Ruptured Gall

Catching up with Li Xuanfeng, Xiao Ruyu was also churning with agitation. Kindhearted by nature, he had watched hundreds of thousands of mortals being slaughtered, a fury stifled in his chest with nowhere to vent. He gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Xuanfeng, this bunch from the Tangjin Sect are merely Qi Refinement cultivators, and the young master in charge is just a minor cultivator at the Embryonic Breathing realm—they are bait cast out by the Tangjin Sect and Qingchi Sect! There are likely more than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators trailing behind them who won't strike until they hook a few big fish of the same realm... You and I are only at Qi Refinement. If we plan this properly... we can make them pay some price." Though fury raged within Li Xuanfeng's heart, he had not lost his reason. He said quietly, "Rest assured, Brother Ruyu. I am certain of success. Even if that young master were a Qi Refinement cultivator rather than an Embryonic Breathing one, he would not escape this time. I will make him die without ever knowing why, and die a wretched death, just to collect some interest on the debt." Xiao Ruyu glanced at the Jin Geng longbow on his back, forming some guesses. Tapping the brocade pouch at his waist, he brought out two pale-blue talismans and said in a low voice, "I have two Xuanyuan Escape Talismans here. They excel at flight and are trump cards for saving one's life. As long as Brother Xuanfeng can guarantee a fatal strike, we can head west immediately without leaving a trace." "My thanks, Brother Ruyu." Taking one of the talismans, Li Xuanfeng felt even more assured. Xiao Ruyu said fiercely, "If this succeeds, it will at least bring some solace to the hundreds of thousands of wronged souls below the mountains... so that I will not be racked with guilt day and night. If it fails, we flee at once without throwing our lives away. Vengeance need not be repaid in a single day..." "Rest assured, Brother Ruyu, I will not be rash." Li Xuanfeng shook his head. The hatred in his heart toward the Qingchi Sect and Tangjin Sect had reached a new height. Gritting his teeth, he said, "This is merely venting some spleen on behalf of my family elders and concubine. The enmity and hatred will not vanish into thin air; our days ahead are long." As they spoke, a group had already appeared on the horizon, each clad in gold robes and bearing various sabers on their backs. One could tell at a glance that they belonged to the Tangjin Sect. At the very top stood a youth of twelve or thirteen, presently unleashing a blood-red saber. Vast swathes of crimson blade light surged forth as over a thousand bloody beams flitted nimbly through the air, swooping down one after another. A ring of Qi Refinement cultivators surrounded him, eagerly eyeing the small town below. It was yet another scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Li Xuanfeng narrowed his eyes and watched for a moment, then chose a mountaintop to descend upon. Taking a step forward into empty air, his left hand drew the string while his right hand held the bow. With bristling whiskers and glaring eyes, he notched no arrow, nor did the slightest glimmer of magic power show upon the bow's body, appearing as calm and plain as though he were drawing a bow to shoot a wild hare. *Twang.* All around, there was only the sound of the string slapping against the air. Across the mountain, only a gentle breeze blew past, shaking loose two shredded leaves. Li Xuanfeng stowed his bow and rose. Much of the gloom in his expression had dissipated, and he whispered, "He is dead. Let us leave quickly." Xiao Ruyu looked at him in bewilderment. The two activated their talismans, transforming into two streaks of blue light that sped westward like the wind. *** "Wan'er, what is it?" "Nothing." Ning Wan furrowed her brows slightly, concealed in the air. Watching that young master of the Tangjin Sect wearing a proud, pleased look, she felt deeply conflicted. As a disciple of Moon Lake Peak, Lixia Commandery was originally a place under her protection, yet it had now been sold off to the Tangjin Sect for slaughter. Such conduct made her feel both embarrassed and sorrowful, yet she had no choice but to obey her sect's orders, trailing along in the air and remaining constantly prepared to suppress any Foundation Establishment cultivators who showed themselves. She was not a pedant, nor was she one of those naive and ignorant sect disciples. If forced to choose between preserving the Qingchi Sect and the lives of hundreds of thousands of mortals, Ning Wan would choose to preserve the Qingchi Sect without hesitation. However, permitting others to slaughter subjects under their domain merely to extinguish a possibility struck Ning Wan as hardly worth it. She had broken through to Foundation Establishment over a decade ago and was the youngest Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Qingchi Sect aside from Li Chijing. She was also the one among all the Foundation Establishment cultivators hidden nearby whose realm of intent was the most profound. She had clearly seen that arrow intent hurtling straight toward Situ You's head, yet she had merely looked on coldly without lifting a hand, a flicker of satisfaction even darting through her eyes. 'Such profound intent—this must be either a long-established Foundation Establishment cultivator or a Purple Palace immortal cultivator. Yet without the slightest trace of magic power mixed in, whoever it is clearly does not wish to damage the face of both sects, but merely wants to punish this fellow. Then let it be... If he dies, he dies. His death won't affect the plan anyway...' After all, Ning Wan had no good feelings toward this fellow. To be so cruel and vicious at only twelve or thirteen, slaughtering the people of her Moon Lake Peak! Though constrained by her sect from acting, Ning Wan was more than happy to watch him drop dead on the spot. Glancing around, several cultivators in the mid and late stages of Foundation Establishment wore pensive expressions, having clearly sensed something as well. Yet not one of them was willing to offend an unknown Foundation Establishment—or even Purple Palace—cultivator on behalf of an unfamiliar Embryonic Breathing practitioner. Even the Tangjin Sect cultivators merely watched on with cold eyes, which drew an inward sneer from Ning Wan. Below, Situ You suddenly gave a muffled grunt. The surrounding ring of Qi Refinement cultivators hurriedly turned to look at him, but Situ You waved a hand, smacking his lips in confusion and thinking: 'How strange. Why is my mouth so bitter?' His heart grew increasingly panicked. Situ You shook his head and found the bitterness in his mouth growing ever stronger. He shouted, "Someone come look after the artifact! Something has come up for me." Immediately, someone stepped forward to take the saber. The moment Situ You's hands left the artifact, panic suddenly seized him. He reached into his mouth to dab with his finger, only to find it coated in pale-yellow liquid. "This is... bile?! Not good!" Situ You cried out sharply. His chest inflated like a balloon, and his entire body collapsed listlessly to the ground as he wailed, "Aiya!" "Ancestor! Ancestor, save me!! I—!" As he spoke, he was already swelling up like a balloon. The Foundation Establishment cultivators above cast their spiritual sense downward one after another, yet not a single one was willing to reveal themselves to intervene. They simply watched as he burst with a resounding pop, like a balloon. *Bang!* Flesh and bone splattered everywhere, drenching the surrounding Qi Refinement cultivators in blood. The crowd stared dumbly into the bloody mist in the air, wiping the blood from their faces in total confusion. The Qi Refinement cultivator holding the magical artifact opened his mouth as if about to call out, only to hear a cold voice ring out: "Continue!" None dared slacken. Lowering their heads one after another, they cleaned away the gore with spells and resumed manipulating the artifact as if nothing had happened. All that remained was a tracing mark meant to tag an enemy, rising from Situ You's bone fragments. Unable to find any trace of magic power, it spun blankly on the spot once before dissipating into thin air. 'A dignified young master... what a stifling, pathetic way to die.' The Qi Refinement cultivator beside him muttered inwardly, terrified, and thought: 'I thought that although this young master was born of a concubine, he was shrewd, clever, and blessed with spirit apertures, so currying favor at his side would serve me well. Who would have thought he'd die out here just like that? Things will be hard from now on.' *** Xiao Ruyu and Li Xuanfeng landed amid the mountains. Li Xuanfeng said in a muffled voice, "He is dead, but it was merely venting my anger on him... There is little satisfaction in it; in the end, it is still our own helplessness." Though Xiao Ruyu did not understand how he had killed the young master of the Tangjin Sect, grief weighed on his heart as well. He replied, "This has always been a messy tangle of accounts. When all is said and done, who among them is blameless? You and I have merely killed the culprit on the surface. The people behind him continue the slaughter with magical artifacts; that is not something you and I can resist." Li Xuanfeng had no wish to speak further. The entire round trip had taken barely over two shichen. He cupped his hands and said, "I still have bones to gather and bury, so I shall say no more for now, Brother Ruyu." Xiao Ruyu hastily returned the gesture, watching Li Xuanfeng depart into the distance. Only after a long while did he turn around and speak toward Xiao Yongling behind him: "Clan Uncle..." "Have you... had your fill of excitement?" The moment Li Xuanfeng was gone, Xiao Yongling revealed himself. Staring at Xiao Ruyu, he said in a low voice, "The only reason you were able to escape was by slipping through the cracks of the friction between the two sects. Do not do something so dangerous ever again." Evidently, he had quietly trailed the two of them. The Xiao family's cultivation method was gentle and specialized in concealment, which was why neither of them had detected him. Though Xiao Ruyu felt that the people of the two sects had no clue how the young master had died in the first place, he did not contradict his elder's words. He said softly, "Ruyu will remember." Only then did Xiao Yongling nod. Looking toward the direction in which Li Xuanfeng had departed, he said softly, "Li Xuanfeng is not foolish, yet his chest holds an innate boldness. It can make a man, but it can also ruin him. Though today's matter was resolved thanks to his uncanny archery, if there comes a day when this man is brought down, it will surely be through someone exploiting his boldness." Xiao Ruyu truly regarded Li Xuanfeng as a friend and shook his head, unable to bear the thought. Xiao Yongling glared at him and admonished, "Your pure-hearted nature is the very same... You are not foolish, but across a lifespan of hundreds of years, if your temperament is too pronounced, you will be harmed by others sooner or later!" Hearing this, Xiao Ruyu laughed and said respectfully, "In my humble view, this world takes all kinds. If everyone were cautious and guarded, merely chasing gain and fleeing harm, life would have no flavor left!" "You child!" Xiao Yongling was amused despite himself. Patting his head, he murmured softly, "As your elder, I only wish for you to live well... I am not forcing you..."