Ch. 32
Chapter 32: Set Out for Hongxi County. Tonight, We Exterminate the Leaf Blade Sect!
Smack!
Ma Yuan was so frightened that he dropped onto the floor on his backside.
Cheng Yu calmly withdrew his saber.
“May I ask what instructions Hundred-Household Commander Ma summoned me here to receive?”
At this moment, every feature on Ma Yuan’s face was trembling. He forcibly suppressed his shock and fear.
“Senior Banner Captain Cheng, y-your matter can wait for now. Th-this... what exactly happened here?”
He stammered as he pointed with a shaking hand at Zheng Ping’s head.
The more he looked at it, the more the world seemed to spin around him.
Zheng Ping had died at Cheng Yu’s hands. How was that possible?!
And Cheng Yu was completely uninjured!
With that kind of strength, killing him, Ma Yuan, would be no problem at all.
“Oh? You’re asking me?”
Hearing Ma Yuan question him, Cheng Yu revealed a strange smile.
“A thief on the road said he wanted to kill me, and then he ended up like this... I wonder who told him that I would be passing along the official road to come here. How strange.”
Hearing the meaning-laden tone in Cheng Yu’s voice, Ma Yuan’s whole body shook.
He definitely knew that this matter was inseparable from him!
Swallowing a mouthful of saliva in fear, Ma Yuan forced himself to muster some momentum.
“He dared ambush one of our Jinyiwei. He deserved to die! Senior Banner Captain Cheng killed him well!”
“You think it was a good kill too?”
Cheng Yu smiled and nodded. Then his tone suddenly turned incomparably cold again.
“But I don’t think it was enough. The people of Leaf Blade Mountain dared openly attack the Jinyiwei. That means they already harbor rebellious intent!”
“Ah?”
Ma Yuan shuddered all over when he heard that. What was Cheng Yu trying to do?
Cheng Yu continued calmly, “There is naturally no need to keep rebels alive. I would like to ask my lord to lend me some men so I can go exterminate those treasonous rebels.”
“That way, they can see the consequences of daring to raise a hand against us Jinyiwei...”
He did not hide his threat toward Ma Yuan in the slightest.
Anyone who dared scheme against him would absolutely meet a miserable end.
If Ma Yuan’s dog life were not still useful for the time being, Cheng Yu would not have wasted this many words on him at all.
“Ah? That doesn’t seem very proper according to the rules...”
As Cheng Yu’s superior, Ma Yuan trembled all over upon hearing those words.
Cheng Yu had simply gone mad!
He actually wanted to raid and confiscate Leaf Blade Sect, one of the three great sects of Qingjiang Prefecture.
Did he think that a sect capable of producing Zheng Ping was the same as the forces he had dealt with before?
“Hm?”
Cheng Yu shot him a cold glance.
“A bunch of rabble. To put it bluntly, they’re just bandits occupying land and calling themselves kings. If they dare lay a hand on the imperial court, then they must be prepared to be purged.”
“Th-this... I’m afraid we can’t do that...”
“If you’re afraid, should they be allowed to offend us as they please? Those who offend me shall be killed without mercy! The rules of the Jinyiwei are the only rules that matter!”
At last, Ma Yuan fully understood Cheng Yu’s attitude.
After suffering an assassination attempt, he had completely set himself against Leaf Blade Mountain.
As expected of a ruthless man who would avenge the slightest grievance and never care about the consequences!
But gritting his teeth, Ma Yuan finally made up his mind.
He could not agree.
There was no way he could allow Cheng Yu to take the men from the Hundred-Household Office and attack Leaf Blade Mountain. Whether it succeeded or failed, he, Ma Yuan, would be finished.
The fact that Cheng Yu had not exposed his betrayal meant he still had some concerns.
If he managed to endure this, then at the very least, Ma Yuan still had a chance to live.
But if he dared support Cheng Yu’s plan today, then when the martial world forces retaliated in the future, no matter what happened, they would absolutely leave him without a burial place.
Thinking of that, Ma Yuan made his decision and said through gritted teeth, “Rebels should naturally be exterminated, but Leaf Blade Mountain is one of the three great sects of Qingjiang County. It is intricately tied to the other two forces. If we act, I fear our strength will fall short... for now, it would be better to let this matter go.”
“Heh. Hundred-Household Commander Ma is right.”
Cheng Yu cast Ma Yuan a strange look and said nothing more.
He turned and left at once.
For now, he would spare Ma Yuan’s dog life.
Watching Cheng Yu go, Ma Yuan panted heavily.
He felt that the pressure Cheng Yu had given him was almost comparable to that of the Thousand-Household Commander above him.
The fear and lingering dread in his heart only deepened.
“He was actually able to kill Zheng Ping. That was a Human Ranking genius! How could such a monster appear?!”
Ma Yuan gnashed his teeth, and his eyes grew increasingly gloomy.
“Fortunately, Leaf Blade Mountain is still one of the three great sects of Qingjiang Prefecture, with quite a few experts. He may be strong, but a lone man cannot stand against many. He’ll definitely suffer once he goes there.”
“Once Leaf Blade Mountain regains its senses, martial world experts will come deal with him.”
“He loves raiding families and exterminating sects. Those people will never let him off!”
According to the grudges of individuals, the rules of the martial world said that one must not implicate the people around them.
What Cheng Yu was doing now—killing people, raiding homes, exterminating families—was far too arrogant and tyrannical. He would inevitably have to pay the price for his tyranny!
...
Outside Qingjiang Prefecture City, thirty Jinyiwei officers received Cheng Yu’s orders and rushed over at top speed in full gear.
“Greetings, my lord!”
After telling them to rise, Cheng Yu stated his purpose directly.
“Make your preparations and come with me. We depart for Hongxi County. Tonight, we exterminate the Leaf Blade Sect!”
“The Leaf Blade Sect?!”
Hearing that name, the Jinyiwei who had originally been eager for action instantly changed expression.
How had Senior Banner Captain Cheng set his sights on such a massive target?
All of them were shocked.
As one of the three great sects of Qingjiang County, Leaf Blade Sect’s sect master Bai Han was a Fourth Rank martial artist, and the sect also had Zheng Ping, a Human Ranking prodigy.
They themselves were all only First Rank. The moment they heard they would have to face two Fourth Rank martial artists, their hands and feet turned cold.
But because of their admiration for Cheng Yu and their unconditional trust in him, they did not feel much fear.
Senior Banner Captain Cheng would not let his brothers die for nothing.
“Yes, sir!”
Cheng Yu nodded.
“This time, our numbers and strength are inferior to those of Leaf Blade Mountain, so we will strike by surprise and kill Leaf Blade Mountain’s sect master, Bai Han. It must be swift and ruthless. Once he dies, the rest will naturally collapse on their own.”
“You only need to follow me, hold off the rabble, investigate clues, and bring back the spoils.”
“Yes!”
Once Leaf Blade Mountain’s sect master Bai Han was killed, they would be a flock of dragons without a head.
The other two among the three great sects would definitely be unable to sit still. They would try every possible way to seize Leaf Blade Mountain’s territory.
And when that time came, it would be Cheng Yu’s chance to sweep away all three great sects in one stroke.
Just as Cheng Yu had finalized the plan and was about to set out, a strange man with an ordinary face walked over from not far away.
The Jinyiwei immediately drew their sabers and glared at him.
The man said calmly, “I am a friend, not an enemy. There is no need to wave blades and spears around. Which one of you is Senior Banner Captain Cheng Yu of Qinghe County?”
“I am.”
Cheng Yu answered, while making a subtle defensive move that was almost impossible to notice.
That man’s footsteps were steady, yet at first glance, he seemed to possess no inner force whatsoever.
Only because Cheng Yu’s perception had been enhanced by his refined inner force did he see that the man was clearly wearing a human-skin mask over his face.
As for his pure and refined inner force, it had all been concealed and gathered into the core of his right palm.
It was not hard to see that the man was an extremely powerful martial artist whose control over inner force had reached a minute level.
He was most likely in the Upper Third Ranks.
“Greetings, my lord! I have come to deliver something to you on behalf of my master.”
The man bowed to Cheng Yu.
He took something out from his robes and had it passed over.
Cheng Yu caught it and discovered that it was a bronze tally carved in the shape of a fierce tiger.
“With this Tiger Tally, my lord can mobilize the prefectural troops of Qingjiang Prefecture.”
Hearing the man’s explanation, Cheng Yu’s pupils shrank slightly.
A Tiger Tally!
How could someone be sending him such a thing?
The Jinyiwei once possessed the authority to mobilize troops, but that was an old matter from long ago.
Anyone who could send him something like this had to be a person of power and influence within the Great Qian court.
“Who is your master? Why is he giving this to me?”
“Who my master is does not matter. My lord will naturally have the chance to meet him in the future.”
Unhurriedly, the man continued, “As for the Tiger Tally, only when it is placed in the hands of a hero like you, my lord, can it truly serve its purpose.”
“A hero? I do happen to need this. Convey my thanks to your master for me. I will surely repay him in the future.”
Cheng Yu put away the Tiger Tally.
With this thing in hand, he could crush all three great sects head-on.
The man smiled and said, “Since my lord has matters to attend to, I will not keep you for a banquet. I wish my lord a swift victory. When you and I meet again, the feast will surely be made up!”
“Good. I hope that the next time we meet, I’ll be able to recognize you.”
Cheng Yu smiled faintly and left with the Jinyiwei.
He left behind that single sentence.
The smile on the man’s face instantly froze completely.