Chapter 111 - 96: Murder and Arson

Chapter 111: Chapter 96: Murder and Arson

Wuling City, Inner City.

The Hu Mansion was in chaos.

Fires had broken out in seven or eight different places throughout the vast Hu Mansion.

The night was dark and windy, and the flames spread with alarming speed. In the blink of an eye, several courtyards were engulfed by the inferno.

Everyone in the Hu Mansion, from master to servant, was scrambling to extinguish the fires. The scene was one of utter disarray.

Hu Gongxiu’s vision darkened, and a vein throbbed on his forehead.

’How much silver is all this going to cost me?’

"No, that’s not right. Even if a fire started by accident, it’s impossible for so many to break out at once. This is arson! Someone did this deliberately!"

His heart ached for the loss, but Hu Gongxiu quickly pieced things together.

’Someone came to the Hu Mansion to commit arson?’

’Who would be so bold?’

’Could it be the Wang Family? Or the Xie Family?’

"Hu Wu! Where the hell is Hu Wu?! Get your ass over here!"

Hu Gongxiu roared.

Hu Wu was the head guard of the Hu Mansion, with a cultivation at the peak of the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering.

For an arsonist to strike the Hu Mansion on his watch, he bore undeniable responsibility!

"My lord, Boss Wu has gone after the arsonist!"

A guard shouted.

Hearing this, the expression on Hu Gongxiu’s face softened slightly.

Since Hu Wu himself was in pursuit, the arsonist’s chances of escape were slim to none.

A cultivator at the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering was considered a pillar of strength in the Inner City.

It wasn’t that the Inner City lacked experts of the Blood Transformation Realm; it was that every single one of them was a lofty, high-status figure. None of them would ever stoop to being a common arsonist.

Below the Blood Transformation Realm, there were few who could defeat Hu Wu in a fight.

...

Under the dim moonlight.

A stocky man in a brocade robe blocked Su Mu’s path.

"You skulking rat, did you really think you could escape?"

Hu Wu stared at the masked figure before him, a cold sneer on his face. "All I have to do is shout, and the City Guard Army will be here to take you down!"

"But don’t worry, I won’t call for help. I’m going to take you down myself. Then, I’ll break every single bone in your body, one by one, and teach you the price of offending our Hu Family!"

Hu Wu’s face twisted into a savage grin.

He was the head guard of the Hu Family. For someone to dare commit arson in the Hu Mansion, wasn’t that a direct slap in his face?

If he couldn’t capture this arsonist with his own two hands, how could he, Hu Wu, ever show his face as the head guard again?

As for whether he could take down the opponent alone, Hu Wu had no doubt whatsoever.

Although the arsonist wore a mask, the exposed eyes clearly belonged to a young man, probably not even twenty years old.

’How strong could a young punk like that possibly be?’

’If he were truly powerful, why would he resort to something as sneaky as arson?’

"Lie down!"

Hu Wu sneered, then took a single step, his body clearing more than ten feet to appear right in front of Su Mu. He struck out with his palm.

A fierce gust of wind accompanied the blow, which he intended to use to shatter Su Mu’s bones and tendons.

Under the moonlight.

The arsonist on the other side simply raised his own hand and returned the palm strike.

BAM!

Their palms collided mid-air with the dull thud of flesh on flesh.

Hu Wu’s expression changed in an instant.

He felt a terrifying, irresistible force surge from the point of impact, numbing his palm and robbing it of all sensation.

Even more terrifyingly, the force traveled up his arm to his shoulder, where it exploded beneath his skin.

In a flash, Hu Wu’s entire arm was reduced to a mangled mess of flesh and blood, hanging limp and useless at his side.

"You..."

Horror filled Hu Wu’s eyes.

This person’s power was absolutely no weaker than his own. What was more frightening was his opponent’s control over that power.

’To turn decay into magic... this is—’

A thought that terrified him to his very soul rose in Hu Wu’s mind.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he opened his mouth to scream for help.

But just then, a flash of light burst forth from the arsonist’s waist.

The sound died in Hu Wu’s throat before it could even form.

A narrow, blue-steel longsword had pierced straight through his larynx.

PFFT!

The longsword was withdrawn.

Hu Wu slowly looked down, clutching futilely at his throat.

Fresh blood gushed between his fingers as he felt his strength and life force drain away.

His eyes showed despair and disbelief.

"Intent..."

Using the last of his strength, Hu Wu struggled to lift his head, only to be met by a pair of utterly indifferent eyes.

THUD!

Hu Wu collapsed to the ground, the light in his eyes slowly fading.

Villains die from talking too much.

Hu Wu’s only chance of survival had been to cry out the instant he caught up to Su Mu.

Su Mu would have certainly fled before the City Defense Army arrived, and would not have had the opportunity to kill Hu Wu.

Unfortunately, you only get one life. Hu Wu was too arrogant, and so he died.

With a flicker, Su Mu vanished into the darkness.

A moment later, a figure scaled the walls of the Inner City and disappeared in the direction of the Outer City.

...

The fires at the Hu Mansion were not completely extinguished until dawn broke.

The wooden buildings with their carved beams and painted rafters were mostly reduced to cinders.

The Hu Mansion had many such wooden buildings—once a symbol of its luxury, now just fuel for the flames.

If not for this, the fire would not have spread so quickly.

"My lord..."

The Hu Mansion’s steward approached Hu Gongxiu with a grimace and reported, "The fire destroyed forty rooms. We also couldn’t save one of the storehouses in time; all the silk inside has been burned.

"A rough estimate puts the loss at over fifty thousand taels of silver."

HUFF!

HUFF!

Hu Gongxiu’s chest heaved violently. He gasped for breath for a long moment before the darkness threatening to consume his vision finally receded.