After killing She Mo, Xiao Yan also released all the young boys who had been captured. Of course, he merely let them go—how they would return home was no longer his concern. He had neither the time nor the interest to worry about such things. It was Xiao Yixian who came up with a solution: she arranged for some of the mercenaries from the Snake Nest Mercenary Group to escort them back.
Xiao Yan only let out a cold laugh at that idea. He didn't say anything, nor did he object—he simply gave one instruction before they left: once they reached a safe area, the mercenaries were to leave. As for the kids, they should take longer, more winding paths and be wary of whether anyone followed them. Beyond that, their safety would depend on luck.
However, from those children, Xiao Yan learned something else. The number of boys taken was far greater than those present—most of them had been taken somewhere else. But as for where that was, none of the children knew.
Xiao Yan briefly considered interrogating the remaining mercenaries but dismissed the thought. This whole matter wasn't really his responsibility, and he had never been one to meddle in other people's business. Moreover, these lower-level grunts likely didn't know anything valuable anyway. Torturing them would be a waste of time.
"Well, it's all over now. The mercenaries are gone, and the kids are on their way home. What else do you want to do?" Xiao Yan crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, his expression calm. Whether it was the effect of the healing pill or the end of the secret technique's backlash, his complexion had regained some color.
He had just finished disposing of She Mo and the others' corpses. Naturally, he had taken their storage rings. Although the items weren't anything he personally needed, they might still be useful for the Xiao Family.
"Didn't you say earlier that I owed you a meal? Let's go," Xiao Yixian said with a mischievous smile, her eyes gleaming.
"You want to treat me to a meal? Sounds more like you're afraid of being eaten by a magical beast on the way back," Xiao Yan replied as he toyed with the rings in his hand, chuckling. "Well, let's go. I promised I'd see you home, and if there's one thing I'm good at, it's keeping my word. For example, if I say I'll wipe out an entire clan, then I'll do it."
"I get the point, but can't you use a less terrifying analogy?" Xiao Yixian rolled her eyes. She had long since decided that Xiao Yan was just one of those who liked to act tough. There was no way she took his words seriously.
Her village wasn't far from the Snake Nest Mercenary Group's base, but it still took them nearly half an hour to get there. The delay was caused by the never-ending stream of magical beasts. Having just fought a grueling battle, Xiao Yan found himself struggling a bit. Still, these constant fights helped him break through from the peak of Two-Star Dou Shi to Three-Star.
By the time they reached the outskirts of the peaceful village Xiao Yixian had mentioned, the sun had already dipped below the horizon. As they neared the village entrance, Xiao Yan's expression suddenly changed. A wave of killing intent rushed at him. Looking up, he saw thick smoke rising from the village center, with faint traces of fire flickering in the distance.
"What happened?" Xiao Yixian noticed it too. Before Xiao Yan could stop her, she had already dashed ahead. Moments later, she stumbled upon a scene that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
The once-tranquil village had been turned into a slaughterhouse. Flames devoured the streets. Severed bodies lay strewn across the ground, their flesh slowly cooked by the burning fire.
In the central plaza, the surviving villagers had been rounded up and forced to kneel. None of them dared to resist. Blades were pressed to their necks, held by none other than the mercenaries Xiao Yixian had spared.
Standing in front of the captives was an old man with a grim, oppressive expression. As soon as he heard Xiao Yixian's startled voice, he turned toward them. One of the mercenaries quickly shouted, "Patriarch! That's them! They killed the commander!"
"Oh?" The old man looked at the pair, his eyes finally settling on Xiao Yan. "So young, and yet you've already killed a man like She Mo. Looks like you're quite the prodigy."
"Yeah, unlike some people—old and still pulling all-nighters like kids. Be careful, you might drop dead of exhaustion," Xiao Yan replied indifferently, his gaze sweeping over the mercenaries. He let out a cold laugh. "I knew I should've killed every last one of you when I had the chance."
He glanced briefly at the corpses on the ground and instantly recognized a few of them—they were some of the children he had released earlier. Clearly, they hadn't escaped the Snake Nest's grasp. Though he had expected this outcome, it still made him frown. Reaching out, he pulled Xiao Yixian behind him protectively.
He knew this kind of bloody scene was too much for a girl her age. But it was the result of her own decision—no one else could be blamed. The captured villagers also seemed to realize that Xiao Yixian had brought this disaster upon them. Their eyes, filled with resentment and hatred, all turned to her.
"I don't know how a mere Dou Shi like you managed it, but you killed my son-in-law. That deserves some compensation," the old man said coldly as he locked eyes with Xiao Yan.
"Oh, so that perverted creep was your son-in-law? I truly pity your daughter," Xiao Yan shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Or maybe, the whole son-in-law thing is just a cover. Could it be... he was your lover? Now that mental image is enough to make someone blind."
"Bastard!" The old man's killing intent flared even more violently. He was well aware of She Mo's vile habits but had always turned a blind eye. He hadn't expected this brat to throw it in his face.
"I had half a mind to spare your life out of admiration for your talent, but clearly, you don't know your place. Don't blame me for killing you!"
"Spare me the fake righteousness," Xiao Yan snorted. "You've already sold your soul. Why pretend to be some moral paragon? You think I don't know why you've been kidnapping children?"
Though the old man didn't recognize him, Xiao Yan certainly knew who he was. In his past life, they had crossed paths.
If he remembered correctly, this old man was named He Qian, the head of the He Family—an influential power in the Jia Ma Empire. While not as prominent as the capital's Three Great Clans, they still had a Dou Wang holding down the fort. That made them vastly more powerful than anything in Wu Tan City.
In his previous life, the He Family had made the mistake of offending Xiao Yan and were completely wiped out. He hadn't expected to run into them again in this life.
And this time, the He Family was offering themselves up once more—like moths to a flame.
(End of Chapter)
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