Cultivating in Different Professions

Chapter 184: Chapter 131: Hawks and Hounds

"Two choices."

Su Mu’s face was calm, his voice as tranquil as his expression. "First, you resist, and the Hu Family will be wiped out, down to the last dog and chicken.

Second, only the main culprits will be executed. The women and children can live."

As his words drifted through the air, the assembled Taiping Imperial Guard let out a synchronized, mighty roar.

The sound shook the heavens.

"Su Mu, you’re using your public office to settle a private score! You act with such reckless abandon! Do you really think you can hide the sky with one hand?"

Hu Gongxiu’s eyes blazed with boundless fury. He trembled with rage as he bellowed, "For what you have done today, I will go to the Capital City and beat the drum of grievances!

My son, Guang Shao, is a disciple of the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect! The Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect will never allow you to humiliate the Hu Family like this!"

"The Hu Family colluded with demons and monsters, and they remain unrepentant. All of them shall be killed without mercy."

Su Mu’s face was devoid of expression. He slowly raised the Thunder Shocking Saber in his hand and pointed it forward.

He had the upper hand; he couldn’t be bothered to waste a single word on Hu Gongxiu.

’An explanation? Unnecessary.’

The hounds of the imperial court should act like it.

"Kill!"

The Taiping Imperial Guard roared in unison, brandishing their sabers and charging forward.

"With just you lot?"

Hu Gongxiu was both humiliated and enraged. "The Hu Family will fight you to the death today!" he roared.

BOOM!

Before his voice had even faded, a man charged out from behind him, the roar of his circulating vital energy and blood audible as he thrust a long spear forward.

The man’s face was savage, intent on impaling several Taiping Imperial Guards with a single thrust.

SWISH!

Su Mu’s figure flickered, and he drew his saber with cold indifference.

Like a gentle breeze and a fine drizzle, a beam of saber light struck the spear with perfect accuracy.

With a CRACK, the long spear shattered inch by inch, disintegrating into countless wooden splinters.

The saber light then sank into the man’s chest, passed through his back, and struck the stone-paved ground with a THUD, leaving behind a deep gash.

The man froze in place. He simply lowered his head as blood gushed from his chest. He collapsed, his eyes wide open in death.

"So... strong..."

The two words on his lips were never spoken.

"To possess such strength at such a young age is truly remarkable. The Hu Family’s loss is not unjust."

Just then, an aged voice spoke up.

From behind Hu Gongxiu, an old man with white hair but a youthful complexion emerged.

"But your greatest mistake was showing up here at the Hu Family estate."

The old man said coldly, "With just you lot, it’s not enough to wipe out my Hu Family!

I will kill you, and then my Hu Family will rise again somewhere else.

Young man, in your next life, remember not to be so ignorant of your own limitations."

"Noisy."

Su Mu said flatly and slashed with his saber.

Anger flashed across the old man’s face. With a cold snort, a long saber appeared in his hand, and he too slashed out.

With a sharp CRACK, the old man’s long saber broke apart, section by section. He stared blankly at the hilt remaining in his hand, his face a mask of astonishment.

Su Mu took two steps back, a numbing sensation tingling in his arm.

’As expected of one of the four great families of the Inner City, they have some hidden strength after all.’

’This old codger is plenty strong.’

From just that single clash, Su Mu had already determined that his opponent’s power far exceeded his own.

He had used a clever trick, relying on his two types of intent, to break the man’s saber, but that was all.

’This old guy is very likely in the Rebirth Realm. I can’t beat him.’

Su Mu retreated decisively. "Master Wan, it’s your turn."

As soon as he spoke, a figure so old he looked as if he could barely walk appeared abruptly beside Su Mu.

He was stooped over. He casually took the Thunder Shocking Saber from Su Mu’s hand and slashed out with it.

The Hu Family elder’s expression changed, and his figure shot backward in retreat.

A sliver of saber light followed him like a shadow.

The Hu Family elder only managed one step before his entire body froze in place.

A distinct line of blood trickled down from between his eyebrows. He had been cleaved in two by that single strike.

Witnessing this, Su Mu praised him silently in his heart.

Back when he had yet to practice martial arts, he had once seen Lin Qi Huan slay a demon with a single saber strike. The brilliance of that blow had inspired him to train hard ever since.

Now, he could somewhat comprehend Lin Qi Huan’s strike from all those years ago. Although there was still a gap in their abilities, he could at least begin to grasp it.

But now, seeing Master Wan’s strike, Su Mu felt just as he had when he first saw Lin Qi Huan’s.

It was a seemingly ordinary strike, but in truth, it was utterly beyond his reach.

This strike was like the moon in the sky to a frog at the bottom of a well.

’I still have a long way to go.’

Su Mu thought to himself, drawing the Ziwei Soft Sword from his waist. It transformed into specks of starlight, instantly enveloping a Blood Transformation Realm expert from the Hu Family.

’This is the benefit of having the imperial court at your back.’

’You think the Hu Family has an old monster, but the Taiping Bureau doesn’t?’

’Trying to use the old to bully the young? You sorely underestimate the hounds of the imperial court.’

After slaying the Hu Family’s Rebirth Realm ancestor with a single strike, Master Wan did not make another move.

He just stood there, looking as if he were dozing off.

But as long as he was there, he was a Heart Calming Pill for all the men of the Taiping Bureau.

Su Mu flashed continuously across the battlefield, felling one member of the Hu Family after another.

Even Blood Transformation Realm experts couldn’t withstand more than a few of his sword strikes.

In contrast, Luo Anning, who was also in the Blood Transformation Realm, was not nearly as brilliant.

However, she single-handedly held off two or three of the Hu Family’s Blood Realm experts, buying the Taiping Imperial Guard a great deal of time.

With their Rebirth Realm ancestor dead, the remaining members of the Hu Family had long since descended into panic.

Under the assault led by Su Mu, more than half of them were quickly cut down.

PCHT!

Su Mu plunged his sword into Hu Gongxiu’s heart.

Blood trickled from the corner of Hu Gongxiu’s mouth. He looked at Su Mu, his face filled with endless regret.

"I am filled with such hatred!"

he said with difficulty. He grabbed the Ziwei Soft Sword with both hands, ignoring how the blade cut into his palms, and tried to pull it out with all his might.

Staggering back two steps, Hu Gongxiu spat out a mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground, his eyes wide open in death.

In the moments before his death, he was filled with immense regret.

’If I had known this would happen, I would have bankrupted my family to have the Golden Wind Tower continue their pursuit of Su Mu.’

’If only—’

Then Hu Gongxiu went completely still.

Without a shred of pity, Su Mu raised his head and swept his indifferent gaze across the surroundings.

The majority of the Hu Family’s Martial Artists had already fallen. The few who remained were being hunted down by the Taiping Imperial Guard, barely able to fight back.

Dozens of finely dressed women and children huddled together in a corner of the courtyard, shrinking in terror. When they looked up at Su Mu and his men, their eyes were filled with venom and hatred.

"Capital Captain—"

A Taiping Imperial Guard asked Su Mu for instructions.

"Kill them all."

Su Mu said flatly.

No one in the Hu Family was innocent. Even if the infants and children had done no evil, they had enjoyed the wealth and glory of the Hu Family, and so they had to bear the consequences.

By raising Corpse Demons, the Hu Family’s viciousness was laid bare for all to see.

Those Corpse Demons were not necessarily made from people who died of natural causes.

Besides, the Hu Family wouldn’t be raising Corpse Demons just for their own amusement. One day, those Corpse Demons might suddenly appear within the city, causing widespread death and destruction.

It was only because Su Mu and his men had discovered them in advance.

Otherwise, there was no telling how many people would have died at the hands of the Hu Family.

Su Mu did not consider himself particularly cruel, but by the same token, he would not be swayed by misplaced compassion.

He would not allow sentimentality to plant the seeds of future trouble for himself.

’A family should stay together, neat and tidy.’

"Yes, sir!"

The Taiping Imperial Guard responded, and with swift falls of their blades, heads began to roll.

The sounds of crying and screaming abruptly fell silent.

Su Mu didn’t spare them a second glance, simply stepping over the corpses to arrive before Master Wan.

"Master Wan."

He said with a slight bow.

"Well done."

Master Wan tossed the Thunder Shocking Saber back to him and nodded slightly. "I thought you might spare the women and children. If you had, I would have suggested to the Governor that you be kept in the city as an Inner Guard.

Being soft-hearted and merciful only brings harm to others and to oneself.

You did very well."

He looked at Su Mu with an expression of great satisfaction.

"You praise me too much, Master Wan."

Su Mu gave a sheepish smile. "Compared to you, venerable elder, I still have a long way to go.

Master, the Corpse Demons the Hu Family was raising outside the city still need to be exterminated. We’ll need you, venerable elder, to lead us."

"I’m old. I can’t move that far."

Master Wan shook his head and began to walk slowly away. As he walked, he spoke, "I’ve already informed Lin the kid. Once you’ve cleaned up here, go out of the city and find him. He’ll be waiting for you all at Supply Point Seven."

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