"What?!""Puchi!"
Zhang Haoli's pupils contracted. His brain raced, but there was no time to think — the Long Water Blade had already pierced his heart without warning. From that moment on, the three heads of the capital's top three families were all dead.
"Chen Xiao! I was wrong!" "Chen Xiao, I will never interfere in you and Shirou's matters again!"A familiar voice shed its arrogance and became only plea. Tang Xiangui knelt, head bowed to the ground.
Chen Xiao sneered. "Tang Xiangui, you think I'll let you go?" Tang Xiangui buried his face deeper; his sinister grin went unnoticed. "Chen Xiao… I'm at least from the Tang—"
"Puchi!"
A blue-glowing nail sliced Tang Xiangui's face in half. Blood sprayed into the sky.
"Tang Shirou has nothing to do with you, understand?" Chen Xiao looked at Tang Xiangui coldly, as if staring at a corpse.
"Ahhh!" Tang Xiangui clutched his ruined cheek and wailed, "Shirou… save me, I'm your grandfather!"
Tang Shirou's expression hardened, utterly merciless. Her pretty face darkened. "You dare ask me to intercede? You starved my father to death in the basement!""Tang Xiangui, you're a monster."
As those words landed, Tang Xiangui understood his fate. "Die!" He drew a dagger from his inner pocket and lunged at Tang Shirou — a last desperate gambit to take her as a hostage, a sliver of hope.
His B-rank talent, [Fish Scales], flared, boosting his strength slightly. "Puchi——" A blue flash tore through the air. Tang Xiangui froze — then his torso split. Blood gushed everywhere, darkening the wedding platform, staining the red stage. Tang Xiangui was dead.
But Chen Xiao wasn't done. He had promised to utterly destroy the top three families.
At that moment Jiang Yunhan was helped forward. "Chen Xiao… don't be reckless. Yuan Qingzheng isn't simple. Do you really think the military will stand by while you massacre the top three families?"
Chen Xiao only smiled and asked, "Do you think they'll have time to stand by?" The military and the big families were intertwined; offend one and you risk them all. Chen Xiao wouldn't give Yuan Qingzheng the chance to call reinforcements.
Jiang Yunhan could only watch helplessly, unsure of Chen Xiao's plan.
Chen Xiao helped Tang Shirou up, took her slender hand, and walked to the crowd. "Take care of Shirou. I'll be right back." Tang Shirou blinked. "What are you going to do?"
"Destroy the top three families."
The words hit like a thunderclap. "What did I just hear?" "Killing the three family heads isn't enough — he wants to raze their houses too?" "This isn't just a madman — this is a peerless fiend!" Offstage people froze, unsure whether to flee or hide.
They huddled awkwardly under tables. Chen Xiao had no time for them. He met Chen Changqing's worried eyes. "Uncle, sorry to make you worry." Chen Changqing shook his head. "Xiao'er, I never imagined… after the apocalypse, you'd be living like this. Your second uncle would be pleased wherever he is." Chen Xiao patted his shoulder and handed him to Dashan. "Protect my uncle."
Dashan nervously scratched his head. "Don't worry, Brother Xiao. I'll finish the job this time, no matter what!"
Chen Xiao smiled and glanced at Jiang Chuxue. She'd worn a floral dress to meet him — pure and lovely — but the mood was heavy. Tang Shirou and Jiang Chuxue clasped hands, both looking at Chen Xiao with soft, grateful eyes.
"Brother Xiao, I wasn't wronged. The top three families—" Tang Shirou started; she didn't want Chen Xiao risking himself again. Chen Xiao waved a hand. "This is my personal vendetta. It's none of your business."
He stepped on ripples of void and strode toward the Yang Family fortress like a descending god. "By proximity, we'll wipe out the Yang family first."
With that, Chen Xiao vanished. People near the stage stared at one another. "Is he really going to exterminate them all?" "Is he trying to slaughter the whole capital? Not even the top three families can stop him!" "All because the Yangs provoked this death god — the capital is doomed today!" "Let's just hope he doesn't turn on us…"
Jiang Yunhan watched the Yang Family fortress from afar; a flicker of motion crawled along the city wall. Clearly, no one could stop Chen Xiao. His methods were unmatched in this post-apocalyptic world.
"What did he go through…" The Little Monk pressed his palms together. "Li Taixuan couldn't stand against him. I'm afraid no one can stop this nemesis now." The Little Monk was secretly glad he'd followed Chen Xiao for good food and comfort — in just a week he'd had nine hot-pot meals. Even Li Taixuan, modified as he was, had fallen to a single halberd slash.
Tang Shirou squeezed Jiang Chuxue's hand, teary-eyed. "Chuxue… thank you.""Sister Tang, I'm so glad you're safe," Jiang Chuxue replied, holding back tears. So much had happened today — she had once thought all was lost.
Tang Shirou suddenly asked, "By the way — did you know Chen Xiao was alive all along and just hid it from me?"
Jiang Chuxue's face flushed. "Uh…" Jiang Yunhan answered for her: "I told her not to say. I never expected Chen Xiao to become this powerful in a week…"
Jiang Chuxue bit her lip. "I didn't want to lie to you, Sister Tang, but the situation was dire. Luckily Brother Chen Xiao is amazing. He can take on the top three families alone — it's more than I could've dreamed."
"Brother… Chen Xiao?" Tang Shirou looked at Jiang Chuxue, confused. Chuxue had never liked Chen Xiao much — why was she now calling him "Brother Chen Xiao"?
Jiang Chuxue blushed deeper. "Oh, Sister Tang, I'll tell you later — too many people here now." Tang Shirou fondly ruffled her hair. "Okay, okay. You're hiding a lot. We'll talk when there's time."