7: Thunderous Revenge, Slaying the Evil Servant

While the morning dew still clung to the spiderwebs in the corner of the courtyard, two rough kicks tore apart the tranquility of the small yard. "Clang—" The wooden door's hinges immediately burst, scattering moldy wood chips. Luo Hu's fleshy face squeezed in first, the Iron Ruler at his waist glinting coldly in the morning light.

"Trash, got some guts now, huh?" He spat a gob of thick phlegm, his boot grinding over the crack in the threshold. "Second Young Master heard your spine stiffened up recently, so he specially sent us brothers to loosen it for you!"

Sun Jilin followed behind, fiddling with a rusty Short Knife in his hand. His triangular eyes glanced sidelong at the medicinal herbs drying in the courtyard, a look of undisguised mockery hanging on his lips. "Did you get possessed? Just the day before yesterday, you looked like a stray dog, yet today you dare to release your Qi Force?"

Lin Yang, who was squatting on the stone steps turning medicinal herbs, slowly stood up upon hearing this. The morning light fell on his lowered eyelashes, casting a faint shadow. The half-withered leaf he was twirling between his fingers silently crumbled into dust. "I've been waiting for you for a long time." His voice was as flat as frozen well water, but the eyes he raised surged with a coldness that could swallow a person whole.

Luo Hu felt an inexplicable fear from that gaze, and immediately became enraged out of shame. "Stop acting tough!" He suddenly stepped forward two paces, the Iron Ruler whistling as it sliced through the air, aiming straight for Lin Yang's face. "Today, I'll cripple those eyes of yours!"

"Perfect timing!"

Lin Yang advanced instead of retreating. The moment his body abruptly surged forward, the Liquid True Essence in his Dantian Qi Sea rushed out like a bursting flood. He spun, grinding his right foot into the ground, his left arm blocking like an iron gate. When he clenched his right fist, seven solidified Fist Shadows already swirled around it—the sixth form of the Tiger Shadow Fist, "Tiger Strikes the Six Directions," surprisingly carried a faint tiger roar under his deliberate activation!

"What?!" Luo Hu's pupils suddenly contracted. Just as the Iron Ruler was about to touch the opponent's shoulder, he saw seven golden-yellow Fist Shadows strike him like lightning. He frantically brought the ruler back to block. With a sharp "Clang," the first two Fist Shadows were deflected by the Iron Ruler, but the remaining five were like maggots clinging to bone, slipping through the ruler's gaps!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Five muffled thuds connected in a sequence, like heavy hammers smashing wet mud. The front of Luo Hu's jacket instantly burst open. Five distinct fist marks sank into his flesh, and the sharp sound of his sternum shattering could be heard from ten feet away. A rattling sound came from his throat, and blood mixed with bone fragments gushed from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were wide open, as if, even unto death, he couldn't understand how the trash he used to bully could possess such terrifying power.

With a "thud," Luo Hu's massive body slammed heavily onto the bluestone slab, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"L-Lao Luo!" Sun Jilin's Short Knife clattered to the ground, and his trouser legs were instantly soaked with urine. He scrambled and crawled to turn around and run, his legs shaking like a sieve, completely ignoring the movements behind him.

Lin Yang's figure flickered, crossing the distance of ten feet like a ghost. The strong wind he generated swept up the dead leaves on the ground. "Where do you think you're going!" he shouted coldly. His right fist swung out again. The five Fist Shadows were even faster than before, leaving faint afterimages in the air.

Hearing the wind behind him, Sun Jilin hurriedly turned and raised his arms to block. But his meager Dao cultivation level was like paper in front of an Acquired Sixth Layer expert. He barely managed to deflect two Fist Shadows, but the remaining three solidly slammed into his lower abdomen. With a cry of "Wah," Sun Jilin was thrown out like a broken sack, hitting the courtyard wall and sliding to the ground, continuously vomiting dark red blood clots.

"D-don't kill me..." He curled up in the corner, tears and snot streaming down his face as he tried to burrow into the stone cracks. "It was Second Young Master... Lin Dongping made me do it! Spare my life, I'll serve you like an ox or a horse..."

Lin Yang walked over expressionlessly. With one hand, he lifted Luo Hu's still-warm corpse, and with the other, he grabbed Sun Jilin by the back of his collar like lifting a chick. Several of Sun Jilin's ribs were broken, and every movement caused him excruciating pain, yet he didn't even have the strength to struggle, allowing the other party to drag him away.

Uncle Liu's grave was located in the Mass Burial Ground on the west side of the town. A rough wooden plaque stood before the lonely earthen mound, the five characters "Tomb of Liu Laoshuan" already blurred by wind and rain. Lin Yang heavily tossed the two bodies onto the muddy ground in front of the grave, splashing up a spray of turbid water.

"Kneel!"

With a cold shout, the True Essence Pressure of the Acquired Sixth Layer descended like an invisible boulder. Sun Jilin screamed as he was forced onto his knees, his kneecaps hitting the hard stone with a sickening crunch. Luo Hu's corpse was also flipped over by a surge of Qi Force, his head striking the wooden plaque squarely, as if bowing in confession.

"Kowtow!" Lin Yang's voice held no warmth.

How could Sun Jilin dare to hesitate? He frantically smashed his forehead into the muddy ground, blow after blow, quickly bruising his face into a bloody mess. "Uncle Liu, spare me! I'm not human! I stole your medicine... please spare me... I won't ever dare again..."

Lin Yang bowed deeply toward the simple wooden plaque, his spine held straight. "Uncle Liu, look. I have taken care of these two beasts for you first. After I execute Lin Dongping, I will bring his head here to apologize to you."

As his words fell, he slammed his reverse palm onto the back of Sun Jilin's heart. As the palm force penetrated the flesh, the outline of the bones on the man's back could be clearly seen instantly collapsing. Sun Jilin's pleas for mercy abruptly ceased, his head dropping weakly to the ground, completely lifeless.

The two corpses lay side-by-side prostrate before the grave, as if repenting, and also marking the beginning of vengeance. Lin Yang clapped the dust from his hands and turned to walk out of the Mass Burial Ground. The morning mist gradually dispersed, drawing his silhouette long, the bloodstains on his hem glistening dully in the sunlight.

When the news reached the Lin Family, it was right during breakfast. Lin Dongping smashed his beloved Celadon Bowl and roared angrily at the messenger servant, "What did you say? Luo Hu and Sun Jilin are dead? Killed by that trash?"

The hall full of guests exchanged glances. The Lin Family Grand Elder, seated in the main seat, stroked his beard and sneered, "He's just trash who can't even stabilize his Qi Sense. How could he possibly kill Luo Hu, an Acquired Fourth Layer expert? You must have handled things poorly and are looking for an excuse to cover it up!"

No one believed that Lin Yang, who had suffered endless scorn in the Lin Family and was called a "Medicine Jar," could possess the thunderous methods needed to execute two vicious servants. Only Lin Dongping looked out the window, inexplicably recalling that snowy night: the young man holding Uncle Liu's cold corpse, with no tears in his eyes, only a chill that could freeze marrow.