Chapter 1 Slaughter

A dark night with a howling wind, blood flowing like rivers, bones piled high as mountains.

Xue Chaoyang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, overlooking the burning mountain stronghold.

The constables under his command were all elites from the two prefectures, so dealing with a rabble like this was naturally a piece of cake.

In a daze, Tie Shan saw many constables emerge from the pool of blood, swords in hand.

"Beasts! You are all beasts!"

A bald, burly man, bound and thrown into the pool of blood, glared at Xue Chaoyang, roaring:

"Xue Chaoyang, I curse your ancestors for eighteen generations!"

"Bastard!"

A constable raised his eyebrows and roared, stepping on the man's back. A 'crack' was heard as he crushed his spine:

"Despicable trash!"

"Pfft!"

The bald man, pressed against the cold, blood-soaked ground, spat out a mouthful of blood, still cursing, "Xue Chaoyang, I won't let you go, even as a ghost!"

"Chou Leng, you should know why I'm keeping your dog life for now."

Xue Chaoyang's eyes were cold as he spoke indifferently:

"Speak, and I'll grant you a quick death."

"Hahaha! I spit on you!"

The bald man laughed maniacally and cursed, "You dogs can kill me if you want, but you'll never get me to slander Huangjue Temple!"

"Slander?"

Xue Chaoyang sneered, waving his hand without another word:

"Someone with a quick knife."

Among the many constables, one stepped forward, bowing and saying:

"Sir, I used to be a butcher. My knife skills are average, but my knife work is not bad."

"Do you need a fishing net?"

Xue Chaoyang asked.

"No need."

The constable bowed slightly, saying:

"If he dies before three thousand six hundred cuts, I will make up the remaining cuts on myself."

"Very good."

Xue Chaoyang nodded slightly, then turned to Chou Leng, saying:

"If you tell me about the filth and corruption hidden in Huangjue Temple, I promise to leave you a whole corpse."

"Xue Chaoyang!"

Chou Leng's body trembled, his face distorted:

"You will die a horrible death! A horrible death!"

"Do it."

Xue Chaoyang's eyes were indifferent.

"Yes!"

The constable moved, a two-foot short blade already in his hand, slowly walking towards Chou Leng.

"Hahaha! What a Six Doors, truly an eye-opener!"

Suddenly, a long laugh pierced the night sky.

The constables were all startled.

Turning their heads, they saw a white-clad figure drifting in the crimson night, like a ghost traversing ten zhang in the air, landing on an old tree outside the stronghold.

A hundred zhang away, he met Xue Chaoyang's gaze.

The white-clad man held his sword in his arms, his expression indifferent.

He was tall and straight, his long hair tied back, his features handsome, and his temperament outstanding.

Even as he laughed coldly, his face carried a hint of laziness.

"Wu Liu San, you're finally willing to come out?"

Among the crowd, only Xue Chaoyang was not surprised, as if he had already known who was coming.

"The Lone Bandit, Wu Liu San?!"

The expressions of the constables all changed.

Wu Liu San was originally the son of a wealthy man from Dafeng Township. He passed the children's examination at the age of seven and became a xiucai at thirteen. Unfortunately, he failed the imperial examination three times in a row. After his family declined, he somehow learned martial arts, especially excelling in qinggong (light body technique).

He neither seduced women, nor killed people, nor harmed virtuous families. He only robbed wicked gentry, and even committed a major crime in the capital, being hunted by the Six Doors for over a decade.

Because of his excellent qinggong, he repeatedly escaped capture.

Wu Liu San did not answer, his eyes dim as he looked at Chou Leng:

"I'm late, brother."

He and Chou Leng had a friendship, but only before Chou Leng became a bandit. After hearing of his evil deeds, he broke off contact.

This time, he heard of the Soul-Snatching Demon Art and entered the Huayan Mountains, rushing over from afar when he saw the fire on Sword Finger Peak.

He had not wanted to appear, but he couldn't help himself when Xue Chaoyang was about to inflict the cruel punishment of slow slicing.

"Brother Wu is not late, not late at all!"

Chou Leng's eyes shed tears of blood:

"I should have died the day I was expelled from Huangjue Temple. To be able to see you one last time before I die is enough! You are no match for these beasts, leave quickly!"

"You have committed many evils and deserve to die."

Wu Liu San turned his gaze to Xue Chaoyang:

"But to kill the entire family and inflict the cruel punishment of slow slicing is too much, isn't it? Detective Xue!"

"What is too much?"

Xue Chaoyang replied indifferently:

"Farmers must remove the roots when weeding. I am eliminating harm for the country. Even if my methods are a bit cruel, who can say I am not right?"

"Very good."

Wu Liu San's eyes turned cold: "I know that Xue Chaoyang, you have lived a solitary life, with no house, no wife, no children, not even a disciple. But don't these constables have families too?"

Wu Liu San sighed inwardly.

Among the Six Doors' Six Famous Detectives, Xue Chaoyang was the most eccentric.

He did not love gold or silver, did not covet power or wealth, had no relatives or friends, no offspring, not even a single disciple.

Thirty years ago, thieves kidnapped his father and brothers, only asking him to release them once. He ignored them and let his father and brothers die in the streets.

Since then, no one could threaten him anymore.

"Wu Liu San!"

"What do you want to do?"

In the stronghold, many constables changed their expressions.

No one was born from a rock. Most of them had relatives and friends.

Xue Chaoyang's face darkened:

"Do you know what you're saying?"

"I know very well."

Wu Liu San's expression was calm as he gazed at Xue Chaoyang, a hundred zhang away: "Since everyone in the stronghold is already dead, I have no intention of interfering with the Six Doors' affairs. But I have an old friendship with Chou Leng, and I cannot sit idly by and watch him be slowly sliced."

"Kill him now, give me his whole corpse, and I will leave immediately!"

"I, Xue, have never been threatened in my life. Even when my father and brothers were in enemy hands, I did not yield. Who do you think you are to threaten me?"

Xue Chaoyang chuckled, ordering indifferently:

"Begin the cutting!"

"Yes!"

In the stronghold, the constable struggled for a moment, gritted his teeth, and stepped forward. A flash of the blade, and he had already cut Chou Leng's right chest.

Chou Leng seemed not to notice, only looking outside the stronghold:

"Brother Wu, leave. It's just death, what do a few cuts matter..."

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of the blade, and his tongue had been cut off!

Wu Liu San's eyes turned cold:

"Very good, very good! Xue Chaoyang, you are very good!"

"Ming Tang, after this, proceed as planned..."

Xue Chaoyang glanced at Ming Tang, who was silent in the crowd, and transmitted his voice secretly.

Then, he let out a long roar that shook several li, and in the howling wind, he suddenly crossed dozens of zhang, pulling out a shrill black line in the vast night, heading straight for Wu Liu San:

"Since you're here, don't even think about leaving!"

Boom!

Outside the stronghold, the air exploded.

Vast true energy rolled like a dragon, breaking many old trees, the force mixing with earth and waves tumbling.

In a few moments, blood洒了长空(sǎle chángkōng lit. sprinkled the sky).

"Xue Chaoyang! Your Heavenly Wolf Seven Demon Blades are indeed powerful, but you can't kill me!"

After a muffled groan, white clothes flashed rapidly through the forest, letting out a long roar:

"But if Wu Liu San doesn't die, don't even think about getting a good night's sleep in the future!"

The earth shook and the mountains swayed, like an angry dragon roaring. The old trees in the forest snapped one after another, and the earth and waves surged, rising several zhang high like a curtain.

Xue Chaoyang's eyes were cold:

"Then, go to hell!"

The two gradually moved away, one in front and one behind.

In the burning stronghold, silence reigned.

"Sir, three thousand six hundred cuts have been completed."

In front of Ming Tang, the constable held his knife and bowed.

"Such tough bones..."

Ming Tang snorted lightly, saying:

"Let's go, it's time to move."

"Sir, are we really going to..."

A constable hesitated.

"Do you dare question the sir's orders?"

Ming Tang's eyes turned cold.

"This subordinate dare not, but, with just us, I'm afraid we're not strong enough..."

The constable smiled wryly.

There were as many as several thousand martial artists who had entered the mountains this time, more than ten times their number, and there were many experts among them.

"You think it's just us?"

Ming Tang's eyes were deep.

........

In the dense forest, fighting continued, and muffled screams were heard from time to time.

In the crimson night, a team of night walkers shuttled through the mountains and forests, holding knives and swords, their movements like ghosts, killing anyone they saw.

Blood flowed on the swords, which were flickering with a ghostly blue light.

"Who are you people? We have no grudges, no grudges, why do you want to kill me?"

A figure fled in a sorry state, occasionally letting out angry roars, trying to attract others.

He was very fast, his movements extremely agile, shuttling through the mountains and forests like a civet cat, but his face was full of despair.

Strands of paralysis were spreading over his wounded area, his speed was slowly decreasing.

And behind him, the team of men in black were like ghosts, their speed not much slower than his, gradually, they were catching up.

Just as despair was setting in, his eyes lit up, and he saw what appeared to be firelight flickering in the distant forest.

Filled with joy, he mustered some remaining strength, and with a few leaps, he ran frantically towards the firelight.

At the same time, he circulated his inner force, emitting a lion's and tiger's roar:

"Friends ahead, I am Xu Da from Kunshan, someone is chasing me, save me!"

Between life and death, Xu Da's voice shook the mountains and forests.

Crack~

A tree that two people could embrace was broken by Xu Da. He rolled and crawled through the jungle, and when he looked up, he couldn't help but freeze.

In the clearing in the forest, dozens of black-clad men sitting around a bonfire turned their heads in unison.

Even the black masks could not hide the playful expressions on their faces.

He noticed that the leader among them was the tall figure sitting cross-legged beside the bonfire.

That man's majestic body, which could not be concealed by his black clothes, was as straight as a mountain, his face hidden in the shadows under the black cloak.

In front of him, a dark and heavy zhang-two-long spear stood, and under the night wind, the spear seemed to be humming with spirit.

"I..."

In utter despair, a flash of light fell from the sky, piercing his heart.

As he died, he saw a man in black kneeling on the ground, saying in a hoarse voice:

"Lord Tuoba, in this forest, more than thirty people have been killed, none have escaped..."

Lord Tuoba?

Could it be Tuoba Chongguang of the Six Doors?

These people are actually from the imperial court?

Xu Da struggled twice in vain, and his breath ceased.

"Not bad, but, the current me is not Tuoba Chongguang, but..."

The low voice turned into a deep voice.

As he suddenly stood up, holding the spear, it was already as loud as a bronze bell:

"An Qisheng!"