My Home's Ancient Well Connects to the Martial Arts World

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Killing Lai Sanpi

”AWOO!” ”AWOOOO!”

Two chilling wolf howls echoed through the night sky, the sound bone-chilling.

Under the moonlight, two Cyan Wolves were visible on the roof. Their paws moved lightly and swiftly across the tiles, their cyan fur blowing in the wind. In a single bound, they leaped from the roof and pounced on two of the black-clothed, masked men below, knocking them to the ground.

”This is bad! They’re Second-level Demon Beasts—Cyan Wolves! Two of them!” The leader of the masked men’s face twisted in horror as he shrieked, ”Run! Everyone, scatter and run!” The moment the words left his mouth, he was already vaulting over a wall to escape.

The remaining dozen or so masked men turned pale with fright and scattered in terror.

The Cyan Wolf was a Second-level Demon Beast of incredible ferocity. A single one possessed the combat strength of a Martial Artist of the Martial Arts Second Realm. They were also extremely skilled at coordinated attacks; a pack of Cyan Wolves could wear down and kill even Martial Artists of the Sixth and Seventh Realms. In the Demon Beast Mountain Range, if a Cyan Wolf Pack numbered over a thousand, even a Ninth Realm Martial Artist would have to give them a wide berth.

”Help me!”

”Village Chief, don’t go! Help me!” the two masked men who had been tackled to the ground screamed, scared out of their wits.

”SQUELCH!” ”AH!”

”ARGH!”

Two shrill screams were abruptly cut short. Blood sprayed as the Cyan Wolves’ sharp fangs tore through the two men’s throats. Lifting their eerie, emerald eyes, they watched the dozen or so other masked men scatter before giving chase.

「At the main gate of the Ye Mansion.」

Lai Sanpi and another masked man were on patrol, standing guard at the gate.

”It’s so quiet. Not a damn soul in sight. And we have to stand here in the wind in the middle of the night!” Lai Sanpi complained.

”Complain less,” the other masked man said. ”What can you do? We’re the two weakest.”

”When we start looting later, they’ll definitely get first pick of all the good stuff!”

”What’s the rush? Didn’t the Great Village Chief already promise you that girl? I hear she’s a tender one. Heh heh. When you get tired of her, let your brother here have a turn for a couple of days.”

”Sure, why be shy? We can even do it together. I’ve already got the drugs ready. But that broad you snatched back in Green River Town—you have to let me have a go with her too!”

The two were whispering back and forth.

Suddenly, two long, chilling wolf howls echoed out, immediately followed by a pair of shrill screams that tore through the silent night. Lai Sanpi and the other masked man jumped in alarm. Their blood ran cold as they whipped their heads toward the inner courtyard.

”Sounds like it’s coming from the inner courtyard!”

”What’s going on?”

Just as they were wondering, they saw their leader, the Great Village Chief, burst out from inside the mansion. He was leading the retreat, followed by three or four other masked men, all with terrified expressions, fleeing for their lives.

’Something must have gone wrong in the inner courtyard,’ Lai Sanpi’s eyes darted around. ’That kid must have had an ace up his sleeve! I need to get out of here!’ He turned and bolted down the mountain.

In the silent night, the cold wind howled, sharp as a blade. The air was punctuated by wolf howls and the shrill screams of dying men. A Second-level Demon Beast like the Cyan Wolf was already a considerably powerful creature. Two of them working in tandem were enough to kill an ordinary Second Realm Martial Artist. Against a First Realm Martial Artist, the fight would be over in three to five exchanges. Moreover, the Cyan Wolves were incredibly fast; once they locked onto a target, escape was nearly impossible.

It was precisely for this advantage that Ye Xing had spent a fortune to purchase two Cyan Wolves. His funds were limited, so he could only afford two to guard the Ye Mansion. After all, a single Cyan Wolf cost over 1,300 Gold Coins—a price not many could afford. Even the wealthy families in town could likely only afford a Level 1 Demon Beast, which cost just two or three hundred Gold Coins.

A sickle moon hung high in the sky, casting down a cold, ethereal glow.

Mottled shadows stretched across the forest floor. The sound of the wind was now mixed with the heavy, ragged breathing of someone running desperately.

Another pair of shrill screams echoed from the distance, and Lai Sanpi couldn’t help but shiver, a cold chill running down his spine.

’Good, the screams are far away,’ Lai Sanpi thought with relief as he continued to flee at top speed. ’They must be in a different direction. I should be safe for now!’

Suddenly—

”WHOOSH!”

A sharp whistling sound cut through the air. The leaves and branches of the trees overhead rustled, and a figure somersaulted through the air, landing directly in front of Lai Sanpi.

It was a young man dressed in green, a sharp longsword held in his right hand. The blade glinted coldly in the moonlight. Blood dripped from its tip, crimson drops falling one by one onto the dead leaves on the ground. It had clearly claimed many lives already.

”Lai Sanpi, you’re quite the fast runner,” Ye Xing said, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smirk.

”Spare me, spare me! Don’t kill me!” Lai Sanpi stammered in terror, backing away continuously.

”You’re not getting away,” Ye Xing said, his voice low. ”Talk. Who are the men who came here tonight?”

”I’ll tell you! Just... just don’t kill me!” Lai Sanpi blurted out.

”That depends on how detailed your information is,” Ye Xing said. ”If I’m satisfied, I might consider it. And you don’t have a choice. If you don’t talk, I can just capture someone else. As for you... heh!” As he spoke, Ye Xing gripped his Sharp Sword and advanced slowly on Lai Sanpi.

”Don’t... don’t kill me! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!” Lai Sanpi cried. ”We’re from the Black Tiger Stronghold. I joined them three months ago. We came to rob you tonight. The one leading us is our stronghold’s Village Chief, Yang Dalong.”

”Where is this Black Tiger Stronghold located?” Ye Xing’s eyes flickered as he asked in a low voice. ”What’s it like? Do they have any experts?”

”It’s in the Lianyun Mountain Range,” Lai Sanpi said. ”The place is crawling with bandits and robbers. The Black Tiger Stronghold is pretty average, I guess, with two to three hundred men. There are three Village Chiefs: Yang Dalong is the Great Village Chief, but the Second and Third Village Chiefs are no weaker than him. They also have two or three Second-level Demon Beasts.”

”Hmph. Is that everything?”

”I... That’s all I know,” Lai Sanpi said uneasily. ”So... can I go now?”

”Yes, you can go,” Ye Xing nodded. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. ”I’ll send you on your way.”

”SWISH!”

The blade whistled through the air as it slashed toward Lai Sanpi.

”You bastard! You said you’d spare me!” Lai Sanpi roared in a terrified rage, hastily raising his long saber to block.

A disdainful smirk appeared on Ye Xing’s face. His Lingfeng Sword Skill was flexible and unpredictable; the trajectory of his longsword suddenly changed, completely bypassing the long saber.

”SQUELCH!”

The longsword pierced the center of Lai Sanpi’s brow. With a vicious twist, Ye Xing opened a gaping, bloody hole from which blood began to trickle. THUD. Lai Sanpi’s body fell stiffly to the ground, all signs of life gone.

’Why would I keep my word to an enemy? Especially a dead one.’ Ye Xing glanced coldly at Lai Sanpi’s corpse on the ground before sheathing his longsword and walking away.