Chapter 113: Reporting for Duty

The guards ushered Ling Chi inside to wait with tea, while another went to report his arrival to Wei Xuan. This was the proper demeanor for a family with a long-standing heritage.

At that moment, Wei Xuan was playing a game of go with an elderly man whose hair and beard were as white as snow. Hearing the report, she asked in astonishment, "What? He claims to be Ling Chi from He County? What does he look like?"

Wei Xuan stood up abruptly, her face turning pale. She had not yet asked her grandfather to personally invite the master and disciple from the Zhao family, so why had they shown up on their own?

"The young man is exceptionally handsome and tall. He carries two blades—one gold, one black, one long, one short. His voice rings like thunder, and he possesses an imposing air."

"It really is him. Take me to him at once."

The dual blades of gold and black had almost become Ling Chi's trademark. Wei Xuan confirmed it immediately and rose to her feet, the gold and jade hairpin in her hair trembling. The old man watched his granddaughter hurry away, feeling puzzled. The girl was usually quite composed; why was she in such a frantic state now?

Wei Xuan strode toward the front gate, nearly resorting to martial arts to move faster. In her mind, the young man’s combat prowess was already terrifying, and his meticulous, calculating nature made him far harder to deal with than his master.

"Young Master Ling, forgive me for not coming to greet you sooner. It is truly rude of me to keep you waiting in such modest quarters."

Seeing Ling Chi sitting calmly in the gatehouse sipping tea, she felt a wave of relief. It seemed these guards had been well-trained; they deserved a reward.

"Miss Wei, there is no need for such formalities. I have visited abruptly because I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. Could we move to a quieter place?" Ling Chi had no interest in small talk and stated his purpose directly.

"Young Master Ling is truly straightforward. Please, this way. My grandfather is here as well; we can discuss it in the quiet room." Wei Xuan gestured, inviting Ling Chi to walk beside her.

Ling Chi, however, intentionally hung back by half a pace, keeping a distance of two feet—neither too close nor too far. He appeared to look straight ahead, but his peripheral vision never left Wei Xuan’s neck. If there were any sudden trouble, he could reach out and sever her head as easily as picking something from a pocket.

Wei Xuan was not yet eighteen, and with her striking beauty, she was a pleasant sight. A faint, elegant fragrance lingered near Ling Chi’s nose, but he calmly used his inner energy to seal his sense of smell. He began to circulate the Extreme Yang power through his nasal passages to ensure he was not being poisoned. Seeing that he did not want to walk beside her, Wei Xuan did not insist and led the way.

"Please forgive me, Young Master Ling. The Wei family suffered a great tragedy the other day. The 'Skull-Crushing Demon King' Song Jiang was wreaking havoc in our county, and for some reason, he suddenly attacked our estate."

"It caused us heavy casualties, and even my naive younger brother was cruelly murdered. We are short-handed at the moment; please excuse the state of our home."

"Oh? Is that the same demon who attacked the Yingzhou Garrison? I have heard of his infamy back in He County. I never expected he would roam as far as Sheng County." Ling Chi replied with a perfectly serious expression, his face betraying no sign of deceit.

"It is indeed him. Song Jiang is terrorizing various counties in Sheng County, causing massive casualties. Our county is holding up, but the Jing'an Division and the magistrate's offices in the other two counties were nearly slaughtered to the last man. He has committed countless heinous sins," Wei Xuan said helplessly.

"Hmph, such a follower of the demonic path deserves to be executed by all. If I, Ling, ever cross paths with him, I will surely cut him down under my blade." Ling Chi spoke with righteous indignation, his voice ringing with a trace of thunderous power that left Wei Xuan secretly horrified.

"To have a young hero like you stationed in He County is truly a blessing for its people," Wei Xuan flattered.

During their conversation, they arrived at the quiet room. A thin, white-haired old man looked at Ling Chi with a smile, waiting for Wei Xuan to introduce them.

"Young Master Ling, please come in. This is my grandfather, Wei Jiang."

"Grandfather, this is the talented disciple of Master Zhao from He County that I told you about, Young Master Ling Chi." Wei Xuan gestured, introducing the two men.

"I am Ling Chi. It is a pleasure to meet you, Elder Wei." Ling Chi cupped his hands with a warm expression, while internally keeping a close watch on his Thunder Bead. If it were to twitch, he would have slaughtered his way through this house tonight, but to his disappointment, the bead remained motionless.

"I have heard much about you from Xuan'er. You are indeed an impressive young man. Please, come in." Wei Jiang welcomed Ling Chi into the room with a smile and signaled the servants to bring tea.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ling Chi cut straight to the point.

"Elder Wei, Miss Wei, I have come today to bring you one piece of good news and one piece of bad news."

"I have been tracking a group of thugs who massacred my home in Willow Tree Town all the way to Sheng County. To my surprise, that group had already joined forces with Wei Ming."

"The good news is that I have dealt with Wei Ming. However, he resisted with such ferocity that I had no choice but to kill him. Most of his followers have also been wiped out; there might be two or three small fry left, but they are of no concern to you."

The Wei family grandfather and granddaughter exchanged a horrified look. Only moments ago, they had been nervously discussing when to make their move. Yet now, within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, someone had shown up to tell them their mortal enemy was dead and his entire inner circle wiped out. How could they possibly believe it?

"Young Master Ling, this matter..." Wei Xuan’s cherry lips hung slightly agape.

Ignoring their look of disbelief, Ling Chi continued:

"The bad news is that Miss Wei’s father is gone. When I arrived, he was already being refined into a 'corpse demon.' Fortunately, I interrupted the process before it could be completed, or the trouble would have been far worse."

"Both bodies are currently on the carriage I arrived in. You may go out and identify them yourselves."

Once Ling Chi finished speaking, the grandfather and granddaughter were frozen in place, motionless for a long time.

"Ahem..." Ling Chi had to clear his throat to snap them out of it.

Struck as if by lightning, Wei Xuan hurriedly arranged for someone to bring Ling Chi’s carriage over. The guards scrambled to fetch it, while the two elders composed themselves, though their eyes grew increasingly complex as they looked at Ling Chi. Their family was, after all, the leading clan in Wei County, with a history spanning two or three hundred years. To have their existential crisis resolved by this lone youth was truly overwhelming.

The sound of hooves approached. Wei Jiang rushed out as the guards lifted two reed mats containing the bodies from the carriage.

The first was Wei Xuan’s father; the body was wrapped naked, and she turned away, her eyes reddening. Seeing his son’s remains, Wei Jiang could not hold back his tears. He had been comforting his granddaughter, telling her that her father was merely missing. Even though he had been mentally prepared, he had still clung to a sliver of hope. Now, with the body before them, there was no room left for hope.

As the second body was lifted from the carriage, a lump of rotting flesh fell out, splattering onto the guard's shoe. The guard turned pale, and his grip tightened, causing the mat to tear. The puddle of meat paste and a skull that Ling Chi had painstakingly gathered tumbled onto the ground.

Wei Ming’s head rolled to Wei Xuan’s feet, and the pile of rot landed with a wet thud. This time, it wasn't just the guard—even Wei Xuan had to run off to find a place to vomit.

So this was what he meant by "resisting too fiercely" and having "no choice but to kill him"?