Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

Chapter 308: Chapter 302: Kill Again

The next day at noon, the sun hung high in the sky.

Three Families Village, Lishui County.

A rebellion years ago had long since turned this place to ruin.

Weeds grew rampant among the crumbling walls. Now, besides the whistling wind and the chirping of insects, there was no sign of human life.

Dust plumed on the dirt road at the village entrance.

A troop of thirty to forty men on horseback rode into the village.

It was none other than the Liyang Governor, Yan Wenlu, and his men.

Though they were all skilled martial artists, a sleepless night of high-intensity tracking and travel had left every one of them looking weary and drained.

Last night, the group had left the city, gone to the scene of the incident, and followed the trail markers.

Unexpectedly, after a long and winding pursuit, they had ended up back at this deserted village, not far from where the first signal marker had been found.

He Ping’an, who was leading the way, dismounted and carefully examined a fresh arrow carved into the trunk of an old locust tree.

He raised his head and looked toward a large, blue-tiled house in the distance. It was still relatively intact but equally dilapidated.

Walking over to the equally tired-looking Yan Wenlu, he said, "Lord Yan, the trail markers end here. They... should be in that house."

Yan Wenlu’s gaze fell upon the courtyard with its half-collapsed wall.

He gave a slight nod, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings before he gave a hand signal.

The men behind him immediately fell silent, dismounted, and quietly drew their blades. Holding their breath and focusing their minds, they began to surround the dilapidated house.

One by one, they entered, stepping into the weed-choked courtyard.

The scene within the yard stunned them all.

In the center of the courtyard, a small campfire was crackling away. A young boy in a long cotton robe was roasting a wild pheasant on a branch, the rich aroma wafting through the air.

Behind the boy, atop a long-dry rockery pool, a figure sat serenely on a blue-gray stone at the highest point. They were clad in a wide, gray cloak, its hood concealing their face.

The cloaked figure’s posture was relaxed, one leg bent with an arm resting casually on the knee, completely ignoring the dozens of armed Officials who had just stormed in.

He Ping’an’s pupils contracted. He instantly recognized the boy by the fire as the person they were looking for.

He hurried over to Yan Wenlu and whispered, "Lord Yan, that boy is the witness, Sun Shouyi."

Yan Wenlu’s gaze landed on Sun Shouyi, then quickly swept over to the mysterious cloaked figure, his brow furrowing slightly.

He Ping’an couldn’t hold back and shouted sternly, "Sun Shouyi, where is Wang Siye? Where are they?"

Sun Shouyi looked up and shook his head in confusion. "Wang Siye? I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"You don’t know?"

He Ping’an said angrily, "The day before yesterday, we clearly established that Wang Siye rescued you during the ambush. How could you not know? Speak up!"

In his panic, he started forward to grab Sun Shouyi and demand answers, but Yan Wenlu caught his shoulder.

Yan Wenlu narrowed his eyes, carefully studying the cloaked figure on the rockery, who hadn’t once turned around.

He pushed He Ping’an aside and said coolly, "Greetings, friend. I am Yan Wenlu, the Liyang Governor. Might I ask who you are? And where are Wang Chengyuan, the Director of my Commandery Magistrate’s Office’s Experience Department, and his men?"

The cloaked figure gave a soft, dry laugh, his voice a bit hoarse. "Strange. You’re an official, yet you don’t know where your own men from the Commandery Magistrate’s Office have gone. Instead, you come asking a rustic villager like me? Don’t you think you’re asking the wrong person?"

Yan Wenlu’s expression darkened, and his gaze shifted to He Ping’an.

Along the way, He Ping’an had given a rough account of the ambush and Wang Chengyuan’s breakout with his men.

But he had been vague about key details, such as Sun Shouyi’s identity and why he was a witness, using the excuse that the Lord Governor had ordered him to report in person.

Now, Yan Wenlu’s suspicions deepened. ’What exactly happened here?’

A flash of panic went through He Ping’an, and he shouted at the cloaked figure, "I’m talking about the men who were with this boy yesterday! If you have any courage, you’ll admit what you’ve done!"

The cloaked figure acted as if he had just realized, letting out a soft "Oh." "So you’re asking about them."

He paused, then nonchalantly uttered three words: "I killed them."

"What?"

His words struck like a bolt from the blue. The expression on every person from the Commandery Magistrate’s Office changed, their faces filled with disbelief.

’Killed? The Director of the Experience Department, killed?’

Many subconsciously tightened their grips on their weapons. The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly grew as taut as a fully drawn bowstring.

Only the CRACKLE of the campfire seemed to ring out, piercing the silence.

He Ping’an’s heart sank.

He recalled that day at the Sun Family’s Old Mansion in Pingshui Village. Though he had been hiding in the shadows, he had heard with perfect clarity how Sun Shouyi had accused the Chen Family and negotiated his pledge of allegiance.

He whipped his head around, his eyes blazing with fury as he stared at Sun Shouyi. "Sun Shouyi, you dare to betray us?!"

Sun Shouyi stood up, dusted off his hands, and looked at He Ping’an. "Sir, I’ve never seen you before, and I don’t know you. I have no idea what nonsense you’re spouting."

"Good! Good! Very good!"

He Ping’an was so furious he started to laugh, his face ashen. "To think that after so many years in the Jianghu, I’d be deceived by a young brat like you!"

Suppressing his rage, he turned to Yan Wenlu. "Lord Yan, this boy is Sun Shouyi, the key witness the Lord Governor urgently needs. Something is amiss here. I ask that you have your men seize this fiend at once and take him back to the Commandery Magistrate’s Office for the Lord Governor to interrogate."

Yan Wenlu’s face was grim. Regardless of the truth, the man had admitted to killing Wang Chengyuan. That made him an enemy of the Court and the Government Office.

He stared at the cloaked figure and shouted, "You have some nerve! Killing a court official is a crime punishable by the extermination of your entire clan. I’ll give you one chance. Surrender now, and I might be able to grant your clan a lenient sentence."

"Heh..."

The only response he received was a soft chuckle from beneath the cloak.

The last of Yan Wenlu’s patience evaporated. He said no more, simply waving a hand. "Incorrigible. Take him! Alive or dead, it doesn’t matter!"

"KILL!"

The men from the Commandery Magistrate’s Office roared in unison and sprang into action.

Five or six Spirit Realm powerhouses took the lead, their blades drawn. They became several afterimages, rushing the cloaked figure on the rockery from different directions.

Powerful Qi tore through the air, their killing intent chilling to the bone!

However, the scene that followed struck terror into their hearts.

Facing the siege, the cloaked figure swung his hand, and a brilliant bolt of sword-light flashed out from under his cloak.

"CLANG! SHING! SPLURT!"

The sword-light moved like a swimming dragon, faster than anyone could react.

The clang of metal and piercing screams rang out almost simultaneously.

The first few Spirit Realm powerhouses to charge in felt a sudden coldness at their throats or a sharp pain in their chests before they collapsed, their blood instantly staining the dead grass red.

The Sword Momentum was not yet spent. It swirled like a whirlwind toward the sides, and a chorus of screams erupted.

He Ping’an was a fraction too slow to dodge. A blast of Sword Qi grazed his shoulder, tearing his robe and instantly dyeing it red with blood.

In a single exchange, three were dead and several more wounded!

"A Grandmaster! He’s a Grandmaster!"

Someone screamed in terror.

Yan Wenlu’s pupils contracted. He stared intently at the cloaked figure’s every move, sensing the aura he emitted.

A moment later, a flash of understanding and cold killing intent crossed his eyes.

"I was wondering what kind of sacred expert you were. It turns out you’re just a Divine Hall... and an injured one at that, with an unstable foundation."

Yan Wenlu sneered. "Friend, with such half-baked power, don’t you think you’re being a little too arrogant?"

Before his voice had even faded, Yan Wenlu shot forward. The Soft Sword at his waist whistled sharply through the air as he thrust it toward a vital point on the cloaked figure’s back.

He had been gathering power for this strike. It was lightning-fast and utterly vicious.

Yet, facing this earth-shattering strike, the cloaked figure showed no fear. Instead, he let out a long, powerful whistle that made everyone’s ears ring.

"Lord Yan, I am not your opponent."

The cloaked figure laughed. Instead of meeting Yan Wenlu’s killing blow head-on, he effortlessly slipped out of the range of his Sword Qi and landed gracefully on the other side of the courtyard.

Yan Wenlu’s sword struck nothing but air. He was shocked and furious, but an even greater sense of dread washed over him.

’What does he mean? Is there another ambush?’

Just as he was about to lunge at the cloaked figure again, he felt an indescribable chill wash over him from behind.

A gray figure had appeared silently at the courtyard gate, though no one knew when.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his calm gaze sweeping over the bloody battlefield within the yard before finally landing on the pale-faced Yan Wenlu.

It was Chen Li.

He had arrived.

Chen Li and Liu Zongying had already agreed to meet here.

Last night, after dealing with Governor He Mingyun with ruthless efficiency, he had slipped out of the city and ridden nonstop to Three Families Village.

When he arrived, Yan Wenlu’s party had not yet caught up, so he took the opportunity to scout the village’s surroundings, confirming there was no one else nearby before returning.

The cloaked figure charged into the men from the Commandery Magistrate’s Office like a tiger among sheep. His Longsword was drawn, its light flashing like a bolt of silk as he began a one-sided slaughter.

With every flash of his sword, a man fell.

Screams rose and fell one after another as blood rapidly stained the soil of the desolate courtyard.

"Shouyi, let your Qi sink into your Dantian! Use an unorthodox strike and attack his right flank. Yes! Just like that!"

Even as he fought, the cloaked figure didn’t forget to instruct the boy, who was fighting against a Qi Realm Perfection expert.

Within the courtyard, the hairs on Yan Wenlu’s body stood on end, his gaze locked onto the gray figure at the gate.

He almost instinctively released his Divine Sense to sweep over the newcomer, trying to probe his true strength.

But as his Divine Sense swept over, it was like a clay ox sinking into the sea—gone without a trace. He couldn’t sense the slightest fluctuation of Inner Breath, as if the man standing there was an ordinary person with no cultivation whatsoever.

’But that’s impossible!’

’How could an ordinary person possibly appear here at a time like this?’

’The only explanation is that this person’s cultivation is far beyond my own.’

"And you... who are you?"

Yan Wenlu’s voice was dry, laced with a tremor of fear he himself didn’t notice.

Chen Li’s calm gaze swept over the scene in the courtyard before returning to Yan Wenlu. He spoke lightly, "Me? I suppose you could call me one of Lord Yan’s enemies."

"Enemies?"

Yan Wenlu’s brow furrowed as he rapidly wracked his brain, thinking of everyone who might hold a grudge against him, but he came up with nothing.

’He held the high position of Governor, and while his actions inevitably offended people, he was confident he would never—could never—forget someone who would call themselves an "enemy" and possessed such terrifying strength.’

He slowly shook his head, his tone firm. "I do not recall ever making an enemy of you, friend."

"Lord Yan is a man of high status and great power. Naturally, you wouldn’t remember a minor figure like me."

Chen Li chuckled. "However, seven years ago, Lord Yan ’put in a word’ with the Magistrate of Mirror Mountain County on two occasions. It caused me... considerable losses and a great deal of trouble."

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