Chapter 46: Storming into the Li Estate

A young man wearing a bamboo hat walked down the broad avenue, a long sword strapped across his back. He strode directly toward the imposing estate of the Li family in the southern part of the city.

Sensing a commotion outside, a middle-aged man emerged from the inner courtyard. Dressed in opulent attire, his presence was restrained, yet the vital energy surging within his body remained exceptionally potent. Spotting the intruder, he demanded, "Who are you? To flaunt such blatant hostility is a first in all these years. If you cannot give a satisfactory explanation, you won't be leaving this place alive."

Xie Peiling offered a gentle smile and replied, "I am here for someone."

The middle-aged man asked, "Here for someone? Who? Do you have an invitation?"

Xie Peiling answered, "I am looking for Li Wei and Chu Xiangyun."

The middle-aged man sneered. The head of the Li family and his wife? Who was this person before him, daring to address them by their given names and parading his hostile aura without the slightest concealment? He probed cautiously, "Who on earth are you?"

Xie Peiling replied, "A mere nobody, my name is not worth mentioning. An invitation, of course, I do not have. As for why I am looking for them—naturally, it is to seek instruction on how they disciplined their child. Since they clearly lack the skill, I am here to teach in their stead."

The middle-aged man laughed heartily. "You are truly out of luck today. The family head and his wife have gone to the high terrace, but the young master is home."

Xie Peiling smiled knowingly. "That works out perfectly. I can finish tutoring them right now."

Furious, the middle-aged man threw a punch straight at Xie Peiling's head.

Xie Peiling simply reached out, caught the man's right fist, and then gripped the throat of this formidable martial artist, casually tossing him out into the main street.

Onlookers who had followed from outside recognized the tyrant who had terrorized them for years now lying unconscious and dead to the world. Ignoring the city rules, they swarmed forward, picking up stones to smash against his face.

Blood streamed from his head in all directions. The middle-aged man's eyes bulged in death, filled with lingering grievance. To his final breath, he had no idea what had happened, unaware even that he was already dead. All he remembered was launching an attack on that young man in the bamboo hat.

***

Just as Xie Peiling was about to step across the golden threshold, an iridescent barrier flickered into view. Xie Peiling sneered—it was trying to repel him. He could easily force his way through; the barrier merely served to test one's strength, but he had no desire to enter that way. He withdrew his foot.

Walking to either side of the grand entrance, he swept his hand like a blade, cleanly splitting the red wall in two. With the wall sundered, he kicked the threshold to pieces, his overwhelming aura shattering the hanging plaque above the gate into splinters.

At that moment, two rays of light materialized—divine fragments bestowed by the imperial court, now displaying their brilliance.

Xie Peiling produced a strip of talisman paper from his sleeve and sealed the divine lights within it, murmuring softly, "The agents of the imperial court are already corrupt; you deserve no place here."

The fragments of the two deities were instantly trapped inside the talismanic paper.

The commotion was tremendous, easily drawing the attention of onlookers.

An even more powerful martial artist than the previous one stomped down from the sky, the thunderous crack of broken air resounding through the heavens. A furious roar followed, "Who goes there? Do you not know this is the Li estate? Miserable wretch, prepare to meet your death!"

Xie Peiling treated him just the same. With a single exchange, he struck the man down, casually tossing his body out into the bustling street just like the last.

Next came a cultivator. Though her appearance was fair, her spiritual aura was weak—evidently someone who had only recently succeeded in refining her essence.

The woman smiled derisively. "What little thief dares to be so reckless? Do you not know my husband is in a foul mood today? To slaughter our retainer on a day like this, if you don't..."

Before she could finish, Xie Peiling stepped out in the pattern of the Big Dipper, closing the distance to her in an instant. A faint phantom of the scorching sun appeared behind him, enveloping his entire body in blistering flames.

The woman's face drained of color. Sensing the searing pain inside her body and the chilling proximity of death, she hurriedly shouted out her sect affiliation, desperately hoping to spare her life.

There were no major cultivation sects in the vicinity of Douyuan Prefecture; even across the entire expanse of the province, they were exceedingly rare. Consequently, whenever members of different sects crossed paths, they knew when to stop, avoiding any catastrophic friction. The woman believed it would be the same here.

Bound by years of unspoken rules, she simply could not believe that this youth, fellow cultivator though he might be, would dare to break them.

Nor would she admit defeat. In her mind, Xie Peiling was merely a martial artist, not a true cultivator, meaning she had simply been caught off guard. If they were to fight again, she would never be defeated so easily.

In the flash of a flint, Xie Peiling struck without hesitation, his fist landing squarely on the woman's forehead. Her body smashed through layer after layer of walls, finally coming to rest amidst a heap of rubble.

***

He rubbed his knuckles. The power behind that punch hadn't been overwhelming, but it was certainly more than the female cultivator could withstand. Blood trickled from her head onto the ground, and her breathing stopped entirely.

Xie Peiling pressed onward, marching deeper into the Li family estate. Along the way, numerous martial artists attempted to stop him.

Without a single exception, every last one of them was tossed out into the street. He didn't kill them; he deliberately threw their bodies onto the public thoroughfare to see just how deeply people loathed them, and how many desired their deaths. The repressed hatred of the populace had long since turned into a raging inferno. Seeing each person thrown out, recognizing those familiar, hated faces, the crowd lost all control, driven by a frantic desire to tear them to pieces.

Throughout the journey, nothing could halt Xie Peiling's advance by even a single step as he strode toward the main hall of the Li family.

Empty. True to the gatekeeper's words, upon turning a corner, he found a young man waiting for him—Li Shen. His face was twisted in a hideous grimace, for he was well aware of everything Xie Peiling had done along the way.

Xie Peiling smiled. "We've met before."

Li Shen sneered, "It seems the person tracking you has already been dealt with by you."

Xie Peiling replied, "Indeed. That person was just like you... no, he was inferior to you. After all, he was merely unhinged, while you are a genuine, thoroughbred lunatic."

Li Shen pleaded for mercy, saying, "Let's talk this over. Wouldn't it be better if we sat down and had a cup of tea?"

Xie Peiling shook his head and countered, "If someone wanted to kill you, and that person was standing right before you, and you had the power to kill them, what would you do?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Li Shen answered, "I wouldn't kill him right away."

Xie Peiling said, "You wouldn't kill him immediately; you would torture him, mutilating him until he no longer looked human. So, are you implying that you want me to torture you?"

Li Shen raised an eyebrow. "Immortal masters are forbidden from harming ordinary mortals. That is the rule; you cannot break it."

Xie Peiling replied coldly, "All I know is that someone wants to kill me, so I must fight back and kill them. It is as simple as that. But if you call this a rule, then I shall shatter this rule and execute you right here."