Pained for his adoptive brother and younger sister, he walked deeper inside. Just as he reached the dilapidated building, he suddenly heard a loud rumbling behind him as an excavator drove toward him. He slipped into the shadows, sensing watchers all around.
Why would an excavator be out this late? The machine stopped beneath the building where his sister lived. Only a single spirit lamp glowed faintly on the third floor; all the other stories were pitch black.
A stocky, dark-skinned man climbed down from the excavator, holding an iron bar. He hammered against the wall and shouted, "Flatten this building to the ground!"
Two people emerged from the house. Watching from the dark, Yun He felt his heart race. Though they had been apart for a decade, he recognized them instantly. The honest-looking young man of about thirty walking in front was his adoptive brother, Yun Qu. Following him was his eighteen-year-old sister, Yun Huan. She had grown into a graceful, stunning beauty, inheriting their mother's captivating appearance.
Perhaps because of their blood tie, Yun Huan glanced toward the shadows. She saw only a vague figure and mistook it for a passerby. Yun Qu asked with honest perplexity, "What tricks are you trying to pull now?"
"Yun Qu, the deadline has arrived. This building is to be demolished. Why are you still lingering here? Get lost before you get buried alive in the rubble. If you want to settle accounts with Lord Hu, it'll be too late."
"This is our home, and we are not leaving!"
"Not leaving? That's not up to you anymore."
"Zhou Hu, what gives you the right to destroy our home?" Yun Huan stepped out, her fists clenched. Her adoptive brother was simple-minded, but she was different. Having just been admitted to the Ningcheng Cultivation Academy, she was a smart cultivator. "What you're doing is illegal! I'm calling the police!"
"Always the same routine. Little girl, you refuse the broad road. Marry obediently into the Fang Family, and all your worries will vanish. You'll even live in a luxurious Immortal Mansion and ride divine beasts—why linger in this shabby old shack? I'm doing this for your own good."
"You were sent by the Fang Family, weren't you? Let me tell you, don't even dream about it. I will never marry him. I'd rather my soul scatter than submit to him."
Before she could finish speaking, she moved to deploy a spirit talisman to call for help, but Zhou Hu smashed it down with his iron bar, shattering the talisman instantly before stamping on it viciously.
"If kind words fall on deaf ears, don't blame me for being ruthless! You ungrateful wretch, Young Master Fang has taken a fancy to you—that's your good fortune, and he has even prepared betrothal gifts. Since you don't know what's good for you, don't blame us for showing no mercy. Lads, level this dump! If anyone tries to stop you, blast them flat with immortal arts. I'll take the blame if anyone dies!"
Amidst the roaring noise, immortal energy surged, causing the ground to tremble. Yun Qu stepped forward, shielding his sister with outstretched arms, determined not to let the immortal machinery come near.
Zhou Hu grinned hideously, leaped onto the machinery, and roared, "Crush them! Drive right over them!"
His face flushed red with excitement, his distorted expression filled with madness. As the machine was about to roll right over Yun Qu, his younger sister trembled with fear like a willow in the wind behind him, yet she kept a tight grip on her brother's hem.
At that moment, Yun Huan seemed to sense something and saw the figure in the shadows step out.
Though walking slowly, as if by teleportation, the man was already standing in front of Yun Qu.
Yun Huan panicked. Was this person blind?
"Hey, you there, hurry and get out of the way! This isn't your fight—they will actually kill you!"
Hearing his sister still remembering to warn others in the midst of crisis, a wave of warmth washed over Yun He. This silly girl, no wonder their mother had loved this youngest sister the most.
Yun He stood unmoving against the backlight, his voice clear and resolute: "I'll give you one chance to back off, and I'll let this matter go."
Zhou Hu was stunned. He had been to this place a dozen times, and this was the first time he had ever run into a busybody with a death wish.
Since they were all slum-dwellers anyway, one more dead body wouldn't matter. He roared, "Lads, speed it up! Once the job's done, Young Master Fang is treating us to midnight snacks."
The machinery accelerated, bearing down with a deafening roar.
People watching from behind their windows covered their eyes, unable to bear the impending sight. They all believed that once the machine rolled past, nothing would be left except a bloody pulp.
Suddenly, Zhou Hu felt the machine crash into something as hard as a solid boulder, unable to move forward an inch as only the deafening roar echoed around them.
"Useless idiots, is this machine broken?" Thinking there was a malfunction, Zhou Hu yelled at the companion operating the excavator.
The man replied with a look of sheer terror, "Brother Hu, this machine is brand new! It's not broken!"
If it wasn't broken, what was going on?
He lowered his head and could hardly believe his eyes.
Yun He was holding back the bucket of the excavator with a single palm, his fury soaring to the heavens.
If he hadn't returned a step earlier today, what he would have witnessed right now would likely be the tragic end of his brother and sister. These people truly deserved to die.
His anger could no longer be contained.
He grabbed the bucket with one hand and flung it upward with a sudden, violent heave.
A blur flashed before everyone's eyes as the excavator was hoisted into the air, somersaulted once, and crashed heavily to the ground.
Zhou Hu and his accomplices inside the cab were all severely injured and unconscious, covered in blood, while the driver had only a faint breath left. Struggling to crawl out from the wreckage, the driver tried to stand, but lacked the strength. A figure approached against the light, coldly stepping onto the driver's face and demanding, "Who sent you?"
"You can't touch me! I am a disciple of the Black Wolf Sect, acting under the orders of Young Master Fang from our sect. Our Black Wolf Sect—"
"Where is the headquarters of the Black Wolf Sect?"
"You dare provoke us!"
Saying no more, Yun He pressed his hand directly against Zhou Hu's glabella to search his memories. Soon, he found the clues regarding the Black Wolf Sect and Young Master Fang. For a mere one hundred thousand spirit stones, this Zhou Hu had attempted to murder Yun Qu of the Yun Family and forcibly deliver Yun Huan to Young Master Fang's bedchamber. Sneering, Yun He looked down at the ruined, soul-searched wretch before him and flipped his wrist, causing Zhou Hu's head to droop.
With a wave of Yun He's palm, Zhou Hu's body instantly shattered into a mist of blood, scattering with the wind as if he had never existed. He said to the remaining terrified disciples of the Black Wolf Sect, "You belong to the main peak of the Black Wolf Sect. Go back and tell your Peak Master Zhou that tomorrow at three in the afternoon, Yun He will pay a personal visit. Tell him to prepare well to welcome death."