Invincible Under Heaven

Compensation

Li Xian calmly leveled his blade.

Bright red blood spurted from Liu Feng's throat, swiftly draining away his body heat.

"Ugh..."

He staggered and fell to his knees, both hands clutching his neck in terror, using all his strength to try to plug the wound.

But no matter how hard he pressed, blood continued to gush out from between his fingers.

Especially since the cut across his throat had destroyed his windpipe, he could no longer draw breath, and was forced to gasp with his mouth wide open.

Yet as he desperately covered the gushing wound with both hands, the blood had no way to escape; with every labored breath, it triggered violent coughing, sending blood spilling from his mouth and nose, staining his whole body red.

This horrifying scene instantly made the remaining guards feel as if they had plunged into an ice cave.

"C-captain..."

A nearby guard's hand holding his blade was trembling.

There were still eight of them.

They clearly had an absolute numbers advantage.

They were supposedly dealing with a scholar who, in theory, had been powerless just a month or two ago.

The mission had seemed so easy it was like a vacation...

So why?

Why had things suddenly turned out like this!?

"Come."

Li Xian shifted his blade.

In an instant, the eight guards all took several steps back together, relying on each other as they bunched up.

At a glance...

It almost looked like they were the ones surrounded by Li Xian alone.

"Fierce on the outside, weak inside."

Li Xian, seeing this, looked a little disappointed.

"You weren't like this at the beginning. Is it that you can only swagger when you have the upper hand? Now that the situation has turned against you, you all become so timid?"

"L-Li Xian, let's talk this out. There's no need for knives and blades."

A more senior guard said, stammering with fear.

"Talk it out."

Li Xian nodded, "I practice martial arts because I like to reason with people, to debate with strength. In this way, truth always becomes clearer through discussion."

He was not someone who liked to bully the weak.

If his opponents didn't resist, fighting them was pointless.

He looked at the remaining guards.

"You broke into my courtyard without my permission, rummaged through my things, acting like bandits. I killed in self-defense—wouldn't you say that's justified?"

The guards exchanged bewildered looks, completely unable to grasp what Li Xian meant.

But at the moment...

The situation was pressing.

Their captain, who had already started Internal Viscera Refinement, had fallen to Li Xian's blade; clearly, Li Xian's martial arts attainment was most likely already at the fourth stage of martial cultivation.

Faced with such a martial artist, their resistance would end just as miserably.

Confronted with the choice between personal honor and their lives, they naturally chose the latter.

At once, several guards nodded hurriedly.

"It was justified."

"Whatever you say."

"We were in the wrong to trespass into your courtyard, Young Master Li. Your self-defense was justified...for all consequences, we brought it on ourselves."

"We were just following orders. Please, Young Master Li, be merciful."

They all chimed in.

"Since you acknowledge your mistake, you should compensate for the losses—a compensation of ten taels each,"

Li Xian said.

The corpses of Captain Liu, Fang Rui, Ah Quan, and the others were still lying in the courtyard.

Losing some money was better than losing their lives.

None of the guards dared refuse.

"We are willing to compensate," the eight replied in haste.

Ten taels?

As guards who had at least mastered Bone Forging, their monthly wages were considerable; in a year, they earned well over a dozen taels, sometimes as much as twenty or thirty.

But while their income was high, so were their daily expenses.

Taking out ten taels at once was not an easy matter.

The wealthier ones took out the silver directly.

But four were hesitant and embarrassed.

At last, one said, "I don't have enough silver on me. Could Young Master Li be kind enough to let me return to the Marquis Residence to gather the sum to repay you?"

"Young Master Li, we have no intention to renege. It's just that when going out, it's rare to carry ten taels in person..."

Others chimed in, some sincerely, some halfheartedly.

"No problem."

Li Xian didn't care what these men really thought; he searched the bodies of Liu Feng and the others and said, "I can go to the Marquis Residence with you and collect it there."

"To the Marquis Residence!?"

The remaining four guards stared at Li Xian in shock.

Li Xian...

Was going to the Marquis Residence!?

Wasn't this walking right into the lion's den!?

At that moment, Li Xian spoke again.

"There are forty or fifty guards at the Marquis Residence, though I don't know the exact number. But aside from you, there are certainly another twenty or thirty, and masters who have perfected Viscera Refinement. Today, I killed four of you—naturally, there will be complaints and trouble, and before Marquis Dingfeng returns, I'd rather not waste more time on this. For peace and quiet, a visit to the Marquis Residence to beat up everyone who bears a grudge seems the best solution."

This statement seemed to lay bare the real thoughts lurking in the guards' minds.

Several faces changed.

The Marquis Residence originally had four teams totaling forty-eight guards; even though the Marquis had taken away twelve to the Royal Capital, and with twelve here, plus those injured like Zhang Qing and a few on leave, there were still about twenty.

And then there was Chief Steward Liu Fu, who had long since perfected Viscera Refinement...

They thought that Li Xian was walking right into his death by daring to go to the Marquis Residence!

But even though Li Xian knew the danger, he still dared to go...

Either he was completely reckless—

Or...

He had absolute confidence in his strength!

Li Xian was, more likely than not, of the latter kind!

"No, it was our fault. We wouldn't dare complain or stir up trouble..."

Naturally, the guards wouldn't admit their thoughts.

Li Xian ignored them, and from the bodies of Liu Feng and the others, he found forty-three taels of silver and even fished out a martial arts manual.

After sorting his spoils, he changed to a long saber, and turned to the four guards who had paid up.

"Take the bodies to the preferectual office."

Their eyes shifted uneasily, but none dared refuse. Soon, they carried away the corpses of Liu Feng and the rest.

No matter what, they simply wanted out of the courtyard.

At this moment, the senior guard Tan Zhang also stepped forward, cupping his hands and forcing a bitter smile.

"Young Master Li, enmities should be resolved, not kept. By status, you are our Marquis Residence's son-in-law, and there is no great enmity with the Residence. Even with today's incident...they offended you first and deserved what they suffered. There's no need to go to the Marquis Residence, and put Madam and the others in a tough spot."

He had already realized Li Xian was extraordinary and wanted to resolve the situation peacefully.

"Why don't I go to the Residence to report first? Once they learn of your achievements in martial arts, their attitude will surely change, and you will be welcomed with open arms. What do you think?"

"Whether they're embarrassed or not has nothing to do with me,"

Li Xian responded.

"I'm just going to resolve some trouble."

"This...isn't this a bit much..."

Tan Zhang's voice was bitter.

"People only believe what they want to believe,"

Li Xian said calmly, glancing at the guard.

"Don't worry, I'm not some bloodthirsty demon. If reason works, I won't resort to violence."

Seeing Li Xian's mind was made up—and fearing that more words might lead to him being cut down—Tan Zhang dared not argue further and said only, "In that case, we will escort Young Master Li back to the Residence."

So, surrounded by the guards, Li Xian left the courtyard and headed straight for the Dingfeng Marquis Residence, just four miles away.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Murder!!!!

【༼ง=ಠ益ಠ=༽o:【】:::::::〉】