Chapter Thirty-Three: Bloodshed

“Inertia always makes people lower their guard!” Lei Yan shook his head as he looked at Zhang Qing’s corpse. Originally, Zhang Qing could have used her strange cultivation technique to perish together with Lei Yan, but Lei Yan had given her a hope of survival—and it was that hope which ultimately sealed her fate.

Innate martial artists held immeasurable value to Lei Yan. He slowly walked over to Zhang Jing’s side and began to examine his body in the same way. After all, there were differences between a woman’s and a man’s physique, and Lei Yan needed to verify each one.

Half an hour passed. Facing the three corpses, Lei Yan shook his head. “Just by touch, I still can’t fully understand!” As he spoke, something seemed to occur to him. He took off his outer robe and dragged the three corpses into the house. His heart pounded furiously, making him restless; if he had a choice, he would not do this.

“Dawn is almost here!” Lei Yan glanced through the door, as if he could see the faint light lurking in the darkness. His gaze suddenly sharpened; a cold gleam flashed, and the dagger in his hand sliced open his own arm. With the pain, drops of fresh blood trickled down, the sting stimulating his nerves and drowning out any hesitation or agitation.

With a flicker of shadow, Lei Yan smashed his fist against the door.

With a thunderous crash, the door slammed shut. The glimmer of light in the room was replaced by darkness. His supernatural senses mapped everything within the room onto Lei Yan’s mind.

Time ticked by; the scent of blood grew stronger, pooling and seeping out beneath the door. In the darkness, strange, intermittent sounds—like the slicing of paper—echoed, replacing the usual chorus of insects outdoors and making the silence all the more chilling, sending shivers down one’s spine.

As the first hints of dawn broke the sky, the scent of blood became even thicker. With a creak, the door was flung open, and the figure stepped out, heavy-footed. The figure was soaked in blood, holding three ornate boxes, each drenched crimson. Blood dripped from the boxes, echoing in the silent room.

Step by step, leaving a trail of scarlet footprints, the figure walked to the doorway.

Suddenly, the figure collapsed with a thud, lying on the ground, eyes fixed on the sky, body trembling uncontrollably. A breeze swept over him, revealing his face—it was Lei Yan. He had never been so ruthless and savage; not even in his previous life had he killed with such brutality, and his emotions were dangerously close to spiraling out of control.

After a while, his vacant gaze gradually sharpened. “I can’t let this opportunity go to waste!” Lei Yan knew well that he was no genius; forced memorization required constant repetition to truly understand and internalize, and he had to leave this place as quickly as possible.

Dawn still carried a trace of night’s darkness as Lei Yan carried the three ornate boxes and fled toward the outskirts of Maple Birch Town, repeating the conclusions he had drawn from the three corpses: “Six hundred thirty-nine muscles, two hundred and six bones…”

As the sky brightened, bloodied footprints appeared across Maple Birch Town’s streets, leading straight into the woods outside the town. Their source: the Grand Horizon Escort Agency.

Good news rarely travels, but bad news spreads fast. Within an hour, word of the Grand Horizon Escort Agency massacre had swept through Maple Birch Town. Crowds gathered at the entrance, many retching from the horror. None had witnessed such carnage before, and even the martial artists frowned at the sight. Still, those who had suffered under Zhang Fa’s tyranny were openly celebrating.

In a nearby inn, a short, stout man burst into Room One of the Heavenly Suite. “Big brother, something’s happened! Something’s happened! Everyone at Grand Horizon is dead, and our cargo is gone!”

The tall, thin man lying on the bed was still groggy, but when he heard the cargo was missing, he shot up, grabbing the stout man by the collar, furious. “What did you say?”

The stout man wriggled free and wiped his sweaty brow. “Big brother, you know I eat several meals a day! I woke up hungry this morning and headed downstairs for food, but as soon as I got there, people were talking—every escort at Grand Horizon, thirteen in total, are dead, even Zhang Fa!”

“Is the news confirmed?” The tall, thin man broke out in cold sweat. This shipment was no ordinary job; if lost, his own death would be minor, but the consequences could be far-reaching.

“I came straight here as soon as I heard!” the stout man panted.

“Let’s go!” The tall, thin man threw his clothes over his shoulders and rushed out.

“Big brother, wait for me!” The stout man called, hurrying after him.

Inside Grand Horizon, the tall, thin man stood in the blood-drenched room, staring grimly at the three skeletal remains, suppressing his urge to vomit, mind racing. “On the surface, this looks like revenge. If it’s not, the killer must be a psychopath. Better investigate from the revenge angle.”

“Big brother, we searched everywhere—nothing!” The stout man hurried to his side, but when he saw the horror within, he immediately began to retch. “Who could do something like this?”

“Come on! To the assassin organization!” the tall, thin man said sternly, dragging the retching stout man out.

Between dry heaves, the stout man asked, “Why… are we… going… to the assassin organization?”

“This is likely revenge. Check if anyone has taken a contract to kill Zhang Fa recently. If not, look into those who posted one. There’s too much at stake here; your death or mine is nothing—hurry up!” The tall, thin man urged. He was anxious himself. He’d investigated thoroughly before choosing Grand Horizon from all the escort agencies. Zhang Fa’s character was poor, but in the assassin organization, he was only rated as a low-level target; no novice assassin could handle Zhang Fa and his sister. Who could have guessed that Zhang Fa’s luck would run so foul, crossing paths with Lei Yan?

“Yes!” The stout man knew the gravity of the situation and pushed himself harder than usual, trotting behind the tall, thin man.

(ps: This chapter mainly lays the groundwork for Lei Yan’s cultivation method. I originally wrote it very bloody, but after reading the guidelines against depicting violence, I kept revising and editing! I hope it’s not too gory now. Well, that’s it for today’s two chapters—thank you all for your support!)