But no matter what, the head of the Xiren family at this time was certainly not excited about the prospect of starting a war to annex the Buzhihuo family and launch his grand undertaking.
He was perhaps sorrowful.
His own son was dead.
That was acceptable; a useless son was just a useless son. If he was dead, he was dead. He wasn't without other sons, and he could have more in the future.
However…
However…
His second brother was dead.
He had died mysteriously while searching for the murderer of his son.
That was his second-in-command, the third strongest expert in the Xiren family, and an indispensable right-hand man for his future grand ambitions.
To think…
To think that he died searching for a useless degenerate. Although that degenerate was his son, in this world, strength was the only truth.
He had dispatched his men to search outward from Xiren Jun's last known location, the ancient tomb, for traces of a battle.
He had personally traced back time and learned the appearances of those three people.
He had personally visited that barren land and attempted to investigate the battle, but found nothing.
Fortunately, he knew the murderers' appearances: an old man, an extremely ugly youth, and a woman even uglier than the youth. He swore to tear them limb from limb.
A wanted notice had long been issued. After Wan Lei and the other two left Jingxian City, the officials and major powers within the territory began posting wanted notices, searching for the three murderers who had killed the young master of the Xiren family.
Yes, they did not mention that Xiren Jun was killed by them.
Because Xiren Jun was killed by people from the Buzhihuo family.
This was a political necessity.
He had initially believed that with such a widespread search, he would quickly find those three people. However, the murderers seemed to have vanished like a stone into the sea, never showing themselves again.
He was furious, he was grief-stricken, he roared, he bellowed, he smashed everything in the room.
Since he couldn't find them,
Then,
Might as well,
Beat up the Buzhihuo family,
To vent his anger.
It was going to happen anyway.
And the instigators who had enraged the head of the Xiren family, one of the Four Great Powers of the Great Jin, were at this very moment sitting peacefully in a tavern within the Buzhihuo family's territory, leisurely drinking fine wine and listening to gossip.
And at this time, the wandering warrior who had previously said that Xiren Jun was killed by Buzhihuo Qingwu under her skirt was getting into his storytelling stride.
"After Xiren Jun and Buzhihuo Qingwu battled for three thousand rounds, both were exhausted.
Xiren Jun's clothes were intact, but the internal fire had caused him immense damage, his internal cultivation was weak, and he was in unbearable pain.
As for Buzhihuo Qingwu, her fan was already riddled with holes, and her clothes, a light blue sheer fabric, had been burned by the fierce flames, leaving her with only a pair of underpants, barely covering herself, revealing glimpses of beauty.
Ah, no, it was a scene of utter desolation.
Xiren Jun roared,
'Halt, you mere child of the Buzhihuo family! Do you truly think I, the second-in-command of the Xiren family, am to be trifled with? Today, I shall ensure you meet your end here!'
Guess what Buzhihuo Qingwu said then?
You wouldn't guess, would you?
Buzhihuo Qingwu smiled slightly, her words like orchids.
'Xiren Jun, today, you shall obediently come with me. To my Buzhihuo family, you will at least be an honored guest, and the beauties of the clan will be yours to choose and enjoy.'
Xiren Jun laughed heartily,
'Everyone, guess what he said?'"
The man paused for dramatic effect. In a storytelling venue, he would have received countless rewards, but this was a township tavern filled with coarse fellows. Who would bother to give him money? Instead, they urged him to continue quickly, and some hot-tempered individuals even drew their swords.
Seeing that everyone was getting impatient, the man abandoned his suspense and continued.
"'If I fancy you,' Xiren Jun said, 'can I also take you into my chambers?'"
"Hahahaha…"
Laughter erupted from all around.
Indeed, compared to the earth-shattering battles, they were more interested in these sordid affairs between men and women.
This was because earth-shattering events were too far removed from them, while such sordidness was something everyone harbored in their hearts.
And also yearned for.
"Buzhihuo Qingwu first chuckled lightly, then said,
'If you, the second-in-command of Xiren, are willing, you could also become my eighty-ninth guest to grace my chambers.'"
"Hahahaha…"
"How wanton this Qingwu is! To have eighty-eight, can one endure that?"
"Look at what you're saying. As the saying goes, only the bull gets tired, never the field that's plowed."
"That makes sense."
"If I were to ask you to be a guest in my chambers, you'd probably drop your pants faster than you'd drink."
"Hahahaha…"
Hearing the vulgarity around him, Fang Xiaoyu immediately scoffed and muttered,
"Hmph, they're spinning such a convincing tale, as if they were personally there watching."
This remark immediately displeased the storyteller. His expression darkened, and he looked towards Fang Xiaoyu.
Upon seeing her, his eyes widened.
How could such a beauty be sitting in this corner? He hadn't noticed her before.
But he also immediately noticed Wan Lei beside Fang Xiaoyu and the dangerous curve of Wan Lei's lips. He quickly suppressed his rising heart and coughed,
"What did the lady here mean? I wasn't there watching, but did the lady herself witness it?"
Fang Xiaoyu didn't speak, but merely let out a soft laugh.
Heh, not only did I witness it, I personally participated.
Seeing that she remained silent, the storyteller was about to continue when suddenly, the sound of earth-shattering hoofbeats echoed from outside.
The tavern owner was the quickest to react. He first rushed out, then immediately ran back.
"It's the Xiren family's cavalry! It's the Xiren family's cavalry!"
The owner, shouting in panic, hastily closed the door and bolted it, attempting to block the wolves and tigers outside with this wooden barrier.
The patrons immediately stood up, each peering out the windows.
Running was definitely too late.
Your two legs were no match for their four.
At this moment, the cavalry outside had already stormed into the small town, spreading out and kicking down doors from house to house.
The town was immediately filled with the roars of men and the screams of women, but soon these sounds turned into wails.
The cavalry searched house by house, and emerged from house by house, some carrying more provisions, ironware, and other supplies, some driving live chickens and pigs, and some even dragging crying women in their hands.
This was hardly a regular army; they were more like a band of brigands.
Just then, two tall soldiers noticed the tavern and immediately charged towards it. Those inside were terrified and quickly recoiled.
Bang!
With a crack, the bolt broke, and the wooden door was kicked open.
Screams of terror erupted from within. Although there were only two of them, the occupants lacked the courage to resist.
"Hmph!"
Wan Lei uttered not a word, but directly released his cultivation pressure. The faces of the two soldiers immediately changed.
"Apologies for the intrusion."