447: revenge!

Over the next few days, a series of eerie events occurred in Qinghe Town.

Those local thugs who had once bullied the Liu Family died horribly one after another for no apparent reason.

Their deaths were extremely gruesome; some had their limbs severed, some were disemboweled, and others were literally scared to death.

When the body of the thug Wang Er was discovered, the entire Qinghe Town fell into a state of panic.

People looked at Wang Er's miserable state of death, everyone trembling with fear and whispering amongst themselves.

"It's too terrifying! How could Wang Er die so miserably?"

"Yeah! Who on earth did it? They were far too ruthless!"

"Do you think it might be the vengeful spirits of the Liu Family returning?"

"Don't talk nonsense! What vengeful spirits?" Although someone retorted, their heart was filled with fear.

As more and more thugs died horribly, the panic in Qinghe Town grew increasingly thick.

The townspeople didn't dare to go out at night, and every household kept their doors and windows tightly shut.

All of this was witnessed by the Village Head and Merchant Zhao, and their hearts were also filled with dread.

Inside the Village Head's manor, the Village Head sat in a chair, his face pale and his hands trembling uncontrollably. He looked at Merchant Zhao before him, his voice thick with fear: "Zhao... Master Zhao, what on earth is going on? Those thugs... those thugs were all people we sent to bully the Liu Family back then. How could they be dying horribly one by one?"

Merchant Zhao's expression was also grim. He picked up a teacup from the table and took a sip, trying to calm the fear in his heart. But his hand was also shaking incessantly, causing the tea to spill out. "I don't know... how would I know?"

He had a faint premonition that all of this might be related to Liu Yan, whom they had exiled to that frigid land.

But he didn't dare believe it. Liu Yan was clearly dead, wasn't he? Even if he were alive, how could he possibly possess such immense power to kill so many people?

"Could it be... could it be that Liu Yan has returned?" the Village Head asked cautiously, his voice carrying a hint of a tremor.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Merchant Zhao immediately countered, but his tone lacked any conviction. "There's no way Liu Yan could have come back alive!!"

Despite his words, the fear in the hearts of Merchant Zhao and the Village Head only grew.

They began sending people out to gather information, wanting to know who was pulling the strings behind the scenes. But the people they sent out either found nothing or never returned.

That night, the Village Head's manor was deathly silent.

The Village Head sat in his bedroom, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He felt as if a pair of eyes were watching him from the darkness.

Suddenly, the bedroom window creaked open. A dark figure leaped in silently, landing in the center of the room.

"Who's there?" the Village Head cried out in terror, scrambling out of bed to reach for the knife on his bedside table.

"Village Head, we meet again." Liu Yan's voice, bone-chillingly cold, echoed in the silent bedroom.

The Village Head turned to look at the dark figure. When he saw Liu Yan's crimson eyes, he shuddered all over, and the knife in his hand fell to the floor with a clang. "Liu... Liu Yan? Is it really you? You... you're not dead?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not dead." Liu Yan walked toward the Village Head step by step, the malevolent aura around him growing thicker. "Three years ago, you conspired with Merchant Zhao to spread rumors, beat my father, and drove my mother to her death. Do you remember?"

The Village Head was scared out of his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. He scrambled and crawled toward Liu Yan, kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Master Liu! Great Master Liu! I was wrong! I was truly wrong! It was all Merchant Zhao who made me do it back then; I was forced into it! Please, spare me!!"

"Merchant Zhao made you do it?" Liu Yan sneered, his eyes full of disdain. "Even if he made you do it, you personally participated in harming my family. Do you think I will spare you?"

"I really was forced!" The Village Head kowtowed repeatedly until his forehead bled. "Master Liu, if you want revenge, go find Merchant Zhao! He planned everything; he was the one who lusted after your wife's beauty and wanted to destroy your home! I was just an accomplice; my crimes don't warrant death!"

A flash of icy killing intent flickered in Liu Yan's eyes.

He knew, of course, that Merchant Zhao was the mastermind.

But the Village Head, this accomplice, was equally deserving of death.

"An accomplice? Can an accomplice just get away scot-free? My parents' tragic deaths and my wife's humiliation—you played your part in all of it. You think your crimes don't warrant death?"

With a wave of his hand, Black Lotus True Qi bound the Village Head tightly.

Then, he began to torture the Village Head bit by bit.

He used the Black Lotus True Qi to corrode the Village Head's body, making him feel the agony of his internal organs being eaten away piece by piece.

"Ah! It hurts! It hurts so much! Master Liu! Please, just kill me! Please, give me a quick death!" The Village Head's screams were incredibly shrill and filled with despair. He regretted it; he regretted that he shouldn't have helped Merchant Zhao harm the Liu Family for the sake of money. But now, it was too late for anything.

Liu Yan watched the Village Head's painful struggle, his eyes devoid of any pity.

He remembered the sight of his father lying in bed, coughing up blood after being beaten by the Village Head; he remembered his mother passing away due to excessive anxiety and grief. These images made the hatred in his heart grow even more intense.

"Kill you? That would be too easy for you." Liu Yan's voice was bone-chillingly cold. "I want you to die slowly in endless agony. I want you to pay the most painful price for what you did back then."

The Village Head's screams grew weaker and weaker. His body was gradually corroded by the Black Lotus True Qi, finally turning into a pool of blood and vanishing from the bedroom floor.

Liu Yan looked at the pool of blood on the ground, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Then, he turned and left the Village Head's manor, heading straight for Merchant Zhao's manor.

Merchant Zhao's manor was much more luxurious than the Village Head's, and the guards were more numerous.

But these guards were like decorations in front of Liu Yan.

With a flash of his figure, Liu Yan easily sneaked into Merchant Zhao's manor.

At this moment, Merchant Zhao was pacing anxiously in his study.

The fear in his heart had reached its peak. He knew that he was next.

Suddenly, the study door was kicked open with a bang.

Liu Yan's figure appeared at the doorway, his crimson eyes staring intently at Merchant Zhao.

"Merchant Zhao." Liu Yan's voice was cold, as if coming from Hell.

Merchant Zhao shuddered all over and turned to run. But how could Liu Yan give him a chance to escape? With a wave of his hand, Black Lotus True Qi bound Merchant Zhao tightly and dragged him back.

"Liu... Liu Yan? Is it really you?" Merchant Zhao looked at Liu Yan, his eyes full of terror. "Are you... are you a human or a ghost?"

"I was originally a human, but you set a trap, framed me, beat my father, drove my mother to her death, and humiliated my wife—you made me stop being human long ago!!"

Merchant Zhao's face was as pale as paper, and he kowtowed incessantly, begging for mercy: "Master Liu! Great Master Liu! I was wrong! I was truly wrong! Please, spare me! I shouldn't have lusted after your wife's beauty, shouldn't have set a trap to frame you, and shouldn't have harmed your family! Please, be magnanimous and spare me!"

Merchant Zhao's memory had been altered by Dawn Moon; he didn't remember that he had once received instructions from Dawn Moon in a dream.

He believed he had simply lusted after the beauty of Liu Yan's wife.

Seeing this, Lu Chen couldn't help but smile thinly. "Dawn Moon, oh Dawn Moon, you still like to play these little tricks, just like you did back in the Transmigrator Civilization!"

"You created a monster with your own hands. Aren't you afraid that one day in the future, this monster will find out you are the creator of all these tragedies and seek revenge against you?!"

Lu Chen looked forward to the day when Liu Yan might grow to a Realm where he could threaten Dawn Moon. At that time, he wanted to watch a great battle between Liu Yan and Dawn Moon.

Lu Chen would absolutely not intervene, even if Liu Yan defeated Dawn Moon and killed her!!

That would mean Dawn Moon had fulfilled her performance quota!! She would have cultivated a Child of Destiny capable of killing her!! At that time, the Status of the Small World would surely be elevated!!