Chapter 3: Rewriting Fate

Not far away, several ragged refugees took advantage of the night to rise, and quietly crept toward the place where they themselves were.

"Big brother, should we wait a bit longer?"

"Waiting my ass, a little brat who hasn't even grown a full coat of hair—could he possibly overturn heaven? I can tell you, don't come drag my leg, messing up the business, or I'll skin you alive. This job, the matchmaker didn't just assign it to our four brothers; if someone else gets it first, I'm afraid we'll have our guts ruined."

"What the big brother says is true—this is a top‑notch job."

"The matchmaker even produced a whole sack of rice bran and a slab of white meat; this pay is enough for us four brothers to feast for half a month, and even finding a woman to sleep with would be ordinary."

"Let's do it; as I see it, either do nothing or go all the way."

In the darkness, four figures gathered and crept silently toward Jiang Xiaomu's direction; the leader, a little bearded man, spoke viciously while making a throat‑slitting gesture, as if killing were already routine.

I really don't know what madness has possessed that Jiang brat; the matchmaker's offer is already high enough—this bit of grain might be nothing in a bumper year, but now it could buy two or three young maidens, yet that fool is a stubborn oaf, handing them a free bargain.

"What the big brother says is right—either do nothing or go all the way."

Several echoed in agreement, the four exchanged a glance, then stepped on the snow and crept toward Jiang Xiaomu.

When they drew near, the little bearded man gave a glance to the idle man beside him; the latter nodded and lunged straight at Lüzhu, who was guarding Jiang Xiaomu's back.

Just thinking about the carefree days ahead, the idle man broke into a grin.

But unexpectedly,

The idle man had just stepped past Jiang Xiaomu, reaching out to grab Lüzhu, when the several brothers all rushed forward to finish off that Jiang brat—yet he hadn't expected that, as he instinctively glanced at Jiang Xiaomu, he had assumed the boy would die never knowing how he died.

But at that moment, Jiang Xiaomu's eyes widened, cold light flashing wildly within them.

"This brat is awake!"

The idle man jumped in fright, his outstretched hand instinctively freezing.

And just at that critical moment, Jiang Xiaomu's half‑day‑charged broken blade swept horizontally toward the man's neck; this strike, exerted with full force and bolstered by a day's buildup, was already unstoppable.

Pfft!

The sound of blade entering flesh was followed by the idle man's 'hē hē' as he clutched his half‑severed neck; blood spurted out, spraying Jiang Xiaomu's face, yet he showed no expression, having already steeled himself mentally.

Jiang Xiaomu's thought was simple.

In a head‑on fight, his sixteen‑ or seventeen‑year‑old frame, not yet fully grown, could never match four idle men; all Jiang Xiaomu needed was to strike unexpectedly.

Then, taking advantage of their sickness, he would take their lives.

As expected,

One strike achieved its goal.

Jiang Xiaomu didn't pause; seizing the moment while the other three idle men hadn't recovered, he lunged forward with a step and thrust his blade straight through the belly of the little bearded man at the front.

He let out a miserable cry and collapsed instantly.

The little bearded man stared in horror at Jiang Xiaomu wielding the broken blade, never imagining that the boy who should have been asleep could already be prepared, felling two with a single strike.

He desperately tried to crawl up, but the thrust was too deep.

The little bearded man struggled a moment, then his raised arm fell limp to the ground.

Meanwhile,

Yet Jiang Xiaomu dared not relent, dispatching two more in quick succession; though it looked like only two simple moves, being constantly on the brink of life and death made him pour all his strength into each strike, and although he had steeled himself for the immediacy of killing, it still left him mentally and physically exhausted.

But Jiang Xiaomu clearly understood that now was far from the time to relax.

At this moment.

Behind him, Lüzhu was awakened by the violent movement.

"Brother?"

Lüzhu's voice trembled; she was obviously terrified.

"Don't be afraid, with big brother here, no one can hurt you."

Jiang Xiaomu soothed her with a sentence.

Immediately, he tied Lüzhu to his back, stepped forward, and walked toward the other two.

At that moment, the two belated ruffians finally came to their senses; seeing the youth before them like a killing god, one of the idle men actually let out a loud 'wa' cry, and both idle men were instantly scared witless, scrambling to their feet, pants soaked with urine and feces, wanting to flee into the distance.

That shout also instantly woke the nearby refugees who had been dozing.

They rubbed their eyes, waking up cursing, but upon seeing the scene before them, their faces turned ashen; the vulgarities on the tip of their tongues were swallowed back.

The city had been sealed for half a month, with deaths daily—such sights were commonplace and not remarkable. Yet before them stood a youth holding a ragged broken blade, with a child on his back, having hacked two people, their variegated intestines spilling across the ground, and he even chased after the two idle men with his blade.

The stench of blood assailed them; such events filled them with utter terror.

One idle man was felled by a single blow from Jiang Xiaomu.

Thud!

The other dropped to his knees, a foul odor seeping from his crotch—clearly he had pissed himself from fright.

"Jiang Xiaoge, Jiang Xiaoya, I... I know I was wrong; I shouldn't have had designs on your sister."

"I will kowtow to you, I will admit my mistake; please... please don't kill me, I won't dare again."

The idle man wept bitterly.

But Jiang Xiaomu's face showed no change in expression.

He stood before the idle man, broken blade in hand, looking down from above; turning his head, his gaze swept over the faces of the awakened refugees—dozens of them, yet not a single one dared to meet his eyes even slightly.

When his gaze returned to the kneeling idle man begging for mercy, Jiang Xiaomu's voice finally sounded.

"I have said before, you lot must not harbor designs on my sister."

"Chaos is about to arise, a troublesome autumn; though I am merely a commoner who doesn't grasp grand principles, I also know I cannot let my sister step into a pit of fire. If you insist on making things difficult for me, then don't blame me for being ruthless and cruel."

"My worthless life is yours for the taking anytime."

Saying this, Jiang Xiaomu raised his broken blade high and brought it down straight onto the kneeling idle man's neck; this strike, he exerted all his strength, his aim being not merely to kill.

But also to establish awe!

Establish a fierce prestige!

"Lüzhu'er, close your eyes!"

Jiang Xiaomu let out a violent shout.

Immediately the broken knife fell, kakacha, a sound of the blade scraping against the vertebral bone. Jiang Xiaomu gritted his teeth, exerted force again, and immediately the idle man's head flew high, landing on the ground.

Even in death, his eyes remained wide open, dying without closing them.

He never imagined that merely taking on the toothless old woman's job of abducting a girl would cost him his life for nothing; when his skull landed in the snow, Jiang Xiaomu lifted a foot and kicked the head flying.

Only then did he turn and walk back the way he came.

Jiang Xiaomu held the knife in his hand, blood flowing from the blade; the surrounding refugees, their courage shattered by fear, turned deathly pale one by one, dodging away, lest any movement provoke the killing god before them.

【Ding, life trajectory rewritten, please host check.】