Chapter 574: Old geezer, what are you being arrogant about?

I, I, I…

Cui Xing watched Le Wenmao approach with a knife, not knowing whose blood was on the blade. Chi Yongchun rose to dodge, wanting to curse loudly, but the hope of staying alive kept the foul words on his tongue from being spoken. He looked pleadingly at Le Wenmao and begged:

"Le Uncle, Le Uncle, I know I was wrong. Please, for the sake of our years as neighbors, spare me!"

"Neighbors?"

Le Wenmao smiled, as if hearing a huge joke, his face full of mockery, and he said in an unfriendly tone:

"You still know we've been neighbors for years. I don't expect your family to stand up for ours, after all the Zhu family is powerful and influential—not something just anyone can provoke.

But you actually used my grandson as a stepping stone, and you didn't even treat my grandson as a neighbor. Now you still have the nerve to say, in front of me, that because we've been neighbors for years, I should let you go?"

"Le Uncle, stop wasting words with this dog‑thing. If you're going to kill, just kill—give this dog‑thing a single slash!"

The neighbors watching the spectacle hoped deep down that Le Wenmao would quickly behead Cui Xing, this beast. Most of them were Cui Xing's neighbors, yet for so many years, aside from suffering Cui Xing's bullying, even before he grew up or was born, their families had already been bullied by Cui Xing's father.

Though they were neighbors with the Cui family, they had never received any favor from the Cuis; instead, whenever they were short on money, they would deliberately find fault with them and engage in extortion.

Just then.

From Cui Xing's mouth they learned the news of his parents' deaths, and they almost laughed out loud. Now they naturally wished Cui Xing, this dog‑thing, would die soon and be reborn, fearing that Le Wenmao might be persuaded by this beast to spare him.

Although.

This possibility is less than one percent!

Cui Xing whined: "Le Uncle, what you say is all done by that brat Cui Ji—not me. Even if you want to cause trouble, you should go after him, not me!"

"Cui Ji did it? Isn't Cui Ji your brother?"

Le Wenmao snorted, seeing Cui Xing open his mouth as if to explain, and before he could speak, Le Wenmao cut him off:

"Did he take my grandson as a stepping stone, cozy up to that beast of the Zhu family, and you didn't seize the chance to let your chickens and dogs ascend to heaven?"

"Le Uncle…"

Cui Xing still wanted to say something, but Le Wenmao had no patience for chatter, and said impatiently: "You still have anything to say? If you have no last words, then I'll send you to join your parents in unity!"

"Le Uncle, can't you spare me?"

Cui Xing pleaded pitifully.

Le Wenmao gave no response—or rather, he simply raised his long sword in reply.

"You old immortal, since you won't give me a way to live, then I'll give you death!"

Cui Xing shouted angrily, and in an unbelievable way, shot out a tiny hidden weapon. As it was about to pierce Le Wenmao's heart, there was a "clang!"—it was knocked down by a long sword.

"Pfft!"

Under Cui Xing's astonished gaze, he never imagined that his usual hundred‑percent‑effective hidden weapon—his pride, his lifeline, practiced countless times—would actually be thwarted by Le Wenmao.

Before his astonishment could fade, his head was severed by a blade, and even as he died he muttered, "How could this be? How could this be?"

Obviously. He could never accept, even in death, that his proudest hidden weapon would be broken by Le Wenmao.

"Trashy tricks, only good for sneaky hidden‑weapon attacks—no wonder after all these years your cultivation is just this!"

Le Wenmao snorted, looking at Cui Xing's severed body, his face full of disdain, and said: "A true martial cultivator should focus his mind on the proper path, not rely on these side‑door tricks."

He admitted that Cui Xing's hidden‑weapon technique was top‑notch; if he hadn't known Cui Xing excelled at hidden weapons and kept constant watch—even if Cui Xing was gravely injured and could only struggle—he would still not dare be careless. This is the experience he gained from many great battles.

Otherwise.

With that superb hidden‑weapon move Cui Xing just made, if he were slightly distracted, he would miss it and capsize in a ditch.

"Good!"

As Le Wenmao beheaded Cui Xing, the neighbors watching could no longer suppress their excitement. They were all people who had suffered from the Cui family, and now seeing Cui Xing die at Le Wenmao's hands, how could they not be excited?

If it weren't for the lack of firecrackers, and if Cui Xing still had a brother—Cui Ji, who is also no good—they would truly want to set off firecrackers to celebrate the Cui family's demise and report to the Yama King.

"No wonder he's praised as Liangshui Town's number one martial cultivator by the previous generation—he really is formidable, able to break even that sinister hidden‑weapon sneak attack!"

Chi Yongchun couldn't help but sigh: "Just now Cui Xing's hidden‑weapon sneak attack—I saw it with my eyes, felt it in my heart. Against that move, I think I couldn't handle it; eight or nine times out of ten I'd suffer. I never expected Le Wenmao to break it so easily, and he walked over with steady steps, smiling obsequiously, trying to flatter:

This novel you to

"Le Uncle, look, you've killed Cui Xing—can you go with me to the yamen?"

Le Wenmao ignored Chi Yongchun. Cui Xing is no good; is Chi Yongchun any good?

They're in cahoots!

However.

Chi Yongchun hasn't provoked Le Wenmao, and Le Wenmao doesn't want to waste time arguing with him.

In this world there are many good people, but even more bad ones. People like Chi Yongchun are everywhere; even if he wanted to, he couldn't possibly deal with them all.

Chi Yongchun watched Le Wenmao not even glance at him, turned and walked toward the Le Zhuang group, his obsequious smile not fading in the slightest, yet in his heart he cursed:

"Old immortal, what are you being arrogant about? You're just a soft‑bully, hard‑coward type. The Cui family has a grudge against you, but the one with a deep blood feud is the Zhu family's eldest son—he's the one who killed your son and daughter‑in‑law. If you're able, go kill the Zhu family's eldest son; wiping out the Cui clan amounts to nothing."

A constable beside Chi Yongchun whispered: "Chief Chi, just let that old thing go?"

"Not let that old thing go? Then are you supposed to go catch that old thing? He's connected to the Cui family—he can wipe them out just by saying so. If you're not afraid of death, go catch that old immortal!"

Before Chi Yongchun could speak, his younger cousin muttered low‑worded, comforting him:

"Brother, don't quarrel with that old immortal; just let him be arrogant. Anyway, he's not far from death, and with his killing spree, the first one who won't sit still will be the Zhu family's eldest son—the Zhu family's eldest son won't let him off!"

"What you said is right—this old thing is so ferocious, the Zhu family's eldest son is the first who won't sit still!"

Chi Yongchun nodded, then said softly: "You go to the county town next and tell the Zhu family's eldest son everything that happened to the Cui family, in full detail."

(End of chapter)