Chapter 384: Kill them all, leave not a single one alive!

The young man struggled for a moment in his eyes, then gritted his teeth and thudded to his knees toward the stairs, slamming his forehead to the ground with a dull thump.

"Elder! This junior has blind eyes and spoke rashly, offending Elder. Whether to strike or punish, this junior will not complain."

"I only beg… I only beg Elder, considering we are all righteous figures of Wu Lin, framed and hunted by villains with no way out, to lend us aid!"

"All blame rests on this junior alone; I only beg Elder to save my companions."

His voice was hoarse, filled with resolve.

"A Cheng! Don't!"

The old man hurriedly reached out to pull him, the other two also showing urgent expressions.

"Enough."

Chen Mu spoke calmly, his voice low but cutting through their argument clearly.

He raised his hand, signaling them to stop, "No more arguing. Stand up, all of you."

Chen Mu looked at the four below, his expression still calm, "While those outside are still hesitant and dare not launch an immediate assault, flee this place quickly. Whether you escape depends on your own fate."

Chen Mu had no obligation and did not wish to be drawn into this local faction's vendetta. Saving Long Tuantu and waiting for Long Fengfei was his primary mission.

"Elder…" the young man still tried to plead.

"A Cheng, don't make Elder suffer further!"

The old man gripped him tightly, drew a deep breath, forced through his wounds, and bowed deeply to Chen Mu, "Thank you, my lord, for sparing us punishment and for driving off our pursuers, granting us this brief chance. We owe you a great debt but cannot express it— we take our leave now, and will not trouble you further!"

Saying this, he forcibly dragged the youth with a face full of resentment, and gave a glance to the other two.

The four supported each other, cast a wary look at the flickering torchlight outside the door, clenched their teeth, and charged out through the broken doorway.

Indeed, the Liu family's forces, about twenty to thirty men, wielding swords, knives, and torches, merely shouted and surrounded them upon their exit, but did not launch an immediate fierce attack— clearly wary of the "expert" inside the restaurant.

The four pushed themselves to their limits, fighting their way toward the other end of the alley.

But good fortune did not last.

Less than half a cup of tea later, a denser, faster rush of footsteps and shouts came from the alley's entrance.

"Third Young Master has arrived!"

"Surround them! Don't let a single one escape!"

"Kill!"

The old man and his three companions, who had just fled, were now intercepted again by a new wave of Liu family enforcers— more numerous and far more formidable in aura.

They bore several new wounds, retreating to near the restaurant's entrance, backs pressed against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat, their eyes filled with despair.

The Liu family's forces regrouped, sealing off the restaurant's entrance and surrounding alleyways completely, torches blazing, blades glinting.

But perhaps due to prior lessons, their movements had noticeably slowed, their glances frequently darting toward the dark, wide-open doorway of the restaurant, brimming with deep wariness.

At that moment, a young man dressed in lavish brocade robes, with a sinister face and a hooked nose, pushed through the crowd, flanked by his guards.

He glanced at the battered four, backed against the wall like cornered beasts, then flicked his eyes toward the silent restaurant, curling his lips into a cold smile as he barked, "Didn't you all eat dinner? What are you waiting for? Attack! Kill them all, leave not a single one alive!"

"Third Young Master."

A subordinate who seemed to be the leader hurried forward, pointing at the restaurant and whispering, "Inside… inside there may be a Mid Innate Stage expert. Just now, Xie Mazi and the others were injured by shards of wood thrown from within!"

"Mid Innate Stage?"

The hooked-nose man raised an eyebrow. Instead of fear, his eyes flashed with disdain and malice, "So these homeless dogs have a Mid Innate Stage hidden among them? Hmph, perfect—I brought guests today!"

He tilted his head slightly toward the shadows behind him, "Ding Laosi, Ding Laosan, what are you waiting for? The Mid Innate Stage inside is yours. Eliminate him—I'll reward you handsomely!"

"Hah! Third Young Master, rest assured— a cowardly Mid Innate Stage hiding in the dark? We brothers will catch him in the blink of an eye!"

Two eerie laughs echoed from behind the Third Young Master of the Liu family.

Instantly, two gaunt old men, seventy percent alike in face, both clad in gray martial attire, with eyes as venomous as snakes, appeared like ghosts.

The aura radiating from them was unmistakably at the peak of the Innate Stage.

Though they had only just reached the peak and their qi was slightly unstable— clearly boosted by pills or unorthodox methods, far from the solid foundation of natural cultivation— they were still formidable warriors for ordinary factions.

Amid their eerie laughter, they blurred forward, leaving twin afterimages, utterly ignoring the four exhausted Qiyang Sect disciples at the door, charging into the pitch-black restaurant like two gray arrows of ferocity!

Outside the restaurant, the Third Young Master of the Liu family wore a cruel, expectant smile.

He already imagined the unknown fool's "Mid Innate Stage" being torn apart by the Ding brothers.

Yet—

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Almost the instant the Ding brothers charged into the restaurant, two heavy, drumlike thuds erupted from within.

Next, under the horrified gaze of all, Ding Laosi and Ding Laosan— who had stormed in a second ago with terrifying momentum— now flew out like two sacks hurled with full force, spewing blood, bodies twisted, moving several times faster than when they entered.

"Puh—!"

"Wah!"

In midair, blood gushed from them like water, mixed with chunks of internal organs.

Their chests were visibly caved in, ribs shattered beyond count, eyes filled with utter terror and disbelief.

"Crash!"

"Crash~!"

Their bodies slammed into the dense crowd of Liu family thugs behind them like cannonballs.

Immediately, screams, cracking bones, and startled shouts erupted everywhere.

At least seven or eight Liu family thugs, unable to dodge, were crushed with broken bones and spitting blood, collapsing to the ground— the scene became a chaotic mess of fallen men.

Ding Laosi and Ding Laosan, after smashing through the crowd, rolled onto the ground, struggled twice, then slumped, their breaths fading rapidly— clearly dying.

At the restaurant's entrance, silence fell.

Only the crackling of torches and the moans of the wounded remained.

The smile on Liu's Third Young Master's face froze solid; his pupils shrank violently as he stared fixedly at the dim restaurant entrance, which seemed to harbor primordial beasts—a chill surged from his soles straight to the crown of his head.

What the hell kind of Mid Innate Stage is this?!