The Reticent Blade

Bam!

Xue Qiming's fist slammed into Old Eight's chest, sending him flying with a wretched scream.

Zhang Dongyun panted heavily, one knee on the ground, supporting himself with his sword. He glanced at Old Eight lying motionless, uncertain whether his brother was dead or alive, yet powerless to help. He was unable to save even himself at this point. Now, that blood-soaked youth had fixed his gaze upon him.

Zhang Dongyun now felt the bitter taste of defeat but had no way to voice it. From their first skirmish in the front courtyard, he had repeatedly confirmed that the bloody boy looming over him had no real combat training. That brat was only standing due to his body's strength.

Nevertheless, this brute strength was something they couldn't overcome. After a grueling battle, the boy had endured blade after blade, trading wound for wound until every one of Zhang's men had been crippled. Any normal person would have long since died under such injuries, already sent off to face the King of Hell, but this boy's body was like solid stone. Their blades left inch-deep gashes at most before going no further.

Now, the only one still conscious was Zhang Dongyun himself. His martial skills were the best among them, and his battle experience far superior, which was the only reason he had lasted this long.

Watching Xue Qiming approach step by step, Zhang Dongyun gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand, glaring at him. "So you're the true heir of the Sky-Supporting Arhat. I suppose that explains a few things..."

Xue Qiming carried the gourd, the iron chain clinking sinisterly as it dragged along the ground like a ghostly reaper stepping forth from the Underworld.

Zhang Dongyun swallowed hard, secretly trying to regulate his breathing as tried to buy some time. "Look at yourself, you might survive today, but you're finished, aren't you?Hah! Trading a few of our lives to cut off the Sky-supporting Arhat's legacy? Not a bad deal."

"At least I'm still alive," Xue Qiming's voice was hauntingly calm. "I'll have my disciples. I'll still be able to teach them... But you? You'll have to wait for your next life."

"Disciples? You think you'll live long enough for that?" Zhang Dongyun grinned, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. "My Seven Dragons Stronghold still has dozens of men, and my third and fourth brothers are just as strong as I am. They'll avenge me! You're just a cripple now—you won't last long either. I'll be waiting for you in the Underworld!"

"Pah!" Zhang Dongyun spat on the ground. "I'd say dying today is a worthy death. Xue Yinlong killed my brother, and blood must be repaid in blood—that's the law of the jianghu. We avenged our kin—that's righteousness. When word spreads, this will be a tale of honor."

"Fuck your righteousness!" Xue Qiming kicked Zhang Dongyun down and stomped heavily onto his chest.

Zhang Dongyun spat out blood and glared at him. "If you're a real man, finish me off!"

Smack!

Xue Qiming slapped Zhang Dongyun across the face and sneered. "How many more brothers do you have? Let them come! I'll send them all one by one! I, Master Xue, also follow the ways of jianghu—when I say I'll wipe out your whole family, I mean it!"

Zhang Dongyun's fury erupted, but before he could act, Xue Qiming grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head into the ground. He blacked out instantly.

Xue Qiming turned back and found Han Niu still sitting motionless, staring at his hands blankly. The large man didn't budge even as the fire crept dangerously close to his feet.

"Hey," Xue Qiming called out. "You just gonna sit there and burn to death?"

"Huh? Ah?" Han Niu slowly lifted his head in a daze. "Where should I go?"

"How the hell should I know?!" Xue Qiming waved impatiently. He turned around, found Zhang Dongyun, and stomped on the fallen man's leg.

Kacha—

"Aaaah!"

Zhang Dongyun snapped awake with a piercing scream.

"You little bastard!" Zhang Dongyun writhed in agony, clutching his deformed leg. "You'll die a miserable death!"

Xue Qiming ignored him and stomped down on the other leg. "You better worry about yourself first."

Another crack rang out, and Zhang Dongyun's screams were cut short when he passed out from the pain.

Xue Qiming clucked his tongue and lifted his foot again, this time stomping down on Zhang Dongyun's hands.

Kacha, kacha!

The sharp sounds of bones shattering echoed through the burning ruins, jolting Zhang Dongyun awake once more. He let out a hoarse whimper, now too weak to even curse.

Xue Qiming paid him no further attention and moved on to the next man.

One by one, he did the same to the rest of Zhang Dongyun's men, breaking their limbs and rendering them useless. Some among them, still possessing the will to fight, made desperate last attempts at resistance. Regardless of their struggles, they were swiftly subdued and cast to the ground without exception.

After finishing his work, Xue Qiming let out a few heavy breaths. He had long since reached the limits of his endurance. When he turned his head, he found Han Niu still sitting there, staring blankly in his direction.

Xue Qiming frowned. "Still not leaving? You waiting for me to invite you for dinner?"

Han Niu licked his cracked lips. "I... I don't know where to go..."

"Go wherever the hell you want." Xue Qiming waved him off impatiently. "Just don't get in my way." He grabbed one of the wounded men by the collar and dragged him toward the back courtyard, where the fire was at its fiercest. Upon reaching the doorway, he casually flung the screaming man into the flames.

"You little bastard, how dare you!" one of the men shrieked in rage.

"Spare me, hero! Please!" another wailed in terror.

Xue Qiming ignored them all, calmly walking back to toss more fuel into the fire.

As he passed Han Niu, he glanced at him and asked, "Why the hell are you still here?"

Han Niu looked lost, his hands twitching slightly. "I have nowhere to go... I only have my strength... I don't know what I can do..."

Xue Qiming shook his head, tossing the man in his grip into the flames. Only then did he finally answer, "You're pretty strong. Why don't you go to the countryside and plow a few acres of land. In a couple of years, you can have a wife, a child, and live an honest life. What's so bad about that?"

"Is that... good?" Han Niu murmured hesitantly.

"It's better than what you're doing now." Xue Qiming dusted off his hands, then tapped Han Niu's forehead. "With that brain of yours, you'll be fine anywhere as long as you stay away from the jianghu. Otherwise, one day someone will sell you out, and you'll even help them count the money!"

Han Niu parted his lips slightly, seemingly struggling with his thoughts.

Xue Qiming no longer paid him any attention. Amid Zhang Dongyun's furious cursing, he dragged him toward the flames and hurled him in. As agonized screams echoed through the night, the Lesser Arhat Temple fell into a smouldering silence once more.

The temple would never be noisy again.

The fire had spread into the front courtyard, filling the air with the acrid stench of burning flesh and wood.

Xue Qiming glanced toward the Buddha hall. The old monk's urn still lay shattered on the ground. The once visible ashes had now disappeared, blending into the ashes of the temple and the scorched earth.

Xue Qiming pursed his lips. "Sky-supporting Arhat? So what if he was a martial expert? He can't do anything now. He couldn't even keep his own bones intact."

"Well, it's better that it all burns." He walked over, picked up the gourd, and wrapped the chain it was attached to around his waist a few times. Only after pulling it tight and securing it did he feel at ease.

"Maybe this counts as cutting off all worldly ties." Xue Qiming lowered his gaze, sweeping one last look around the temple grounds, at all the familiar furnishings. He murmured, "Old bald donkey, this time I really am leaving. There's no one left to stop me."

"Han Niu!"

"Huh?" Han Niu snapped out of his daze and looked at Xue Qiming. "You calling me?"

"Come here, come here." Xue Qiming beckoned him over. "Forget thinking about where to go for now—help me up first."

Han Niu grinned widely and rushed over in two quick strides, firmly grabbing hold of Xue Qiming's arm to support him.

Hiss—

Xue Qiming sucked in a sharp breath of pain the moment his wounds were touched.

"Heh, where are we going?" Han Niu asked.

"Get me down the mountain first. If I don't find a doctor soon, I really might not make it."

The flames completely engulfed the Lesser Arhat Temple, casting a crimson glow over half the night sky. A blood-stained figure, supported by another, limped step by step down the mountain.

Three months later, a rumor spread through the jianghu. A vengeful force had found the Seven Dragons Stronghold in Eastern Ji. The entire stronghold was burned to the ground. Of the forty-five men within, not a single one survived. Only at the stronghold's gate was a message left behind, scrawled in blood.

"When I said I'll kill your whole family, I mean it."