28: Chapter 28 Cao Deshuang, come out and face your death!

Guangtou Nan slowly set down his wine bowl and stared at Xiao Ye. "Friend," he spoke, his voice raspy and low, "Since you've come to my Heifeng Fortress, you should at least state your name."

"Xiao Ye. From the Xiao Family of Qingshan Town."

Guangtou Nan's mind raced—Qingshan Town? The Xiao Family? He had never heard of them.

Thus, his posture straightened a bit more. "It seems my Heifeng Fortress hasn't offended your Xiao Family!"

Xiao Ye walked in leisurely with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the mountain bandits like a leader inspecting work. He came to a halt in the center of the hall and spoke unhurriedly, "A few days ago, what you robbed were my Medicinal Pills. Those you killed were also people of my Xiao Family."

The temperature in the hall instantly dropped several degrees.

Some began to retreat quietly, while others placed their hands on their sword hilts, but no one dared to move.

That kick just now had been too brutal—that lackey weighed at least a hundred and sixty pounds, yet he was sent flying over ten meters, smashing straight through two walls.

This old man looked unremarkable, but it was highly likely he was a Qi Refining Immortal Master, just like their Great Chief.

Not someone to provoke, definitely not someone to provoke.

Guangtou Nan's expression shifted several times before he suddenly broke into a grin, changing his face to one as warm as if he were meeting his own father. "A misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding! Friend, I truly knew nothing of this. It was all because my subordinates were ignorant—"

Amiable on the surface, but thinking internally: If it weren't for the fact that I can't see through your cultivation, I would have dealt with you already!

"You knew nothing?" Xiao Ye raised an eyebrow.

"I usually don't leave the fortress; it's normally my subordinates who go out 'farming'." Guangtou Nan looked sincere, even spreading his hands with an expression that seemed to say, "How could a busy boss like me personally do such dirty work?"

Xiao Ye was stunned for a moment, then a thought popped into his head—Holy crap, are mountain kings these days living so comfortably? They don't even have to participate in robberies personally? This career path is more relaxing than his.

"Enough nonsense." He pulled back his thoughts and interrupted Guangtou Nan's performance. "Where are the Medicinal Pills? Where are the Spirit Stones? Who were the ones who did it? Speak one by one, don't rush."

Guangtou Nan's smile froze on his face, but he still had to force himself to be polite. "This... there have been quite a few groups robbed recently. Please wait a moment, I'll check for you."

He turned around, pulled a small notebook from his robes, took a pen from behind his ear, licked the tip, and struck a business-like pose. "Oh, right, which day was it robbed?"

Watching his behavior, Xiao Ye's mouth twitched. Damn, he's acting like a personal secretary; he's too professional for a mountain bandit.

"Three days ago."

"Oh, alright!" Guangtou Nan scribbled quickly. "What goods were lost? I need to verify them accurately."

Xiao Ye cleared his throat and began to list them: "One hundred Foundation Establishment Pills, two hundred Qi Gathering Pills, Cultivation Base Pills..."

Guangtou Nan wrote furiously—one page, two pages, three pages...

"And one hundred and fifty Marrow Cleansing Pills, Health-Nurturing Pills..."

"Stop!"

Guangtou Nan finally couldn't take it anymore. He snapped his head up, his pen nearly piercing the paper. Over a dozen pages covered in dense writing were spread before him, and his arm was sore, yet this old man wasn't finished.

Added together, these Medicinal Pills were worth at least over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

Guangtou Nan roared inwardly: Holy crap! Holy crap! Are you kidding me? If I had actually robbed goods worth over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones, would I still be here as a mountain bandit? I would have freaking retired already!

"Friend," he slammed the pen onto the table, the smile completely vanishing from his face. "This isn't funny anymore."

He slowly stood up, took a Ghost Head Greatsword from a nearby lackey, and pointed the tip at Xiao Ye. His tone turned sinister. "Are you disrespecting my profession a bit too much? You're not even looking at my brothers! Daring to extort me, Guangtou Nan—you're looking for death!"

Before his voice had even faded, he launched himself forward, the Ghost Head Greatsword slashing down toward Xiao Ye's head. The wind howled and spiritual energy surged—at the sixth level of Qi Refining, he could indeed throw his weight around in this small territory.

A blade light flashed.

*Clang—*

A crisp sound rang out.

The Ghost Head Greatsword stopped mid-air, unable to move an inch further.

Guangtou Nan's pupils constricted—Xiao Ye had caught the edge of his blade with just two fingers, as steady as if he were holding a feather.

"Sixth level of Qi Refining?" Xiao Ye tilted his head, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment. "That's it?"

With a twist of his two fingers, a "crack" sounded, and the steel-forged Ghost Head Greatsword snapped in two. Half the blade flew out with a "whoosh" and embedded itself into a roof beam, vibrating with a hum like it was singing a dirge.

Holy... crap, he's this strong?

Guangtou Nan's face turned deathly pale, and he turned to run.

Xiao Ye didn't chase. He simply lifted his foot and lightly stomped on the ground.

*Boom—*

The entire fortress trembled. The bluestone floor cracked like a spiderweb, the fissures spreading all the way to the corners. The bandits couldn't even stand steady, falling one after another. Wine bowls shattered, tables and chairs overturned, leaving everyone in a mess like a casino that had just been raided.

Guangtou Nan was sent stumbling by the shock, falling face-first onto the cold bluestone. Before he could scramble up, a foot was already planted on his back, steady as if pinning down a toad.

"Why run?" Xiao Ye's voice came from above, light and carrying a hint of mockery. "I haven't finished listing everything yet."

Lying on the ground, cold sweat soaking his back, only one thought remained in Guangtou Nan's mind—It's over. A Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

This is a freaking Foundation Establishment Cultivator! What could a small-time sixth-level Qi Refining bandit like him do against such a person? That old dog Cao has ruined me!

"Lord Xiao! Lord Xiao, spare my life!" His voice changed pitch, shaking uncontrollably. "I will definitely help you find the culprit! Definitely!"

Xiao Ye increased the pressure of his foot, his bones letting out a creaking sound like a twisting rope. "Who gave you the courage to rob my Xiao Family's goods? Liang Jingru?"

"Liang Jingru? I... I don't know who that is—"

*Crack.*

Xiao Ye stepped down and broke his forearm, clean and decisive, like snapping a dry twig.

"Aaaaah—" Guangtou Nan screamed in pain, veins bulging on his forehead. He thrashed and rolled on the ground like a fish thrown onto the shore.

"Last time." Xiao Ye crouched down, his voice as calm as if he were chatting with a neighbor about the weather. "Who?"

"The Cao Family! Cao Deshuang!" Tears and snot smeared Guangtou Nan's face as he no longer dared to hide anything. "He gave me ten thousand taels of silver to rob a shipment, but I didn't know it was your Xiao Family's! I really didn't!"

"Robbery is one thing, but why kill people?"

"It was my subordinates' greed; they used their blades... I... I really didn't want to kill anyone, Lord Xiao! Please spare me!"

Xiao Ye's hands tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white. His face showed no expression, but anyone familiar with him would know—he was truly enraged.

Cao Deshuang.

That bastard again.

He hadn't even settled the score regarding Bai Susu yet, and now he had killed his people.

New debts and old debts, he would settle them all today.

"Where are the Spirit Stones?"

"In... in the cellar on the back mountain... half of the Medicinal Pills were sold for Spirit Stones, and the other half is still..."

Xiao Ye stood up, brushed the dust off his trouser legs, and glanced around at the bandits shivering in the corners. A cold sneer curled on his lips.

"Alright, it's time for you to be on your way."

Sword light suddenly erupted, dancing like silver serpents.

"Ah—don't kill me! Lord Xiao! Don't—"

Screams rose one after another, as lively as firecrackers, lasting for a long time before slowly subsiding.

From then on, there was no more Heifeng Fortress on Xiaohei Mountain.

Only shattered wine bowls and a few drafty, broken walls remained, waiting for wild dogs to visit.

Xiao Ye flew back to Qingshan Town on his sword; the night was already deep.

The moon hung in the sky, large and round like a silver platter, coldly illuminating the earth and Xiao Ye's expressionless face.

He didn't return to the Xiao Family but landed directly at the main gate of the Cao Family.

He stood firm, looked up, and raised his foot—

*Boom—*

The two vermilion doors exploded upon impact, wood chips flying everywhere. The red lanterns on the lintel crashed to the ground and rolled twice before their flames went out. The loud noise traveled far into the night; lights flickered on across the whole street, and dogs began to bark one after another, as lively as the New Year.

Xiao Ye stood on the broken threshold, took a deep breath, and sent his voice clearly into every corner of the Cao residence:

"Cao Deshuang—"

His voice echoed in the night sky, cold as the winter wind, each word enunciated like ice shards squeezed from between his teeth.

"Come out and meet your death."

Inside the courtyard walls, a lamp went out.

Another one went out.

Then, the entire Cao Manor fell into a dead silence.