đđ A Cozy Spring Sale is Live Now on Patreon! đď¸đĽ
Discount: 15%
Code: C763C
***********************************
The assassin choked, and blood gushed as his head snapped back.
And waiting for him, two fingers from Jun Mo Xie's left hand, ready and precise, as the fingers pierced straight into the eyes.
Squelch!
A spray of black, white, and red exploded from the sockets.
The killer screamed in silent agony, his brain already shutting down.
But Jun Mo Xie wasn't done as his knee rose like a hammer from hell and smashed into the man's gut.
BOOM!
The assassin's body convulsed and then exploded.
Yes, his body exploded.
Limbs tore away in four directions. His head flew over Jun Mo Xie's shoulder like a kicked ball. His torso split into shreds as blood, bones, and meat sprayed outward in a crimson rain.
The storm didn't even have time to wash it away.
The eight guards didn't break stride.
They charged through the gore, through the rain, through the momentâas if the execution hadn't happened at all.
The assassins who were chasing them had stopped, frozen in their spots.
They were shocked, staring at the horror that had unfolded before their eyes.
Their main member, a Jade Xuan killer, was ripped apart like a chicken by bare hands!
A single man had butchered their lieutenant in seconds, just with raw, terrifying skill.
The escapees turned another corner.
They were gone, safe from the assassins' pursuit.
Meanwhile, Li Zhi Wu stumbled to a stop.
"Xiao Qi!!!" He screamedâbut the sound was drowned in thunder. His breath caught in his throat as something landed by his feet.
His brother's intact head, still bearing that arrogant sneer, and still frozen in the moment of death.
But the eyes were gone.
Two black, bleeding holes where pride used to shine.
Li Zhi Wu stood there, stunned, silent, trembling. He and Xiao Qi weren't brothers by blood, but brothers in war, forged by survival and shared sin. They had buried each other's regrets and carried each other's kills.
Now⌠nothing remained to bury.
Even if he gathered every piece of Xiao Qi's body⌠he wouldn't be able to put him back together.
"Withdraw," He said at last.
His voice was hollow and broken.
His anger screamed at him to chase after that monster. His heart told him to rip that demon's spine out and feast on it raw.
But his instinctsâthe ones honed over decades of killingâtold him the truth.
They had lost, and they would all die if they stayed.
Li Zhi Wu bent down, picked up his brother's head, and turned away.
Without a word, his figure disappeared into the curtain of rain, swallowed by shadows and grief.
Brother Xiao Qi... I'll take you home!
His two tragic and teary eyes quietly disappeared into the dark of the streets.
The remaining assassinsâshaken, wounded in both pride and soulâretreated silently, leaving their comrades behind. They didn't even try to recover the corpses.
By the time the Jun family's reinforcements arrived, all they found were corpses littering the alley: torn bodies, shredded armor, blood-streaked puddles⌠and silence.
But among the cold dead⌠the fear still lingered.
As if something had passed throughâa storm of death wearing a human mask.
And left behind only rain.
The night was still heavy, rain falling relentlessly, soaking through every thread and seeping into every wound. The only sounds were distant thunder, panting breaths, and the dripping of blood into the mud.
Just as the Jun Family guards began to catch their breath, still shaken, still reeling, a sudden flicker of yellowish light tore through the darkness like a bolt from the heavens.
It flew, slicing through the storm like a comet falling from the night sky, and then it landed.
With a dull boom, like the stomp of a divine beast, the light struck the ground in front of the eight men, scattering the rain, blowing wind, and mist backward as if nature itself bent to its arrival.
It was the butler, Old Pang.
"Where is the young master?" Old Pan asked anxiously.
His tall frame stood rigid in the storm, his loose robe fluttering from the residual energy of his descent. A steady glow of Earth Xuan Qi radiated from him, dimmed only by the rain but still glaringly obvious in its oppressive weight.
The eight bodyguards instinctively straightened in shock, their battered forms stiffening as their blood ran cold.
Their minds blanked for a moment.
And the weight of that truth came crashing down on them like a mountain. The masked man had said that the young master was safe⌠but where is he? Where did he go? Why hasn't he reached home yet? Where is the one they risked everything to protect?
Silence stretched long, and faces turned. Eyes searched each other for an answer, but none came.
No one dared to speak.
Old Pang's face twisted ever so slightly. His eyesâold, sunken, yet sharper than any swordâswept across each one of them.
His brow rose, and his lips tightened as he spoke in a low and cold voice, each word etched with pressure. "Did you⌠really abandon the young master⌠and escaped alone?"
It wasn't a question but an accusation.
And behind that accusation, death began to fester.
His murderous intent slowly seeped into the air like invisible poison, thickening the rain, silencing the wind.
"No! That's not⌠that'sâŚ" Jun Hu's voice cracked as he scrambled for words. "A mysterious expert appeared and said that he had rescued the young master. We⌠we were completely surrounded by the enemy at the time, and he also rescued us⌠he said the young master was safeâŚ"
He didn't dare look up. His forehead was pressed to the soaked ground, rain and blood dripping from his brow.
"...the young master didn't reach home?"
Old Pang said nothing for a moment and stepped forward.
And with every step, the pressure increased.
"A mysterious expert?" He repeated, slower now. "Who was that mysterious expert? Where is he now?"
The rain seemed to slow under his voice.
"Did you really place the life of the Jun Family's heir⌠into the hands of a complete stranger? And then whatâyou turned your backs and ran?! You threw away the life you were entrusted to protect?! Is that what loyalty means to you?! Is that what it means to serve this family?!"
Boom!
The weight of his Xuan Qi suddenly burst forth.
The ground cracked slightly under his feet.
The eight guards instantly dropped to their knees with a snap, unable to hold their stance any longer. Their bodies trembledânot from the cold, but from the shame that stabbed deeper than any blade.
They didn't try to defend themselves because no words could paint over their failure.
The old butler looked at Jun Hu, the captain of the guard, the man chosen to shield the life of the young master, and his expression grew darkâthunderclouds behind ancient eyes.
He sighed, a long, heavy sound, and then growled, "Jun Hu⌠it's a pity."
--- ⌠⌠⌠---
đ˘ Author's Note đ˘
If you're enjoying this story and want more chapters right now, I invite you to check out my Patreon. There you'll find:
â Daily updates â never miss a day of new content
â Advanced chapters â read far ahead of public releases
â Exclusive perks & extras â only available to patrons
Your support not only gives you early access but also helps me dedicate more time to writing and expanding this story. Every reader who joins makes a huge difference.
đ Dive into more chapters today: patreon.com/Myth_Valley
Let's keep the adventure alive! đĽđâ¨