Ch. 39
Chapter 39: Once You’ve Offended Me, Even Dying Is No Longer Up to You
Sword-Forging Manor.
Cheng Zhenjiang and Zhao Xichun went to discuss the sword-forging matter with He Qin as husband and wife.
At the same time, they spoke at length about the lofty principles of Jianghu chivalry.
Having been deeply shaped by his father’s teaching and example, Cheng Feng planned to go befriend the younger generation of Sword-Forging Manor, broaden his connections, and display the bearing of the Young Northern Alliance Leader.
As for Cheng Si, because her health was poor, she stayed behind at their residence to recuperate, while Cheng Yue remained to keep her company.
“Elder Sister, if you want to practice martial arts, then go ahead. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Sitting by the window with her fragrant cheek propped in her hand, Cheng Si gazed outside, her eyes full of helplessness.
Inwardly, she was still thinking about how to find Cheng Yu.
“No. What if something happens to you while I’m not here?”
Cheng Yue shook her head seriously. She wanted to take responsibility for her frail younger sister.
Cheng Si lowered her head, then suddenly thought of something and revealed a sly smile.
“Elder Sister, I heard that Jiangnan has the most rouge, powders, and interesting little trinkets. Why don’t we go take a look in the city below the mountain?”
The moment her younger sister said that, Cheng Yue—who had spent all year on River-Severing Mountain living a monotonous life of martial training—felt her eyes light up.
But she still instinctively shook her head.
“No! You’re definitely trying to go find that guy again! You’ll be led astray by him!”
“Elder Sister~ Father and Mother never said we couldn’t go out and have fun. We’d just be going to Dragon Abyss City for a look. It’s not far below the mountain, and with you protecting me, nothing will happen!”
“Sisi’s begging you. Come on, let’s go~”
Held in her younger sister’s arms and coaxed with such sweet pleading, Cheng Yue simply could not resist, and could only agree.
“A-all right, then. But once we go out, you have to listen to me. Don’t start getting any strange ideas. Father and Mother will be angry.”
“Yes, yes!”
Cheng Si broke into a bright smile. At least now she had a chance!
She wondered how her Second Brother was doing now. Was he being bullied by his superiors at this very moment...?
......
Qingjiang Prefecture City.
With a loud bang, the gates of the Hundred-Household Office were kicked open.
Cheng Yu strode in with fierce momentum, frightening many people so badly that they collapsed to the ground.
His tone was calm, but the contents of his words were terrifying beyond measure.
“Tell that piece of trash Ma Yuan to get out here. I’ve come to take his life.”
The people inside the Jinyiwei Hundred-Household Office took one look and saw that the living King Yama who had exterminated the Three Great Sects had arrived. They immediately dropped to their knees and began begging for mercy.
“Lord Cheng, spare our lives! Hundred-Household Commander Ma hasn’t come for two whole days already!”
“We didn’t do anything! We have nothing to do with him!”
“Don’t kill me!”
With his arms folded, Cheng Yu looked at these men, displeasure showing in his eyes.
He barked, “Am I some bloodthirsty maniac? You’re Jinyiwei, yet every last one of you looks like your knees have no bones in them. You’re a disgrace!”
Being scolded only made the Jinyiwei tremble even harder. All they wanted to do was kowtow and beg for mercy.
But they were also afraid they would be rebuked again if they did that, and so they were stuck in the middle, neither kneeling properly nor standing properly, anxious to the point of despair.
“A bunch of trash.”
With his arms still folded, Cheng Yu frowned. Most of the Jinyiwei now were timid wretches, utterly lacking the bearing of the Emperor’s private army.
They themselves were cringing and submissive, so naturally others looked down on them.
The unfortunate thing was that these Jinyiwei had been turned into this by being worked like oxen and horses for their superiors.
By the time their salaries and cultivation resources filtered down through layer after layer of embezzlement, only scraps were left for them.
Naturally, they lived in constant fear and confusion, able only to throw their weight around in front of people even weaker than themselves.
“From this day on, the Jinyiwei will have the final say in Qingjiang Prefecture. All of you, straighten your backs!”
“Yes, sir!”
The moment they heard that Cheng Yu had no intention of continuing to berate them, the Jinyiwei immediately sprang up in excitement.
Their hearts were burning with fervor.
From now on, the most powerful figure in all of Qingjiang Prefecture would be their backer!
Looking at the way they now stood, Cheng Yu nodded slightly.
Then he asked, “Ma Yuan hasn’t come to the Hundred-Household Office in two days. Does anyone know where he went?”
One Jinyiwei answered, “Hundred-Household Commander Ma... Ma Yuan sent some of his trusted men from the office to Dragon Abyss Prefecture City on a mission a few days ago. He may have gone there as well...”
“Dragon Abyss Prefecture?”
Cheng Yu nodded.
Dragon Abyss Prefecture City was the core region of Dragon Abyss Path, one of the great cities of Jiangnan.
Quite a number of powerful and influential figures were gathered there.
Ma Yuan had most likely gone there because he believed Cheng Yu would not dare pursue him that far, allowing him to preserve his life.
“Heh. After offending me, he still thinks he can stay alive. He really has no idea that even if he sprouted wings, he still wouldn’t escape...”
Under the blazing midday sun, somewhere in the desolate wilds of Dragon Abyss Prefecture, a small caravan of carriages and horses jolted forward along a narrow road.
Mounted on horseback, Ma Yuan thought of the boundary stone they had already left far behind early that morning, and the boulder weighing on his heart finally seemed to ease a little.
He let out a long breath of relief.
At least he had escaped Qingjiang Prefecture.
The day Cheng Yu had thrown Zheng Ping’s head before him, Ma Yuan had been scared half to death.
He had thought Cheng Yu would not dare kill him, and could only take revenge on Leaf Blade Sect instead, letting both sides maul each other like dogs.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Cheng Yu, that madman, would somehow possess the authority to lead the prefectural troops of Qingjiang Prefecture and exterminate Leaf Blade Sect to the last man!
He had even wiped out the other two of the Three Great Sects as well!
He had overturned the very heavens of Qingjiang Prefecture!
The moment Ma Yuan heard that news, he had collapsed to the ground in terror and immediately gathered up his valuables to flee.
Since Cheng Yu could command the prefectural troops, he must have someone backing him from behind the scenes.
Killing Ma Yuan would be as easy as turning over a hand!
Even as Ma Yuan worried in his heart, he heard the miserable sighs and cries of suffering from the family members in the carriage train behind him. It only made him feel more irritated and agitated.
He had spent decades building his power in Qingjiang Prefecture. How had it all been ruined by one brat?
“Stop crying! Once we reach Dragon Abyss Prefecture, won’t you still be fine ladies and young masters? You’re wailing as if we’re on our way to the underworld!”
After that harsh rebuke, the crying from his family abruptly stopped.
The previously noisy and chaotic surroundings quieted down, leaving only the sounds of hoofbeats and carriage wheels grinding against the ground.
Yet instead of feeling relieved by the silence, Ma Yuan suddenly found the hairs on his body rising for no reason at all.
He looked around at the deserted path he had deliberately chosen.
The more he looked, the eerier it felt.
“It’s too quiet around here... but I can’t shake the feeling that countless eyes are staring at me...” Ma Yuan muttered to himself.
Just then, he suddenly heard the violent pounding of hooves from behind, so heavy that even the ground seemed to tremble.
“Who’s there?”
He spun around violently, and what he saw was the very last face he wished to see in this lifetime.
Cheng Yu was riding a tall, magnificent horse and swiftly caught up with the caravan.
Dismounting, he stepped forward and blocked the road, then looked at Ma Yuan with a cold sneer.
“Hundred-Household Commander Ma left Qingjiang Prefecture in such a rush without saying a word. Is there some urgent matter?”
“You actually chased me all the way here!”
Ma Yuan’s face twitched violently. His expression contorted as cold sweat streamed down from his forehead.
He gestured for the servants pulling the carriages to stop.
Then he got down from his horse, gritted his teeth, and lowered his head.
“I should never have set myself against a hero like you. Now that I’ve withdrawn of my own accord, I beg you to spare the lives of my whole family.”
With that, he bowed deeply to Cheng Yu.
Expressionless, Cheng Yu walked up before Ma Yuan, then smiled and shook his head.
“There’s no need to beg me. The moment you joined hands with outsiders to ambush me, you had already made your choice.”
“You!”
The moment Ma Yuan heard that Cheng Yu had no intention of sparing him at all, despair filled his eyes, and then suddenly turned vicious.
He abruptly drew the Xiuchun Saber from his waist and slashed toward Cheng Yu.
This was Jinyiwei martial arts, the mid-grade saber art Cold Ghost Fiend Saber, which he had already cultivated to great mastery.
His inner force turned into a blade, an icy, sinister aura coiling around it.
From the very beginning, he had intended to feign weakness and launch a sneak attack on Cheng Yu.
“Then die for me!”
The fact that Ma Yuan could become the Jinyiwei Hundred-Household Commander of an entire prefecture meant he was naturally no useless bag of wine and rice.
He was a mid-Fourth Rank martial artist, stronger than any single member of the Three Great Sects, which was why he had been able to keep so many forces in check.
His saber came down in a single slash, determined to use the element of surprise to grievously wound Cheng Yu!
He was only some Third Rank brat with a bit of backing.
If he dared come alone to hunt him down, then he could die!
Watching Ma Yuan suddenly erupt into attack, Cheng Yu immediately let out a scornful laugh.
The Thunder-Cleaving Xiuchun Saber in his hand shot out like a bolt of lightning, thunder cracking loudly in the air.
The aggressive Ma Yuan widened his eyes, unable to believe the sight before him.
That sharp, lightning-wreathed strike came straight at him.
What kind of terrifying power was this?
Was this really the strength of a mere Jinyiwei Senior Banner Captain?
He could not resist even the slightest bit of it!
Filled with despair and regret, both his hands and the Xiuchun Saber in them were shattered apart in a single blow.
“K-kill... me.”
Numbness and pain wracked his body. Not yet dead, Ma Yuan used the last of his strength before losing consciousness to force out those final words.
He knew that if he fell alive into the hands of someone like Cheng Yu, it would be far more terrifying and painful than death itself.
Cheng Yu placed a foot on the back of Ma Yuan’s heavily wounded, unconscious body.
Then he laughed coldly.
“Once you’ve offended me, even dying is no longer up to you.”
Looking at the subordinates who had followed behind him, he calmly turned his gaze toward Ma Yuan’s family, who were now crying bitterly and so frightened that they were nearly pissing themselves.
Behind them were mountains and heaps of gold, silver, and treasures—so much that even several carriages could not carry it all away.
“Jinyiwei Hundred-Household Commander Ma Yuan of Qingjiang Prefecture colluded with outsiders to harm a fellow officer, neglected his duties, and brought disaster upon the people. He has now been brought to justice. Confiscate his entire household!”
【The host has cleared out an internal parasite and scourge, purifying the internal environment of the Jinyiwei. Reward: one bundle of Soul-Seeking Incense (for tracking)!】
Putting away the Soul-Seeking Incense,
Cheng Yu turned his head and looked ahead along the road.
There, he saw a giant sword piercing through the heavens and plunging into the mountains.
Dragon Abyss Prefecture City—Sword-Forging Manor lay just ahead!