Chapter Twenty-Five: The Annihilation of a Family

Xiao Rui was brought to Liu Wenxiang’s room. Since Meihua, the sturdy maid from Miss Wang Chunxiao's quarters, had become her mistress’s personal maid, Xiao Rui was sent to serve in Wang Chunxiao’s room.

As dusk fell, Su Yang, clutching the Black Serpent Dagger, made his way toward the Wang family’s main residence. The night was pitch black; the streets were deserted, with only a few shadowy figures loitering about.

The Wang family’s main house!

Vaulting over the wall, he slipped inside. The elderly gatekeeper was still lost in dreams before Su Yang silently slit his throat. He passed quietly through the servants’ quarters, gliding like a specter in the night, a faint sense of death radiating from his very being.

"Gentlemen, if you succeed in this matter, the second branch’s fortune will be yours to share. I leave it in your hands," Wang Shangfu, adorned in finery, instructed gravely. "Remember, not a soul from the second branch is to be spared. Kill them all—maids, servants, everyone."

"Master, are you certain? If so many are killed, what if the authorities investigate?" One of the ninth-rank martial artists voiced his concern.

"Master Gao, you need not worry. The officials are preoccupied with defending the city right now; they won’t care if a wealthy family is wiped out within the walls. Besides, that son-in-law from the second branch got into a conflict with Young Lord Chen today. Even if suspicions arise, they'll fall on Young Lord Chen, not our main house," Wang Hewen replied with confidence.

"Rest assured, Master, Young Master. That son-in-law from the Su family may have reached ninth rank, but he’s a recent arrival. His victory earlier today was merely the result of a sneak attack that left his opponent grievously wounded. Now, with the three of us ninth-rank martial artists acting together, he is doomed," said Old Liu, a veteran of many years.

"After tonight, not a single soul will remain in the Wang family’s second branch. We’ll even scatter the egg yolks for good measure," Old Liu added with a sinister smile.

The three ninth-rank martial artists strode out. Wang Shangfu, however, looked at his eldest son with concern. "Still no word from your brother?"

Suddenly, a shout split the air. "Who goes there?"

Su Yang burst through the doorway, the Black Serpent Dagger plunging into Old Liu’s chest, straight through his heart. Blood spurted everywhere. The remaining two ninth-rank fighters shouted and attacked at once.

Fists flew, feet kicked, and the dagger flashed coldly. In less than three exchanges, both were stabbed through the heart by Su Yang, falling dead on the spot.

There was indeed a gulf between the eighth and ninth ranks. Eighth-rank warriors, their bodies tempered, could reduce a ninth-rank adversary’s strength by nearly a third with a single blow, leaving them in agonizing pain and unable to put up a fight.

"A fine plan—wiping out my branch of the family," Su Yang said, stepping forward, Black Serpent Dagger in hand, closing in on Wang Shangfu and Wang Hewen.

"Eighth-rank warrior?" Wang Hewen’s eyes widened in terror. With a thud, he fell to his knees, voice trembling. "Spare my life! I swear fealty to you from this day and will even offer you a secret manual!"

He hurriedly produced a yellowed booklet from his robe, his hands trembling. Wang Shangfu, too, dropped to his knees, begging for mercy.

They were clever men; to resist now would be suicide. Begging for mercy at least offered a sliver of hope. Had Wang Hewen known his whole family had already been slaughtered, he would have tried to escape at any cost. But since he’d come with murder in his heart, he would get no mercy.

"Toss the manual over," Su Yang ordered.

Wang Hewen obeyed, throwing the manual at Su Yang’s feet. Su Yang prodded it with his dagger, then wrapped it in a tablecloth from nearby, wary of poison.

"To pull up weeds, one must remove the roots."

"Despicable…!"

That night, the Wang family’s main branch was wiped out to the last soul. Not one survived. Su Yang tested the manual on a local ruffian—there was no sign of poison—so he took it for himself and dumped the body in a stinking ditch.

In Yanggu County these days, corpses were nothing out of the ordinary.

"Curfew! Curfew! Anyone found outside after dark shall be executed! Curfew! Curfew! Anyone found outside after dark shall be executed…!"

The distant clang of gongs sounded, more than one by the tone. Yanggu County had never had a curfew before—why now, all of a sudden?

"Over there! After him! Rebel traitor, one head—one hundred taels of silver!"

A squad of constables, torches in hand, chased a stumbling figure ahead, clearly wounded. He was soon captured and bound.

Had the rebels entered the city?

Su Yang’s heart grew anxious and he hurried home. Along the way, he saw more constables pursuing fleeing rebels. It didn’t seem like a full-scale invasion, but rather that a small band had slipped in.

Seizing an opportunity, Su Yang cornered a lone constable and got the truth.

That night, the rebels had launched a surprise attack at the north gate. Their leader personally opened a breach and sent a group of martial artists into the city. Fortunately, reinforcements arrived in time, and the officers and magistrate managed to drive the rebels back.

Now the authorities were hunting down the rebels who had entered the city—each one an elite, some even seventh-rank martial artists in disguise.

After dumping the constable’s body in a ditch, Su Yang recalled the words of Wang Shangfu: he’d already made an enemy of the Chen family’s young master. If he didn’t settle this now, it would spell endless trouble later.

Meihua was now his woman; the offense she suffered would be avenged tonight.

With the rebels in the city, the authorities had no time to investigate murders. This was the perfect chance to settle all scores—and avoid future headaches.

Su Yang returned to the Wang residence, gathered up the silver and hid it away—about three thousand taels, just a portion, as he’d only searched the most likely rooms in haste. Most of the family wealth was in real estate, but to have so much liquid silver on hand was impressive.

After carefully concealing the silver, he then set off for the Chen household. He left not a single soul alive. Though the family had several ninth-rank martial artists, caught off guard and facing him one-on-one, they were no match.

The Chen family—exterminated!

The young master of the Chens died filled with regret. He’d planned to take care of Su Yang in a few days, fearing that a recent quarrel would cast suspicion on him if anything happened. Little did he expect that Su Yang would strike first, and that he was actually an eighth-rank master. The Chens could have hired an eighth-rank warrior, but the patriarch, stingy as ever, opted for a few ninth-rank men, trusting the authorities to keep the peace. Yet chaos had come too swiftly—the government could no longer protect the people, giving Su Yang the boldness to act and costing Master Chen his entire family.

Before the rebel siege, Su Yang would never have dared exterminate a family. If the authorities traced it back to him, all his careful planning would be for nothing. But now, brute strength rendered all intrigue meaningless. Take Liang Baihe, for instance: the moment he was crushed by a single blow, all his plotting collapsed in an instant.

The Chen family had even more silver—about five thousand taels. Together with the Wang family’s three thousand, it totaled eight thousand taels, or about eight hundred catties. It took two trips with oxhide sacks to carry it all home and hide it away. (In Da Qian, one catty equals ten taels.)

After all this was done, dawn was near. Meihua was still resting, while Taohua and Li Doukou had gone to sleep in the side rooms.

Name: Su Yang (Quasi-Immortal)
Incense Value: 155
Realm: Eighth Rank, Tempered Flesh
Techniques: [Incense Division] [Qi Sight] [Heart-Control Bug]
Manuals: [Azure Ox Long Fist+]
Lifespan: 99+
Family Progress: The family’s advancement is proceeding smoothly. You are ruthless enough, and have acquired the ability to seize resources. Once your second wife is pregnant, you will gain 30 incense points!
Daily Reminder: Once the child is a month into gestation, incense value will continue to accrue!