Chapter 249

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The bandit stronghold in West Cui Mountain had a semicircular wall. Though there was indeed a plaza between the wall and the houses in the center, crossing through it would easily expose one to watchful eyes. However, the stockade wall wasn’t entirely separate from the houses—at both ends, it was built upon rocky terrain, and the buildings of the stronghold were constructed along the mountainside. As long as one reached the end of the stockade wall, they could follow the shadows to slip into the houses unnoticed. When Zhang Xiaohua entered earlier, he hadn’t paid much attention. In a rush, he had risked exposure by crossing directly through the plaza. On his way back, he gave it even less thought—he simply retraced his steps without considering that if he had taken the route along the end of the wall, the bandits wouldn’t have noticed him at all.

Thinking about how he had almost been discovered while leading the three others just moments ago, Zhang Xiaohua silently reminded himself to be more careful in the future, to observe the terrain more thoroughly, and to avoid making such mistakes again.

After a round of both self-criticism and reflection, Zhang Xiaohua decided against finding a new route. The patrols were practically nonexistent—why take a detour? His True Qi had been painstakingly absorbed from Yuan Stones, and he had no reason to waste it needlessly.

Flipping over the wall, he once again darted across the plaza in a flash. Under the perception of his divine sense, no one noticed his presence.

Following his earlier memory, Zhang Xiaohua arrived at the spot where bandit Brother Xu and his men were drinking. The banquet had reached its climax, and the crowd wore expressions of intoxication. Just then, Old Cao spoke up: “That brat Xiao Shunzi is quite cunning. He actually sprinkled ‘Thousand Mile Fragrance’ on that girl’s carriage. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have found her so quickly.”

Another voice responded: “Brother Cao, haven’t we already talked about this? Stop bringing up that girl—she’s no longer ours. Talking about it is pointless and will only make the brothers restless.”

Old Cao said: “Alright, alright, I won’t talk about it anymore. I’ve held it in all night, but I just can’t help it now. Sigh, why did the chieftain have to see it? If only we had left a little earlier! That damn envoy must be having his fun right about now.”

A voice chimed in: “Old Cao, you’ve had too much to drink. Let’s talk about something else. Speaking of which, let’s talk about Xiao Shunzi’s little trick. Be honest, did you really find the Li family girl just by using the ‘Thousand Mile Fragrance’?”

Xiao Shunzi chuckled: “Hehe, Brother Xu, you’ve got it figured out. There were too many people in Lu Town, and the air was filled with mixed scents. That ‘Thousand Mile Fragrance’ works well in open areas, but by the time we got there, how could I possibly track it? It’s not like I have a dog’s nose.”

“What?!” Old Cao exclaimed. “You brat, so you tricked me! And here I was, envying your cleverness for nothing. Alright then, if you didn’t use ‘Thousand Mile Fragrance’, how did you find the Li family’s house?”

Xiao Shunzi burst into laughter. “Hah! This world is full of people who love gossip. Everyone has a nosy side. All I did was sit in a teahouse for a while and casually ask about the town’s recent happenings. Sure enough, some busybody was eager to show off and spilled the whole story about the Li family of Four Trees and how the Li and Yu family’s daughters were kidnapped. It only cost me two copper coins for tea.”

“What a pity the Yu family’s girl wasn’t there, and no one was home. Otherwise, we could’ve made a bigger haul.”

“Don’t worry, they won’t run away. We can just go back another day.”

“Good! Brothers, let’s drink to that! After we finish, we’ll go again together!”

“Alright, drink!”

The group downed a few more bowls of wine. On the rooftop, Zhang Xiaohua seethed with anger as he listened. But with six men in the room, he didn’t have the ability to take them all out at once. If even one of them raised the alarm, who knew how many people would hear in the dead of night?

Just then, Old Cao stood up and said: “You all keep drinking. I’m heading out to relieve myself.”

With that, he left the room alone. Zhang Xiaohua was delighted and quietly followed him to a secluded corner. Old Cao stood there unsteadily, whistling as he did his business. Zhang Xiaohua crept up behind him and patted his shoulder. Old Cao, without turning his head, muttered: “Wait a moment, I’m not done yet.”

Zhang Xiaohua patted Old Cao’s shoulder again. Annoyed, Old Cao snapped: “Who’s being such a nuisance? Looking for a beating?”

As he spoke, he turned around, only to see an unfamiliar young man standing before him. Just as he was about to speak, the youth suddenly stepped forward, bringing something up to his face. Under the dim firelight from the nearby window, Old Cao saw that the boy was holding a small toy sword. Before he could take a second look, the tip of the sword was already pressed against his throat. The blade paused for a moment, as if hesitating. Fear surged through Old Cao, but he soon realized there was no sharp pain in his throat. Instantly, he understood—it was just a toy, and the tip wasn’t even sharpened. A grin spread across his face as he uttered the last words of his life: “Where did this little bastard come from, playing jokes on your Grandpa Cao? Watch how I deal with you!”

With that, he reached out to grab the toy sword.

Just then, another voice called out from nearby: “Brother Cao, who are you talking to?”

A sudden chill spread through Old Cao’s throat. His eyes widened in disbelief as he clutched at his neck, his body crumpling to the ground. Even in death, he couldn’t comprehend how an unsharpened toy sword had managed to pierce his throat.

The one who had killed him was none other than Zhang Xiaohua.

When Zhang Xiaohua first pressed the sword against Old Cao’s throat, he had indeed hesitated. After all, he had never faced a real murder before. He found himself unable to bring the sword down. However, the voice from behind had sealed his escape route. If he didn’t make the strike now, tonight’s mission would be ruined. He could still flee, but then the Li family, the Yu family, Guo Village, and Baligou might all suffer as a result. With no other choice, he thrust the sword forward. When he withdrew it and saw Old Cao collapse lifelessly, a sense of confusion filled his heart. Then, a strange lightness followed.

So this is what killing feels like.

It turns out that killing was so easy.

But he had no time to dwell on it. The man behind the wall was already turning the corner. Without hesitation, Zhang Xiaohua slid quietly along the wall. The man stepped halfway out, still speaking, “You didn’t drink too mu—” His words were abruptly cut off as a small sword slipped effortlessly into his throat—so light, so gentle, like a lover’s kiss. Except a lover would leave the mark of red lips, while the sword left only a thin crimson line.

Inside the room, the bandits were still unaware of what had happened outside. After drinking for a while longer and seeing no sign of the two men returning, Brother Xu frowned and said: “Xiao Shunzi, take Xiao Li with you and check on Old Cao and the other guy. Did they really drink too much? If they have, carry them back. It’s still early, this isn’t like them at all.”

Xiao Shunzi and the other man responded and stepped outside. As they turned the corner, they saw two figures lying on the ground. Laughing, Xiao Shunzi said: “Old Cao, Old Cao, I’ve never seen you in such a sorry state. Just wait until tomorrow—see how I’ll tease you about this.” Before the two could step forward, Zhang Xiaohua descended from above. His left hand held a sword, while his right hand was shaped like a claw. In one swift motion, he thrust the sword into the man’s throat while gripping the other’s neck with his other hand. With a slight exertion of force, a sharp “crack” sounded. Blood seeped from the man’s lips as he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Looking at the corpses on the ground, Zhang Xiaohua no longer felt the same excitement or trembling as before. He murmured under his breath: “Using the sword is still the best—clean and efficient.”

By now, only two people remained inside the house, both heavily drunk—hardly a challenge to him.

Inside, Brother Xu was still drinking with another man when a series of knocks suddenly came from the door. Frowning, he muttered: “No hands? Open it yourself.”

But the knocking continued. Annoyed, he stood up and stomped over to the door, yanking it open. “Who the hell—”

Standing before him was none other than Xiao Shunzi, but his eyes were shut, and his head drooped forward. Brother Xu chuckled. “Xiao Shunzi, don’t tell me you fell asleep just from stepping outside for a bit?”

But Xiao Shunzi said nothing. A strange feeling crept into Brother Xu’s mind. Just as he was about to call for help, a small figure emerged from behind Xiaoshun. The face, though partially obscured, looked oddly familiar. He blurted out, “Da—Daolin Temple’s—” Before he could finish, a small sword thrust into his throat. He offered no resistance, dying with wide, disbelieving eyes as he crumpled to the ground.

The last man in the house, still in a drunken haze, heard Brother Xu mention Daolin Temple. He instinctively shuddered, and when he saw Brother Xu collapse, revealing a familiar-looking lay disciple, cold sweat drenched his back. His intoxication vanished instantly. “Someone—!” he began to shout. But before the words fully escaped, Zhang Xiaohua shot toward him like lightning. The man barely managed to shift his body slightly before the small sword pierced his throat, snuffing out his life.

As the final body hit the floor, Zhang Xiaohua let out a quiet breath and wiped away the sweat forming on his brow. “Lucky,” he thought to himself.

Suddenly, he smacked his forehead and muttered: “Damn! I forgot to leave someone alive to ask where they kept their loot.”

Sweeping the room with his divine sense, he found nothing of value—it must have been hidden elsewhere.

Wasting no time, he dragged the corpses into the room, extinguished the lamp, and slipped outside.

Just as he was about to leave, a thought flashed through his mind—why not take this chance to eliminate the bandit chief as well? With West Cui Mountain leaderless, the region would be peaceful for at least a few years. Besides, he hadn’t gained anything from this trip—wasn’t it a wasted effort otherwise?

Having made up his mind, Zhang Xiaohua leapt onto the roof and moved silently toward the main hall.

Inside the main hall, the banquet was still ongoing. The two men were deep in conversation. Zhang Xiaohua did not let his recent success against a few lowly bandits get to his head. He had no idea how skilled the bandit chief and the envoy were, but for the chief to rule over West Cui Mountain, he had to possess some level of martial prowess—otherwise, how could he maintain control? There was a high chance Zhang Xiaohua was no match for him. If he wanted to take their lives, a direct confrontation was not the best approach—an ambush would be far more effective.

As for the envoy, he seemed to be from some so-called “Divine Cult”. Anyone trusted to represent an entire sect would undoubtedly be an expert. Zhang Xiaohua didn’t think he could win in a head-on fight against such a person.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Xiaohua silently floated toward the rear hall, scanning the area with his divine sense to find a good hiding spot.

However, before he could locate a proper hiding place, he suddenly sensed fluctuations of Yuan Qi beneath the rear hall!