Chapter 694: Suicide

Li Yi had received eighty thousand taels of silver, but he was not happy; he knew he now had enemies in Beihuang City, and this was no good news, for it meant he might no longer be able to live and cultivate in peace as he had before.

Even if he had killed this merchant lord and eliminated this Divine Blood warrior, other troubles would still follow.

So he decided to take a sum of money for now; even if he left Beihuang City later, he could still survive well elsewhere in this world.

"It is our servants' fault for disturbing our guest; please do not blame our master—I am willing to give my life to quell your anger." After the incident temporarily settled, the old servant suddenly knelt before Li Yi.

Before Li Yi could say anything, the old servant seized a short dagger he carried and plunged it straight through his own heart.

His life, already as frail as a candle in the wind, swiftly went out.

In an instant, he was dead.

Li Yi froze. He had never blamed the old servant—after all, it was this man who had cared for him all this time, bringing him fine wine and tender meat—and yet now the servant had chosen suicide to spare Xiu Xiang from his wrath.

"Hah. How ridiculous."

Suddenly, a guest laughed: "How could the life of an old servant appease a noble guest's anger? As a guest myself, I failed to stand up for my master during his time of hardship, failed to defend you against the Divine Blood warrior—this is my dereliction. Let me return my life to my master."

The guest, seemingly a warrior himself, was not weak—but still far inferior to a Divine Blood warrior.

Now that the danger had passed, he felt deep shame and drew his weapon, slashing his own throat, severing his head before all.

Hot blood sprayed out; his large head rolled noisily across the ground, while his headless corpse collapsed lifelessly.

Li Yi fell silent again.

He didn't even know whether he should stop their foolish suicides—or whether he should let them continue.

It seemed this world simply demanded such things; he must abide by its rules.

"As a guest, I failed to give my all; as a guard, I failed to protect the household's safety. Let me make up for my incompetence with my life." One guard suddenly spoke.

He too, without hesitation, severed his own head with his weapon, offering his life.

But this guard's death was not the end—other guests and guards, filled with shame and fury, now prepared to take their own lives as well.

Li Yi could not help speaking: "Too many have died today. Stop this suicide. If you truly wish to serve your master, first repair the household, then go beg forgiveness from Merchant Lord Xiu Xiang. If you keep dying, no one will be left to do the work—and when your master returns, he won't even know what happened here."

"So preserve your lives. This is not cowardice—it is courage, for those who live must bear greater suffering, while the dead feel nothing."

At these words,

the guards and guests, still burning with shame and fury, grew momentarily still, and the suicides ceased.

"Noble guest, our master's servants are dead. Please command us—we wish to do something to atone for our failures." One guest stepped forward, face flushed with urgent pleading.

"Please, noble guest, command us," others echoed, gathering around Li Yi.

For here, Li Yi was the most honored—he was not Xiu Xiang's guest, nor guard, nor servant; he was a guest.

Only he could give orders that all would obey; no one else had the authority to command.

Seeing this, Li Yi did not refuse. He immediately said: "Gather everyone in the household together. If anyone is dead, place their bodies together—do not let a single soul go missing. Assign guards to patrol the perimeter of the estate. Though this place is now ruins, your master still left behind much wealth—you must protect it from outsiders."

"Yes." The guards and guests immediately responded.

They promised Li Yi they would carry out these tasks faithfully.

Soon,

guests began gathering scattered people—servants, concubines, and hidden slaves—while guards circled the estate, warning night-time onlookers not to approach.

This was Merchant Lord Xiu Xiang's home. Even in ruins, it still had the right to bar intruders—unless they sought to plunder, in which case the guards would strike without hesitation.

Perhaps because Li Yi remained.

A powerful Divine Blood warrior was present, deterring many nearby from stepping onto this land, cooling their plundering thoughts.

The bodies of the dead servants and guests were all brought together. Many servants and concubines were injured—caught in the battle, not dead, but unable to move.

The guests placed the wounded together as well.

In moments, order was restored.

Then the survivors began searching the ruins for household treasures.

Someone found a chest of gold. Someone else found many bamboo slips. Someone else discovered Xiu Xiang's hidden treasures.

All these valuables were placed beside Li Yi, for only he had the strength to protect them—and only he was worthy to be near Xiu Xiang's wealth; no one else had that right.

After hours of frantic labor, these trivial tasks were finally finished.

"Enough." Li Yi looked at the ruined estate, then decided to restore it.

"Turn the river."

He channeled his magic power, raising his hand and flipping it.

The ground trembled, the earth churned—and in mere seconds, the ruins were buried beneath the soil. All buildings vanished, replaced by a flat, even surface.

This sight left the guests, guards, and servants stunned. They did not understand what this Great Yi was doing.

But it seemed like a good thing.

Was the noble guest leveling the land, clearing the ruins, to prepare for rebuilding the estate?

Li Yi was not clearing the ruins out of boredom; he channeled his magic power again, pointed his finger, and cast the Dao technique: House Creation.

Back in the End-Dharma Dao world, he had specifically cultivated this technique. With precise control of his magic power, he could build an entire city in moments—though made of stone, it would be sturdy and durable under magical reinforcement, standing unbroken for at least a century.

Building a single mansion now was effortless.

Soon,

the ground writhed, and stone buildings rose one after another.

In less than ten seconds, Xiu Xiang's destroyed estate was restored—though all decorations were gone, all materials now stone, making it plain and unattractive.

"Is this divine magic?"

The guests, guards, and servants stared wide-eyed, utterly astonished.

They were strong enough to destroy a mansion—but could not rebuild one in such a short time. Li Yi's ability surpassed their understanding; they instinctively linked it to the legendary divine magic.

Divine magic, as the name implies, was power only gods could wield.

Some direct-line Divine Blood warriors were said to possess it, but such knowledge was beyond the reach of lowly warriors like them.

Only because Merchant Lord Xiu Xiang had traveled widely and often conversed with the former Lord of Nanshan had he ever mentioned divine magic.

"This will have to do. Arrange everything as it was before. Return to your former quarters." Li Yi spoke slowly.

The others looked at Li Yi with even greater awe.

Indeed—no wonder their master had waited a full year for this noble guest. Such power and ability justified the wait.

"Yes."

After a long pause, they hurriedly pledged their loyalty to Li Yi.

They immediately resumed their duties—some tidied the estate, others guarded the gates. One guest took a hundred taels from Xiu Xiang's remaining wealth, declaring he would buy meat to entertain Great Yi.

Several unharmed concubines also approached Li Yi, offering to serve him.

Everyone did their utmost to care for this noble guest.

(End of Chapter)