Chapter 1952: Cao Chengli's Shock

I had originally thought that hiring these bandits this time would be a sure thing, an easy way to kill a penniless wretch and effortlessly avenge the humiliation I had suffered.

To my surprise, everyone died, and the leader seemed to have gone mad.

"Those who killed my men were horses! And chariots..."

"Why don't you mention the advisors, cannons, or elephants?"

"Speak properly. Are you trying to play word games with me?"

"I'm asking you who killed your men!" Xue Chen demanded, unable to contain himself any longer.

"Haven't I told you? It was a horse, and... a chariot!" The leader felt like his stomach was about to burst with frustration.

"A horse?"

"A chariot?"

Xue Chen and Xue Qin became even more confused.

"That carriage of Shan Xiaotian's... the horse possessed the strength of a Grand Saint Stage 1 and easily killed my subordinates. That chariot was also very powerful; none of the arrows we shot could even get close to it..."

Though he knew how absurd it sounded, the leader still explained in detail what had just happened.

"A horse that knows martial arts? A chariot that knows martial skills?"

His face turned ashen. Xue Chen felt like his intelligence was being mocked. "Even if you didn't want to kill them, at least come up with a reasonable excuse!"

"You... you think I'm lying to you?"

The leader was going mad. Why was it that when he told the truth, nobody believed him?

"Alright, this is a Divine Access Card with five hundred Divine Access Coins inside. That should be enough to compensate you for your losses..." Too lazy to waste any more words on this seemingly madman, Xue Chen casually threw out a card. The other party merely wanted money; giving it to him would settle it.

"My thirty-plus brothers, and you're only giving five hundred?" His face twitched; the leader was on the verge of exploding with rage. This small amount of money wasn't even enough to buy back the arrows and bows they had used.

"You didn't complete the mission. Five hundred is already too much. Get out of here immediately, or you won't get a single coin!" Xue Chen's eyes narrowed.

"You..."

Seeing the surging killing intent from the other party and knowing that if he pushed it, they might truly attack, the leader understood that a wise man doesn't suffer a disadvantage right before his eyes. He snatched the card, turned, and left, soon vanishing into the night.

"Teacher, what should we do about this man, since he wasn't killed?" Xue Qin looked over.

"A bunch of useless trash! We only used them to avoid trouble!" Xue Chen snorted. "Let's go back first; I'll figure something out myself! Don't worry, Second Miss; this guy will absolutely not become an obstacle for you! If handled well, he might even help elevate your reputation and make it soar!"

The more the leader thought about it, the angrier he became; he felt like he was about to explode. If it weren't for his momentary greed, his entire force wouldn't have been annihilated, leaving him all alone now.

He galloped swiftly all the way. Before he even returned to his mountain stronghold, he heard a faint voice speaking nearby.

"So many brothers died, and they were dismissed with just five hundred Divine Access Coins?"

"Who's there?" Gripping his long saber tightly, he quickly spun around. The leader spun around continuously but found no one.

"Who's playing tricks here? If you're a real man, show yourself! I, Cao Chengli, wouldn't be worthy of being a great leader for so many years if I even frowned!"

"No need to search. It's on the tree branch right in front of you!" the faint voice continued to speak.

Leader Cao Chengli quickly looked up. Under the moonlight, he saw a book standing upright on a nearby tree branch, continuously wiggling as if it had come to life. The voice he had heard earlier had come from it.

"You... you... are talking to me?" His teeth chattered slightly, and Cao Chengli's lips trembled. He couldn't help but tremble. Tonight, he had seen arrows that could curve, horses that could kill, and chariots that knew martial arts. He had thought that was enough of a nightmare, but unexpectedly, a talking book had now appeared.

"It's me!" The book bounced slightly.

"I'm going to kill you..." With a roar, Cao Chengli's long saber flew from his hand, and his body involuntarily bolted in the opposite direction. He couldn't care less about anything else now; fleeing was the only way.

Before he could even leave the spot, his feet suddenly stumbled, and he fell headfirst to the ground. He then saw the book that had been on the tree branch had somehow appeared right in front of him, quietly hovering in the air.

"If you want to die faster, then run!"

Along with the faint words, a powerful oppressive aura crushed down from the book. Cao Chengli's expression stiffened, and he trembled involuntarily as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. "I wouldn't dare..." As this aura pressed down, he instantly understood that the book's power had definitely reached the Ancient Saint realm, or even the peak of it: Void-Shattering!

A book with Void-Shattering power? He had wanted to escape earlier, but now he understood that no matter what he tried, he couldn't escape.

"Good that you wouldn't dare!" The book swayed slightly. "Those people just now deliberately concealed information, making you target Shan Xiaotian and causing you to lose so many men for no reason. Don't you want revenge?"

"Yes... I wish I could tear them to shreds!" Cao Chengli's face contorted.

"If you want to kill people, you need to know their identities. Do you know who they are?" the book asked.

"I..." Cao Chengli froze. He only knew they had been introduced by an acquaintance and that there was money to be made. He didn't know their specific identities.

"They shouldn't have gone far; follow them..." The book chuckled. "As a bandit leader, following and secretly recording such things shouldn't be difficult, right?"

"I understand..." Cao Chengli nodded. He was a smart man; how could he not understand? This book, like that horse and that chariot, must all belong to Shan Xiaotian. The reason it didn't kill him was definitely because it thought he was still useful.

"Go!" The book swayed slightly.

Cao Chengli gritted his teeth and turned to sprint back towards where the bonfire had been. Although his cultivation was far inferior to Xue Chen and others, having committed many illicit deeds, he was skilled in stealth and tracking. Following the footprints, it didn't take long for him to arrive in front of a grand mansion.

"The City Lord's Manor? It was the City Lord's Manor that paid me to kill someone?" His eyes wide, Cao Chengli couldn't believe it. City Lord Xue Yan had an excellent reputation and was always fair in his dealings. How could he... hire assassins?

He flickered, landing on the top of the wall. Just as he was about to enter, he saw a large group of people standing in neat rows inside the wall. The two he had just met were standing in front of the assembled group. Holding his breath, Cao Chengli used the cover of night to perfectly conceal himself.

Standing at the front were a group of armored soldiers; it was obvious at a glance that they were the City Lord's Manor's most elite troops.

"Change out of these clothes, obey orders, and go kill!" the middle-aged man's deep voice rang out. Immediately, a soldier came over carrying a large pile of clothes.

"Yes, sir!" The many soldiers took the clothes and put them on one by one. When he clearly saw what the clothes looked like, Cao Chengli nearly fell off the wall. It was precisely his bandit attire! The elite soldiers of the dignified City Lord's Manor were actually impersonating their bandits to commit murder! If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have dared to believe it!

"The ones who hired me to kill were actually from the City Lord's Manor..." His body stiff, Cao Chengli didn't dare to breathe loudly. He used a recording jade crystal to record the entire scene before him.

Soon, the City Lord's Manor soldiers, disguised as bandits, quietly left the courtyard and raced towards the Shan family's residence. They quickly arrived outside the Shan family's walls.

"Charge in, leave no one alive!" The soldiers' leader lowered his voice.

"Yes, sir!" Everyone jumped into the courtyard in unison.

Cao Chengli followed closely, climbed up a large tree, and used the moonlight to peer inside. He then witnessed a scene that would forever be etched in his memory.

A young man stood in the courtyard, holding a long sword. With a slight flick, a person's head fell to the ground. The entire courtyard was filled with whistling wind and surging sword energy. In less than three minutes, all fifty elite soldiers from the City Lord's Manor who had broken in were easily killed by that one person and his sword.

"He's Shan Xiaotian? He has no cultivation?" His face turned pale, and Cao Chengli felt his chest churning, as if he was about to vomit at any moment. "People from the City Lord's Manor, damn you all to hell..." Luckily earlier, only his horse and chariot had acted. Otherwise, if this Shan Xiaotian had acted, he wouldn't even know how he died. His head might have been severed in an instant. The other party's swordsmanship was unfathomably profound, simplifying the complex. He had never seen anything so terrifying in his entire life!

"Teacher..."

After killing everyone, the young man, Shan Xiaotian, came over to the house, full of disbelief. Only then did Cao Chengli realize that a young man had been sitting in front of the room the entire time. He hadn't noticed him at all!

The young man, who looked to be about twenty, saw the young man approach. He put down his teacup and frowned slightly. "Just these few people, and it took you over two minutes to kill them? An average of three breaths per person. With this level of comprehension, how can I teach you more profound swordsmanship? As punishment, you will practice swordsmanship all night; no sleep allowed!"

"Yes, sir!" The young man lowered his head, a look of shame on his face.

"Killing one person in three breaths and still getting punished?" Cao Chengli shivered. He had seen many young geniuses, and Shan Xiaotian was definitely among the very best. Yet he was still being punished and scolded... This teacher was too strict!

While still in shock, he saw the horse that had just terrified his subordinates clip-clopping over, with a seemingly smiling expression, serving tea and pouring water for the young teacher... It even raised its two front hooves to help massage his back...

His teeth chattered, and Cao Chengli felt his worldview crumbling. "What the hell... is that a horse? Can a horse do that?"

"I must never come to the Shan family again in the future, no matter how good the offer sounds..." Having made a decision in his heart, just as he was about to quietly leave, he heard a faint voice whisper in his ear.

"What to say and what to do, you should know by now, right?" The voice was very gentle, but hearing it made his hair stand on end. He quickly looked up and saw the young man sitting in front of the room, drinking tea. He looked at him with a slight smile, his gaze seemingly piercing through the darkness and his concealment, clearly finding his hiding spot.

"I, I..." Cao Chengli was speechless.

"Don't be nervous. You saw everything that happened today. You should understand how to recount it..." The young man's lips didn't move, but his voice clearly echoed in Cao Chengli's ear.

"I understand..." Cao Chengli shivered.

"Go! You were entrusted by someone and were loyal to your task, so I won't kill you. However, starting today, if I find out you're causing trouble again, be careful, your life won't be guaranteed..." The young man's voice continued.

"Yes, sir!" Cao Chengli dared not say anything more and turned to flee.