Chapter 38: His word is law: anyone who dares to bully a woman shall be slain!

The other three nodded, also looking over doubtfully.

Moonlight poured onto the slope of the underground parking lot's entrance, obscuring the view outside, yet the sound of hooves grew ever clearer in the silent surroundings.

"Surely no one would be riding a horse here in this half‑finished building in the middle of the night, right?"

The bald man muttered a remark.

The other two said that was impossible; probably someone nearby kept horses, and the horse had run away.

The driver ordered, "Go check it out."

The three walked cautiously toward the exit together.

But at that moment, the hoofbeats stopped.

The atmosphere inexplicably felt eerie; the driver frowned, watching the three's retreating backs.

Ning Jinli calmed down, taking advantage of the driver's distraction, she subtly used her knee to slide his half‑removed denim shorts further down.

Earlier, to make it easier to pull her pants down, the driver had been forced to untie the rope on her legs.

After finally managing to slide the denim shorts down, she held her breath, preparing to rise and flee, when the driver suddenly turned his head and demanded, "What are you trying to do?"

"I…" Ning Jinli thought quickly, then said pitifully, "Since I can't escape anyway, I might as well cooperate willingly—I'll take off my pants myself."

The driver saw through her, raising his palm sternly: "Who are you fooling? Do you think I can't tell you want to run?"

It looked like another slap was about to fall.

Suddenly, bang bang bang!

Three dull thuds in succession!

The bald man and the others seemed to be struck by a tremendous force from outside the parking lot entrance, rolling down the slope like sandbags.

The three, as if seeing ghosts, vomited blood while scrambling and crawling.

On the slope of the entrance, a long shadow appeared slowly in the moonlight, accompanied by steady hoofbeats.

"What the hell…" the driver's face changed.

Just from the shadow, it looked like a monster.

Its size was too huge!

Until the shadow kept moving downward.

Xiao Qidi, riding a black warhorse, finally appeared before them.

Moonlight from the night sky behind them fell on him and his horse, as if draping them in silver armor.

Man and horse, tall and mighty, like a deity descending from heaven, exuding immense pressure!

"Xiao Qidi!" Ning Jinli's tears burst forth.

She had been kidnapped, and even her phone had been taken by the thugs, leaving her unable to contact anyone; she never expected Xiao Qidi to be able to follow her here.

Now she could be rescued, and she was no longer afraid at all!

The driver wore a strange expression; nowadays someone actually dares to take the name of an ancestral emperor—doesn't he fear he can't bear it?

"Release her." Xiao Qidi's thin lips moved slightly.

In the darkness, only the moonlight spilling onto the slope of the parking lot entrance revealed his rough outline.

His features and expression could not be made out.

But his eyes glowed with a cold light in the darkness.

His voice was not loud, yet it was icy and authoritative, echoing softly in the garage.

"You three!" the driver shouted at his accomplices, "If you're not dead, get up, grab your weapons! Can't we four handle a mere brat?!"

The bald man and the others were still shaken.

Just moments ago, as they stepped out, they hadn't even reacted before being knocked down by that horse.

Their whole bodies felt like they were about to fall apart.

Enduring the pain, they got up, limped to the van, and pulled out several iron rods.

"Kid, I don't care what you have to do with this girl; you'd better stay out of it—get as far away as you can!" the driver barked.

Xiao Qidi continued to approach on horseback.

The other three, holding iron rods, were forced back by his aura, yet they tried to bluff with bravado.

"You… you don't come any closer!"

"If you come nearer, we'll attack!"

"You think I won't beat you to death?"

Xiao Qidi ignored them; upon seeing Ning Jinli's disheveled state, his black eyes flashed with killing intent.

One didn't need to ask to know what these people intended to do to her!

"Damn, are you deaf?" the bald man snarled, swinging his iron rod.

Xiao Qidi held the Long Sword he had casually taken from the ancient‑style theme restaurant, and with a casual swing he blocked the iron rod.

With a crisp bang.

The iron rod and the Long Sword scraped, sending out sparks.

The bald man's tiger mouth went numb from the shock, and the iron rod slipped from his grasp.

Before he could react, the Long Sword was already resting beside his neck.

It was chilly, making him shiver, and he instinctively raised his hands.

The driver swore, "You fucking idiot? It's just an unsharpened craft piece—what are you afraid of? Can he even cut you with this thing?!"

Only then did the bald man come to his senses.

He glanced at the sword by his neck, breathed a sigh of relief, and sneered, "Kid, even a watermelon knife would be more useful than this thing—are you planning to cut me with it?"

"Come on, go ahead and cut."

The bald man lifted his head, using his neck to press against the sword, "An unsharpened thing—can it even kill someone?"

Xiao Qidi slowly moved the Long Sword aside.

The bald man laughed, turned, and said to the driver, "Brother, I almost got scared by this kid—he's just an idiot."

The other two also relaxed and laughed.

The moved-aside Long Sword was then raised high by Xiao Qidi.

Ning Jinli quickly closed her eyes.

She had seen how strong Xiao Qidi was.

Swish—

The Long Sword swung down fiercely!

The bald man's egg‑like head flew up.

Hiss—

The cleanly severed neck shot out a fountain of blood!

The bald man's head hit the ground, rolling gurgling to the feet of the other two, perfectly illuminated by the van's headlights.

His face still bore the expression of his recent laughter.

"Who said an unsharpened blade can't kill?" Xiao Qidi said coldly.

The other two were terrified to the point of losing control of their bowels and bladder.

They'd done plenty of bad things, but they'd never even seen a killing before.

And now they actually watched, wide‑eyed, as one of their companions' heads was chopped off!

"Brother… brother, spare my life!"

The two dropped their iron rods and fell to their knees with a thud.

Xiao Qidi leapt down from the horse, sprinted over, his tall frame flashing past the two, and his Long Sword flashed a beautiful arc.

Swish swish—

Two more heads hit the ground!

"Ah!!!" the driver's face went pale, "You… you actually killed someone!"

"Killing?" Ning Jinli heard those words and quickly opened her eyes.

When she saw the blood‑soaked ground and three headless corpses, she too was stunned.

The driver roared in terror, "You you you… you killed someone! Is there any heavenly principle left? Any royal law?"

Xiao Qidi, holding the blood‑dripping Long Sword, gave the driver a cold look and said, "By heavenly principle, obeying royal law, those who molest women shall be slain."

"Who said that?! This damn heavenly principle and royal law? You… you… you're just a lunatic! A madman!" the driver was near breaking point.

"I am stating the royal law." Xiao Qidi advanced, sword raised.

In desperation, the driver grabbed Ning Jinli and pulled her up, then pulled a spring knife from his pocket and pressed it to her neck.

Faced with such a murder‑without‑blinking madman, he had no other recourse.

"Don't come closer!" the driver, sweat beading on his face, stammered, "You know this girl, right? You're here to save her, right? You… you… if you don't stop, I'll… I'll kill her!"

Ning Jinli didn't dare breathe, fearing that if the driver got agitated, her life would be forfeit.

Xiao Qidi pondered briefly, stopped, and asked, "Why did you seize her?"

The driver swallowed, saying, "We… we were just doing it for money, no other reason."

"Oh?" Xiao Qidi stared into his eyes and continued, "Who ordered it?"

The driver replied, "Damned if I know! We contacted anonymously online! For this kind of job, the employer certainly wouldn't let us know their identity!"

Xiao Qidi's eyes narrowed slightly, "If so, then there's no need to keep you alive."

His words fell.

He suddenly raised his hand and flung the Long Sword away.

In the blink of an eye, the Long Sword pierced the driver's brow and went straight through his head.

The driver died without making a sound, collapsing to the ground.

"Xiao… Xiao Qidi… you killed someone… what are we to do?" Ning Jinli, as if her soul had left her, slumped to a sitting position.

Xiao Qidi said calmly, "They deserved to die."

Ning Jinli looked up at him, "But this is the modern world; according to the law, criminals must be handed over to the authorities for trial…"

Xiao Qidi wore a defiant expression, "I am not of your world, so why should I follow your laws?"

Ning Jinli: …

He had said that, and she truly didn't know how to respond.

Xiao Qidi untied the ropes on her hands and helped her to her feet.

Seeing her swollen cheeks and blood at the corner of her mouth, his eyes involuntarily flashed with pity.

Ning Jinli bent down, snatched up her pants, quickly put them on, tried hard to stay calm, but she was still tense and trembling all over.

"You… you really shouldn't have killed." She said, clutching her fingers.

Xiao Qidi frowned, "They so insulted you; I slew them—do you think I'm wrong?"

Ning Jinli gritted her teeth, "I said, this is the modern world!"

Xiao Qidi's eyes darkened a bit, "I also said, I am not of this world."

"You…" Ning Jinli rubbed her forehead, "Never mind, never mind—now isn't the time to argue with you about this; we need to dispose of the bodies quickly, or we'll eventually be found out."

Xiao Qidi's gaze grew dark, and he remained silent.

Ning Jinli looked at the blood‑soaked ground, her stomach churning incessantly.

However, having once before witnessed a dismembered corpse with her own eyes, this time she did not vomit.

"Ah…… How am I supposed to deal with this?" she said, her head pounding, muttering, "If I'd known, I shouldn't have brought you out."

She was thinking that if it weren't for a sudden whim to let Xiao Qidi experience modern life, she wouldn't have taken him to a restaurant.

Then she wouldn't have been kidnapped at the restaurant.

Basically, the trouble arose because of her own actions, and she was blaming herself.

However, Xiao Qidi misinterpreted, suddenly tightening his face and speaking coldly: "So you not only think I'm wrong, you're also blaming me?"

Ning Jinli had been repeatedly stimulated, her nerves stretched to the limit.

Hearing his words, she felt he was being contrary, and like a gunpowder keg ignited at the slightest spark, she blurted out angrily, "Ah, yes, yes, yes! You're wrong, it's all your fault! Satisfied now?"

An invisible chill suddenly spread from Xiao Qidi's body.

He suppressed some anger in his eyes, then turned and walked away.

"Huh?" Ning Jinli shouted, "Why don't you help think of a solution!"

Xiao Qidi leapt onto his horse, coldly throwing down a line: "With Miss Ning's intelligence, why would I need to help think of a solution? I'd better stay out of it, lest I mess something up again."

Having said that, he jerked the reins and rode off on his horse.

Ning Jinli stood there, dumbfounded.

This brat…

Did he really just leave her like that? He seems to be angry?

How bizarre!

"Xiao Qidi!" Ning Jinli yelled, "Stop right there! Come back!"

However, all she got in reply was his retreating back and the sound of hooves fading into the distance.

"Fine, fine, fine," Ning Jinli snapped, her hair standing on end, "You'd better never show up in front of me again… I… I won't have anything to do with you from now on!"

Woo—night wind poured in.

The chill made Ning Jinli break out in gooseflesh all over.

She shivered, looked around, and her heart began to race.

Four beheaded corpses, blood everywhere…… a pitch‑black underground parking lot.

She wailed out loud.

"Xiao Qidi…… you bastard…… waaah!"

She cried, she cursed.

No matter how scared she was, she had to steel herself and figure out how to deal with the bodies.

Otherwise, she'd definitely be held responsible for this later, with no way to explain it to the cops—she'd end up in jail.

She dragged the corpses onto the van while crying.

The bodies of four big men exhausted her to the point her arms and legs felt like they'd break.

But she didn't dare catch her breath.

She also stripped off a few pieces of clothing, trembling as she wrapped the heads, then stuffed them into the cargo area.

Finally she found the car keys in the van, plus her phone that had been snatched, and mustering her courage she drove off.

Ning Jinli felt her head swimming, her nerves stretched to the limit.

Not long ago, she was just a fine young woman who'd never even dealt with chickens or ducks.

Now, however, she was dragging a van full of corpses, trying to figure out what to do.

"What to do, what to do……"

Ning Jinli wiped cold sweat, kept taking deep breaths, "Stay calm, absolutely stay calm……"

No one could help with this; she simply couldn't explain it.

She could only figure it out herself.

"Ah! I've got it!" Ning Jinli's eyes lit up; the sweat‑drenched face finally relaxed a little.

She checked her phone to see where she was on the map.

Then she carefully studied the route, and driving the rattling broken‑bread van, she lurched toward a more secluded stretch of road…

The van had just pulled out of Lan Wei Lou.

By the underground parking lot, Xiao Qidi rode out of the darkness on his horse.

He patted the horse's head, "Horse, horse, tell me—is she bold or timid, meticulous or careless?"

"Say she's timid—she actually dared to move the corpses alone."

"Say she's bold—she moved them while trembling, scared to tears."

"Say she's careless—but she knows she has to dispose of the bodies properly; say she's careful? She ignored the blood all over the ground."

The horse shook its head and let out a loud snort.

Xiao Qidi added, "You also find her hard to read, right? And I killed those who wanted to defile her, yet she's angry at me. Heck, a woman's mind is usually this unfathomable. Even after two thousand years, it's still incomprehensible."

As he muttered to himself, the image and voice of a certain woman surfaced in his mind.

His heart suddenly clenched with pain, and even his eyes filled with a cold, hateful glare.

He closed his eyes to calm himself, then dismounted, patted the horse, and said, "Wait here for me; I'm going to clean up the blood."

——

One night passed.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

In the camp tent of Lin Xian Village, Duan Wu was startled awake.

"General Duan, the scout has brought back something important—His Majesty isn't here, please take a look, General!" the messenger hurriedly knelt, presenting a carrier pigeon with both hands.

He then explained that after the army had wiped out Ba Yong's forces overnight, His Majesty had sent scouts to lurk near the Yu Guo border pass.

A scout captured a carrier pigeon that had flown from the direction of the Royal City of Yu Guo.

Surely it was important military intelligence, so he spurred his horse on and sent back the pigeon with a small bamboo slip tied to its leg.

Duan Wu hurriedly untied the bamboo slip, widened his eyes and carefully examined the tiny characters, smaller than a grain of rice.

As he looked, his face changed dramatically!