Translator: CinderTL
Seeing Xu Sanyan in such a pitiful state, one couldn't help but feel the urge to laugh.
Only now, with the Ma family in a weakened position, did they display a sense of tragic heroism. In truth, the misdeeds of the Ma family were no less numerous in their days of power.
Such is the way of the martial world—those who rise become kings, and those who fall become outlaws. There's no room for notions of justice here.
"Father, in the next life…"
Before the Ma Family Eldest Son could finish his sentence, a bloodied blade tip pierced through his chest, silencing the rest of his words in his throat.
"Save your words for the underworld."
Wu Jue withdrew his long blade, flicking off the blood.
Master Ma watched as his family members fell one by one, realizing that the tide had turned irreversibly.
He had mentally prepared himself for this outcome, but witnessing his own son's gruesome death before his eyes still left him overwhelmed with grief.
"Hahaha… You'll never find it! You'll never find anything! My grandson will return one day to avenge me!"
"All of you! None of you will escape!"
Master Ma's eyes welled with tears as his white hair disheveled. Staggering, he pointed a trembling finger at the perpetrators who had brought about the downfall of the Ma family. With one last glance at his son's headless corpse, he drew his blade and slit his own throat.
The crowd surged forward, slaughtering the remaining members of the Ma family. Xu Sanyan glanced around, noting that fewer than ten people remained, but each one was a formidable fighter.
However, the second-in-command, Liu Hong, was nowhere to be seen. Whether he had died or fled was unknown.
"Charge!"
Jin Penglai waved his hand, and two men behind him kicked the door open, revealing a group of women standing in the courtyard.
"Hand it over, and we'll spare your lives," Geng the Cripple said with a hint of urgency.
"A worthless life is nothing to cling to. You can have it," the elderly woman at the front replied, pulling out a dagger and plunging it into her chest.
The dozen or so women behind her followed suit, all committing suicide.
Their entry meant that the men of the Ma family had already been wiped out.
Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow, surprised by the fierce resolve of the Ma family's women.
"Not good! The Ma family has a back door!" Wu Jue suddenly shouted.
"Hurry back! Call for the city gates to be sealed. Not a single fly is to leave! Have the second-in-command lead the search personally. We must find Ma Tianqing!" Jin Penglai turned and shouted with urgency.
"Yes," a few men behind him quickly departed.
Xu Sanyan exchanged a glance with Tang Huanhuan, then looked at Wu Jue.
Wu Jue pondered for a moment before speaking. "At this point, there's no use hiding it. The Ma family does indeed possess a cultivation method. I'm willing to share it with you. Go now, it must be on Ma Tianqing."
"Alright," the two nodded and turned to leave.
Once outside, Tang Huanhuan asked, "Which way should we pursue?"
Xu Sanyan chuckled softly, "Heh, nowhere. We'll wait here."
"Huh?"
Tang Huanhuan was momentarily stunned before realizing his meaning. "You're saying Ma Tianqing hasn't fled?"
Xu Sanyan explained, "Our arrival was sudden. The Ma family had no time to prepare. With our people all over the city, where could Ma Tianqing possibly run?"
"Besides, look at them. Do they seem like they're about to leave?"
Xu Sanyan gestured toward the courtyard with his chin.
Tang Huanhuan finally understood. It seemed she was the only one who had been fooled. She had been misled by Master Ma's final words, thinking Ma Tianqing had already fled.
"Ma Tianqing must be hiding somewhere in the courtyard. We just need to wait. But it's best if we split up. You stay here, and I'll check the back." Xu Sanyan thought of the missing second-in-command, feeling certain he wasn't dead.
"Alright," Tang Huanhuan nodded in agreement.
Xu Sanyan made his way to the side and rear of the estate, looking around before climbing onto the roof of a neighboring house. From there, he had a clear view of the Ma family's courtyard.
Xu Sanyan wasn't in a hurry. He lay down on the roof, waiting, and took the opportunity to scan the city. Everywhere he looked, there were bodies—soldiers, bandits, but mostly civilians.
Before long, a squad of soldiers emerged from the street, numbering around thirty or forty. At the front was a man clad in armor, handsome and wielding a spear. He appeared to be in his early thirties.
Xu Sanyan squinted, carefully observing the man. He recognized him—they had crossed paths once before.
The man's name was Zhou Chaoxian, a deputy officer with considerable martial skill. It seemed he had been left in charge of Dafeng Town.
What was he doing here?
Xu Sanyan frowned. Could it be… for the cultivation method as well?
Zhou Chaoxian led his men charging into the Ma family estate. At this point, only Wu Jue, Jin Penglai, and Geng the Cripple remained in the courtyard, frantically searching.
"Jin Penglai, prepare to die!"
Zhou Chaoxian roared, thrusting his spear forward. Behind him, the soldiers formed into groups of five, setting up a formation to trap the three.
Xu Sanyan listened intently, couldn't help but smirk. Quite the rhyme there—was he trying to rap?
Jin Penglai raised his blade to block, shouting back, "Zhou Chaoxian, have you gone mad?"
"Mad? Damn it, you've backed me into a corner!" Zhou Chaoxian's face twisted with rage.
With such a major incident unfolding, he had no way out. If the imperial court were to investigate, he would surely be executed.
Jin Penglai laughed, "Is that all? Just a minor deputy? Where do you want to be stationed? I'll get you a position as a sixth-rank county officer, how about that?"
"Screw your mother!"
Zhou Chaoxian was furious. He was not the type to buy his way into a position. If he had been willing to collude with corrupt officials, he wouldn't have spent four years in this godforsaken corner of the northwest.
Jin Penglai had miscalculated—he hadn't expected Zhou Chaoxian to be an upright and incorruptible official.
But he wasn't worried. He was at the Inner Qi level, while Zhou Chaoxian was only at the Qi Refinement stage. The advantage was his.
"You've thrown away your chance!" Jin Penglai's expression darkened as he launched a fierce assault.
Wu Jue and Geng the Cripple exchanged a glance, then retreated, leaving Jin Penglai to face the military formation alone. If they found Ma Tianqing, the three of them would inevitably end up fighting over the cultivation method. Now was a good opportunity to eliminate one of them.
The soldiers didn't pursue the two, instead tightening their formation around Jin Penglai.
Jin Penglai's expression shifted as he shouted, "Brother Wu, Brother Geng, what are you doing?"
Wu Jue smiled, "This is your personal grudge. It has nothing to do with us, so we won't interfere."
Geng the Cripple limped toward the interior of the estate, "Same here."
Although Zhou Chaoxian hated these bandits, at this moment, he hated Jin Penglai even more. If not for his role as an inside man, the bandits would never have entered the city so easily.
With his skills, he could have held the city against four hundred bandits—or even eight hundred.
Jin Penglai's eyes darted around, searching for an opening, while inwardly cursing. These bandits truly had no sense of loyalty. One moment they were brothers, the next they'd sell you out.
The thirty-plus soldiers wore leather armor, the front row holding shields, the second row wielding long blades, and the back row carrying spears. They encircled Jin Penglai, occasionally striking from the blind spots, making his situation increasingly dire.
Xu Sanyan raised his head to observe closely. Such military formations posed a significant threat to martial artists. Once caught in the encirclement, even an Inner Qi level fighter like Jin Penglai would struggle to escape.
In the future, when facing an army, one must avoid getting trapped.
Jin Penglai lunged left and right, but he couldn't break through. His earlier battle with Master Ma had drained much of his Inner Qi, and now he was running out of steam.
"Zhou Chaoxian, let me go, and I'll make you a fifth-rank general!" Jin Penglai shouted in desperation. If things continued this way, he was doomed.
"Ha! Fifth your mother!"
Xu Sanyan twitched his lips. It seemed Jin Penglai had truly enraged Zhou Chaoxian. His words were laced with venom, each sentence targeting Jin Penglai's family matriarch.
(End of the Chapter)
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