Jiang Chuxue felt a prick of jealousy watching them — but she couldn't show it. Back then she'd seized a moment of weakness… and a guilty flutter rose in her chest. Was she… sorry to Sister Tang? Chen Xiao noticed the look and wanted to reach for her hand, to murmur, You came at the perfect time. But Jiang Yunhan was there; he'd fly off the rails if he saw anything intimate.
"Hey — you've got a girlfriend and you're touching my stockings? Shameless, Chen Xiao!"
A discordant voice cut in. Ouyang Miao — finally finding an opening — goaded him again.
Chen Xiao cleared his throat. "Ahem. Don't forget why we're heading to Jiangnan."
"I'm doing you a favor, you know — you owe me gratitude." he added with mock indignation.
Jiang Yunhan blinked. "Going to Jiangnan? To the Tang family?"
Chen Xiao nodded. "My score with the top three families is settled. But the Tang family — my revenge against them is only getting started."
Tang Shirou's eyes flashed murderous light. "Those people… all deserve to die." She thought of her father, expelled, starved to death in a basement. The Tang family had stolen her life. She wanted them erased.
Chen Xiao led the group onto the mammoth's back. He'd spared a handful of survivors from Yang Family Fortress — laborers with quirky creature talents: Fish Spirit, Dog Spirit, Horse Spirit, Ox Spirit, Rabbit Spirit, Chicken Spirit, Duck Spirit. They were useful, and Chen Xiao liked the idea of bringing them back to Jiangbei for both work and—admittedly—his own appetite.
The mammoth thundered toward Jiangnan. Despite its bulky look it moved surprisingly fast — faster than some cars. After nights of travel they arrived at the Tang Family Revival Base.
"Who goes there? State your—"
Puchi— A water fork from a distance shattered the guard mid-sentence. It was Chen Xiao's All-Things-Water.
Tang Shirou, Jiang Chuxue, Jiang Yunhan and the patchwork group lined up outside the city. Only Chen Xiao and Ouyang Miao had come to confront the Tang family head-on. In flashes they had already cut down most of the Tang core — until Tang Shizi himself stepped forward.
"You're declaring war on the top three families by doing this!" Tang Shizi hissed, though inside he trembled. The man before them had once wiped out the Tang family alone.
"The Tang and Yang just sealed a marriage. Don't you know the Tang's backer?" he boasted, trying to bluff. "We're in-laws with the Yangs."
Ouyang Miao snorted. "The Yangs? The top three families?" She spat like cold water. "Your info is two days out of date. The top three families were wiped out. What trash is your Tang family?"
Shock flared across Tang Shizi's face. The others laughed — it sounded hollow. They'd seen brave claims before. But Chen Xiao's reputation? That was different.
Aries — Tang's strongest and ranked highest on the Sanjiang Combat Power List — took a stance. "You talk like that and expect to live?" he said, positioning himself. He didn't buy the claim the families were gone, but he believed he could handle Chen Xiao.
"Bee Woman," he sneered toward Ouyang Miao, "have you forgotten who killed your father? Are you colluding with him?" He tried to sow doubt.
Ouyang Miao tightened. "Do you really think he killed my father?" she said coldly.
A hum — invisible chains — slammed down. Rule power activated: the Queen Bee Barrier. Aries went pale as the chains wrapped and dragged at him.
"Bee Woman!" he barked. "My house—my family—how dare you—"
Bang! Ouyang Miao's kick sent him reeling into a wall. Her martial skill surpassed Chen Xiao's expectations.
"I'll ask you again — who killed my father?" she demanded. Aries stuttered, looking at his brothers like a trapped animal.
"Chen Xiao… it was Chen Xiao," he blurted.
Bang! Chen Xiao's boot shattered Aries' knee. Blood sprayed five paces. Chen Xiao snapped, "Stop stalling." Then, to make sure the truth couldn't wriggle free, he slapped Aries clean out — all his teeth gone in a single crack.
Aries, on the verge of tears, glanced at his trembling brothers. "If I tell, will you let me go?" he whispered.
"Tell, and you live — for now." Ouyang Miao promised.
He named another: "It was Black Pig… he said Ouyang Tu deserved to die… he said—"
Before the confession finished, Ouyang Miao lunged and plunged a dagger into his chest. He bled out with a hollow look. None of them had expected her ruthless speed. Mercy had been a lie; she was done with being used.
She turned to Chen Xiao. "You were right. After I clean this up, I'll come back to Jiangbei with you." Revenge complete, she intended to settle down and enjoy life — there was safety and food under Chen Xiao's banner. He nodded and vanished.
The rest was a massacre. Tang Family Revival Base fell to pieces; the core members were slaughtered. Not a single clean corpse remained.
Three days later, Jiangbei — the Jianghe Grain Depot.
They'd renamed it Jiangbei Triangle, Jianghe District. Outside the barricades traffic hummed: the spoils of the top three families flowed in. No one dared intercept them — the leader of Jiangbei Triangle was the Mad Ghost Butcher.
Inside the Jianghe Building, seventh-floor room:
"Chuxue, tell me — what's between you and Brother Xiao?" Tang Shirou asked softly, sitting by the window and holding Jiang Chuxue's hand.
Jiang Chuxue's face flushed. "Uh… how do I say it…" She faltered, cheeks coloring. Tang Shirou reached toward her chest playfully — and Jiang Chuxue giggled.
"Oh, Sister Tang, I was wrong. I shouldn't have been with him after you left—" she admitted.
"With him doing what?" Tang Shirou teased, already guessing but wanting to hear it said aloud. She didn't mind adding one more to their little circle.