The Might of a Single Palm! A Thief Within!

The moment Li Gexiao drew his Embroidered Spring Blade, Black Dog Star and the other six felt as though the blade’s gleam had blinded them.

It felt like staring at a rippling lake beneath the setting sun.

Flashing again and again.

By the time they came to their senses, two of the seven had already been cut down by Li Gexiao on the spot!

The remaining five were horrified beyond belief!

They had been active in the Jianghu for years, yet they had never encountered an opponent with such seasoned killing experience. A single simple opening had cost them dearly.

Had the giant wolfhound they raised not suddenly charged out and caught Li Gexiao off guard, even more of them would likely have died.

The wolfhound, only one step away from becoming a Spirit Demon, possessed strength comparable to lions and tigers. A simple charge sent Li Gexiao flying more than thirty feet away.

Li Gexiao held his blade horizontally and glared at the wolfhound, cursing the beast inwardly.

The chance to strike had vanished in an instant, ruined by this damned mutt!

"It reeks of Demon Qi. Looks like this damned dog is about to become a demon. These bastards really spared no expense!"

Li Gexiao grinned. As Zheng Dongliu’s right-hand man, he had spent all these years occupied with Embroidered Uniform Guard business and had rarely had the chance to slay demons and eliminate evil. It had always been a regret in his heart.

Killing this wolfhound would at least offer some consolation.

"Old Li, can you handle it? That dog looks pretty tough. If you can’t, make sure you say so."

The bored Chu Yang yawned.

"Rest assured, Young Master. It’s only a dog. This blade Old Left gave me was made specifically to kill beasts like this!"

The Embroidered Spring Blade in Li Gexiao’s hand hummed, giving off a faint glow.

"Oh? It’s a magical artifact."

Chu Yang glanced at the Embroidered Spring Blade with interest.

Left Commander was jokingly called the "Weapons Master" within the Six Doors, not only because he carried an unknown number of weapons on his person, but also because he himself was highly skilled at forging weapons.

Before joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Left Commander had stumbled upon a Daoist True Talisman Manual. After years of dedicated study, he had mastered the talismans and incantations within. Every weapon he forged was engraved with Daoist talisman arts, greatly enhancing their power against demons, ghosts, and monsters.

Seemingly sensing the talismans, the giant wolfhound’s eyes flashed with humanlike fear. It paced restlessly back and forth.

Seeing this, the five remaining members of Black Dog Star finally realized that Li Gexiao was no ordinary man.

"Boss, this target’s a little tough. Should we pull back first?"

"Pull back? Have you forgotten Wei Wuya’s temperament? If we don’t kill these two, whether we’ll survive is another question entirely!"

"Then what do we do now?"

"The swordsman is hard to deal with, so we’ll go after that young master instead. That outfit he’s wearing is made of snow silkworm silk and costs a fortune. He’s probably the son of some noble family."

"As long as we capture him, no matter how sharp that fellow’s blade skills are, he’ll have to surrender obediently!"

The five came up with a plan at once. They ordered the wolfhound to keep Li Gexiao occupied, then vanished from the battlefield and transformed into several fierce gusts rushing toward Chu Yang.

Li Gexiao’s expression changed drastically. Just as he turned to pursue them, the wolfhound’s claw struck his back, drawing blood at once.

"Five clever men."

Chu Yang watched them with a smile as lightning flickered around his fingertips. With a flick of his finger, thunder roared, and several bolts of black-purple lightning crashed toward the five men.

Four failed to dodge in time and were instantly blasted into charred corpses by Chu Yang.

The last man let out a shrill howl. "Daoist Palm Thunder! Brothers, run! This guy is a Daoist Master!"

At the words "Daoist Master," Wei Wuya, leader of the Twelve Zodiacs, shuddered and abruptly turned to look at Chu Yang and the four scorched corpses at his feet.

Everyone knew that Buddhist and Daoist experts were the most troublesome people in the world. Buddhists excelled at defense rather than offense. Once they manifested their golden bodies, even a Great Demon could do nothing to them. They also loved to pester people relentlessly—once you provoked them, they would cling like a dog-skin plaster that could never be shaken off.

Daoist methods, meanwhile, were mysterious and unfathomable. Ordinary martial artists found them difficult to counter. There were only deaths one could not imagine, never methods others could not accomplish.

When traveling the Jianghu, the greatest taboo was provoking monks and Daoists.

"Boss, we can’t handle this batch of goods! We should leave!"

"We’ve seen a Daoist Master’s abilities before. Our martial arts are all restrained by these orthodox mystic arts. Winning would require an enormous price!"

"Black Dog Star is already gone. We can’t sacrifice any more brothers."

Quite a few among the Twelve Zodiacs were beginning to retreat. Years ago, they had encountered a Daoist expert and been left with an unforgettable shadow that lingered to this day.

When the blood-covered Jiang Feng saw the Twelve Zodiacs stop one after another, hope for survival immediately rose in his heart. One hand tightly gripped his wife’s, while the other held his swaddled son.

Hua Yuenv held the other of the twins, watching the bandits anxiously. Whether they lived or died depended on a single thought from these men.

No!

Hua Yuenv looked again at the elegant young master in the distance. More precisely, everyone’s lives and deaths rested in the hands of that "Daoist expert."

She should have formed a good connection with him earlier…

Hua Yuenv could not help regretting it.

She did not know that, in Chu Yang and Li Gexiao’s eyes, she and Jiang Feng could already be considered a kind and virtuous family simply because they had not relied on wealth and power to bully others in this world.

With a casual strike from Chu Yang, the enormous wolfhound fighting Li Gexiao was so terrified that it collapsed onto the ground, trembling without the slightest will to fight.

Having gained intelligence, the wolfhound knew that the young man in magnificent robes before it could send it to meet King Yama with a mere twitch of his finger.

The final survivor of Black Dog Star was beheaded by Li Gexiao. For such a heinous villain, even dying ten thousand times would not ease the hatred in his heart.

Li Gexiao whispered into Chu Yang’s ear, "Young Master, the Twelve Zodiacs are burdened by countless blood debts, and they always seek revenge over the smallest grievance. It would be best not to let a single one escape!"

Chu Yang nodded.

As Wei Wuya looked at the chests upon chests of treasure, his eyes glowed red. Gritting his teeth, he said, "No matter how powerful he is, he’s only one man. We brothers can bury him beneath our numbers! Jiang Feng is richer than a nation and possesses many Secret Treasures of martial arts. Obtaining just one would let us brothers rise to the heavens. You may be willing to give up, but I, Wei Wuya, am not!"

Among Jiang Feng’s treasures was an item called the Flawless Pearl. Consuming it could reshape one’s body, giving someone born ugly like Wei Wuya a chance to completely change his appearance.

He could forgo everything else, but this Flawless Pearl was something Wei Wuya absolutely had to seize!

When the other Twelve Zodiacs heard the words "martial arts Secret Treasures," greed once again overwhelmed their reason. Just as Wei Wuya had said, obtaining even one of them would let them swagger through the martial world for the rest of their lives.

"Damn it, I’m going all in! Let’s do this job!"

"Brothers, kill those two troublemakers first, then deal with Jiang Feng!"

"Hahaha! I want the Secret Treasures, and I want their lives too!"

Wealth moved people’s hearts.

Even more wealth made people lose their minds.

Once a gang of bandits who lived with their heads on the line went mad, they could cast everything aside, including their own lives.

That was the most vicious aspect of the Twelve Zodiacs.

Seeing that he had stirred up his companions’ greed, Wei Wuya could not help curling his lips. Even though they had lived and died together for years, at crucial moments, these people were still expendable chess pieces in his eyes.

With an unfathomable prince holding the field, Li Gexiao was filled with courage. Carrying the Embroidered Spring Blade over his shoulder, he prepared to walk toward the Twelve Zodiacs.

Chu Yang suddenly said, "That dog has probably eaten quite a few people while following them. Kill it while you’re at it."

The wolfhound trembled even harder.

Li Gexiao replied, "Young Master, if the Twelve Zodiacs intended to raise this wolfhound into a Spirit Demon, they would not have allowed it to eat humans. I can see that it wishes to submit. Why not keep it?"

Chu Yang asked curiously, "What’s the reasoning behind that?"

Li Gexiao explained, "Humans are born between heaven and earth and consume grains and all kinds of meat. Impurities inevitably accumulate within them, along with the dust and worldly taint of mortal life. These influences affect the success rate of plants and animals transforming into demons. This is especially true for canine Spirit Demons—their sense of smell would suffer irreversible damage."

"But once they become Spirit Demons or Great Demons, they can directly consume human blood essence through special means and no longer need to avoid such things."

The wolfhound nodded frantically, as though it knew this was its only chance to survive.

Chu Yang nodded. "Then spare its life. You’ll have another helper."

Hearing this, Li Gexiao lowered his head and kicked the wolfhound. "The Young Master is giving you a chance to redeem yourself through service. Why aren’t you thanking him, you beast?"

The wolfhound wagged its tail and imitated a human bow with cupped paws, looking utterly ridiculous.

Meanwhile, Wei Wuya and the others temporarily spared Jiang Feng and charged at Chu Yang menacingly.

Jiang Feng raised his sword and prepared to rush over to help.

Hua Yuenv suddenly grabbed him, tears filling her eyes as she said, "Make sure you protect yourself."

Knowing Jiang Feng’s temperament well, Hua Yuenv did not try to stop her husband, because she knew it would be impossible. Jiang Feng held righteousness in the highest regard. Otherwise, he could never have become brothers with Yan Nantian.

"Rest assured, my lady!" Jiang Feng patted Hua Yuenv’s hand and rushed from the tea stall without hesitation.

If not for the children, Hua Yuenv would have followed him without leaving his side.

The Twelve Zodiacs, led by Wei Wuya, were locked in a fierce battle with Li Gexiao when Jiang Feng suddenly entered the fray, infuriating Wei Wuya.

"I spared your life, and you really think I’m made of clay?!"

Wei Wuya took a blowpipe from his waist. Every dart within had been coated in poison. He gave a gentle puff toward Jiang Feng, and a dart shot out, striking Jiang Feng amid the chaotic battle.

Jiang Feng fell the instant he was struck. In moments, a dark aura appeared on his face, showing just how potent the poison was.

"Hahaha! The poison on my dart came from a poisonous scorpion that became a demon. Let alone an ordinary mortal like you, even a martial Grandmaster wouldn’t be able to withstand it."

"Go in peace, Jiang Feng!"

Wei Wuya’s wild laughter was incredibly grating, especially when it reached Hua Yuenv’s ears.

Hearing the terrible news, Hua Yuenv was overwhelmed by grief and fury. But as a mother, she could not abandon the two children in her arms. In her agitation, she nearly fainted.

"Don’t panic, don’t panic."

Before everyone’s eyes, Chu Yang appeared out of thin air before Jiang Feng. Wei Wuya and the others had not seen how Chu Yang appeared. They only saw a mass of rosy light in his hand descend upon Jiang Feng.

The dark aura on Jiang Feng’s face melted away the moment it met the rosy light, and the deadly poison in his body was expelled bit by bit.

Purification Incantation.

One of the Shu Mountain Sect’s spells, specifically used to cure poison. As long as the poison did not come from a Great Demon with profound cultivation, most other poisons could be dispelled. It was a spell every sect disciple had to learn before venturing outside.

The poisonous scorpion Wei Wuya spoke of was nowhere close to the realm of a Great Demon.

After curing Jiang Feng’s poison, Chu Yang sent a stream of spiritual power into him, lifting him into the air and carrying him back to the tea stall, where he landed beside Hua Yuenv.

Hua Yuenv wept with joy. She placed the two children on the table, bent down, and tightly embraced Jiang Feng.

Chu Yang turned to look at the heinous Twelve Zodiacs, and a sudden wave of disgust rose in his heart. He said coldly, "Old Li, step back."

Meeting Chu Yang’s cold eyes, Li Gexiao did not say a word and retreated to the side.

"So what if you possess Daoist supreme arts? It’s not as though we Twelve Zodiacs have never encountered one before!"

"If another expert appeared, we brothers would turn and run at once. But with only you and that blade-wielding fellow, you can’t scare us!"

"That’s right! Since we entered the Jianghu, not even Yan Nantian or the Yihua Palace Master have been able to kill us!"

Little did they know, the more they boasted, the more guilty they appeared.

While everyone else was spouting threats, Wei Wuya suddenly felt a palpitation. Cold sweat seeped from his palms and back. After years in the Jianghu, this had happened only a few times, and every time had signaled a life-and-death crisis.

It was like a warning from instinct.

Trusting his instincts completely, Wei Wuya no longer had the courage to confront Chu Yang. He secretly reached out and pressed the mechanism button on his wheelchair, ready to flee at any moment.

The next moment.

A shocking surge of sword qi erupted around Chu Yang and poured toward the Twelve Zodiacs in a single overwhelming wave.

The Twelve Zodiacs had been waiting for Daoist techniques, never expecting such vast sword qi instead.

In their shock, everyone scattered and fled.

"He’s a Daoist Master and a sword cultivator too? How can someone so young know so many things?!"

Terrified out of his wits, Wei Wuya frantically pounded the mechanism buttons on his wheelchair. This specially made wheelchair was nearly as fast as a blood-sweating horse.

Even so, Wei Wuya was caught by a streak of sword qi. His lower body and wheelchair were both sliced in half.

At the same time, the Twelve Zodiacs became one cold corpse after another.

Jiang Feng and Hua Yuenv watched the scene, chills rising from the depths of their hearts.

The infamously vicious Twelve Zodiacs had been slaughtered cleanly in the blink of an eye. Who would dare believe it if word got out?

Chu Yang turned and reentered the tea stall. From the ruins, he found an intact jug of rice wine. Taking a sip, he said with slight regret, "The craftsmanship behind this rice wine is truly excellent. What a pity…"

Jiang Feng forced himself to stand straight and slowly walked over with Hua Yuenv. Cupping his hands, he said, "Thank you, Young Master, for saving our lives. Jiang Feng has no way to repay you, only some worldly possessions. I hope you will accept them."

Chu Yang glanced at the valuables on the several carriages and shook his head with a laugh. "You show off all that gold and silver every day. No wonder this happened to you. Be more careful in the future."

Jiang Feng smiled bitterly, unable to respond.

"But as the saying goes, one can guard against thieves day and night, but never against a thief within the home. Even if you wish to keep a low profile, it won’t help when someone in your household is feeding information to others."

Hearing the implication in Chu Yang’s words, Jiang Feng and Hua Yuenv’s expressions changed. What they did not see was a young man in the crowd breaking out in a cold sweat.

Just then, Li Gexiao came over carrying Wei Wuya, whose body was reduced to half. Wei Wuya still had a sliver of life left and wailed, "Please, Mahito, save my life! From this day onward, I will serve Mahito faithfully!"

"Sure. First, tell me how you learned of Jiang Feng and his wife’s whereabouts. Then I’ll consider it." Chu Yang chuckled.

As Wei Wuya looked toward the young man, the youth suddenly drew his sword and stabbed Wei Wuya. With only half a body left, Wei Wuya could not dodge. The sword pierced a vital spot, and he died glaring furiously with his eyes wide open.