Chapter 77: Torrents of Chaos at Jinhuang Pavilion

Jinhuang Pavilion.

The heady aroma of strong liquor permeated the air.

The clamor of string and bamboo instruments filled the space, setting a bewitching, disorienting mood. The courtesan’s graceful, twisting waist moved like a sinuous water snake, holding every gaze captive.

Xu Helil sipped his fine wine as he stared at the alluring courtesan, a fierce fire beginning to blaze within him.

Xu Beihu rubbed his nose, sensing that something was amiss.

He stood up and muttered, “Big Brother, I’m going out for some fresh air.”

Xu Helil smiled appreciatively and nodded, clearly pleased with Xu Beihu’s perceptiveness.

No sooner had Xu Beihu left the private room than the courtesan’s long, fair legs went limp, collapsing into Xu Helil’s embrace as her eyes glazed over.

Xu Beihu, a burly man, left the room with his arms folded, exhaling a long, heavy sigh.

Outside, torrential rain poured down in columns while howling winds sent a wet assault against his face.

But then, Xu Beihu froze.

He stared blankly into the distance…

There, even amidst the raging storm, thick smoke billowed upward, resembling a black dragon roaring as it surged toward the heavens!

“That’s… the direction of the Yang Family!”

Xu Beihu’s eyes narrowed.

Had something happened to the Yang Family?

Wasn’t the Yang Family supposed to be raiding our Xu Family Divine Cultivation Institute for the Prodigy? Why was blue smoke billowing from the Yang Family residence?

As if a dreadful thought had struck him, Xu Beihu’s gaze tightened…

Trouble is brewing!

He rushed to the door of the private room and crashed it open without a second thought.

“Big Brother, something’s happened!”

Inside the private room,

screams of a woman and a man erupted.

……

……

Boom—!

The rain suddenly exploded in a burst.

A burly figure wearing a conical hat and a knife at his side strode forward, his overwhelming aura evaporating the rain and forcing the water on Long Street to split apart.

Raindrops clung not to his dark hair as they danced wildly like snakes, his muscles and bones coiled and roaring like a giant python.

Trailing behind him was the nervous constable, Zhang Xiangyang.

The two men silently arrived before the Yang Family residence, their eyes meeting a blasted doorway.

A strong stench of burning drifted out from within the mansion.

They exchanged glances. Zhang Xiangyang’s hairs stood on end as he whispered, “It’s the Ogre’s explosive, burning black wooden bird!”

The young City Lord, Cao Qingyuan, his expression somber, nodded as a divine aura swirled about him. Zhang Xiangyang felt as if the heavens and earth pressed down on him, making even breathing a struggle.

Even a cultivator at the pinnacle of Yangxing Ruhe was powerless before a Divine Foundation cultivator.

“Ogre?”

Cao Qingyuan murmured steadily.

Zhang Xiangyang detailed the situation, and a ripple of concern passed over Cao Qingyuan.

“So, the raid on the Xu Family Divine Cultivation Institute for the Prodigy has failed?”

Cao Qingyuan narrowed his eyes.

“You mean… Li Che’s daughter was perched on Ogre’s shoulder? But Ogre isn’t some pushover who slaughters indiscriminately—how is Li Che’s daughter unafraid of him?”

Cao Qingyuan’s eyes flickered with a hint of light.

Armed with ingenious devices and a bizarre wooden explosive raven, it was clear that Ogre’s wood-carving skills were impressive.

This Ogre…

“Li Che… is that you?!”

“Is Li Che the Ogre?”

Cao Qingyuan’s gaze turned distant as he recalled the refined, scholarly young man he had seen in the Private Workshop,

that upright youth.

So steady in demeanor, he now appeared to be a fearless master woodcarver.

Could he really be the brutal, unrestrained Ogre who kills without mercy?

“Whether true or not…”

“…a single suspicion is enough.”

Rain streaming down the rim of Cao Qingyuan’s conical hat revealed a pair of icy, elusive eyes. After a long moment of contemplation, he stepped into the Yang Family residence.

Zhang Xiangyang dared not speak, silently following behind.

When the two finally saw the scene inside, their faces turned ashen.

This Ogre… is ruthless!

“The Yang Family…”

“They’ve been wiped out!”

……

……

Lu Chi, accompanied by XiXi, returned to the Xu Ji Divine Cultivation Institute.

He felt utterly bewildered.

He had expected a bitter battle today; instead, trailing behind XiXi and Ogre, he witnessed a grand fireworks display.

Watching XiXi clutch her cheerful oil-paper umbrella as the adorable girl set off fireworks in a wild frenzy was both chaotic and exhilarating!

He genuinely feared that once the little girl got too carried away, she might even set off a few rounds on him.

“Brother Lu Chi, isn’t my Master Niu Niu amazing? The fireworks are so much fun!” XiXi exclaimed, nearly bursting with joy.

Who knew that setting off fireworks could be this delightful?

Lu Chi couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy; just as he once coveted XiXi’s Twisty Car, he too longed to join in the fun.

Upon returning to the Divine Cultivation Institute, Granny Mu, leaning on her Python’s Head Wooden Cane, hurried over.

“XiXi, are you alright? Any injuries?”

Granny Mu embraced XiXi, her eyes full of concern.

“Did that Ogre hurt you?”

“Granny, Master Niu Niu is wonderful. He wouldn’t ever hurt me!” XiXi replied earnestly.

Granny Mu’s face turned pale. “Master Niu Niu? You took that Ogre as your teacher?”

Oh, what a silly girl!

That Ogre… proficient in toxins, ingenious devices, concealed weapons, surprise attacks, and disguises—who would have thought such a refined gentleman could be so vicious and cruel?

A bona fide fiend!

Oh dear, how can a little girl take a fiend as her master!

It’s simply a sin!

Just as Granny Mu was about to say more,

in the distance Li Che—having shed the Ogre mask and donned a sharp, clean black outfit—rushed through the rain, holding an oil-paper umbrella.

He had reverted to his old, paternal identity…

arriving right on time to pick up his daughter from school.

……

……

Rain drenched the cold, charred corpses.

One body after another was hauled out of the Yang Family mansion, while the grim constables of the City Lord’s Black Yamen worked silently to transport the remains.

It was tragic. Absolutely terrifying!

Apart from the family members without cultivation who were sent out of the city and the missing elderly Divine Foundation cultivator of the Yang Family,

all the cultivators of the Yang Family—one of the Three Great Feilei Clans—were wiped out!

At least the Si Family still had some surviving cultivators, clinging to life to keep the clan going.

But the Yang Family…

was left with only the elderly patriarch—a lone commander.

For the Yang Family, the survival of one Divine Foundation cultivator was a small mercy; it meant that at least a root of the family remained.

Yet the elderly Yang patriarch, though a Divine Foundation cultivator, was nearly two hundred years old; who knew if his vigor still remained?

Could he still father children?

Otherwise, without an heir, the Yang Family would inevitably dwindle away.

Rain fell from dark, slithering clouds like electric serpents.

It roared silently at mankind—a deafening roar cloaked in silence.

In the distance, inside an opulent carriage,

the two brothers, Xu Helil and Xu Beihu, stared in dazed horror as scorched bodies were hauled out from the near-exterminated Yang Family; an icy dread surged through them.

“What a coincidence… too coincidental…”

In the silence, broken only by the simmering roar of a hot furnace, Xu Helil suddenly spoke.

Xu Beihu looked over in puzzled silence.

“It’s Li Nuǎnxi again…”

Xu Helil gazed out at the relentless storm, taking a deep, steadying breath.

“Whenever matters involve Li Che or Li Nuǎnxi… the Ogre always shows up!”

“Without exception—from Sun Changbiao at the shop, to Lei Chunlan, and even to Zhao Chuanxiong who died later…”

“They all harbored ill intentions toward the Prodigy, Li Nuǎnxi.”

“I had my suspicions before, then dismissed them… but now I’m not so sure. I’m all mixed up—my head is in chaos…”

Xu Helil lowered his gaze and rubbed his face.

But soon, his posture suddenly slackened.

“It’s too late…”

“Even if I had guessed, what good would it do? It’s all too late…”

“Now, the Ogre has grown even more unrestrained; it seems he no longer worries about being exposed.”

“Killing Zhao Xuanhai, killing Zhou Ruoguan, killing Yang Kaihe… wiping out the Yang Family…”

Xu Helil looked up, terror glinting in his eyes.

“He has already shown his true mettle…”

Even if he had guessed the Ogre’s identity… what difference would it make?

Xu Helil now…

simply couldn’t defeat the Ogre!

So, is this our doom?

Listening to the raging wind and rain outside the carriage,

Xu Helil panted deeply, his eyes flickering with determination.

“Since I could guess it, others with intent will also uncover the Ogre’s true identity… he won’t be able to hide it for long.”

“Hidden devices, potent toxins, concealed weapons, surprise attacks, disguises… who would have thought such a refined gentleman could be so vicious and cruel?”

“What a pity! The Yang Family should never have been wiped out… after all, only an elderly Divine Foundation cultivator remains!”

Xu Helil’s expression hardened as he clenched his fists.

“Do you think your might can shake a Divine Foundation cultivator?”

“Even if your Ogre can dispatch constables like Zhao Xuanhai and Zhou Ruoguan, when facing a Divine Foundation cultivator…”

“Ogre…”

“You’re doomed!”

Support the next chapter! Please vote monthly and recommend! I’m pushing for PK but it all depends on continued readership, so no hoarding of the book! I beg you—thank you, Old Li!