Ch. 39 - Begin Your Performance

The three men who entered the inn appeared to be a leader flanked by two subordinates. The man in the center was tall and muscular, with a prominent scar across his face.

He radiated a strong murderous aura, a man clearly accustomed to killing.

At that moment, Xu Zimo and his group were calmly eating when the scarred man walked straight to their table, picked up a chicken leg from their food, and started eating without saying a word.

“Who the hell are you? Can’t you see this is our food?” Little Gui stood up and shouted angrily.

The scarred man gave him a sideways glance. Spiritual energy surged in his right hand, and he slammed his palm onto the table in front of him.

The table instantly shattered into pieces, and all the food spilled onto the ground.

“Who is this guy? So arrogant?” a nearby diner asked in confusion.

“That’s the captain of the White Crane Mercenary Group, Xiao Baihe. He’s a dangerous man, don’t speak up,” someone next to him whispered in warning.

“Who sent you?” Xu Zimo asked with a smile, showing no sign of anger.

Xiao Baihe hesitated, his expression changing slightly, but he responded roughly, “Who sent me? No one, I just don’t like your face.”

Xu Zimo smiled, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and then, a flash of a blade.

In an instant, Xiao Baihe’s legs were sliced off cleanly at the knees.

He didn’t even have time to react. The speed was too fast, he felt no pain at first.

Only when his legs hit the ground and his body collapsed did the searing pain reach his nerves. He looked down at the stumps of his legs and screamed in agony, his face pale as sweat poured from his forehead.

…

“Who sent you?” Xu Zimo asked again, still smiling.

“I don’t know,” Xiao Baihe gritted out stubbornly.

A sharp blade sliced across his neck. Blood sprayed a full meter. In his final moments, Xiao Baihe’s eyes were filled with disbelief.

His two subordinates stood frozen, completely terrified.

When Xu Zimo turned his gaze toward them, both men trembled and suddenly dropped to their knees, kowtowing in fear.

“Who sent you?” Xu Zimo asked once more.

“It was the Situ Clan, someone from their inner circle, the chief steward, approached our captain,” one of the men stammered.

“Would you be willing to testify with me at the Situ residence?” Xu Zimo asked.

“I…” The man hesitated.

A flash of the blade, his head hit the floor, eyes still wide open in death.

Xu Zimo turned to the last remaining man. “Would you be willing to testify?”

The man struggled internally, then began frantically kowtowing. His forehead cracked open and bled. “Please, sir, spare me! If I testify, my whole family will be killed!”

“I gave you a chance. You didn’t take it.” Xu Zimo shook his head, and with another strike, the head rolled across the floor like a ball.

He yawned, shook his head again, and muttered to himself, “Boring.”

…

“That was excessive, my friend,” came a voice. A young man in white, holding a folding fan, stepped forward and sighed.

“What do you mean?” Xu Zimo asked, looking at him with interest.

“Let me introduce myself, Zheng Guangkai,” the youth said, opening his fan with a flourish. “You don’t seem like an ordinary man. If you had kept one of them alive, even just one, you could’ve used them as witnesses to seek justice at the Situ residence. But now that you’ve killed all three, you’ve got no evidence. Isn’t that a waste?”

“What the hell does that have to do with you?” Xu Zimo asked bluntly.

“Uh…” Zheng Guangkai froze, embarrassed, and stepped aside, staying quiet.

Xu Zimo glanced at Little Gui and said, “Little Gui, begin your performance.”

Little Gui nodded and, without warning, raised his iron staff and swung it at Xu Zimo.

Xu Zimo kicked him to the ground and roared, “Speak! Who sent you?”

“It was the Situ Clan’s chief steward! I’m willing to testify!” Little Gui shouted.

“Good. Let’s go settle this with the Situ Clan,” Xu Zimo said, grabbing Little Gui by the collar. Lin Ruhu followed as the group strode out of the restaurant with purpose.

Zheng Guangkai stood off to the side, stunned. “Damn… that’s one way to do it.”

…

As they walked down the bustling streets, Lin Ruhu asked curiously, “Brother Zimo, why is the Situ Clan targeting us?”

“Because we saved Situ Yunqing, and messed up someone’s plan,” Xu Zimo replied with a smile.

Lin Ruhu nodded slowly, unsure if he fully understood. “So… do you think the Situ Clan will believe Little Gui is really from the White Crane Mercenaries?”

“You still don’t get it,” Xu Zimo said. “It doesn’t matter whether he’s really from the White Crane. It doesn’t even matter if they believe it.”

“What matters is… our fists are bigger.”

Lin Ruhu blinked. “Fists? Oh, I think I get it. If your fists are big enough, you can turn black into white, and white into black.”

…

Meanwhile, at the Situ Clan’s estate, the atmosphere was tense. Ever since Situ Yunqing’s return, the entire family had been on edge, a storm brewing on the horizon.

Inside the family’s meeting hall, the mood was heavy.

The Grand Elder looked at Situ Yuntian, the head of the family, and said, “Patriarch, we’re all happy that Yunqing is back. But having her immediately registered in the family records and formally acknowledged, don’t you think that’s a bit much? She didn’t grow up in this household. Shouldn’t we take it slow?”

“I agree,” said the Second and Third Elders, clearly having coordinated their stance.

“You all have objections to my decision?” Situ Yuntian asked, frowning.

“We’re thinking of the Situ Clan’s future,” the Grand Elder said firmly. “There are rumors flying throughout the household. Patriarch, you must consider the big picture.”

As they spoke, a servant burst into the hall in a panic.

“Patriarch, Elders! Three men have shown up at the gate demanding justice. They injured several patrol guards. Even Captain Lou tried to stop them, and got cut down with a single strike!”

Situ Yuntian’s expression darkened. Captain Lou was in charge of family security, and one of the strongest people in the estate, second only to the Patriarch and Elders.

“The intruders claim to be disciples of the True Martial Sacred Ground and say someone from our family tried to have them assassinated,” the servant added.

“True Martial Sacred Ground?” Situ Yuntian instantly realized the gravity of the situation. That sect was a colossal force, a mountain looming over the entire Western Region.

“We’ve never crossed any disciples from that sect, have we?” he said nervously.

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