Chapter 194 - 10: If You’re Going to Kill, Leave No Trace

Chapter 194: Chapter 10: If You’re Going to Kill, Leave No Trace

Before the words had even faded, Chen Ye pushed off forcefully, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. He was on him in an instant!

Lü Song was running for his life, but his foundation had always been shaky. Now, injured on top of that, his speed was no match for Chen Ye’s.

And so, within a few breaths, Chen Ye had already caught up to him from behind.

Feeling the lethal aura closing in behind him, Lü Song was scared out of his wits.

As he ran, he used his good hand to pull the damaged urn from his robes and, without a second thought, violently shoved the ashes into his mouth!

After swallowing a few mouthfuls of bone ash, Lü Song instantly felt revitalized.

"Get the hell away from me!"

As he spoke, he spun around and swiped a claw at Chen Ye’s face!

After consuming the bone ash, the Yin Qi surrounding him surged, lending his claw strike a measure of power.

However, in the face of absolute power, this struggle seemed pale and feeble.

Chen Ye didn’t even bother to look, simply positioning his long saber horizontally.

CLANG!

The sound of metal striking metal rang out.

Lü Song’s seemingly sure-hit claw strike was effortlessly blocked by Chen Ye.

Immediately after, Chen Ye flicked his wrist, and the blade’s edge swung upward with the momentum.

PFFT!

The arm Lü Song had used to attack was severed clean at the shoulder!

"Aaaargh—!"

Another shrill scream echoed through the deathly silent Chaotic Burial Mound.

Clutching his severed arm, Lü Song fell heavily to the ground, his face a mask of agony and despair.

Then, as he watched Chen Ye approach step by step, the venom in his eyes was finally replaced by boundless fear.

"Don’t... don’t kill me!" he began to beg frantically.

"I was wrong, I was really wrong! I’ll never dare to cause you trouble again!"

"Please, I’m begging you, spare me! I’ll give you everything I have!"

"Besides, I’m an Inner Sect Disciple of White Bone Mountain! If you kill me, my master will not let you go!"

His words were a jumbled, incoherent mess of pleading and threats, making him seem both pathetic and laughable.

Chen Ye’s steps didn’t falter for even a moment.

’Spare you?’

’Don’t be ridiculous!’

He knew that letting a tiger return to the mountains would only lead to endless trouble.

Chen Ye never did such foolish things.

’As for retaliation from White Bone Mountain?’

Since he had dared to strike, he had already made the necessary preparations.

Chen Ye walked up to him and, without wasting a single word, his blade flashed.

A perfectly good head flew high into the air.

The boundless fear and resentment in Lü Song’s eyes were forever frozen on his face.

Chen Ye, expressionless, flicked the blood from his blade. He then walked over to the corpse and swiftly looted it, but aside from some silver taels and the broken urn, he found nothing of value.

"Damn it, he looked so fancy, but he was completely broke!"

With that, Chen Ye picked up the body and head and tossed them into a nearby, half-dug grave. He then found a few large rocks to place on top, carefully refilled the grave with dirt, and tamped it down firmly. He even transplanted some weeds from elsewhere to camouflage the spot.

After finishing, he meticulously inspected the scene to ensure he hadn’t left any clues before turning and disappearing into the thick of the night.

’If you’re going to kill someone, you have to do it cleanly, leaving no trace behind.’

This was Chen Ye’s guiding principle.

After returning to Yu Huo County, Chen Ye spent the next few days observing in secret, only to be surprised to find that Lü Song’s death hadn’t caused any ripples whatsoever.

The coffin shop was still open, but the senior brother who had stayed behind had also vanished.

Chen Ye had prepared himself for a secret revenge attack from White Bone Mountain. For several days, he remained on high alert, his senses pushed to their limit, vigilant for the slightest disturbance.

However, nothing happened. Everything was calm and peaceful.

It was as if White Bone Mountain had no idea Lü Song was dead; there was no movement from them at all.

This struck Chen Ye as a bit strange, but he didn’t dwell on it.

’Perhaps I cleaned up the scene so well that they couldn’t find anything.’

’Or perhaps Lü Song was just an insignificant character in White Bone Mountain, so his death meant nothing, and no one would stick their neck out for him.’

Either way, it was good news for Chen Ye.

With no worries nagging him from behind, Chen Ye once again threw all his energy into his Cultivation.

After all, while the Unobstructed Realm already made one an expert, it was far from enough in this world fraught with danger.

...

One day, in a remote village about twenty-odd li from Yu Huo County, a joyous celebration was underway.

The village was called Wang Family Village. It was of a decent size and surrounded by high, rammed-earth walls. Yellowed talismans were pasted on the walls, and watchtowers had been built at the corners.

In the desolate wilderness, such a structure was like a sturdy fortress, built to fend off wild beasts from the forests and mountains, as well as the unseen Demons, Ghosts, and Evil Spirits.

Today, the village was adorned with lanterns and colorful banners, and the sound of gongs and drums filled the air, creating a festive atmosphere.

A wedding procession from Li Family Village, five li away, was being warmly entertained by the villagers on the threshing ground at the village entrance.

More than a dozen banquet tables had been set up. The country folk sat gathered together, feasting on meat and drinking wine from large bowls. The scene was incredibly lively.

The groom was a young scholar in his early twenties named Li Xiuwen.

He had a fair, clean-cut appearance with refined features. Dressed in a bright red wedding robe, he was currently surrounded by a group of enthusiastic villagers, who toasted him one after another.

"Come, come, Groom! Let me toast you! I wish you and our Xiaocui a long and happy life together, and may you soon have a son!" a stout, red-faced man shouted, holding up a large bowl.