C23 Alright I Got It!

Just after leaving Qin Buyi's residence, Xiuwen craned his neck and confronted Lan Tianhe, "Uncle Lan, why did you stop me from speaking?"

"Idiot!" Lan Tianhe inwardly cursed, yet his face softened into a gentle smile as he responded, "Xiuwen, that man is not someone to mess with. If it came to blows, it's tough to say who would come out on top."

Xiuwen scoffed dismissively, "Uncle Lan, you're at the peak of the Nascent Infant Stage, on the verge of ascending to the Deification Stage. Could he possibly be stronger than you?"

Lan Tianhe let out a weary sigh, "Xiuwen, some people are best left alone. They're dangerous, and it's wise not to provoke them."

Though he spoke those words, his thoughts betrayed him: "Stronger than me? His gaze alone carries the stench of blood, like a wild beast ready to devour at sight."

"In a real fight, I'd surely be the one to perish."

Hearing this, Xiuwen sneered inwardly, "Dangerous? Ha, it's just because you're scared, old man."

His mind wandered to the egg nestled atop the mound of Spirit Stones in Qin Buyi's room, and greed clawed at him. He turned to Lan Tianhe, "Uncle Lan, did you see that egg? A pet hatched from millions of Spirit Stones has to be extraordinary."

Lan Tianhe, who had momentarily quelled his own avarice, felt a twinge of envy at Xiuwen's words, "To hatch such an egg as a pet would be a dream come true; I'd wake up smiling from my sleep."

Recalling how Qin Buyi had grasped his neck, Xiuwen's voice turned venomous, "I'll call my father and have him send someone to finish off that man, to torture him until he's nothing but dust."

With a huff, he added, "Regardless of his family or prospects, he's no match for me. Why should he possess such a premium pet?"

"Stop spouting such foolishness!" Lan Tianhe, alarmed by Xiuwen's reckless talk, broke into a cold sweat as he urgently interjected.

"Let me explain exactly why," came Qin Buyi's icy voice from ahead of the two.

"Clang!"

He drew the Killing Saber, advancing step by step through the air towards them.

Qin Buyi had kept an eye on them since they had departed. If they had left without incident, all would have been well, but they foolishly declared their intent to kill him.

Qin Buyi preferred to nip potential threats in the bud.

Lan Tianhe felt no surprise at Qin Buyi's arrival; it would have been more surprising if he hadn't shown up.

"Idiot! It's a rare occurrence for someone like him to let you go, and yet you recklessly talk of killing him."

"Speaking so openly at this distance, with his level of cultivation, it's as if you're whispering in his ear. Do you really think his powers are just for show?" Lan Tianhe inwardly berated.

Dealing with Xiuwen, the fool, Lan Tianhe was at his wit's end, as if saddled with a pig for a teammate.

As Qin Buyi, radiating murderous intent, drew nearer, Xiuwen panicked and turned to Lan Tianhe for help.

Lan Tianhe stepped in front of Xiuwen, attempting to defuse the situation, "The folly of youth can be forgiven; they don't understand the gravity of their words. Please, young master, overlook his rashness."

Xiuwen, bolstered by Lan Tianhe's defense, hid behind him and blustered,

"Do you have any idea who my father is? If I suffer the slightest injury, you won't live to see the dawn. If you have any sense, back off."

He paused, then added, "Hand over the egg and cripple your own cultivation, and I might just spare your life and overlook the fright you've caused me."

Qin Buyi, clearly amused, responded, "Merely handing over the egg and crippling your cultivation might not suffice. How about I let you try to kill me instead?"

Without waiting for Xiuwen's response, Qin Buyi gripped the Killing Saber and launched an assault on them.

"Killing Swordsmanship: Extermination!"

The crescent moon's light shrouded them both.

Lan Tianhe drew his long spear, parrying the brunt of the onslaught.

"Clang!" "Clang!"

"Clang!"...

As the crescent moon faded away, Lan Tianhe's unwavering protection ensured that Xiuwen remained unscathed.

"Pfft!"

Lan Tianhe's complexion turned deathly white in an instant, devoid of any color, as he coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Since his return from the Falling Star Mountain Range, Qin Buyi had not yet managed to break through his cultivation level. However, thanks to the amplification provided by his Desolate Body, his overall stats had already entered the Deification Stage.

Even Lan Tianhe, at the pinnacle of Nascent Infant Perfection, couldn't escape severe internal injuries after enduring a direct hit from Qin Buyi.

Qin Buyi had held back during that strike, intending to gauge the caliber of Blue Star's cultivators. It was now clear that they still lagged behind those from the Falling Star Mountain Range.

As Qin Buyi prepared to launch another attack, Lan Tianhe gave him a penetrating look and asked, "Young Master, must you kill him?"

Qin Buyi hadn't anticipated such a question from Lan Tianhe and remained silent. However, the Killing Saber he was slowly raising spoke volumes about his intentions.

Lan Tianhe turned to Xiuwen and sighed, saying nothing. With a swift movement, he positioned himself outside Qin Buyi's striking distance and declared, "He brought this upon himself. Young Master, do as you wish."

Xiuwen, who had been cowering behind Lan Tianhe, was utterly bewildered as he watched Qin Buyi advance toward him like the grim reaper.

In a voice filled with dread, Xiuwen cried out, "Uncle Lan, save me! You can't abandon me. You and my father are good friends. You can't just stand by and watch me die!"

Lan Tianhe stood aside, seemingly oblivious to Xiuwen's pleas, as if turning a deaf ear. Hearing Xiuwen's desperate cries, he thought to himself,

"Good friend? What a joke. You're an imbecile, and now you're scared when it's far too late. Risking my life for a fool like you is not worth it."

The overwhelming force that exceeded the Nascent Infant Stage during his clash with Qin Buyi was still vivid in his memory.

As Lan Tianhe stood by with a look of indifference, Xiuwen's last shred of hope evaporated. In a tearful plea, he begged Qin Buyi:

"Please... don't kill me. My father is the chairman of the Cultivator Association. I can offer you wealth, beautiful women, and status—anything you desire."

"Understood," Qin Buyi responded quietly.

"Killing Swordsmanship: Slaughter!"

Lan Tianhe resignedly closed his eyes, his mind preemptively selecting a gravesite for Xiuwen.

"You wouldn't dare kill me, my father will not let this stand..." Xiuwen's threat was cut short.

"Chi!"

His head hit the ground, and Lan Tianhe, with quick reflexes, caught both the body and the head. He spoke with a tone of negotiation:

"Young Master, I must take his remains. It will be even more difficult to face his father otherwise."

Qin Buyi nonchalantly waved his hand and remained silent, then turned and flew towards his home.

Realizing Qin Buyi had no issue with him taking Xiuwen's body, Lan Tianhe called out to the departing figure:

"Young Master, you've stirred up trouble. You should leave S City at once. The Cultivator Association's retaliation could be lethal."

"Thanks for the heads-up," came Qin Buyi's voice from below.

Lan Tianhe stood rooted to the spot, realizing Qin Buyi had no intention of fleeing. He let out a wry laugh, "The fearlessness of youth..."

Gazing down at Xiuwen's body, his expression grew more pained as he spoke with a sense of resignation:

"We're in for it now. If Old Ghost Wu learns his youngest son died in S City, he'll turn the place upside down. What a headache."

Upon returning to the S City branch of the Cultivator Association, Lan Tianhe promptly reported the incident.

At the Cultivator Association's main headquarters in the capital.

"Bang!" The sound was deafening.

A mahogany table splintered into fragments, scattering explosively. The room fell into a deathly silence, no one daring to utter a word.

"Find out everything about him. I want his complete dossier."

"I expect the head of my son's killer to be before me within three days."

A venerable old man, clad in a Taoist robe and exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom, bellowed with the fury of a lion unleashed.

He was none other than Woo Xiuwen's father, Wu Hou, a master of the Void Refining Stage.

"Understood!" his subordinate responded.

In less than ten minutes, a 'Top Secret' dossier was laid before Wu Hou.

"Top secret?" the Martial Marquis uttered, taken aback.

He perused the file.

Name: Qin Buyi.

Classification: Top Secret.

It meticulously detailed Qin Buyi's family history and every significant event of his life.

"Enrolled in Huaxia's premier institution at eighteen, dropped out in his junior year to study human anatomy, poisons, and firearms."

"Within a mere two years, he rose to infamy as Southeast Asia's deadliest assassin, known as Night Yama."

Martial Marquis, having reviewed the file, murmured to himself, "I never imagined he'd be linked to that past affair..."

"And merely three months ago, he was a non-cultivator, an average person. Yet, in a mere three months, he's soared to the Nascent Infant Stage."

The thought sparked a gleam in Martial Marquis's eyes, as avarice took root in his heart, indelible.

"An extraordinary stroke of luck, a miraculous encounter that could elevate a commoner to the Nascent Infant Stage in just three months. Should such fortune fall into my hands, then..."

His breath quickened with the tantalizing possibilities. After a moment, he commanded, "Issue the order. Send Wu Zai to S City to apprehend the young man who murdered Xiuwen—alive."

"Affirmative!" Woo Kui, trusted to manage the Martial Marquis's affairs, concurred.

"Lan Tianhe shares the guilt for my son's demise in S City. Inform Wu Zai that if the opportunity arises, he is to return with Lan Tianhe's head as well," Martial Marquis declared with venom in his voice.

"President, that would be unwise!" protested Woo Kui.

"Oh?" Martial Marquis's gaze narrowed sharply upon Woo Kui.

Sweating profusely under scrutiny, Woo Kui stood his ground and explained, "Should Lan Tianhe perish, the Lan family will surely declare war on our Wu family. The cost would be too great."

After a moment of contemplation, Martial Marquis turned to Woo Kui and said, "We'll proceed with your suggestion. Spare Lan Tianhe's life for now."

"Three days is excessive. Send Woo Zai to S City at once. I expect to see that young upstart before me by dawn tomorrow."