Chapter 192 - 165: The Day of Your Death

Chapter 192: Chapter 165: The Day of Your Death

When the disciples of the One-Blade Martial Arts School saw that even their new Fourth Training resident master didn’t dare to fight back and fled in a panic, they lost all will to resist. They shamefacedly packed their belongings and left, some simply running for their lives.

But not everyone in the martial arts school was so gutless.

"You villain! Give me back my master’s life!"

Several Martial Artists dressed far better than the average disciples rushed out. Their leader was at the Third Training level; they appeared to be Direct Disciples.

Seeing their commendable loyalty, Xie Yuan nodded in approval. One slash for each, and he sent them to be reunited with their master.

Xie Yuan had always been a peaceful person. He didn’t like to kill, or even to fight. Most of the time, even when faced with insolence, he would simply laugh it off.

But Xie Yuan was not afraid of killing, either. Having worked as an escort for so long, he had seen his share of bloody storms and insidious plots. Nothing fazed him anymore; he was a far cry from the soft-hearted boy from the mountain village. Against an enemy, against anyone with hostile intent, against anyone who dared charge him with a blade, Xie Yuan never showed mercy.

Since they refused to leave when he let them, the benevolent Xie Yuan couldn’t bear to see master and disciples separated by life and death. With two quick slashes, he ended the lives of the two fastest chargers.

It was fast and precise, free of pain—just like their master’s death. He guaranteed they would have no more troubles.

A slightly slower Direct Disciple’s eyes went wide. His feet tangled, and he plopped right down on the steps of the entrance, pointing a trembling finger at Xie Yuan.

"You... you... You’re killing people in the street! Aren’t you afraid of the authorities? That’s right! You didn’t sign a life-or-death waiver! Since you dared to kill, Yu County Captain will definitely have you thrown in jail! I’m going to tell him right now! Defying the government, defying Yu County Captain... you’re finished! Haha!"

The disciple had clearly lost his nerve. He was delirious, alternating between tears and laughter.

Hearing this, Xie Yuan paused, lowered his saber, and patted the man’s face with a smile.

"Go on, then. Report me to the authorities."

The disciple froze. Seeing that Xie Yuan had actually sheathed his saber, he was overcome with joy and scrambled away.

The last pocket of resistance from the One-Blade Martial Arts School was snuffed out without a ripple. In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the Escort Agency was completely empty.

Xie Yuan led his men back into what was once the Longteng Escort Agency. Seeing the massive agency now empty and in disarray, its former furnishings completely changed, left a bitter taste in their mouths.

He sent someone to bring the head escort’s family back. Then, he returned the head escort’s memorial tablet to the ancestral hall in the rear courtyard, where he paid his respects with solemn ceremony and placed a stick of incense before it.

Qin Sea waited for Xie Yuan to finish paying his respects before sighing, his brow furrowed.

"Xie Yuan, that fellow from the martial arts school had a point. If that old bastard Yu Chunsheng decides to make an issue out of you killing in the streets, what will you..."

"They’re already here."

Xie Yuan said calmly.

"What?"

Qin Sea froze. A moment later, he heard the shouts of a large group of government officials from the Outer Courtyard and grew tense.

"Xie Yuan, what are we going to do?"

"Don’t worry, I have it under control. Now that I’ve taken back our home, I won’t let you be forced to move again."

Xie Yuan said, shaking his head.

Qin Sea’s brow creased.

"Xie Yuan, I’m asking what *you’re* going to do. You..."

"Me? Today, I will settle these grievances once and for all."

Xie Yuan took a breath. ’I should have done this long ago.’

He started walking toward the commotion. Alarmed, Qin Sea shouted after him.

"Xie Yuan! Yu Chunsheng still holds his post! He still wears the uniform of an official! The Imperial Court is his greatest backer! If you..."

Without turning back, Xie Yuan waved his hand, opened the courtyard gate, and walked directly toward the large group of Officials.

"Xie Yuan!"

Qin Sea watched him walk straight toward the Officials, neither dodging nor evading, and his fists clenched tightly.

’If he slaughters these Officials and openly defies the government, where under the heavens will there be a place left for him?’

He was fraught with anxiety for Xie Yuan when he suddenly froze, his eyes widening in disbelief.

He saw Xie Yuan standing face-to-face with the Officials, only a few feet away, yet they seemed completely oblivious to him. They poured past him like a tide, flooding into the Escort Agency and brushing right by his shoulders.

As if taking a leisurely stroll, Xie Yuan walked straight through the throng of Officials and melted into the crowd of onlookers outside, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"What... What was that...?"

Qin Sea had seen it clearly, yet it seemed he was the only one who had. He couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

"Where is Xie Yuan? Where did he go?"

The Officials yelled, and Qin Sea watched them search everywhere to no avail.

「A large residence next to the county yamen.」

Yu Chunsheng sat in his study, fiddling with a paperweight on his desk, his brows knitted tightly together.

’That bastard Xie Yuan didn’t die. He actually came back... Some disasters just never go away,’ he muttered to himself, shaking his head with a sneer.

’He’s young and reckless, after all. He doesn’t have the measured approach of old foxes like Shen Longteng. Now that he’s killed someone in front of so many witnesses, he can’t escape punishment. Once I have him in my prison, won’t I be able to deal with him however I please?’

A faint smile touched Yu Chunsheng’s lips.

And yet, his brow furrowed against his will. He couldn’t shake a feeling of unease.

He couldn’t help but stand and pace the study, his hands clasped behind his back as he thought.

’He wouldn’t do something desperate, would he? But I’ve already mobilized all the county’s government officials—half to catch him, the other half to surround this place. There’s no way he can get in...’

Despite these thoughts, Yu Chunsheng felt no sense of security. His frown only deepened.

He slammed his hand on the desk, having abruptly made a decision.

"Forget it! If they can’t catch him, I’ll have to contact *that person* and prepare to leave this place!"

Yu Chunsheng strode quickly to the rear courtyard and spoke to a gentle, elegant woman.

"My dear! Start packing your bags. Get ready to leave."

The woman started.

"My lord, are we leaving Yunzhao after all? I thought you said we wouldn’t have to..."

"Just do as I say! It’s not certain yet, but it’s better to be prepared."

Yu Chunsheng’s expression was grim and unsettled. After giving a few more instructions, he walked back to his study.

Along the way, government officials and household guards patrolled relentlessly. The entire residence was surrounded so tightly that not even a fly could get in. This calmed his nerves slightly.

’I’m letting that brat get to me. With this level of security, he couldn’t possibly break in and get to me, not even if he’s undergone a Qi and Blood Transformation...’

Shaking his head, Yu Chunsheng opened the door to his study and froze solid.

Xie Yuan was perched casually on the edge of his desk, examining his favorite paperweight.

When he saw the door open, Xie Yuan turned and chuckled.

"Yu Chunsheng, with all this commotion... it seems like you were expecting me?"

Yu Chunsheng swallowed hard and asked in a strained voice:

"How did you get in?"

Xie Yuan didn’t answer. He just kept tossing the exquisite jade lion paperweight in his hand as he spoke slowly.

"I hear a County Captain’s monthly stipend is only ten taels of silver, plus rations of rice, flour, and silk. You wouldn’t have to worry about food or clothing, but a paperweight like this? I’m afraid you couldn’t afford it on a whole year’s salary."

He glanced around at the study’s opulent furnishings and shook his head.

"How many people did you have to bleed dry and ruin to afford a room full of things like these?

"How many families have you destroyed?"

Xie Yuan’s voice was haunting as he stared intently at Yu Chunsheng.

Yu Chunsheng’s expression was grim. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but then suddenly stomped his foot hard enough to shatter the doorsill and shot backward out of the room, bellowing.

"GUARDS!!!"

Seeing Yu Chunsheng flee in panic, Xie Yuan sneered. He tossed the paperweight onto the desk, strolled out of the study with his hands behind his back, and then his figure flickered and vanished.

Yu Chunsheng ran at full speed toward the Outer Courtyard, sweat beading on his forehead. He didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until he was surrounded by a thick cordon of guards who had rushed to his call.

"All of you, stay sharp! That bastard Xie Yuan’s Body Technique is uncanny! Watch out, he could appear from anywhere!"

Yu Chunsheng shouted orders, making the guards form a defensive perimeter around him, three layers deep.

Feeling slightly more secure, he grabbed a nearby guard and demanded:

"Have you found him?"

"Yes, yes! Lord County Captain, I’m... right here, aren’t I?"

The guard looked up, a brilliant smile spreading across his strikingly handsome face.

"AH!"

Yu Chunsheng’s face went white with terror. He shoved Xie Yuan away, stumbling back several steps before collapsing to the ground.

"Seize him! Seize him!"

he shrieked.

The surrounding guards swarmed forward and seized the man Yu Chunsheng was pointing at. The man’s face turned ashen with fear.

"M-Master, it’s me, Niu Er!"

With an ugly expression, Yu Chunsheng waved his hand dismissively.

"Take him away! Take him away!"

As he watched Niu Er get dragged off, the other guards helped him to his feet. One of them thoughtfully brushed the dust from his robes, then looked up with a smile.

"Yu Chunsheng, why all the panic? Look at the state you’re in."

"AAAHHH!!!"

Yu Chunsheng let out a bloodcurdling scream, drew his saber, and before anyone could react, cleaved this new "Xie Yuan" in two.

He gasped for breath, but when he looked down, he saw the man on the ground was clearly one of his own guards. The man wasn’t dead yet, and stared up at him, his eyes wide with confusion.

"!"

Looking as if he’d seen a ghost in broad daylight, Yu Chunsheng’s face was deathly pale. He glared at the surrounding guards, his eyes shot with blood.

Seeing him cut down one of their own, the guards scattered in an instant, no longer daring to stay near him.

Yu Chunsheng had no idea what kind of Demon Technique Xie Yuan was using, but he no longer dared to let his guards near him. He waved them all away, brandishing his saber as he ran for the exit.

The main gate was just ahead. Yu Chunsheng thought in a panic,

’Just get out of here! If I can get far away from that fiend, I should be fine...’

Just as he was thinking this, the doorman at the main gate suddenly stood up and slammed it shut.

"What the fuck are you do—"

Yu Chunsheng began to roar, but the sound caught in his throat.

The doorman looked up, revealing a familiar, eerily effeminate face. He spoke in a chilling tone.

"Yu the Dog, I finally brought Xie Yuan to your doorstep. Why are you running now?"

"!!! FUCK!"

A cold chill shot up from the soles of his feet, and his legs began to tremble.

Like a frightened rabbit, he spun around with incredible speed and bolted for a side gate.

Xie Yuan stood at the main gate, hands clasped behind his back. He watched Yu Chunsheng’s frantic escape and snorted coldly.

Yu Chunsheng reached the side gate, burst out of the residence, and stumbled into the main street.

Seeing the bright daylight outside and the street bustling with people, Yu Chunsheng finally breathed a sigh of relief, oblivious to the stares of the passersby.

The pedestrians on the street stared in astonishment at their County Captain, who stood in the middle of the road looking disheveled and panicked, and they quietly gave him a wide berth.

The crowd parted around him like water, flowing past on either side. But their movement revealed one person who remained standing stock-still in the middle of the street, facing Yu Chunsheng.

He was tall and well-built, with an exceptionally handsome face and a dashing air. His expression was calm as he gazed quietly at Yu Chunsheng.

"Yu Chunsheng, you have harmed so many people. Today, you die."