Chapter 64: Chapter 64: I’m a Reasonable Person
[Ugh, sorry everyone. It’s past midnight; something came up and delayed the update. Heh, while I’m at it, could I ask for some recommendation tickets? Brothers and sisters, Xiaodao needs your support!]
Mo Feifei hadn’t even processed what was happening when the guards in front of her leaped into the air, each drawing their weapon. But their reaction was too rushed. How could they possibly withstand a sword strike from Qin Li, one so full of killing intent?
PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!
The Treasure Sword in Qin Li’s hand, glinting with a cold light, suddenly blurred into a flurry of afterimages. Chilling purple Sword Qi pierced through the skulls of the three advancing Guards without the slightest resistance.
These three poor souls were Profound Level Martial Artists, each holding a respectable position in their own family. Yet they died violent deaths without even having time to let out a single scream.
In this world, human lives were as worthless as weeds, and killing a man was as easy as killing a chicken. As long as you possessed overwhelming strength, you possessed power and status!
It all happened so suddenly that Mo Feifei, who also possessed Profound Level strength, had no time to react. Qin Li yanked her over and clamped a hand around her neck. His grip was like an iron pincer, and in that instant, Mo Feifei smelled the stench of death. She tried to scream, but her throat was squeezed so tightly that not a single sound could escape.
Qin Li swung his sword with his right hand and gave a cold smile to Qin Feng and Qin Hu, who were frozen in a daze. "What a fateful encounter, you two!"
WHOOSH! The crowd of Guards who had been surrounding Hu and the other two immediately swarmed toward Qin Li, encircling him completely.
When Hu, Leng Yao, and Bu Yunyan saw Qin Li, they froze. A flicker of emotion even crossed the usually cold Leng Yao’s eyes. But upon seeing the two bodies on the ground, her eyes instantly misted over.
Though they weren’t related by blood, they were trusted companions who would lay down their lives for one another. A moment ago, if Li Jian and He Laosan hadn’t fought so desperately, Hu would have likely fallen as well.
Covered in wounds, his clothes soaked through with blood, Hu was swaying on his feet from blood loss. He looked at the surrounded Qin Li, and this iron-willed man in his thirties couldn’t keep his eyes from growing moist. He mumbled, "Brother, you shouldn’t have come!"
Bu Yunyan sniffled hard and said softly, "If he saw, he would come. Because he’s Qin Li."
"Let her go!"
"Release the young miss!"
"Qin Li, if you’re a man, let Feifei go! What kind of hero holds a woman hostage? You release her, and we’ll release them. We can do an exchange. How about it?" Qin Hu tried to force a smile onto his face, though his eyes remained gloomy.
"’Exchange your sister!’" Qin Li shot Qin Hu a look like he was staring at an idiot.
"Of course, I’ll exchange my little sister!" Qin Hu didn’t catch the sarcasm in Qin Li’s voice and replied in all seriousness.
"’Get the hell out of my way!’" Qin Li ignored Qin Hu completely, sneering inwardly. ’A bunch of blockheads. You haven’t even got them under control and you want to trade with me? If they decided to run right now, would you even dare to give chase?’
Still, Qin Li knew that Bu Yunyan and Leng Yao were fine. The enemy had deliberately avoided them, so neither woman had been seriously injured. But Hu was a different story. Looking at his wounds, it was a miracle, however small, that he was still standing.
Then again, even if Hu hadn’t been injured, he would never have abandoned Qin Li to save himself.
The group of Guards still tried to block his path, but they saw Qin Li’s savage expression. He loosened his left hand ever so slightly, and Mo Feifei let out an earth-shattering shriek.
"AHH!"
But she only got half the sound out before Qin Li tightened his grip again, cutting her off like a hen with its neck suddenly wrung. She swallowed the rest of the scream.
"’If you don’t want me to choke her to death, then move!’" Qin Li’s eyes flashed with undisguised killing intent as he stared down the group of Guards.
The Guards immediately parted to form a path, letting him through. With Mo Feifei still in his grip, Qin Li walked over to Hu. He glanced at the two dead men on the ground, his eyes filled with sorrow, and said in a heavy voice, "I’m sorry. I came too late. You got dragged into this because of me."
"Heh. A pot is bound to break by the well, and a General is bound to fall in battle," Hu said. "In our line of work, we live by licking blood off the blade. Every day we put our lives on the line."
Hu plopped down on the ground and pulled off his shirt, revealing several wounds on his chest and arms. One gash on his chest looked particularly deep, possibly down to the bone. It was a terrifying, mangled mess of blood and flesh.
Mo Feifei’s stomach suddenly churned. Seeing dead bodies from a distance was one thing, but seeing such a gruesome wound up close made her sick. Just then, Hu looked over at her with a cold sneer. Mo Feifei’s face went pale. She wanted to scream but couldn’t, and her body began to tremble.
The group of Guards behind them grew restless. Qin Feng stepped forward, his expression cold as he stared at Qin Li. "Qin Li, I admit, I underestimated you. I’ll concede defeat for today. Release Mo Feifei, and I swear that from this day forward, we will go our separate ways and have nothing more to do with one another!"
Staring into Qin Feng’s clear eyes, which were fixed directly on his own, Qin Li gave a scornful laugh. "Ah, Qin Feng. You must have read in some book that you shouldn’t avert your gaze when you lie, right? Well, let me tell you something, you’re wrong. Most liars love to stare at you with sincere eyes to convince you they’re telling the truth. So... as for what you just said, I don’t believe a damn word of it!"
"Qin Li... you... you’re infuriating me! What will it take for you to believe me?"
Qin Feng was indeed furious, but not because Qin Li had seen through his intentions. For scions of powerful families like him, self-preservation was paramount. Oaths made in such situations were complete bullshit. No, what he couldn’t accept was Qin Li’s utter disregard for him. Qin Feng had never once considered Qin Li his equal.
"Believe you? Unless..."
Qin Li’s eyes raked over Qin Feng before settling on the group of Guards behind him. Their uniforms looked similar at first glance, but a closer look revealed a difference. The Qin Family Guards wore cyan, something Qin Li had seen many times before, while Mo Feifei’s Guards wore gray combat attire.
Judging by their expressions, the Guards in gray were far more nervous. Qin Li did a quick count. He had just killed two of Mo Feifei’s Guards, leaving thirteen. He had killed one of Qin Feng and Qin Hu’s Guards, leaving fifteen.
Qin Li cursed inwardly. ’Damned silk-pants princelings, bringing so many bodyguards with them.’ But seeing Qin Feng’s calm and composed demeanor, Qin Li gave a cold, internal smile as a plan began to form in his mind.
"Unless what?" Qin Feng asked, his expression dark. If it weren’t for Mo Feifei’s delicate status and the presence of the Mo Family Guards, he would have waved his hand and ordered his men to chop Qin Li into paste. ’How dare he try to bargain with me? Qin Li, you just wait!’
Qin Li smiled faintly. "Unless you’re willing to hand over... the ones who murdered my brothers!"
"Impossible!" Qin Feng refused instantly, without a hint of hesitation. ’What a joke. Hand over the killers? The ones who attacked were all Qin Family Guards. Even if they had been from the Mo Family, I wouldn’t dare make that call!’
"Qin Li, don’t you forget you’re a member of the Qin Family too!" Qin Hu roared, his eyes blazing with fury.
Qin Li gave Qin Hu a cold sneer. "Oh, so *now* you remember I’m part of the Qin Family? Well, remember this: I have never been one of you!"
As he spoke, he spat fiercely on the ground as if he’d been gravely insulted. "Pah!"
The faces of Qin Feng, Qin Hu, and all the Qin Family Guards turned livid.
Bu Yunyan and Leng Yao almost laughed at Qin Li’s antics. ’He’s probably the only one who can be so relaxed in a situation like this,’ they thought. But then their gazes fell upon the two cold bodies nearby, and their eyes once again filled with sorrow, quickly followed by a tidal wave of hatred.
Just then, Qin Li’s gaze fell upon them. "You two, point them out. Who killed Li Jian and He Laosan? And who injured Hu?"
Bu Yunyan stood up, her face murderous, and pointed at four or five men across from them. All four or five were Qin Family Guards!
Bu Yunyan was exceptionally sharp; how could she not understand Qin Li’s intentions? The two of them had a tacit understanding that needed no words.
Qin Li’s eyes widened in mock surprise. "That’s it? With the strength of my brothers, Li Jian and He Laosan, just a few mongrels like that were enough to kill them? Bu, take another look. Are you sure?"
Hearing this, the two brothers, Qin Feng and Qin Hu, were so angry they nearly coughed up blood and died on the spot.
’Fucking hell, doesn’t he know how weak those two dead losers were? Did it really take that many people to kill them? One would have been more than enough!’
Bu Yunyan furrowed her delicate brow as if in thought, then proceeded to point out a whole slew of Qin Family Guards. After all, a dozen or so men had been attacking them earlier. None of them were good people; every last one of them deserved to die!
When Bu Yunyan finished pointing, Qin Li turned to the apoplectic, pale-faced Qin Feng and gave him a sinister smile. "Qin Feng, if you want this woman to live, hand over those murderers. You see? I’m a very reasonable person. The choice... is yours!"
