Chapter 246: Chapter 244: Kill You
As the maid spoke, she sensed something was wrong with the atmosphere in the room and stammered in terror, "Old Master, I didn’t mean to... I’m sorry, I’ll leave right now..."
Shangguan Tie sighed and waved his hand. "It’s all right. You may go."
Qin Li had originally intended to teach Shangguan Buhui and his son a lesson, but seeing Shangguan Shiyu’s current mental state, he knew this was not the right time. He then glanced at Old Master Shangguan Tie, who looked as if he had aged decades in an instant, and sighed to himself. ’Forget it. So be it. I’ve always lived by a code of swift justice, repaying both kindness and enmity, but for the woman I love, I’ll make an exception this once. I’ll spare them. When Shiyu’s emotions have stabilized in a few days, I’ll come back to ask Shangguan Tie where her parents’ Sect was, who their enemies were, and how they died. After I understand all that, I can finally say goodbye to the Shangguan Family for good!’
"Old Master, Shiyu isn’t doing well," Qin Li said to Shangguan Tie, his expression sincere. "There are some things I need to discuss, but I’ll come back in a couple of days. Please, rest assured. I won’t make things difficult for the Shangguan Family over the matter you’re worried about. And I will talk to Shiyu."
"Alas, Qin Li, you are a good boy," Shangguan Tie’s voice was filled with sorrow. "Shiyu is lucky to have you. The Shangguan Family... we have wronged her terribly! That child has had a difficult life from the very beginning. It was only with my constant protection that she’s survived to this day. The Shangguan Family owes her everything and has given her nothing in return. Qin Li, you are Shiyu’s fiancé. Please, allow me to call you ’my boy’. Take Shiyu and go far away. Just don’t... ever come back! This family isn’t worth her attachment."
As Shangguan Tie spoke, Shangguan Shiyu simply stood beside Qin Li, vacant and unhearing. But deep within her eyes, a profound sadness swirled. Those once vibrant, lively eyes were now filled with nothing but a blank haze.
"I understand." Qin Li put his arm around Shangguan Shiyu’s slender waist. "Let’s go."
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside. Shangguan Buhui arrived in a rush, leading Shangguan Xuanyu and a group of the Shangguan Family’s senior members. When Shangguan Xuanyu saw Qin Li’s hand on Shangguan Shiyu’s waist, his pupils contracted, and a venomous look flashed in his eyes.
"Father, what... what happened? Shiyu... why is she like this?" Shangguan Buhui asked with a look of feigned concern. Then, he frowned, turning a stern gaze on Qin Li. "You punk, did you upset my precious niece? Huh? You dare to do this right at the Shangguan Family’s doorstep? If my niece were to marry you, wouldn’t you bully her to death? Hmph! I don’t care how powerful you are. As Shiyu’s uncle, I will absolutely not tolerate you treating her poorly! Otherwise, even if it costs me my life, I will not let you get away with it!"
"That’s right! Qin Li, I know you can’t stand me, but as Shiyu’s older brother, I have to say something! Shiyu has finally come home. Where do you think you’re taking her? This is her home! And as her brother, I’m putting my foot down today. Shiyu isn’t going anywhere. She’s staying right here!"
Shangguan Xuanyu spoke with righteous indignation, pointing a finger at Qin Li. "As for you, Qin Li, go wherever you damn well please! Even if you try to use your status as a Duke to crush me, I’m not afraid!"
"What are you all doing here?" Shangguan Tie’s pent-up anger finally erupted. Seeing this crowd of the family’s legitimate sons and grandsons, he couldn’t help but fly into a rage. "What business is it of yours whether Shiyu stays or goes? Who told you Qin Li was the one who bullied her?" he roared. "Now all of you, get lost! Stop making a spectacle of yourselves!"
"Father, you are mistaken," Shangguan Buhui said. "I am the Patriarch of this family now. You have already stepped down and passed the Patriarch Token into my hands. That means I have the authority to seek justice for my niece!"
Shangguan Buhui completely ignored Shangguan Tie’s statement that Qin Li had nothing to do with it. "This Qin Li is outrageous," he continued. "I will never agree to marry Shiyu to a man like him. So what if he’s a Duke? Does being a Duke give him the right to bully people whenever he wants?"
Behind him, a few of Shangguan Buhui’s cronies chimed in with sarcastic, backhanded remarks.
"Hmph. Young and successful. He relies on his noble status and looks down on everyone. It’s clear he has no respect for our Shangguan Family!"
"I agree. Miss Shi Yu was away for so many years. She finally returns, her training complete, only to be ordered around by an outsider. The Shangguan Family raised her all these years for nothing!"
"Alas, I feel so sorry for Miss Shi Yu. What a misfortune to have found a man like that."
Shangguan Tie stood to one side, his face ashen with fury. The aura of a Celestial Level master suddenly erupted from him as he roared at the crowd, "Are you trying to stage a rebellion? All of you, get out! Get out! GET OUT!"
But in response, Shangguan Xuanyu also unleashed the aura of a Celestial Level master, pushing back against his grandfather’s without a hint of weakness. He then looked smugly at Qin Li and sneered, "Grandfather, what do you think you’re doing? Cursing us—the legitimate sons of the family—so viciously all for an outsider? We’re just trying to help our dear sister Shiyu and keep her from being taken advantage of."
"You... You people!"
Shangguan Tie slowly closed his eyes, clutching his chest and taking a deep breath. He had suffered a tremendous blow ever since hearing the tragic news about Shiyu’s parents. He had even coughed up a mouthful of blood at the time, and his internal injuries still hadn’t fully healed.
The messenger had said they never actually saw the bodies of Shangguan Shiyu’s parents, but their bags and belongings had been found. The people themselves were gone. If they hadn’t met with some disaster, why wouldn’t they have returned?
The messenger had waited two or three years before finally confirming their deaths. They had sent some Elixirs along with the couple’s personal effects to the Shangguan Family as a form of compensation.
After all, after joining that Sect, Shangguan Shiyu’s parents had made significant contributions, all with the goal of obtaining the Spirit Pills needed to cure their daughter’s strange illness.
Shangguan Tie’s vision began to blur. He said slowly, "You... all of you... are very good! Very good! Qin Li, take Shiyu and leave. And never, ever come back! I will come to your estate in a few days to explain everything."
The expressions on the faces of Shangguan Buhui and his son changed simultaneously. The people behind them also began to look at Shangguan Shiyu with shifty, evasive eyes.
"No! Shiyu has come from so far away, she must stay at home!" Shangguan Buhui declared, his tone firm as iron. "She and Qin Li are not yet married. For her to live at his estate... if word of this got out, how could the Shangguan Family hold its head up in Yellow Sand City? Hmph! I’ll say this to your face, Qin Li: if you want revenge, then come at me! For the honor of the Shangguan Family, I, Shangguan Buhui, will risk everything!"
The group of legitimate Shangguan sons behind Shangguan Buhui were all visibly moved. ’What a great Patriarch! He’s willing to do anything to protect the family’s honor!’
"Exactly. Unlike some people, born from some common girl. Our Shangguan Family, on the other hand..." Shangguan Xuanyu was saying with a smug, sarcastic shake of his head when a shadow suddenly flashed before him. Before he could react, he felt his body being lifted off the ground.
He looked down to see Qin Li holding him aloft. Qin Li’s eyes were filled with ice-cold killing intent.
"What are you doing? What do you think you’re doing?! Put me down! Put me down right now! Qin Li, don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re a Duke! The Shangguan Family isn’t afraid of you!"
"Are you finished?" Qin Li’s voice seemed to emanate from the depths of the Nine Netherworld Hell.
"Qin Li, what do you think you’re doing?" Shangguan Buhui roared.
"Let the Young Master go! Or we won’t be so courteous!"
"Let go of my son, you little bastard!" a woman shrieked, clawing her way through the crowd and lunging at Qin Li.
Shangguan Tie squeezed his eyes shut. The once-powerful Master Shangguan, the once-commanding Master Shangguan, the Master Shangguan who once held all of Yellow Sand City in his iron grip—now, he could only murmur to himself as tears streamed down his aged face, "The Shangguan Family... What sins did we commit to deserve this!"
THUMP!
Qin Li kicked the woman squarely in the chest. Her shrill, caustic voice stopped abruptly as she was sent flying back into the crowd, dead before she hit the ground.
Several of the Shangguan Family’s masters, their faces contorted with rage, began to surround Qin Li. It seemed they had forgotten the fearsome reputation the young Marquis once held throughout the Cyan Dragon Kingdom.
Shangguan Shiyu remained standing there, motionless, as if everything happening before her had nothing to do with her at all.
Qin Li released just a fraction of his aura. Instantly, the surrounding men felt as if they had been struck by a massive hammer. The pressure crushed them, their faces turning beet red, their eyes bulging, and their tongues lolling out of their mouths.
Qin Li looked at Shangguan Xuanyu, still dangling from his grasp, and spoke softly, quoting him, "Our family still has some deadly poison, doesn’t it? Let’s just poison that Qin Li to death... Hmph, Qin Li, you’ll finally die by my hand... What I can’t have, no one else can!"
Shangguan Xuanyu stared at Qin Li in utter terror, his expression one of complete disbelief, as if he were seeing a ghost.
Even Shangguan Shiyu, who had been standing as still as a walking corpse, couldn’t help but lift her head. She gazed at Qin Li, then turned an incredulous look toward Shangguan Xuanyu, Shangguan Buhui, and their cronies. The light in her eyes began to slowly, inexorably fade.
"What are you talking about? I-I-I-I... I don’t understand!"
Qin Li’s oppressive aura was not directed at Shangguan Xuanyu, yet he was still so terrified he could only stammer, his handsome face a deathly white.
"Sister Shiyu, you... don’t listen to him! Qin Li, what are you—AAGH!"
Qin Li didn’t let him finish. He grabbed Shangguan Xuanyu by the hair, and as the boy stared back in utter terror, Qin Li twisted his wrist and gave a cold smirk. "I’m going to kill you!"
CRACK.
