood splattered onto their comrades' armor, leaving glaring, crimson stains.
"He... he’s a demon! We can’t win against him!"
The others trembled, and even the rest of the cavalrymen began to retreat, clearly terrified by Chu Xuan’s horrific display of strength.
"Damn it, you cowards!" Zhao Yaojin cursed, furious. "Whoever takes another step back, I’ll have their entire family buried with them!"
The cavalrymen stopped, trembling as they raised their weapons, but they dared not move forward, their eyes filled with fear.
"Helping the wicked, you deserve death!"
Chu Xuan’s eyes sharpened. His golden aura surged, and the sheer pressure made the very air around them tremble. He formed a hand seal, chanting under his breath.
"Earth-Shattering Palm!!!"