49: Chapter 49 Did I let you leave?

"Is this Wedding Money enough?"

Enough! It was more than enough!

Only now did Third Chieftain Sun realize what had happened. An ice-cold fear shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head, instantly overwhelming the searing pain in his palm.

Cold sweat poured down his forehead like a waterfall, and the clothes on his back were instantly soaked.

Just now, if that invisible "Wedding Money" had been even an inch off, it wouldn't have been his palm that exploded, but his skull.

He had truly walked past the gates of hell!

"Hiss..."

He sucked in a breath of cold air.

Forcing himself to endure the heart-piercing pain and overwhelming fear, he abruptly looked up. His facial muscles contorted as he forced out a tragic smile that was uglier than crying, filled with endless resentment.

"Good! What a Li Family! What a hidden master! Today, this Sun admits defeat. The green mountains don't change, and the clear waters flow forever. We... shall meet again!"

He almost ground his back teeth to dust as he spat out these final harsh words from between his teeth, then prepared to call his subordinates to retreat.

"Did I say you could leave?"

The low, raspy voice wasn't loud, yet it was like a ten-thousand-pound iron pillar crashing down, instantly pinning Third Chieftain Sun and all his men to the spot.

Third Chieftain Sun's steps came to a sudden halt. He turned back stiffly, the muscles on his pale face twitching with fear and anger.

"You... what more do you want?"

"My elder brother is the Great Chieftain of the Black Wind Stockade, the 'Blood-Handed Human Butcher' Zhao Tianba! Under his command are three hundred fierce bandits, every one of them a seasoned warrior!"

"Furthermore, there is the Second Chieftain, the 'Mountain-Splitting Axe' Rage of Liu, whose hard body cultivation is impervious to blades and spears!"

"If you dare to kill me today, tomorrow my brothers from the Black Wind Stockade will surely come out in full force and wash your Li Family in blood! Not even the chickens or dogs will be spared!"

He roared with blustering bravado.

He attempted to use his elder brother's fearsome reputation and the power of the stockade to crush his opponent.

In his mind, even the malevolent star before him would never want to be at odds with the notoriously fierce Black Wind Stockade until death.

Ding Qing's gaze was like a cold, ancient well, without the slightest ripple.

For this kind of chatterbox who tried to use status to suppress others, he had only one response.

Clean and efficient.

"Too much talk."

Before his voice had even faded, Ding Qing's right sleeve brushed out casually. The movement was as fast as a ghost, leaving behind a blurred afterimage.

"Swoosh—!"

A shrill whistle of breaking through the air suddenly tore through the atmosphere!

The fine porcelain tea saucer he had tapped earlier was launched like it had been shot from an invisible heavy bow.

In an instant, it transformed into a streak of white light almost invisible to the naked eye, carrying a terrifying wind that could tear through anything, crossing several yards in an instant.

Third Chieftain Sun's shouting of harsh words came to an abrupt end!

Puchi!

A dull sound that made one's scalp tingle!

His head exploded without warning like a ripe watermelon under the horrified gazes of everyone present.

Red and white mixed together, splashing onto the terrified and distorted faces of the lackeys behind him.

The saucer's momentum didn't decrease in the slightest. Like piercing through rotten paper, it easily bored through the thick panel of the vermilion gate.

Leaving behind a terrifying hole with smooth edges, it disappeared into the night outside.

Thud!

The headless corpse fell slumped to the ground, blood instantly staining the festive red carpet.

Silence!

An absolute silence enveloped the entire Li Family mansion!

The guests were struck as if by lightning, standing dazed like wooden chickens. Some even felt a warmth in their crotches, losing control of their bladders on the spot.

The hands of the Li Family guards holding their weapons shook like sieves.

Steward Li's eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted outright. He only avoided collapsing because the butler held him up with all his might.

"Third... Third Chieftain... is dead?"

"Run... run!"

It was unknown which lackey let out a distorted scream.

The remaining bandits of the Black Wind Stockade finally woke up as if from a dream, their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

They didn't dare to take another look at the headless corpse. Like rats scalded by boiling water, they threw down their equipment and fled in terror.

All of them scrambled and crawled out of the Wedding Hall doors that now had a large hole in them.

They didn't even care about their companion's remains.

Only wishing their parents had given them two more legs, they disappeared into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

Leaving behind only a mess on the ground and a blood-scent so thick it wouldn't dissipate.

Ding Qing indifferently withdrew his gaze, as if he had just casually swatted a bothersome fly.

So-called revenge?

When soldiers come, use generals to block them; when water comes, use earth to dam it.

As for the Black Wind Stockade?

They were nothing more than a bunch of rabble gathered in the mountains, not even worthy of consuming a sliver of his attention.

If they dared to come, he would simply crush them.

However, Steward Li did not think the same way.

Having finally caught his breath after the butler pinched his philtrum, his fat face was as pale as paper, and sweat poured down like rain.

Where was there any trace of joy left?

A massive fear had seized him.

"It's... it's over... it's all over, Strong Man Ding!"

Steward Li nearly crawled on all fours to Ding Qing's feet, his voice carrying a sob, his fatty flesh trembling with fear.

"That... that was the Third Chieftain of the Black Wind Stockade! Just like that... he's dead. The Black Wind Stockade will never let this go!"

He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing around in circles, his voice rising, filled with despair.

"That Zhao Tianba and Rage of Liu are both notorious bandits within a hundred miles who kill without blinking, whom even the government couldn't suppress!"

"They have hundreds of outlaws under them. If they come out in full force for revenge... my Li Family... the dozens of people in my household... how can we resist?

What should we do! What... what are we going to do!"

He beat his chest and stamped his feet, as if the end of the world had arrived.

Ding Qing just watched him lose his composure quietly, his face under the brim of his hat as calm as an ancient well.

Only when Steward Li was almost on the verge of collapse did he slowly speak.

His voice was low.

Yet it carried a decisive, absolute power like a mountain:

"Steward Li need not worry. If the Black Wind Stockade dares to come, they shall die."

One sentence, decisive and without further elaboration.

That unquestionable Evil Qi, like a stabilizing pillar, instantly calmed Steward Li's crumbling mind.

Steward Li abruptly stopped his pacing, as if grabbing onto a final life-saving straw, speaking incoherently with excitement.

"Is... is that true? Are Strong Man Ding's words true? You... you can protect my Li Family?"

Ding Qing said no more, only nodding slightly.

That brief promise was more reassuring than any oath.

"Good! Good! With these words from Strong Man Ding, I... I can rest easy. No, the entire Li Family can rest easy!"

Steward Li felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and some color finally returned to his face.

He immediately shouted to the butler, "Quick! Quickly bring the box of gold bars from the hidden compartment in my study! Quick! To honor Strong Man Ding!"

The butler scrambled away and returned a moment later carrying a heavy red sandalwood box.

Steward Li took it personally and opened the lid. Inside were ten neatly arranged, gleaming gold bars, emitting an alluring luster under the candlelight.

He respectfully presented it to Ding Qing with both hands.

"Strong Man Ding, this is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will accept it. From now on, the safety of the Li Family depends entirely on your Divine Might."

Ding Qing didn't even look at the gold bars, accepting them casually as if they were an ordinary object.

To him, this was merely the price for maintaining the temporary peace of this place, as well as the resources needed to temper his blade embryo.

Seeing Ding Qing accept the gold, the huge stone in Steward Li's heart completely fell.

A smile of having survived a disaster was forced onto his face. After thanking him profusely, he finally hobbled off, supported by the butler, to complete the interrupted wedding ceremony.

Only now, the Wedding Hall still had its red silks, but the blood-scent remained, and the festivity had long since changed its flavor.

The noise and blood gradually settled as the night grew deeper.

The East Warm Pavilion courtyard returned to silence, with only the figure sitting cross-legged on the stone steps, like an unchanging boulder.

The moonlight was cold and clear, spilling over the courtyard.

Suddenly, an extremely faint sound of footsteps, like dew rolling off the tip of a leaf, came from outside the courtyard wall.

A graceful shadow, like green smoke merging into the moonlight, landed silently in the courtyard.

The fiery red Phoenix crown and wedding robes had already been taken off.

Qiu Shuzhen was dressed in a simple and elegant moon-white skirt and jacket, her dark hair loosely tied up without any pearls or emeralds.

The moonlight outlined her exquisite curves and illuminated the lingering complexity and a hint of... an indescribable throb on her face.

She was barefoot, her pearly white toes touching the slightly cool bluestone floor.

Step by step...

She quietly walked toward the mountain-like figure sitting cross-legged on the stone steps, holding an infant.

The night wind blew her skirt, bringing a faint, ethereal fragrance that filled the silent courtyard.