"It's you... My good nephew, put the knife down first. We can talk things over properly. How about it?"
After a long pause, Zhao Yungui slowly spoke. However, his voice carried a hint of a tremble. His expression revealed a complex mix of shock, fear, and confusion.
Ji Qing remained unmoved. He glanced at the two estate guards and the Zhao Family servants further away, saying coldly, "Uncle Yungui, are you sure you want them to hear what I have to say?"
Zhao Yungui told the two guards, "Step down. Do not come any closer."
The two guards exchanged glances. With their Martial Arts, they were no match for Ji Qing anyway. Thus, they could only obey and retreat until they were a hundred feet away.
Zhao Yungui took a deep breath, his expression complicated. "Ji Qing, I believe there must be a hidden truth behind what happened to your family. But the Government is currently hunting you down, and my hands are tied."
Ji Qing sheathed his blade and said coldly, "I came this time to have you do just one thing."
He set down the bamboo basket he carried on his back. A small head popped out from inside.
"Is she... Yao?"
Zhao Yungui immediately guessed Ji Yao's identity.
"That's right. She is Yao, your blood niece! In the entire Ji Family, only the two of us are left alive.
"I am handing Yao over to you now to raise her until she comes of age. Do you have a problem with that?" Ji Qing said straightforwardly.
"This..." Zhao Yungui said, looking troubled. "Ji Qing, the situation in my home is complicated. Madam Zhao and I don't see eye to eye, and my children are all troublemakers. I also have a few younger brothers coveting the family estate. With Yao suddenly entering the picture, I'm afraid she will be caught up in the family's internal strife."
Ji Qing lifted Ji Yao out of the basket. He said in a calm tone, "It doesn't matter. If Ji Yao gets bullied or lives poorly, I will slaughter your entire family!"
"Uh... You..." Upon hearing this, Zhao Yungui looked as if an invisible hand had seized him by the throat. His face flushed bright red, completely at a loss for words.
"You know that I am a Demon!" After saying this, Ji Qing crouched down and spoke to Ji Yao, "Yao, you will live with Uncle Yungui from now on. He is your mother's brother, so he will definitely treat you well. If anyone bullies you or makes you suffer, tell me when I come to visit."
Although Ji Yao was only six years old, wandering the Martial World during this journey had already made her very sensible. Her tears fell silently, but she didn't throw a tantrum. Instead, she asked, "Brother, will you come to see me?"
"I will. You are my only sister; I will definitely come to see you."
"Okay, then I will listen to you and stay here to live with Uncle Yungui. When I grow up, I'll be able to help you."
Ji Qing wiped away Ji Yao's tears. He stood up, looked at Zhao Yungui, and asked, "Uncle Yungui, is there any problem?"
Countless thoughts had just flashed through Zhao Yungui's mind. But meeting Ji Qing's cold gaze, he couldn't help but tremble inwardly. "No problem, absolutely no problem. With Yao here, I will treat her as my own. I will never let her suffer any grievances!"
"Remember to have Yao properly educated."
"I will find Yao the best teacher in the whole city."
Ji Qing nodded. "Like I said: if Yao doesn't live well, I will annihilate the entire Zhao Clan!"
With those words, Ji Qing's figure blurred. With a few leaps and bounds, he vanished without a trace.
The two guards, along with a group of servants, hurriedly ran over.
"Mr. Zhao, are you alright?" a guard asked.
Zhao Yunchuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his heart still filled with terror. Ji Qing was a genuine Demon. He was ranked eighth on the Evil People List, and the Government had issued a bounty of one thousand taels of silver for his capture. He didn't doubt the weight of Ji Qing's threat to "annihilate the entire Zhao Clan" for a second.
"Let's go. Hurry back." Zhao Yungui took Ji Yao by the hand and hurriedly returned to the Zhao Residence.
"Yao, go rest first. I will send two maids to serve you," Zhao Yungui said amiably.
"I will follow Uncle Yungui's arrangements." Ji Yao was very sensible. She understood that she was now living under someone else's roof. It wasn't the same as being at her own home before.
Just as Ji Yao stepped down, a middle-aged woman rushed over. The moment she reached the living room and saw Ji Yao being led away by a maid, her face instantly darkened.
"Well, well, Zhao Yungui! You actually kept a mistress behind my back? You even have a child, and you dare bring her home? Speak! Which cheap tramp did you have this bastard with?" The middle-aged woman marched up to Zhao Yungui and began shouting.
"Shut up!" Zhao Yungui's expression changed dramatically. He looked around, terrified that someone might have heard. "My dear, she is Yunniang's child. Please, don't make a scene. Otherwise, our family will be facing a terrible disaster!"
"Yunniang? Which Yunniang?"
"Who else could it be? My blood sister, of course, the one who married into the Ji Residence in Liang City."
"Didn't the Government say that your sister Yunniang was murdered by that unfilial son of hers? Then this child... was she brought here by that Demon?"
"Keep your voice down! My god, how do you still have the nerve to yell? He might be watching us from the shadows right now..." Zhao Yungui stomped his foot in anxiety and clamped his hand tightly over his wife's mouth.
Disaster stems from a loose tongue. He was deathly afraid his wife would say something out of line again.
Madam Zhao also took a deep breath to calm her nerves and asked in a low voice, "Then we aren't reporting this to the authorities?"
"You still want to report to the authorities? Don't you know what kind of trash works at the Government Office? Furthermore, that jinx said that if Yao suffers any grievances or gets bullied, he'll annihilate the entire Zhao Residence! I only saw that jinx once, and my legs are still shaking. Judging by what he's done, I'm afraid he really is a Great Demon. We can't afford to provoke him.
"You must strictly warn the servants and those rebellious brats of ours to absolutely never mess with Ji Yao. Otherwise, our Zhao Clan will face utter destruction."
"Sigh, what a disaster..." Zhao Yungui's face was full of anxiety.
Ever since the Ji Residence was wiped out, he had inquired in detail about Ji Qing's affairs. He had murdered his own parents, slaughtered the entire Ji Residence, and then wandered the world. It was said he also killed the Desert Eighteen Riders and the Lingdong Three Monsters, ranking eighth on the Martial World's Evil People List!
With such a Great Demon whose hands were stained with blood and whose killings filled the wilderness, if Ji Yao truly suffered any grievances in the Zhao Residence, everyone in the household would be in grave danger.
"Husband, don't worry. Can't we just treat Ji Yao like a revered ancestor from now on? All of her living standards will be the absolute best in the Zhao Residence, and we absolutely won't let her suffer the slightest grievance!"
"Good. As long as you understand the gravity of the situation, that's fine. We absolutely cannot have any mishaps. Also, we must keep Ji Yao's identity strictly confidential. No one else can know, or we might be in big trouble."
Zhao Yungui knew that Ji Qing's title as the eighth on the Evil People List sounded intimidating, but he likely carried a lot of trouble on his back as well. The Zhao Residence couldn't withstand being dragged into that mess.
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
Ji Qing hadn't left Anyang; instead, he had been hiding in the city, secretly watching Ji Yao for the past few days.
During these past few days, Ji Yao had been a bit unaccustomed to things at first, but the Zhao Residence truly didn't dare to neglect her. Everyone, from top to bottom, treated Ji Yao exceptionally well, providing her with top-tier amenities.
Zhao Yungui's eldest grandson had playfully teased Ji Yao, only to have Madam Zhao enforce the family rules and beat him severely, leaving his flesh split and bruised. Even the boy's father pleading for mercy had been useless.
Ji Qing was very satisfied. Of course, he also knew clearly that Zhao Yungui didn't truly cherish Ji Yao, but was simply terrified of him, the Great Demon of the Martial World.
As long as he, this Great Demon, was still around, Ji Yao would be able to live a peaceful life.
SWISH.
A vicious gleam flashed through Ji Qing's eyes.
"You've been following me for a long time. Come out," Ji Qing said in a calm tone, his hand slowly tightening around the hilt of his blade.
An autumn breeze blew past, filling the air with a chilling aura of death. The surroundings seemed to fall dead silent in an instant, as if even the air itself had frozen solid.