14: Chapter 14: Taking Down the Enemy

Xia Shaoxin saw that Li the Toad's eldest son had already run far away. Just as he was about to pursue, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him, and his legs went weak.

His body swayed unsteadily, and he almost fell.

Calculating the time, the effect of the strength pill had just ended.

The martial arts of both sides were too crude; they had actually fought for the time it takes to drink two cups of tea.

A few seconds later, his body returned to normal, though he felt chest tightness and a little nausea.

He carried his sword over to Li the Toad.

Li the Toad looked at the corpses of his two sons, his vision already blurred by tears.

"You also know that watching a loved one die before your eyes is a very painful thing."

Li the Toad trembled all over: "Your grandfather was always sickly; death is a release for him. You, a young person sending off an old person, what is there to be sad about?"

Xia Shaoxin glanced at the third and second sons, then coldly snorted: "They shouldn't have died; the one who should die is you."

Li the Toad sighed up at the sky: "Originally, no one should have died. Why did you have to go to Li Family Hollow that day? If I had turned in the Five-colored Scorpion and it had been put into the storehouse, you wouldn't have known about this. Wouldn't that have been a happy ending for everyone?"

"Pfft, my grandfather died, and the Five-colored Scorpion was lost. What kind of happiness is that?"

"There are many things where not knowing is a blessing."

Xia Shaoxin couldn't be bothered with more nonsense. He pointed the tip of his sword downward, aiming at Li the Toad's chest.

Li the Toad trembled all over, his body scraping against the ground as he moved backward.

Xia Shaoxin stepped on Li the Toad's chest, causing blood to spray from the wound. Li the Toad's eyes glazed over, and he let out a miserable shriek.

"Do you regret it?"

"I... are you willing to spare me?"

"You are the prime culprit; I will not spare you. Do you regret it?"

Li the Toad closed his eyes.

"Just for one Five-colored Scorpion, you caused my grandfather's death and killed your two sons. Do you regret it?"

Li the Toad opened his eyes suddenly, glaring viciously.

"You won't spare me, so why say these things?"

Xia Shaoxin was silent for a moment, then thrust his hand forward, driving the sword tip into his chest. Both wounds bled at the same time.

Ugh—

Li the Toad struggled a few times, his gaze unfocused, then he stopped moving.

The world suddenly became incredibly quiet.

Xia Shaoxin withdrew his foot and shouted to the sky: "Grandfather, I have avenged you!"

The voice echoed in the valley, but it did not break the silence of the world.

"Grandfather was stingy his whole life and only saved thirty thousand coins, while one Five-colored Scorpion is worth forty thousand. It's truly hard to stop others from getting greedy."

Looking at the other two corpses on the ground, the slaughter and revenge brought a brief moment of joy, followed by a huge sense of emptiness.

Some things, once started, cannot be stopped.

Li the Toad initially only wanted to steal the Five-colored Scorpion. When discovered by Grandfather, in his haste, he released the scorpion to poison him to death. The act was not executed perfectly.

If he had encountered other Bug Catchers, or experienced constables from the Punitive Division, they could have discovered the clues, but against the naive Xia Shaoxin, it was very effective.

Or, if he had come to the Gu Bureau to deliver the goods a day earlier or later, this matter would have been perfectly covered up.

In the dark, there is fate; it was actually seen by Xia Shaoxin.

The group of Bug Catchers lived in a harsh environment, and their style of doing things was simple and brutal.

If it were a dispute between ordinary people, they could report it to the officials or ask a mediator to settle it. However, in the world of Bug Catchers, for such matters, there is only one way to solve it.

A fight to the death, irreconcilable.

Xia Shaoxin carried his sword and cautiously walked toward the outside of the mountain.

If one does not carry various antidotes, Dawu Mountain is a The Deadland for everyone.

There was only one able-bodied man left in the Li Family, so he could not be careless.

After all, the Xia Family was also down to one person, yet he was still able to counter-kill three members of the Li Family.

In case the Li Family's eldest son was hiding in the grass to launch a sneak attack... Xia Shaoxin absolutely could not afford to fail.

The corpses of Li the Toad and his two sons were left exposed in the valley. As Xia Shaoxin walked, he struggled with a dilemma: "Do I really have to wipe out the entire Li Family?"

From childhood to adulthood, he had never been troubled by anything, but today he was inexplicably stumped by this matter.

He suddenly realized that he actually didn't like doing things this way.

He walked to the small pavilion and didn't encounter anyone from the Li Family.

He returned home vigilantly and found no ambush.

"Did that eldest son of the Li Family run away?"

He sat on the bed, intending to rest for a moment, but fatigue washed over him, and he actually fell asleep.

He slept until he woke up the next morning, and to his surprise and delight, he discovered that he was still alive.

Under such dangerous circumstances, the Li Family did not come to launch a sneak attack.

"It seems the Li Family's eldest son really ran away."

A lingering fear arose in his heart; he had actually slept so soundly!

In Dawu Mountain, having to guard against Poisonous Insects while also rolling a few strength pills, without resting for a day and a night, he was indeed exhausted to the extreme.

Taking strength pills has aftereffects—dizziness, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. This effect actually lasts for a long time, just getting weaker and weaker.

When he took down the Li Family's two sons, the effect of the strength pill had already ended.

If the Li Family's eldest son hadn't panicked and fled, it would have been hard to say whether Xia Shaoxin could have walked out of Dawu Mountain.

Fortunately, during the time the strength pill was effective, Xia Shaoxin's performance was too terrifying; even Li the Toad thought it was not worth fighting to the death, and that preserving his life was more important.

After waking up, Xia Shaoxin regained his energy.

He quickly got something to eat, and his body fully recovered.

"This matter hasn't been resolved."

He rolled two more strength pills in the house, carried his sword, and went to Li the Toad's house in the neighboring village.

He hadn't walked far when he saw Brother Xiao Niu holding the ox rope, standing timidly by the side of the road.

Usually, he would hop forward and happily shout "Brother Xia," but today he didn't dare to approach.

Xia Shaoxin smiled and took the initiative to greet him: "Brother Xiao Niu, going to graze the ox again?"

"Did you kill many people yesterday?"

"Oh, you know."

"Are you going to kill people again today?"

Xia Shaoxin stopped and sighed: "Actually, I didn't want to go on a killing spree, but you know, we Bug Catchers only have this way of solving things."

Brother Xiao Niu said confusedly: "My mother told me to stay away from you, saying that you Bug Catchers are all brutal guys."

Xia Shaoxin was stunned. He didn't expect that Brother Xiao Niu's mother, the former wife of a Bug Catcher, would evaluate Bug Catchers this way.

He wanted to tease her by saying, "Then what do you think of your father?" The words almost slipped out, but seeing Brother Xiao Niu's innocent eyes, he swallowed them back.

It seems that the death of Brother Xiao Niu's father might not have been an accident. Seeing the mutual vendetta between the Xia Family and the Li Family, she was reminded of the past.

The woman must have suffered endless grievances.

"Hmm, you should listen to your mother."

After speaking, he carried his sword and continued on his way.

"Be careful, Brother Xia." Brother Xiao Niu's trembling voice came from behind.

Xia Shaoxin didn't turn back and waved his hand: "Don't worry, I'll treat you to something delicious when I get back."

When he arrived at Li the Toad's village, he saw villagers gathered in groups of two or three, chatting idly. Seeing Xia Shaoxin coming with his sword, they scattered one after another.

Only then did Xia Shaoxin realize that he was radiating Killing Intent, which was terrifying to others.

An old man couldn't walk fast and was stopped by Xia Shaoxin. He asked in the gentlest tone possible: "Old sir, may I ask where Li the Toad lives?"

The old man said with a trembling voice: "The Li Family moved away overnight yesterday; I don't know where they went. I heard they had a feud with someone, and the father and his three sons were all killed. Only the eldest son was left, and he took his Family and fled overnight."

The old man glanced at Xia Shaoxin: "Their enemy wouldn't be you, would it?"

Xia Shaoxin felt very surprised. A Bug Catcher Family, fleeing overnight, could they leave the area under the jurisdiction of the Li Family Hollow Gu Bureau?

The old man led him, following the main road in the village to the end, where a solitary house stood.

The gate was wide open, and the inside was in a mess. Everything that could be moved had been taken away.

From the architecture and decorations, it was evident that Li the Toad's Family was very wealthy, much richer than the Xia Family.

He walked around the house and only found two chickens; they had indeed moved cleanly.

Was the matter resolved just like that?

The Li Family fled far away to avoid disaster, abandoning this century-old estate.

Xia Shaoxin was a bit bewildered, not knowing what to do next.

He had no choice but to take the two chickens and return to Liushu Ao, where he treated Brother Xiao Niu to a chicken leg.